Gal Pal Layout with Vicki Boutin Mixed Media

Vicki Boutin and I are doing a fun collaboration! She was sent Pick-Me-Up and I was sent some of her mixed media awesomeness and we went to town!

Here is the start-to-finish process video so you can see how not scary mixed media is :)

I was going to use these butterflies in the mini album that I made (blog post process video coming soon!) but then when I was taking a picture of the butterflies to share on instagram, I put them on a smooth white cardstock background and loooooved how they looked, so I decided to turn it into a layout and ended up making more butterflies for the mini album, lol.

I used Vicki's art crayons to create a colorful background on smooth white cardstock - draw stripes of color on an acrylic stamping block, spritz it with water, and then "kiss" it onto the cardstock. Let the colors run and blend together. Every time you do this technique you will get unique and beautiful results, I love it. Once it dried I actually ran it through my Minc to flatten it out. Then I die cut butterflies from the entire paper - I used my Butterflies Background cut file and copied/pasted a few more to fill up the entire space. I peeled the butterflies off the mat and layered them together. To make sure the butterflies stayed together I ran them through my sewing machine, left the thread ends long for texture and whimsy, and then bent up the wings for tons of dimension. Swoon!

Next, I used black acrylic paint to make stripes across a smooth white cardstock background. I mixed Vicki's Daiquiri Ice acrylic paint into modeling paste to create a colored paste and then used my Wonky Hearts Background cut file as a stencil to apply mint hearts across the background.

I used Vicki's Watercolor Set to splash and paint pink and yellow over the background. Next I mixed Vicki's Matte Acrylic Gel with her Silver Mixology Glitter to create a paste and then brushed it over the background for shimmer and shine.

I put the butterflies back in place along with a photo of sweet Jane and used the All the Good Things Thickers to make my title: GAL PAL. I stitched them in place to keep them there for good. I came in with Vicki's Roller Stamp and black StazOn ink to add a few images and words into gaps of the background for more little details.

I wrote my journaling with a white Sharpie paint pen on the bottom three black stripes. I love the contrast and how it's incorporated into the overall design aesthetic of the layout.

The last step was to create more texture with scalloped border punches sewn between the black stripes. I bent up the scallops for texture, dimension, interest - all those good things :) I hope you are inspired to give mixed media a go! It's so much fun and easier than I thought it would be, in fact, I'd say I'm hooked!

SUPPLIES: Vicki Boutin: Art Crayons in Warm, Cool, and Neutral, acrylic paints, matte acrylic gel, Mixology silver glitter, watercolor set, Thickers, roller stamp; modeling paste; Minc machine; Fiskars scalloped border punch; Brother sewing machine; Coats & Clark thread; Sharpie white paint pen; StazOn ink; Silhouette Cameo 3 die cut machine; Cut files: Butterflies Background and Wonky Hearts Background by Paige Evans