Lady of the House 1471 ~ 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 Lady of the House 1471.

I coloured Lady with a mix of Polychromos and Prismacolor pencils and seized the opportunity to practise my marcelle curls colouring technique. It's so fun and the results always make me smile. Lady 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, she was popped up with foam tape to give added dimension.

The background began as a 6 x 8 rectangle of designer paper. Extra detail was added with Pale Ochre Archival Ink and Joggles Nonsense Latin Text stamp as well as Carabelle Studio Quadrillages stamp. Jet Black Archival Ink was used to stamp the heart border but it was beefed up with a black Pitt pen because it seemed too dainty. Pink rings were added to the background using chalk paint and a bottle lid. Molding Paste was scraped through TCW Tiny Circles stencil and allowed to dry thoroughly. White gesso was drybrushed over the stencilling to help it show more and also in other spots in the background to add interest.

The sentiment was printed on white card stock, cut into individual words, and matted with black. Before adding foam tape to the back of each word, the "me" in awesome and the single word me were outlined in pink marker to draw attention to them. Two lengths of washi tape were adhered below Lady to give her a place to stand since floating is not one of her super powers. The washi strips were outlined with black pen and a doodled border was also added to the outside edges. Two exclamation marks and a question mark were adhered to the right side using Idea-ology Ransom Letters and white paint pen dots were added to them. A punched photo corner was added over the ends of the washi tape and white dots were added to it to repeat the dots on the marks. Black Big Brush Pen was used to ink the outside edges of the background before it was added to a black card stock mat.

Thanks for joining Lady of the House and me today. We're always happy when you stop by. To see more of Sandra's wonderful new releases which will be in the shop later today, and also see what our talented DT members did with them, be sure to drop by Sandra Caldwell Stamp Fans Facebook group, where they will be posted throughout the day. Pop by Sandra's Etsy shop, too, when you get a chance. There are so many fabulous images that you are sure to see some "Must-Haves".

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Easter Parade ~ Bloobel Stamps Progressive Challenge

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, she offered choice of six fabulous images or you could use a different code to buy them all at a special price...which, of course, I did because who can resist! The theme this month is Easter Parade based on that wonderful old Judy Garland/Fred Astaire movie.

I decided to create my own little Easter Parade using Easter Parade Judy, Easter Parade Fred, and Easter Parade Bunneh. They were each coloured with a mix of Polychromos and Prismacolor pencils. They were fussy cut leaving a narrow white border, matted with black card stock, and fussy cut leaving a narrow black border. Foam tape was used to pop them up. Fred was given Black Diamond Stickles with Lagoon Stickles in the center of the punched flower on his hat.

Judy was given Buttercup Liquid Pearls on her dress trim and buttons, and on the flower centers on her hat. The flowers were punched from mop-up atcs sprayed with Lindy's so they sparkle, too.

Bunneh was given Lagoon Stickles centers on his hat flowers and his wonky eyes were covered with Glossy Accents to add dimension and shine. Aren't they a well coordinated trio? You can thank their stylist...LOL

The background of this art journal page began as a 7 x 9 inch rectangle of designer paper. One of the designs from the Stampotique Originals Circles Cube and Joggles Nonsense Latin Text stamps were added with Garden Patina Archival Ink. Carabelle Sudio Mini Checkerboard stamp was added with Jet Black Archival. The sidewalk was a torn piece of textured tan coloured card stock which was stamped using Stampotique Originals Brick Road and Tree Branch Archival. Both Coffee Archival Ink and brown Prismacolor pencils were used to add shadow and darken some of the bricks. The same was used to edge the sides of the sidewalk before it was adhered to the background. Black pen was used to outline it and add faux stitching. A sign post was created with black card stock and white glittery stickers. Next to the sidewalk, Inktense pencil activated with a waterbrush was used to add shadow and dimension.

White cheesecloth scraps were adhered above Judy and Fred to create puffy clouds.

