2021 Topic 1 Stamp Mashing - FP ECF I&D ESA: Concertina Mash {by Autumn Clark}

 

A delightful concertina booklet from Autumn here, allowing her to showcase lots of stamps from all 4 of our mash-up designer challenge! I adore this colour palette, and the elements and their surfaces are all so touchy-feely looking! Once you have a bundle of elements, the fun starts putting them together. Autumn has a knack of doing this beautifully. 

~ Leandra

Hi everyone, it's Autumn Clark with you today, and I'd like to share my new little accordion book filled to the brim with gorgeous imagery from our "mash up" of designers.

I knew right away I wanted to create a book with this variety of images to make each one a focus on the many pages.  I hope you'll read along to see the tricks I discovered in the process...

I tried so hard to use a new palette (because blues always call to me) and though I didn't use a single blue paint, somehow my book ended up with a blue tint.  Ha ha!  I actually chose browns and greens to work with: PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics in: Caramel, Hint of Mint, Gold Rush, Toffee, Winter Green, Cloud 9 and French Roast.  Oh how I love this combination!

I used the Sizzix Notebook die and white mat board, cutting the covers down to 3.75 x 2.75".  I then cut two long pieces of PaperArtsy Smoothy Card to 3.5 x 11.75"  I then did some random painting with my brayer onto my gel plate.  After the pieces were dried, I scored the long strips at 2.5", cutting off the excess and adhering the two panels together to form one long accordion, which I adhered inside of my book after stamping/collage.

 

I wanted to add dimension to the pages, but couldn't bulk up the accordion too much or it wouldn't close properly, so I made a batch of tea dye paper on plain copy paper.  This allowed me to distress and wrinkle up my edges, but was thin enough to fold up flat.  I stamped my images in Ground Espresso Distress Oxide.  (Tea stained paper, French Roast paint, Espresso ink... Do you see a theme here?)  I used my water brush to wet around each image and carefully tore them apart. 

E5

 

AH5

WGS2

EM39

 

I am always so excited when I get a chance to share Ink & the Dog Collection stamps!  I  knew right away I could use the funky old bird from I&D Eclectic Plate 5 with its counterpart from I&D Wings Plate 2 and a host of other wing stamps.  And since I was making a book I added the "do not look inside" stamp from the I&D At Home Plate 2, which worked perfectly with Eclectica Mini Stamp 39 by Seth Apter. 

 

ECF05

Since Courtney's stamps were in the mash up, I wanted to turn the leaves from PaperArtsy Eclectica (Courtney Franich) Collection {ECF05} into wings.  I cut them out and scrunched up the stems, then cut out a second shirt for the dear old gal and tucked her new "wings" beneath it, stitching around the shirt to finish it off.

FP007

I found a new favorite (and super easy) way to paint with my stamps.  I brayered paint onto my gel plate then used it as an "ink pad".  I stamped the funky flower shadows from PaperArtsy France Papillon Collection {FP007} onto my panels then stamped the outline over them with black ink.  I added some journaling to one of the flowers for contrast.  My gel plate had a very cool impression from doing this, so I made a quick print (below) to use in a future project.  I can't wait to experiment more with this!

ESA18

 

I decided to use more Seth Apter stamps, PaperArtsy Eclectica (Seth Apter) Collection {ESA018}, by doing some light stamping on my backgrounds, mixing with other backgrounds from the sets and adding a little stitching.  I added a few old postage stamps from my stash to blend in with the postage stamp from Courtney.

 

I dyed some seam binding with Distress Inks to make a closure for my little book.

It is small, but mighty in its message and filled with all of the quirky things I love!  I hope you love it too! 

 

It is so satisfying to sit and create something from nothing; a few sheets of paper, paints, inks and stamps can easily become a mini treasure.  Have you allowed yourself time to play?  I highly suggest creating a little book in which to do so.  I truly love taking the mundane or discarded things and turning them into art!  After all, what's to lose?

It's been a pleasure being with you on the PaperArtsy blog today and I will be seeing you again soon!  Hugs, Autumn

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