1648 Mermaid Troll - A Sandra Caldwell New Release

Hi everyone. It's New Release Friday at Sandra Caldwell's Etsy shop, Babycakes Digis and Designs, as well as on her Facebook group. The DT create projects featuring many of these new releases and posting them to the Sandra Caldwell Stamps Fans group as well as to their individual blogs. Then Sandra throws in a few surprise images which we didn't know about...love that! Today, I am playing with a fun image called 1648 Mermaid Troll. Did you ever have any of those so-ugly-they-were cute little trolls when you were a kid? I used to love to pet their hair :)

I coloured MT with a mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils, adding a little Glossy Accents to the bubbles. She was fussy cut leaving the usual narrow white border and then matted with black. After leaving a narrow black border to help her pop against the background, foam tape was added to the back.

The background began as a 12 x 12 inch piece of marbelized cardstock. To me it looked like water so I cut it down to a 6 x 8 inch rectangle for the page. Aquamarine Archival Ink was applied to Joggles Sparks Background Noise stamp as well as Viva Las Vegas spiral one. Jet Black Archival was used to apply VLV's Star border stamp and black pen was used to fill in the stars. The same black was used to ink and apply the TH dotty stamp. Two lengths of scalloped wave patterned trims were layered at the bottom of the page and were then outlined to help them show up.

The wording was printed on white cardstock and cut into individual words. These were matted with black and then popped up on foam tape. Clear Dew Drops were adhered in a few places with Glossy Accents in order to create the effect of 3D bubbles like you see in the image. A simple border was doodled on 3 sides of the page before the black matting was adde to frame and finish the page.

Thanks for joining Mermaid Troll and me today. We love that you did! To see more of Sandra's Fabulous new releases as well as the wonderful DT makes, be sure to stop by the Sandra Caldwell Stamp Fans Facebook group throughout the day. It's always fun and inspiring to check those out. If you are looking for even more inspiration and also want to see the surprise images for the week, pop over to Babycakes Digis and Designs. It's a great place to hang out.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

The 2017 Art Journal Adventure - Week 26 Sneak Peek

Hi everyone! It's Week 24 of the Joggles 2017 Art Journal Adventure and it's my turn to choose the prompt. This week I chose the word Mystery which happens to be my favourite genre of books to read. The prompt mystery could also refer to the mysteries of nature, or maybe you are using a mysterious technique, mark making tool, or product which we wouldn't guess by looking at your finished piece. Whatever your muse tells you is fine with us :) And as it turned out part of the mystery for me was how to rescue the page as it progressed through the Six Stages of Ugly...LOL

To see the entire process and photos of the steps and finished page, be sure to pop over to the Joggles blog. I'd love it if you did!

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Bloobel Stamps Progressive Challenge ~ Fantasy Creatures

Hi everyone! Each month, Lisa at Bloobel Stamps runs a Progressive Challenge on her Facebook page. If you played along the previous month, you get a discount code for the current month's image so you can play along again. This month the challenge was to use one of five Fantasy Creatures which Lisa created. There are dragons, a flying pig, a unicorn and this adorable fairy. She is called Shy Fairy and I couldn't resist her.

I coloured this little sweetie with a mix of Polychromos and Prismacolor pencils. Her wings were given a sparkly layer of Cotton Candy Stickles on the outside sections and Icicle Stickles on the inside sections. The flower centers were accented with Cinnamon Stickles because as far as fairies are concerned, the more sparkle the better :) She was fussy cut leaving a narrow white border, matted with black cardstock, and popped up on foam tape.

The background began as a piece of textured blue cardstock which was cut to a 6 x 8 inch rectangle. Texture Paste was scraped through one of the stars from TCW Layered Stars Stencil in three places to create the magical background. Once dry, the inside openings of the stars were shaded with an Inktense pencil activated with a waterbrush. This was also done to the outside edges to deepen them. Cobalt Archival Ink was used to add Carabelle Studio Letter Background as well as Stampotique Originals Dot Swirl stamps in several places. Black dots were added with Jet Black Archival applied to a TH stamp.

The sentiment, printed on white cardstock, was cut into individual words. These were matted with black and popped up with foam tape. Sparkly silver enamel stars were spread out throughout the background. To complete the page, a simple border was doodled around the edges and the page was matted with black cardstock to frame it.

Thanks for joining Shy Fairy and me today. We are both delighted that you did...although she is more reserved in her delight than me...LOL. You still have a few days left to join Lisa's Fantasy Creatures challenge on the Bloobel Facebook group. Be sure to pop by to see all of the awesome creations in the album. People are so talented and creative. And if you are looking for inspiration, stop by Bloobel.com where you are sure to come away with a lengthy list of must-have images. Love 'em all!

