Dig Deep ~ an eP post

I still haven't managed to shake the illness that I've now had for a week but at least I have managed to return to my craft table for short periods. That has to be a positive sign, right? For this week's eclectic Paperie project, I decided to play in my Strathmore mixed media journal which is 5.5 x 8" and feels like an old friend. My mojo deserted me when this virus came to visit and I can feel her lurking just out of reach. I'm hoping to entice her back because I miss her :) I didn't work on this spread all at once and so forgot to take process pics but I do have lots of views to help explain what I did.

I started by gessoing the pages and then applying a coat of Golden's Titan Buff for a neutral background. next I scribbled over the background with an Inktense block (1800) which is a golden tan. This was activated and spread with a wet brush and allowed to dry with the colour heavier in some places than others. One side of a Stampendous Marble texture cube was stamped all over the pages using Archival coffee ink.

The Dylusions letter jumble stencil had Vintage Photo Distress ink applied through it onto the background. Colorbox Prussian Blue ink was applied over the Dylusions Dotted Flowers stencil to make the blue dots.

I was itching to play with my new stamp, Prima's Mixed Media Doll in the Swing Dress by Julie Nutting. I stamped her once on a piece of Graphic 45's A Ladies' Diary because I wanted her skin to have the advertizing print; once on the dotty paper (Afternoon Tea) for the dress; and once on kraft cardstock for her hair all using Archival Coffee ink. The entire doll was fussy cut and shaded with Inktense pencils which were activated with a waterbrush. The dress was also cut out and shaded the same way. Her hair was coloured with Prismacolor pencils before being cut out. Then she was glued together, named Lindy, and asked to wait quietly while I made her a special space :)

For the background of her tag, I recycled the packaging that came with the stamp. Vintage Photo was applied through the Dylusions Diamond of a Border stencil and half circles of her dress, skin, and platform were adhered to the edges. A scrap of burlap was glued across the bottom of her tag after it was frayed to fit and another G45 scrap was adhered to give her a base to stand on. Lindy was glued in place and then shaded around with an Inktense pencil and water before the tag was applied to the left page. The tag was shaded around with a Big brush pen and smudged with my finger.

In order to tie the two pages together, more burlap scraps were adhered to the right page. Small circles were punched from the paper remnants and glued here and there. A black zigzag border cut with an MFT die and dotted with a white paint pen was cut apart and placed on both pages. Watercolour paper tear offs were coloured with Spearmint and Cotton Candy gelatos and a watery finger and also adhered to both pages. More of the two gelato colours were spread around the pages this time using no water to smudge them.

The messages from the Donna Downey Empowered Words set were stamped using Staz-on inks in either black or brown. The Strength message was stamped on kraft cardstock, torn around, and inked with Vintage Photo after being crumpled. Bits of washi tape were placed on two edges and a third piece was added to the left page. Black Studio 490 Embossing Paste was applied through the stars on the TCW Mini Punchinella stencil. The larger letters spelling Dig Deep are Idea-ology Alphaparts dotted with white paint pen. A different washi tape was added under each word and again to the left page for continuity.

After a final survey and a whole lot of doodling with Micron and Big Brush pens, a few more details were added. Primitive stars were punched from teal cardstock and scattered throughout the spread. Two metal butterflies were added. A leftover piece of a die cut was added under Lindy's feet to create a more substantial base. White gesso was pounced through punchinella and slightly watered gesso was applied as rings using a lid. 

I did try adding a few other elements (tail and feet) to my spread as you can see in the photos but they were eventually removed by the owner who could see that I wasn't buying her artful advice ...uh huh.

 Anyway, that's it for Lindy, Molly the art critic, and me today. I thank you for popping by. I am so far behind on visits, comments, and DT projects but I am determined to remedy that soon. In the meantime, I appreciate your visits and comments of support.

Life is good; so is art.

Bonnie

To visit the eclectic Paperie shop and check out many of the products I used on this piece, just click on the thumbnails below.

Golden Titan Buff acrylic paint	Archival Ink - Coffee Ink Pad	Dylusions Stencil 5x8" - Letter Jumble	Dylusions Stencil 5x8" - Dotted Flowers	Dylusions Stencil 5x8" - Diamond of a Border
Distress Ink Pad - Vintage Photo	Faber Castell - Big Brush Pens - Neutral	Faber Castell - Big Brush Pen - Black	Faber Castell - Gelatos - Blue Colors	Faber Castell - Gelatos - Green Colors
Unity Stamp Company - Empowered Words (Donna Downey)	Idea-ology - Alpha Parts Signmaker	Claudine Hellmuth Studio Gesso