The sentiment, which is a line from the Easter Parade song, was printed on white card stock and matted with black. Foam tape was used to pop it up. Small music notes were drawn with black pen and accented with black rhinestones. The same black pen was used to draw a border around the outside edges. Turquoise washi tape was added to the edges to bring some of that lovely colour from their outfits into the background and add a little more pattern. Garden Patina and Coffee Archival Inks were used to edge the background before Black Big Brush Pen was added. Finally, the page was matted with black card stock to frame it.

Thanks for popping by and watching Fred, Judy, and Bunneh's Easter Parade. It's always wonderful to have a crowd at one of these things :) To check out the other amazing creations made by the people playing along with the Bloobel Progressive Challenge, be sure to pop by the Bloobel Facebook page. It's not too late to join in either. You have until the end of March to enter your creation made with one of the Easter Parade images into the Facebook album. Then you will be eligible for the coupon code for April's challenge. Hope to see you there!

Life is good; so is art.

Bonnie

Bearly a Nurse 1422 - A Sandra Caldwell New Release

Hi everyone! It's Friday and that means there is a lovely group of wonderful new release images at Sandra Caldwell's Etsy shop, Babycakes Digis and Designs. Besides the ones which the DT have played with and will show on the Sandra Caldwell Stamps Fans Facebook group, Sandra always adds some surprises in the shop...so fun!

This week, I played with an image called Bearly a Nurse 1422...she's a cutie! I coloured her with a mix of Polychromos and Prismacolor pencils. She was then fussy cut leaving a narrow white border, matted with black card stock, and fussy cut leaving a narrow black border. Foam tape was added to the back to pop her up and create a natural shadow.

The background for the card began with a rectangle of blue card stock cut slightly smaller than the card front. It was inked around the edges with Black Big Brush Pen and then faux stitched. A piece of patterned paper, chosen because of the "heartbeat" pattern, was cut to fit inside that blue layer. A heart was die cut from a mop-up card which had been sprayed with red Lindy's and a VLV heartbeat stamp was applied to it using Jet Black Archival Ink. Then it was adhered so that it lined up with one of the heartbeat lines on the paper behind it.

The sentiment was printed onto white card stock, matted with black, and popped up on foam tape. Small triangular pieces were cut and added to the four corners to help frame the background and finish off the card.

Thanks for visiting Bearly a Nurse and me today. We appreciate your fine company. To check out the other fabulous new releases, be sure to pop by Sandra's Etsy shop. Drop by the Facebook group, too, where you will see the awesome creations featuring these newbies from some of the design team members. We would love to see what you create with Sandra's images there, too.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

The 2017 Joggles Art Journal Adventure - Week 12 Sneak Peek

Hi everyone! It's my turn to host Joggles Art Journal Adventure for Week 12. Sometimes when I art journal, I just play and other times, I have something I want to work out or remind myself about. This week, it was the latter. I'm only showing you a sneak peak here of my page which was created in response to the prompt Opening. To see the entire page, read about my process and the thoughts behind it, you will have to pop over to the Joggles blog. I hope you do!

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Hare in Hiding 1407 - a Sandra Caldwell New Release

And I'm back! Hi there! Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! This is the second of two new releases which I had the privilege of playing with this week from Sandra Caldwell's Etsy shop, Babycakes Digis and Designs. This one is called Hare in Hiding 1407 and he cracks me up because his disguise needs some work :)

I coloured Harry with a mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils. He was then fussy cut leaving my usual white border, matted with black, and fussy cut again. Foam tape was used to pop him up to create a natural shadow.

The background began as a 6 x 8 inch rectangle of designer paper which had part of the design embossed. Deep Purple Archival Ink was used to apply Carabelle Studio Star Texture stamp in some places. Magenta Hue Archival Ink was used to stamp one of the designs from Stampotique Originals Kate's Cube. Ranger Texture Paste  was scraped through TCW Tiny Circles Stencil with a palette knife to add to the texture on the background. To give Harry a place to stand, two lengths of washi tape applied to white card stock were cut into fishtails, edged with Black Big Brush Pen, and adhered below him. The other sections were adhered in the top right corner to help balance the design and create flow.

