Splitcoast atcs

I am participating in another PAT (pick a theme) atc swap at Splitcoast Stampers. For Pick a theme swaps, each particpant in a group of 5 choses a theme for themselves and everyone else in their group makes them an atc following that chosen theme. The fun parts are that you get challenges to make atcs on themes you might never have chosen or even thought of yourself and you get 4 pieces of amazing art on a topic you like. The themes for these two atcs were technique based: a shaped atc (above) and black magic (below).

For the dapper gentleman above, I cut kraft cardstock and the base card using the TH Mini Cabinet die modified on the sides. The background was stamped with writing script and a remnant of G45's A Proper Gentleman was adhered to the bottom. The car was also fussy cut  from that same paper stack. The lovely gentleman was a Rian Design collage sheet freebie. He was fussy cut and popped up on foam tape. The sentiment was computer generated, inked with Black Soot, and matted with black cardstock. Two half pearls were placed at the one end and the other was banner cut by hand. Doodling was done around the edge of the kraft section and a chipboard sentiment from my stash was added.

The second atc was to be created using the Black Magic technique. I chose to stamp my Mini JOFY stamp from Paper Artsy in white ink onto black cardstock. I coloured the stamps in with Prismacolor pencils, highlighting the dots with a paint pen. The edges of the black layer were inked with Versamark and then embossed with black embossing powder (shows better IRL). The black layer was matted on a shimmery textured green cardstock and three half pearls were adhered in the bottom corner. A knotted length of crinkly seam binding was attached to the bouquet so that it appeared to be keeping it together.

I can't wait to see what my swapmates create for me. I certainly enjoyed my part of the swap...any excuse to stretch my creative wings a little. Thanks for stopping by today. It's always a pleasure to connect with you.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

CYP #160 ~ Good Books

Good Monday to all of you! There's a new challenge at Craft Your Passion and the theme is Well Read. We'd like to see you add book text, images about reading, anything book or reading related to your project this week. I chose to colour this adorable digital stamp image from Nicecrane Designs. It's part of a sheet called Vintage Adorable Readers...and they are. This is the first time I have shopped at Nicecrane...beautiful images and just the nicest customer service! Mary Ellen, my young reader, was coloured with Prismacolor pencils and then fussy cut. A little gold gel pen was used to line the book's covers.

The background papers, including the library pocket and card, come from Graphic 45's ABC Primer collection. Not only do I love these papers but they seemed very appropos for the topic and  (bonus) the little girl from Nicecrane is similar to the one in some of the papers except that I can size it and colour it as I wish.. The light kraft coloured layer was cut using the Spellbinders Office Supplies die. All other papers were matted with black cardstock.

The sentiment was computer generated and printed on regular kraft cardstock before having its edges inked with Vintage Photo and matted on black cardstock. A tiny flat pearl was used to fill in the period. The library pocket element was given two Tim Holtz paperclips on the side and adhered overlapping the background stack. Mary Ellen and the sentiment were popped up with foam tape for added dimension.

The corner flower is a Prima flower inked with Vintage Photo and stacked with a punched flower from a scrap of one of the layers. It was sculpted a little so that it resembled the larger flower. A button tied with cream embroidery floss was glued on top of the two flower layers. I love the vintage image with these sweet papers. The library card and sentiment really take me back to when I was a beginning reader in an activity that would become a passion and give me lifelong joy.

Thanks for visiting today. Mary Ellen and I both appreciate the time and support that you give us. She would tell you that herself but she just wants to finish this chapter :) It's always fun to have you stop by.  Be sure to check out the rest of the projects from the DT at Craft Your Passion Challenges. They've provided some wonderful inspiration for this Well Read challenge.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:
613 Avenue Create ~ #17 Anything Goes
Challenges For Everybody ~ #19 Anything Goes
Robyn's Fetish Challenge Blog ~ #157 Stripes or Dots
My Time to Craft ~ #219 Using Kraft (sentiment piece)

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Eclectic Ellapu ~ Home tag

Anyone who knows me also knows that I have a great love of houses, real or imagined, flat or 3-D. When I saw that the theme for this week's Purple challenge at Eclectic Ellapu was Anything Goes, it was a no-brainer for me to decide what to feature on a tag.

The background paper stated life as a Mixed Media page from a Strathmore pad. I often keep this pad beside my work space so that if I have left-over paint or ink mop-ups from stencils, I can add it to the pad. When I have created something I can work with, I rip out the page and use it on a project. This particular tag had a painted background with black ink (maybe Distress or Dylusions) cleaned off from stencils. I know for sure that the TCW fence stencil is here as well as the TCW mini punchinella stencil done with white gesso. The tag size I cut is a #8.

