PaperArtsy: 2022 Topic 16 : Splosh {by Ellie Knol} with Sara Naumann stamps

Tuesday 13 December 2022

2022 Topic 16 : Splosh {by Ellie Knol} with Sara Naumann stamps

Hi everyone,
It's Ellie Knol (PAPER-STAMPS-COLOR) with you today, and I'm here to share with you the process of altering a boring calendar base for the upcoming year, 2023, using a selection of stamps designed by Sara Naumann.

Staying within the theme SPLOSH I chose to cut a stencil/mask combination of a splash. I drew it myself and cut it out of sticky paper. I used the stencil to sponge different colors of distress ink onto the background as the focal point.

I received a calendar from our car service station with the contact details from the shop on it. Ugly.. time to alter it to be used in 2023!

I took the spiral-bound calendar booklet off to be 'recycled' onto my project. I also cut a piece of greyboard, slightly bigger than the original one, so I would have some more room for decoration.

I adhered white paper to the greyboard, to start on a clean white surface. All stamps from stamp set 62 (ESN62) and 64 (ESN64), both by Sara Naumann, and were stamped in black on white paper to be torn and to be used for collage.

The fun starts now. Cutting the splosh stencil/mask combo from sticky paper was the first and basically only plan I had when starting on this theme.

I used the stencil part to sponge different colors of distress ink onto the background as the focal point. I thought these birds to be the perfect image to be highlighted, by sponging violet and green distress inks as shown.

I immediately heat embossed it with clear embossing powder, which seals the inks and intensifies the colors.

Some drips of color were achieved by sponging the same colors of green around the edges, spraying it with water and let it drip down towards the bottom.
TIP: Dry the greens first before repeating the same process with the violet to avoid making brown. Once dry, I added a little more color to the drips to make them pop more.

I knew I wanted white space on the project; it allows for high contrasts.

To add texture to some of the bigger blank areas, I used embossing paste through parts of PaperArtsy Stencil 323 by Sara Naumann (PS323) The numbers also tie in nicely with the calendar theme.

Enjoy more pictures and close ups of details on the project.

I specifically LOVE this colored splosh, filled with the silhouettes of sparrows and script!

All products that have been used to make this project (apart from glue etc) are shown below.

The final step was to adhere the calendar to the base with double-sided tape.

Reflecting on the project itself: I set myself a mission this time: not to make it too complicated.

I create a decorated base for a spiral-bound calendar each year. I mostly buy one, sometimes I get one from a company here in the Netherlands that provide them for free. Doing so is a preparation for yet another New Year, which in itself is a wonder, being able to enjoy TOGETHER time (hence the GATHER theme on my project) as a family. Within our home we use this calendar to jot down appointments, so we know which days or hours we need to save for a reason.

To be sustainable in our craft, it sometimes is a good choice to cut a stencil or mask from paper or a transparent sheet ourselves. I enjoyed making it for this project because I was able to cut a stencil in the size I needed for this project specifically. To make it sturdier I plan to cover it with a few coats of gel medium and use the stencil and mask in future projects.

Please leave a comment and tell us how you got inspired by the theme or any technique shared.

Happy creative day and in the new year of course! See you.

Ellie Knol