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Simple Hipster cards


Hi!
To brighten a rainy summer day I took out the fun Hipster stamp set by Tim Holtz / Stampers Anonymous and started stamping and coloring the cool characters. My plan was to color with alcohol markers (in this case I used Promarkers), so I stamped the images with black Memento ink on heavy white cardstock. Once the coloring was finished I cut out the images around the edges: I do have the matching Sizzix die sets, too, but this time I only used the dies for cutting the eyewear.


When cutting I did not pay too much attention on the fine image details on the edges; I catched the fine fur and feather lines by re-stamping the image directly on the background and gluing the fuzzy cut image on top. Simple trick easing the fuzzy cutting in case you don't want to leave a thin border around the image.


The splash background is cut with a Sizzix / Pete Hughes die from a couple of years back (Paint Splats, #662670). The larger splat image was not as wide as I needed it to be for my horizontal card, so I had to stretch it a bit by cutting it into two and leaving a blank gap behind the Hipster Goat. Problem solved!


All backgrounds are super simple, utilizing pieces of scrap papers I had on my crafting table. Card bases are standard white folded ones.

I try to always keep some all-occasion cards available in my stash. Usually they are without text, and often I add the greeting once I know for which occasion the card will be used.

Hope they inspire you, thanks for stopping by!


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Scrapbooking: Sweetheart

Scrapbooking layout: Sweetheart

Hi!
Sharing with you a 12"x12" layout on which I tried to capture the feeling of a lovely vacation day in Mallorca last summer.

Photo is again lifted from the background: I had two identical copies of the photo, and started by cutting out my daughter around the edges. Then attached the fussy cut photo on the uncut photo using 3D foam stickers. Love this technique!


The background is a collection of this and that i.e. elements I had close to my crafting table. The big dark green leaves are die cut using a Sizzix thinlits die.
I also love that craft paper tag with sewn 'Hellos'. I wish I remembered which company was it from!


Layers and soft colors. Simple but fun!

Thanks for stopping by!

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Art journal: Women and cats




Hi!
The starting point for this spread was a page on which the colors had bled through from the previous side. To hide the unwanted marks I covered the entire page with white heavy gesso.

The background pattern is die-cut; I repeated the same pattern a few times and tried to position the die so that the pattern would continue. Worked nicely even if the die wasn't designed for that kind of use (Sizzix Thinlits 'Mixed Media' set by Tim Holtz).

The contrast between the cream white background and the pink die-cut grid was too strong, so to soften the look I dabbed a thin layer of pink acrylic paint on the background, under the grid. Much better!


For coloring the digi images by Vera Lane I used alcohol markers (Promarkers and Copics).



And I love the quote; truer words were never spoken! No need to ask my hubby for a second opinion :D

(Quote written by Robert A. Heinlein who was an American science-fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and retired Naval officer)

Thanks for stopping by. Wishing you a wonderful day!


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Art journal: Two princesses




Hi!
Sharing with you an art journal spread I made in my Moleskine book, using all my favorite techniques:

Background: First inked with Distress inks, then splashed with water and with thin white acrylic paint. Additional patterns with stencils and stamps.

Main images: Digital stamps, printed on white paper and colored with alcohol markers (both Promarkers and Copics in use). Highlights added using a white charcoal pencil



All the used lovely images (princesses, flowers, bird, clouds) are designs by Vera Lane.


Isn't this the perfect page for brightening a rainy summer day? A little princess sparkle does the trick! 😊

Thanks for stopping by, so happy to have you here! 💖




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Art journal: Rewriting stories


Hi!
A few years back I faced a crafting dilemma: I loved to color stamped images and to build collages and sceneries, but I had used those elements and techniques only for cards. Creating cards was of course a lot of fun, but my stash of ready-made cards kept growing. It was obvious that I did not need a constant flow of new cards and I had to find another way to keep my creative mojo flowing.

In the past, I had made a few art journal pages in my Moleskine book, but I never really got started with art journaling. My inner critic voice kept telling me that art journals are creative playgrounds for 'true artists' i.e. for people who fill the book pages with pretty drawings, gorgeous paintings or clever texts. I wasn't sure if I would meet those requirements.


It took me a while to realized that my art journal pages are really MY art journal pages. They are made by me, for me. The pages' main purpose is to bring me joy, and therefore I needed to use only those techniques and themes that made me happy.

I started to create pages that gave me true pleasure throughtout the creative process: I colored stamped images and created layered backgrounds with and without mixed media elements. I build colorful collages and included both fuzzy-cut and die-cut images on my pages. I stamped, stencilled, inked, colored, and doodled, and loved every page I made. So much for strict rules in art and art journaling!


This art journal spread with Vera Lane digital images is one of the very last pages in my first complete Moleskine art journal book. I loved these images from 'Little Red Riding Hood'. And the quote says it all: Rewrite your own story. Just go for it! :)


Thanks for stopping by ❤!



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