EXCITED TO BE PART OF PAPERARTSY 3UP!

Recently Leandra over at PaperArtsy invited posts for 3UP and I was so excited to be chosen!
I received a set of the new Hot Picks stamp range to make my project and I was itching to share this news with friends. But I was sworn to secrecy.  And so, I kept quiet. 
Not a whisper or clue has been given.
Until now.... 

Because today, over at PaperArtsy, my project is shown a long with 2 others! This is the first time I have taken part and I was asked to keep my post for the 3UP brief, and so I am including more information here about my project and how I made it. 

Over the past week there have been daily posts on PaperArtsy showing more 3UP's and I have loved seeing the way everyone has used their stamps. I have admired and been inspired by all the projects created and it is well worth checking these out if you have time.   

But first, back to my project. What to make with my stamps? 

HP1306EZ

I loved the quote: "BEGIN AND THE REST WILL FOLLOW"
It felt quite timely too....
The urge to make books and share what I do gets stronger, and this seemed the perfect title for a notebook to jot down ideas as they come. 
 
So this is how I made the notebook using the stamp set supplied:
 
I hand tore thick paper to the size I wanted and folded this to
make 12 double pages.
(You can use ready cut paper but I like the effect of torn edges).

8 sheets were put aside to be used as inside pages.

I painted the other 4 sheets using PaperArtsy Pumpkin Soup, Guacamole, and Mermaid Fresco Finish chalk acrylic paints. 
 

This is the technique I used:

Put a small drop of your chosen paints onto a waterproof surface.

Wet the paper liberally with water or soak in a shallow tray while you work on each sheet. Then with a wet brush apply the paints across both sides of each sheet until you have the density of colour you would like. It should still be quite wet and don't think about design - just add colour at this stage! 

As you complete each sheet randomly lay each on top of each other onto a waterproof surface. Leave to dry but separate the sheets while still damp, to stop them sticking to each other. Lay them out to dry completely. You should discover patterns and marks that result from the layering and each page will be completely unique. 

Choose one sheet for the cover of your book. The rest can be used for other projects or as additional pages. Because the painted surface of my pages was a little rough I used an abrasive sponge to smooth it – this might not be necessary on other types of paper.   

To finish I masked off the nautical design and stamped text across the back and front cover using PaperArtsy Honey Dew Fresco Finish chalk acrylic paint.

 

On the front I stamped a design from PaperArtsy Tops & Tails 1, highlighting the eyes and flower in white pen.

 

Then I stamped the quote ‘BEGIN AND THE REST WILL FOLLOW’ on to white card, cut each line into a strip and backed it onto black card.  I attached them with foam pads to add definition. Top tip: to give a bit more white space around the text I masked around each line before inking and stamping.  

I added more stamping on the back page and completed the project by inserting the pages and sewing together with ribbon.  The notebook fits perfectly into my pocket and I loved finding ways to use these new stamps. 

 

 Thank you so much to Leandra and everyone on the PaperArtsy team for inviting me to take part and for organising this weeks event. It's been huge fun and I loved the stamps I received and making this project. Since making this notebook I have been invited to run a bookmaking class in Brentwood (home of PaperArtsy)!   

Perhaps a good title for this post would have been

"BEGIN AND THE REST WILL FOLLOW"

but I'll stick with 'excited to be part of PaperArtsy 3UP' !!

 

If you didn't see my recent post you may be interested in how I mounted PaperArtsy Tops & Tails 1 rubber stamps and braved cutting the design instead of using a mask.  

Your comments or feedback are always appreciated.
Thank you for popping by.... I'm off now to see how the other 3UPs have used their stamps!