PaperArtsy

Wednesday, 4 February 2026

With 3 Things - Owl Journal Collage {by Victoria Wilding}

Hi everyone, it's Victoria with you today for a 'With 3 Things' challenge post.

This feature on the PaperArtsy Blog is where 3 identical items are sent to 3 members of the PaperArtsy Blogging team. Typically we will receive a stamp, a stencil and a colour product.

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 ...

Scrapcosy’s vintage designs are always a delight to create with. Stamp set ESC24 provides a great mix of focal and detail elements, whilst stencil PS191 provided some great additional elements to add into my make.

I decided that I wanted to create a piece using as many of the designs as possible and thought that some sort of collage would be perfect for creating a layered design without the pressure of planning out every aspect up front. I was also excited to see that the colour choice in my surprise package was a blue, one of my favourite colours! The PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Acrylic in A Bit Fishy (FF208) inspired me to get out my Dina Wakley Blue Journal which contains denim pages and would provide a nice contrast with the lighter blue paint.

Lets take a closer look at what I did ....

I started off by stamping out the owl design from Scrapcosy stamp set ESC24 in ‘Vintage Photo’ Archival Ink. This ink provides an excellent and stable base for going on top with wet colouring mediums, such as paint, whilst also transferring precise details of intricate stamps such as this.

Next I decided to create some trims by stamping on plain card and embossing in gold the border designs. These will be useful in connecting other elements when assembling the collage at the end. I fussy cut around the edge of the uneven strip, to bring out the detail and add more focal interest in the final piece.

I also stamped and embossed in gold on top of a coloured circle. I love how the gold looks on top of the PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Acrylic in A Bit Fishy (FF208).

Lets take a closer look at what I did ....

I used some more coloured circles for background elements, layering extra details on top for more interest. On one of the discs I put PaperArtsy Grunge Paste (GP190) through the four dot stencil pattern, and on the other I added the star stamp.

I also created a sentiment using a card base coloured with Distress Ink in ‘Vintage Photo’ and more used some more PaperArtsy Grunge Paste (GP190) through one of the stencil sentiments.

At the end of the project, once all the collage elements were assembled on the page, I went back to the four dot pattern and ran some grunge paste through the stencil direct onto the fabric of the page.

Lets take a closer look at what I did ....

Ever since the start of my creative journey, I have been obsessed with colour swatching and learning more about what my colour supplies can do. I knew that as part of this project I would want to use different strengths of the PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Acrylic in A Bit Fishy (FF208), so I decided to use a tag and test out different washes of the colour simply by adding water to my brush. I love how versatile this make your supplies as you get more colours from one product. I added some ink to the background of the tag using Distress Ink ‘Vintage Photo’ again, and added one of the border stamps, embossing in gold to tie into other elements in the end design.

Next I went back to the stamped owl image to add colour. I wanted to use non traditional colours for the owl, so in addition to the PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Acrylic in A Bit Fishy (FF208) I added Mattints in Acid (MT14) and High Viz (MT15). Adding some water to the paint reduces the opacity, allowing the stamped details to show through, and the translucency of the Mattints worked well to add some bright pops of colour that didn’t overpower too much. I applied the colours by dabbing the colour in patches to create layers, rather than painting in one wash.

The final technique I used with the PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Acrylic in A Bit Fishy (FF208) was applying it with a sponge through the circles on the stencil. Once dry I punches out the circles and used with the stamps and stencil to create extra collage elements for the page.

I played with the different collage elements on the page and settled on this composition for the final journal page. I ended up fussy cutting the owl as it looked better on the finished page without the border of the card. I also added some stitching to the tag and added some loose cotton under some of the card pieces for extra texture on the page. I secured all the elements to the page using a heavy gel medium.

This was such a fun page to put together. I love all the different textures on the page and this no pressure way of creating lots of separate pieces to then collage with, is a great way to play with supplies and make a start, especially if fear of the blank page is blocking your creativity.

Until next time, wishing you a happy creative week!

Victoria

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@victoriawildingcreates

Instagram: www.instagram.com/victoriawildingcreates

Facebook: www.facebook.com/victoriawildingcreates

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/victoriawildingcreates

Monday, 2 February 2026

With 3 Things - Wise Moon Vignette {by Ann Barnes}

Hi everyone, it's Ann from @aksbarchitect with you today for a 'With 3 Things' challenge post.

This feature on the PaperArtsy Blog is where 3 identical items are sent to 3 members of the PaperArtsy Blogging team. Typically we will receive a stamp, a stencil and a colour product.

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 ...

I was sent PaperArtsy Scrapcosy Stamp Set 24 (ESC24), A PaperArtsy Stencil by Scrapcosy (PS191) and PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic in A Bit Fishy (FF208). At first glance, I knew that I wanted to create a dimensional piece with the three items. I found an old wooden box that was the perfect size to create my Wise Moon Vignette.

Lets take a closer look at what I did ....

I heat embossed a border stamp from PaperArtsy onto black cardstock then cut out pieces to create the frame.

I stamped multiple owl images in archival ink to cut up, watercolor, and layer for dimension.

Lets take a closer look at what I did ....

I used the largest circle opening to stencil PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Acrylic in Heavy Cream (FF203) onto the background, creating a base to stamp the moon image onto.

I used the largest circle opening in the stencil as a mask to align the moon stamp directly above the heavy cream circle on ly background ensuring the image stated in the correct location.

The outside of the box is stenciled with A Bit Fishy (FF208) through the dot section (PS191), then I added a silver circle in the center of each cluster to create my own pattern.

Let's take a closer look at what I did ....

I coated a my background paper with a watery layer of PAFresco Finish A Little Fishy (FF208).

When the paint was dry I added a layer of Black Soot Distress Ink by Ranger to give it a night sky appearance.

The Box was first coated with PA Fresco Finish Little Black Dress (FF19) and allowed to dry, then I stenciled the outer sides with the dot pattern (PS191) in A Bit Fishy (FF208).

With a bit of fussy cutting and modification, I was able to incorporate a stick in lieu of the stamped branch. I love how the owl looks perched on the stick with the full moon in the background.

It is always a fun challenge to create with the three items that are selected by PaperArtsy headquarters, especially seeing the variety in project type that each blogger creates with the exact same items.

I hope that you are inspired to grab a few of your supplies and get creative.

-Ann

Blog: aksbarchitect CREATES

YouTube: Ann Barnes

Facebook: Ann Sullivan Barnes

Instagram: @aksbarchitect

Friday, 30 January 2026

Tracy Meets Grunge with TS {by Autumn Clark}

Hello darlings! It's Autumn Clark here today, with such joy to be back on the PaperArtsy blog and to share the excitement of the new Tracy Scott launch with you!

I've had a total blast playing with these gorgeous stamps and have created several project ideas for you to get your creative juices flowing, from tag book to bookmark to journal page, I hope will spark a play session of your own...

I almost always start a project with a gel printing session and went with earth tones to show how Tracy's stamps can go both bright and rustic, which I hope you will agree. I used a combination of PaperArtsy Fresco Chalk Acrylics in Nougat, Terracotta, Rusty, Sargasso (TS), Jade (TS), Chocolate Pudding and Toffee. Later in the process I pulled out my Infusions powders and chose A Bit Jaded and Rusty Car.

I used Tracy's entire collection for these projects, including the stamps TS104, TS105 and TS106 and the stencils PS497, PS498 and PS499. Find a stockist HERE. And if you didn't catch Tracy's FB live, make sure to join the PaperArtsy People FB group HERE to stay up to date and catch all future lives.

You might have noticed from the photo of my Infusions box on my table that it was an extremely sunny day in my little art room. I could not find my smaller gel plate, so I had to use the monstrosity and with the sun pouring down on it, I found my paint was drying at rocket speed. But I am always fond of this half printed effect because I love the impartial prints and faded portions of the stencils mixing into the paint. Part of my process includes blotting through the stencils onto prints. Below shows how I did that with PS499. Later you will see a fun idea I came up with to make the most of the white spaces in my prints...

I printed heavy duty plain cardstock and both sides of several premade large tags by Dina Wakely. I used the floral designs from PS497 and PS498.

I cut my favorite sections of the prints into card fronts. I folded the tags in half with one end meeting the tag reinforcer on each of the three tags, then glued them together to form pockets where each tag met the next. This concept was inspired by a Fodder Challenge 2023 project.

While the tags were clamped together to dry, I worked on each card panel. I began spritzing water on the white spaces in the gel printing and sprinkling on my Infusions in Rusty Car. Because I had used normal cardstock, the Infusions seeped into the paper, rather than sitting on the surface like it would with Bristol or watercolor paper. The great thing about this is that the paint still sits on the surface and the effect is really unique.

To make the pieces a bit more intense, I coated them with Mattint in High Viz, which also serves to seal the Infusions. Next I colored two scraps of Bristol paper with Infusions in Rusty Car and A Bit Jaded so I could use them as a stamping surface.

Here's a sampling of the panels, which remind me of torn wallpaper. What fun!

I stamped so many of the images from Tracy's stamp sets TS104, TS105 and TS106, first onto Bristol paper for watercoloring with Distress Inks, then onto my dried Infusions stained papers in different colors of ink and off white embossing.

I fussy cut these images to give me a variety to pick from to complete my tag book and cards.

I layered the images onto my tag book and used Distress Ink in Rusty Hinge to sponge some of the white spaces to complete the backgrounds.

I used the leftover gel prints to cut smaller tags to fit into the pockets and to cut tag reinforcers for those.

Here are the front and back of my completed tag book, finished with sentiment stickers, sari ribbon and twine...

With my leftover fussy cuts, I began to complete the cards. I really had fun with this and tried to hone in on the trademark mandala loving Tracy Scott style by using geometric repeats in the cards. Often, I cut the flowers in half to achieve this effect.

I was craving a little white contrast for these pieces and thought a bit of text would be just the trick, so I grabbed Eclectica³ stamp set 54 by Sara Naumann (ESN54), which had some great jumbo text that worked beautifully with the butterfly theme. I used off white embossing powder for this, which finished my cards and bookmark nicely.

I had one large piece of gel printed paper left and several of my fussy cut images, so I pulled out my floral journal. I've shared numerous projects over the years on my blog with Tracy Scott and Jofy stamp in this journal. I thought adding another from this project would be a great way to remember these fun projects and color palette.

The spiral journal is filled with watercolor paper, so I was able to use the Infusions in A Bit Jaded to add some color on each side of the page, then I tore the edges of my gel print and glued it down the middle. I used some leftover stamped flowers from set TS105 as leaves for the focal flower and a smaller gel printed tag, which hadn't found its way into my projects.