NEW PaperArtsy Designer: Mags Woodcock {December 2025}

A note from Leandra:

It is such a wonderful thing to bring to life the designs from a new designer, we are super excited to see how Mags grows as a designer, and I am sure she will be sharing lots of ideas from her creative muse with you all over the coming months!

Mags is no stranger to those of you who follow PaperArtsy, she has long been a strong advocate of our products, using them to develop numerous new techniques. I have long relied on her for imagery, ideas and support when launching new products in the vintage and rusty style that she loves so much. She has been a valuable member of the blog team, and we are chuffed to bits that she is taking on this new role as a designer on our talented team!

As I was pressing these stamps for the first tie, I created some behind the scenes videos for Mags of the process, and I hope to share some of that with you tonight as we go live on IG with our SM posts!

 

Mags will be LIVE over in our Facebook Group, 'PaperArtsy People' shortly after this post publishes, and remember, all our new releases are ONLY available EXCLUSIVELY from our approved stockists. Please check the list at the foot of this post to find a retailer online or geographically near you, it makes sense to order within your country where possible.

Our retailers endeavour to join the designer's live to share their direct shopping links in the live chat - this makes it easy for you to find a store with product in stock immediately.

Enough of me, let's hear from the designer herself!

Hello everyone. Mags here with you today. I am a mixed media artist and crafter with a passion for all things vintage and grungy. I love  to experiment with unusual combinations and techniques using PaperArtsy products. I have been a PaperArtsy blogger for some time now and was delighted when Leandra invited me to become a product designer.

This first release with PaperArtsy is such an exciting process, bringing new designs to reality. It consists of 8 mini stamps. 

The overall theme is travel, combined with visual texture. I love to create vintage themed art which tells a story, either real or imagined. Quite often I use words to help spark the viewers imagination. I designed these stamps to be used for vintage mixed media projects, but also with a wealth of other more contemporary uses, As you will see as I share my samples, they combine beautifully with the new Printed Tissue designed by Leandra and Mark.

 

Mags Woodcock Mini Red RubberStamps

Price: RRP €4.90 +VAT 

Size: generally credit card (ish) size images

All stamps are individually trimmed onto cling foam

Each of these mini stamps offers multiple uses, designed to be versatile and adaptable The overall theme is travel with visual texture as a bonus. I used my vintage typewriter to create some elements, along with my Dymo label maker. Additional mark making and  hand cut foam stamps also make up some of the elements. I am excited to see how you will use them in your work.

Eclectica³ Mini 145 by Mags Woodcock {EM145}

Using my vintage typewriter  for the text fragment on this stamp created an authentic look,  the mark making added a sense of movement. The frayed gauze adds subtle texture and a contrast to the circles.

 

EM145 adds a sense of fun and movement to any project, stamping on to a photo integrates it.

It's easy to add colour to the circles and the text background, here I used Ladybug Mattint to tone with the colour of the postage stamp on the printed tissue. The circles echo the postal marks.

It's easy to change the look of the text area of the stamp. Here I stamped upside down and then added an additional layered word panel.

Eclectica³ Mini 146 by Mags Woodcock {EM146}

Again, the vintage typewriter came into play. The linear look to this stamp makes it ideal to add to the edges of a page and the gaps allow for the text blocks to also  be used separately.

 

The typewriter text looks fabulous as a side detail on any project, but also as visual texture when stamped upside down at the opposite edge of the substrate.

Stamping in black ties in with the black and white photo and adds to the vintage feel of the project. 

The wording adds to the story of the project as well as adding texture and an additional layer over the Printed tissue text.

Eclectica³ Mini 147 by Mags Woodcock {EM147}

The Dymo tape style wording is a bold accent which I love, combined with the subtle texture from the gauze. This stamp is a definite 'two for one' and the images can easily be snipped apart to make 2 stamps.

 

Using the two elements from the stamp separately, and overlapping the vintage photo creates a cohesive look to the project.

Heat embossing the stamped images adds contrast, and works particularly well with black or white embossing powder.

As you can see here, the gauze section of the stamp adds interesting texture when repeatedly stamped, whilst the words tell the imagined story.

Eclectica³ Mini 148 by Mags Woodcock {EM148}

Combining mark-making with a bold arrow allows this stamp to add tons of visual texture with the ability to use small elements separately.

 

Stamping the whole stamp, and also partial stamping guides the eye across the page.

Adding shading and pops of colour can  add points of interest to linger on.

Repeat stamping and creating a dark area of shading builds the depth of this stamped image. I used a 'Stabilo All' pencil and activated it with a water brush.

Eclectica³ Mini 149 by Mags Woodcock {EM149}

This stamp has so many possible uses, not only as a whole, but as separate labels. You may even spot a Yuletide use in the possible word combinations.

 

Stamping in neutral colours to create a background with focal words mounted on book pages adds a vintage twist to this contemporary looking card.

Highlighting certain words by securing them with foam pads creates a raised focal area, whilst the word block stamped in the background offers interest and texture.

Stamping and heat embossing the word block, and then cutting out individual words gives a bold dynamic storyline. I love the dimples from the solid embossing.

Eclectica³ Mini 150 by Mags Woodcock {EM150}

I wanted a tag element within this mini release,  the answer was to make an editable tag. With this one you can choose the length of the tag. The 'fly high' dymo grouping, and tiny flying birds gives 3 ways that this stamp offers different options.

For example, stamp the phrase as a whole, as I have here, and extend the tag side-lines to create a small tag, the perfect embellishment, lift tab, page turner and more.

The tag section can also be stamped separately and tucked under part of the project. The words, flying birds and gauze look great when heat embossed in black.

I cut this stamp apart to make it easy to use the individual elements separately. The birds and hole reinforcer circle make great detail when stamped in other areas of the project.

Eclectica³ Mini 151 by Mags Woodcock {EM151}

A pure texture stamp, created from some of my burnt paper which you may have seen me do in the past. Use it as texture, add shading or colour, you choose.

 

Stamped in black and then white gel pen added to the holes create the look of burnt paper.

Again here I stamped in black, added Snowflake Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic and then added shading with a soft pencil for depth.

This background just goes to show that one stamp can be used in many ways. repeat stamping with Vintage Photo Archival ink, then spritzing with Just Walnut Infusions creates an interesting look, ideal for matting and layering. 

Eclectica³ Mini 152 by Mags Woodcock {EM152}

A bold dynamic stamp, created with my hand cut foam stamps, Use as a group of three or individually, so versatile.

 

Stamping into a textured background gives a distressed look, add a solid colour stamped arrow highlights the focal word perfectly.

Stamping onto Smoothy card, including second and third generation stamping creates a background with a sense of depth. Adding in the additional words finishes this card perfectly!

Creating a sense of movement is easy with this stamp, it adds a dynamic element to any project.

PaperArtsy Printed Tissue: POSTCARDS (PT13), colour

Price: RRP €5.40 +VAT

Size: 30" x 20" (67 x 47 cm) 4 per pack

Printed with permanent ink, will not bleed when you add wet media. 

To increase tissue  strength, coat with Matte Glaze on a non stick surface, let dry, then apply a second layer of Matte Glaze to adhere tissue to your preferred surface (card, wood, paper, fabric etc). 

The more liquid the glue, the more easily the tissue will disappear. 

Colour can be enhanced with Mattints, or translucent products like infusions.

Leandra says ....

Printed Tissue was originally designed so we had an on-brand product to use as packaging material when we ship out orders. It did not take too long for us to realise we needed to make this available for people to purchase!

I was always a huge fan of 7 gypsies tissue when it was available back in the day a cazoodillion years ago, however, theirs was printed onto kraft tissue, the surface was kind of shiny, and the imagery on their tissue was not generally the best quality, usually a series of dots, but even with those features not being so good, I still loved it!

We currently have 12 Printed Tissue papers available, these are all black permanent ink on white tissue which becomes clear if you adhere with a really runny glue.

This release is the first of our coloured tissue papers. You can see the backs of the postcards that Mark and I picked up from flea markets in Paris well over 2 decades ago. We decided to let the vintage patina of each postcard speak for itself, and we had Dounia make sure she proof read all the content to make sure there was nothing inappropriate on there! Of course there were a couple that raised eyebrows, but nothing too x rated! I love the beautiful script styles.

Photo credit: Tracy Hickman on the blog here

In the sample above, this was the starting point for a journal spread by Tracy Hickman on the blog last week. Breaking a page is made simple with the addition of Printed Tissue, and you can push-pull with paints depending on how prominent you prefer the design to be.

This is how her journal spread ended up, with the addition of doilies and Scrapcosy stamps.

And a close up of the corner where you can see the tissue peeking out.

Mags says ....

I have loved working with the new Printed tissue, it's right up my street.  I decided to create a set of  postcards using the tissue combined with my minis. I wanted them to tell a story, so used vintage found photos. So let your imagination flow and tell the story.

 

Adhering the printed tissue to Smoothy card created a solid base for my story postcards.

At first I worked on a single postcard, but soon discovered layering up two together created a more interesting look and allowed more of the beautiful details to show up.

Inking and distressing the edges of the postcards added to the vintage feel. 

I hope you have enjoyed exploring these new releases with me and want to try some of the techniques I have shared, I would love to see what you create, so please tag me on social media. Have fun and happy crafting. 

You can see more and visit me at... 

Facebook Mags Woodcock

Instagram Mags Woodcock

YouTube Mags Woodcock

Christmas stars with Lynne Perrella products {by Riikka Kovasin}

Hi everyone, nice to be back with you again! It's Riikka from Paperiliitin here with you today. I'm sharing some winter or Christmas stars, which I made using Lynne Perrella stamps. These could be used as gift tags, decorations, or even posted as a greeting along with a little note.

The steps to create these are quite simple and straight forward. The trickiest part in creating these is the paperfolding as the star is a bit dimensional origami-style one. Naturally, you can skip the folding part and just make the stars flatter, but in my opinion the bulkiness gives a nice touch to the decorations! 

I used mixed media to create the base paper for my stars and to be honest, that was the most time consuming stage. So, if you are in a hurry or want to make a bunch of stars for your own tree or to be given as presents, maybe use patterned paper instead. Although, I do think that the matching stamping in the base and the focal point brings everything together nicely! 

But let's get going with the process!

Here are the main supplies I used in these stars: 160g cardstock, blue ink and embossing powder, Just Walnut (CS25) Infusions and Fresco Finish acrylic paint Gold (FF20). For the stamp set I chose the beautiful LPC020 and used the angel as my focal point and the two instruments to pattern the background.

As you can see, my color palette is limited. Blue and brown combo is one of my favorite ones! With a touch of gold added to the mix, the combo felt even a bit regal. I think I don't have to stress that by changing the colors, you can play with the atmosphere of the ready decorations. 

I started the project by creating a patterned paper of my own. Like I stated earlier, while this brings everything nicely together and adds that personal touch throughout the project, this is the stage to skip if you have time constrains. 

First I stamped a repeating pattern onto my cardstock using a blue ink. While the ink was still wet, I coated the motif using a blue embossing powder and melted the powder with a heat tool. While creating the pattern, I alternated between the two instruments. I didn't measure the places but instead just eyeballed the placement.  

Next step was to add another color on top. I first sprayed the papers with water and sprinkled some "Just Walnut" Infusion (CS25) on top. As you can see from the picture below, even though I had coated the motifs with a layer of embossing powder, some of the ink was bleeding when the paper was wet. I didn't mind at all, as I really like the combo. However, if you are using stark contrasting colors or just dislike the bleeding, use either just embossing ink or swap to a permanent ink.

I colored not only the patterned side of the cardstock but the flip side as well using the "Just Walnut" Infusions (CS25). The reverse can be more haphazard, just adding some color there as it's next to none visible in the ready craft. But just to make sure, I added some color there to avoid the stark white from showing.

As you can see from the photo below, I didn't want a nice monotone coloring to the paper but instead tried to create the look of water damage on an old book. While the Infusions layer was still wet, I flicked some drops of water onto it. This then caused the colorant to pool and form lines. I then let the paper dry almost completely and added another set of flicks, this time using an Infuse dilution. This is how I got some darker splashes here and there. 

The last step I did in this stage was to cut the papers into rectangles. I used A4 (21x29,7cm) sized cardstock in my make, so I cut the squares to 21x21cm. These resulted stars with a diameter of about 12,5 cm. The diameter is approximately 60% of the size of the paper. So, if you want the stars to be bigger, you need to use a bigger paper. 

 

Now I had by bases done and cut, what I then needed was the embellishments coming on top and then to fold the actual stars.

When choosing the LPC020 as my stamp set, I envisioned the angel as the center of attention. To match her to the patterned piece I had created, I used the same blue ink and embossing powder as in previous step. I stamped the angel a couple of times to 160g cardstock and then coated the images using embossing powder.

To color the angels I used "Just Walnut" Infusions (CS25) together with Fresco Finish acrylic paint Gold (FF20). I colored the halo and the costume using gold and hair and face with Infusions. For the hair I made a darker solution but for the face I added just a hint of color. I used a small brush to apply the colors to the stamped images.

As the cheeks are quite prominent in the stamp design, I wanted to add rosy cheeks to the angels. For that I used an ink like a watercolor to add a touch of peachy rose to the motifs. I also cut the angels loose.

Just to make sure there was no white showing from the back of the angels, I added some Infusions (CS25) there, too. As you can see, I didn't bother with the center as I knew it would be glued to the star.

If you are making bigger stars compared to the ones I made, this stage is purely optional. With bigger stars, you are less likely to see the flip side of the angels. In this size, however, the tips of the wings as well as the back of her head can be seen from the reverse.

Then came the tricky part - folding the star. I googled "origami star" and found several tutorials on how to fold the star. It involved folding and cutting the sheet into a pentagon and then turning it into a five pointed star. I used this video tutorial (link)

I used 160g cardstock in my make and it was ok. This cardstock is my go to for everything. While a bit sturdier cardstock was needed because of the mediums and I wanted the finished pieces to feel sturdy enough to be hung in a tree, I would say the 160g is probably the maximum weight. If possible, preferably use something like 130g, perhaps. 

Another tip - pay close attention to the orientation of the paper in the first couple of folds. Because, if you look closely, you can spot my mistake in the upper star. You see that line in the point facing thee o'clock position? Well, I had to tape my pentagon together! Making a wrong turn in the beginning namely meant that instead of a nice pentagon with a fold in the middle, I got two halves of a pentagon! With my earthy, worn brown color palette I was able to pull it off with a piece of masking tape, but depending your color scheme and pattern, it might be trickier.

Like I said earlier, if the folding seems tricky, you can always just cut the star shapes out of flat paper. 

As the last step, it was then time to just combine the two elements together. I first added a length of a ribbon to the flatter side of the star. Then a touch of golden embroidery thread to add some softness and glimmer before adding the angel on top.

By changing the colors or the style of the ribbon, you can play with the atmosphere of the final ornament. Try traditional red and green with a wider organza ribbon or go for a modern twist with silver, pearls and wire. Only your imagination is the limit!

Ta daa! Here they are! A trio of star ornaments or dashing gift tags.

As you can see, the pattern I created in the beginning with the two instruments doesn't show that much in the final stars. You can see the pattern a bit better on the flip side, though. If you wish the pattern to be more visible, bring in another PaperArtsy stamp set and use smaller designs or a background stamp that covers a bigger area.

If you do the patterned paper yourself, you may end up with several off cuts. What to do with those? Well, perhaps turn them into a Holiday greeting card! 

I created one with almost the same elements as the stars. The background in the card is a piece of cardstock painted using the Fresco Finish acrylic paint Gold (FF20). On top is a doily and then a strip I cut from the patterned paper while making it into a square. The focal element is the same as in the ornaments: the angel with some embroidery thread and a ribbon running across.

A little hand made ornament and a bag of sweets could make a great gift for neighbors or friends this year. All you need to do, is choose the colors and then get creating!

Thank you so much for stopping by today! Wishing you a magical Holiday season and great start to the new year 2026! 

Xoxo Riikka

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