Hello everyone! I am so excited to share with you today the full reveal of our newest collection, "Truth Beauty Freedom Love"! Yaaaaaay!!! I am so thrilled about this new collection! I think you all are going to love it!
For this collection, I was inspired by the movies and style of Baz Luhrmann. You are probably familiar with Baz's work -- such as Moulin Rouge, The Great Gatsby, Strictly Ballroom, Romeo and Juliet, La Boheme, and Australia. Designing this collection was a little different for me. I am always inspired by fairytales and often Disney fairytales, of course, but this was inspiration coming from a different kind of fairytale...a little bit more of a "grown up" and complex fairytale style, if you will. What struck me about Luhrmann's style was his bohemian aesthetic (which is of course outright spoken about in the movie Moulin Rouge, but which you can see throughout his films). And by bohemian, I don't mean in the 60's, 70's hippie sense, or even the more modern bohemian style. I am talking about the original bohemian ideology, lifestyle, art, and fashion of the original bohemians that lived and thrived at the beginning of the last century -- i.e. the beginning of the 1900's (1900 - 1930). This aesthetic and ideology was based on the "bohemian revolution". Bohemianism was a new kind of "unconventional lifestyle" in which music, art, literature, creativity, spirituality, adventure, non-conformity, honesty, beauty, liberty, and love were all important elements. And the sense of beauty was very much a mixture of both natural beauty and a more creative and/or glamorous beauty. The Bohemian aesthetic was also one that favored maximalism rather than minimalism. Baz Luhrmann's lush, lavish, over-the-top, creative, and bold aesthetic in all of his films is definitely that of the vintage bohemian -- and it is like a special world of fantasy and magic!
Subsequently, for this collection, I wanted to delve into that Bohemian world and the sensibilities of Baz Luhrmann's gorgeous and glamorous movies! Usually the vintage style that I work with in my collections is more of a mid-century modern style (i.e. the 40s, 50s, and 60s). This was new for me -- pulling from the art nouveau and the art deco styles of the early 1900s and the roaring 1920s. However, I had so much fun working in these new styles! You will see throughout the collection how these styles influenced different pattern papers and elements for "Truth Beauty Freedom Love". For example, there are many 20's art deco style geometric patterns within the collection, as well as tons of art nouveau imagery such as the beautiful crescent moon, the ethereal butterflies, and the use of lush and elegant florals. And the mix of various bold patterns and colors and ideas definitely exude the complex and multi-layered, creative aesthetic of the vintage bohemian.
For this collection, we did our normal mix of awesome, double-sided pattern papers, decorative planner/mini album pages, and lots of fabulous embellishments. Embellishments include an ephemera pack, a variety pack (which has both metallic foiled, vellum pieces and color printed transparency pieces), flair buttons, clear stickers, acrylic words and shapes (and the shapes can be used as decorative charms as they have holes in them so that you can string or hang them), and a metallic, silver-foiled vellum sheet. And I loved creating this collection so much I had to also include some awesome add-ons for you -- such as add on patterned papers, an add on foiled vellum sheet, and an add-on sequin mix!
Main Set 12x12 Papers
One favorite I want to mention in particular is the amazing little Bohemian village I created for you below -- I love that little world with the various houses and the 20's bohemian ladies and gent, the trees, animals, the rainbow, and the amazing monuments (that are from that turn of the century, early 1900's time period). It feels like a world I just want to go to and live in and be 100% myself! And it reminds me of a quote by writer Gellet Burgess about a place called Bohemia:
"To take the world as one finds it, the bad with the good, making the best of the present moment—to laugh at Fortune alike whether she be generous or unkind—to spend freely when one has money, and to hope gaily when one has none—to fleet the time carelessly, living for love and art—this is the temper and spirit of the modern Bohemian in his outward and visible aspect. It is a light and graceful philosophy, but it is the Gospel of the Moment, this exoteric phase of the Bohemian religion; and if, in some noble natures, it rises to a bold simplicity and naturalness, it may also lend its butterfly precepts to some very pretty vices and lovable faults, for in Bohemia one may find almost every sin save that of Hypocrisy. ...
His faults are more commonly those of self-indulgence, thoughtlessness, vanity and procrastination, and these usually go hand-in-hand with generosity, love and charity; for it is not enough to be one’s self in Bohemia, one must allow others to be themselves, as well. ...
What, then, is it that makes this mystical empire of Bohemia unique, and what is the charm of its mental fairyland? It is this: there are no roads in all Bohemia! One must choose and find one’s own path, be one’s own self, live one’s own life."
Add-On Set 12x12 Papers
I absolutely adore "Truth Beauty Freedom Love," and I hope you will, too! The colors are magical -- with the amazing pinks, aquas, greens, dark blues and navy, rich yellows, and deep and luscious reds! And the imagery is so special! I love all the florals and the painted pieces and the butterflies and the sacred hearts and the vintage elements (like the vintage typewriter, camera and phone). But I especially love the vintage girls in the collection! They are so very roaring 20's, Gatsby Girl, fabulous flapper, and it's awesome!!!
Specialty, 8x10, Silver-Foiled Vellum Page - “Juliet”
Planner Dividers
Specialty, 8x10, Gold-Foiled Vellum Page - “Daisy”
I feel like Bohemia is the place that we all want to go to right now after one hell of a crazy, difficult, tumultuous, and often scary and sad year! Let's go there now, shall we? So please enjoy my newest collection "Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love" and create for yourself a world of wonder and imagination! To order the collection you can click here now! And click here if you would like to subscribe -- that way you can sign up to receive this collection and forthcoming subscription collections as soon as they come out and at a discount!
Hugs to you all!!! And Happy Scrapping!!!
Andrea Bethke
Owner, Designer, Creator, Founder - The Fairytale Club