Rockin' the Flip Flops ~ CYP Challenge #228

Hi Everyone! Summer may be almost over but there is still time to enjoy some lovely weather. Our theme this week at Craft Your Passion Challenges is Summer Fun and our wonderful sponsor is Stitchy Bear's Digi Outlet.

I chose to play with the image called Flip Flops which I coloured with Prismacolor pencils. Maisie was then fussy cut, matted in black cardstock, and popped up on foam tape.

The background comes from Me & My Big Ideas Low Tide collection and was matted with pearlized green. A length of wave paper tape from my oldies stash was matted in black and layered across the bottom under Maisie. A piece of cheesecloth was adhered behind her and a pair of sunglasses button was layered to the left of her over the cheesecloth.

The sentiment was computer generated, trimmed out with a Spellbinders die, and matted in black. before popping it up on foam tape, the letters were coloured in and shaded with Prismacolor pencils. Three tiny threaded buttons were adhered to the top right corner to repeat the turquoise of her bikini and help balance the design.

Thanks for stopping by today to visit with Maisie and me. We both are so grateful that you did that. When you get a chance, pop over to the Craft Your Passion Challenges blog to see the wonderful Summer Fun projects by the rest of my talented teamies. We'd love to see you play along.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:
613 Avenue Create ~ #86 Anything Goes
Come & Get it Challenge ~ Anything Goes with a Sentiment
Fairytale Stampers ~ #43 Anything Goes
The Corrosive Challenges ~ #206 "B" Unique (bikini, buttons, beach babe, blond, blue)
Open-Minded Challenges ~ #17 Last Days of Summer
Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge ~ #43 Anything Goes

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

RSD September Forget-Me-Not ~ Altered Board Book

Hi there! I've been playing in my altered child's board book which features these gorgeous Hat Ladies from Rick St. Dennis' Zibbet shop. This time my mixed media spread stars the oh-so-classy and elegant September Forget-Me-Not digital image.

I coloured her with Prismacolor pencils, fussy cut her, and popped her up on foam tape to create those lovely shadows I love.

The background began with adhering a piece of collaged designer paper to the gessoed page with gel medium. Washi Tape was used down the center where the pages fold to reinforce and add interest. Two torn pieces of yellow dotty paper and some scraps of blue and teal were edged with Vintage Photo Distress ink and gel mediumed to the pages. The reverse of the background paper is text so three leftover strips were also adhered to the background.

Using TCW's Harlequin Circles stencil, White Embossing Paste mixed with a little Vintage Photo Distress ink was added to both pages. When dry, they were outlined on the left side with Inktense pencil activated with a water brush. The three circles from the same stencil were added to the page with white gesso and shaded on the left with a Prismacolor pencil. TCW's Mini Punchinella stencil and Vintage Photo Distress ink were used to create the honeycomb pattern.

In order to add a little more texture, three pieces of burlap were cut to size and frayed. The largest was used behind the lovely Miss September and the other two behind the quotes. Scraps of crocheted trim were adhered overlapping the text strips. The quote pieces were computer generated, printed on cream cardstock, and grunged up with Vintage Photo Distress ink. They were then matted with black cardstock and glued flat to the page. A scrap of one of the blue papers was die cut into a tab and tucked under the bottom quote.

To complete the spread, a length of scalloped woodgrain sticker was cut up and adhered to the edges in three places. A word sticker (Amazing) was added near Miss September, and a TH metal compass medallion Glossy Accented to the top text and lace layer. The splatter dots were added with Coffee Archival ink and a stamp. Finally, the edges were darkened with both Vintage Photo Distress ink and Walnut Brown Big Brush pen.

Thanks for joining Miss September and me today. I have one more spread in this board book plus the covers before I can call it complete. Then I have other potential projects calling my name to feature more of Rick's fabulous images. So excited! For even more inspiration using Rick's images, fun challenges, and some wonderful sharing of projects and knowledge, come and visit:
our Facebook group
our Airless Chambers blog
our Rick St Dennis Gallerie
our Tuts and Comments blog

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Goodbye Tension...CYP Challenge 227

It's time for a new challenge at Craft Your Passion. This week the theme is to use three or more designer papers. Our wonderful sponsor this week is Eureka Stamps and I chose to play with Lemonade Cat.

He looks totally relaxed, like he doesn't have a care in the world. I coloured him with Prismacolor pencils using choppy zigzag strokes to create the impression of fur. Then Lem was fussy cut leaving a narrow white border, matted in black cardstock, and popped up on foam tape.

