Nov 2025 - With 3 Things - A Trio of Christmas Cards {by Victoria Wilding}

Hi friends, 

It's Victoria, from VictoriaWildingCreates, with you for another 'With 3 Things' challenge post. 

For this feature on the PaperArtsy Blog 3 identical items are sent to 3 members of the PaperArtsy Blogging team. Typically we will receive a stamp, a stencil and a couple of Fresco Paints.

We have no clue what PaperArtsy HQ is going to send, the whole idea of this challenge is to do something crafty in our personal style with these 3 items. We can incorporate other PA products into the mix if we feel it is necessary.

So let's take a look at what I received from PA HQ ...

With Christmas fast approaching, I really need to get my skates on and make a stash of cards to send to friends and family, so today I have made a trio of Christmas cards. When I opened my design package and saw the lovely Kay Carley designs EKC11 and PS162, I knew it was time to get those Christmas cards started. I decided on a trio of complementary, clean and simple designs. So let’s get into the details.

I selected three pieces of 6x4” card (2 white, 1 kraft) to create the main images for the three cards. For the first card I choose white and decided to use the Fresco Finish Acrylic Paints in Verdigris (FF191) and Zinc, to stamp the images. To get a nice even coat of paint on the stamps I applied it with a sponge. Be careful not to let the paint dry on your stamps or it will ruin the designs. 

After stamping out three of the smallest trees in the set, I added a star to the top of each, stamping the image in VersaMark Watermark ink and traced the design in a metallic silver gel pen. 

I then added some extra dimension to the tree branches by adding lines of colour using the metallic silver gel pen on the Zinc stamped trees, and a dark green coloured pencil on the Verdigris stamped tree.

Next I made a start on the second card by applying Fresco Finish Acrylic Paints in Verdigris, through the holly stencil design, on three edges of the kraft card. 

Once dry I used a red coloured pencil to colour over the top of the berries elements in the design. 

Before tracing the outline of the holly leaves in dark green coloured pencil, to add more dimension.

I finished by stamping the ‘Christmas wishes’ sentiment and embossing in white and adding white platters.  

For the final card I decided to use the snowflake and pot stamps and turn them into mini trees. I started by stamping the pots in Zinc and added a variety of snowflakes in Verdigris. 

I added stems with brown coloured pencil and added extra texture in green coloured pencil to the snowflake branches. 

I finished by applying some grey coloured pencil to the main body of the pots, I kept the colour application rough with patches of white showing through.

I then mat and layered each of the cards, adding a small Christmas sentiment to the tree designs, to complete them. 

The clean and simple designs on these cards, really compliment Kay Carley’s lovely designs.

The extra details added using coloured pencil is so effective, and the lovely chalk texture of the paints makes layering no top of them so easy.  

I think I’ll be using the same, simple techniques with the other stamp designs in the set to extend this little collection even further!

They really do compliment each other so nicely.

Until next time, wishing you a happy creative week!

Victoria 

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Industrial Panel with Ink & the Dog stamps {by Mags Woodcock}

Hi everyone, nice to be back with you again

Mags here with you today.

This year on the blog, we have free rein to do a deep dive into a PaperArtsy product ranges of our choosing. For this post I have been exploring Ink & the Dog stamps combined with Some Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics, Grunge Paste and Just Walnut Infusions.

Today I'm looking forward to sharing with you how I recycled an old lino tile into the base for an industrial looking panel with lots of distressed layers.

I thoroughly enjoyed building the layers in this project, especially revisiting a technique which has been around for years, but which was ideal for building the distressed grungy background. The technique uses a household object along with 3 fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics to create a rusted, worn, distressed backdrop on which I could build more layers

When I first had the idea to create my industrial looking panel, I had a few decisions to make. What colours to use, which stamps etc. I knew I wanted to use Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic Rusty (FF227) along with a dark and a pale colour. Eventually I chose Inky Pool (FF46) and Snowflake (FF15) This turned out to be a perfect choice for my intended technique.

The Ink &the Dog stamps I chose to use were a mixture of a bold portrait stamp, Man Of Numbers 3 (MON3), along with Gentlemen 5 (G5), Backgrounds 4 (BG4) and to enhance my industrial background. You will see, as we progress through the stages, how the other supplies added to the finished look.

Whilst sorting out a large cupboard in my mother's home I came across a stack of old Lino tiles. They were headed to the rubbish bin, but I thought to keep a couple for possible recycling. On reflection, I should have kept more. I chose a dark green tile as the base for my project.

I wasn't sure how well the tile would take paint. I decided to adhere a part sheet of Printed Tissue (PT12, available from PaperArtsy stockists) to give a good base and add some subtle texture. With hindsight I could have used blank tissue, as the script didn't show through the layers as I thought it would. I used matte medium as my adhesive and didn't worry about wrinkles or creases, in fact I wanted the texture in the tissue.

My next layer for the background was a slightly watered down coat of Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic, Inky Pool , I loved the diluted colour, which was dark, but not too dark. When this coat was dry I neatened up the edges of the tile with a sanding block to remove the excess paper.

I wanted my background to have a distressed, worn, industrial look and I remembered a technique I used years ago. It involved using a wax crayon. As I didn't have any to hand I adapted the technique to use a small wax candle melt , the type that you put in a pottery container which holds a tealight below to melt the fragranced wax.

I dragged the wax over the painted background, concentrating on the edges and some areas more than others. I left the centre area of the tile free from wax, as I knew I would want to adhere objects there.

I added a touch of water to some Snowflake Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic to thin it down slightly, and painted the tile. When I was sure it was completely dry, I used a baby wipe to rub the paint away from the wax underneath. I love the result.

I was unsure on exactly how to achieve my next layer but decided to just "go for it". I used a small sponge, to add Fresco finish Chalk Acrylic, Rusty  around the distressed areas of paint, and allowed it to dry. I rubbed away the paint from the distressed areas, again using a baby wipe.

When working on my vintage grungy projects I often reach for my 'Just Walnut' Infusions (CS25). I have mini spray bottle filled with the diluted Infusions always sitting on my desk, and gave my panel a few spritzes to give an aged look.

When the spray had dried, I stamped the letters and numbers randomly from Gentleman 5, using Ranger, Archival, Jet Black ink. I find using the stamp without an acrylic block gives me a softer more distressed look, almost like the numbering has worn away slightly.

The background was definitely getting there, but it needed some more texture and subtle dimension. So out came my Grunge Paste (GP190) I must point out at this point that my pot of Grunge Paste had dried up a little and needed a couple of spritzes of water to rejuvenate it. I love that it can so easily be rescued, unlike some other brands.

I used PaperArtsy stencil PS456 (available from PaperArtsy stockists) and used the paste straight out of the tub. I did wonder about colouring it with a touch of Inky Pool Fresco, but decided against it. At this point I set the panel aside to dry overnight.

Although I loved the colour of the Grunge Paste, it wasn't cohesive with the rest of the project,

Adding a coat of watered down Inky Pool did the trick. When it was dry I gave the panel a couple more spritzes of Just Walnut Infusions, which pooled around the dried paste nicely.

I was really happy with how my background had turned out, just the right amount of grunge and texture, but not too dark. It was time to move on to creating the focal area of the project. I had a few ideas about using the mini and background stamp to create interesting elements to add around the focal image.

 

When I chose the stamps I wanted to work with for this project I wanted a strong focal stamp. Man of Numbers 3  stood out as the perfect choice. It had a background which included numbers, which tied in with the other stamps, and enough blank space to which I could add additional interest.

It was time to get to work on my focal image. I started by spraying some Smoothy cardstock (SCA4H) with the same Just Walnut spray I had used previously, this gave a vintage look to the cardstock. Next I stamped the Man of Numbers portrait on to the cardstock using Versafine Claire, Nocturn and set aside to dry completely.

I positioned the portrait on my background to see how it looked, it was fine but it needed something extra. My idea was to add some dimension to the portrait. I stamped it onto a book page and cut out the head and shoulders. Finally I stamped it again onto some of the leftover sprayed Smoothy cardstock and cut out the jacket section of the stamped image.

The portrait looked good once layered up with some foam pads, I also added some colour to the first layer using Greenstone Mattint (MT09, available from PaperArtsy stockists)

It was time to create some of the extra elements for my composition. I painted some Smoothy card with Inky Pool and left it to dry. Brayering some Snowflake Fresco onto my craft mat in an even layer, meant I could then brayer the paint onto the Ink & the Dog Backgrounds 4 and stamp onto my painted card. When the paint was dry I spritzed a couple of Just Walnut Infusions sprays onto the card and left to dry again.

I wanted to add some more rusty toned elements within the focal area of project, so Mini MN27 came out to play. I used one of my favourite ink and paint techniques. I brayered some Rusty Fresco onto my craft mat in a thin layer, inked up the mini with Ranger Archival, Jet Black ink and quickly pressed the stamp into the paint and then onto Smoothy card. Repeating this several times, making sure to clean the stamp between each inking.

To add a vintage feel to the stamped images, I used the just Walnut infusions spray again.

When the stamped images were completely dry I cut them out and inked the edges with Ranger Archival Distress, Vintage Photo.

I now had all the main elements ready to bring the project together and create my grungy industrial panel. I also had some extras to use in future projects.

I'd like to take you through a few close up shots of my project, and point out the details within it's construction.

I hunted through my stash of vintage and rusty objects for little items to add extra texture and dimension to the project. These little keys, coin, nuts and bolts were ideal, I used Heavy Gel Medium to adhere them to the panel.

I found some metal rings and washers in my stash, these tucked nicely between other elements in the composition.

In this image you can see how well the Greenstone Mattint coordinates with the rest of the project. Also how adding dual layers of metal embellishments adds dimension and interest.

Layering up sections of the Mini stamped image with foam pads between, behind the focal portrait adds dimension and reinforces the focal image.

The Inky Pool and Snowflake stamped Backgrounds 4 panels add much needed darker tones to the project, drawing the eye to the portrait.

I recently purchased a few vintage bus and train tickets, these were on my desk whilst I created this project. Happily two were the perfect colours to add to the project.

I loved creating this project, and revisiting some of my favourite techniques from the past. I still have the other Lino tile, so who knows how that will be used.

Lots of these techniques and supplies could be used to create a journal page, or in a small scale, a set of tags.

I hope you enjoyed seeing how I created the project and give some of the techniques a go.

Facebook: @magswoodcock

Instagram: @magswoodcock

YouTube: @magswoodcock

Thank you for visiting, happy crafting

Mags x

Card and Book with NEW Tracy Scott products {by Etsuko Noguchi}

Hi everyone, nice to be back with you again

Etsuko My favorite things  here with you today.

This year on the blog, we have free rein to do a deep dive into a PaperArtsy product ranges of our choosing. For this post I have been exploring Tracy Scott's new products. 

Today I'm looking forward to sharing with you what I figured out when I used Tracy's fantastic new products.

Upon seeing these new products—two stamp sets, eight mini stamps, and two stencils—a vibrant image immediately sprang to mind. I decided the first stamp would be for a large card, and the second for an accordion book.

Tracy's creations always take us by surprise, and her dynamic use of colour delights her fans. Today I too have tried my hand at some splendid colour combinations.

The products sent by PaperArtsy on this occasion are as listed above. Tracy Scott stamp sets (TS102 and TS103), and Minis : (TSM33, TSM34, TSM35. TSM36, TSM37, TSM38, TSM30 and TSM40) Stencils : PaperArtsy Stencil by Tracy (PS489 and PS490) - All 2025 October New. Retailers are mentioned in this Tracy's new product introduction blog.

I created it from my favourite turquoise blue background, applying Cerulean, Aqua Duck Egg, and Southern Skies with a flat brush in solid washes. Then I used PaperArtsy Stencil by Tracy (PS489) with Glacier Ice, PS490 with Blue Lagoon, PS463 with Snowflake and PS235 with Pool on the background.

After completing the stencil, I stamped the TS102 motif using Ranger Industries - Archival Ink (Jet Black). Wanting a bit more sparkle, I then stencilled over it in Gold using PS268.

The main holly flower motif on TS102 has been painted in pink, creating two flowers put the focal points.

The first one paint Bubble Gum for the outer petals, Bougainvillea for the central petals, the topmost layer uses the dark-coloured petals from the next photograph.

The petals of this darker flower use a colour created by mixing Amethyst and Bougainvillea. The petals on the right were used for the previous flower. The explanation has become a little complicated, but I hope you'll understand from the photo below.

These red petals were used for the third small flower. I used colour is London Bus.

I thought a few leaves would be better, so I used TS097 and painted with Cerulean and Bermuda, finishing with coloured pencils and a white gel pen.

The created layer has been positioned.

I covered the flowers and splattered them with pink highlighter.

Finally, I used the TSM40 to create the quote (It from Alison Bomber's stamp EAB38) and complete the work.

For the second instalment, I used TS103 to create an accordion book. Tracy suggested in PaperArtsy livestream that we try using the mini stamp girls with the frames, so I did.

I began by creating the master board for the book. On the first sheet I randomly stamped the TS102 stamp onto Smoothy (Heavyweight) A4 white stamping card. 

I applied Grunge paste using the PaperArtsy Stencil by Tracy Scott (PS462) on the second sheet of paper.

The two sheets of paper were each made with different colours.

On one I dissolved a little Limelight, Banana, and Inky Pool in water, applied it with a dropper, and then sprayed water over it again. Then I divided the A4 paper into four equal parts.

The second sheet was also created using Inky Pool and Purple Majesty in the same manner.

The first page features the TSM18 girl in the TS103 photo slider, displaying mini TSM36 and TSM39, coloured using coloured pencils.

The girl is TSM19 and flowers are TS081 and TS97.

This girl is TSM17 and flowers are TS82.

I've also prepared these pages. The top two were used for the front and back covers.

After embossing the TS97 flowers onto the background of the page using purple embossing powder and applying adhesive, it became transparent rather than semi-translucent. Perhaps tissue paper would have been better.

TSM40 is very useful I created words by separating them.

Finally, the accordion book is constructed.

Creating pieces with Tracy's products is a real pleasure. I believe her stamps and stencils are versatile materials that can be combined to create distinct works each time. The piece I made today represents only a fraction of their potential, and I wish to explore further possibilities. 

Thank you so much for visiting.

Etsuko xxx

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