Chandani Dreams Paper Collage - Framed

Chandani is a Hindi name for moonlight and this collage features a beautiful Indian woman sleeping and dreaming of far away places.

My sister is going away to college this Fall and asked that I make a collage for her dorm.  I know that she loves the moon, loves India, jewel toned colors and anything that sparkles, so I went through all of my vintage images to make something just for her.

I found most of my images at graphics fairy!
Rummaging through my craft closet usually reveals fun surprises, so I found little jewels and pieces of scrapbook paper perfect for the project.  I keep all kinds of paper, even small little corners left over from projects just in case they will be useful later.




More than 20 images were cut out and put together to create this picture.

Michaels craft store sells a big book of scrapbook paper called Once Upon a Time (Premium Stacks Brand) and it is FULL of glittery, lovely detailed fairy tale type paper.  For $20.00 it was a deal to buy as I know it will help me with tons of projects throughout the year.

I also used:

• Stampendous glittery embossing powder
• ARTO gold glitter mist spray
• rhinestones with sticky backs
• Artist Trading Cards with vintage floral backgrounds
• PLAID brand Royal Coat Decoupage spray- acid free Hi-Gloss Finish
• A plain wooden crafting frame from Michaels, made specifically for displaying scrapbooking projects
• Crayola watercolors

Once my picture was assembled with the use of a glue stick, I took it outside to be sprayed with the decoupage spray.  I love this brand of spray because it dries so quickly and is so glossy.  It brings paper images to life!  I sprayed about 4 coats on this project.

Before it dried, I sprinkled the fine glitter embossing powder randomly all over the picture.

Then I used Crayola watercolors on the wooden frame.  Yes, I know it sounds strange, but Crayola watercolors have vivid pigment and when you use them on a wooden frame, it looks like a beautiful stain!  You can see the grain of the wood, but also have the color you want.  I love this soft effect.  Once it was dry, I sprayed several coats of the decoupage spray on the frame to seal in the watercolor paint.  If you do not do this, it will fade pretty quickly.  This frame is painted in pink and orange with a robin egg and greenish light blue for the inside and outside edges.

Also, I attached a ribbon on the back with hot glue.  My sister cannot put nails in her dorm wall, so the ribbon is perfect for hanging on one of those 3M brand sticky wall hooks.   If you do this, hot glue the ribbon pretty far down on the frame, securing it to the very edges so that the ribbon can support the weight of the frame. 

I spent $28.00 for this craft, but much of what I bought will be used for many more creations.

Happy Crafting!