VanGoghChica Studio

Hola, friends. It is I — Bimini. Black cat. Muse. Visionary. Creative Director of BiminisBoutique (my mama assists).  My mama, VanGoghChica, has once again handed me the keyboard. She says I have “things to say.” She is correct. First, yes — we are collaborating on my eBay boutique. But let us be clear: I am the Creative Director. Mama handles opposable thumbs and shipping labels.  You may have seen the caricature our dear friend Gracie created of us. We are shown in full art mode. Mama in her collar. Me in my sleek authority. Now, between us, Mama is having another neck surgery this month. Soon she will shed that collar. But honestly? She rocks it. Collar, walker, fierce brown girl spirit — all of it. I approve. Now. The first pieces I have placed in my boutique are very dear to my velvet heart. As Mama’s daughter (yes, species is irrelevant), her concerns are mine. She is the daughter of Peruvian immigrants. A brown baby boomer growing up Spanish-speaking in the U.S. ...

This was a very fun card to make. I used stamps and dies from different sets to compose this scene. And my cat, Bimini, wanted in on it so she made an appearance in my card. Rarely do I have the luxury to buy complete sets that include rubber stamps, dies and stencils. Those large sets tend to include a couple complete scenarios that you can choose from.  Most of us have smaller sets; either single rubber stamp elements or just die cut sets. It is up to us to put these together to create a nice scene. I used four sets to stage this whimsical scene of my cat getting into mischief. The hanging shelves were one set of rubber stamps. The planters with greenery was another set. My cat came from a die set and the champagne glasses came from yet another set. Aside from visualizing how different elements will fit together, you will need to plan carefully. Work from the bottom up; so that the items further back are inked or glued first. Aside from overlapping elements, light shading adds to...

How to live with my disabilities as an artist.

 Have you ever received a fancy card with letterpress type? With letterpress, the paper is textured and you can literally see the printing process. It denotes an important and special feel to the card. Letterpress is officially done at a printers; but I have a trick to make a faux letterpress card.  This trick is actually multi-step, requiring agile fingers and patience. I will show you a tip to make it go smoother. It took me several tries to figure it out but I am happy to pass it along. But first:  Supplies White cardstock Altenew Butterfly Dreams layering stamp set Altenew Fancy Hello Die Altenew fresh dye ink sets in Golden Sunset  and Sweet Dreams Die cutting machine Spray adhesive Vellum The first thing you will do is die cut five fancy hellos from card stock. Then you glue each fancy hello on top of each other, making one thick fancy hello. For me, this was harder than it sounds. I have neuropathy in my non dominant hand and this creates numb fingertips and ...

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