Brown Bag Bokeh Background Bookpage Birches

Dina took us to a fun Etsy shop for inspiration for our Mixability Challenge today, Naoko Stoop makes some really beautiful brown bag collages. I was inspired by the look of her trees in several of the pieces so that's the direction I took.

Here's my final piece.
Stamps: None Paper: Early Espresso, Brown Bag, Bookpage Paper Size: A7 Ink: Acrylics, Gelatos Accessories: Gesso, Paintbrushes, Gelato-Blue, White Acrylic Paint, Acrylic daubers: TH Spun Sugar, Adirondak-Espresso, White, Blue Techniques: Bokeh Background, Tearing

Read more:    http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/2609663#ixzz3SIic4eA2

I started with pieces I cut from a brown lunch bag that I coated with Gesso using a foam brush. 

I tore book pages for the birches and used a dauber along the edges first.

I used a dry brush dipped into the dauber to add the horizontal bands on the trees.

I painted white acrylic snow drifts.

Then I started my Bokeh background. I first daubed circles of blue Gelato that I smudged with a damp finger. Next I daubed Tim Holtz Spun Sugar on.

To complete the Bokeh I used light blue and then white daubers. I also added white paint on my birches. I adhered them by rubbing Gesso to the back sides and pressing them down onto my bag.