Joggles Art Journal Adventure Response to Week 15 Prompt

Hi all. I played in my art journal again today...still working at catching up. I thoroughly enjoyed this one as well as the one yesterday. This is my response to Barb's Art Journal Adventure prompt for Week 15. The theme is Flowers and like Barb, I played with the amazing new Joggles Cling Rubber Stamps by Virginia England. They stamp like a dream and are a treat to colour....just the cutest designs. I coloured mine with a mix of Prismacolor, Polychromos, and Derwent Color Soft pencils. I added Yellow Stickles to the stamens or tops of each flower. They were then fussy cut leaving a narrow ehite border, matted with black cardstock, and cut around again. Foam squares were added to the back of each flower to pop them up creating dimension and a natural shadow.

The background began with a thin coat of gesso being scraped over the mix media paper in my journal. Two shades of green Inktense blocks were lightly rubbed over the page, keeping the blocks horizontal so that the colour transfer was light. Water on a brush was used to spread and blend the colours, keeping them very soft. I was looking for uneven colour so streaks were OK since they added interest. Once that was completely dry, two sizes oval dies were traced on the inside and the outside edges to create frames. The frames were filled in with Faber Castell Brush Tip Pitt pen. White Sharpie Paint pen was used to doodle patterns on each frame. The bottom third or so of the inside of each frame was stencilled with Viridian Green Archival Ink sponged through Joggles Punchinella Quintet Stencil using the honeycomb pattern. The same green was applied to Joggles Latin Nonsense Cling Rubber Stamp and it was rolled on in a few places to break up the background.

To create the circles which Barb added between her flower frames, 1/2 inch  black cardstock circles and 5/16 inch white cardstock circles were layered slightly off center. The same Punchinella stencil was used to trace the small stars onto a few white circles with a black Pitt pen.. The same pen was used to doodle a border around the page. To deepen the edges of the page, Lime Gelato was added and spread with a dry finger. Black Big Brush Pen was then used to colour the very edges making sure that a little showed on the front of the page to create a frame. The lettering was applied using shiny puffy stickers.

Thanks for popping by today. I'm so glad you did. I had such fun with this page and I'm happy I could share it with you. I am thoroughly enjoying the Art Journal Adventure and Barb's weekly prompts and inspirational projects. We have an awesome Facebook group where other talented and enthusiastic art journallers are sharing their art. There is inspiration and friendship galore there. We'd love to have you join us!

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Art Journal Adventure Prompt Week 14 ~ Use Deli or designer paper

Hi all. I have fallen behind on the weekly prompts for Joggles Art Journal Adventure so I am determined to get caught up once again. Although there is no pressure to do so, I see all of the ones coming up and I want to play so I will do a couple this week. This one today is my response to Barb's Week 14 prompt where she asked us to use either deli paper or designer paper in our spreads. I had some papers which I had gelli printed so I chose one of those pages to tear up and add.

I began by scraping a thin layer of gesso over the blank page using a palette knife. When that was dry, I added Liquitex Brilliant Yellow Green and Cerulean Blue Hue to the page in patches using my fingers to apply it. Once that was dry and I was happy both with the coverage and the amount of white space left, I applied Liquitex Titanium White through Joggles Wander stencil using a mini applicator tool to break up some of the solid areas of one colour. Viridian Archival Ink was used to apply Joggles Nonsense Latin Text stamp in a few areas. This was rolled on so that no hard edges occurred. The strips of gelli printed white paper were adhered to the background with gel medium. Once dry, they were outlined with black pen to help them stand out. Torn black cardstock strips were added next to the printed strips in four places and strips of drywall mesh were added overlapping those.

Because the gel printed papers had black circles stencilled in places, I wanted to continue that onto the one which didn't have it. Instead of using the same stencil, I used the circle from TCW's Mini Specimens stencil and applied it with Jet Black Archival ...you can see it on the right side of the page. I also had previously cut three black scribbly circles using a TH die for another project. They did not have a successful audition there but they did for this page. I liked the continuation of the circles but in a different form.

The words were printed from the computer onto white cardstock. Once cut apart, each word was matted with black and popped up with foam tape. Black Marble Dylusions paint created lines with the edge of an old gift card. Once that was dry, the two image, Boots and Curlz, from Stampotique which had been coloured with Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils, were added to the two "steps" near the bottom of the page. The edges of the page were lined with black Big Brush Pen making sure that some overlapped the front to create a frame. The final step was to add a little white embossing paste through TCW's  Tiny Circles stencil in several places.

Thanks for joining Boots, Curlz, and me today. We are all delighted that you did that. We would love to see you play along with Joggles Art Journal Adventure and Barb's weekly prompts. It's a fabulous way to stretch your creative boundaries and there is the nicest group of people sharing their work and supporting each other on the AJA Facebook group.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Challenge #54 at The East Wind

Holy cow! I thought I had written this post and just checked to make sure it posted OK, only to discover that I had never written it. Ack! We have a new challenge beginning today at The East Wind Challenge blog and the theme is Mail Art. We want to see something connected to mail so it could be a decorated envelope to go into the mail, an image with a letter, envelope, or something related to the mail, or a background with references to mail. Lots of room there for creativity and doing your own thing!

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For the first challenge of the month, all of the Challenge DT members use the same free image from the TEW newsletter. May's image is called Fung La and she is gorgeous. I coloured her with Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils and fussy cut her leaving a narrow white border around the edges. She was then matted with black cardstock and trimmed out again. Foam tape was attached to the back of the image to pop it up.

The 6 x 8 inch mixed media paper background was spritzed with Cocklebells Coral and Calla Lily Burnt Orange Starburst Sprays. Stencilling was done by applying Coffee Archival Ink through Dylusions Letter Jumble stencil with a sponge. The same ink was used on a background stamp which was rolled onto the page. A torn scrap of letter paper with stamps on it was crumpled and inked with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. The same ink was applied to a small dotted kraft envelope and a small postcard before they were adhered with foam tape. A length of string which my mom used to use for wrapping parcels to mail was looped and adhered over the ephemera. Buttons from Gram's button box were also adhered to complete the cluster. An Idea-ology pen nib with the word thoughts on it was adhered to the top of the note paper.

The lettering from Idea-ology Alpha Tiles spelled out Miss You because to me, the image appears sad and thoughtful so I felt that wording continued her story. To balance the upper right corner, a piece of washi tape was adhered to white cardstock and trimmed into a flag shape before gluing it to the corner. Walnut Brown Big Brush pen was used to edge the page before a black cardstock mat was added to frame it.

Thanks for visiting today. I appreciate your visit. To see what my talented teamies have created with this gorgeous image, pop by The East Wind blog. We would love to have you play along with our Mail Art challenge.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Magic~ a Sandra Caldwell image

Hi all. I am a big believer in the power of gratitude and positive thinking and work each day to remind myself of its importance. It is, indeed, magic and can be seen if you believe and look for the fabulousness. This sweet little magician by Sandra Caldwell of Babycakes DND really spoke to me and became the star of this art journal page.

I coloured A LiL Magic with a mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils. She was then fussy cut leaving a narrow white border, matted in black cardstock, and popped up on foam tape to create dimension and a natural shadow around her. She makes me smile which is pretty magical in itself.

The 6 x 8 inch mixed media paper background was spritzed with Delphinium Blue and French Lilac Violet Lindy's Starburst Sprays  allowing some white space to remain and tipping the page to create runs and drips. A border of tiny stars was stencilled using Deep Purple Archival Ink and a sponge. Forget-Me-Not Archival Ink was applied to Joggles Sparks Background Noise stamp and stamped several times within the frame. Black spatters were stamped using a TH stamp and Jet Black Archival Ink. White Embossing Paste was scraped through TH Dot Fade Layering Stencil to create texture as well.

The sentiment from Create With TLC was printed on white cardstock and matted with black. The open spaces in the lettering were filled in with a gel pen to pull some of the turquoise colour from the background. Foam tape popped it up. Cheesecloth was layered behind the lil magician to create the impression of magic smoke or fog. Black stars were punched from cardstock and Black Diamond Stickles was applied to each to give some sparkle. Red gems were also scattered on the background to repeat the red from her costume and add more sparkle. A simple doodled border was added next to the stencilled stars and the page edges were darkened with black Big Brush pen. To complete the page, a black mat was added to frame it.

Thank you for joining the LiL Magician and me today. We appreciate your fine company and hope that you find a little magic in your day. To see more of Sandra's wonderful images, be sure to drop by her Etsy shop. There is also a wonderful Facebook group where people share their makes and Sandra keeps us engaged with fun contests and new images.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Bookworm Bob ~ A Bloobel Stamps image

Hi everyone. I am an avid reader...have been since I was little. I read every morning when I get up, again in the late afternoon, and definitely before I go to sleep. I also love books...not a Kindle person. I like the feel of them, the smell of them, the weight in my hands...and old books, well, don't even get me started on them. When I saw Lisa's Bloobel Stamps image called Bookworm Bob, I knew he was a kindred spirit and I wanted to make him the star of an art journal page.

I coloured Bob with a mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils and filled his glasses with Glossy Accents. He was then fussy cut leaving a narrow white border, matted on black cardstock, and trimmed out again leaving a narrow black border so he would stand out against the background.Foam tape was added to the back to add dimension and create a natural shadow.

The 6 x 8 inch mixed media paper background was spritzed with Drop Dead Gorgeous Green, Tibetan Poppy Teal, and Delphinium Turquoise Lindy's Stamp Gang Starburst Sprays. Once dry, Joggles/ Margaret Applin's Vintage Correspondence stamp was loaded with Forget-Me-Not Archival Ink and rolled onto the background in several places. Stampotique's Funky Heart stamp was added to the page using Viridian Green Archival Ink. The same green was sponged through the numbers on Andy Skinner's Made to Measure stencil to create the border on the left side. A library card was printed and inked with Vintage Photo Distress ink before being layered behind Bob. To give him a place for his stool to sit, three images of old books were fussy cut and placed below him, the upper two popped up on foam tape.

The sentiment was printed on white cardstock, trimmed out and matted with black before being adhered to the background. A doodled border and outlining were done with a black pen. A scrap of text paper was cut with a notebook edge die and adhered to the right side of the page. A torn piece of corrugated cardboard was layered over that and finger painted with white gesso. Black Big Brush Pen was used to edge the page before it was adhered to a black cardstock mat to frame it.As I often do, Jet Black Archival Ink was used to add splatter dot stamping.

Thanks so much for joining Bob and me today. Bob said he would be with you right after this chapter...but I've heard that before. LOL To see more of Lisa's amazing and inspiring Bloobel Stamps images, be sure to visit her Etsy shop. She also has a wonderful Facebook group where people share their Bloobel makes and keep up with the latest Bloobel news. Hope to see you there!

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

New Release at The East Wind ~ Aurora Little Baker

Hi everyone. It's Friday already and that means that there is a new release at The East Wind. Actually there are two new releases because Unky created an Aurora image and a background image which can be combined or used separately. The main image is called Aurora Little Baker and she is adorable. The background image is called Love Kitchen and is a fabulous retro style kitchen scene where Aurora can bake her cat cookies.

I chose to work with Aurora alone as I wanted to create a mixed media background for her. She was coloured with a mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils. She was then fussy cut leaving a narrow white border and matted with black cardstock to create contrast with the background. Foam tape was adhered to the back to give her dimension and create a natural shadow.

The background began as a 6 x 8 inch rectangle of coloured cardstock with some distressing near the edges. One of the Kate Crane Circles from the Stampotique cube was inked with Vermillion Archival ink and added to the background. A half doily and a copy of a vintage cookie recipe edged with Vintage Photo Distress ink were layered behind where Aurora would stand. White embossing paste was scraped through TCW's Mini Circles stencil in several places to create texture and blend the recipe into the background. Black speckled dots were added with a TH stamp and Jet Black Archival Ink.

Once Aurora was added to the background, the sentiment was printed on white cardstock, cut apart and matted with black. Each section was popped up on foam tape and added to the journal page. A black pen was used to draw a wobbly border that stops and starts next to the embossing paste. A tiny cat button with the shank removed was adhered to the top right corner and a blue ribbon bow was glued below his chin. To finish the page, black Big Brush Pen was used to edge the background and a black cardstock mat was adhered to the back to frame the piece.

Thanks so much for joining Aurora and me today. We didn't expect it but we sure appreciate it :) To see what my talented teamies from TEW DT have created with this image, be sure to pop by The East Wind Facebook Group where the projects will be posted throughout the day.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Walk in the Rain ~ inspired by a Sandra Caldwell image

Hi everyone. We have been so fortunate this past week with unseasonably warm temperatures and sunny skies. Today it looks like we are going to get some much needed rain so my mixed media card is especially appropriate. As soon as I saw this adorable image from Sandra Caldwell's Etsy shop called April Showers 316, I knew I had to colour her. I love ladybugs and coneflowers...and the expression on the girl's face is too cute!

I coloured April and her friends with a mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils. The three dots on the coneflower center were done with yellow gel pen to give them a bit of dimension. The image was fussy cut leaving a narrow white border including the single raindrops above her head. The pieces were then adhered to black cardstock and a barrow black border was left when they were trimmed out again. This gives the image more visual weight and allows her to stand out against the background. Foam tape was used on April, the flower and ladybug. The raindrops were adhered flat to the background once it was completed.

The background is done on a 4.5 x 6 inch piece of mixed media paper which was spritzed with Hag's Wart Orange and Hi Maintenance Magenta Lindy's Stamp Gang Starburst Sprays. A little water was added to help them blend and drip in places. Rocket Red Gold Brilliance Ink and Vermillion Archival Ink were sponged through Dylusions Letter Jumble Stencil to create texture here and there. Second generation stamping was done with Jet Black Archival and a dotty background stamp from Hampton Arts. I wanted this light so that's why I stamped off on scrap paper first.. Using the edge of an old gift card tapped into Dylusions Black Marble Paint, intersecting lines were created in a few places. White embossing paste was scraped through Dylusions Bubble stencil to create the raised circles. I love how they vary in colour as they pick up the Starburst Sprays underneath,

The sentiment from Create With TLC seemed to be the ideal message to go with April and her ladybug friend. It was printed on white cardstock and cut with an MFT die before being matted with black cardstock and adhered directly to the background. To add some detail to the open corners, photo corners were punched from black cardstock and tiny raindrops were added with a white paint pen. A border was drawn with a black pen and a black cardstock mat was added to the background to frame it.

Thanks for joining April, her ladybug, and me today. You have definitely brightened up the gloomy gray sky and brought a smile to our faces. To see more of Sandra's fabulous images, be sure to pop by her Etsy shop called BabyCakes DND. You will surely be inspired!

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

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