2023 Topic 12: Designer Focus: JoFY {by Nikki Acton}

Hi everyone

Nikki (a2a.craft) here with you today.

This quarter we have seen some great projects on the topics of Tags and Monchrome, all  incorporating the current theme of Typography. 

Our designer focus on JOFY is the last topic for the quarter. I decided to go for what PaperArtsy call the 'Quadruple Whammy' - a project incorporating the theme and all three topics! I love JOFY's designs and artwork - but it's not my natural style. I am definitely a blues and greens crafter - so thought I'd challenge myself with this too, and go for Magenta as my monochrome colour.

I have had quite a while to do this project and I have been dipping in and out of it. As my deadline approached I realised I had made 25+ tags! I can't share the detail of them all but of course I do have lots of photos. 

My tags are grouped into 5 collections of 5. I had been trying to come up with an umbrella theme when I was out walking one morning - appreciating the trees, the weather, the sights and sounds. So I decided I would have a set of tags for each of our five senses; sight, smell, taste, sound and touch - with each tag naming some of my favourites.

For my monochrome 'colour' I selected PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic - Bougainvillea with the addition of Little Black Dress and Chalk. It wasn't difficult to create lots of variation in tones and shades. I really enjoyed using the wonderful JOFY tissue paper, as backgrounds and focal points. In addition I used JOFY stamp set 62, with a little bit of JOFY 112 and a couple of stencils.

My usual start point for a project is to create some background papers in the colours I am using. I might also stamp any images on scrap and cut a few out. This allows me to play with collage ideas or combining stamped images just to get some ideas.

My gel plate came out first and I played with creating different backgrounds using stencils and stamps.

I love using black and white - and played around with these on my gel plate too. 

I stamped a few images - both on book paper, white card and the coloured gel prints.

I then started adding some colour and stencilling directly onto some tags. The tags below use PaperArtsy stencils PS231 and PS396 by JOFY.

At this point I had lots of ideas, backgrounds and focal points - so decided to work on these groups of 5 themed tags.

 

For one series I used the swirly stencil (PS231) to sponge some tags and then added PaperArtsy Printed Tissue by JOFY (PT03). Most of this tissue included some text or numbers. 

I then added various embellishments - some stamped images (or part images) and some elements from the the printed tissue that I had adhered to Bougainvillea coloured card (e.g the circles below).

This series used the same stencil layered over some brayered black paint (PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic - Little Black Dress). I then cut some sections of printed tissue and adhered to white card.

I cut these out to create focal points for my tags. This printed tissue is fabulous to give you a variety of different images! 

 

 

I also created by own embellishments using the stencils.

 

I used a white gel pen on black card to create some shapes from the swirly stencil again.....

and then a black pen on white card using different stencils - PaperArtsy stencils - PS086 and PS309 by JOFY.

My original plan was to make a tag book, but as I began making so many I had an idea about displaying them all together in a big frame!

But in the end I decided to make a box for my tags - so measured the size I would need and cut some white card before using my gel plate to add some layers of colour.

Once glued together I added some Printed Tissue.

With my 5 sets of tags nearly complete I needed to chose some of the things that make me happy for each of the senses. Out came the typewriter! 

I added some ribbon / seam binding to them all. I varied this - above white seam binding is dyed with Bougainvillea and below I used one the stamps to stamp archival ink onto ribbon.

 

I added some pen work or splatters - each set a little different.

This was great fun - I found it an easy project to work on 'a bit at a time' which is good for me as I rarely have long periods of time to craft! Sometimes it can be beneficial - I often plan a layout - but don't stick it down - then the next day I see an improvement!

Nikki

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2022 Topic 04: Interactive {by Martha Ponsanesi} with JoFY stamps

Hi everyone, it's Martha (CraftingMartha) and today I'm here to share with you a mini interactive book, with the stamps from the new release by Jo Firth-Young (JOFY110 and JOFY112).

I'm a huge fan of all the JoFY stamps and the best way to enjoy them, for me, is to use them in a mini book; this one is made from one sheet of packaging paper, folded to create pockets and to give the opportunity to insert a simple pop-up.

I'm always excited when I see the possibilities looking at new stamps, colours and a simple sheet of paper.

To make this little cutie I started with a sheet of packaging paper 30cm x 21cm then folded and cut as shown in the picture.

Fold as an accordion to form the mini book, ready to be decorated.

Here is a video I made to show you exactly how to do that.

 

Maybe it can seem tricky when you do your first mini book, but then you won't be able to stop, did I mention it's addictive? You will definitely make more than one :).

 

 

To give a little more interest and structure to my mini book I applied some  Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic (Chalk) on alternating pages.

Now the fun begins: stamp, stamp, stamp! and emboss, emboss, emboss :)

I stamped and embossed in white on kraft pages, I love the effect of this two colours together and the stamps are so full of details that are perfect even if not coloured.

 

For these two pages I used also a previous set JOFY74 considering that all the JoFY stamps match together wonderfully.

Now is the time for some words and I stamped them on the central pages, always white on kraft and black on white...the central pages....in a little while you will see something happens.

Remember what I have said on other occasions? no?.... I love colours, I'm pretty sure you have noticed :) So I grabbed lots of PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic, my gel-plate (a small one), to prepare some patchwork kind of backgrounds. I prepared them in different shades of warm colours (Peachy Keen, Bougainvillea, Prawn, Cherry Red, Firebird, Persimmon, Banana).

cold colours ( Cerulean, Aquamarine, Caribbean Sea, Byzantium) and...

 

 

...green colours, of course (Limelight, Chartreuse, Slimed, Granny Smith).

 

And now what? But stamping and embossing of course...and lot of fussy cutting, thankfully these stamps are fussy-cutting-friendly.

Now, with all my wonderful 'hand made die cuts' I'm ready to embellish my mini book, make some tags to put into pockets and... make a rainbow raise.

A simple pop-up mechanism, a piece of cardstock as shown  in the photo, applied on the central pages.

 

You can make a couple of tag to put in the pockets.

 

Adding splatters of colours is one of my favourite ways to give a final touch.

And now I'm here playing with my mini pop-up book, happy as a child, making a rainbow rise, smiling looking at those colorful stamps, thinking about the next one I will make, maybe using brown for my stamping instead of black, to give more the effect of positive/negative. Will you give it a try too?

Have fun.

Martha x

 

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