The sentiment, which makes me laugh, was printed onto white card stock, cut into individual words, and matted with black. Foam tape was used to adhere them to the background. Two Black buttons were threaded (no naked buttons here) and adhered to the upper left corner for that pop of black I love so much. This was balanced in the opposite corner with a black die cut arrow pointing to the punny word. Black Big Brush Pen was used to edge the background before it was adhered to a black mat which serves as a frame for the page.

Thanks for joining Hare in Hiding and me today. Wouldn't it be wonderful if all it really took to change your life was to change your hair...LOL To see more of Sandra's wonderful new releases which will be in the shop later today, and also see what our talented DT members did with them, be sure to drop by Sandra Caldwell Stamp Fans Facebook group, where they will be posted throughout the day. Pop by Sandra's Etsy shop, too, when you get a chance. Not only will there be fabulous new releases which are surprises but you can also see the 4 images which are on sale so you can play along with the Bee Silly Facebook Challenge. Hope to see you there!

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Naughty Puppy 1440 - a Sandra Caldwell New Release

Hi everyone! It's new Release Friday at Sandra Caldwell's Etsy shop, Babycakes Digis and Designs. This week I was able to play with two new images which is always twice the fun :) The first image is called Naughty Puppy 1440. I love the look on his face and the sentiment is something I say to my husband all the time...LOL

I coloured Naughty Puppy with a mix of Polychromos and Prismacolor pencils. He was then fussy cut leaving a narrow white border and adhered to black card stock. He was then fussy cut a second time leaving a narrow black border. This adds strenth to the image for popping up on foam tape and also creates a shadow effect so he contrasts with the background.

The background of this 6 x 8 inch art journal page began with two different designer papers which were overlapped and adhered to a black card stock background.Tree Branch Archival Ink was used to add Carabelle Studio Letter Background stamp and one of the designs on Stampotique Originals Kate's Cube. A simple X from Darkroom Door's Mail Art Stamp was added using Jet Black Archival Ink. A simple border was doodled with black pen and the ribbon was lined on both sides with the same pen. Naughty puppy was adhered to the background and Inktense pencil activated with a water brush created the shadow under the ribbon and under the pup.

The sentiment from Create With TLC was printed on white card stock, matted with black, and adhered next to Puppy. Three black gems were added to the dots in the larger word and the open letters were lined with black and striped with red marker in the phrase words. A black card stock border was die cut and added in three places. To finish the page, a small dog button was adhered to the upper left corner and three tiny hearts were doodled around it.

Thanks for visiting today. Naughty Puppy and I appreciate that. To see the other wonderful new releases by Sandra and also the awesome DT makes with them, be sure and pop by the Sandra Caldwell Stamp Fans Facebook group where they will be posted throughout the day. You can also stop over to Sandra's Etsy shop, Babycakes Digis and Designs, to see not only these newbies but also all of the other wonderful images in her shop. There's something for everyone and every occasion.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Home is where...Sandra Caldwell Bee Challenge

Hi everyone! Each month on the Sandra Caldwell Stamps Fans Facebook group, there is a new challenge. Sandra puts 4 images chosen by whoever is hosting on sale and we can use whichever one we want to enter the challenge. This month the theme is Bees, one of my favourites, and the images are adorable. I chose to play with Bee Hive Sweetie 948...how cute is she!

I coloured her and her little friend with a mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils. Diamond Stickles was used to glimmer up both sets of wings to add a little magic. Both were fussy cut leaving a narrow white border and then matted with black card stock to help them show against the background. Foam tape was used to pop them up and add dimension/shadow.

The background began with bee themed paper which was cut into a rectangle and matted with black. The next layer is tone on tone yellow dots which was cut into a rectangle to fit the image. It was edged with Vintage Photo Distress Ink before being matted with black card stock. It was placed at an angle over the bee patterned rectangle.

