Circle Book with Seth Apter Products {by Ann Barnes}

Hi everyone, it's Ann (aksbarchitectCREATES) here with you today.

This year on the blog, we are being given free rein to do a deep dive into one of the PaperArtsy product ranges, and for this post I have been exploring Seth Apter products. I have always been drawn to the circles seen so often in the PaperArtsy stamp designs by Seth. I wanted to explore incorporating some of these stamps into a handmade book. I'm looking forward to sharing this fun circle book that I created.

I love making my own books. I know for some people, the book binding can be a daunting task, especially when it involves sewing multiple signatures together. This circle book is created in a way that removes all of the stress and also allows pages to be easily removed and worked on or even replaced!

A while back I was inspired by a technique that Laura Denison Designs used to create a "Twisted Pin-Bound Book". For the binding, Laura used a "pin" that the pages swing/rotate around. Extensions can be added to the "pin" to allow for multiple thicknesses. You can easily find her project if you search for her on YouTube.

Since I envisioned creating a book in the shape of a circle, I struggled with how I would bind it together, and then I remembered Laura's technique. For my book, I use a "Chigago Screw". These fasteners are used for a variety of purposes, from construction to leather and handmade crafts and are easily sourced.

While I was thrilled to be able to put the hinged technique to use in my circle book, I must admit that one of my favorite parts of working on this project was playing with some new-to-me PaperArtsy Fresco Chalk Acrylic paint colors by Seth Apter. Squid Ink (FF56) becoming a fast favorite; I have already added it to my to be replenished list!

   

I loved selecting a palette from Seth's PaperArtsy colors and getting busy with my gel plate.

I first gather all of my supplies, starting with an inventory of which Seth Apter circle stamp designs I have in my collection. Seth has many wonderful stamp sets, the themes may vary but his incredible underlying grungy style remains throughout. When I saw the Seth Apter stamp set 30 (ESA30), I knew I'd found the perfect focal image for my covers. I also grabbed a few of his mini stamp designs EM40, EM45, EM107, EM112.

My original thoughts were to create my book in a monochromatic color scheme, focusing on Fresco Chalk Acrylic blues in the Seth Apter range. When I started selecting my colors I grabbed Squid Ink, imagining that it would be a dark inky blue color, but as I began to add colors to my gel plate, I quickly realized that it was so much more. I fell in love with this deep, dark eggplant color. It is gorgeous and looks amazing with Steel Grey (FF134), as well as Midnight (FF123), Double Denim (FF128), and Venice Blue (FF133). When I realized that Squid Ink (FF56) was a purple, I also added Spanish Mulberry (FF71) for a bit of pop.

Using a brayer I add the paint colors to my gel plate and make pulls on high strength tissue paper. I layer the prints with each pull from the gel plate. When I have a nice background, I also stamp into the wet paint on the plate with some of the rubber stamps. (Note: if you prefer to keep your stamps clean, be sure to keep a shallow tub of water nearby to wash the stamps after using them with paint.) I love seeing the faint designs among the layers.

I am really pleased with the combination of colors that I have chosen and am excited to work on the pages. I originally envisioned using these pages as collage material for the pages inside the book, but after seeing how wonderful they turned out, I am considering covering the entire page with the tissue and building upon it.

When I have a couple large master sheets of tissue that I am pleased with, I make the decision to create double sided pages. The master sheet layers of color are fairly dark. I decide that one face of each circle page will be layered using the same colors, but in a lighter palette. Effectively each page will be light on the front and dark on the back (or vice versa.)

For the lighter sides I print directly onto the page, using Fresco Finish Heavy Cream (FF203). I love the look of these lighter sides, they both complement and contrast the darker papers.

After letting everything dry while I clean up from the gel plate printing session, I am considering how it will all come together. This is when I decide to paint the covers in Squid Ink. The dark cover will be the perfect base for the stamped image and also highlight the color which is seen throughout the pages. I have a feeling that I will want to take the pages in and out to work on them, so I decide that it will be a good idea to reinforce the hinge point. I die cut chipboard circles and paint these with the Squid Ink color as well.

