PaperArtsy: 2024 With 3 things: LUGGAGE LABEL {by Floss Nicholls}

I was so excited to be picked as one of the first three blogging team members to rise to the challenge of receiving three surprise supplies to art with for topic#1 in 2024!

The very first thing I thought of when I opened my package with Scrapcosy's map tissue paper and the beautiful acrylic colour BERMUDA that made me think of sunshine was; oh this little lady wants to go travelling!

I then started thinking about how I could achieve the travelling element and make it relevant to the topic glazed. I decided that I could colour the map with shades of BERMUDA, stitch some of the lines to make it more textured and use the Tracy Scott stamp in a grungy way.

I like to use the same colour in different strengths in my projects so decided to paint the land areas straight onto the reverse of the tissue with Bermuda which gave me a strong solid colour, then mixing PaperArtsy matt glaze with Bermuda in a ratio of 3:1 on the gel plate gave me the transparent effect I was after for the sea areas. It pulled off the plate beautifully.

I like to test different papers and variations of the stamp I am using. I decided this young lady needed to be treated to a different kind of make over and was especially excited with how the scraped gesso looked on the black paper over the black embossed stamp lines...

I started thinking about how I could still incorporate the BERMUDA on her dress or headband and how I could pick out some of her details in her dress with free motion embroidery on the sewing machine. I squiggled my way along her dress neckline to give a little more 'Floss' detail and added some across her headband too. Then I thought she needed some bling but that also needed to be applied in a grungy travel worn kind of way and so I sparingly used gilding paste and gold leaf for this in the background rather than on her clothes.

As I was applying the tissue paper to the calico rectangle using mat medium which allowed me to keep the tag very pliable I decided it would serve me well as an identity label to tie on my suitcase...I got quite excited at this idea and couldn't choose between these two ladies...so I decided to sew one on the front and one on the back of the luggage tag. Before I sewed her on I also sewed some of the diagonal lines to give me more texture. I considered free motion stitching some of the map outline but thought that would be too busy and that the straight lines would compliment the map image more.

I added an eyelet and some strong glossy gold thread...I considered heavy string, a cable tie and sari silk ribbon but thought that the gold was in keeping with the gilded area.

I'll need to add my details to the white gesso reverse when I next go on my holidays and attach this young lady onto my suitcase...I'm sure she will be easy to spot in the baggage claim area. Do you think she looks like a happy travelling companion?