2019 #12 Eyes: A Case for Mr Magoo with Ink and the Dog by Lucy Edmondson

2019 Topic 12: Eyes

Summer weather calls for a case for sunglasses!  Lucy to the rescue with this stamped fabric case. ~ Leandra

Hi everyone, it's Lucy from Lucy's True Colours here with you today, and I'd like to share with you a calico glasses case I have made using Vintage Ink and the Dog stamps: oldies but goodies!

As soon as I heard the topic 'Eyes' I thought of the Ink and the Dog Mini 'The Eyes See Everything', although in my case they don't, as I'm the resident Mr Magoo in our house. I cause much amusement seeing things that I mistake for other things because I haven't got my glasses on. I really don't like having 'eye furniture'. By the time this comes out I will have a new pair of glasses which are a bit more trendy than my old ones, and some prescription sunglasses - and a homemade case for them! For those of you with perfect vision, I hope you will make a case for your holiday sunnies!

I wanted to make a simple, rectangular soft glasses case, so I cut a large enough piece of calico and started off stamping a selection of Ink and the Dog stamps in shades of yellow Fresco Finish Acrylic paint. 

 I used Eclectic Plate 4, Clocks Plate 5, and Letters Plate 5, with Yellow Submarine, Tangerine Twist, Zesty Zing, and Mustard Pickle Fresco Finish Acrylic Paints.

I then carried on, overlapping and filling in the gaps, using darker orange Frescos such as Tango and Autumn Fire, and turquoise  shades such as Beach Hut, South Pacific, Caribbean Sea, Mermaid, and Jade. 

  
Stamps used, again from Ink and the Dog, were the Flourish Mini 96, the Words Mini  44, and one I have a particular fondness for, Phrenology Man Mini 83, which always reminds me of Mr PaperArtsy (I'm sure this will be edited out if it's too cheeky, but he is so perfect for the theme, with his sunglasses on!). I also love the clock and 'the voices speak only to me' words from Eclectic Plate 4!

Now it's time for the stamp positioner, to get a really deep black for my  main stamp image, Mini 02, the Eyes See Everything and the eye in profile, using archival ink in Jet Black. I do love having the stamp positioner for things like this, don't you?

  Then it's time to add a bit of wadding and stitch it into a simple pocket and we're done!

I had such fun making this glasses case which I know will be really useful to pop in my handbag. I hope I have encouraged you to dig out your old Ink and the Dog stamps. It's incredible to think they started in 2004, and I have had many of mine for such a long time. They still feel so very current and versatile. The fabric piece could be used in so many different ways: make up bags, pencil cases, covered boxes. I'd love to see what you make!

Blog: Lucy's True Colours
Facebook: Lucy Edmondson
Twitter: @CraftyLuce

2019 #4 Tick Tock: Wood Blocks with Ink & Dog Minis {by Lotte Kristensen}

2019 Topic 4: Tick Tock

There was a phase back in the day, where many stampers opted to remove their stamps from their wooden mounts. But I never heard of anyone keeping the wooden mounts!! Well, Lotte did and here's why! ~Leandra

Hey everyone, it's Lotte here, hope you're all well!  

I've been playing with some of the older Ink & The Dog stamp plates - I remember when these first came out, they were just so amazingly different from anything else on the market at the time, and they remain some of my most favourite stamps.  At that time, however, everything was very vintage (=brown) so I decided to brighten things up a bit for this project - I *do* like when things clash a bit, all in the best possible taste, of course!  (If you get this reference, I'll be delighted ;D)*

Once upon a time, rubber stamps came almost exclusively mounted onto wooden blocks.  Then somebody clever realised that you could store (hide) far more stamps if they were cling- and unmounted.  Result!  So, when I remounted some of my old stamps, I ended up with a lot of blocks which I kept, because you just never know when something might come in handy.  I've used them quite a lot by now, they make quite interesting little projects to do - I'm thinking these would be fun to have on your desk to fiddle about with, a sort of stamp-y executive stress reliever 😉

So, first I painted my blocks in PaperArtsy Fresco Finish London Bus, Slimed and Mermaid, having initially base coated with some white gesso (though this isn't actually necessary for the opaque colours).  The back of the red block got painted with Slimed, the green block with Mermaid, and the blue one with London Bus.

Next, with the Clocks 3 stamp set, I stamped the red block in Versafine Crimson Red - first the square collage stamp, then the watch on top. Next the green one with Clocks 5 stamp set in Versafine Spanish Moss - the ruler and then cogs, filling in with the gauge stamp. Finally, the blue one with the large watch stamp from Clocks 3 in Versafine Vintage Sepia, the swirl from Clocks 6 in Versafine Smokey Gray, as well as 'the time of my life' from Clocks 5 in Smokey Gray. 

  

Don't hesitate to stamp things on top of each other like this, we're after a textured background - the more layers, the better IMHO!

Turning over the blocks, stamp the green one with Versafine Spanish Moss, using the words stamps from Clocks 3 and 6, as well as the cogs from Clocks 5; on the blue block, stamp the collage squares from Clocks 3 in Versafine Deep Lagoon, and the Time & Tide in Smokey Grey; on the red block, stamp the cogs from Clocks 5, as well as the smaller watch from Clocks 6, in Versafine Crimson.

Now, stamp the Time & Tide from Clocks 3 and the watches from Clocks 6 on the green block, using Versafine Deep Lagoon; on the blue block, the word stamp from Clocks 3 in Versafine Onyx Black; and the collage square from Clocks 3 in Versafine Onyx Black onto the red block.  Also stamp the smaller words from Clocks 5 onto white cardstock in Versafine Onyx Black, cut out and glue onto red block.

Turn the blocks back over, and on the red one, stamp the large words from Clocks 6 in Versafine Deep Lagoon; on the green block, the phrase from Clocks 5 and Watch from Clocks 3 in Versafine Onyx Black; and the blue block, the gauge and phrase from Clocks 5 in Versafine Black Onyx.

With the collage square stamp from Clocks 3, stamp the top of all the blocks in Versafine Smokey Gray:

And that's us all done!   

Well, I hoped you enjoyed this project - as I said already, I've made quite a lot of these, they are quick and easy and it's fun trying out different, sometimes eye-watering, colour combos for high impact.  As always, they're easy to personalise for someone, you could do any theme or colour scheme, and embellish them as well - I've used old radiator keys etc in the past, though here I just wanted the stamps and colours to take main stage.  Don't forget to share your makes on the Facebook group page, I would love to see what you come up with!

Until next time 😊

Lotte x

* It was one of the late and brilliant Kenny Everett's catchphrases