The sentiment was printed onto white card stock, cut apart into individual words which were then matted with black. Foam tape was added to the back of each word. The two bee-utiful friends were placed first and then the words were staggered around them. A length of black picot-edged ribbon was adhered to the bottom of the card and a tiny bee button with a rhinestone head was adhered to the right side of the ribbon. The background was then adhered to a white card base.

Thanks for popping by today. The three of us are happy you did that! When you get a chance, pop by Sandra's Etsy shop, Babycakes Digis and Designs, to see the other choices for the challenge. You are sure to find at least one that will inspire you to play along with this fun Bee Challenge! You can check out all of the wonderful entries by joining our Sandra Caldwell Stamp Fans Facebook group. It's a great place to hang out!

Life is good; so is art...and bees!
Bonnie

Joggles Art Journal Adventure ~ Week 11 Response

Hi everyone! It was Barb's turn this week to set the prompt for Joggles Art Journal Adventure and she chose Silhouette for week 11. I love using silhouettes because they look great against the busy backgrounds I usually favour. I decided to take some time to play with a few of my new Distress Oxide Inks for the first time while working on this prompt.

The piece started with a 6 x 8 inch rectangle of mixed media paper. I then layered on Worn Lipstick, Fired Brick, and Spiced Marmalade Distress Oxides onto the background using a Mini Ink Blending Tool. My goodness, they blend beautifully. I spritzed with water and heat dried a couple of times because I was curious to see how little water I could use to begin the oxidizing process. Then I smushed the same three inks onto my craft sheet and spritzed with water so I could dip my background into the inks. I dried the background in between each layer and repeated a few times. The last time I smushed Vintage Photo Distress Oxide onto my craft sheet, spritzed, and picked it up with my background. I continued to play drying in between each layer until I was happy with the results. It's an addictive process and I could have played and played :)

When the inks were dry, two Carabelle Studio stamps (small checkerboard and letter background) were applied here and there with Jet Black Archival Ink. Rings were added using the same ink and the lid to my mini spritzer. Ranger Texture Paste was scraped through MFT Weave stencil. As it dried, it picked up some of the Distress Inks which I wanted. I brightened a few of the raised areas in each grouping with white acrylic ink. More of the Fired Brick Distress Ink was placed on the craft sheet and picked up with a waterbrush to deepen the outside edges. Inktense pencil was used to shade next to the geckos which I had cut from black card stock.

Black Big Brush Pen was used to ink the outside edges. Black and white checked washi tape was adhered to white card stock and then glued to the outside edges of the background to create a frame. The background was then adhered to the black card stock that forms the base of each page in this art journal.

Thanks for joining the geckos and me today. We're happy you did that. To see Barb's original post, be sure to pop over to the Joggles blog and click on the 2017 Art Journal Adventure category. We would love it if you decided to join our AJA Facebook group and play along with our weekly prompts.

Blow a Balloon 1360 - A Sandra Caldwell New Release

Hi everyone! It's Friday and that means new release day at Sandra Caldwell's Etsy shop, Babycakes Digis and Designs.  This week, I had the opportunity to play with two wonderful new images.  This is my second post today and this one is called Blow a Balloon 1360. Never having been very good at blowing up balloons, I appreciate this little girl's talent and applaud her success.

I coloured Balloon Blower (BB) with a mix of Polychromos and Prismacolor pencils. She was fussy cut leaving a narrow white border and then matted with black card stock to create a second black border. She was then popped up on foam tape to add dimension and create a natural shadow.

The background began with a chevron patterned 6 x 8 inch rectangle of turquoise card stock. Manganese Archival Ink was used to stamp a mesh patterned stamp as well as a spiral one in a few places on the background. Jet Black Archival Ink was used to add the stitching using a VLV rubber stamp. Because the chevron pattern already made the background busy and I knew I was adding bright colours and patterns, I left the turquoise card stock a little plainer than normal. Three balloon shapes were cut from yellow and green dotty and plain red card stock. They were lightly shaded with Gelatos and a white highlight was added to each. Black Big Brush pen was used to outline the edges before the balloons had string tied to their ends. Foam tape was used to adhere them and add dimension and shadow.