The background paper already had the sun on it so I emphasized it with black doodling and matted it in black. Two scraps of different pinks were layered over and under another scrap of printed kraft cardstock which became the "sand". A doodled black border and some outlining  continued the mixed media feel.

The sentiment from Create With TLC seemed very appropriate for this image. It was printed on white cardstock and then matted with green and two layers of black cardstock. Black twine was adhered to the back and then it was popped up on foam tape. The twine ends were wrapped to the back of the matted background. To complete the card, three dotty black buttons were threaded with white and Glossy Accented to the card.

Thanks for popping by today. Lem and I appreciate the company. When you get a chance, stop by the Craft Your Passion Challenges blog to see the awesome creations from the rest of the DT. We'd love to have you play along with our 3+ Designer Paper challenge.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Creativity ~ eP Art Journal page

Hi there! I love to challenge myself to try new or different styles or techniques. I have a pretty good handle on my style yet by trying new things it pushes my creativity, helps me stretch those creative wings, and keep from slipping into a rut. It keeps art fresh. If I try something and don't like it, I learn from it. If I try it and like it, I learn. Win/win. One of the things that I struggle with is keeping white or empty space in my art journal pages. I love colour and detail and while I think I'm going to create a more minimalist piece, it rarely ends up that way. One of my eP teammates, Broni Holcolme, does a fabulous job with this so when I saw Tamara LaPorte's Life Book Lesson, I decided to give it another go. I followed Tam's example, added my own twist, and ended up loving the results.

I started with an un-gessoed page in my 7x10 mixed media journal so that it would take the Art Anthology Color sprays in all their glory. I spritzed puddles of Glorious and Studio Blue onto the page over water sprayed from my Mini Mister. Then I just splashed, splattered, and dripped to my heart's content...just like a little bird in a birdbath...lol. Once dry, Beach Hut and Inky Pool Fresco Finish paints were pounced through TCW's Mini Harlequin Circles stencil creating circles, rings, and the harlequin pattern.

The next step was to grab some of that wonderful black Studio 490 Embossing paste and scrape it through TCW's Tiny Circles stencil. You just know that I had to add black...love the contrast with the vibrant colours. It just seems to ground the page for me. Jet Black Archival ink was used to randomly stamp some ledger text from Wendy Vecchi's A Form of Art set by rolling it onto the page. A few pieces of black dotty washi tape were added. I love this particular roll because it's defective so part of the next layer sticks to the bottom one giving it a very distressed grungy look...a happy accident.

Tam created a large ring around her stamped image using paint on a lid. I wanted something more substantial so I punched the outer circle and die cut the inner one. White gesso was then stencilled onto the page in a few places through TCW's Mini Punchinella stencil. The ring was overlapped to embed it into the background, creating more depth. The bird was cut from a scrap of designer paper, given a black flat pearl eye, and popped up on foam tape.

To finish off the page, the creativity quote was inked with Jet Black Archival onto one of the TH Random Quotes stamps. I chose this quote because I had placed what I thought were limitations, following a template and leaving white space, but which ended up encouraging me to be more creative in order to "do it my way". The inside of the letters in the main word were coloured with a Prismacolor pencil and the shadow was filled in with a Micron pen. Using a black Stabilo pencil, shading and outlining were added to some of the stencilling and around various elements. Black Big Brush pen was used to narrowly edge the page.

And Tah Dah! I did it...created a minimalist (for me) journal spread. Not only that, but I was able to follow a template provided by Tam's lesson which is something else I struggle with since my approach is much more intuitive and not thought out :). I might start out following a sketch or template but usually lose it so quickly that the end product in no way resembles the original. And I did it using some of my favourite products ~ Art Anthology sprays and Embossing paste. Doin' the happy dance! Thanks so much for sharing this adventure with me!

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Here are links to the products I used from the eclectic Paperie store:

Art Anthology - Coloration Color Sprays - Studio Blue	Art Anthology - Coloration Color Spray - Glorious	PaperArtsy - Fresco Finish Acrylic Paint - Inky Pool (Translucent)	PaperArtsy - Fresco Finish Acrylic Paint - Beach Hut (Translucent)
Wendy Vecchi - Studio 490 - Embossing Paste - Black	TCW 6x6 Template - Tiny Circles	TCW - 6x6" Stencil - Harlequin Circles	Archival Ink - Jet Black Ink Pad
Dina Wakley - White Gesso - 2 oz.	Stabilo All Pencil - Black	Faber Castell - Big Brush Pen - Black	Tim Holtz (Stampers Anonymous) - Random Quotes

