PaperArtsy Blog 2019: Year in Review Topics 6-10

Happy Christmas Eve to you from us here at PaperArtsy HQ

I hope you've all got your treats ready for Santa organised ready for this evening, and snacks prepared for his reindeer! Perhaps your Turkey is defrosted and all the trimmings and timings are planned to make your day run as smoothly as it can tomorrow. Good luck, and wherever you may be, we wish you a lovely day.

We are expecting a chilled out Christmas this year with only 5 of us in the house. It always seems such a massive build up for a day that tends to pass in a blink. 

No matter where you are, whether you are surrounded by a crowd, or having a quiet day, we hope after the rush is over, you get 5 minutes to yourself to sit back and reflect on the year that was. In this post, we have a reminder of some creations from earlier in 2019. As you know, we struggle to single out a few posts from each topic, but we do our best to remember those that caused a bit of a reaction.

Tonight I'm sharing my picks from Topics 6-10: Fish, Turquoise , Put a Brush on it , Arty Wood Blocks and Tiled Patterns. Let's take a look back at some of the posts that pushed your buttons earlier this year

~ Leandra 

Topic 6: Fish

From seaside adventures to full on fishing, a topic like this often generates great ideas for those lifestyle card and gift ideas for family and friends who like their outdoor pursuits. Or if nothing else, while shivering in winter, it turns attention to booking those summer holidays in warmer climes!

My first pick is this post by Jennie, reminiscing about times she spent at the seaside as a child, brought back to life with Hot Picks seafaring stamps so beautifully! Love the softly stamped imagery.

And I hope you didn't miss this by Kate Yetter. This little girl seems to adore her Lynne Perrella fish!

I adored how Ellie created this frame with a mix of Hot Picks and Ink and the Dog stamps. Even though these stamps are getting closer to 2 decades old, they still find their place on our blog regularly throughout the year!

And Etsuko's selection of items hanging from driftwood was just brilliant! How fiddly must this have been to get everything to hang so perfectly! You never know what she will make next!

Topic 7: Turquoise

As you know we love to throw a colour topic in the mix, and this is such a popular shade of blue, we had to allow it to shine as our summer weather seemed to arrive in early Spring this year!

My first pick is this beautiful series of gel-printed cards by Corrie. She's gone for that striking contrast of blue and orange with Kim's stamps, and her copic colouring is always on point.

Chris Dark shared below the intricacy of Kay Carley's stamps and how infusions can be used in yet another clever way!

I adored how Amanda allowed turquoise to sing with purple in her first post on the blog for us earlier in the year with Seth's stamps. The textures she gets in her backgrounds are fabulous!

And Kate found time to layer clocks, stars and so much more in one of her lovely compositions that I always find so fascinating to study.

 

Topic 8: Put A Brush on it
 

Ever since I saw Donna Downey create some awesome art with old paintbrushes incorporated into her art pieces, I knew one day I would have this as a blog topic. Not sure why it has taken so long as I'm sure her art I remember was now several years back, but here we are!

I loved this by Jenny Marples who  used her brushes as the basis for trees. It's worked out so well. 

Nikki Acton used brushes to frame her piece. She used another ages old Ink and the Dog stamp, and it looks wonderful as the checkerboard background!

And Etusko made a hanging doll from hers where the bristles make the perfect skirt trim. Love her transferred image using an early Ink and the Dog mini stamp.

And finally, Dounia created a spine for a book with her brushes! Beautifully done too!

Topic 9: Arty Wood Blocks

There is something satisfying about working on a little chunk of wood. There are so many directions you can go, small houses, book covers or decorated blocks. As you can imagine, the bloggers loved this topic and gave us lots of ideas to ponder!

My first pick is from Lotte, adore these decorated numbers . Layers of paints and stamps, easy to personlise any word or name to your colour preference.

And I hope you didn't miss Carol's quirky creation. These colours and trailing ribbons remind me of a sort of festive, circus vibe with the wheels and wind up key.

Jenga is the name of the game from Amanda. What a fun idea.

And this from Jennie is so beautiful in its simplicity and beauty

Topic 10: Tiled Patterns

There is something satisfying about repeat patterns, or using a consistent pattern in your background.Colour, shape, positioning, they all play a part, and if you are forced to focus on these elements, you generally end up using them differently to how you first intended.

Corrie uses grunge paste stamped with a tiled pattern from Emma Godfrey's Portugese themed stamps. The texture is picked up by the painted layers on top which are slightly sanded back.

Jenny Marples used a die to great effect here to create a tiled pattern with a specific colour palette. I Particularly loved how she built another GP layer on top of her background. There were a lot of beautiful details in this post.

We all 'ohhhed' and 'ahhhed' over Alison's 'Doll house' sized fireplace that grew and grew and grew! The effects were absolutely brilliant! 
 

And when it comes to tiled patterns, someone always reaches for Ellen Vargo's abstract images that layer up perfectly on all kinds of painterly backgrounds, as Nikki Acton shows us in her post.

That's plenty for today folks! Check back with us when your bellies are full of Christmas spirit tomorrow, and we'll have some more eye candy to share for the next few topics! 

Don't forget to put those stockings out tonight! 

Merry Christmas

Leandra