The sentiment was printed onto white card stock, cut into individual words, and matted with black before being popped up on foam tape. The words were then used to adhere the balloon strings in place. Two lengths of washi tape adhered to white card stock to remove the translucence were cut into fishtails and adhered below BB to ground her as well as bringing the green from the balloon and her eyes to a third place in the design. Three small and two large black enamel dots were added to the left side to help balance the composition. Black Big Brush pen was used to edge the background before a black mat was added to frame the page.

Thanks for popping by today.  BB and I appreciate that. To see the other wonderful new releases by Sandra and also the awesome DT makes with them, be sure and pop by the Sandra Caldwell Stamp Fans Facebook group where they will be posted throughout the day. You can also stop over to Sandra's Etsy shop, Babycakes Digis and Designs, to see not only these newbies but also all of the other wonderful images in her shop. It's a happy place to visit!

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Miss Knowledge 1368 - A Sandra Caldwell New Release

Hi everyone! It's Friday and that means new release day at Sandra Caldwell's Etsy shop, Babycakes Digis and Designs.  This week, I had the opportunity to play with two wonderful new images. The first one is called Miss Knowledge 1368. I can relate to her so well because I love books and reading. Libraries are some of my favourite places so Miss Knowledge appealed to me instantly.

I coloured Miss Knowledge with a mix of Polychromos and Prismacolor pencils. She was fussy cut leaving a narrow white border and then matted with black card stock to create a second black border. She was then popped up on foam tape to add dimension and create a natural shadow.

The background began with a slightly patterned 6 x 8 inch rectangle of designer paper. Tree Branch Archival Ink was used to stamp Carabelle Studio Letter Background and Mini Checkerboard stamps in several places. An image of a bookshelf filled with books was printed from the computer and then shaded and outlined to change it up a little and add more dimension. It was then matted with black card stock. Before it was adhered to the background, a torn piece of book text paper was inked with Tree Branch Ink and tucked under the right side so it would show behind Miss Knowledge's head. Part of a library card was torn from the whole, inked with Tree Branch, and adhered just above where Miss Knowledge's bow would sit. Stars were added with a VLV stamp and Jet Black Archival Ink and another stamping of the checkerboard was added to the library card to blend it into the background.

The sentiment was printed onto white card stock and matted with black before being popped up on foam tape. The sections were then adhered over the bookcase. To bring a little more of that turquoise colour from the image into the background, a pieces of ink sprayed turquoise book text paper was die cut with a torn book border and then added above the bookcase and beside the library card. It creates a visual triangle with both the turquoise and another with the book text. A simple border was doodled with black pen around the edges of the page before it was inked on the edges with Tree Branch Archival Ink and also with Black Big Brush Pen. Three enamel hearts were adhered to the top right corner to add a little pop of black and finish the design. A black mat was used to frame the page.

Thanks for popping by today.  Miss Knowledge and I appreciate that. To see the other wonderful new releases by Sandra and also the awesome DT makes with them, be sure and pop by the Sandra Caldwell Stamp Fans Facebook group where they will be posted throughout the day. You can also stop over to Sandra's Etsy shop, Babycakes Digis and Designs, to see not only these newbies but also all of the other wonderful images in her shop. There's something for everyone and every occasion.

Life is good; so is art... and books!
Bonnie

The 2017 Joggles Art Journal Adventure - Week 10 Sneak Peek

Hi everyone! It's my turn to host the 2017 Art Journal Adventure on the Joggles blog today. For Week 10, I have made the prompt Travel. The inspiration for the page was this lovely old photo which I was given by a friend in a wonderful collection of ephemera. I'm only giving a sneak peek here...if you want to see the whole page and read about my process, you'll have to pop over to the Joggles blog. Hope you do! I'm so excited to see what the AJA Facebook group members come up with for this one. They are an incredibly talented and creative group!