The house was traced from a Maya Road chipboard house onto paper from DCWV Collage Musings stack. The roof rulers, front door, and butterflies were pulled from Idea-ology Crowded Attic Salvage stickers. Creamy white trim was adhered where the roof met the house and the letters spelling home, also stickers, were adhered over the door. The house was then glued to the background with the right edge of the roof hanging off the tag.

The black zigzag was the offcut from another border piece cut with an MFT die. Small turquoise buttons were threaded and adhered at the bottom of the Vs. Three pieces of washi tape were glued to the upper left side of the tag and doodling was done with a Micron pen. To complete the tag, a hole was punched in the top and 3 lengths of crinkled seam binding were worked through it and tied with cream embroidery floss.

Just a simple little tag but it makes me happy. I love the colour palette, the little house, tiny butttons, rulers, and polka dots. Whimsy always makes me smile...hope it did the same for you. Thanks for visiting today. Be sure to check out the awesome makes from the rest of the Eclectic Ellapu Purple DT for this Anything Goes challenge. I'm hoping you'll play along this time since the topic is wide-open. I look forward to seeing what you create.

I am entering this tag in the following challenges:
Allsorts #204 Anything But a Card
Just Add Ink #163 Just add a fun background
Charisma Cardz Challenges #16 Polkadots (on the washi tape and background)

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Believe in impossible things (eP)

I blinked and the week was nearly over...what's up with that? Although I am feeling better than last week, I'm still playing catch-up with projects, classes, and visiting blogs. I don't want to miss anything...love those visits :) Today for my eclectic Paperie post, I played in my Strathmore Mixed Media journal which is 5.5" x 8" and feels like an old friend. The page started with some stencil clean up from who knows when but the colours of the Glimmer Mist mop-up were perfect for the idea I had.

I added more colour to the background with Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Peacock Feathers, and Mowed Lawn Distress inks applied with foam applicators. Then I added Cotton Candy and Blueberry gelato around the outside edges using a wet finger to blend. * I have found that if I run a wet finger across the area before applying the gelatos, I'm even happier with the blending and the smoothness of the application. 

White gesso was applied through the TCW Mini Chevron Arrows stencil and Vintage Photo Distress ink through TCW's Reverse Chicken Wire stencil. The coffee rings were added with Vintage Photo and Stamper's Anonymous TH stamp. Donna Downey's Empowered Words stamp, live inspired, was added here and there with Colorbox Surf ink. The Stampotique Swirl Stalks were stamped along the bottom edge of both pages with Moss Green Colorbox ink. Stream and Meadow alcohol inks were shaken across the background to get the ink blobs and runs.

 To create the border, white Colorbox ink was used to stamp Ribbon Border 1 from Stampotique many times on black cardstock. The border pieces were fussy cut and adhered around the pages. The leaves were coloured with Prismacolor pencils. I was going to emboss the stamping but decided that I liked the gray tones...less in your face white and less distracting.

 I knew that I wanted to use my Stampotique Daff image so she was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and coloured with Prisma pencils before fussy cutting. Her dress buttons and eyes are half pearls. She needed a platform of sorts to stand on so the hand was printed from my stash of images, lightly coloured with Prisma pencils, given a black half pearl button, and adhered to the page. Daff with her spiky little heels was adhered above the hand. That arrangement makes me smile :)

Now Daff needed a friend and I needed another impossible thing so I printed the lounging grasshopper from QKR Stampede, coloured him with Prisma pencils, Stickled his wings, and fussy cut him. I wanted him slowly floating through the sky so I gave him a parachute from a Glimmer Misted circle left from another project. The scalloped bottom was cut with a 3/4" punch and baker's twine was used to attach the parachute to the leaf under Glen (the grasshopper). The two parts were adhered to the page, shaded around with black Big Brush Pen, dotted with gesso, and doodled on. Glen was given a white half pearl highlight in his eye before Glossy Accents was added for dimension and shine.

The wording was done on the computer and printed on kraft cardstock which was then crumpled and hit with Vintage Photo DI. The words were also outlined with the black Big Brush pen. Hmmm, still something missing...so I added a left-over MFT die cut scallop border, dotted it with black and doodled around and on it. I watered down a little black gesso and added lid rings in two sizes, making sure to overlap some of the elements to embed them in the background. Then, a little white and black gesso were brush mixed and pounced through punchinella in a few places to create a little more gray which ties in with the border.

Thanks for joining Daff, Glen, and me today. Daff is waving to you but Glen is far too relaxed to move. I do think your visit has made him smile though. I know it worked for me :) To learn more about some of the products I used today, click on the thumbnails below and you will be magically transported to the eclectic Paperie store where Kim can fix you up with anything you need. Hope you get a chance to get messy this weekend. Have a great one.

I am entering this journal spread in the QKR Stampede Challenge Favourite Things. Love my art journal, my messy stuff, and these stamps :) Besides, look at the grasshopper's shoes...how can they not be your favourite things.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Distress Ink Pad - Vintage Photo	Distress Ink Pad - Tumbled Glass	Distress Ink Pad - Peacock Feathers	Distress Ink Pad - Mowed Lawn
Distress Ink Pad - Broken China	Faber Castell - Gelatos - Blue Colors	TCW 6x6 Template - Chevron Arrows	TCW 6x6 Template - Mini Chicken Wire Reversed
Unity Stamp Company - Empowered Words (Donna Downey)	Claudine Hellmuth Studio - Black Gesso	Claudine Hellmuth Studio Gesso

W is for Wait ~ The Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge

Hee-hee-hee! I took a little "me-time" yesterday to play along with The Craft Barn's Alpha/Dictionary challenge. This fortnight the letter is W and the twist is to include circles in your background. There were so many words I could have chosen for this one. I finally narrowed it down by holding the list of possible W words in one hand, and flipping through my digi stamp binder with the other. As soon as I saw this sweet Tiddly Inks digi called Gonna Miss You, I knew the word was wait because that's what she seems to be doing.

I coloured Aida with Prismacolor pencils, printing her once on white cardstock and a second time on kraft cardstock for the suitcases. Both were fussy cut and Aida was glued over her kraft shadow :) I also stamped the hand on kraft using a stamp from Dylusions Pondering Petunia set.

To prep the background, I adhered the two pages to the next ones before or after using DecouPage and then gessoed the two pages facing each other, remembering to go around the definition for my word. Once dry, I recoated the pages with Golden Absorbent Ground because spray inks don't always like gesso. I punched a number of 3", 2.5", 1.5", and 1"  circles and adhered them to my page with repositional adhesive.  Rum Punch and Yellow Daisy Glimmer Mist were sprayed over the circles which were then removed from the page.

I had used a foam brush to apply the Absorbent Ground which left awesome texture on the page. You can see it in this photo especially if you click on it to make it larger.

To emphasize and define the circles, I used  light gray and then a Paynes Gray Pan Pastel to shade the left side. To me they look like planets which is perfect for my  "try new adventures" theme. I see Aida ( or is that me?) as having lots of dreams and goals but needing a little encouragement to get off those suitcases and make the dreams happen.

To further layer the background, vellum words were bradded to the pages. Bo Bunny rub-ons, washi tape, and splatter stamping with Memento Love Letter ink were scattered throughout. A boarding pass, tag sticker, and ticket were distressed, inked with Vintage Photo DI and adhered behind Aida. A key to her adventures and a clock charm to remind her that the time is now were added to her page, as well as a compass to help her find her way.
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On the right hand page, the sentiment was computer generated, mounted on kraft cardstock and distressed around the edges. The hand was mounted on foam tape and adhered overlapping the word you. The dictionary meaning was outlined in sepia Micton pen and then again with the pink carmine Big Brush pen to bring some of the red from the opposite page onto this one. That was also why the shirt and jacket were coloured blue next to the hand. It;s a great idea to repeat colours and elements on both pages to provide flow.

The outside edges of the pages were inked with a brown Big Brush pen and then again with Black Soot Distress ink before doodling with a black pen. Other doodling was done for emphasis, texture or detail with the Sepia Micron pen.. The words seemed to be floating so they were connected with thick brown lines. Finally, the W was adhered to the top of the right page...almost forgot that!

That's it for Aida and me today. The W is for Wait pages are altered, Aida's feeling the love, and gathering her courage before she pursues her next adventure. Thanks for dropping by today, for all of your lovely comments, and continued support. I'm feeling the love, too :) Come join the Alpha Dictionary challenge at TCB. It might just be the adventure that will start you on a new journey.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

CYP ~ Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend

Time for another challenge at Craft Your Passion. This week the theme is Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend so we want you to think diamond shapes, images of ladies dressed in their finest bling, whatever you can think of related to diamonds. I chose to play with this wonderful Rick St. Dennis image called Mae. Isn't she fabulous? I coloured her with Prismacolor pencils. Someone asked me a while ago if I use odourless mineral spirits and I have to say I rarely do any more. Instead, I use probably 3-4 colours for each hue on the image and I layer them playing back and forth much like people do with Copics. I think it's important to develop your own techniques that work for you and this gives me results I'm happier with than if I use OMS. It's a personal preference thing :) I added some blue metallic gel pen to her feathers and the bottom trim of her dress bodice as well as gold gel pen for her jewellery and tassel. Then Mae was fussy cut, edged in black marker, and blinged up with rhinestones.

For the background, I used gray toned paper from a very old black and white stack, keeping the bottom border intact. The diamond borders were cut from black cardstock using the MFT Harlequin die and adhered with the points touching. Love this die for the many ways it can be put together.

The sentiment which was computer generated and matted in black is an actual Mae West quote which is fun. There are so many saucy quotes from her that it was hard to choose. Her attitude was spunky and fun and Rick captured it beautifully in this digi. I added half pearls in opposite corners to balance the card and provide a different kind of shine and detail while still keeping the glamour. The background is a nod to a gentleman in a tuxedo who would be accompanying the lovely Mae out on the town.

Thanks for stopping by today to visit with Mae and me. We are delighted to have had your company for a while. Be sure to pop over to the Craft Your Passion Challenges blog to see the fabulous inspiration from the rest of the team. I can't wait to see what you create following the diamond theme if you play along with us.

I am entering this card n the following challenges:
613 Avenue Create ~  #16 Anything Goes
Challenges 4 Everybody ~  #18 Anything Goes
One Stitch At A Time ~ #160 Use a Digi
KennyK's Krafty Krew ~ #140 Anything Goes

Life is good: so is art.
Bonnie

eTeam Picks Challenge ~ Flowers

Having been sick all last week, I'm a little late to the eTeam Picks party over at eclectic Paperie but not too late...the challenge is still in full swing. It's Sherry's turn to choose a theme and she picked Flowers...pun intended :) If you have ever seen any of Sherry's makes, you know that she is masterful at both creating with flowers and creating them from scratch. My friend, Paulette, is like that, too. She has the most beautiful way of combining flowers and incorporating them into her art. Me....not so much unless it's in my flowerbeds outside. That's why I decided to put my own spin on this challenge which is something that is both encouraged and  applauded at eP.

I started with this Make It Crafty digital stamp of Steampunk metallic flowers which I've had for ages but had never coloured. The colour was applied with Prismacolor pencils and then the image was fussy cut and set aside.

An 8 x 10" canvas would become the garden background for these funky flowers. The entire canvas was covered with Copper, Silver, and Gold paint dabbers in a loose and random fashion. I wasn't going for solid coverage but wanted all three colours on all four quadrants so that they would peek through when I applied the next step.

Using the TCW Mini Gears stencil, black gesso was pounced with a brush over the metallics. The stencil was rotated and allowed to go off the edges of the canvas for a more natural and pleasing look. The same process was done using The Crafter's Workshop Mini Fence Frame stencil to fill in some of the gaps between gears and change up the texture. More black gesso was applied to the bottom of the canvas below the stencilled areas.

In order to ground (no pun intended this time) the flowers and the entire canvas, a length of  metal tape used on heating ducts was embossed using a Sizzix embossing folder. I used Tim Holtz's trick of cutting the folder at the seam to allow the tape to be fed through continuously and avoid piecing shorter lengths. It worked like a charm. Once the tape was applied to the canvas bottom, watered down black acrylic paint was brushed over it for full coverage. I allowed it to dry to the touch and then used a baby wipe to remove most of the black. This left shadows where the plates apear to overlap  as well as next to the rivets and in any creases on the tape. I was going for grunginess and dimension.

A length of cheesecloth was sprayed with Dylusions Melted Chocolate spray ink and then Tattered Leather Glimmer Mist. Once dry, the cheesecloth was loosely twisted and applied over the seam where the tape met the canvas. The image was popped up on foam tape and adhered to the canvas over the cheesecloth and tape. To complete the project, large metal gears were adhered with Glossy Accents over the stencilled gears in three places (rule of threes). These are very subtle because the background is busy but they do add lovely texture, dimension, and an element of surprise when you notice them.

That's it for my response to Sherry's eTeam Picks challenge at eclectic Paperie this fortnight. Be sure to pop over to the eP blog to see Sherry's gorgeous canvas and to check out the links to the rest of the DT's amazing creations. There's still time for you to play along. We'd love to see what you create...always such a great source of inspiration for us. Thanks for joining me today... a treat to have you visit. If you are interested in more info about the products I used on this canvas, click on the links below to be magically transported to the eclectic Paperie shop.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Claudine Hellmuth Studio - Black Gesso	Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber - Metallic Silver	Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber - Metallic Copper	TCW 6x6 Template - Mini Gears	TCW 6x6 Template - Mini Fence Frame
Dylusions Ink Spray - Melted Chocolate	Inkssesentials - Glossy Accents 2 oz.