Contessa ATCs - inspired by a Vera Lane Studio collage sheet

Hi everyone! I love working small so every once in a while I want to satisfy that craving with ATCs or ATCoins. The collage sheets available in the Vera Lane Studio Etsy shop are ideal for those times because the images are sized perfectly and they are beautifully coloured. I chose two of the images from the Contessa Collage Sheet to star on two separate ATCs. I added a little pencil shading to the images (not that they need it) to add my own voice to them and then fussy cut them once leaving a white border and once after I matted them with black cardstock.

The backgrounds come from a stack of scraps from previous gel printing or spraying adventures. I like to have a bunch of backgrounds pre-cut in either ATC (2.5x3.5 inches) or Coin (2.5 inch diameter circle) size and then I can add detail when I choose the focal later on. I then add stencilling, stamping, Texture Paste, washi or extra scraps to make the backgrounds interesting. Often I doodle and add black Big Brush Pen to the edges to frame the card.

Thanks for visiting the Contessas and me today. We appreciate that. When you get a chance, pop over to the Vera Lane Studio Etsy shop to see all of the other collage sheets as well as the fabulous digi images ready to colour and make your own. Stop by the Vera Lane Studio Facebook group and say hi while you clicking about. We're a friendly group :)

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

I am enough ~ inspired by a Vera Lane Studio image

Hi everyone! The beautiful images in the Ladies' Faces digi set released by Vera Lane Studio last week are so inspiring. I can't wait to play with all of them but I had to choose only one for today's art journal page. I decided on the Cake Topping one (CT) because I wanted to go light and bright an I felt that she was celebrating the saying.

I coloured CT with a mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils, allowing the cake to remain white with gray shading because that suited the background of the page better than a colour would have. CT was fussy cut leaving a narrow white border, matted with black, and fussy cut leaving a narrow black border.

The 6x6 watercolour paper background was stencilled all over with Carabelle Studio For the Love of Layers stencil applying colour with Mowed Lawn and Mermaid Lagoon Distress Oxides. More stencilling was added with TCW Tiny Circles and Jet Black Archival before adding Ellen Hutson Bokeh Circles stamp with the same ink. An Indigo Blu script stamp was applied in a few places with Manganese Blue Archival ink.To break up the stencilled background, vintage book paper was torn and adhered in three places. The text was knocked back with white gesso and once dry, the two colours of Distress Oxide were added over that. Green and Blue Gelatos were added and spread with my fingers to deepen the colours toward the bottom of each text section. Tiny Xs were doodled over those text pieces for extra detail and interest.

Before CT was adhered to the page, two pieces of Dylusions Dyary borders were placed behind her neck to ground the image.The saying was printed onto white cardstock, cut into sections, and matted with black cardstock. A simple border was doodled around the outside of the pages which were also inked with Mermaid Lagoon DO. To finish off the page, three stars from the same Dylusions sticker set were added to the top of the page, and another to the bottom left.

Thanks for joining CT and me today. We love that! When you get a chance, be sure to stop by the Vera Lane Studio Etsy shop as well as our VLS Facebook group. There is so much to see, and inspiration galore in both places.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Vera Lane Studio ATC Swap

Hi everyone! There is a fun artist trading card swap going on right now in the Vera Lane Studio Facebook group. The theme is Things With Wings and not only can we use the Vera Lane Studio digital images but we can also use the adorable rubber stamps that Janet Klein designed for AALL & Create.

I chose this sweet bee image from the Pixie Dust set to star on my ATC. Love her to bee-its! I coloured her with a mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils, and fussy cut her leaving the narrow white border. Then she was adhered to black cardstock and fussy cut leaving a narrow black border before she was popped up on foam tape.

The background started as a piece of vintage book paper which was used to mop up yellow and rust Lindy's sprays. A hexagon stamp was inked with the same watery mixture and applied behind where the bee would be placed. A scrap of cardstock spritzed with the same colours was matted with black and adhered along the bottom of the card. The black honeycomb die cut from Tim Holtz was trimmed around and adhered to the top and right side of the card. Inktense pencil activated with a water brush was used to shade inside the openings and next to the bottom edge of the die cut piece. Small circles were doodled onto the plainer part of the background before the words were added with foam tape. Three enamel dots finished off the card.