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

1637 Lobster Louie ~ A Sandra Caldwell New Release

Hi everyone! It's New Release Friday at Sandra Caldwell's Etsy shop, Babycakes Digis and Designs and she has some dandy images for us again this week. The Design Team has done their usual fabulous job creating projects with some of them but Sandra always has a few surprises for us, too. This week, I chose to play with the new image called 1637 Lobster Louie. Isn't he cute?

I coloured Louie with a mix of Polychromos and Prismacolor pencils and then used blue PanPastel to colour the water around him. The bubbles were given a coat of Glossy Accents both for the dimension and the shine. In order to include the bubbles which are part of the image, I cut Louie out in a wavy fashion, leaving background all around him. This was matted with black cardstock and a narrow border was left to help Louie pop against the background.

Speaking of backgrounds, this one started as a clean up sheet where I rolled left over paint onto white cardstock when gel printing. I cut it down to a 6 x 8 inch rectangle. Joggles Vintage Correspondence stamp was applied in places with Manganese Blue Archival ink. Using the same ink, Stampotique Originals Dot Swirl stamp and a mesh stamp were also added. Louie likes his bubbles so more were added by scraping Texture Paste through Carabelle Studios Always Circles Template. Once dry, a blue Inktense pencil was used next to the bottom edge and the shadow was activated with a water brush. A ittle yellow and pink Inktense were also added to the bubbles with the water brush.

The sand area was torn from a corrugated coffee sleeve. Coffee and Tree Branch Archival Inks were applied directly to vary the colour of the sand. Brown acrylic paint was mixed with Texture Paste and added here and there with a palette knife. Shell pieces were adhered in both corners. The sentiment, printed on white cardstock, was cut into individual words which were matted with black. Foam tape popped up the words and Louie. A simple doodled border was added with black pen and Black Big Brush pen was used to edge the background. Finally, black cardstock cut slightly bigger than the background, was adhered to the back of the page to frame it.

Thanks for popping by today. Louie and I appreciate that!To see more of Sandra's new releases, be sure and pop by her Etsy shop, babycakesdnd. Stop off at the Sandra Caldwell Stamp Fans Facebook group to see the awesome projects featuring these new releases created by the DT members. New release day is always a treat and you won't want to miss a thing :)

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Butterfly Kisses Card ~ A Joggles Sneak Peek

Hi everyone! Today I am posting over on the Joggles blog but I thought I would give a little sneak peek here in case you want to check it out. I have created an easel card using cling mounted rubber stamps from the Laurel Burch line which have recently been added to the Joggles shop. I have long been a fan of Laurel Burch designs...they are gorgeous and give so much opportunity to play with colour. I used a stamp called Flutterbye and three of the small butterflies from the Indigo Cats set.

Pop over to the Joggles blog to see my step by step process and photos. I'd love it if you did! Also, swing by the Joggles shop where these stamps are selling like hotcakes. You can always have them notify you when they are back in stock if the one(s) you want have been snapped up.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Oh The Places You'll Go ~ Inspired by a Bloobel Image

Hi everyone! Happy Father's Day if you are one :) Today I created an art journal page featuring a Bloobel image who has been waiting on my desk for ages for me to finish colouring. She is called Suitcases and is setting off on an adventure any moment. She has her bucket with her map and list right beside her and her suitcases jammed full of dreams.

I coloured Suitcases with a mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils using a little gold and silver gel pen for the metallic bits. She was then fussy cut leaving a narrow white border, matted with black cardstock, and trimmed out leaving a narrow black border.  Foam tape was used to pop her up and create natural shadows.

The background began as an 8.5 x 5.5 inch rectangle of mixed media paper onto which I had pulled a gel print. I used Liquitex Basics Acrylic paint in Light Blue Permanent, Cerulean Blue Hue, and Brilliant Yellow Green, along with Joggles Ancient Ruins and Carabelle Studios Des Carres Avec Des Ronds stencils. Joggles Nonsense Latin Text stamp was applied with Cobalt Blue Archival ink and one of the Stampotique Originals Circles Cubes images was also stamped with Jet Black Archival ink. Texture Paste was scraped through TCW Tiny Circles stencil to add more dimension and texture. A strip of text paper was adhered beneath Suitcases and the bucket to ground them. Both white acrylic paint and blue Zig Clean Colour Brush pen were scuffed over the text to blend it into the background and knock back the printing. The sentiment, printed on white cardstock and matted with black, was popped up on foam tape.