Magical - The East Wind Challenge 13

Oh my word...it's Friday and I have more list than week left! Does that ever happen to you? LOL. It's time for our mid-month challenge at The East Wind and this time the theme is For The Kiddies. There are all sorts of images at TEW suitable for a project for a child or new baby. We'd like to see your creations for those little ones, with or without a TEW image. Mind you, if it's with you get twice the chances to win:) I chose to make a birthday card using this adorable Flower Fairy and Birdie image. I just love that they are having a gentle cuddle. I coloured them with Prismacolor pencils and then fussy cut them leaving a narrow white border. They were then matted with black cardstock which adds strength to the skinny bits before popping them up on foam tape and also makes the image stand out against the background.

The background paper, edged with Black Soot Distress ink, comes from my scrap box. It was matted in black and wrapped with three lengths of blue seam binding. A black band was placed horizontally behind where the image was going. A black cardstock and green designer paper were cut with a Spellbinders die and layered in an offset manner. The green layer was given faux stitching as a border as well as edging with Black Soot Distress ink.

The sentiment was computer generated, printed on white cardstock, and matted in black. Three black half pearls were added for the dots. Two photo corners were punched from black and added to the lower left corner of the DP. Six silver sequin stars completed the card.

Thanks for stopping in today. The three of us appreciate that. When you get a chance, pop over to The East Wind Challenges blog to see the amazing For the Kiddies creations by the rest of my talented teamies. Sweet! We'd love to see you play along, too.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Meet Dave ~ Rick St. Dennis image

Hi everyone! As anyone who knows me can  tell you, I am cat crazy and I have a very off the wall sense of humour. That's why Rick St. Dennis' cat images make me laugh. Meet Dave who can be found in Rick's Zibbet shop. Clearly, Dave is enjoying life and also the little pleasures ( a mouse sammy) that it holds for him. I just had to feature Dave on a mixed media spread in my art journal.

I coloured Dave with Prismacolor pencils using tiny choppy zigzags to create the impression of fur. Then he was fussy cut leaving a narrow white border, and matted on black cardstock. Doesn't the mustard jar make you smile? The image was popped up on foam tape and set aside to await the background.

Three different designer papers plus some French booktext were torn and adhered to the background with matte medium, overlapping each other. The edges of the papers were trimmed along the outsides of the pages. Black embossing paste was scraped through TCW's Sketch Grid and white gesso was pounced through TCW's Mini Punchinella stencil. Red ink was splattered and blown with a straw. The word "Nom" as in nom-nom-nom was stamped randomly using Orange Blossom Archival ink. Dots were also stamped with the same ink.

The sentiments were computer generated and the two larger ones were cut out with a Spellbinders die before being given a doodled check border The single words were matted in black and popped up on foam tape. Dave's name was added with stickers. Bits of washi tape and border remnants were added to the design along with doodling and outlining. The edges of both pages were outlined with a black Big Brush pen to frame the pages and keep the eye within the spread.

The final touch was to add a mouse button to the upper left sentiment with foam tape.

I had so much fun creating this spread. Thanks so much for joining Dave and me.  For more inspiration using Rick's fabulous images, fun challenges, and some wonderful sharing of projects and knowledge, come and visit:
our Facebook group
our Airless Chambers blog
our Rick St Dennis Gallerie
our Tuts and Comments blog

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Spritely Thanks ~ CYP Challenge #226

Hi there! Our theme this week at Craft Your Passion Challenges is Bring Me Sunshine so we want you to add yellow to your project. Easy peasy! Our fabulous sponsor this week is Aurora Wings. I adore Mitzi's whimsical fantasy images so I was delighted to play with the adorable Tiger Liliy Sprite for my card. I coloured Tiger with Prismacolour pencils, adding Fired Brick Distress Stickles to the ends of the stamens. Tiger was then fussy cut but...surprise...I didn't mat him in black although I did pop him up on foam tape as per usual.

The background began with a rectangle of designer paper matted in brown and with opposite corners rounded. Faux stitching was added to this layer and two layers of green ribbon were wrapped to the back. A scrap of green designer paper was cut with a Spellbinders Curved Rectangles die which was also matted in brown and given a doodled border. When this layer was auditioned over the first later, it seemed to disappear. A rectangle of white cardstock with Vintage Photo Distress ink edging was placed in between...much better. A scalloped border was punched and added to the bottom of the white and tiny white half pearls were adhered to the scallops. Getting there but... A strip of gold and white striped paper was cut narrower and inserted under the ribbon and next to the left side of the white rectangle. Phew...much better!

