Oh, Hi ~ tag inspired by Bloobel Stamps

Hi everyone...or should that be Oh, hi...LOL. I have a super quick post today. I know that's shocking for me. I wanted to share this fun tag I created featuring the image Balloon Heart from Bloobel Stamps. He is so cute just floating by. Don't you just love the look on his face?

I coloured Herbie (HB) with a mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils, adding flat black rhinestones for his eyes. He was fussy cut leaving a narrow white border, matted in black cardstock, and popped up on foam tape. I based the colours I used on the background since it was pre-made.

The background is a Ranger #8 black tag to which a rectangle of packaging was adhered. It was such cool packaging from a pack of Sharpies that I saved it, just waiting for the right projects to use it. I added two clouds die cut from Japanese paper. Before they were glued down, I edged them in Broken China Distress ink and added faux stitching so they would show up better. The smaller cloud is popped up on clear foam tape because they are slightly transparent. Lettering was added to the cloud and the background using stickers. Three little enamel hearts were added to the bottom left corner to balance the design. A pink ribbon was looped into the hole of the tag to finish it. So simple but so fun!

Thanks for joining Herbie and me today. We do appreciate your company. When you get a minute, pop over to Bloobel Stamps and check out the fabulous new images Lisa has added over the past week. They are sure to make you smile!

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Bloom ~ Art Journal page inspired by Joggles blog

Hi everyone. Barb from Joggles.com, my favourite online store, has started the new year with weekly art journal spreads on her blog and has invited us to play along. While I love doing my own thing, I also thoroughly enjoy responding to a weekly prompt because it challenges me in many different ways and I enjoy the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone. That's why I have decided to play along with her. She does a step by step tutorial taking us through her process on her Art Journal Adventure post for week 4. While I have put my own spin on this spread, I have adopted several of her steps and used products from her description on the Joggles blog.

I created the background using the same three Dylusions paints, Cut Grass, Vibrant Turquoise, and White Linen. Like her, I worked wet on wet but instead of applying with a baby white, I used Rangers Cut N Dry foam. I loved how she knocked the colour back and introduced more white space so I did something similar using the White Linen through TCW's Labyrinth stencil. I applied Forget-Me-Not Archival ink to the background with Joggles Background Noise Stamp, Spark. More Vibrant Turquoise paint was stencilled through Dylusions Bubbles stencil to add more pattern and texture.

I loved the Heart Collage sheets, Barb used but I didn't have those sheets on hand. Instead, I die cut three sizes of hearts from gelli plate prints and mop up sheets used to clean up Lindy's Starburst over-spray. Instead of dangling hearts, I opted to make flowers, doodling around them and adding stems with Black Pitt pens. The leaves were die cut from black cardstock and dotted with white paint pen as a nod to Barb's dotty strings. Black and white rings were created with Dylusions paints and bottle lids.

To complete the page, gelato was added to the outside edges and spread with a wet finger. The same thing was used to add shadow next to the hearts using a water brush to soften and blend. Ransom Alpha Parts were used for the word and white paint dots to accent them and tie them to the other dots in the leaves. A border was doodled and Black Big Brush pen was used to edge the outsides of the page to help frame it.

Thanks for popping by today. If you play along with Joggles' prompt this week, I would love to see what you create. Leave a link in your comment so I can come and visit.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

The East Wind New Release ~ Northern Red Shafted Flicker

Hi everyone. Tuesdays and Fridays are the days for new releases at The East Wind. As soon as I saw this sweet image, I knew that I had to colour her. Her name is  Northern Red Shafted Flicker and she is a nod to this beautiful bird (see below) which comes to Unky's feeder sometimes. I love how her clothing mimics the markings of this lovely bird and her face is simply adorable.

I coloured Aurora with a mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils after finding an online photo of the actual bird to use as a reference. I thought it would be fun to get as close as possible to the bird's colours in my colouring. She was then fussy cut leaving a narrow white border, matted with black, and popped up on foam tape.

The 6 x 8 inch mixed media paper background was spritzed with Cocklebells Coral and Autumn Maple Crimson  Starburst Sprays both directly on the paper and through a mesh stencil. White space was left in several areas. Black Dylusions paint was sponged through TCW's Punchinella stencil to create more pattern. Torn vintage book paper was adhered in several places. A Stampotique double heart stamp was also applied using Brilliance Rocket Red-Gold Archival ink. The tree branch where Aurora would stand was hand drawn and cut, then shaded with Prismacolor pencils and Big Brush pens. Walnut Stain Distress ink was used to darken the edges. A heart was die cut three times from text paper scraps, coloured with the same Rocket Red gold ink, and stacked using foam tape between the layers.

The nest comes from a collage sheet by great musings. It was fussy cut, shaded and doodled with coloured pencil, and edged with Distress ink. Once adhered to the tree branch, three tiny plastic eggs were adhered with Glossy Accents. The computer generated sentiment by Winnie the Pooh was printed on white cardstock, trimmed out, and matted with black. Foam tape popped up each section. To complete the piece, black splatter dots were added with Jet Black Archival ink. The edges were darkened with Black Big Brush pen before the background was matted with black cardstock to frame it.

Thanks for joining sweet Aurora and me today. We are happy to have your wonderful company. To see what other DT members did with this wonderful new release, be sure to pop by The East Wind Facebook page where they will be posted throughout the day.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Make art ~ A Rick St. Dennis inspired project

Hi everyone. I had  a piece of this crazy background left over from a previous project and I wanted something artsy-related to be the focal. When I saw this Rick St. Dennis image called Euro Girl Denise the Artiste, I knew she would be the perfect choice. I decided to throw every bright colour at her and she how she turned out.

I coloured Denise with a mix of Polychromos and Prismacolor pencils. Her paint splotches were done with gel pens in Neon colours. Once finished, she was fussy cut leaving a narrow white border and then matted in black. Foam tape was added to the back of the image to adhere her to the background scrap and add a little dimension.

The background is 4.25 x 6 inches of mixed media paper which has been inked, stamped, and stencilled. The raised white harlequin pattern was done with embossing paste. The letters for ART and Make are stickers. The word art was shaded around with a Stabilo pencil and activated with a water brush. The same was done to the left side of the harlequin diamonds. Three little splotches were hand drawn and cut from sprayed scraps and layered to bring the paint splotches from the image to the background.

To complete the design, two lengths of washi tape were adhered to the background and threaded buttons were added. Doodling was used for a border and to outline various elements. White highlights were added to the letters in Art. Black Big Brush pen was used to ink around the edges and a black mat as well as a die cut scalloped edge were used to frame the piece.

Thanks for joining Denise and me today. We're so happy you did that.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Limited Edition ~ inspired by Bloobel Stamps

Hi everyone. Don't you just love this guy? He makes me laugh. I think it's partly the look on his face, partly the incongruity between his "proper" mustache and that pink tutu. Whatever it is, he needed to be the star of his own mixed media page. His name is Moustache Ballerina and he was created by the talented Lisa Bloobel Graham of Bloobel Stamps. Since he reminds me a bit of the great John Cleese in A Fish Called Wanda, I have named him John.

I coloured John with a mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils and used a flat black rhinestone for each eye. John was fussy cut leaving my usual narrow white border and then matted with black and trimmed out again. Foam tape was added to the back to give John a little lift (ballet pun intended) and add dimension and shadow once the image was placed on the background.

The 6x 8 inch mixed media paper for the background was spritzed with Lindy's Starburst sprays in Marigold Yellow Orange, Cocklebells Coral, and Autumn Maple Crimson straight onto the paper and then through Dylusions Blocks stencil. Various stamps were added usingVermillion, Rocket Red Gold, and Magenta Hue Archival inks. Black embossing paste was scraped through TCW's Spinning Tops stencil. Three lengths of washi tape applied to white cardstock and matted with black were used to create John's stage. Another length was added to the left side of the background.

The computer generated sentiment was printed on white paper, cut apart, and matted with black cardstock. Each section was then popped up on foam tape. A small punched section of border was added under the words Limited Edition for emphasis. Three flat back pearls were added to each side of the steps and outlining was done with a black pen. A border was also added around the outside of the piece. To finish off, Black Big Brush pen was used to edge the background before it was matted with black cardstock to frame the page.

Thanks so much for joining John and me today. I had so much fun putting this one together. I hope that you are celebrating being a limited edition just like John is. For more of these fabulous whimsical images, be sure and visit Bloobel Stamps Etsy store.

Life is good; so is art.

The East Wind Challenge #47 ~ Black, White & One Other Colour

Hi everyone. Today marks the beginning of a new challenge at The East Wind blog. Our theme this time is Use Black, White & one other colour. I chose red for the extra because I love the high contrast of those three. For this mixed media project, I chose to feature Lucy Loo Chinese Dancer which, surprisingly, I haven't coloured before.

 I coloured Lucy Loo with a combination of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils. I did cheat on the eye colour because I was pretty sure that red eyes wouldn't have been too flattering. I added Clear Wink of Stella to her tiara. She was then fussy cut leaving a narrow white border.

The background began as a plain black piece of designer paper which had a white line border and  a stylized flower in the corner. White embossing paste was scraped through TCW's Harlequin stencil and Dylusions White paint was pounced through the Tiny Circles stencil. More Dylusions white paint was stamped to make the two sizes of white rings. To add a little text, stamping was done with Versamark and then white embossing powder was added and heat set.

In order to tie the red in the image to the background, two lengths of red ribbon were wrapped to the back and adhered. A text printed chipboard butterfly was added over top and a tiny key, coloured black with a Big Brush Pen, was adhered as the body. The word strength, an Idea-ology Big Chat sticker, was placed to the right of Lucy Loo. To finish, the page was double matted with red and then black cardstock.

Thanks for joining Lucy Loo and me today. We are happy to have you visit. To see the other fabulous makes by my DT teamies, be sure to pop by The East Wind Challenge blog. We would love to see what you do with the Black, White & one more colour challenge theme.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Subtle?? ~ A Rick St. Dennis inspired creation

Hi everyone. As soon as I saw this fabulous image in Rick St Dennis' Zibbet shop, I knew just how I wanted to colour her, especially her big hair. She is over-the-top in-your-face and exudes such confidence. Love her! Her name is Moonbeam and that helped me decide how to do the background. I wanted a retro 70s feel to it.

I coloured Moonbeam with my usual mix of Polychromos and Prismacolor pencils. She was then fussy cut with a narrow white border, matted in black cardstock, and trimmed out again. She was then popped up on foam tape and asked to amuse herself while waiting for the background.

The 6 x 8 inch rectangle of mixed media paper was spritzed with Drop Dead Gorgeous Green and Freaky Frankenlime Lindy's Starburst sprays through Joggles Cyclone stencil. Once dry, more spirals were stamped with Viridian Archival ink. Scraps of tissue wrap printed with text were torn and adhered with gel medium. Two different washi tapes were adhered to white cardstock, trimmed and added to three spots. Black Dylusions paint was pounced through TCW's Mini Texturized stencil to add pops of contrast and more pattern/texture.

The computer generated sentiment was printed on white cardstock, trimmed out, and matted with black. Foam tape added dimension. Three green flower brads were added to the page: two through the yellow washi tape and one through a stitched felt flower button. Black pearls were adhered to the centers to draw attention to them and emphasize the visual triangle. The page was edged with Black Big Brush pen and matted with black cardstock to frame it.

Thanks for popping by today. Moonbeam and I hope you enjoyed your trip back to the seventies...LOL. Such a fun image!

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Rainbows and Unicorns and Bloobel Stamps

Hi everyone! I came across these wonderful quirky images on Facebook the other day and I just had to track down the talented artist and her awesome Etsy shop. The shop is called Bloobel Stamps and the artist is Lisa Bloobel Graham. I love the humour, whimsy, and uniqueness of these designs so I purchased a few to have a play. They make me smile the whole time I am creating with them...and then after...oh, and before. Did I mention that I am smitten?

I coloured To Be a Unicorn with a mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils. Stickles were added to the stars in her hair and Glossy Accents plus tiny flat black pearls to her eyes. Unicorn Girl (UG) was then fussy cut leaving a narrow white border, matted with black cardstock, and popped up on foam tape.

The background colour was created on the 6 x 8 inch rectangle of mixed media paper with Distress inks and a little Lindy's Starburst spray. Black Archival ink was applied through TCW's Bingo stencil. text stamping was added with Coffee Archival ink and the little starburst pattern with Rocket Red Gold Archival ink. White embossing paste was scraped through Dina Wakley's Plastic Canvas stencil. White and black rings were created with Dylusions paint and bottle lids used as stamps.

The computer generated sentiment was printed on white cadrstock, trimmed close and matted with black. Each section was popped up on foam tape for dimension. I was going to use the sentiment that inspired the image " Always be yourself unless you can be a unicorn. Then always be a unicorn." but I had used a version of that not too long ago so I went for another one which suited UG just as well. Three spots of purple cardstock, two borders and a label, were added to bring purple from the image into the background. A length of cheesecloth was adhered under her legs to suggest a cloud and three punched metallic stars repeated the glimmer of those in her hair. To finish off, black Big Brush pen was used to edge the background before a black mat was added to frame the page.

Thanks for joining UG and me today. We are delighted to have you here. Be sure to check out Bloobel Stamps to see the other fabulous images Lisa has created. She has a Facebook group, too, where people are sharing their makes...lots of inspiration. I want Lisa to be hugely successful so she will make lots and lots of images for us to play with! Yes, it's all about me...LOL

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Aurora Forget Me Not ~ The East Wind new release

Hi everyone. Happy Tuesday! There is a gorgeous new release coming out at The East Wind shop today. She is called Aurora Forget Me Not...so pretty. Many on the DT couldn't wait to colour her...including me. Check out The East Wind Facebook group and you will see all of our versions throughout the day.

I coloured Aurora with Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils. She was fussy cut leaving a narrow white border and then matted with black cardstock. She was then popped up on foam tape for dimension.

The 6 x 8 inch mixed media paper background was spritzed with Lindy's Stamp Gang Witches' Potion Purple and Delphinium Turquoise sprays. Once dry, script text was stamped using Deep Purple Archival ink and a starburst pattern was stamped with Forget-Me-Not Archival ink (how appropriate!) Stars were die cut from silver glittery paper in two sizes and applied to the background with foam tape. White crocheted lace was adhered to the bottom edge and Petaloo flowers adhered over the bottom edge of the image.

The sentiment was printed on white cardstock, trimmed out, and matted with black. Foam tape was also used to pop up each word. The word "WISH" on the large star is an Idea-ology rub-on and the scalloped border is another rub-on from my stash. Blue Inktense pencil was applied to the background around each silver star and then activated with a water brush. Black Big Brush pen was used to ink the outside edges before the black matting was added to frame and finish the piece.

Thanks for joining Aurora and me today. We hope your wishes come true!

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

So Glam ~ Rick St. Dennis Progressive Challenge

Here I am with my second post for the new year and it's still the morning of the first :) Happy New Year in case I missed you with my first post. We have a new Progressive Challenge on the Sparkle and Glitter blog and it's Team A's turn to post their creations. I decided to celebrate New Year's in style with the lovely and oh-so-glamourous Helene Hartz, one of Rick St. Dennis' fabulous images from his Zibbet shop.

I coloured Helene with a mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils, adding a little metallic gel pen for the silver bits. She was fussy cut leaving a narrow white border and then matted with black cardstock. She was also popped up on foam to add dimension and create a shadow behind her.

The background began as a 6 x 8 inch rectangle of purple cardstock.Text stamping and a stylized star were added with Deep Purple Archival ink.Platinum ink was used to stamp the zigzagstitching. Silver embossing paste was scraped through the Dylusions Bubbles stencil to add pattern, texture, and shine in various places. Pink zigzag washi tape was applied to white cardstock and then adhered in 5 places. Tiny star sequins glued to the end of each added interest and more shine. The washi tape segments were then outlined with black pen to help them pop. Silver sparkly paper was die cut into stars which were then glued around Helene.

The sentiment from Create with TLC was fussy cut close to the words and popped up on foam tape. Tiny rhinestones were adhered to some of the letters for ...you guessed it...more sparkle. Black Big Brush pen was used to edge the outside of the background before a black mat was added to frame the piece.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Helene and I appreciate your spending your time with us. To see other fabulous DT creations, be sure to pop by the Sparkle and Glitter blog. We would love it if you joined in the fun. After all, it's Anything Goes using a Rick St. Dennis image.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

The East Wind Challenge #46 ~ Flag on the Play

Hi everyone. Happy New Year! I hope 2016 is good to you! We are starting the new year with a challenge over on The East Wind blog. Challenge #46 is called Flag on the Play so we want to see a banner, bunting, fishtail flag, or pennant shape somewhere on your project. Easy peasy, right? All of the TEW blog DT are using the freebie image from this month's TEW newsletter called Dancing with Polarbear. I love 'em!

I coloured the image with a combination of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils. They were then fussycut leaving a narrow white border. Once matted with black cardstock and trimmed again, foam tape was added to the back to give them dimension.

The background began as a 6 x 8 inch rectangle of patterned paper. I have so much designer paper that I decided to make an effort to use some as the start of mixed media projects. Circle stamps were added with Cornflower Blue Archival ink. Splatter dots and an asterisk border were applied to the background with Cobalt Archival ink. White embossing paste was scraped through TCW's Tiny Circles stencil for more texture. The two fishtail flags were hand cut from a border on the patterned paper. Two sizes of silver snowflakes were punched from metallic art paper and scattered over the background.

The sentiment was printed on white cardstock, trimmed, and matted with black. Each segment was popped up on foam tape. A Prima layered fabric flower was adhered to the top right corner. Two Idea-ology Typed Tokens were added with silver brads below the flower  and a tiny white ribbon bow bridged the gap. The outside edges of the background were inked with black Big Brush Pen. The background was then matted with black cardstock to frame it.

Thanks for popping by today. All three of us appreciate your fine company. To see the other fabulous DT creations, be sure to stop over at The East Wind Challenge blog. if you haven't already signed up for the newsletter and the monthly free image, you can do that while you are there.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie