2021 Topic 12 : Sustainable Crafting with I&D {by Jennie Atkinson}

  2021 Topic 12: Sustainable Crafting

There used to be a mantra that if as piece of leftover was smaller than 2 inches, you should throw it away. Jennie definitely doesn't subscribe to that train of thought and has got some wonderful ideas for the teeniest of pieces. She's definitely an advocate for sustainable crafting and when it's tea stained and curated into something lovely, who could possibly think differently?!

~ Keren.

Hi everyone, it's Jennie (Live the Dream) with you today, and I'm here to share with you some ideas for using up all your scraps!

I am known for hoarding paper...small, tiny bits, that most people would put in the bin! But when combined with a little set of stamps, these tiny bits of (especially) tea stained papers can be pulled together into little collages which can then be used to decorate a small notebook (also made from scraps!)

Sustainable crafting....using EVERY little bit! 

When my grandchildren were here a few weeks ago they sorted all my "bits" into piles of different colours and we made "scrap" books for their homework notes. They love little flaps and secret places where they can write little bits and pieces and so normally go home with at least two or three. So my supplies were a bit depleted!

For the collages I have kept mainly to the tea stained papers and you will see from the little video walkthrough later that I have used the other pieces for the actual notebook. Ink and the Dog stamps are my absolute favourite stamps for these little pieces and each set has some interesting stamps that can be used as background or sentiments.

                                                                            Letters 4

                                    Letters 2                                                 Letters 6

Letters 6 has to be my most used I&D - who doesn't love the fragile dreams negative strip but the text and little sentiments of Letters 4 come a close second!

This close up shot shows how the text stamp looks on tea stained paper with all those different fonts making it a great background layer. A little bit of stitching on the layers also pulls it all together.

It's worth investing in some tiny tag dies as they make the best use of tiny pieces. I love when labels on clothes come with thee little pins - they make a novel way of attaching the tags.

The little text stamp from Clocks 1 and the Paris frank from ID10 are again two of my most used stamps. They are just the perfect size for little tags.

Clocks 1

VID10

Larger labels such as this one from Letters 6 can be made into little pockets when sewn onto a backing piece of paper and again investing in a mini tag punch means every little piece is used.

Here I have layered tea stained papers with some coloured cardstock, the colour broken up by using a background text stamp. At this stage I have no idea how I am going to use these little collages and that freedom means I group things together which I might not have done.

The same stamps, but used in a different way on the coloured cardstock.

So what to do with these little collages? As I had some larger bits of the coloured cardstock I made a small notebook cover. I made a mat for the large collage by painting a piece of ribbed paper packaging with Fresco Chalk Acrylic (French Roast) and some lovely gold embossing around the edges.

The inside of the notebook was made using some of the larger pieces from my little stock pile of papers, including some of the PaperArtsy Tissue Packing Paper - I am becoming a huge fan of this lovely feel tissue! Some of the larger pieces were  made into flaps and run throughout the book.

As it is difficult to show this I have made a short walkthrough video so you can see what I mean!

I find making these little collages fun and without an end project in mind totally free and creative. They can sit in a box until I have time to use them and sometimes they find themselves as a topper for a quick make greetings card. 

I hope I have given you some ideas of how to use some of the smaller PaperArtsy vintage stamps and also how to then pull them together into a little notebook. 

As always thank you for joining me and happy crafting!

Jennie x

Blog: Live The Dream
Instagram: atkinsonjennie
 

2020 Topic #18 Patchwork Patterns with I&D (by Jennie Atkinson)

      2020 Topic 18: Geometric

If you thought that patchwork was old fashioned, Jennie will hopefully shatter those illusions with her cool stamped and rearranged designs. With the simplest of supplies and a load of stitching, you can end up with some super stylish makes.

~ Keren

Hi everyone, it's Jennie (Live The Dream) with you today, sharing some patchwork pattern ideas for our current geometric theme. 

I am not a great lover of creating patchwork with material but I do love experimenting with patchwork patterns using coloured papers. There are so many pattern ideas on Pinterest that you can spend ages looking for different ideas and inspiration. I have kept my designs quite simple for these two cards, but they still look just as effective and make great cards for sewing minded friends.

I have used Ink and the Dog stamps to pattern my papers  looking for some smaller patterns with text and postmarks:

Clocks 1

Words 4

I created background papers using my brayer and some Fresco colours I thought would go well together: Venice Blue, Mulled Wine, Brown Shed and Green Patina. I am in a bit of "brights" mood at the moment with all the lovely autumn colours in the garden, which makes such a change from my usual soft choices. I have just brayered the colour directly onto Smoothy Cardstock.

I have stamped randomly, but not made a masterboard as such. I regretted using black ink initially thinking it was far too dark, but it did work in the end.

For this pattern I have cut 2" squares and then made half and quarter triangles. The design centres around the square in the middle. The base cardstock is 5½" x 5½" and although it was easy to find the centre it was more difficult to make sure the square was straight!

Stitching around the edges of each piece does make a difference and when layered onto two coloured layers really has the feel of patchwork.

I added a sentiment using a quote from Alison's Friends and Friendship stamp set and a little cluster of ribbon and a flower. 

EAB10

My second design used 1" squares cut into triangles and was much more fiddly!

I only needed a 4" x 4" background for this smaller pattern and it was easier to get started from the middle. It is a good idea to have your design set out before you start glueing as it is easy to get lost!

Stitching the smaller triangles was very fiddly and I took a few shortcuts in trying to keep a single run without having to keep stopping. I have used the same sentiment as before and a similar cluster around the tag.

 

I really enjoyed putting together these geometric designs but would suggest that keeping your squares to 2" makes life much easier all round. It was a great opportunity to experiment with colours I might not normally put together and I was also pleased to use some of my smaller text stamps which sometimes get lost on bigger projects. Needless to say I have a huge collection of pins on Pinterest with other ideas for designs, so will not be short of any ideas.

As always thank you for joining me and I hope this idea of using patchwork patterns provides you with some prompts for cards and layouts and provides a different style of creativity for your stamps.

Jennie x

Blog: Live The Dream 

2019 #4 Tick Tock: Time is Golden with Ink & Dog {by Miriam Grazier}

2019 Topic 4: Tick Tock

There's nothing more satisfying than a bunch of layered clock parts, and Miriam has done that beautifully within an MDF clock frame. Love how the texture is highlighted by Treasure Gold so perfectly too! ~Leandra.

Hi everyone, it's Miriam with you today, and I'd like to share with you a MDF pocket watch that  I have altered using the Ink and Dog Clocks series of stamps.

I chose to use these stamps as they remain one of my favourite sets since I clapped eyes on them when they were released.  I've always had a fascination with clocks and time stamps and so they have always be perfect for me, in fact they are timeless (ok, ok, I know you are all groaning at that!).  I love the variety of clock heads and they layer up beautifully.  In fact, they are so versatile that I since I started to plan my project a few months ago I have changed my design several times.  Teaming these stamps with newer products such as the Fresco acrylic paints, Grunge paste and infusions was wonderful to work with.

Every time I use these stamps I remember just how much I love them.  From the Ink and the Dog series of stamps, these are from the 'Clocks' Family: Clocks 1 (C1), Clocks 4 (C4), Clocks 6 (C6).

They never age in my stash and I always spot something I had forgotten, for example, the small text stamp which I used to stamp into the wet Grunge Paste.

I love stamping into Grunge Paste.  I love the texture that it creates.  A warning for those of you who have not tried this before..... make sure you clean your stamp immediately.  Once the Grunge Paste dries it could prevent a clear stamped image.  I also spray the stamp with water before I stamp into the Grunge Paste.  This ensures an easier release from the paste, and you only need a very thin layer of paste, then the detail will be really sharp.  

I loved how the Rusty Car Infusions dried on top of the Grunge Paste. 

  

I did pat the Infusions with a paper towel before I dried it.  This gave a softer look.  The first time I did this it was too pale so I repeated this step.  I often prefer to do this and build up the layers than create a heavier background first time.  It makes me feel more in control.

The MDF was painted with layers and layers of watered down Fresco Paint which I dried in between each layer.  I stopped counting the layers but think it was about 15 in the end. 

  
I loved how the paint dripped into the stamped Grunge Paste.  Once fully dry I added a very small amount of Treasure Gold to my finger and highlighted the script texture.  I also added Gloss Glaze to the clocks so that they stood out from the rest of the project.

 

I had so much fun creating this project.  It took me back to the excitement i felt when I first got these stamps at the Artisan Show.  The project brought together everything that I love about crafting and mixed media.  It also showcases how everything works so well - Fresco acrylic paints are perfect to stamp on, emboss, and really layer up.  Just perfect!

I think if I was creating this project again I would add Grunge Paste and stamping on the top of the watch.  I did consider going back and re-doing this but I didn't want to do anything that could potentially ruin my project if I made a mistake.

If you haven't got these stamps I really encourage you to get them - they can be used for so many projects.  And if, like me, you haven't used them for a while, dust them off an have a play.  I really hope that I have encouraged you to have a play.  It was so wonderful to just not think and paint and stamp and really enjoy myself and get lost in my project.  I had so much fun.

Thanks for joining me this evening.  
Miriam

Blog: Miriam's Creative Dreams