Using Ranger Distress Collage Matte Medium, I adhere the tissue to the unfinished sides of the pages. I weight down the pages to keep them flat while they are drying. After the glue is completely dry, I use a sanding block to create a clean edge. I have found this to be a simple way to ensure that the edges align.

I cut circles of various sizes out of the remaining painted tissue. These circles will be used as college elements within the book as well as on the cover.

Each page is then modified using the collection of stamps I have gathered. Stamping always brings to mind something I once heard Seth mention during one of his demos, "try to make the stamps your own..." One way to do this is by partial stamping, where you don't imprint the entire design, and another way is to modify the image once it is stamped. I love playing around with different ways of making Seth's designs more of my own, it makes it feel more like a collaborative effort.

I select the location where the book will be hinged and then punch each of the covers and pages in the same location. I used a Crop-A-Dile to easily punch through the layered pages as well as the chipboard. You could use any suitable punch, just be sure that the hole size equals the diameter of the Chicago Screw post so that the pages will slip onto the cylinder. The book is almost complete.

The last step to completing the book is adding the title. Since the book is circular and double sided, I thought it would be fun to have one portion of the title on the front cover and the second half on the back cover. Essentially allowing you to flip the book over and browse the back sides as well. When I chose the "what comes around goes around stamp" I thought it would be fun to use the first portion of the saying on the front and the ending on the back cover. To do this it required a bit of simple masking.

I use a stamping platform and an embossing ink pad to stamp "what comes around" onto my cover. Simply mask the words "goes around" so that they do not transfer. Then I sprinkle some charred gold embossing powder over the impression and heat it. I do the same for the back cover but I mask the words "what comes around". I then add embossing ink along the outer edge of both covers, coat it with embossing powder, and heat it. I have always enjoyed watching the powder melt.

While I have the embossing ink pad and powder out on my desk, I also add a bit of stamping and embossing to each of my pages. I use different techniques to create interest, making sure to brush off areas of the stamped images prior to heating to make the images unique.

I added some rub-on words and images to a few of the pages as well. I have a feeling I will be adding more to each of these pages over time. I just love how it turned out.

Obviously, I was drawn to the idea of creating a circular piece, but I think this binding technique could be used in a lot of different formats. I think the best takeaway from my project is that trying out new techniques and blending new color combinations can yield amazing results!

I hope that I have inspired you to pull out your stamps and Fresco Finish paints and try to create something new! Wishing you a creative day ~Ann

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January 2025 - With 3 Things: Art Journal Page {by Victoria Wilding}

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

This feature on the PaperArtsy Blog is where 3 bloggers are sent 3 items in the post. Typically we will receive a stamp, a stencil and a couple of Fresco Paints, and in 2025, everyone will receive identical products. 

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 are allowed to bring 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’m always super excited to open my package and discover what PaperArtsy goodies I’ve been sent to create with. I love the Niagara Falls (FF205) and Gold Rush (FF204) colours from Seth Apter’s collection of PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics. Blue greens are definitely my favourite palette of colours and crop up time and again in my makes, as does gold, and whilst this paint isn’t a metallic, it’s golden hue is so yummy. As soon as I looked at PaperArtsy Stencil PS103 I was drawn to the flower section with mask and knew I wanted this to feature as a key element in my project. The stamps in HP1007EZ provide so much variety with text, nature and vintage designs. These designs lend themselves nicely to creating radically different styles of  projects, so it’s been really interesting to see how Floss and Nikki took a totally different approach to using the designs. 

I decided to make a page in my art journal, using my favoured floral and nature elements from the designs. I’m an art journal junkie so this is my favourite kind of project as it really allows you to play with a variety of products in your stash. Let’s take a closer look at the different steps I took to create this page. 

I started off by creating a centre panel for the page, using the flower section at the bottom of PaperArtsy Stencil PS103. Using the leftover ink on my blending brushes, I worked along the strip to apply a light colour to the bottom of the card.

I then used the matching flower mask to protect my ink work and applied a watered down coating of PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Acrylics in Niagara Falls FF205) to the top section of the card.

To create some more contrast to the colour in the top section, I randomly applied patches of blue ink using my blending brush. 

Next I drew some outlines around the flowers using watercolour pencils. I wet the tip of the pencil slightly before drawing, as this activates the colour and creates a darker line. I used the colours Payne’s Grey on the purple flowers, Rose on the pink flowers and Indigo on the blue flowers. 

