PaperArtsy: SPICE JUG SLEEVE with EMW {by Floss Nicholls}

Monday, 12 October 2026

SPICE JUG SLEEVE with EMW {by Floss Nicholls}

Hello everyone

Floss from flossWORKSHOPart here with you today and I'll be sharing with you how to create cone shaped jugs using Mags Woodcock's rubber stamp set EMW004 combined with her stencils PS516 and PS517 that were launched earlier this year.

These cute little jug 'sleeves' fit perfectly over spice jars so you can pop brushes or other tall items in them as well as being able to use the jar to hold water and use for a table vase with fresh flowers...I think they look great with some of my brushes in...they will definitely look the part in my workshop.

I decided to use infusions with the stencils and stamped blank tissue paper to start layering images easily onto the card...

I love the negative effect with outlined shape detail that the technique of using dye stain infusions with stencils provide when using a wet background...I thought I would integrate stencils as a part background and then add stamped details for focal points...here are the colours I chose to go with Mags Woodcock's designs.

I started by playing around with the products I had chosen to get a feel of how they might work together, and then on a 3d shape...I made a quick prototype to check my measurements worked ok then made a sturdy card template to mark out the shapes onto 300gsm card to create a couple of cones... The compass was set to 80mm and 180mm using the same pivot point to give me a jug sleeve of 100mm in height. I used a 90* angle to get my cone angle...and added a 12mm glue strip to the end, and a thin rectangle of 150mm x 14mm for the handle.

I used PaperArtsy Mattint ASH to coat the whole cone and rectangle area using a wide flat brush...I love the finish and the transparency of the Mattints.

I used a dry sponge and PaperArtsy Stone Fresco Finish chalk acrylic through PS516 to create the heart details...I masked off the middle section on the stencil to avoid putting any unwanted shapes on my cone.

Then used the group of 000's from stamp set EMW004 to begin adding texture to some of the edges of the cone using Ranger waterproof Archival black ink...I thought that this would be ideal to use around the infusions as it would not react with the water...little did I know how it would react to something later on in the project that threw me sideways...more of that later!

I wet the card and sprinkled a little of a bit jaded Infusions Dye Stain and worked it in using a wet brush...

I held the stencil into the wet area and allowed the stain to pool into the edges of the stencil shapes. I was working on two cones at the same time and so here I am adding a few detailed areas onto the second cone layout which was also coated in ASH Mattint...

I also created a strip of card using the same a bit jaded Dye stain Infusions and stencil PS517 which would later be used as a decorative strip and a handle.

I then started using the wet stencil and Infusions in between the stencilled and stamped areas...

I painted some of the little 000's with PaperArtsy Pine Grove Fresco Finish chalk acrylic and stamped LOVE once the infusions had dried using a very fine brush..

After stamping some of the other designs onto blank tissue PT10 and painting on their reverse using PaperArtsy Olive, Pine Grove and Blood Orange Fresco Finish Acrylic, I used a wet brush to separate the stamped and painted images by gently tearing the wet lines to give me feathered edges ready for smooth glueing.

Before I used Liquitex gel mat medium to stick the dried tissue images down, I used a quick spray of fixative over the infusions so that they did not react with the wet glue.

This is where I foolishly did things in the wrong order on one of the jug sleeves!!! Note to self...do NOT use fixative over stamped images...use it over the infusions only. The waterproof ink reacts to the chemical in fixative and will promptly bleed and smudge...

It was an "eeeek! oh no no no no!!" moment closely followed by an "okay...you've got this...all is not lost and you do not need to panic...you can remedy this"...

I rescued the said piece by dabbing it and drying it off with my heat gun and using gesso to cover the smudged stamped areas...I love using gesso and so I felt quite comfortable with this schoolgirl error. Once the gesso was dry, I pooled some more of the A Bit Jaded dye stain Infusions on and using the same technique as earlier and stencil PS516 some new texture was created.

Using some of the painted stamped tissue and further stamping, then creating the rectangle piece 150mm x 14mm the jug was now ready to be cut out and assembled along with the other one.

By gently working your card into a more rounded shape it makes gluing it into a cone easier.

Once the cone was glued, glue the handle onto the seam. Gently pinch the opposite side to create the jug spout.

Glue the handle towards the base of the jug...you can make the handle to your preferred length, including gluing it to the underside should you wish to...then slip the jug sleeve over the spice jar.

These cute little jug sleeves fit perfectly over spice jars so you can use dry things in them as well as being able to use them to hold water and use them for a table vase with fresh flowers...I think they look great with some of my brushes in...perfect on your art desk, or a great gift too!

The little silver brad to the handle of this one...

I do hope this may have inspired you to have a go...I shall pop a downloadable template on my website for those who find using a compass tricky...or want to speed the template bit up ;) Do let me know what you may use your jug sleeve for if you create one...

until next time...much love Floss x x x