2023 Topic 4 : Mail Art {by Etsuko Noguchi} with Sara Naumann stamps

Hi everyone 

Etsuko (My favorite things) here with you today.

Our current topic Mail Art gives me a great opportunity to create something to use; Washi-paper. In the old days in Japan, letters were written with a brush using washi paper, but it's not easy today! However I thought I'd follow suit and make a tidings of flowers letter out of old fashioned scroll letter using wonderful Sara Naumann stamps and stencils.

For the Texture main theme I have used collage of thin washi-paper dyed with Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics, Momigami-paper applied to the surface case, underlying background showing through thin Tengucho-paper and picture postcard made of thin paper. 

I decided to use blue and peony as the main colours, chose PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic-Bougainvillea, Pea Coat and Blueberry by thinning these colours as much as possible and layering the paper, it was made to look purple, I also made another colour of Heavy Cream for the stamping. 

I used Sara Naumann stamp set 67 (ESN67) for the flowers illustration of the letter and same Sara Naumann stamp set 65 (ESN65) for the belly band decoration of the case. 

The following three types of washi papers were used for this project. A little thick Washi-paper for the letter scroll, Momigami-paper (wrinkled paper) on the surface of the case, finally I used ultra-thin Tengucho-paper (the paper often used for restoring old books or Japanese paintings.)

When I dyed the Tengucho-papers the paper was so thin that the colour it applied would pass right through, so I laid down a craft sheet and painted it.

The dyed Tengucho-paper is cut into strips and used to frame the flower paper below. In the three pieces of flower papers below are ESN67 was stamped with Tsukineko -VersaFine Clear (Nocturne) on two pieces of Tengucho-paper, and coloured later. 

The PaperArtsy Stencil by Sara Naumann (PS364) was reverse-stencilled with Ranger Industries - Distress Oxide (Faded Jeans) and it was made for the border of the letter scroll. I ended up not using the two sheets on the left.

As shown in the previous picture, I made a case mount with card stock and stamped the ESN65 Key and Voyage with Ranger Industries - Archival Ink (Cobalt)--(picture A). Next I prepared Momigami-paper (picture B) and glued it on top so that the stamp pattern underneath could be seen through a little, but it only helped a little. (picture C)

I added PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic-Southern Skies with water to the surface of the case by splattering it. Also I did PS364 and gel printed with Distress Oxide (Faded jeans) for the back of case. The original plan was to gel print the PS364 on the Tengucho-paper and glue it on the back of the case. However, I was worried that if thin paper was coated with a water based gel medium the pattern would smudge all over the paper. 

I made the belly band and the decoration, the decoration stamped ESN65 heart on two sheets of paper (the papers made two pieces of Tengucho-paper glued together) with Distress Oxide (wilted violet and faded jeans) and finished with clear embossing powder. The two heart sheets paper were placed in a diamond-shaped frame with the patterns slightly shifted.

 

The belly band was stencilled with the Distress Oxide (wilted violet and faded jeans) using PaperArtsy Stencil by Sara Naumann by (PS 362) on the Washi- paper, then attached a small magnet to the belly band to hold the case. Also I made postage stamp using Ink and Dog mini stamp MN126 and MN127 then I pasted to the band. 

The project using Sara's supplies from Topic Mail Art was so much fun that was a pity that it was over, so I made the picture postcards in the same way. I painted PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic - Bubble Gum, Lemon Meringue and A bit Fishy on a card stock, randomly stamped Ink the Dog mini stamp (MN131, MN132, MN125 and MN126) with VersaFine (Morning Mist) and cut with scalloped cutting Dies for the postcard frame and post stamps. 

I made picture postcards used Sara Naumann stamp set 66 (ESN66) with VersaFine Clear (Nocturne) and clear embossing powder on a vellum. These birds to painted from the back. I glued frames and postage stamps to the vellum cards and decorate with ribbons. And I played it a little sideways.