Then I added centres to the flowers using Nuvo Glitter Markers. 

I wanted to create some extra texture to the sky, so I used the text stamp from HP1007EZ, applied PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Paint in the colour Gold Rush (FF204) and randomly stamped some text details. The finished effect is subtle and provides some extra interest to the card.

I finished this part of the project by distressing the edges of the card and applying some brown ink to define the edge. 

After this I moved on to creating the elements to extend the design and finish the journal page. I started by cutting a kraft mat to layer the card on and stamping some text to the outer edges. 

Then I masked off the word flowers from the text sentiment in set HP1007EZ, before stamping on white card and mounting on kraft card. I cut this to size and set to one side. 

I like a lot of white space in my projects as it drains the eye into the focal point and provides a place for the eye to rest. I wanted to add some details to the white journal page to tie into the card, butting didn’t want these to be overpowering. Using the flourish from HP1007EZ, `I stamped and embossed it in gold direct to the journal page in the upper right corner. To judge where to stamp, I placed the card on the page and draw a faint pencil line around the top right corner of the card. Once the flourish was complete I erased this so that it could not be seen on the finished project. 

Finally I stamped the bird stamp from HP1007EZ in PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Gold Rush (FF204) and, using an embossing pen drew in some highlights which I set with gold embossing powder. 

To complete the page I adhered the sentiment to the card and then attached this to the journal page with double sided tape, before using foam tape to attach the bird to the bottom left corner. To incorporate the flourish further with the overall design, I applied three small butterflies from my stash.

I really enjoyed creating this page and it would be so easy to adapt to a card making project instead. 

The touches of gold give some extra visual interest and really help to lead the eye into the central panel, where you can then consider the peaceful flower meadow scene. 

I hope you enjoyed this journal page project. Until next time, wishing you a happy creative week!

Victoria

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January 2025 - With 3 Things: Mirror Image Stamping {by Nikki Acton}

Hi friends, Nikki (a2a.craft) with you today for another 'With 3 Things' challenge post. 

This feature on the PaperArtsy Blog is where 3 bloggers are sent 3 items in the post. Typically we will receive a stamp, a stencil and a couple of Fresco Paints. This year everyone will receive identical products in the post.

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 are allowed to bring 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! This month I received PaperArtsy stamp set HP1007, stencil PS103 (by Darcy) and Fresco Acrylics in Niagara Falls and Gold Rush.

Today I have made 6x6 inch cards using the items above plus some archival ink. I enjoy working with limited supplies, I find it saves me being indecisive!

I did not have a plan when I started but reached for the images that appealed to me and started to experiment.

I was drawn to the mask and stencil of the flowers. Having both elements allowed me to sponge the flowers through the stencil, but then also use the mask to stencil the area around the flowers.

I used both Niagara Falls and Gold Rush.

I wasn't too happy with the result of the Niagara Falls on top of Gold Rush - but I'm glad I kept it - it came in handy later!

I grabbed my gel plate next and started making some backgrounds, which I didn't end up using! I also used the bird silhouette stamp on HP1007 to create a mirror image of the stamped image. There is a short video here of how to do this. It is very simple - brayer paint onto the gel plate, place the stamp on the paint, gently press before removing and stamping onto scrap paper. Then pull a print off the gel plate.

A plan was now emerging so I also stamped the bird stamp in the same paint colours directly onto PaperArtsy Smoothy Cardstock.

I now had mirror images of the bird. Time to put all these elements together.

First I cut my stencilled flowers into strips and fussy cut the birds.

I used Ranger Archival Ink in Watering Can to randomly stamp 2 of the other stamps from the set onto Smoothy card. I also cut a circle and frame from one of the gel prints - but didn't use this one in the end.

I combined the flower strips to make a background and used the Niagara Falls / Gold Rush combined stencilled paper to cut my frame and create a border. 

I gave the birds a little eye punched out of scraps.

 and then I put it all together.

There were lots of bits left over so I made a second one with a slightly different composition.

This was fun! I always enjoy using a gel plate and the mirror imaged birds made me happy!

Nikki

Blog: Addicted to Art

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