Suitcase's bucket started as a clip art image to which I added coloured pencil to make it my own. The line separating the inside of the bucket from the front was sliced and a rolled map and several destination strips were inserted into that slit. Foam tape was used to pop up part of the bucket. The rolling of the map made the center of the bucket curve which added dimension. Bits of washi tape were adhered below Suitcases and the bucket. A trains sign was added to the top left corner and three punched photo corners to the other three. A simple doodled border plus a black mat framed the page to finish it off.

Thanks for joining Suitcases and me today. We are delighted that you did that. To see more of Lisa's awesome stamps, be sure to pop by Bloobel.com. She has an amazing selection of fabulous fun images. Love them all! You can see the creative projects people are making with them at Bloobel Stamps Facebook page, too.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

1625 Lovely Bag ~ a Sandra Caldwell New Release

Hi everyone. It's New Release Friday at Sandra Caldwell's Etsy shop and Facebook group. Each week she introduces us to the new images in the shop and gives the DT a chance to play with them. It's always a treat to see what everyone has created from these newbies. This week, I created an art journal page featuring the image called 1625 Lovely Bag and a favourite saying of my sister's and mine which we learned from our mom :)

The bag was coloured with Prismacolor pencils except for the inside which was Polychromos pencils. The dots are white paint pen. I just had to do polka dot lining since that's my fave. The bag was fussy cut without my usual white and black borders because I wanted ti to layer on top of the stand I was creating and the borders wouldn't have looked right. The display stand was the bottom of a die cut mannequin with a strip adhered along the top edge to make the shelf.

The background was a 6 x 8 inch rectangle of mixed media paper sprayed with Blush and Salmon Heidi Swapp Color Shine which I allowed to pool and drip. Brilliance Rocket Red Gold ink was used to apply both a woven background stamp and a Carabelle Studio Stars Background stamp. Jet Black Archival Ink was used to apply one of the images from Stampotique Originals Kate's Doodle Cube. To give the purse stand a place to rest (rather than a floating one), gray and white dotty washi tape applied to white card stock was adhered below it. 

The sentiment was printed on white card stock and matted with black. Foam tape was used to adhere the words and the purse to the background. Black pen outlining was done next to the washi and the two heart clips. It was also used to doodle the border around the page. To finish off, black Big Brush Pen was used to edge the background before it was matted on black card stock to frame it.

Thanks for joining me today.  To see more of Sandra's wonderful new releases and also to see what our talented DT members did with them, be sure to drop by Sandra Caldwell Stamp Fans Facebook group, where they ere posted yesterday. Pop by Sandra's Etsy shop, too, when you get a chance. There are so many fabulous images that you are sure to gain lots of inspiration and add to your wish list.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

The 2017 Joggles Art Journal Adventure - Week 24 Sneak Peek

Hi everyone! It's Week 24 of the Joggles 2017 Art Journal Adventure and it's my turn to choose the prompt. This time I chose something a little different, almost like a recipe. because the month of June is known for weddings, I thought I would play with the tradition of Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, and Something Blue...only I would apply it to my choices for creating this page. Something Old could be something you've had in your stash for a while, something vintage like ephemera, or an image of someone/something old. Something new might refer to something new in your stash, a new technique you've been wanting to try, or again something within the image. Something borrowed for me became ideas from other people which I had seen and wanted to "borrow" (with credit to the original artist of course). Finally, something blue...well, you get the idea on that one...although a twist would be feeling blue.

I have only included a sneak peek here but would love if you visited the Joggles blog to see the entire page and also read about my process. I thoroughly enjoyed responding to this prompt and pulled out a vintage image from a 1953 Woman's Day magazine...love those old ads!

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Carpe Diem?? - Inspired by a Vera Lane Studio image

Hi everyone. Recently, I bought a few more awesome sets of images created by the very talented Janet Klein at Vera Lane Studio on Etsy. I love her quirky images and how well they combine with each other. I created a JFF (just for fun) art journal page featuring one of the beauties from her Journal Faces set of 4. I coloured Ella with a mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils, fussy cutting her leaving a narrow white border. Ella was then matted with black card stock and trimmed out again.

The background began with a 5.5 x 8 inch rectangle of a gel printed page created in a previous gel printing session. I had used Prism Violet, Light Blue Permanent, and Brilliant Yellow Green Liquitex paint, Joggles Big Leaves Stencil, and Stencil Girl's X Rows template to create this layered background. For this page, I added Jet Black Archival Ink  to one of the Ellen Hutson Bokeh Dots stamps as well as Hydrangea Archival Ink to Joggles Vintage Correspondence stamp. Torn pieces of French book text were added in 3 places and knocked back with a fingerful of white gesso. Ranger Texture Paste was scraped through TCW Mini Tile Mania stencil. Once dry, Ella was adhered to the background and two lengths of washi tape adhered to white card stock and edged with Purple Violet Big Brush Pen were added below her to ground her. A tiny piec of the same tape was added beside the text paper scrap at the top of the page.