I wanted to make the background of the letter like watercolour paint, so I used transparent Southern Skies diluted with water. I used a soft flat brush with 1-inch bristles to apply paint in gradate shades and draw a curve in a horizontal line. Then stenciled Southern Skies diluted with water from dot stencil on the upper curve with a sponge. To splattered the bottom with water and sprinkled silver embossing powder to embossed. Also I used flower cutting die to the dyed blue Washi-paper. I pasted the border for edging that I made with PS364 from the back.This mounting is like a picture frame made of cloth or paper used for hanging scrolls, and it's not often used for the like letter, I used it here just as a decoration.

I put pieces of flower paper in the middle and made a collage with dyed Tengucho-paper to make the frame, and placed each on the letter scroll with gel medium. On the thin flower papers the background of the letter scroll bellow is slightly transparent at the same time, so that it becomes the background of the flowers. I made the letter to tell someone about a tidings of flowers, and Japanese sentiments next to each frame are short poem about these flowers.

To say that all the content in this project was good it is not true, but I think this continuous scrolling without breaks works will provide me with a lot of ideas to create interesting works in the future. Sara's stamps and stencils are a mixture of abstract and figurative elements, and our thoughts work flexibly, so we can create fun works, I love them very much. 

Thank you so much for joying me.

Etsuko xxx

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NEW PaperArtsy Products: Sara Naumann {January 2023}

A note from Leandra:

Sara's release is bold and beautiful! Bold phrases and quotes that speak to the heart, gorgeous collage elements and creative collage stamps, plus those super useful,  go-to stencils that offer intersting layering options for your artwork.

 

Sara will be along to share with you LIVE her new products and ideas over in our Facebook Group, 'PaperArtsy People' shortly after this post publishes, and ...

 

These stamps are available EXCLUSIVELY from our approved stockists. Please check the list at the foot of this post to find a retailer online or geographically near you, it makes sense to order within your country where possible. Our retailers also endeavour to join the designer's live to share their direct shopping links - this makes it super easy for you to find a store with product in stock immediately.

 

Hi everyone, Sara Naumann here — I'm so happy to share my newest PaperArtsy release with you! I've got three new stamp sets and three new stencils to show you today, and my hope is that  you'll find these collections to be versatile and useful for lots of different applications, from cards to tags to journals to even jewellery! 

This collection draws upon themes of art and love, nature and journeying. As we in the Northern Hemisphere begin our springtime, with ever-so-slightly longer days and just a touch more color in among the grays of late winter, I wanted to explore techniques using various methods of transparency and translucency. Resin is my go-to for that look, and I'll share some resin effects with you today. Tissue paper is another great way to add layers to your work, whether you combine it with resin (swoon) or use a wet glue to adhere it to your surface. 

For the projects in this post, I'm using a variety of Fresco colors: Hint of Mint, Peach Nectar, Seaglass, Lemon Meringue, Limelight, Zesty Zing, Blush, Pea Coat and Bouganvillea. You'll see a lot of silver and gold foiling, which is from WOW's Fab Foil, which I apply with stick glue. I also use their clear embossing powder to create a raised, stamped image which also means the ink will stay in place when I add resin or glue. 

Soooo.... ready to play? :)

Price: RRP €23.00 +VAT    Size:5" x 6" (13 x16.5cm)

All stamps are individually trimmed onto cling foam with a laminated storage/index sheet.
  

Eclectica³ Sara Naumann Set 65 (ESN65)

Secret Heart

This large distressed heart makes for an eye-catching focal image, and looks great when stamped in crisp black ink.

 

Here I've stamped the heart with black ink and clear-embossed it onto white tissue paper which was first brayered with Seaglass, Lemon Meringue and Peach Nectar. After stamping and embossing, I coated the piece with resin epoxy. This makes the tissue totally translucent except for the areas of paint, and makes it sturdier too.

 

 

There's a "secret heart" sentiment on the stamp set, but of course you can use just one portion of the stamp—here I have just the mysterious word "secret" on a leftover snippet of book paper. Notice the little postmark image? That's a separate stamp and it's super-useful as a little accent. Same with the cluster of postage that you see cut out and tucked under the main image.  

 

Voyage

I adore any words and phrases that evoke travel, journeying or exploration of any kind. Of course they're ideal for art journals and memory albums, as well as artwork that celebrates imagination and dreamers.

 

The word "voyage" is so fun to personalize, either by painting in some of the letters as I did—I think next time I'll play with adding a button or embellishment over the "o".

 

 

Remember that cluster of postage from the previous card? I've used it here in the same position, as you can see using the same basic layout can give you really different looks! 

 

Eclectica³ Sara Naumann Set 66 (ESN66)

 

 Notes & Observation 

 

I love the symbolism of birds, and this set has so many images to use as project focals—whether you use the images as they are, or snip them apart.

 

I layered this wise little owl onto sheet music paper, after stamping and embossing the image onto brayer-painted white tissue paper and coating it with resin.

 

 

Snipping apart the words gives more options for layering, and adhering the focal with foam tape gives space for script stamping on the background.

 

Sing

 

Resin-coating is ideal for journal covers and accents, as it makes delicate paper sturdier. You can use tissue paper, or even white napkins (separate the plys).

 

After heavily brayering white tissue paper with Limelight and Peach Nectar, I stamped and embossed the bird, then painted it with more Limelight. As an alternative, you could brayer less paint on the background and make the birdie brighter.

 

 

I coated the tissue with resin epoxy one the paint was dry. Once the resin is dry and cured, the tissue paper can still be cut or torn. If you want a very thick resin piece, simply apply a heavier coat of resin. You can also add a second layer the next day. (And you can keep going if you wish, to have a super-duper thick and sturdy piece.) I love how the edges of this piece are translucent and show the snippets of text stamping underneath.

 

Eclectica³ Sara Naumann Set 67 (ESN67)

Finding Joy

Flowers are some of my absolute favorite images to work with! I always think a simple floral motif is a wonderful way to express thoughts of growth, joy and beauty.  

 

 

While you can definitely fussy-cut this flower (and the sentiment on the stamp), I thought it would be a perfect focal element, especially with some paint—Peach Nectar and Limelight—to color it in.

 

Larger stamps can also be used in parts and pieces—I mask off elements with washi tape or masking tape, then ink, remove the tape and stamp to capture a portion of the design. The numbers peeking out from that scalloped edge are part of another floral image.

 

Little Flower Tag Book

Stamping, layering and creating a little resin charm as "journal jewelry" —the possibilities are endless!

 

This sentiment is perfect for a gardener, or for those who simply love flowers. I've designed it to fit nicely within a 2 1/2" square, making it easy to die cut. (Am I the only one who struggles to line up words with the edge of a paper cutter?)

 

The little embellishment accents the top of the tag look like a bit of journal jewelry! The base is actually a wooden Scrabble® tile. I stamped and embossed the flower on tissue paper, painted it with Bougainvillea and Limelight fresco paint, and then glued it to the tile. Once the glue was dry, I added a flat-back pearl and a layer of resin.

 

Regular Size: 6.5" x 7" (16 x 18cm) Price: RRP €5.60 + VAT

  

PaperArtsy Stencil 368, regular size (PS368)

Secret Keeper

With this piece, I wanted to create a lot of layers on a single piece, giving depth and dimension without much bulk. The base is brayer-painted Smoothy cardstock (swoon, I love Smoothy!), with a tissue-paper layer of stamping and lots of stenciling. No resin here...I decoupaged the image onto the cardstock with glue.

 

With an alphabet stencil, you can certainly use one or two of the letters, or spell a word... you can also use the letters as backgrounds or borders. These letters were stenciled with clear embossing ink and white powder. I was not going for a perfect look; rather, just a hint of the text.

A distressed effect with silver foil edging creates a visual space between the stenciling and the sheet music pattern. Don't those numbers look so tactile?

 

 

Charming Gardeners

An orange-and-yellow painted and stenciled background brings energy and warmth. With the split stenciling, you only need a simple focal element, like a sentiment and coordinating floral image.

 

The outline letters are made with a reverse-stenciling technique (one of my favorites!): Brayer paint—in this case, Bougainvillea—onto the stencil; in the case of letters, you'll want to do that on the back side of the stencil. Mist with water, then press it like a stamp onto your painted paper.

 

Of course Grunge Paste and stencils are meant for each other. These dimensional letters are made with Grunge Paste stenciled through, then a bit of Lemon Meringue rubbed on top when the stencil is still in place. Remove, cover with clear embossing powder and carefully heat-set for a clear, glossy, dimensional look.

 

PaperArtsy Stencil 369, regular size (PS369)

Equilibree Tag Book

A sweet little tag book cover has bright pink layers and a hint of gold as a contrast to the bright white stenciling.

 
Although the stencil is an all-over design, it's also easy to use in portions—like for a border. The raised white embossing is under the layer of stamped resin-coated paper. 

 

 

A snippet of reverse-stenciled book paper is glued to the back of an acrylic tag in the top right corner of the photo (I cleaned my craft room and found about a dozen of these!). This makes a fun accent and another example of "journal jewelry".

 

Carte Postale Tag Book

While I've made this into a tag book, there is no reason why this project couldn't be a tag on it's own. And the journal jewelry here? Well, the Carte Postale resin piece could easily be strung on some copper ball chain to be a striking piece of wearable art.

 

Here's a bit of reverse-stenciling onto painted book paper—after lifting up the stencil, I clear-embossed the paper. (You may recognize it from the acrylic tag in the previous project!)

 

I've got some white-embossed bubbles along the right side of the tag, and a bit of the edge of the stencil too. Yep, those edges are fair game as a design element, too!

 

 

PaperArtsy Stencil 370, regular size (PS370)

Carte Postale

Stencils with lines of words, letters or numbers work beautifully to create the illusion of stripes—which means that you can get some really cool effects when you lay one "stripey" design vertically, and layer it again horizontally to create a cross-hatch design or even the suggestion of a plaid effect.

 

I love the texture you get when you reverse-stencil with paint on a brayered background, then add clear embossing powder!

 

 

Then, overlayer with another round of stenciling—this is done with Grunge Paste, uncolored, just straight from the jar. I love the bone color of it, and how it can blend so nicely into a background.

 

Dreamer Notebook

 

A resin-coated sheet of stenciled tissue paper can easily be layered on top of contrasting papers (like sheet music) or painted papers (you'll see the Lemon Meringue) to give texure and color variety. You can still punch holes in the resin paper, I used a regular hole punch so I could add my ring binding.

 

Here you can see the sheet music shining through the open space of the letters. 

 

To adhere resin-coated tissue or paper onto another paper, I recommend using wide double-sided tape on the entire piece, then smoothing it flat.

Project 1: Resin Art Journal

I love the idea of adorning journals, books and other treasures with resin pieces—so here I have a resin charm as my journal jewelry. It's super-easy to make, so let's take a look!

 

 

To make the charm: First, create your background piece and stamp your design with black ink, then heat-emboss with clear powder. This ensures the ink won't smear.

 

Cut, punch or die-cut the piece to fit inside the metal bezel.

 

Use white glue or Mod Podge to coat the piece front and back. When that's dry, glue it inside your metal bezel.

 

Place it on a flat surface, on top of a protective material like a craft mat, bin liner or baking paper. If the embellishment has a loop, like the rectangular Carte Postale bezel, place it on the edge of a box so the loop can hang off.

 

Then, let's mix up the resin epoxy. It's easy. I'm using ICE Resin from Ranger, but any two-part resin epoxy will mix about the same way. Please read the instructions on the box carefully and be sure to protect your work surface with a craft mat, and wear protective gloves and an apron. 

 

Use a measuring cup to mix Part A, the resin, with Part B, the hardener. You'll usually get a measuring cup included in the box with the resin. You'll mix equal parts of Part A and Part B, so start with Part A, pouring exactly half the total amount into the cup. 

 

Then, add Part B. It is vital that you measure precisely. (That's why I use a Sharpie to mark the lines on the cup to be sure!)

 

 

And mix. Stir gently but thoroughly for about two minutes, folding the two liquids together until they are completely blended and there are no striations in the mix. Scrape down the sides of the cup, and along the edges of the stir stick.

 

You can see the bubbles here—to eliminate them, blow gently through a straw. The warm air will cause the bubbles to dissipate. Use the stir stick to slowly drip the resin into the bezel. It will be thick enough so you have control. Still, take care not to overflow the piece.

 

Let the piece dry overnight. It will cure within a few days to be rock-hard. (Cure time may vary by manufacturer.) You can work with the piece once it's dry and before it's cured, but just don't place it in an air-tight container until it's cured. I glued a metal loop to the back of the bezel, and then could hook it onto my journal binding.

 

The journal cover is also resin—it's a piece of white tissue stenciled and coated with resin for translucency.

Project 2: Balance Birdie

This project also incorporates layers of translucency—with tissue paper as well as an ivory resin bezel stamped with the bird. Let's have a look.

 

 

First, I prepared my background with paint as well as reverse stencilling. Then I stamped and embossed the birdie onto white tissue paper. I played with the positioning until I decided which area of the paper I wanted the bird to go on. 

 

 

Then, I applied white glue to the reverse side of the tissue paper.

 

 

Place it onto the background and add more glue on top.

 

Use the brush to smooth out any wrinkles, then let it dry.

 

So now let's talk about the bezel on top. This is made with Ivory Resin from Pentart. Alumilite White is another brand that gives a similar effect. Like resin epoxy, it's a two-part combination; however, the finished effect is not clear, but white. It also takes much less time to mix and cure. (Like, minutes!)

 

In this case, I poured the mixed resin into a bezel, making sure the resin was level with the edges of the bezel. When it was dry, I stamped and clear-embossed the bird image on top. Then, I used Hint of Mint and Limelight to add a bit of color, and went over it with Gloss Glaze.

Then, I simply glued the piece on top of the tissue paper bird body!

The word "balance" is stamped onto a snippet of book paper and added as an accent.

 

And voila—layers, texure, and colors... so many wonderful elements to combine!

Thanks for hanging out with me for this blog post! And a big special thank you to the PaperArtsy team for all their hard work in producing such great quality stamps, paints and supplies!

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Natalie May Scrapbooking, Dover Gardens, SA https://nataliemay.com.au/

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Créatelier Caracolle, Liège, www.createliercaracolle.be

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Kerudoc Creation, St Yvi www.kerudoccreation.com

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Ideas 10 Manualidades Y Scrapbook, Bilbao ideas10manualidades.com/

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Scrap & Papers Experiences, Barcelona, www.scrappapersexperiences.com

The Paradise Corner, Barcelona, www.theparadisecorner.com

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Butik Elva, Staffanstorp, www.butikelva.se

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Mandy's Cards, Taipei www.facebook.com/mandy.card.77

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Amelia's Creative Crafts, Studley, Warwickshire  www.ameliascreativecrafts.co.uk

Art from the Heart, Harrogate, Yorkshire www.afth.co.uk

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Loobi Crafts, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, www.loobicrafts.co.uk

Papermaze, Ipswich, Suffolk www.papermaze.co.uk/ 

Stampers Grove, Springbank, Lilliesleaf, Melrose,Scotland www.stampersgrove.co.uk

The Artistic Stamper Craft Store, Faversham, Kent www.theartisticstamper.com

The Forget me not Kraft Kabin, Rochford, Essex, www.TheForgetMeNotKraftKabin.co.uk

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Artistic Artifacts, Alexandria, VA www.artisticartifacts.com/

Artistic Studio Creations, Fayetteville, Georgia www.facebook.com/ASCbyCrystal

Craftiness, Chatsworth, CA, www.craftinessonline.com/

Everything Scrapbook & Stamps, Lake Worth, Florida https://everythingmixedmedia.com/

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Free Heart LLC, Denver, Colarado, www.freeheartllc.com/

Joggles, Coventry, Rhode Island, www.joggles.com

PaperCraft Clubhouse, Westbrook, Connecticut, papercraftclubhouse.com/

Qingquing's Stamp Shop, Portland, Oregon

Runaway, Art & Craft Studio, NE Salem, Oregon www.runawayart.com/

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