Blog: Creative Squad

Currently Digging – Creative Squad Edition with Jennifer Gallagher

It’s time for a special edition of Currently Digging – with my Creative Squad! Once in a while I like to share with you some nifty finds – like an Artist who’s work caught my eye…, some Inspiration that got my creative juices flowing, and Tools & Techniques I am currently digging. Today we asked Jennifer Gallagher from my Creative Squad what SHE is Currently Digging :) Hope you enjoy this.

Nat often shares with us current inspirations, artists of interest, and new things she has discovered. In that spirit, I am excited to share with you a few things I am currently “digging”.

First, I’d like to introduce an artist, local to my community, that I am very inspired by. His name is Aaron Dennison. I recently had the pleasure of meeting Aaron and viewing his work at a local art show. His pieces speak to his passion of creative reuse, many of which include bold and expressive illustrations on wood mountings or upcycled assemblages. Each and every piece tells a compelling story. Visit www.aarondennison.com to see more of his work.

Photo Credit: www.aarondennison.com

 

I am a huge fan of indigenous art from cultures around the world. lately, I’ve been very inspired by aboriginal art. It differs in style, depending upon which region of Australia the artist is from, and it is centered around storytelling. Their stories are portrayed by symbols throughout their artwork. There is something about this type of art that speaks to me as an artist. Each painting is telling a story that has been passed down through generations. Visit www.aboriginalart.com.au to learn more.

Photo Credit “Papunya Tjupi Arts” at www.tjupiarts.com.au

 

Having been so inspired by the art of the aboriginal people, I recently purchased a set of dotting tools. These acrylic rods, available in a variety of sizes, are perfect for dipping in acrylic paint. Their smooth surface is easy to clean and paints perfect round dots.

Thank you Jennifer! I hope you all enjoyed hearing a bit more about what inspires Jennifer as an artist. Stay tuned for the next Currently Digging Creative Squad edition for more from our other members :)

Nat

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Let’s Jump with the Creative Squad – Jennifer Gallagher

  

Today we have a post from Jennifer Gallagher from my Creative Squad! She is sharing with us a super cool wall hanging project that I love because it upcycles some materials you probably have around the home, and she transforms them into something gorgeous! Jennifer is using my Flower Maze, Toledo, and Batik stencils, and this month’s theme: Let’s Jump! – The Creative Squad is joining the fun of Creative JumpStart 2019 this month. They’re creating objects for the home, inspired by the CJS19 theme My Home is My Castle.

It’s a new year and that means another chance to join in and play along with Nat’s Creative JumpStart. The theme this year is all about home. We were challenged to create a home decor piece and that got me thinking that you don’t need a lot of money to decorate your home. All you need for unique decor is imagination and a little inspiration.

I began by cutting circles out of the cardboard: one large, one medium, two small, and one extra-small. I then applied a thin coat of acrylic paint onto each circle.

Next, I applied layers of stenciled designs in contrasting colors using Nat’s Flower Maze, Toledo, and Batik stencils. The final layer was painted in black for heavy contrast. I edged around each circle in black as well.

I placed a piece of mounting tape in the center of one of the small circles and attached it to the center of the medium circle. Then I attached the medium circle to the large circle with mounting tape as well.

Next, I punched a hole in the top and bottom of the large circle (this is to attach a hook to the top and hang the small pieces from the bottom). You can use a hole punch or a safety pin for this step. Using wire snips, I cut small pieces of wire, about two inches long each. Using a safety pin I made several small holes around the edges of the large circle to attach my wire.

Finally, I attached a piece of wire for a hook and to hang the final small circle and extra small circle from the bottom. You could use string if you prefer.

This piece really speaks to my funky, tribal aesthetic. If this style doesn’t suit your tastes, use it as inspiration only. You could definitely change up the stencil choices to make one perfect for your home. Be sure to check out Creative JumpStart and get loads more inspiration.

Thank you Jennifer – we are always big fans of using materials in new ways – even stuff that you might first think of as trash :) You can find all my Stencils in my Online Shop. In addition to cereal boxes or other thin cardboard here are some of the supplies that Jennifer 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“.

Nat

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Let’s Jump with the Creative Squad – Josefine Fouarge

  

Welcome to the creative adventures of my Creative Squad :) Today we have Josefine Fouarge with a home decor piece using my Art Deco, Ornament, Lily and Park Blvd stencils and this month’s theme: Let’s Jump! – The Creative Squad is joining the fun of Creative JumpStart 2019 this month. They’re creating objects for the home, inspired by the CJS19 theme My Home is My Castle.

Welcome to 2019 and an entire year of excitement and creativity. January is starting off with a great treat – Creative JumpStart, this year with the theme “My Home is My Castle”. The Creative Squad jumps with all the 31 artists (and hopefully you?) and shares their interpretation of the theme.

My project is a set of wings that has been laying around for a while now. I thought that it is perfect for my next home decor piece, so I grabbed it and stared at the wings for a while. I rarely work in a size like that and I felt a little intimidated at first. Once I let go of the feeling, I just grabbed Nat’s Art Deco stencil and a color spray and started.

I added a little texture to both wings, starting with a more neutral color.

The more patterns I added the more confident I got and finally, was able to let go of the intimidating feeling. I enjoy when this happens as it allows me to turn my head off completely and just enjoy the creative process.

After I added a few ink sprays and mixed them up with water, I added more patterns with Nat’s Ornament and Park Blvd stencils using Distress Oxides.

Once I liked my background, I started working on my foreground. I found the “home” at an antique store. It’s a rusted metal piece that was perfect for my project. So, I arranged the Lily Wallpaper stencil, a frame and the metal word till I liked the composition.

First, I added some gesso through the stencil and later some Golden Mica Flakes.

I adhered the one frame down, but the other wing felt naked. Thankfully, the frame came in a 2-pack which allowed me to assemble another one.

Now I had to let it sit. Patience… But it was so worth it. All the pieces are securely attached to the wings and I can now hang my new home decor piece.

I like that it looks like a simple piece but when you look closely, you can see all the different patterns and layers.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Don’t forget to check out Creative Jumpstart and all the inspiration that it comes with.

Thank you Josefine! I hope all of our readers will find inspiration from this post to try something new and maybe even a bit daunting this new year. Just go for it like Josefine did! You can find all my Stencils in my Online Shop. In addition to some decorative frames and assemblage elements, here are some of the other supplies that Josefine 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“.

Nat

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Let’s Jump with the Creative Squad – Tania Ahmed

  

Happy New Year from the Creative Squad! This month we have a special edition of projects from the team as they are playing along with the Creative JumpStart workshop that just kicked off yesterday! Here is Tania Ahmed with a gorgeous canvas using my Van Vorst stencil and the theme: Let’s Jump! – The Creative Squad is joining the fun of Creative JumpStart 2019 this month. They’re creating objects for the home, inspired by the CJS19 theme My Home is My Castle.

Hi Everyone!

The theme for this month is the same as Creative Jumpstart: My home is My Castle, and we were challenged to create a mixed media home decor piece. I am really into creating canvases these days, so when I found out that the product focus for this month was for us to use stencils, I knew this was my chance! I got busy and made a highly texturized mixed media canvas and I have made a video with a voice over how I made it.

My inspiration was rusty, copper patina, textured and worn surfaces. I really love how materials (especially metal) age and oxidise over time and I wanted to try and emulate that or at least take inspiration from the effect.

I used moulding paste by Golden and Brusho pigment inks, along with different pencils and mediums to add shading and highlights. I used it with one of Nat’s Stencils that I have been itching to use called Van Vorst which is a very detailed stencil which actually reminds me of hand hammered metal work plates.

I hope you enjoyed my video and are taking part in Creative Jumpstart! Thank you so much for dropping by and I hope you are having a great start to the New Year!

Thank you Tania – such a beautiful surface!!! You can find all my Stencils in my Online Shop. Here are some of the other 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“.

Nat

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Warm Wishes – Maura Hibbitts

  

Happy Holidays from the Creative Squad and Maura Hibbitts! Today Maura brings us a wonderfully charming seasonal project just in case you need a last minute ornament or gift tag idea. She uses my Park Blvd 4×4, Toledo 9×12, and Toledo 4×4 stencils and my Diamond Hex, Antique Tile, and my Van Vorst foam stamps to bring us a project that will surely warm you up this season :) The theme this month is: Warm Wishes – For many cultures around the world, December is a holiday season filled with celebrations and good cheer. The Creative Squad is taking this month to send Warm Wishes to all our readers!

Tis the season, right? Winter has arrived on the calendar, we’ve celebrated the Winter Solstice, and tomorrow is Christmas for all who celebrate. Happy Solstice! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! My winter started early this year in November with snow and cold, so staying warm is a priority. I headed for warm colors in my project and sketched out a mitten pattern to use as I rarely head outdoors these days without my mittens or gloves.

I have a small workspace, so my 6 x 6 gel plate works well with many projects. I started with a mix of Cadmium Red Hue and Cadmium Orange Hue and blended them on the plate with the brayer. I laid the large Toledo stencil on the gel plate and pressed my watercolor paper onto it for one print, lifted the stencil to print another, then printed again on the gel plate without the stencil.

Next, I blended Diarylide Yellow, Cadmium Yellow Hue, and Primary Yellow on the gel plate with the brayer, and used the Toledo Small stencil on the plate. I printed the next layer of color and design onto my sheets.

Time to add another bright, warm layer to my papers with a blend of Translucent White and Quinacridone Magenta. Once again, I used the gel plate and brayer to blend, and then stamped the Diamond Hex stamp into the paint, then on to my papers.

As you can guess, I like to build up layers, so went in for another one using the Translucent White and Quinacridone Magenta on the gel plate, then laid the large Toledo stencil down on it again. This time, I randomly pressed some areas of the paper into the paint.

I repeated the previous step with Translucent White and Cadmium Orange Hue.

I decided to add some shimmer to my papers with the Park Boulevard stencil and Shimmering Silver paint. I used a sponge and dabbed the center of the stencil (it reminded me of a flower or snowflake) randomly over my papers.

Now that my papers are created, it is time to cut out my mittens. I sketched my mitten onto scrap paper and used this to cut my mittens. Then I used a slightly larger mitten shape to cut out my background with the Peacock Teal card stock. I cut a cuff for each mitten and stamped another design onto the cuffs with the Antique Tile and VanVorst stamps and blue ink.

I adhered the patterned mitten to the teal card stock, added the cuff and decorated with ribbons. Then I punched a hole and tied on some bakers twine to hang these. They can be used as tags on a gift or ornaments for the tree.

Stay warm this winter with warm colors and mittens! Peace and Joy! – Maura

Seasons greetings to you Maura and thank you for this definitely super cute holiday idea! Maura used the following supplies:


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“.

Nat

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Warm Wishes – Jennifer Gallagher

  

Tis the season for some Warm Wishes from my Creative Squad. Today we have a holiday art journal spread from Jennifer Gallagher that transforms my Clam Hex and Space Oddity stamps into a non-traditional wreath design. Jennifer was inspired by our theme: Warm Wishes – For many cultures around the world, December is a holiday season filled with celebrations and good cheer. The Creative Squad is taking this month to send Warm Wishes to all our readers!

This month the creative squad is creating projects that celebrate this festive time of year. We are sending you all our warmest wishes! I love to think outside of the box with our creative squad prompts. So, when I sat down to contemplate warm wishes and holidays, I was immediately transported to somewhere tropical for some literal “warm” holiday wishes. I hope you enjoy my non-traditional and somewhat tropical take on a holiday wreath for a spread in my art journal.

I began in my canson mixed-media journal. I placed a small pencil mark in the center of my page as a guide. Then I inked my space oddity foam stamp with vibrant fuchsia archival ink. Next, I pressed the foam stamp into the center of my page, pressing with even pressure. This striped design mimics a fun candy cane pattern. Here is where we begin with a non-traditional use of color. Instead of the normal red and white, this pink and white will feel a lot more modern and tropical.

I used the mini clam hex foam to create my faux tropical leaves around the center of my wreath. I inked up the foam stamp with vivid chartreuse archival ink and pressed the stamp down in an exact pattern that I repeated all the way around.

Next, I wanted to add some ornament balls all around the wreath. Nat’s Small Circle Jumble rubber stamp set was the perfect thing. I chose the circle drive negative stamp and inked it up with garden patina archival ink. I stamped the ornaments all over the wreath.

I used my tombow mono drawing pens to add a little detail around each ornament and leaf.

Lastly, in pencil I sketched out a little fun hand-lettered sentiment. Once I settled on the design, I drew over it with my drawing pens and erased the pencil marks.

It has been another wonderful year working with Nat, Kim, and the gals from the Creative Squad. I hope you have enjoyed my work this year and have been inspired. I am sending you warm wishes for a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year.

Thank you Jennifer and we thank you for a great year of inspiring projects and of course we wish you a restful holiday season and happy new year too :) Here are some of the supplies that Jennifer 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“.

Nat

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Warm Wishes – Josefine Fouarge

  

Warm Wishes from the Creative Squad’s Josefine Fouarge today! She is sharing a beautifully layered tag, inspired by the quiet evenings this time of year and using my Circle Drive, Midtown Set, Weave, and Manhattan foam stamps. The theme is Warm Wishes – For many cultures around the world, December is a holiday season filled with celebrations and good cheer. The Creative Squad is taking this month to send Warm Wishes to all our readers!

Can you believe that the year is nearly over? Where did it go? One good thing about the end of the year though is the holiday season. Time to calm down a little, plus I always enjoy the quiet nights. Those were the inspiration for my December project for the Creative Squad.

I used a chipboard tag as my base and covered it in patterns using several ArtFoamies designs from Nathalie and paints. You can see it here:

Nathalie’s designs are great for layering. Even though they are all different, it doesn’t look “too much” when you layer a few patterns on top of each other.

It’s actually really interesting. You can look through all of them and see the bottom layer shining through.

Warm wishes from the Creative Squad. I hope you can enjoy your holidays in the upcoming weeks and get a great start into the new year.

Thank you Josefine and we wish you a wonderful holiday season and happy new year too :) Here are some of the supplies that Josefine 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“.

Nat

Comments (1)

  • Pami

    |

    Oh, so inspiring! Had to start right away with some tags :-)

    Reply

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Warm Wishes – Tania Ahmed

  

Hello my friends! Welcome to December and a new post from my Creative Squad. Today we have another fab video to share with you from Tania Ahmed. She is again rocking the patterns with my Circle Drive and Clam Hex foam stamps. This month’s theme is: Warm Wishes – For many cultures around the world, December is a holiday season filled with celebrations and good cheer. The Creative Squad is taking this month to send Warm Wishes to all our readers!

When I chose my ArtFoamies, I like to think about how I can make two seemingly different patterns work together. It’s like a puzzle and my weird brain likes finding solutions and harmony in a seemingly chaotic pattern. I wasn’t sure when I first started stamping if the pattern would work but I was delighted to see that it resulted in an abstract flower like shape. I find repetitive stamping, creating patterns and doodling relaxing so I was smiling while I put this quick and easy layout together. I hope you try this with your stash of ArtFoamies, I adore my collection!

Step 1- Choose your ArtFoamies. This is the most difficult step!

Step 2- Apply Distress Oxide to Circle Drive ArtFoamie and stamp onto textured cardstock. I love the chalky finish of the Distress Oxides, and the ArtFoamies make it so easy to get an even impression.

Step 3- Use the star in the centre of Circle Drive to align and stamp with the Clam Hex ArtFoamie. This will create an almost abstract cherry blossom flower shape.

Step 4- Add lines and words with an ultra fine black Sharpie marker.

Thank you Tania – we just love learning new ways to combine stamp patterns! You can find all my Foam Stamps in my Online Shop. Here are some of the other 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“.

Nat

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Doin’ My Thing – Maura Hibbitts

  

Welcome to a post from my Creative Squad! Here we have a project from Maura Hibbitts, who is using my Buenos Aires Tile foam stamp, Small Circle Jumble rubber stamps, and my Actually I Can rubber stamps to create a couple of stunning bookmarks. Maura was inspired by our theme this month: Doin’ My Thing – We all have a unique artistic style and way of working with supplies. This is the time to rock it! Be yourself. Do your thing.

One of my favorite things to do throughout my life has been to read. I remember riding my bicycle into the village to visit the library as a kid, and filling my basket up with books to bring home. I always try to read every day, often early in the morning with a cup of coffee, and late at night before I go to sleep. So, I thought making some bookmarks would represent something I love to do.

I pulled out my small 6×6 gelli plate and squirted on some Titanium White, Pyrrole Red and DIarylide Yellow, then blended it somewhat with my brayer. I stamped into the plate with the Buenos Aires stamp to pick up the paint and transferred it to the black paper, and repeated the design to cover the paper.

I thought Emperor’s Gold would be a good choice for my design, and stamped the small Park Boulevard stamp onto the plate, and then stamped it where the designs came together.

When I looked at my black, red and gold design, it reminded me of some of the traditional colors in Eastern art and fabrics. I decided to add the Maiko image and stamped her in gold onto black paper, and sped up the drying time with the heat tool. Note: be sure to clean the stamp right away when using paint.

I wanted to add a bit more red to my background design, and added in some marks with the red paint and the eraser on a pencil. I dried this with the heat tool, then cut the paper into strips for the bookmarks.

I decided to add in a few highlights to Maiko’s outfit and stamped the fan onto gold paper with black ink, and the belt onto the red paper I was using. After I cut out the belt and set it in place, I decided it needed to be outlined in gold, so I used the gold pen to do this.

I layered the cut strips onto the red card stock after I edged them with the black ink. Then, I added Maiko. Next, I used a small oblong punch at the top, and finally tied on some red or gold sari ribbon along with some special red and yellow thread I purchased at a Hindu temple in India.

I love doing my own thing, and hope I can always find time each day to do a little reading. A special bookmark to hold your place makes reading extra fun.

Thank you Maura! I just love how that Maiko stamp looks in gold! You can find all of my foam stamps and rubber stamps in my online store . Here are some of the other supplies that Maura 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“.

Nat

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