Friday, April 26, 2013

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


5 comments:

Tracy said...

Wowza! I'd say you did a fine job of mixing some impossible things. The grasshopper is really fun. Lots for me to learn again. Hugs!

ParkNSlide said...

Lovin' the whimsy and all the activity that keeps the viewer moving around the page.

Redanne said...

These pages are brilliant Bonnie! So much to look at, so much detail, so much glorious colour. I love the grasshopper with his hot air balloon and Daff is just gorgeous and so perfect for a Spring day! I could just sit and look at this for ages......a real triumph. Hugs, Anne x

Words and Pictures said...

What brilliant pages, Bonnie - the background's just beautiful, and those images zing with life and fun - fabulous!
Alison x

Deonna B said...

ilove your mixed media journal! Fantastic idea. thank you so much for sharing with QKR Stampede this week.