2020 #1 Love is in the Air: LOVE hearts with EGL {by Ellie Knol}

2020 Topic 1: Love is in the Air

Using non-Valentine stamps for this love theme is a challenge that Ellie has risen well to. I think finding hearts from those leaves is a stroke of genius! 
~Keren

Creating these the way I did was a process I had to go through. It took me some time to think about using non-valentine stamps for the theme and also enhance their beauty to their full. LOVE is normally expressed in RED and HEARTs , and of course ROSES. 

I came to this as the contrast of the white, black and color is so striking... 

I created two stamped collages. As they were too big for a card, I decided they were going to make for beautiful covers of two books-to-be. 

I adhered both to some black cardstock from a recycled (ancient) photo book. I love to pick these up in thrift-stores inexpensively. 

I played with the beautiful stamps from the EGL05 stamp set.

I created a stencil from sticky paper with the use of the PM001 mask to be able to sponge within the heart shape. 

I particularly like this one, as I did not think it would turn out this beautiful.. simple, but striking. 

A close-up. I like the effect of the MINI 23 numbers in the background. It sort of ties the collaged stamping.
I adhered a 1 and a 4 to the heart, they were cut from MINI 23; stamped onto a separate piece of cardstock. .. Why 14? Valentines day of course; 14th of February!

The flower pops more against the red heart because of the white acrylic marker edge around it. 

To finish off the stamping collage, I adhered some numbers that were stamped onto a scrap piece of watercolour paper to add to the collage where the stamping did not reach the white leaf-hearts.

This was the first card I created on some lower quality paper, just to see that whether what I wanted to achieve would work. When I showed this one to my husband, he said : "that's a simple card". Apparently he thinks everything I create must be complicated, LOL.
At this stage I decided to keep the leaf-hearts white on the 'real' project. 

This was another trial-and-error project.. I decided to create a rather rectangular shaped one. 

I love how this one has turned out; the white leaf-hearts, the bleach-changed-color, the white splatters and last but not least, the birdie being part of the heart shape. The doodling around the heart adds to it all!

It always takes some thinking about when you start with blank paper, a stencil and a stamp; how to enhance it to its full beauty, and in this case using stamps that are not particularly valentine type of stamps to fit the theme. 

I thought to myself: mission accomplished! :)

As far as I am concerned stamping and playing with colour is so relaxing. So if you need some me-time, just go create!

Ellie Knol

Blogs: http://elliecreahoekje.blogspot.nl/   http://ellieatcs.blogspot.nl/ 
Owner of : https://www.facebook.com/groups/DutchArtJournal/  
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008479362838 
Pinterest: https://nl.pinterest.com/ellieknol/