2025 Year in review: Scrapcosy

Hi everyone, Raquel here from Scrapcosy, wishing you a happy New Year full of health, happiness, creativity and great moments to remember! My New Year resolution is to spend more time in my craft room, creating things, playing with my stamps and stencils and sharing more projects with you in my YouTube channel. 

I'm here today to share with you what 2025 has meant for me crafty-wise. I've reached what I feel is an unbelievable milestone: I went beyond stamp set number 50! I'm in love with all the designs I came up with this 2025. After all the hard work, having them turned into stamps and stencils to play with is an amazing feeling! I feel so lucky to design for PaperArtsy! 

April Release: Garden Flowers

ESC50, ESC51 & ESC52

PS468, PS469 & PS470 (Large)

To celebrate the 50th stamp set I went for a favourite thing of mine: patchwork fabric with roses. I'm a patchwork fabric lover, I can't help it, when I see a beautiful rose-pattern fabric I just buy it, touch it, look at it, keep it... my Preciousss... So with design number 50 I wanted to be able to create a fabric-like pattern with roses, so I drew my own flower bouquet inspired in a couple of those fabrics I own and I got it in two different sizes and with extra little flowers to decorate. I was so happy with this design! And I created this sample to show you the type of fabric I love!

With ESC51 I was inspired to handwrite a poem about a day in a wild garden. With the help of Leandra and Alison Bomber, I polished it a little bit and all the writing was ready to create texture in different shapes. The daisies bouquet I saw in an embroidery vintage book inspired the flowers in this stamp set, so I decided to create a book mark showing part of the poem and the beautiful flowers. I created other samples on each side of the book mark with the little elements that allow the creation of repetitive patterns, which is another thing I love. 

I chose this sample from the release since this is the one I did a live demo on. I love the background I created with PS470, grunge paste and infusions and I love how the magnolia flower from ESC52 (inspired by a heritage wooden box I have) stands out on top of it. This is my favourite sample on the release! 

Meanwhile, over on the PaperArtsy Blog, Ann Barnes made this gorgeous shadowbox with my new stamps..

As you can see, some gorgeous shading on the flowers...

And beautiful paint details from stencilling various layers on the frame and the background.

November Release: Strawberries & Mushrooms

ESC53, ESC54 & ESC55

PS491, PS492 & PS493 (Large)

Inspired in the arts and crafts movement started by William Morris and the vintage perfume labels, ESC53 and ESC54 were born. I love strawberries so those and their plants in different shapes were the stars of these 2 stamp sets. I wanted to create a modernist label so I could use it not only for preserve jars but also for being the focal point of a sample, like this one, where PS491 stencil also stands out in the background.

ESC54 has also a countryside vibe, so that's what I wanted to convey with this sample, where I used the strawberry plant as a focal and the 2 tartan stripes to create a beautiful squared fabric-like pattern in the background. This stamp set is really versatile and those 2 stripes will let you create many different patterns.

This was my favourite sample on the release. I love mushrooms, so it was time to get a new mushroom stamp set with ESC55. I didn't want to just add new specimens to my previous mushroom sets, I wanted to create beautiful mushroom bouquets or groups of them that could be used as a focal and would be beautiful as stand alone images. I'm so happy with both collages and also with the fact that the extra images will let you add dimension and background patterns.

The image for this other sample is meant to be used in borders of cards and art journal pages, however it looks so stunning on its own that it deserved to be in the centre of the card. Multiple stamped and cut images allow that 3D effect on the card that pops the mushrooms out of the paper. It's like they are truly alive!

And this final sample was the one I made for the other demo I gave here on the PaperArtsy people facebook group. It comes out of the PS493 stencil, which is a multiple layer stencil, allowing you to add different colours for each layer. With the help of a white pen for the highlights and black pen for the shadows the stencilled image gets completely transformed into a hand drawn look like image, with far more details than a simple stencilled image. 

Meanwhile, over on the bog Tracy Hickman created this stunning journal page with my November release, you can see all the details here

The new Postcards Printed Tissue made such a great backdrop to kick off her page

She also created 2 tags that make this spread interactive and allowed her to use the stamps to their full potential

End of Year Project: Xmas Baubles (by Raquel Burillo)

Although Christmas season is almost over (in Spain it lasts until 6th of January, with the celebration of the 3 wise men) this is a project that I wanted to share with you, since it can be applied to any other object, not just plastic Christmas tree baubles, but also jars, vases, coasters, wooden boxes, etc. I'll show you my way of working with PaperArtsy blank tissue paper and the stamps of your choice. Many of the designs of my 2025 releases can be used for this technique and if you keep your colour palette unified, when applied to Christmas trees baubles, you can create your own baubles collection for next year and combine these with plain and same colour baubles for a more textured Christmas tree.

My main supplies were stamp sets ESC50 and ESC53 (available from a PaperArtsy Stockist), which I stamped onto Blank Printed Tissue Paper (PT10) with some black Archival ink, which then I glued to my plastic baubles with Fresco Finish Satin Glaze and added colour with some Mattints, Infusions and Gold Fresco Finish Paint. I gave a vintage look with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink at the end.

 

Here you can probably see the supplies a bit better.

The very first layer is just adding Fresco Finish Chalk Paint to cover the plastic bauble. Here I'm dabbing the brush to add some texture. 

I created 3 different bases for each of the baubles, a dabbing one, then long and full brushstrokes and finally a roughly brushed one, where the bottom of the bauble is still golden colour. If instead of Chalk colour you add a different one, then that will be the base colour of the finished project. These may look also gorgeous in light green or like blue, using Aqua Duck Egg or Niagara Falls, for example.

 

In a nutshell, after adding the base colour, we need to glue the stamped images to the baubles and add the different colour layers. Let's see the details for each step.

First, stamp all the images on a piece of Blank PaperArtsy Printed Tissue Paper (PT10). I used Archival Ink, which dries much, much faster than Versafine ink. Just be careful when you stamp because the ink goes through the tissue and will stain your surface. Consider placing a piece of copy paper underneath the tissue, so it absorbs the ink or clean the ink from your surface after each stamped image, otherwise if you move the tissue to stamp on the same spot of your crafty table, the tissue will absorb that leftover ink and you'll be disappointed.

Once everything is stamped you want to trim each image so you can glue it to the baubles. Don't use scissors please! Use a brush dipped in water to trace around the image, then tear it so you can see the paper fibers on all edges, that will ensure the edge disappears when you glue it to your surface. If the paper doesn't easily tear, your brush needs more water. Just make sure the water stays away from the image and tear the tissue paper carefully.

Here are the 3 designs I made, combining different elements of both stamp sets. The way to glue the tissue paper is by first applying a layer of glaze onto all the surface of the bauble that each piece of tissue paper will touch. I used Fresco Finish Satin Glaze but you can use a Fresco Finish Gloss Glaze for a shiny finish or Fresco Finish Matte Glaze for a completely matte finish instead of a satin finish. Then you lay one trimmed image into that wet surface and then you apply another layer of Glaze on top of the tissue paper. You are doing it right when the tissue paper becomes transparent and you can see your image on top of the painted background, as if the tissue paper just disappeared.

Now it's time to add colour. I used Ladybug Mattint (available from PaperArtsy stockists) for the red, Glow Mattint for the yellows, Olive Tree Infusions Dye Stain mixed with Fresco Finish Satin glaze for the greens and then I added some touches/dots of Fresco Finish Gold for a more magical and Christmassy touch.

And for a final vintage touch I added some Vintage Photo Distress Ink, which will highlight the paper creases and will add some depth and texture to your project.

This is how they turned out. They look gorgeous in my Christmas tree!

The big roses combined with tiny ones and the small flower branches create a busy pattern that I love. By adding the gold spots here and there I fill the blank spaces with some magic and shine.

This design is much simpler, just 6 copies of that flower evenly spaced (or as much as I could) leave some gaps which again I filled with gold dots. These combine really well with the bottom of the bauble which I left without paint so it's also golden colour.

This same technique can be applied to other things. Imagine creating a set of coasters with the same images or a wooden tray with a repeated pattern. There are some many home decor elements you can upgrade to have that same look: pencil pots, kitchen clocks, inside of drawers, the top of a side table, wooden boxes and more.

I'm editing the YouTube video that has all the steps to create this baubles. I will add the link here once the video is published, or check my YT link below.

YouTube - learn many techniques from me in my scrapcosy YouTube channel

Instagram - follow me and contact me at instagram @scrapcosy

Scrapcosy.com - My blog

Shadowbox Celebrating Nature with NEW Scrapcosy stamps {by Ann Barnes}

Hi everyone, it is Ann (@aksbarchitect) here with you today.

I am a huge fan of all things Scrapcosy. Whether it is stamps, stencils, or even printed tissue; I am always captivated by her beautiful designs. When I received the newest release, I was instantly enchanted. I am excited to share the shadowbox that I created with these newest designs. The three new stamp sets Scrapcosy Stamp Set 50 (ESC50), Set 51 (ESC51), and Set 52 (ESC52) are gorgeous garden themed, and the three Scrapcosy stencils (PS468, PS469, PS470) coordinate (and layer) beautifully! I had such a blast experimenting with them.

If you're interested in purchasing any of the newest release, find a PaperArtsy Stockist here.

I wanted to create a shadowbox with layers that would draw the eye towards one of the wonderful poems celebrating nature. I love that the stamps and stencils feature similar patterns in varying scale, and I thought it would be fun to incorporate this into my piece. I love how easy it was to reintroduce the same pattern in different mediums and scale to create a unified project.

When I look at the stamp designs they give off a vintage romantic vibe, I wanted to carry that feel into this piece. With this in mind, I chose PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic in Heavy Cream (FF203) and Zucchini (FF119) and paired it with Distress Inks in Tea Dye, Tattered Rose, Peeled Paint and Worn Lipstick.

I had the idea to begin with the largest scaled roses and hopefully incorporate the smaller roses on an interior layer, with the smallest rose stamps to be used surrounding the poem. Not knowing exactly how many large roses I would need, I stamped two full sheets of Bristol paper with Archival ink (Fern Green). I prefer to have too many pieces than not enough.

Once all of the stamped images are dry, I begin inking them with the Distress inks and a water brush. These roses would look beautiful in any color, and I already know that I will be using this image often on cards or in my journal.

I then cut out the flowers using an Exacto knife and cutting mat. This can be a bit time consuming, but it is nice to be able to bend and roll the leaves to give the flowers dimension.

Next I paint the frame with two coats of PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Acrylic (Zucchini FF119), This will be the base color that I will add my stenciling on.

The outside of the frame was stenciled using two different patterns. Since I will be adding the large roses to the outermost edge along the top, I chose the polka dot pattern. This adds a bit of a whimsical feel, while not overshadowing the beautiful roses. The polka dots were stenciled with PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic (Heavy Cream FF203).

Along the sides of the frame I used the "lattice" pattern stencil, and created a tone on tone effect by mixing Zucchini with Heavy Cream and using that through the stencil. This is easiest to do very light coats of paint through the stencil to avoid seeping, even if it requires you doing an additional light coat.

 

In order to decide which layers would look best to frame the poem, I decided to create that focal point next. Using a piece of parchment cardstock, I first stenciled the smaller polka dot pattern in Tea Dye Distress ink all over the background.

Then I stamped the poem and "One with Nature" using Archival Ink (Fern Green). I also added embossing powder and heat embossed the words to help them stand out. At the upper left and lower right corners, I stamped the smallest roses, and colored them in a similar manner to the largest roses using Distress Ink and a water brush.

Having the focal point complete, allowed me to easily audition different finishes for the layers of matting. The outermost mat was first painted with Heavy Cream Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic. Then I added some random stamping using the script stamp in Tea Dye Distress ink. Lastly, I stenciled the "lattice" design covering the mat with the pattern in Peeled Paint Distress ink. Each of the stencil designs are very easy to shift to create a continuous pattern in large areas if necessary.

Lastly, I stenciled the "lattice" design covering the mat with the pattern in Peeled Paint Distress ink. Each of the stencil designs are very easy to shift to create a continuous pattern in large areas if necessary.

My initial thought was to use the smaller rose stamp design to cover the next layer of matting in the frame. I filled the mat with the rose pattern and was planning to color the flowers and leaves with ink. When I auditioned this layer it was too busy and did not allow the eye to be drawn to the poem, so I had to change course. Thankfully, Zucchini is one of the opaque colors of Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic. I painted over the stamping with two coats.

Upon inspection, I realized that the poem seemed lost within the frame. I decided to bring the lattice pattern back in one more time. PaperArtsy Scrapcosy Stamp Set 50 (ESC50) contains a very small scaled lattice pattern stamp. It was the perfect addition to the interior without being overpowering.

I set up a jig in my stamping platform using a piece of clear acetate to help me align the stamp onto my parchment. I also used some masking to ensure that the stamping would not interfere with the tiny roses.

I love how the final piece turned out! I think this will be the perfect gift for a nature or garden lover. I especially like that the lattice pattern was able to be repeated throughout to add interesting detail without stealing the show. Here are some close ups:

I would love to create a similar shadow box frame with more of an autumnal feel using some of the other flower stamps in the sets. I already know that these floral images and beautiful poetic words will be featured on my handmade cards! If you have not had a chance to check out all of Raquel's beautiful makes with her newest stamp and stencil designs, I highly recommend a visit to the blog featuring this release!

I hope you are inspired to get creative,

Ann

Blog: aksbarchitect CREATES
Facebook: Ann Sullivan Barnes
Instagram: aksbarchitect