PA Blog 2018: Year in review Topics 13-16 with Miriam Grazier

  PaperArtsy Blog year in Review (Topics 13-16)

Hello from PaperArtsy HQ,

Tonight's curator is Miriam Grazier! She's here to take you through the next few topics of 2018 as we look back on the year and try to pick a few highlights for each topic we explored on the blog. Enjoy! ~Leandra

Tonight I'm sharing my picks from Topics 13-16: Mint, Sage, Claret and Gold; Baked Texture; ATCs and Re-inkers.

Topic 13: Mint, Sage, Claret and Gold

Colour combos are always inspirational for me, especially when they are combinations that I would not normally think about.  This combination was certainly one of those for me.  But wow.  The projects from the bloggers were amazing and it was hard to choose my favourites.

My first pick is this amazing beauty by  Anneke de Clerk. A very bright and colourful booklet using ETS stamps.

And I hope you didn't miss Ellie Knol's gorgeous home decor project. I just loved how Ellie used white stencilling in the background.

Additionally we saw all sort of beautiful ways of using this colour scheme.  I am sure you will agree that they all make the same colours look totally different.  It really was inspirational.

Topic 14: Baked Texture

2018 had everyone in a spin when Seth Apter announced the release of his Baked Textures.  I remembered thinking that they couldn't possibly be much different to other embossing powders on the market.  Then I tried them.  And I was hooked.   The introduction to this topic showed some amazing videos.  Likewise, Raquel (Scrapcosy) produced two really helpful and informative videos on her experiments with Baked Texture. 

My first pick is this amazing beauty by Autumn Clark, using the wonderful Ink and Dog stamps. . A very textured project that I really wanted to reach into the PC and touch.  Autumn really captured the beauty of the Baked Textures in this project.

And I hope you didn't miss Nikki Acton's wonderful geometric canvas which showed how wonderful and versatile Baked Textures are.

Additionally we saw all sort of techniques using the Baked Textures.  There were so many beautiful ways to create texture and they were so easy to use.  After the topic ended I still couldn't decide which Texture was my favourite - and I still can't.  I really hope that we ill see more of these released.

Topic 15 : Artist Trading Coins

Artist Trading Coins burst onto the scene from nowhere - one minute I had never heard of them and next minute they were everywhere I looked.  They are a great alternative to the classic Artist Trading Cards and are so fun to create.  I enjoyed seeing so many ways of using these coins over the duration of the topic.

I loved the Tea Bag art created by Alison Hall.  This was an amazing way to create ATC's.  I love drinking tea and was so inspired by Alison's coins.

And I hope you didn't miss Chris Cresswell's bright and colourful ATCs. Chris started her ATCs by using a masterboard, which was a great way to make mini and individual works of art. 

I adored how Claire Snowdon created beautiful works of art using Kim Dellow stamps - perfect for ATCs.  I loved the colour scheme that Claire used for her Coins.

The inspiration over this topic was truly amazing.  And I must admit that I am now a little addicted to creating Artist Trading Coins.

Topic 16 : Re-Inkers

I knew this topic was going to be a pleaser.  Who would have thought that you could do so much with the humble re-inker that's main purpose is to re-ink an ink pad!

My first pick is from Scrapcosy.  You can see the original post here. Raquel shares an informative video of how she created her project .  I certainly picked up a few great tips from this.  

And I hope you didn't miss Keren Baker's wonderful tag.  This really got me in a festive mood.

I adored how Lucy Edmondson demonstrated how to use re-inkers to create a custom ink pad.  I did make sure I tried this technique and loved it!

Additionally we saw all sort of wonderful ways to use re-inkers.  Truly inspirational.  It was really difficult to choose projects to review with you.

Miriam

2018 #13 Mint, Sage, Claret & Gold with EEV - Art Prompt Cards {by Alison Hall}

2018 Topic 13: Mint, Sage, Claret & Gold (Colour Topic)

Hi everyone, it's Alison/Craftytrog with you today, and I'd like to share with you an abstract art journal page. But I also made some art prompt cards, as I sometimes need a little help to get started on a page. I love the randomness of using these cards, it's exciting to turn over each card, not knowing what's coming next! So I'm first going to show you how I made my cards. I used my favourite art tool, the Gelli Plate, and some wonderful Ellen Vargo Eclectica Stamps! 

I began by picking out the paints to use. Naturally, the Fresco Finish Acrylic Paints I chose were Claret, Gold, Sage and Hint Of Mint. 

Using White Heavyweight Smoothy card, my cards were cut to ATC size, and I first used my Gelli Plate to base coat them with Sage. Next I brayered a layer of Claret on the plate, stamped a pattern in the paint with the hollow circle from Ellen Vargo Eclectica Stamp Set EEV03, then took prints with the cards. 

I printed the reverse of the cards in the same way, using another stamp from EEV03. The 8x10 inch Gelli Plate was large enough to place all 12 of my cards down to print...very handy! But you can easily use a smaller Gelli Plate, it will just take a little longer.

For the next layer, I brayered Sage Fresco Finish Acrylic on the left of the Gelli Plate, and Gold Fresco Finish Acrylic on the right. Using the strip of lines stamp from EEV03, I stamped a design horizontally across the paint, so mixing the colours a little. Then, I took partial prints on the edges of the cards, Sage on one side, and Gold on the other. I love this effect! I did the same on the other side of the cards, using the small bubblewrap stamp from EEV06.

For my top paint layer, I brayered Hint Of Mint Fresco Finish Acrylic onto my Gelli Plate, but instead of taking prints, I used it as a palette to add paint to the dotty stamp from EEV06, then stamped it on one side of the cards.  I used the serrated circle stamp from EEV06 to stamp on the other side of the cards.

Next, I added some black doodle dots to one side of the cards with a Posca Paint Pen, edged the cards with black ink, before adding my hand-written prompts to the other side.

And finally, using the prompt cards, here is my journal spread. After I'd followed all the card prompts, I carried on doing my own thing until I decided it was finished. I love this colour palette! The Gold Fresco Finish Acrylic looks amazing!

I hope I've inspired you to make your own set of prompt cards. I find them a really useful tool for abstract art journaling, but you could use them for canvases and cards too. I don't always use all of the cards, sometimes just 4 or 5 are all that are needed to get my creativity flowing when faced with a blank page. 

Have fun, and I look forward to seeing your projects for this challenge.

Alison xox

Blog: Craftytrog's Arty Adventures
Facebook: Alison Hall
Instagram: @craftytrog

To join our challenge and win a PaperArtsy apron:

Simply make something arty relevant to the topic, and link your creation from any social URL (eg. Instagram, Pinterest, Blog Post etc) sharing your original make to this challenge page.

The current topic link Topic 13: Mint, Sage, Claret, Gold will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, August 12th 2018, and the winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

NB you have 3 weeks for this challenge due to New Products being announced

All links go in the draw to win a PaperArtsy creative apron. Please make sure we can contact you as a prize winner - it helps if you share your contact info from the platform you opt to use.

Good Luck! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

2018 #13 Mint, Sage, Claret & Gold with ELB {by Ellie Knol}

2018 Topic 13: Mint, Sage, Claret & Gold (Colour Topic)

I love how Ellie has explained the process so well in creating her layers for this piece. Painting on the cotton adds a lovely texture, and I really like how she heat embossed the leaf stamps too! You can see the detail in one of the pictures below!. ~ Leandra

Hi everyone, it's Ellie Knol with you today, and I'm happy to share this home decor project I created in the above mentioned color theme; including a brand new Fresco Finish Paint color: Pine Grove, to add some variation to the Sage and Mint Fresco Paints I've used

Because of the colors Mint, Sage, Claret and Gold, and the stamp set ELB29 from Lin Brown, I chose to make a background with all colors, and use the red for the delicate leaf stamp from Lin to make it pop. I started doing the background with just the sage and mint, and decided to add more color to it. I really had to find a balance between the bright and more muted colors. You'll see it in the process!!

I am so happy with all the stencilling in the background! This is a recycled wooden frame that I sanded, and painted with Snowflake Fresco Finish Paint, then added some very light stencilling with the reds and greens; then added a thin layer of Snowflake again, so the stencilling is still there, but very light.

The middle area is cotton (with a layer of gesso on top) that has been glued to sturdy cardboard after I finished the background.

The Fresco Finish Claret and contrast of the Fresco Finish Gold paint (which is metallic) look so beautiful together. I've used  the swirls part from stencil PS074 here.

One layer stencilled paints over the other make that certain areas pop more than others. I've used the following stencils in addition to the earlier mentioned one: PS074, PS092, PS021

It's always a pleasure to try and get the whole in balance.
It's a bit much here ...

That's why I decided to soften down the centre and right hand side with some Snowflake Fresco Finish Paint sponged over the beautiful  Paper Artsy Mini mask flower PM002 from Emma Godfrey. 

I stamped the leaves from ELB29 onto gesso'd cotton fabric with Claret Fresco Paint, mixed with some PaperArtsy Drying Retarder because it's really hot in our part of the world today.

 

Here you can see the shimmery Gold Fresco Finish Paint real well ... dabbed through stencil PS074 with a piece of Cut 'n Dry.

Some detail I really like... the leaf after stamping and heat embossing it with clear embossing powder  right away.

Also: look at the beautiful mix of greens of the Fresco Finish Paints: Sage, Hint of Mint and Pine Grove.

I LOVE this color combination!!
I must admit that I don't normally use those very light colors like the Hint Of Mint and Sage colors, but I realize now that they give such depth to the whole project.
Go have fun with our color theme challenge; there's only a day left to enter !!
Play with your stencils and Fresco paints, they are fun.
I learned that drying retarder is real handy when the paints dry partially on your stamp because of warm weather; it gives the paint some more open time. 

Hope you liked it and see you next time!

Ellie Knol 

Blog: http://elliecreahoekje.blogspot.nl/   http://ellieatcs.blogspot.nl/ 

Owner of : https://www.facebook.com/groups/DutchArtJournal/  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008479362838 

Pinterest: https://nl.pinterest.com/ellieknol/

To join our challenge and win a PaperArtsy £50 gift voucher:

Simply make something arty relevant to the topic, and link your creation from any social URL (eg. Instagram, Pinterest, Blog Post etc) sharing your original make to this challenge page.

The current topic link Topic 13: Mint, Sage, Claret, Gold will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, August 12th 2018, and the winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

All links go in the draw to win a PaperArtsy gift voucher. Please make sure we can contact you as a prize winner - it helps if you share your contact info from the platform you opt to use.

Good Luck! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

2018 #13 Mint, Sage, Claret & Gold with EKD {by Lucy Edmondson}

2018 Topic 13: Mint, Sage, Claret & Gold (Colour Topic)

Lucy is great at making interesting wearable crafty items OR items with a purpose. In this post, she shares a great technique that does both those things. ~Leandra

Hi everyone, it's Lucy from Lucy's True Colours with you today, and I'd like to share with you some wooden bangles I have decoupaged, using a selection of Kim Dellow's stamps and stencils, and Fresco Finish Paints in the colour theme Mint, Sage, Claret, and Gold

I love wearable art: I have always loved clothes, and being able to make something in a particular colour palette of your choice is always fun. You can buy wooden bangles for decoupage in different shapes and sizes or cover one you already have and don't like. Unfortunately I had completely finished this project using narrow bangles when I decided I wanted to remake it using a wide, 4 cms bangle, as I felt it would show off the stamped images more fully, rather than simply looking like an abstract design.

The other difficulty I had was the 32 degree heatwave we were having when I started making this, as the paint was drying very quickly, so I used a little Fresco Drying Retarder with the Gelli Plate. I've never needed to do this before. A couple of days later, there was a little more breeze and I found I no longer had this problem, so it must have been extreme conditions!  I was getting frustrated at spending so much of my crafting session cleaning my stencils, despite popping them straight into cold water as I always do. What I discovered, which I hope may help somebody, is to dissolve a dishwasher tablet in hot water before I started crafting, and drop all my tools into that solution as I went along. It worked like magic!

So, for my bangles, I cut a stack of pieces of tissue paper to fit around the bangle length ways and width ways. Why did I do loads? it seems to be a recurring theme with me that I have loads of leftovers. I used a Gelli Plate and Kim's stencils 034, 036, 046, and 048 with Fresco Finish Paints in Bougainvillea, Claret, Mermaid, Lake Wanaka, Haystack, Zesty Zing, Banana, Winter Green, Hyde Park, and Snowflake to build up layers on the tissue pieces and create the challenge topic colours.

I then used a selection of stamps from EKD04, EKD05, and EKD06 with the same Frescos to add additional colour and details to the pieces of tissue.

Here are some more of the tissue pieces I made:-

I wanted to use some text, and also add some white paint, so I used the lovely stamp from JoFy 31 with Fresco Finish Snowflake.

I then used gel medium to adhere the tissue to the bangle, blasting with a heat gun to get rid of any wrinkles.

For the inner curve of the bangle, I snipped at one inch/2.5 cm intervals with scissors to make it easier to fold the pieces of tissue in.

I finished off with a couple of coats of Fresco Finish Gloss Glaze, both for protection and for glossiness.




Here's a final pic of the three bangles together:-

It was such fun making this project, and I made myself an extra bangle with the addition of Wisteria, to match a particular summer dress. I am planning on using the left over pieces of tissue to make a matching necklace with some wooden beads. I do hope you will have a go, and I would love to see what you make!

Lucy

Blog: Lucy's True Colours
Twitter: @CraftyLuce


If you teach: add venue, dates, booking info with links here for the next 2 months 

To join our challenge and win a PaperArtsy £50 gift voucher:

Simply make something arty relevant to the topic, and link your creation from any social URL (eg. Instagram, Pinterest, Blog Post etc) sharing your original make to this challenge page.

The current topic link Topic 13: Mint, Sage, Claret, Gold will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, August 12th 2018, and the winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

All links go in the draw to win a PaperArtsy gift voucher. Please make sure we can contact you as a prize winner - it helps if you share your contact info from the platform you opt to use.

Good Luck! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

2018 Topic 13: Colour - Mint, Sage, Claret & Gold {Topic Introduction and Challenge}

 2018 Topic 13: Mint, Sage, Claret & Gold (colours)

Well hello everyone, Darcy here, this week we have a new topic for you based on a beautiful colour combination.  

Before we start, let's see who won the Topic 12: Transfers Challenge...

The winner is: Etsuko from My Favourite Things

Email Darcy to claim your prize. Darcydotneedles@gmail.com

This piece of furniture really caught my eye, how striking is this, a real statement piece. 

Michele Sprague Design

Another striking piece for the home in this bespoke glass panel, a lovely composition that makes great use of light and has the darker colours as support. 

Osler Kurki Studio

This lamp is gorgeous, and does use all the colours from our colour scheme. Stunning elegance, evocative of times gone by but at the same time modern chic. 

Susan Kinzig and Caryn Kinzig

You can of course decorate yourself, never forget about wearable art, make a statement and show off your art. this brooch, teamed with the lush green dress are a wonderful match. perfect for a summer or autumn evening. 

Angela B

More wearable art in the form of this gorgeous necklace, the way the colours blends from light to dark is so lovely. All knotted, a labour of love. 

Arumidesign

Another necklace this time from leather, you could create this with die cuts and leather offcuts, or flower stamps on shrink plastic. 

Leather blossoms

These colours are perfect for Christmas, on cards, decorations and on gifts, who wouldn't love this  ensemble. It is early to think of the winter season, but if you have a colour scheme in mind you can pick up things throughout the year to make it less stressful later on. 

Jennelise Rose

Of course these ornaments are just classic Christmas, are you getting festive yet?

Renate

One more Christmas sample, this time a much lighter green, very understated. this sets a lovely base for the deep claret ribbon. 

Eliotstamps

Now for a card for any occasion, how beautiful do these flowers look, so rich you can almost catch their scent. 

Keri

These colours are very much inspired by nature an you can see that clearly in this canvas. 

Floral Todes

More evidence in this altered photograph. 

Tamelyn Feinstein

The floral theme continues over into cardmaking, and these colours are beautiful and bold, especially so against a crisp white background. 

Leena Girsa

At first glance this scrapbook page does look all pink, but peer closer at the layers to discover the different shades going as dark as claret. Once topped off with the mint  pieces and bow it all comes together very prettily. Notice there are spots, stripes and checks, but they all work together. Careful choice of shade and placement is key. 

Melo Vrijhof

This next layout uses similar colours but it looks so very different as it is the greens that are more prominent. Two layouts that are complete opposites, showing how versatile this colour combination is. 

Mariemily

Wonderful mixed media piece now, look at those textures, the leaves almost hidden but adding so much,  and colour gradients from light to dark green, all topped with the collage elements. does this inspire you to get started?

Carrie Vielle

A final digital piece, , again using all our colours. Mint, Sage, Claret and Gold. I love the sentiment on this one, though not sure I would achieve it with a bucket!

Mischief Circus

Well there you have it, a new topic to play with. What inspired you the most, what would you like to make for this challenge? Whatever you make, have fun and do link up, we love seeing what you create. 

Don't forget to follow Darcy and Leandra's Pinterest boards if this topic pushes your buttons, you will see plenty more examples to whet your appetite there! I am really looking forward to seeing what you create over the next 2 weeks!

~ Darcy

To join our challenge and win a new Zinski apron:
Simply make something arty relevant to the topic, and link your creation from any social URL (eg. Instagram, Pinterest, Blog Post etc) sharing your original make to this challenge page.

The current topic link Topic 13: Mint, Sage, Claret, Gold will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, August 12th 2018, and the winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

NB you have 3 weeks for this challenge due to New Products being announced

All links go in the draw to win a PaperArtsy creative apron. Please make sure we can contact you as a prize winner - it helps if you share your contact info from the platform you opt to use.

Good Luck! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!