Thanks for stopping by today to visit with Bee and me. We hope that you will be inspired to play along with this fun swap on the Vera Lane Studio FB page. It's open to join in the fun until February 25. Check out the huge selection of digi stamps at the Vera Lane Studio Etsy shop or the sweet selection of Janet's stamps from AALL & Create.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Selectively Social ~ inspired by a Vera Lane Studio image

Hi everyone!  Vera Lane Studio released the cutest digi set yesterday called Lil Bit of Heaven. There are two images and a sentiment and I had a hard time deciding which girl I would feature in today's journal page. I ended up choosing the one with wings but you can be sure that I will be playing with the other one before too long. They are irresistible. Because Lil Bit needed a place to sit, I paired her with the mushroom from the Wonderland accessory bundle.

Both Lil Bit and the mushroom were coloured with a mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils.
They were fussy cut twice, once leaving a white border, and again after being matted with black cardstock.

The 6x6 inch watercolour paper background was spritzed with water and then Lindy's Drop Dead Gorgeous Green Starburst Spray, making sure to leave white space (so hard!!). Mowed Lawn Distress Oxide Ink was used to apply Carabelle Géométriks#1 in three places as well as an Inkylicious Borders 1 stamp. A Viva Las Vegas grid stamp and a Rubber Moon Inksplat one were added with Jet Black Archival Ink for contrast. White marks were added with a Posca Paint Pen before Texture Paste was scraped through Studio Light Mask L13. Once things were dry, a green Inktense pencil activated with water was used to shade inside the circle borders and next to the Texture Paste ones.

Pink and white washi tape was adhered to the bottom of the page behind the mushroom and also as two fishtail flags in the top right corner. These were embellished with black enamel dots. The wording was printed onto white cardstock, matted with black. A simple doodled border and black Big Brush pen edging finished the page.

Thanks for stopping by to visit with Lil Bit and me today. That was very kind and much appreciated. When you get a chance, stop by the Vera Lane Studio Facebook group and the VLS Etsy shop where you are sure to gather lots of inspiration and maybe a few "must-haves".

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Pretty Little Tags

Hi everyone! I've had these pretty translucent stickers from Paper Game Co. in my stash for a while and decided it was high time I made something with them. They are fairly small under 1.75 inches at their longest points so I thought that smaller scale tags would suit them well. I have an old Marvy Uchida punch with a nicely shaped top that cuts tags 1.75 x 2.25 inches so I used that on some tan coloured textured cardstock.

I started by stamping the punched tags with a text stamp using coffee Archival Ink and not much pressure to get a lighter effect. The edges of the tag were darkened with the same ink to create an aged look.

Scraps of vintage book paper were then torn to fit on each tag. The edges of these scraps were also darkened with Coffee Archival ink which helps this layer contrast with the background.

One of the translucent stickers was then placed over the book text. I love that you can see the text through the flowers. A hole was punched at the top of each tag and string was feed through to finish them off.

When I am playing and experimenting, I sometimes find it hard to stop. There's often that little nagging "what would happen if..." and that's how the last tag came to be. It's a 2.25 x 4.75 manila tag stamped with the same script stamp and ink. A layer of cheesecloth was adhered before the book text was layered on top. White gesso was used over the text to push it into the background before the sticker, this time with a bird as well as flowers, was layered on top. Because I had extra real estate, I added a Tracie Fox number label, a strip of music paper, and a Chit Chat sticker. I can see that a number of other tags in the same style might be calling my name :) After all, you can't just have one...LOL

Thanks for stopping by.

Life is good; so is art.

Bonnie

Love is all you need card ~ inspired by a Vera Lane Studio image

Hi everyone! I just couldn't let the week slip by without sharing at least one Valentine card since Friday marks the day. I love this image from Vera Lane Studio called All Heart which is an older image available from Janet upon request. She is quirky and whimsical...and fun to colour!

I coloured Dotty with a mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils, fussy cutting her leaving a narrow white border. She was then matted with black and fussy cut again leaving a narrow black border which helps her contrast with the busy background. Foam tape was used to pop her up and add a natural shadow. White chalk paint was used to add her dress dots with a stylus.