The sentiment was printed on white card stock, cut into individual words, and matted with black. They were adhered with foam tape to the right of Ella. A length of the top of a watercolour page which had been cut off when the paper was removed from the pad was adhered to the left side of the page. A small purple button was threaded with floss and added where the two pieces of washi tape overlapped. A black mat was added to the back of the page to serve as a frame.

Thanks so much for joining Ella and me today. We are happy you did that. To see more Vera Lane Studio wonderful designs, be sure to pop by the Etsy shop and also pop over to the Vera Lane Studio Facebook group where there is a constant stream of fabulous inspiration from the DT and fans of VLS.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

1629 Poppy - A Sandra Caldwell New Release

Hi everyone. It's New Release Friday at Sandra Caldwell's Etsy shop and Facebook group. Each week she introduces us to the new images in the shop and gives the DT a chance to play with them. It's always a treat to see what everyone has created from these newbies. This week, I decided to create a card with the image called 1629 Poppy. Poppies are one of my favourite flowers and I always celebrate when the ones in my garden finally pop which they did this week.

I coloured the poppy image with a mix of Polychromos and Prismacolor pencils. A little black Pitt pen was added to the bottom of the petals to mimic the black lines on the ones I grow. The image was cut into a rectangle and then the corners were rounded with a punch, Black faux stitching was added to the outside edges before the image was matted with black card stock and popped up on foam tape.

The card itself is simple in design so that the dramatic image would take center stage without distractions. A piece of dark gray designer paper with a white heart pattern was cut to fit inside the card front, leaving a border of white from the base. Black card stock was used to mat this layer. A band of black was cut to fit across the printed paper and was embossed with a dotty folder. A simple sentiment was printed on white card stock and cut into a fishtail flag. This was matted with black card stock and faux stitching was added to the squared end. Once it was adhered below the image, a black threaded button was glued over the faux stitching on the flag.

Thanks for popping by today. Above are two photos of my poppies from the garden. They put on quite a show! To see more of Sandra's new releases, be sure and pop by her Etsy shop, babycakesdnd. Stop off at the Sandra Caldwell Stamp Fans Facebook group to see the awesome projects featuring these new releases created by the DT members. New release day is always a treat and you won't want to miss a thing :)

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

1567 Victorian Pretty ~ A Sandra Caldwell New Release

Hi everyone. It's New Release Friday at Sandra Caldwell's Etsy shop and Facebook group. Each week she introduces us to the newbies in the shop and gives the DT a chance to play with them. She always adds a few surprises to the shop so that the DT will be surprised, too. This week, my art journal page is featuring the new image called 1567 Victorian Pretty. I chose her because of that long flowy hair and the pretty headpiece. She was a treat to colour.

VP was coloured with Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils. The white stripes in her dress were added with gel pen. She was fussy cut leaving a narrow white border and then matted with black card stock. Once she was fussy cut a second time leaving a narrow black border, foam tape was added to the back to pop her up.

The background began as a 6 x 8 inch rectangle of mixed media paper. Lindy's Witch's Potion Purple and Sweet Violet Purple Teal Starburst Sprays were spritzed over it and allowed to dry. One of the Ellen Hutson Bokeh Dots as well as Carabelle Studio Quadrillages stamps were applied to the background using Hydrangea Archival Ink. Ranger Texture Paste was scraped through TCW Tiny Circles stencil to add a little more texture. Before VP was adhered to the background, a small doily was glued behind her both to pretty up the page to suit her and also to help her stand out against the background.

The sentiment was printed on white card stock and cut into segments. These were then matted with black card stock and popped up on foam tape. A small pink button and a large patterned purple button were stacked and threaded together to place in the top left corner. Three photo corners were punched from purple card stock and glued to the remaining corners. A simple line border was drawn to join the four corner elements. Black Big Brush Pen was used to edge the page before a black mat was added to frame the page.

Thanks for joining 1567 Victorian Pretty and me today. To see more of Sandra's new releases, be sure and pop by her Etsy shop, babycakesdnd. Stop off at the Sandra Caldwell Stamp Fans Facebook group to see the awesome projects featuring these new releases created by the DT members. Lots of inspiration to be found in both places.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie