Butterfly Booklet with Sara Naumann Products {by Ann Barnes}

Hi everyone, nice to be back with you again. It is Ann (@aksbarchitect) here with you today.

This year on the blog, we have free reign to do a deep dive into a PaperArtsy product range of our choosing. For this post I have been exploring Sara Naumann's products. One of the things I love about the summer is watching the butterflies silently flutter through the air and alight upon the flowers. They always bring such a sense of peace. When I saw the Sara Naumann butterfly stencil and stamps, I wanted to create something that reflected this peacefulness that the butterflies bring.

Working with the beautiful PaperArtsy Infusions and various papers, I had an idea to use the stencil in a new (to me) way. I was hoping to achieve a dimensional page that would make you eager to look deeper. It took a few tries, but once I was able to make my vision become a reality, the remaining pages seemed to flow effortlessly.

I am looking forward to sharing my process for creating this with you.

For this booklet, I primarily used Sara Naumann Stamp Set 33 (ESN33) and PaperArtsy Sara Naumann Stencil 122 (PS122). I also used the gorgeous PaperArtsy Infusions Dye Stains Raspberry (CS24), Blackcurrant (CS09), and Violet  Storms (CS11).

Most often when I think of butterflies, my mind conjures visions of purples and pinks. The PaperArtsy Infusions created such gorgeous intense colored papers, I thought that using a yellowish base paper would complement it wonderfully. For this I chose PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Acrylic in Heavy Cream (FF203) and Ranger Industries Distress Ink in Antique Linen.

Knowing that I would be incorporating hand dyed papers made with PaperArtsy Infusions dye stains, I decided that creating those papers would be the perfect place to begin. Watching the colors spread onto the paper with the addition of water is so much fun! I like to use 100% cotton rag vellum because it accepts the colors easily, withstands a lot of water and also dries flat. Spritz the vellum paper with water, sprinkle the infusions randomly over the page and add more water. Then, layer another page directly on top and repeat the process. This allows you to add color to both sides of the paper efficiently. Once you have completed as many pages as you want, allow them to dry overnight. If there are any remaining crystals that have not dissolved, these are easily brushed off once the papers are completely dry. I also dyed some Bristol cardstock and tracing paper that I would put to use later, both in the booklet as well as in some of my collage art. Having a stash of these gorgeous and vibrant papers is always nice.

My original idea was based on creating a dimensional paper using the butterflies stencil (PS122). I was hoping to use a translucent vellum topper that would allow color to show through butterfly shaped openings. I tried multiple variations of layering and could not get this idea to work out. Frustrated, I then decided that perhaps the colors would only be seen within the booklet... It was when I allowed my creativity to guide me, that things began to head in a direction much more to my liking!

 

To create the cover, I laid the stencil onto my handmade paper and lightly traced the butterflies with a pencil. I moved the stencil around to create a pattern that swept across the page. It is not necessary to use all of the stencil cutout openings in your design, and you can easily make the design your own by changing the angles and positions of the different sized butterfly openings.

Using an Exacto knife, I cut around each of the butterfly wings that I had traced and intentionally left the central "body" section intact. This allows the wings to be folded upward while remaining attached.

Once all of the wing shapes are cut, gently erase the remaining pencil marks. You can then adorn the wings in any way you desire; I added some gilding.

Using the piece of Infusions dyed Bristol, I die cut two ornate butterflies. Then I traced the edge of the butterfly onto one half of a folded piece of cardstock and cut it out with scissors. This created a folding card where the top flap was in the shape of the butterfly and the base remained untouched. Using the butterfly quote stamp from Sara Neumann Stamp Set 33 (ESN33) I stamped repeatedly to create a background.

Using a blending brush and Distress Ink, I added color to the patterned butterfly shape.

This piece was then sandwiched between the two die cut pieces.

I inked a piece of vellum with Distress ink in Antique Linen, then created some tone on tone pattern using the butterfly image stamps from the set. Using the same Antique Linen Distress ink, I inked up my stamps and randomly stamped onto the colored vellum.

Since the images are stamped in the same color, they appear as a deeper shade of the background. I love the look of this, especially on the translucent vellum.

The sentiments that were intended to stand out, were stamped onto the vellum with Archival Ink.

When the butterfly flap sits atop the vellum pages, it creates an interesting and beautiful backdrop.

I wanted to create a similar sweep of the butterflies on the back page. To do this, first lightly sponge PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Acrylic paint in Heavy Cream onto the Bristol cardstock and allow to dry. Then using an ink blending brush, ink up a few of the butterfly shapes in the stencil creating the desired pattern.

Once the ink is dry, replace the stencil over the page and add metal leaf adhesive to random areas of the inked shapes. Gold leaf is then placed onto the adhesive and the excess is brushed off.

The final step is to assemble the pages and secure them together with a piece of sari silk to create a butterfly booklet.

I love the way this butterfly booklet turned out. As I turn the pages I am transported to the peaceful flight of the butterfly. Drifting amongst the flowers carefree.

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