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Rocking Horse Fun 1402 - A Sandra Caldwell New Release

Hi everyone! It's New Release Day at Sandra Caldwell's Etsy shop, Babycakes Digis and Designs. I am smitten with the image I chose this week. It is called Rocking Horse Fun 1402 and when I first looked at it, I thought of The Velveteen Rabbit. I decided to go in a different direction from that but may return to it some day.

The image was coloured with a mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils. Like most of my coloured images, it was fussy cut leaving a narrow white border, matted with black card stock, and fussy cut again leaving a narrow black border. Foam tape was adhered to the back to pop it up.

The background began with two pieces of designer paper. I am really trying to use it up and make it work for my art journal pages. The first was cut to 6 x 8 inches and the second was a torn section that was layered across the bottom of the first and trimmed on the sides and bottom edge. It was edged with Fern Green Archival ink before it was glued down. The same ink was used to stamp a Carabelle Studios background stamp as well as circles from a Stampotique cube and some dots from an unknown source. Jet Black Archival Ink was used to create the stamped stitching on both sides.

The sentiment which was printed on white card stock and cut into sections, was matted with black and popped up on foam tape. A small strip of the reverse print of one of the papers was torn , inked with Big Brush Pen, and adhered below where the floor below the horse connected with the background. A small scrap of corrugated paper was also adhered there. One inch circles were punched from black card stock and adhered to the left side with an extra one placed on the right side. Buttons were adhered over the circles on the left and a corrugated circle on the right. Another corrugated circle was placed below the word but because I like things in threes. The edge of the background was inked with Fern Green Archival Ink and then Black Big Brush Pen. The back of the designer paper was used to mat the background and tie in with the scrap below the horse. Finally a black card stock mat was added to the page to serve as a frame.

Thanks for joining Rocking Horse Fun girlie and me today. We really appreciate that. To see the rest of today's wonderful new releases and the delightful projects the DT members have created with them, be sure to visit Sandra's Facebook group where they will be posted throughout the day. Stop by Sandra's Etsy shop, too. You'll see the extra images Sandra posts each Friday as well as a fabulous assortment of images from previous releases. It's an inspiring place to hang out.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

There is a Dance - art journal page inspired by a Bloobel Stamp

Hi everyone! I had this sweet woman's face and hair coloured and that's as far as I got so I figured I'd better get her dressed. She is called Curtsey and she is from Bloobel Stamps.  I love her cheesy grin and her lovely bows :)

I coloured her with a mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils. She was first fussy cut leaving a narrow white border and then fussy cut a second time once she was matted with black card stock. She was then popped up with foam tape to create a natural shadow.

The background began with a 6 x 8 inch rectangle of designer paper. The paper was double sided so I tore some pieces of the print on the back and adhered them in 4 different places along the edges. White gesso was brushed over the pieces and the background to help them meld. Cornflower Blue Archival Ink was used to add a star stamp from Carabelle Studio and a grid stamp from elsewhere. Black dots were stamped with Black Archival Ink and Ranger Texture Paste was scraped through a Carabelle Studio circles stencil. Bits of washi tape backed with white card stock to make the pieces opaque were adhered along the four edges of the background.

The sentiment was printed onto white card stock, cut into individual words which were then matted with black. Foam tape was used to adhere them to the background. To connect the pink in the image to the background, pink enamel hearts were added to three of the pieces of washi tape. The edge of the background was inked with Cornflower Archival and then Black Big Brush Pen. A simple black border was doodled around the edges before black card stock was adhered to mat the page and serve as a frame.

Thanks for joining my cute Curtsey friend and me today. We're happy you stopped by. To see more of Lisa's fabulous images be sure to stop by Bloobel.com. There is also a fun Progressive Challenge and the opportunity to join the TrooBloo Subscription Club. Check them out when you are there!

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie