Bloobel Stamps Progressive Challenge ~ Bored at Work

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 this hilarious Bloobel image called Bored at Work and create something to either amuse him or say what he's thinking.

I coloured Mr. B with a mix of Polychromos and Prismacolor pencils, using a metallic gel pen on his silver buttons. He was then fussy cut leaving a narrow white border and matted with black card stock. Once he was trimmed out again leaving a narrow black border, he was popped up on foam tape.

The background began life as a 5.5 x 8 inch piece of packaging on which I gel printed with brown and pale blue acrylic paint. I know for sure that Carabelle Studio Squares and Circles Art Template was involved as well as TCW Microbial stencil and black paint. I can also tell you that I used a VLV triangle stamp. Beyond that, I haven't got a clue...I do a bunch of backgrounds all at once and sometimes I forget to write down the magic formula...LOL. I created the big ol' pile of pooh and the shovel from scraps of cardstock and mop-up papers, shading them with coloured  and Inktense pencils and fussy cutting. I cut a slit in the manure pile so the shovel would look like it was stuck in.

The saying was printed on white card stock, cut into segments, and matted with black. Foam tape was used to adhere the parts to the background. A simple border was doodled with black pen and three red gems were added to the top left corner to play off the shovel and his tie. Finally the piece was matted with black card stock to frame it and tie it all together.

Thanks for visiting Mr. B and me today. I hope your day is going better than his! You still have a couple of days to enter Lisa's Progressive Challenge which you can find on the Bloobel Facebook group. I can see so many other ways to use this image. Check out the other fabulous entries while you are there!

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

The 2017 Joggles Art Journal Adventure - Week 22 Sneak Peek

Hi everyone. It's my week to come up with the prompt and inspiration page for Week 22 of Joggles Art Journal Adventure. The prompt I have chosen for this week is Lift. As usual, I have chosen a prompt that is wide open and can be interpreted literally or not.  Lift might make you think about things that lift your spirits or what you do to lift the spirits of others. It might be things that lift up into the air like butterflies and balloons or it might be something that you lift off your background to add dimension and create shadow. Or maybe you will do all three like I did!

To see the rest of the page, see more detail photos, and read about my process, be sure to pop over to the Joggles blog where I spill the beans about every last detail :0 I'd love it if you did!

Life is good; so is art...and AJA.
Bonnie

1590 Petal Top ~ 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. Then she always throws in a few surprises so that we will be surprised, too. This week, my art journal page is featuring the new image called 1590 Petal Top. I adore her soulful eyes, sweet outfit, and her flower on top :)

I coloured Petal Top with a mix of Polychromos and Prismacolor pencils. I've been playing more with the eyes lately trying to create different effects with my coloured pencils. PT was then fussy cut leaving a narrow white border and then matted with black card stock, Once she was trimmed out again, this time leaving a narrow black border, she was popped up on foam squares to add dimension and create natural shadow.

The background began as a gelli print using Lt Blue Permanent, Cerulean Blue Hue, and Brilliant Yellow Green Liquitex Paints and Joggles Ancient Ruins Stencil and Teardrops in the Round Foam Stamp. White paint was also used on the gel paint with Carabelle Studio Des Carres Avec Des Rondes art template. Carabelle Studio Star Textures Art Stamp and a TH dotty stamp were applied using Cobalt Archival Ink. Washi tape, which had been applied to white card stock to remove the translucency, was also adhered below the image to ground her and also on the right side of the background.

The sentiment was printed onto white card stock and cut into individual words. They were then matted with black and popped up on foam tape. A resin flower and hand cut leaves were added to the top left corner and a black punched photo corner was added to the lower right corner for balance. The background edges were inked with Black Big Brush Pen before the piece was matted with black card stock to frame it. A small amount of outlining of the washi and the flower was done to help them stand out.

Thanks for joining Petal Top 1590 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.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Magic Tea Garden 1539 - Spring Fling Challenge sponsored by Sandra Caldwell

Hi everyone. Markers!Papers! and Digis! is having a Spring Fling Contest in the Facebook group and Sandra Caldwell is one of the sponsors. It runs from April 30 - May 27 and you must use the Sandra Caldwell image Magic Tea Garden 1539. I love this image so much and was excited to colour it up for a card.

Using Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils, she was coloured and fussy cut leaving a narrow white border around the "wooden frame". Gray Copic marker was used to shade inside the frame and around the bunny girl. The image was then matted with black card stock and cut out again leaving a narrow black border. Foam squares were used to adhere the image to the card and provide dimension.

Gray and white dotty paper was cut to fit inside the white card base and this layer was matted with black. Another rectangle was cut from gray and white striped paper which was also matted with black. All edges of the designer paper were edged with Jet Black Archival Ink before matting was adhered. The sentiment, a nod to Alice in Wonderland, was printed on white card stock and matted with black. Two teacup brads were placed on either side of the sentiment to repeat the cup in the image.

You still have a few days if you want to play along with this fun challenge at the Markers!Papers! and Digis! Facebook group. The image is in Sandra's Etsy shop, Babycakes Digis and Designs. It was a definite Must-Have in my book :)

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Oddleigh Cherished Heart - a LeighSBDesigns image

Hi everyone! Happy long weekend! I managed to squeeze out some colouring time this week and was delighted to play with this awesome image by LeighSBDesigns called Oddleigh Cherished Heart. I love the style of Leigh's designs...they are right up my quirky alley and fit beautifully with my mixed media art journal pages.

I coloured her with a mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils. I love how large her eyes are and the strong lines of her facial features and hair. She has a little Black Diamond Stickles on her heart earring. She was fussy cut leaving a narrow white border, matted with black, and fussy cut again, leaving a narrow black border. She was then popped up on foam tape for added dimension and shadow.

The background was created with Liquitex acrylic paint and a gelli plate. Prism Violet, Light Cerulean Blue, and White paint were used along with Stencil Girl X Rows stencil and Carabelle Studio Squares and Circles Art Template. The torn strip at the bottom of the page uses the same stencil and paint but printing the x rows with the stencil in place over the paint on the plate.

The sentiment was printed onto white card stock, cut into individual words which were then matted with black. They were adhered to the page with foam tape. Die cut and matted hearts were cut from another gel printed paper and popped up on different thicknesses of foam tape. A simple border repeating the x pattern was doodled around the outside edges which were then edged with black Big Brush Pen. The finishing touch was to mat it with black card stock to frame it.

Thanks for joining Oddleigh Cherished Heart and me today. We are delighted to have you with us. When you get a chance, pop by Leigh's wonderful Etsy shop. LeighSBDesigns, to see the rest of her fabulous images. There's inspiration tucked into each and every one :)

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

1575 Bikini Piggie ~ 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, It's always fun to see the new releases and Sandra always manages to surprise the DT with a few surprises as well.

This week, I played with 1575 Bikini Piggie. Not only do I adore her big baby blues but she is rocking that bikini, too. I coloured Piggie with a mix of Polychromos and Prismacolor pencils. I fussy cut her leaving a narrow white border and then matted her with black card stock, popping the image up on foam tape.

The background began with a gel print using blue, green, and purple Liquitex acrylic paint as well as a Joggles stencil called Big Leaves and a Stencil Girl one called X Rows. The print was cut down to 5.5 x 7.5 inches and a piece of brown card stock was torn to create the sand. Both brown and a pale beige paint were pounced over the brown to create more texture and the impression of sand grains. A few clip art shell images were fussy cut, adhered to the sand, and outlined with black pen. The sun circle was punched from mop-up sprayed card stock and the yellow triangles were hand cut from the same paper. Faux stitching and outlining were added to the sun once everything was adhered.

The sentiment was printed onto white card stock and cut into individual words. They were each matted with black and then popped up on foam tape for dimension. The shank was cut off a sunglasses button and it was adhered in the corner opposite the sun. A simple border was doodled around the outside edges and they were inked with Black Big Brush pen. Finally, a black mat was added to the page to frame it.

Thanks for joining Bikini Piggie 1575 and me today. We're delighted that you did and wish you a wonderful long weekend if you get one. Before you head out, be sure and pop by Sandra Caldwell Stamp Fans Facebook group to see the other new releases and the projects by my talented teamies. Stop by Sandra's Etsy shop, Babycakes Digis and Designs, too, and check out her Memorial Day sale. You'll be glad you did!

Life is good; so is art.

Bonnie

The 2017 Art Journal Adventure - Week 20 Sneak Peek

Hi everyone! It's my turn to host Joggles Art Journal Adventure for Week 20. I'm only sharing a sneak peek here with the ulterior motive of luring you to see the rest on the Joggles blog where I share the entire process with step out photos and descriptions. The prompt I chose for this week is Music. During a family celebration a month ago, where three generations were together and enjoying each others company, we played a rip roaring game of Name That Tune and Artist with songs from the late '60s and early '70s. I was delighted that all 3 generations could sing along and relate to the same music and was struck by how timeless music can be. At the same time, it also amazed me once again that a song can instantly transport me to another time and the memories that go along with it. Music is so powerful and magical!

To see more of my page and the process used to create it, pop over to the Joggles blog where you'll see the photos and read the explanation of what I did and why.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

1580 Beach Blanket Babe ~ 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!

I coloured Babe with a mix of Polychromos and Prismacolor pencils. This image comes with the sand, sky, and clouds in the background so I cut it out as a rectangle instead of my usual fussy cutting. I did mat it with black card stock and popped it up on foam tape.

The background was a 5.5 x 8.5 inch rectangle which I had previously decorated with acrylic paint and gel printing. Additional patterning was added with Jet Black Archival Ink and an Ellen Hutson Bokeh stamp. Ranger Texture Paste was also added through one of the designs from TCW Mini Texturized stencil. A length of wave patterned paper tape was added to the right side and doodled around. A simple doodled border was also added to the outside of the page using a black pen.

The sentiment was printed onto white card stock and cut into individual words. These were then matted with black and popped up on foam tape. Two scalloped edges were trimmed from the paper tape and adhered beneath two of the words to tie in with the border. Doodling was repeated here as well.  Four sea themed buttons were coloured with Archival Ink and then adhered minus the shanks to opposite corners of the page. Both a blue and a black mat were used to frame the finished page.

Thanks for joining Beach Blanket Babe and me today. We are delighted that you stopped by. To see more of Sandra's wonderful releases and what the talented DT have created with them, be sure to stop by the Sandra Caldwell Stamp Fans Facebook group throughout the day. There's also a brand new Steampunk challenge to check out while you are there. When you get a chance, pop by her Etsy shop, Babycakes Digis and Designs. All of today's new releases will be there as well as the other fabulous images from previous weeks. Tons to see!

Life is good; so is art.

Bonnie

1359 I wonder ~ A Sandra Caldwell New Release

Hi everyone. Yesterday was New Release Day at Sandra Caldwell's Etsy shop, Babycakes Digis and Designs. Because I have been sick for the past two weeks, I missed the release day so I am sharing my project today instead. The image I played with this week is called 1359 I wonder.

She was coloured with my usual mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils, fussy cut leaving a narrow white border, and matted with black. Foam tape was used to pop her up to add dimension and natural shadow.

The background began with a 5.5 x 8 inch rectangle of red card stock. Deep Purple Archival Ink was used to apply Carabelle Studio Textures Etoiles stamp in a few places. A scrap of white card stock which had been sprayed with Lindy's French Lilac Violet Starburst Spray was cut into a 2.25 inch band. Two .25 inch bands of gray patterned paper were added to either side of that white piece to frame it up.

The sentiment was printed onto white card stock, cut into segments and matted with black. The word KARMA was given an extra mat of purple and was popped up on foam tape to emphasize it. A purple resin flower and two fabric leaves were added near the phrase "like flowers" both to bring in an extra shot of purple and to tie in with the flower on the image.

Thanks for joining the I Wonder gal and me today.  To see more of Sandra's wonderful new releases from yesterday 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