SPICE JUG SLEEVE with EMW {by Floss Nicholls}

Hello everyone

Floss from flossWORKSHOPart here with you today and I'll be sharing with you how to create cone shaped jugs using Mags Woodcock's rubber stamp set EMW004 combined with her stencils PS516 and PS517 that were launched earlier this year.

These cute little jug 'sleeves' fit perfectly over spice jars so you can pop brushes or other tall items in them as well as being able to use the jar to hold water and use for a table vase with fresh flowers...I think they look great with some of my brushes in...they will definitely look the part in my workshop.

I decided to use infusions with the stencils and stamped blank tissue paper to start layering images easily onto the card...

I love the negative effect with outlined shape detail that the technique of using dye stain infusions with stencils provide when using a wet background...I thought I would integrate stencils as a part background and then add stamped details for focal points...here are the colours I chose to go with Mags Woodcock's designs.

I started by playing around with the products I had chosen to get a feel of how they might work together, and then on a 3d shape...I made a quick prototype to check my measurements worked ok then made a sturdy card template to mark out the shapes onto 300gsm card to create a couple of cones... The compass was set to 80mm and 180mm using the same pivot point to give me a jug sleeve of 100mm in height.  I used a 90* angle to get my cone angle...and added a 12mm glue strip to the end, and a thin rectangle of 150mm x 14mm for the handle.

I used PaperArtsy Mattint ASH to coat the whole cone and rectangle area using a wide flat brush...I love the finish and the transparency of the Mattints.

I used a dry sponge and PaperArtsy Stone Fresco Finish chalk acrylic through PS516 to create the heart details...I masked off the middle section on the stencil to avoid putting any unwanted shapes on my cone.

Then used the group of 000's from stamp set EMW004 to begin adding texture to some of the edges of the cone using Ranger waterproof Archival black ink...I thought that this would be ideal to use around the infusions as it would not react with the water...little did I know how it would react to something later on in the project that threw me sideways...more of that later!

I wet the card and sprinkled a little of a bit jaded Infusions Dye Stain and worked it in using a wet brush...

I held the stencil into the wet area and allowed the stain to pool into the edges of the stencil shapes.  I was working on two cones at the same time and so here I am adding a few detailed areas onto the second cone layout which was also coated in ASH Mattint...

I also created a strip of card using the same a bit jaded Dye stain Infusions and stencil PS517 which would later be used as a decorative strip and a handle.

I then started using the wet stencil and Infusions in between the stencilled and stamped areas...

I painted some of the little 000's with PaperArtsy Pine Grove Fresco Finish chalk acrylic and stamped LOVE once the infusions had dried using a very fine brush..

After stamping some of the other designs onto blank tissue PT10 and painting on their reverse using PaperArtsy Olive, Pine Grove and Blood Orange Fresco Finish Acrylic, I used a wet brush to separate the stamped and painted images by gently tearing the wet lines to give me feathered edges ready for smooth glueing.

Before I used Liquitex gel mat medium to stick the dried tissue images down, I used a quick spray of fixative over the infusions so that they did not react with the wet glue.

This is where I foolishly did things in the wrong order on one of the jug sleeves!!! Note to self...do NOT use fixative over stamped images...use it over the infusions only.  The waterproof ink reacts to the chemical in fixative and will promptly bleed and smudge...

It was an "eeeek! oh no no no no!!" moment closely followed by an "okay...you've got this...all is not lost and you do not need to panic...you can remedy this"...

I rescued the said piece by dabbing it and drying it off with my heat gun and using gesso to cover the smudged stamped areas...I love using gesso and so I felt quite comfortable with this schoolgirl error. Once the gesso was dry, I pooled some more of the A Bit Jaded dye stain Infusions on and using the same technique as earlier and stencil PS516 some new texture was created.

Using some of the painted stamped tissue and further stamping, then creating the rectangle piece 150mm x 14mm the jug was now ready to be cut out and assembled along with the other one.

By gently working your card into a more rounded shape it makes gluing it into a cone easier.

Once the cone was glued, glue the handle onto the seam.  Gently pinch the opposite side to create the jug spout.

Glue the handle towards the base of the jug...you can make the handle to your preferred length, including gluing it to the underside should you wish to...then slip the jug sleeve over the spice jar.

These cute little jug sleeves fit perfectly over spice jars so you can use dry things in them as well as being able to use them to hold water and use them for a table vase with fresh flowers...I think they look great with some of my brushes in...perfect on your art desk, or a great gift too!

 

The little silver brad to the handle of this one...

I do hope this may have inspired you to have a go...I shall pop a downloadable template on my website for those who find using a compass tricky...or want to speed the template bit up ;) Do let me know what you may use your jug sleeve for if you create one...

until next time...much love Floss x x x

Website: flossWORKSHOPart

Instagram: floss_workshop.art

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Spaces are currently available for the following in person classes in Hellingly, East Sussex, UK

28 October 2026: 9.15am - Gel Plate Collagraph - 3.5hrs

30 October 2026: 10.15am - Mixed Media birds - 5.5 hrs

27 November 2026: 10.15am - Creative wellness - 5.5hrs

I shall be squeezing a jug sleeve class in at the start of November...

Paper Ticket Fun with EMW {by Victoria Wilding}

Hello everyone, Victoria here with you today for some paper ticket fun using the brand new designs by Mags Woodcock. The beauty of Mags’ designs is the variety of text and smaller images which makes them perfect for creating your own paper ephemera, and it’s always so handy to have a selection of tickets ready and waiting for your next project!

Mags’ new release has a love and music theme running through the designs, with some vintage text, numbers and pretty florals too, so there are limitless options for creative fun. And it is the playfulness of these sets, which help you create without pressure whilst enjoying your products. 

There are so many stamps on EMW004, EMW005, and EMW006 and as if you didn’t already have enough options, it’s so easy to pick out elements from the large mixed media focal points too. The stencils PS515, PS516, and PS517 are lovely bold designs which give lots of flexibility for using different techniques. 

I also picked out four PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Acrylics in Eggshell (FF138) Seaglass (FF139) Wisteria (FF103) and Sherbet (FF28) to provide the base colour to my project. Infusions in Sleight Blue (CS13) was also selected for some additional colour. 

So let’s get to my craft desk and see what I made!

I started off by preparing my ticket strips. I cut a piece of PaperArtsy Smoothy 240gsm Card (SCA4) into different sized strips (3/4”, 1”, 1 1/4”, 1 1/2” 2”) and divided each strip into sections to create the tickets. 

Next I lightly blended some additional card with Distress Ink, to provide a pale base colour to stamp on top. I backgrounds using Speckled Egg, Tattered Rose and Milled Lavender, adding a little Pumice Stone and Frayed Burlap to the edges to create a more distressed effect.

I stamped images from all three stamp sets using Distress Archival Ink in a variety of colours on each of the backgrounds and leaving enough space for them to be cut out afterwards.

Once dry I cut out all the images to provide mini ticket details, and put these aside ready for layering on the main tickets later.

 

Creating the base colour for the ticket strips was a really fun part of the project. I used a brayer and a really small amount of each paint, using a flicking motion to hit random sections of the card. Applying the paint one at a time really helps you build layers of distinct colour. If you haven’t seen this done before, Leandra has an excellent technique video of this on the PaperArtsy YouTube channel. I left quite a bit of white space as I didn’t want the background colour to be overpowering, allowing future layers to stand out.

I then sprinkled a small amount of the Infusions powder onto a mini palette and added some water.

With a paint brush I applied a light top coat to all of the card strips, going over the paint I’d already applied. This light wash of colour softens the white space, preventing it from being too stark. If you work quickly before the walnut dissolves, you can pick up some of the different pigments in the powder to create slightly different wash effects. You can see in the photo below a strip with pink, one with more of a blue tinge and one with light brown. 

Once dry I added some background interest stamping using the number and text stamps from the sets, stamping in columns using Archival Ink.

The final step for creating these base tickets was to cut the strips apart into individual tickets. I then used a corner punch to create a distinct ticket effect.

With the base elements all complete, I started putting everything together by layering the stamped elements with the base tickets, ensuring that there were a variety of compositions across the different tickets. I also added some extra stamping and fabric scraps to some of them for extra interest. 

Next I stamped the flower images in grey Archival ink and coloured with watercolours, before fussy cutting them.

 

I added the flowers to the layered tickets and also selected some butterfly die cuts from my stash to fill some empty spots on the tickets and add some dimension. 

Finally I added some zig-zag stitching to some sections of the tickets to provide additional texture and visual variety to the finished project.

The final step in my project was to create a ticket holder. I took a rectangle of kraft card and added some floral stencilling to the back side of the card, applying Fresco Finish Acrylics in Eggshell with a sponge. I also used a Sizzix ticket holder die from my stash to create a front piece with slots to hold the tickets. I glued these two pieces together.

Next I picked out some details on the stencilling using watercolour pencils. I used a damp paintbrush to lightly activate and blend the pigment. Once dry I placed a selection of tickets in the front of the ticket holder and glued the ticket with the sentiment ‘Dream’ to the bottom front section.

I love the contrast of the muted background with the brighter florals and sentiments on the finished project. The ticket holder looks so pretty with a selection of tickets poking out. 

The variety in the finished designs is so pleasing, while the shared colour palette keeps everything feeling cohesive. And I made so many tickets there are plenty of extras which I will be able to use in future makes, so keep an eye on my socials over the next few weeks to see where these tickets end up next.

I really enjoyed using Mags’ latest designs and whilst I used almost all the stamps, I still feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface in terms of the creative possibilities.

The little flowers really pull the project together, providing a great floral focal point to all the background details. I hope you enjoyed my paper ticket fun and are tempted to give it a go for yourselves. This is one of those projects that is easy to put together without any pressure, as everything is done in layers and can be changed up with ease. 

Until next time, wishing you a happy creative week!

Victoria 

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