The background for the card was kept simple. The Checkerboard Doodle background stamp from Whimsy Stamps was applied to white cardstock using Wilted Violet Distress Oxide. The same ink was used to add a script stamp from Indigo Blu as well as darkening the edges of the background. hearts were die cut from watercolour paper and washes of colour were applied using Candied Apple Distress Oxide plus water. Once that was dry, full strength Candied Apple was used to add stamping to each heart which was then matted with black cardstock.

A clear sticker was applied to white cardstock, fussy cut and matted with black, before a puffy heart was added in place of the one on the sticker. Faux stitching was added to the outside edges of the background before it was matted with black cardstock to frame it. Dotty washi tape was used to ground the image and the background was adhered to the white card base to finish it.

Thanks for stopping by today. Dotty and I wish you a wonderful week and a Happy Valentine's Day.
If you are shopping for ideas for this or any other (non) occasion, be sure to check out the amazing array of images in the Vera Lane Studio  shop. We would also welcome you with open arms in the Vera Lane Studio Facebook group. Both are awesome places to hang out.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Breathe ~ inspired by a Vera Lane Studio image

Hi everyone!When this digi set called Haircut by Vera Lane Studio first came out, I decided to colour the girl with braids because I love colouring braids. The more I looked at the other image in the set, the more I liked the girl with short hair, too,  because she is just so cute. Here she is starring on her own art journal page. She and I agree...it's about time...LOL. She also has an important message to share with us for when the going gets tough.

I coloured Bob with a mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils, adding a little Milky Pop pen to create the pattern on her dress. Three enamel dots were added for buttons over the ones on the image. She was fussy cut leaving a narrow white border, matted with black cardstock, and fussy cut a second time leaving a narrow black border.

Torn pieces of book paper were added to the 6x6 inch watercolour paper background with matte medium and then covered with white gesso to knock the text back. The page was then colourized using Peacock feathers and Twisted Citron Distress Oxide Inks. Mermaid Lagoon Distress Oxide was sponged through Carabelle Studio Mosaique stencil to create more pattern. A VLV circle grid stamp and an Indigo Blu text stamp were added with Forget-Me-Not Archival Ink. Jet Black Archival Ink was sponged through TCW Tiny Circles stencil to add contrast and that pop of black you know I love.

Bob was grounded with a few strips of torn or cut washi tape. A doodled border and four photo corners were added to frame the page. The sentiment was printed onto white cardstock, cut into individual words, and matted with black. The word, breathe, was given an additional layer of green spritzed paper to add emphasis to it. To finish off the design, three tiny butterflies were punched from turquoise mop-up scraps, edged with Forget-Me-Not Archival ink to darken the edges, and placed around Bob's head to help her relax.

Thanks for joining Bob and me today. We are so glad you did. When you get a chance, pop by the Vera Lane Studio shop to meet Bob's friends. They are sure to inspire you and will be happy to go home with you :) Stop by the Vera Lane Studio Facebook group, as well. There is wonderful daily inspiration and all kinds of fabulous people to chat with.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Junk Journal Collage Tags

Hi everyone! I found a bunch of kraft cardstock tags when I was sorting through a bin and decided they would be great for collage style tags. It's always good to try to use up those scraps of papers and other bits and bobs before they take over the room :) Besides, this is one of my favourite ways to play.

I also had some translucent stickers I had purchased some time ago from Papergame and, although I had used some, I still had many that are too beautiful to hide away in a bin. I thought they would make awesome focals on these collaged tags...and I was right.

I also found an American Crafts Knockout punch which I haven't used in years. It punches 5 tiny stars in a row so I used it on the tops and sides of vintage book paper. Then I backed the star area with a scrap of black and inked the front edges. I think it might be my new favourite embellie. While I was punching, I used it on another scrap of black and adhered the punched out stars to the heart and two corners of the one tag. The stars are 3/8 inch at the widest...so cute.

Some of the tags have fussy cut butterflies. I have a little bin of these already pre-cut so all I do is ink the edges with black Big Brush pen. I inked many of the collage paper edges as well as the outside edges of the tag with Coffee Archival Ink.

