GELLI PLATE MEETS LASER CUT

I finally took my Gelli Plate out of it's packaging this week. You know how it is, you HAVE to have something and then it sits unused for months and months!  I have never used a Gelli Plate before but I was surprised at my immediate results. There were no rejects or practice pages as I was able to rescue any prints I didn't like by adding another print layer.  My pile soon grew and I plan to scan and print some of my favourites so that I can keep the original. That way I can reproduce a design when ever I choose.

For anyone who doesn't know what a Gelli Plate is, here is a link which also shows a demonstration.

 

Having gathered a lovely pile of prints my excitement grew. As a laser cut design team member for That Craft Place I had been looking for inspiration for two particular projects so the next day I
decided to take a risk and use my Gelli Plate. I had no preconceived ideas or plan, but just rolled on the paint and played. Here are the finished projects and in case you would like to try out any of these ideas, how I made them. 

PRODUCTS USED for both projects:
Laser Cut designs from That Craft Place
PaperArtys Fresco Chalk paints - Mermaid, South Pacific, Little Black Dress, Nouget, Guacamole
Gelli Plate and brayer
DecoArt Mat Medium
Sheet of card for the background
Flitter Glue and foam pad (to apply)
Craftynotions Guilding Flake - Copper Thunder
Chipboard letters - Funky Foam would also work (you could cut your own if you have a die/cutter)
Archival Black ink pad
PaperArtsy stamps
Stencil for Butterfly Frame (I used a sheet that is designed to cook ovenchips, it is sold in Poundland (UK) and it makes a great
grid effect).
TOP TIP - look around your home for interesting items that will make impressions in the paint. Just in case you are wondering I do have a separate sheet that I keep for cooking!



BUTTERFLY FRAME:

1.  I put small drops of paint onto the Gelli plate in a random pattern using 3 drops Nouget and 2 drops Little Black Dress. I used the brayer to spread the paint so that the colours blended but did not mix completely. I placed the grid stencil onto the plate, lifting, and repeating in a random fashion to leave impressions. I then laid the laser cut frame onto the Gelli Plate to make the first print. 
NOTE: If you have paint left on your Gelli Plate don't waste it. Use a piece of card or thick paper and build a collection of prints to use as background designs for other projects. 

2. Next I made the background to fit inside the frame.  I randomly put drops of Mermaid, South Pacific, and just a little Little Black Dress paint onto the Gelli Place and used the brayer to spread the colours without mixing them.  I then had the idea of using the clock face as a stencil as I love the large numbers and the butterflies. I
placed the clock face down onto the Gelli Plate then removed it.
This lifted the paint leaving an impression. I  placed a sheet of white card onto the Gelli Plate and gently rubbed the back to get an even print. When I lifted the card the clock face showed as white.

3.  I put a mix of Guacamole and Mermaid paint onto the Gelli Plate and used the brayer to spread. I laid the row of butterflies onto the paint to give colour.  I also added a hint of this paint in a couple of areas of the frame.  Using Nouget paint, I stamped a small text onto the butterflies and then used Little Black Dress paint to
lightly edge the outline of the butterflies.

4.  I cut the background print so that it was slightly smaller than the frame. Then using PVA I glued it onto the back and smoothed it down. I then glued the frame into position. 
To finish,  I added a stamped quote in the corner and painted the letters with Little Black Dress. I applied a little FlitterGlue onto a foam pad and applied this to the grid stencil.  I stamped this onto each of the letters one at a time and added Guilding Flakes. I rubbed the excess flakes away using a small scouring pad or your
finger.  I glued the letters into position and then covered the finished project with Matt Medium. 

BUTTERFLY CLOCK:

1. I randomly put drops of Mermaid, South Pacific, and just a little Nouget paint onto the Gelli Place and used the brayer to blend the colours leaving slight variation. I placed the clock face down onto paint and repeated until the whole surface was covered.
2. I chose a small swirl stamp and applied FlitterGlue using a pad. I stamped this onto the butterflies one at a time, keeping within the outline, then added Guilding Flake. As before, I removed excess and gently buffed. 
3. To finish I stamped the seed head onto the centre of the clock face, and tips of the stamp onto the numbers to give more detail and continuity. Finally I covered the completed project with Matt Medium.  

 

PLEASE NOTE:
When using paint and FlitterGlue on your stamps wash immediately after each use so that it does not dry.  I use warm soapy water and an old toothbrush.

So, that's what I have been up to this week.  I have had great fun and my Gelli Plate will not be packed away as I know it will be in regular use from now on. If you have any questions or want more information about these projects or the Gelli Plate please let me know. Meanwhile, Lisa over at That Craft Place has an amazing collection of Laser Cut designs ranging from small packs of shapes to larger projects. The link again is here and I'll be back soon with more ideas and projects.

Thanks for popping by and your comments are always very welcome and appreciated. 
  

WOYWW - TAKING CONTROL OF ALPHA STAMPS

I have pushed aside everything on my workspace today because it looked like a mountain and I needed to get organised. I am starting to run Book Making classes this week and after making an example I discovered a re-love for those little wooden alpha stamps.  You know the ones?  They come in a box (usually without a lid) and they have a nasty habit of falling out all too easily!  But having decided I want to use them more often something needed to be done to contain them, so I simply cut strips of thick card and folded it over the stamps, held in place by an elastic band.  So that I can identify
the stamps I took a photo of each set and resized it to fit the lid of the box.  I then printed them out and glued them in place. 

I now have neat looking boxes and hopefully no more escaping stamps!I am ready to add to my collection so I printed an extra copy of the stamp sets to put in my purse, that way I might avoid buying
duplicates. 

It's been ages since I last visited so off now for a browse at other workspaces and to see what others have been up to!     

This post is part of Julia's weekly sharing of 'What's On Your Work Desk?' To see what others have been up to why not pop over and see.

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!