Creative Squad

All Shapes and Sizes – Maura Hibbitts

  

Hello my friends! Today we have a Creative Squad post from the very talented Maura Hibbitts. Her “Treasure Tea Box” is a gorgeous way to upcycle an old tea box and really shows off how to layer up multiple stencil and stamp patterns to create a rich design. Maura uses my Batik Pattern 1 and Broadway foam stamps, my Cross Circle rubber stamp, and my Buenos Aires and Batik stencils as well as inspiration from this month’s theme: All Shapes and Sizes – Circles and squares, big and small, let’s mix it up and play with different shapes and sizes this month. Just because things are different doesn’t mean they can’t look great together!


“Treasure Tea Box”

We drink a lot of tea at my house, and then have the containers they come in sitting around waiting to be repurposed. This tea came in a box that I thought was perfect to alter with paint, stencils and stamps. Now, it can hold treasures, pencils, jewelry, or even more tea!

I started by painting a layer of white gesso on the outside of the box and let that dry. Next, I squirted on a bit of Cobalt Teal Hue, Cerulean Blue and Green Gold heavy body acrylics onto the box lid and bottom. I pulled the paint down the panel, and also brushed some over the sides and dried it thoroughly.

  

Next, I stenciled the box using the Buenos Aires stencil and Quinacridone Gold heavy body paint with a cosmetic sponge. I wanted to be sure my first layer was dry, so the new color would not blend with it.

I also wanted to do some stenciling around the edges of the box, and took a section of the Batik stencil, held it carefully in place since the box was narrow, and sponged on the Quinacridone Gold.

Time to do some stamping, and the Art Foamies Broadway set is perfect for adding a design layer. I added some Cadmium Orange Hue and Diarylide Yellow to a craft sheet, then used a brayer to add the paint to the foam stamp. I varied the hue a bit with the orange and yellow.

Then, I used the Batik Pattern 1 Art Foamie and brayered on some of the Diarylide Yellow paint and added part of the design to the box. More shapes and sizes added to the box.

I wanted to add some gold, and spread some Glorious Gold onto my craft sheet with my brayer, then laid the Cross Circle stamp into the paint and dabbed the design on randomly all over the box.

I felt like my box needed a focal point, so stamped the Broadway Art Foamie with black archival ink and added that dark image to the top. Later, I went around areas of the design with black and white pens.

I decided to add a layer of matte medium to the bottom of the box, so the acrylic paint wouldn’t stick when it gets humid around here, and I also cut a sheet of patterned paper to fit inside the lid and bottom of the box to finish it off. I love it when I can upcycle a piece into something brand new – yes, it is still a box, but now it is all dressed up!


Thank you Maura! I am a huge fan of repurposing things we already have, and this is such a beautiful reinterpretation :) In addition to her old tea box, Maura used the following supplies:



And if you feel inspired to share some of your own projects with my stamps and stencils, please send them my way. I post projects almost every month in my Inspiration From Around the Globe posts!

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Comments (2)

  • julie b

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    Beautiful and has an oriental flair too. Thank you!

    Reply

  • Sue Clarke

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    Gorgeous colors and patterns and useful to boot.
    Thanks Maura!

    Reply

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All Shapes and Sizes – Tania Ahmed

  

Welcome to a post from my wonderful Creative Squad! This week we have Tania Ahmed and her super cool tote bag project using my Buenos Aires and Broadway ArtFoamies stamps. I love using these foam stamps on fabric and Tania shares a video with us that shows just how easy it can be to get a great looking result. Tania was inspired by the new theme this month: All Shapes and Sizes – Circles and squares, big and small, let’s mix it up and play with different shapes and sizes this month. Just because things are different doesn’t mean they can’t look great together!


I have had a love for block prints all my life and have grown up wearing colourful prints with handmade patterns. Nat’s Art Foamies are perfect for creating backgrounds and patterns and are so very easy to line up.

The challenge this month was “All Shapes and Sizes” and I was inspired to create a repeating pattern on a canvas bag that I had been saving for a while.

I made my own fabric paints using some fabric medium that creates paint that is the perfect texture for stamping on to cloth. Plus it makes it more durable.

Watch the video below to see how I decorated the canvas bag:


Thank you Tania! There are so many ideas for this one – spiffing up those shopping totes, maybe a new summer beach bag, or even a tote for summer library books. Here are some of the supplies that Tania used:




Feel inspired? Working on something yourself that you’d like to share?  I love to see how you interpret our monthly themes. Email me how you used my stencils and stamps with the theme and email me an image – I would love to share your projects in my next  “n*Spiration From Around the Globe“.

Comments (2)

  • Tracy Evans

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    Fantastic project , colours and step by step video. Thank you. Tracy x

    Reply

  • maura

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    Awesome bag, Tania! Love the colors you used, and how you left part of the bag natural. Maura

    Reply

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Inspiration from Around the Globe

Ready for some inspiration? Today we have some projects from around the globe. It’s always fun to see how you’re using my stamps and stencils and I am so happy to share some examples today. So let me know if you’re doing something cool with my products, and you might see yours on the next Inspiration from Around the Globe!


First is Ellen Captijn from the Netherlands and a stunning art journal spread using my Chicago stencil for that patterned background. Definitely follow the link to see the entire thing!

Debi Adams from the US found a great way to add texture with my Crackle stencil in this gorgeous mixed media piece.

Here is a bright piece from Kate Crane in the UK that uses my Marks stamps for those red and black hash marks. So fun!

Here is Barbaree King from the US with my Central Ave ArtFoamies for those circular patterns in the background – such a beautiful art journal spread!

And finally here is Linda Edkins Wyatt from the US using my Broadway and my Versailles foam stamps for an active background in this art journal page. Love all the patterns mixing together :)


I feel pretty inspired after that lineup! If you’d like to give some of these ideas a try, here are the stamps and stencils that these talented artists used:



Don’t forget to tag my when you post your projects! I’d love to include your work in my next Inspiration FromAround the Globe post!

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Colors Are My Friends – Marsha Valk

  

Hello from the latest edition of the Creative Squad! Today we have a post from veteran member Marsha Valk, who makes excellent use of my new Broadway Positive Negative foam stamp to dress up an apron. We hope you’ll join us in creating with this month’s theme: Colors Are My Friends – Let’s kick off the new Creative Squad with a celebration of color! What are your favorite, go-to signature hues? Let’s go bold and bright this month and  use color to ring in a new season of inspiring projects!


Colours really are my friends. I love them all dearly, and I could never, ever pick just one favourite! But as much as I love the entire rainbow, it doesn’t mean all my friends have to come out to play every single time. It’s OK to pick just one for a heart to heart now and then.

I invited a couple of my fabric paint colours for a playdate. I couldn’t find a light, neutral coloured apron to print on, so I got a black one instead. During a short test run on paper, Yellow saw that the black background would shine through and cancelled on me.

I mixed Teal with a bit of White fabric paint and applied it to a StampBuddy. It acts as a stamp pad: gently dab the foam stamp into the foam of the StampBuddy to get an even distribution of paint on the stamp.

Then I started stamping a pattern with Nat’s Broadway foam stamp onto my pre-washed black 100% cotton apron. I liked what I saw!

Pink was waiting to have a go too, but once we saw the denim-like look of the Teal/White prints, we agreed not to interfere.

I covered the pocket with deli paper to prevent the paint from seeping through while I stamped around it. The plan was to make it look like the pattern continued behind the pocket. It didn’t prevent me from making the stamped design go a bit askew here.

I decided to leave it as it was and once the whole apron was stamped, I filled some of the open spaces with another pattern with the Running stamp from Nat’s Embroidery Cling Rubber Stamp Set.

Most fabric paints have to be fixated to make it (machine) washable. The paint I used had to dry for 30 minutes before I could fixate it by ironing the fabric with an iron on medium heat.


OMG Marsha this is the coolest apron EVER! I want one :) In addition to a StampBuddy, Marsha used the following supplies (some are affiliate links):



Play along with us too: I love to see how you interpret our monthly themes. Email me how you used my stencils and stamps with the theme and email me an image – I would love to share your projects in my next  “n*Spiration From Around the Globe“.

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