A note from Leandra:
If you are resident of the Northern Hemisphere, you might well be in awe of the richness of colour surrounding you; greens turn to gold, stunning red leaves scatter the ground as autumn descends. It is a bittersweet joy to see such vibrant shades emerge yet sad to see the warmth of summer depart. Woodpiles are moved indoors, chimneys smoke, and far less socialising outside as we 'hunker down'. Wind and rain, dark, misty mornings become the new norm.
The charm of autumn has been captured perfectly within this series of stamps and stencils, from falling leaves, to decomposing ones! Come join us as we embrace this new season and new ideas of how to craft with these gorgeous botanical designs.
For those of you down-under, do not fear, Alison has tips to share allowing you to turn some of these designs into multi-seasonal ones! Yes she is a magician I am sure.
Alison will be with you LIVE in our Facebook Group, 'PaperArtsy People' shortly after this post publishes to share all her inspiration.
These stamps are available EXCLUSIVELY from our approved stockists. 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.
Hello, all. Alison here from Words and Pictures and I'm thrilled to be here to share some new designs. I've got stamps and stencils and lots of inspiration for you. These new stamps and stencils are designed with flexibility in mind. They celebrate the shift from late summer into autumn, but they can all be adapted to work in any season - including winter. They are multi-season botanicals! As always, they are perfect for mixing and matching with all my previous botanical and ephemera sets, as well as with my quote collections. Let's take a closer look...
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Red Rubber Stamps (A5 set)
Price: RRP €23.00 +VAT
Size:5" x 6" (13 x16.5cm)
All stamps are individually trimmed onto cling foam, with a laminated storage/index sheet.
Eclectica Alison Bomber Set 51 (EAB51)
EAB51 Cosmos Edition completes a trio of florals started back in June with the Coneflowers (below left) and Summer Poppies (below right).
You will discover four sketches, in varying sizes, allowing you to create depth and distance, and build a garden full of flowers. And of course there are some bits of postage ephemera, words and lovely poetry fragments on this plate too.
Cosmos are one of the heroes of autumn gardens - sometimes flowering into November - so they're a wonderful flower to celebrate autumn with. But these will also look great in winter neutrals. They're going to make lovely festive blooms for winter garlands and wreaths.
Cosmos Garden
One of the main things I love about Cosmos is the profusion with which they flower. I've got lots of photos and videos of multiple flower heads dancing against the crisp blue skies of autumn, and that's what this card aims to capture.
I used masks - stamped on tracing paper and cut out - so that I could layer up my flower heads, creating depth and distance. There are smaller and larger flowers on the set, so you can build believable perspective with your layered stamping.
Some simple watercolouring and I've got a garden of dancing Cosmos to lighten the journey towards winter. As long as you stamp in a permanent ink, you can use any colouring medium you like for this bit. And a little bit of white embossing gives me a coordinated envelope, which I love.
The First Cosmos - "sketchbook page"
As always, I wanted to give myself a first look at the new stamps when they arrived by stamping the entire plate, exactly as it comes.
This is always the way I love to get to know the designs as stamps, as opposed to sketches and ideas in my head.
This is always the way I love to get to know the designs as stamps, as opposed to sketches and ideas in my head.
Plus I always give a lot of attention to how the set works as a whole - the balance of ephemera and words with the sketches, so I love seeing the results of all that hard work in the form of a sketchbook page.
Cosmos in Neutrals
Of course, there's lots of accompanying ephemera and words on each stamp set, and I love combining all those elements to create a satisfying whole. Here, the stamps are layered onto one of my much-loved Distress Ink and Oxide splotchy backgrounds.
On this pair of tags, you see the poetry fragments - one bit of W.B. Yeats (next to Shakespeare, my favourite William of poetry!), swaying his leaves and flowers, and the line about bees is from "Autumn" by John Keats. The large words are ones I've chosen especially to complement the mood of the stamp set as a whole. (Side note: have a quick look at the spelling of Yeats and Keats... and yet they are pronounced completely differently. English is an eccentric language!)
A simple whitewash of Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic in Snowflake makes the flowers pop against the background, and in the layers you can see that lovely postcard ephemera creating detail and interest for the eye.
Corrugated Cosmos
There's no need at all to stick to a naturalistic look with these stamps. For these corrugated panels, I stamped the flower sketches onto some gessoed book paper, and tinted them with a touch of Weathered Wood Distress Ink.
Layering them with a bit of frayed cheesecloth over the ripped corrugated cardboard gives them a rustic simplicity which I think is really effective. No need for complicated fussy-cutting, if that's not your bag... I think the roughly torn out image looks great. I'm particularly fond of that feathery foliage (and that wouldn't be fun to fussy cut - at least, not in detail!!).
Eclectica Alison Bomber Set 52 (EAB52)
The journey into twistiness started with the floral trio - exploring imperfection, twisted petals, the start of a journey into decay. This set brings you some more of my beloved umbelliferous wildflowers, this time in a really twisty, windswept version. These may be my favourite umbels yet!
Again these stamps will flex with the seasons. They could be part of a summer meadow, stand as archictural seedheads in autumn landscapes, and they look completely stunning in winter white - with a touch of the hoar frost which turns these stems into magical fairytale structures. There's also a smaller grassy stem which can combine with the umbels, or work alone. And of course, there are words and ephemera to complement the botanical sketches.
Timeless Umbels Tag Trio
You'll know by now that I love to work in trios and series, so here are those windswept umbels taking on a different look in three different seasons/times of day, on Distress Ink backgrounds. They really have a timeless quality - or rather one which suits all times.
Perfect for a spring morning, bright and fresh and new... with extra detailing from the ephemera stamps in the set. There's a great little vintage reference number, and the first of a couple of clockwork diagrams that you'll find in these new sets.
How about a summer evening, with the umbels silhouetted against the moon? The clock ephemera is an echo of the inspiration underlying all three of these new designs, the idea of seasons changing and of time passing.
A wintry morning finds these umbelliferous stems still standing, maybe with a touch of frost on their tips now. The three large words from the set used on this trio carry that same idea of time and change and memory.
Twisted Umbellifers - sketchbook page
Let's have a quick look at my very first playtime with these tangled stems... yes, the full stamping of the whole plate in one go. If you can see a touch of blurring in a couple of places, those imperfections are built in to stamping using just the index card the stamps come on (because I'm too impatient for that first stamping to transfer them all onto a proper grid block!).
So many lovely things to play with here - the clock diagrams I mentioned, some fabulous Gothic lettering, which works beautifully as a background layer. I really like the small grassy stem, and of course you have those words and poem fragments.
Grassy Gift Envelopes
Speaking of the smaller grassy stem, it did put in an appearance in that first tag trio, creating grassy depth around the base of the umbel stems. But it also deserves to be in the spotlight itself, I think. These gift envelopes (made from very cheap cash envelopes) give it a chance to shine.
You can see I've used that Gothic lettering to zhuzh up the kraft envelopes just a touch. With the grasses, I've varied the look. You can go for a perfect stamping with an Archival or permanent ink...
Autumn Sunshine Umbellifers Tag
You may have wondered where autumn got to in that first trio. Don't worry, the fourth season is here too! The reason it's not part of the quartet is that this one is made differently - it includes some background stencilling (yes, with the new stencils!) - so it feels quite separate to me. I'm aware that might just be me!!
The poetry fragment here comes courtesy of Oscar Wilde's poem "Charmides". Wilde has definitely appeared on my quote collection stamp sets, but I think this is his first appearance on the botanical stamps as a poet, rather than a wit... and he's a very fine one.
Frosted Umbellifers Cards
I couldn't resist having a play with some Wow Bright White embossing powder to bring a touch of frost to the umbel stems. I was out and about one frosty December morning, and I can still see in my mind (as well as in the literally hundreds of photos I took!) the glory of fields full of gnarled, twisted umbellifers and meadow grass stalks converted by a spiky hoar frost into magical, intricate sculptures.
These two cards celebrate that winter white look - either on the card itself, with the umbellifers silhouetted against a deep blue ombre watercolour background, or on the accompanying coordinating envelope for the second card.
On the main card, the umbellifers have a slightly softer Distress Ink look, but the pop of white on the kraft envelope makes my heart sing.
"Twist me a crown of wind-flowers" is the first line from Christina Rossetti's poem of the same name. It's not her first appearance in my stamp sets by a long way, and it won't be her last either - I love her writing.
Eclectica Alison Bomber Set 53 (EAB53)
Autumn may seem the obvious season to use the gnarled, decaying leaves of EAB53 Twisted Leaves Edition, but paint them in green and you have a glorious spring or summertime branch to play with. The smaller botanical sketch is also very adaptable... it's designed so that you can use it to create small trees (and then paint them for any season you like); but it will also work as the veining on leaves, so that you can paint your own leaf shapes around it, or use it to add detail to simple leaf die-cuts. It can even be used to add a fringe of grassy texture to the foot of a tag or card!
The words on this set have a touch of autumn melancholy about them, and as I mentioned, some of the ephemera in both these Twisted sets comes from clocks and clockmaking - echoing the passing of time as the seasons change.
Misty Leaves - card and envelope
There is something about autumn which brings out the poet in a lot of people... a touch of melancholy, an awareness of the coming winter, the loss of light and warmth. There's a depth and profundity to it as a season. And all that was very present as I created this card.
I used one of the salty watercolour backgrounds I've been making lately, and stamped the leafy branch over it. Then, with a water brush, I added layers of Distress Ink in various brown tones - Rusty Hinge, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain and Pumice Stone - building the depth of colour until the leaves popped against the background.
Since the inks are translucent, you don't lose any of the detail of the sketch, even if you paint straight over it. You could do the same with Mattints or Infusions (of which more later!). I added some of the ephemera from the set in tone-on-tone stamping with Beach Cruiser Archival Ink, and the words in deep dark Scorched Timber Distress Ink.
Oh, and I told you it wouldn't be Christina Rossetti's last appearance... she's here again with the trembling leaf fragment!
Turning Over a New Leaf - sketchbook page
Another great joy to me about this first full-set stamping that I do, is that I now have a full journal record of my stamp sets in action. Turning over the pages really brings home what I've been building in terms of a collection.
Again on this set, there is some really great ephemera to play with... a lovely number strip, more clockwork diagrams, and a fabulous logo from a Viennese photographer's studio. I'll try to remember to have the original of that with me for the live - it's a family photo with the logo on the back. As well as that large leafy sketch, I think you're really going to enjoy exploring with the small sketch here... it will work really hard for you in many ways!
Trees and/or Leaves
Let me show you what I mean about that stamp working hard... take a look at what it can do. (And this is just my first little go at the double-life of these twisty branches...)
I promise the leaves and the trees are all done with exactly the same stamp... stamped in slightly different colours, to be sure, and with different colours added over the top. For the most part here, the first layer is done with watercolour paint.
But Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics and Mattints also did their bit to help...
And then there's the Infusions version - perfect little card toppers for any time of year, in just a couple of minutes.
Melancholy Memories journal
You know by now that I love to combine my designs with vintage ephemera, especially with my hoarded Tim Holtz Idea-ology supplies. In this journal page, one of the Found Relatives takes centre stage amidst swirling autumn leaves in greys and neutrals.
There's another early stencil sneak peek here with those tumbling leaves in the background. I love the large branch tinted in these soft blue-grey shades (Pumice Stone and Weathered Wood Distress Inks, if I remember rightly), and the ephemera from this set is perfect for adding background detail.
The photographer's logo works beautifully as an ephemera piece in the foreground too, I think, especially layered up with some other vintage labels. (I'll definitely be combining it very soon with some of the photographic advertisements on the Vintage Advertising plate from June's release.)
I know the word "melancholy" isn't exactly full of feel-good vibes, but it's one of my favourite words in the world. It carries a wealth of nostalgia and poetic beauty within it, the ache of lost love and hazy memories. (It combines really well with the words on the Umbels set as well as the other words here.) It fits the autumnal season of change, loss and transition perfectly. And hey, not all art is cheerful, right? It certainly seems to suit this woman's expression!
Infused Leaves
Before we move on, let me give you a quick sneak peek of what we'll be working on in my Live session in a couple of weeks' time... these Infused Leaves. I can't wait to share them with you.
PaperArtsy Stencil 486 (PS486)
Bubbles or Pebbles?!
The three new stencils are all organic designs which can add layers, texture and detail in all kinds of ways, both abstract and figurative.
PS486 is known in my head as Pebbly, and that's one of its possibilities - lovely cobble stones to create paths, walls and stepping stones. But it also has a hint of bubbles about it too. So to start out, I wanted to try the stencil in a couple of different ways, without having any further plans in mind.
There's a simplicity and organic randomness which is really pleasing to the eye - and it works beautifully with crackle paste! The background layer on both panels is Dragonfly Mattint with maybe a hint of Ash in there too. And once the crackle had cracked, I added a very diluted wash of French Roast Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic, sponged on for texture.
Bubbly Umbels
I then took one of those panels on a couple of stages, stamping the Twisted Umbels, words from the other new sets, as well as adding some doodling, splatter and a tiny touch of Gothic text detail.
I really love the unexpectedly funky look of this - there's something sort of 1970s lava lamp about it! I'm looking forward to playing with the crackled version to create some ancient stone walls in contrast to this bubbly look. Oh, and coordinating envelopes seem to be a bit of thing for me with this release!
Simple Ivy, Scribbly Ivy
PS487 - knowns as Ivy to me - has trailing strands of one of my all-time favourite plants, perfect for layering under festive foliage just as it is, and it looks great when you add simple scribbly penwork for extra detailing.
I started with a couple of Dragonfly backgrounds just to take the stencil out for a first spin. I love how it looks even in the simplest ink-blended version. If you vary the pressure with which you apply the ink, and/or add extra layers in deepening tones, you can get a beautiful air-brushed effect.
But you know me... I can never resist adding a bit of pen-work. Some simple scribbly doodling is a wonderful way to add detail and life and movement to these straggly, sinewy trails of ivy leaves. Here, I used a black fineliner, and my dip pen with some Dr P.H.Martin's Bleedproof White Ink.
Winter Garland
I promised you all the seasons of the year and, okay, we had a couple of bare trees earlier, but it's time for some festive greenery, don't you think?! You'll be able to use this ivy to create wonderful frames for all my Festive Minis collection from a couple of years back!
The simple air-brushed version from above has had some stamping layered over it - the small grassy stem from the Twisted Umbels Edition and the twiggy branch from the Twisted Leaves Edition. I think it looks amazing embossed in white to give that frosted look.
There's some of the Gothic text, also from the Umbels plate, and if that isn't festive enough for you, how about adding the word "joyful" from the Cosmos Edition set - all the way back at the start of this mammoth post!
PaperArtsy Stencil 488 (PS488)
Flexible Foliage Panels
PS488 - Twisty, in my head! - might just be the most flexible of all. It will play the role of falling leaves in autumn, or you can use it to create foliage in a summer tree; it could be butterflies or birds flying in the air; or again a random organic layer of texture detail in a background.
Taking Twisty out for his first spin was a real adventure.... I wasn't at all sure that what was in my head would work on paper, but I had a glorious time with my Fresco Finish chalk Acrylics. I kept sponging, and shifting Twisty's position, then sponging again. Happily, I successfully created both a leafy summer tree, and plenty of falling foliage, whipped around by the wind and gathering on the ground ready for shushling through. Next up for me at the craft desk, some exploring of birds and butterflies possibilities!
Oh, and take a close look under the summertime tree. Here's where you'll see those twiggy branches from Twisted Leaves taking on their third role as grassy texture... so versatile!!
Fall(ing) Leaves Card
These stencils give a lovely soft starting point, and then part of the delight to me is adding detail over the top, whether it's stamped or doodled or sketched.
Taking the falling leaf panel and adding layers of both bits of clockwork imagery - one from EAB52, one from EAB53, plus the number strip from the latter - brings that seasonal countdown into focus.
William Wordsworth's words (was there ever a better name for a poet?!), a little touch of doodling to frame things, a layer of design paper to draw the eye in, and another coordinating envelope finish it all off.
I hope you can see how all these stamps and stencils play and intertwine and "speak to" each other. Of course, one set by itself still has all the elements you need to create a beautifully layered project - imagery, words, ephemera, textures - and each set can work on its own in all kinds of colour palettes and to suit multiple different seasons.
But part of the joy to me is also in how they play together. Let me just end by sharing a sneak peek of the kind of thing that can happen when you start combining these stamps and stencils with earlier releases too!
But part of the joy to me is also in how they play together. Let me just end by sharing a sneak peek of the kind of thing that can happen when you start combining these stamps and stencils with earlier releases too!
I hope you've enjoyed this first taste of these multi-seasonal botanicals. I know there's so much more to discover with all these stamps and stencils. I can't wait to see how they will fire your creative imaginations, and I can't wait to have some more time to explore and experiment myself too!
A HUGE thank you to the whole PaperArtsy crew for all the work they put in to making and sharing all this creative joy. It's an incredible thrill to see my feverish ideas come to life in rubber and mylar and tissue form! As a collaborative partnership, I couldn't ask for more.
And thank you so much to all of you for taking the time to drop by today. Happy crafting, all!
Alison x
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3 comments:
stunning new stamps,(oh those autumn leaves!) and stencils (esp love the ivy!) what a gorgeously versatile release! Can't wait to play..
Thank you so much, Helen... yes, I can really see you doing brilliant things with that Ivy - right up your street. So happy you love the new release.
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