I finished each with a faux stitched border and outlining of the individual papers because I like that look. It highlights all of the different papers and layers. A little string topper for each and I called them done. I will likely add a word to a few like the one above when I decide where they are going and can choose a word that fits.

Thanks for stopping by today. I appreciate that kindness. I'll be back in a few days with another set of smaller tags. I think I could make tags all day every day...LOL. Somebody stop me..ha!

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

I'm Tired of Winter ~ an art journal page inspired by a Vera Lane Studio image

Hi everyone! Along about February, I get a little whiny about winter with day after day of gray skies and very little sun. Don't get me wrong...there is nothing more gorgeous than a sunny winter day with the light reflecting off the snow but when the sky and the snow match all the time, I get grumpy. I know...hard to believe...LOL. This art journal page featuring one of the images from It's Fall Y'all by Vera Lane Studio is a way to express those feelings.

I coloured Acorn Boy, one of the two images from the set,  with a mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils, fussy cutting him, and leaving a narrow white border. He was matted with black cardstock and then fussy cut a second time leaving a narrow black border to help him stand out against the gloomy sky.

The sky used colours which haven't seen a lot of action since I normally go much brighter but I wanted shades of gray to reflect what we have been seeing so much of lately. I spritzed with Lindy's Down The Rabbit Hole Starburst Spray, and, after letting that dry, stencilled using Iced Spruce Distress Oxide through a Bad Ass Mini (1205). Ranger Texture paste, topped with white Posca Paint pen once dry, was scraped through a Studio Light mask (L13).

The snow portion of the page began as a torn strip of white cardstock which was embossed with snowflakes, and highlighted with Treasure Silver. That helped the pattern of the embossing show up as well as "dirtying " up the snow because that happens with all the salt and gravel from the roads. A strip of snowflake washi was added to ground Acorn Boy.

Snowflakes were punched from book paper and again from black cardstock so they could be offset creating a shadow. Otherwise, they disappeared. White gesso was brushed onto them to mute the text and Diamond Stickles was added to catch the light. The poem was printed onto white cardstock, cut into lines, and matted with black. A squiggly border was doodled around the sky portion of the page to finish it.

Thanks for visiting with Acorn Boy and me today. We will try to order some sunshine for the next time you come by but no guarantees. You can brighten you own day by stopping by the Vera Lane Studio Etsy shop and the Vera Lane Studio Facebook group. Both are awesome places to visit and gain inspiration.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Kindness ~ art journal page inspired by a Vera Lane Studio image

Hi everyone! The beautiful new release yesterday by Vera Lane Studio called Be Kind has 2 sweet images, a wonderful border, and 2 great sentiments. I decided one of the images needed to star in her own art journal page about kindness. I even decided to break out this beautiful designer paper called Hello Beautiful which I have been hoarding. She deserves it!

I coloured Be Kind with a mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils, fussy cutting her, and leaving a narrow white border. She was matted with black cardstock and then fussy cut a second time leaving a narrow black border to help her stand out against the dove gray background.

The background is a 5.5 x 5.5 piece of the patterned paper chosen for the beautiful bird image as well as the colours which echoed her hair and dress. The paper has tiny white dots on the gray background so very little needed to be added to it...just enough to make it my own :)

Circles were added with Jet Black Archival Ink and an Ellen Hutson Bokeh stamp. Ranger Texture Paste was scraped through TCW Plaid Fringe stencil in three places.

Before the image was adhered to the background, a scrap of gray and white washi was added to ground her. The wording was printed on white cardstock, cut apart into individual words, and matted with black. Three black pearls were added after the word kindness for the dots in the saying. Before adhering the background to the page, a black border was inked around the outside edges with a Sharpie to serve as a frame.

Thanks for stopping by to visit with the Be Kind girl and me. We love that! When you get a chance, pop by the Vera Lane Studio Etsy shop to see this digi set as well as the amazing array of other sets. We'd love to have you stop by the Vera Lane Studio Facebook group, too. There is daily inspiration and a lovely group of like minded folks ready to welcome you.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie