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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2023 Topic 9 : Lynne Perrella - Designer Focus {by Martha Ponsanesi}

Hi everyone, it's Martha (@CraftingMartha) with you today, I was so inspired by the Lynne Perrella Topic, I simply love her style and her stamps, and combine them with the Quarter Theme which is Transparency was a natural consequence.

I love working in small scale, but I also love projects that are complete, so my first idea was a simple mini accordion book in which the focus were the stamps, and then, keeping in mind the Theme: Transparency, I made from scratch a matchbox covered with PaperArtsy Printed Tissue and sturdy acetate colored with drops of Alcohol Ink and Blending Solution.

I will show you how easy was to create this little project, I really enjoyed how it turns out and hope it inspires you too!

A very simple starting point : a white cardstock and three PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic: Cerulean (FF200) , Yellow Submarine (FF73) and Bubble Gum (FF116) to create my patterned paper.

I chose colours that I like how they go together, and that are slightly similar to the Alcohol Ink I want to use later on acetate.

To remain in the Quarter Theme: Transparency I made some marks with washes of these three PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic, I love the new colours that come up on the intersecting layers.

When all was dry I cut the cardstock in two strips and folded them to create my accordion.

I thought of using washi to join the two strips, but not just any one, I created my own washi tape using double sided tape and PaperArtsy Printed Tissue, in this case PT02.

Here are the two joined stripes.

Before stamping I decided to collage some scraps of the PaperArtsy Printed Tissue with a small paintbrush and the PaperArtsy Satin Glaze (FF23) I like so much the finishing touch that it gave to the project, it is really invisible and not shiny. You could also use PaperArtsy Matte glaze (FF52) as an adhesive too.

And now is the moment to stamp all the beautiful subjects that are in the two stamp sets I chose from Lynne Perrella Collection : LPC004 and LPC007 .

It was very simple and satisfying stamping all these subjects, that match perfectly with the design of the PaperArtsy Printed Tissue Paper, collaged previously.

 

With a sturdier white cardstock I made my box to contain the accordion book.

Assembling it with a paper tape. The only option I had to hand was a yellowish tape, and I realized later that it was not a great idea.

To cover the box I used both PaperArtsy Printed Tissue PT01 and PT02.

 

To do that I used again PaperArtsy Satin Glaze (FF23). But I had to collage several layers of Printed Paper because the yellow of the tape kept showing through.

Here is the final result with several layers.

The last step was the cover that I made with a sturdy acetate, simply coloured dripping some drops of three Alcohol Ink and the Blending Solution.

I chose similar colour of the PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic, but the Alcohol Inks are way more vibrant.

I let them dry well on acetate and then fold around the box, making sure that the coloured part is on the inside, since even once dry, it remains a bit sticky.

To give a more finished effect, on the back of the accordion pages I collaged a strip of PaperArtsy Printed Paper PT02.

For the front accordion's cover, I stamped an image from LPC004 on a cardstock and trimmed to show a little bit of colours of the washed cover.

I decided to stamp the front cover on a withe cardstock, instead of directly on the coloured cover, to give more contrast with the alcohol inked acetate.

I'm very happy of this project, how I said before is in a small scale but it is complete, and I like so much the contrast between the parts coloured and vibrant and the black and white.
It surely can be a cute little gift.

Have fun!
Martha xxx

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