2021 Topic 12 : Sustainable Crafting with TS {by Etsuko Noguchi}

   2021 Topic 12: Sustainable Crafting

 

Etsuko thought about how to create a really useful item for this post. She has made an accordion folder with pockets, perfect for storing ephemera or loose small papers. But she also made (and beautifully decorated) an envelope for each of the gaps in the folder. So many great ideas within this and I think we all really love to create and end up with an item that has a purpose.
~ Leandra

Hi everyone, It's Etshko(My favorite things) with you today, and I'm here to share with you Handy Holder with Envelope packets. I chose this project because it is a fun way to remake and reuse the parcel packages and direct mail envelopes and little less waste. It's also a great way to spend my time working with lovely designer Tracy Scott stamps and my favourite Frescos colours.

The first step was to make the masterboards. Fresco paints were printed on a thick sheet of printing papers using a Gel Plate. Using the technique I learnt in Tracy Scott's workshop 'Index Card Art 2', I spread a thin layer of the above Fresco Chalk Acrylic ( Banana, Cerise, Cerulean and Electric Violet in my case) but you can use any colours you like choice. Then one colour at a time, print onto the Gelli Plate. Mist with water using a spray bottle on the Gelli Plate, use a brayer to blend the water and paint, then use an eyedropper to drip Isopropyl Alcohol in places and print on paper. The circles like this will appear where the alcohol has been dripped. Repeat this process until you get a nice shade, and then you will have some masterboards. As always, this process is very enjoyable with many happy accidents.

The next step is to make the cover for the holder, using my favourite Tracy's stamps that are used over and over. I cut a used parcel package to the size of the holder. I then used two sheets of Gel-prinedt papers in similar shades and stamped Tracy Scott set 054 and 057 (TS054, TS057) randomly in Ranger Archival ink (Leaf Green and Blue Violet) to cover and pasted the holder base. Next, I stamped the three mandalas of (TS055) with Ranger Archival ink (Jet Black) on Smoothy (Heavyweight) A4 white card. On the same piece of paper, painted Fresco Chalk Acrylic (Cerulean, Electric Violet and Zucchini) and stamped three small mandala of (TS055) in the same number in Ranger Archival ink (Jet Black), cut and stick it in the holder as shown in the picture. Size of the holder--Length 8 1/4" (21cm), Height 5 1/4" (13cm), Depth 3/4 (2cm).

I wanted a slightly darker colour so I added Fresco Chalk Acrylic ( Southern Skies )

The majority of the paper is used for the dividers and bellows of the holder itself, leaving some for the envelope collage.

This is the front, I put the clasp on it, using Fresco Chalk Acrylic (Cerise) and Tracy Scott set 055 (TS055) and black elastic band.

And the back.

The holder itself useful enough, but I made the pocket in it that can be removed, using a direct mail envelopes. I though it would be fun to make a collage on top of it and remake it. Each envelope was coated with White gesso and once dry, the same as the masterboard technique was used to print the envelopes with the Gelli Plate.

I used my finger to apply Fresco Chalk Acrylic ( Banana, Cerise, Cerulean and Electric Violet ) on the Smoothy ( Heavyweight ) A4 white card. I then stamped Tracy's lovely floral stamp set 061 and 058 ( TS061, TS058 ) Fuchsia and Magnolia and Mandala set 055 ( TS055) in Ranger Archival ink ( Jet Black ) on the card and  cut them to use as the focal point of each envelope. Also I used masterboards leftover as a rectangular and circular cutlayer.

The final touch is  the addition of the sentiment from Emma Godfrey's flower set 14 ( EEG14 ) to the holder.

The theme of Sustainable Crafting was bit difficult for me, and thinking about how to reuse limited resources - I need to use up lots of my old supplies too. Also I made this because I think it's about being able to collaborate and create/work with stamps and stencils from wonderful designers and then turn it into something good. Then share it with people and have fun connecting all the time. 

 

Hope you enjoy it.

Thank you so much for visiting.

Etsuko xxx

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2021 Topic 6 Mandala Mix with TS {by Jennie Atkinson}

 2021 Topic 6: Mandala Mix

This blur-ple inspired mandala layered panel is rich with texture and shades of the same tones. Jennie explains so clearly how she pulls her layers together so that the elements don't get lost on each other. I find that really helpful to understand that process. I hope you do too.
~ Leandra

Hi everyone, it's Jennie (Live the Dream) with you today sharing a mixed media hanging.

I have been itching to use Tracy's gorgeous mandalas and flowers in a mixed media project and knew that they would layer beautifully. I seem to be eating a lot of blueberries at the moment (a new diet!) and so instinctively reached for the Blueberry Fresco and decided to give Violet Storm Infusions an outing ...... not one for the faint-hearted! I'll share how I tamed it down a bit later!

I have used three of Tracy's stamp sets along with a matching stencil:

 

TS051

TS047

TS057 (available from stockists list here)

PS210

  

These were my Fresco colours: Blueberry, Concrete, Cloud 9 and Grape. I used Grape for the outside border as it was a better match than the Blueberry. And of course the little pot of gorgeousness: Violet Storm Infusions.

 

To start I experimented a little with my Gelli Plate using Blueberry, Concrete and Cloud 9 to see if I could match papers to a tag I stamped with Archival Ink. 

I find this is a good starting point and even if I don't use what I have pulled from the plate (like the tissue) I have some nice pieces to get started.

I have use an A5 piece of greyboard for the background of the panel. I live to give it a coat of white gesso before layering some text paper which I thought would show through the gorgeous mandala stencil. In hindsight I wished I hadn't torn such straight lines! But overall it does tend to blend into the background once the layering is finished.

The next part of the process was to see if the Violet Storm Infusions would match.  For a while this was one of my favourite Infusions but it can be very dark. This is is how it started but I keep spritzing with water and mopping up and then leave it to dry which always seems to make it a little lighter. As long as you have added a good coat of gesso to your dry board you can spritz it really heavily with water without any damage.

I loved how the violet and pinkish hues came through once it had dried, but once the layering was added it did feel a little blue so I dry brushed some Cloud 9 Fresco here and there where the colour was the darkest. 

I also rubbed a little silver wax around the edges of the stencilling to highlight the texture.

And so to the layering - I always spend some time stamping different elements on the Gelli Plate papers. Looking for lighter areas but which all match as I used the same combination of Frescos. 

I like to ink a stamp and then keep stamping it without re-inking to get different tones. This is quite important when layering as if everything is the same tone the elements will get lost.

Which is what happened to the main flower. I had stamped it on the coloured papers but something was just not working despite the addition of some white lace and a white sentiment. However when I stamped it on cardstock painted with Cloud 9 Fresco it just jumped off the background!

When layering I start with one or two flat layers. These I adhere to the background on an edge which is going to be covered. That leaves the outside edge "floating" without giving the impression that it has been adhered. 

I used the clock stamp to create a smoother edged style to the rest of the elements and also it sat quite beautifully in the lace !

I use leftover pieces of greyboard to adhere subsequent layers. This is more robust than foam pads and still allows the outside edges to appear to be "floating".

I really love the way these colours came together despite my initial misgivings.  The gorgeous stamps gave depth that was possible with just four layers. What I would really like to try is a similar layering but just using the stamps and a masking technique in order to create a single layer of stamping but with a layered effect. I am sure it would work beautifully. 

Also don't be put off by large stamps. They are great for cutting into smaller tags and elements and if you have a die cut machine and a tag die you can work out the area of the pattern you want to use.

Such beautiful stamps and stencils by Tracy which I am sure will become favourites.

 As always thank you for joining me!

Jennie

Blog: Live The Dream
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