The only other addition was the metal sentiment embellie saying Many Thanks which seemed appropriate since I was grateful to have a card that finally did justice to this wonderful image...lol. Thanks for joining Tiger and me today. We are delighted to have your fine company. When you get a chance, check out the Craft Your Passion Challenges blog to see the other awesome cards my talented teamies created for the Bring Me Sunshine challenge. I hope you'll decide to play along.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:
AuroraWings ~ # 5 Sprite Delight
613 Avenue Create ~ #84 Sights, Sounds, Smells or Tastes of Summer
Time 4 Scrap ~ #44 Anything Goes
Inkspirational Challenge ~ #62 Use markers or pencils
Delightful Challenges ~ Anything Goes

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Life's Too Short ~ Rick St. Dennis Altered Hat Book

Hi everyone! I had a chance to play with another one of Rick's gorgeous hat ladies and my altered children's board book. This is the third spread I've completed with these Hat Ladies representing each month of the year. This one is called August Poppy and can be found in Rick's Zibbet shop along with many other fabulous hat ladies.

I coloured Poppy with Prismacolor pencils along with a few Faber-Castell Polychromos. Yellow acrylic paint was used to dot the centers. She was then cut out, matted in black, and popped up on foam tape. Love her beautiful face and poppies are one of my favourite flowers.

The background was covered with dark gray Authentique designer paper which has a subtle charcoal damask pattern on it. It seemed elegant enough for Poppy.Scraps of other grays and gold papers were cut or punched into circles, squares, and rectangles, and faux stitched with a black Micron. The one long gray striped strip was left unstitched on purpose. I like that it is different and a little unpredictable. The shapes were arranged into pleasing (to me) groupings and adhered to the pages, repeating the patterns on both sides for continuity and flow. A larger gray scrap was cut with an Alterations Cameo die to frame Poppy.

White gesso was used to create patten through TCW's Mini Textured Stencil and script was stamped randomly using Jet Black Archival ink. Small red butterflies were punched to create a visual triangle with the poppies on the hat forming the third angle. This helps the eye move around the spread connecting the three spots of red. A chipboard butterfly was stamped with the same script stamp, given a photo turn body, and adhered to the top right corner, bringing the butterfly theme to the second page.

The sentiment was computer generated and printed on white cardstock. Each segment was matted in black and popped up on foam for added dimension. Doodling was used to frame the spread and outline the various shapes. Flat black pearls were added to the punched butterflies.

Thanks for visiting today. Poppy and I both appreciate it. For more inspiration using Rick's fabulous images, fun challenges, and some wonderful sharing of projects and knowledge, come and visit:

our Facebook group
our Airless Chambers blog
our Rick St Dennis Gallerie
our Tuts and Comments blog

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

ePlay Challenge ~ Embossing

Hi everyone! it's my turn to host the ePlay Challenge at eclectic Paperie this month and I have chosen Embossing as my theme. We want to see some sort of embossing on your project. It can be wet embossing, dry embossing or embossing paste. It can even be a combination of all three. I can only offer you a sneak peek here but if you are curious to see more, you can pop over to the eP blog to check out my post.

Thanks for visiting. We'd love to see you play along with us.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Sweet! ~ CYP Challenge #225

Hi everyone! A new week...a new challenge at Craft Your Passion. This week the theme is Sweet Treats so there must be some kind of sweet treat somewhere on your creations ... in the image, the papers, the embellies. Our sponsor this time is Inky Impressions and we are using the image called Cupcakes and Candy Factory Background which has a delightful amount of details. I coloured the image with Prismacolor pencils, fussy cut it, and matted it in black so that it would stand out against the busy background. I popped it up on foam tape.

The background paper comes from The Sweet MatStack from DCWV. I used the colours from it to inform my colour choices for the image. The paper was layered onto black and then turquoise cardstock. Black grosgrain ribbon with white stitching was wrapped  horizontally around to the back.

The sentiment was computer gemerated, cut with a Spellbinders die and matted in black. It was popped up on foam and layered over the ribbon with two tails attached to its bottom edge. A Martha Stewart photo corner was punched feom black to complete the design.

Thanks for visiting today. When you get a chance, pop over to the Craft Your Passion Challenges blog to see how the rest of my talented teamies coloured and featured this same image. We would love to see your Sweet Treat creations too so why not play along?

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie