Creative Squad

Inside Outside – Josefine Fouarge

  

Hello from the Creative Squad! Today we have a post from Josefine Fouarge to show us a great way to use my Toledo and Ornament Wallpaper stencils, along with my Stroll Around the Block stamps, in a cute art journal page that shows how creativity can take your ideas on a journey! Josefine’s inspiration began with this month’s theme: Inside Outside – Inside can be cozy and warm. Outside is about fresh air and freedom. Are you a homebody or do you suffer from cabin fever? We’re creating with these opposites in mind.

Hi everyone! This month’s theme took me on a journey. At the beginning, I wanted to create something around Winter vs Summer or a similar contrasting theme, but then I started working in my art journal and it moved into a different direction.

Basically, I created a page about myself and the contrast of me at work and me at the craft table. But more on that later ;)

I started with a page that already had a few “clean up” marks on it from a Gel Press session that I had. I decided to use the round Gel Press marks and work with those circles. I used the Toledo stencil and placed three of the stars around the two circles.

I didn’t use the alignment of the stencil and created my own pattern with them. Next up, I used the same stencil and positioned it slightly off. As you can see, I didn’t cover the entire page, just a few areas that I blended out and into each other.

Now I added the circles on top using a round Gel Press. I thought that the bright yellow looks like spotlights. But I didn’t like the brightness, so I added the Ornament Wallpaper pattern inside and then, while I was at it, to the left border.

Coincidentally I found this girl in a magazine. Even though she’s struggling with her hair, I thought that she fits perfectly onto my page – just switch the hairdryer with a heat gun :)

And onto the contrast part. I work at a job where a business casual is preferred. Not that I have a problem with that, but it’s very different to how I usually am when I’m at home. Let’s just say I love to craft in my jammies…

That’s why I picked the Craftsman stamp from the Stroll Around the Block set and stamped it onto a grey piece of paper. I kept the house very clean and colored it lightly with Prismacolor pencils.

At the end, I ripped the edges of the grey paper, adhered it onto my art journal page, added some black watercolor around the edges and sealed the entire page with Earl Lube paste.

Now we have a clean, successful looking outside with a chaotic me in the inside :)

On a side note, I love how the white pencil adds contrast to the Craftsman house.

Thanks for stopping by! Don’t forget to come back every Tuesday for more Creative Team inspiration.

Thank you Josefine! I love hearing about your evolution of ideas – sometimes we just need a little spark to get inspired and then our creativity takes it from there :) In addition to Earl Lube Paste (gel medium), 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)

  • Sue Clarke

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    What a fun page Josefine…thanks for sharing.

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Inside Outside – Tania Ahmed

  

Hello from my Creative Squad and welcome to a project from Tania Ahmed. Tania is bringing us a super fun easel card using my Stroll Around the Block set of house stamps, my My Home is My Castle stamp, and my What’s the Point stencil. Be sure to watch her awesome video for the how-to and join us for this month’s new theme: Inside Outside – Inside can be cozy and warm. Outside is about fresh air and freedom. Are you a homebody or do you suffer from cabin fever? We’re creating with these opposites in mind.

I was inspired by this month’s theme to create an easel card as a play on the “inside Outside” theme! My main focus was the Queen Anne Building stamp which is a part of the Stroll Around the Block Set #1.

The theme made me think about whether I preferred to stay at home or be outside. Did I prefer my own company or to be around people? As I get older I am getting more and more comfortable in my own skin and realising that I can have moments where I prefer one or the other scenario and that it’s okay! I’ll have days where I want to make a clean and simple project and then there will be days when I will be absolutely covered in paint and making happy creative messes!

I decided to make a video tutorial showing how I made this easel card, and I loved how it turned out :) Click on the video below to watch:

Here are also some photos:

Thank you Tania! I’m just loving your video and seeing the awesome texture you created with my What’s the Point stencil on this card! Also those colors are yum! In addition to various cardstock and papers, 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“.

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Layers of Love – Maura Hibbitts

  

Hello and welcome to a post from my Creative Squad! Today we have a gorgeous art journal page from Maura Hibbitts, layering up my Fashion Dame stamp set, my  Art Deco Wallpaper, Amsterdam, and New Orleans stencils and totally rocking this month’s theme: Layers of Love – We love layers and all the juicy yummy goodness they bring to mixed media. This month we’re layering it up and letting viewers discover all the different strata of our artistic mark making.

I headed to my Dina Wakley Media Journal and started by brushing on a layer of Turquoise paint in a rather imperfect way so some white would still show. While the first layer dried, I worked on creating the “fabric” for the outfit. I used Prima watercolors and painted a couple of different designs on watercolor paper.

I stamped the Fashion Dame onto watercolor paper with black archival ink, then used a water brush and watercolors to color in the skin tones. I stamped the clothing onto the “fabric” designs I created earlier, then put her outfit on, and added some gold highlights.

Back to the art journal page for a stenciled layer. I used the Art Deco Wallpaper stencil and Green Gold paint and a cosmetic sponge to stencil in the design. Once that dried, I turned the stencil upside down and added another sponged layer, this time with Ultramarine Blue paint.

With the cool colors laid down and completely dry, next up are the warm colors to layer on top. I used the Amsterdam stencil from the Fashion Dame, and dabbed in yellow and orange with a sponge. I only stenciled parts of the background in each color.

While I loved the layers I had created in the background, I knew my Dame would be lost, and anything I wrote would be hard to read, so I whitewashed the page. I used a translucent white and painted a thin layer over the page. I went in with a baby wipe and scrubbed back some areas since I still wanted color to show through.

Time for a little gold. I really like adding a bit of metallic, and the gold adds a subtle layer to the page. I used the New Orleans stencil and a pale gold and randomly sponged gold onto the page.

I adhered the Dame with foam tape, then scribbled around her with a Stabilo graphite pencil. Next, I softened it with a water brush. This is a great way to create more depth on your page. I also added in some scribbly lines underneath her to ground her.

I hand-lettered a great quote on beauty by Hedda Sterne – “For the sublime and beautiful and the interesting, you don’t have to look far away.” It is always interesting to me how my mind can work in the background when I am creating. The Fashion Dame has an Asian look to her, and the Art Deco Wallpaper has the appearance of fans. I really was not thinking about this while working, but when I stepped back I saw that connection.

Thank you Maura! I love all those layers and what a great quote – I definitely think if you look, the sublime and beautiful are all around us :) Here are some of the supplies 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

Comments (2)

  • Sue Clarke

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    Gorgeous layers and colors Maura!

    Reply

    • Maura

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      Thanks Sue!!

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Layers of Love – Jennifer Gallagher

  

Welcome to a post from the Creative Squad! Today we have a set of Artist Trading Cards from Jennifer Gallagher – little masterpieces of layered fun for sure! Jennifer uses my Batik and Kassel stencils along with this month’s theme: Layers of Love – We love layers and all the juicy yummy goodness they bring to mixed media. This month we’re layering it up and letting viewers discover all the different strata of our artistic mark making.

One of the great joys of working in mixed media is creating delicious layers of color and pattern. This month, I thought I would share with you a fun way to create the perfect layered background you can use for many different projects.

I am starting with a sheet of watercolor paper, 140 lb. I used painters tape to create a square grid on my paper and painted some watercolor squares. You can do circles or any type of watercolor wash. Remember to leave a little bit of white space here and there. It leaves places for your eyes to rest.

Next, I laid Nat’s Kassel stencil over my watercolor paper and chose places to put the cube designs. Using my distress markers I drew in the design. The Tim Holtz water brush is the perfect tool for filling in the designs for a watercolor look.  I also did a little mark making with my watercolors. You will notice little black dots here and there.

At this point I used my distress stains to add a few circular areas of color. Then I sprayed Dylusions ink spray through the Kassel stencil in a few select areas. Don’t forget to keep some white space! At this point I chose a special stencil as a focal point. Nat’s Batik stencil is the perfect one for this. I chose parts of the stencil I wanted to use and painted through with Dina Wakley Media paint in ruby and Dylusions black marble paint using a Tim Holtz mini blending tool.

Once the black paint dried I went back over the designs with a Ranger Letter It Metallic Marker and a Uni Posca Pen. I also added some more art marks on the background with the white Posca Pen.

Now that we have this yummy layered paper, what can we do with it? I turned mine into Artist Trading Cards. You can use your background for a paper flag, bookmarks, or an art journal page. You are only limited by your imagination. Won’t you join the creative squad this month and try our techniques?

Thank you Jennifer! I love how you used my stencils to create so many interesting layers of shape and color in these! They are really fun ATCs! Here are some of the supplies that Jennifer used:



Feel inspired to get in on the layered action? 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“.

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Comments (1)

  • maura

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    Love how you created your layers on these awesome ATC’s, Jennifer!

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Layers of Love – Josefine Fouarge

  

Welcome to a post from the Creative Squad. Today we have a sweet little mixed media canvas from Josefine Fouarge. She’s playing with lots of layers with my Kassel, Toledo, Lily Wallpaper, Art Deco Wallpaper and Elephant Parade stencils based on this month’s theme: Layers of Love – We love layers and all the juicy yummy goodness they bring to mixed media. This month we’re layering it up and letting viewers discover all the different strata of our artistic mark making.

Layers, yummy layers. I enjoy working in layers and being able to see through every one of them and get a peek of what’s lying underneath the surface.

For today’s project, I picked the Elephant Parade stencil as my focal point and I had an idea in my head of several patterns shining through the silhouette. So, I grabbed a 5×7” canvas and added a wash of Dina Wakley Lime color. Then I added the first layer using the Kassel, Toledo and Art Deco stencil and three different shades of green.

For the next layer, I picked a few different washi tapes and randomly adhered them to the background.

I wanted to add more stenciled layers. To avoid a chaos on my canvas, I painted a light layer of Gesso on top of the first one. Then I used the same three stencils, this time with different colors, one of them in a more contrasting orange shade.

It was time to create the Elephant silhouette. I started by placing down the mask and adding two layers of Gesso around it.

Next, I switched to the Elephant Parade stencil and added a shadow to the inside of the elephant using a Faber Castell Gelato in grey.

The white washed area was a little too white for me, so I covered the elephant again with the mask and then added a blush color through the Lily Wallpaper stencil.

Here you can see all the yummy layers shining through and building the body of the elephant.

You can also see parts of the washi tape, for example the globe. Enough to be interesting, but not enough to draw the eye to it.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed my layered canvas and feel inspired to create your own textured images.

Thank you Josefine! Love seeing all those stencil layers through the Elephant! 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)

  • maura

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    Josefine, I love how you layered the elephant with the stencils! Cool!

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Layers of Love – Tania Ahmed

  

Today is a special Creative Squad day because we are welcoming the very talented Tania Ahmed to the team! Tania’s fresh style will be a great addition to our lovely little group :) You can read more about Tania in this Nice to Meet You post from last week. Today she brings us a beautiful little book that totally rocks my Santiago and What’s the Point stencils. She’s working from our new theme: Layers of Love – We love layers and all the juicy yummy goodness they bring to mixed media. This month we’re layering it up and letting viewers discover all the different strata of our artistic mark making.

Hi Everyone, this is my first post as part of the Creative Squad! Thank you to dear Nathalie and Kim for inviting me to join the team, I am so pleased, thrilled and honoured! I am so excited to be kicking off this month’s challenge: the theme is Layers of Love and there’s nothing better to demonstrate this than Stencils!

I adore stencils and love to incorporate them into my work. There are so many ways to use them, you can sponge paint or medium through them, stamp with them, use mists with, the list is endless. At the moment I am really obsessed with gel plate printing and I thought what better way to demonstrate layering than with monoprinting!

I created a variety of prints and I started by centring my Gelli Arts plate on a piece of A4 sized paper. This will help you create a register for your print so that you can line up the pattern stencils each time you pull a print.

I started by spreading Permanent Light Blue and Cobalt Blue acrylic paint with a brayer on my gel printing plate. I lined the 9 x 12 Santiago Stencil with the paper under my gel plate along the bottom left corner. This will be my register every time I place either my stencil or my paper:

I then pulled a print:

I removed my stencil let the paint dry on my gel plate. I then brayered white acrylic paint all over the plate and pulled another print with new paper. This will be my ghost print:

I cleaned my gel plate off and then applied Process Magena and Opera Rose acrylic paint with my brayer and lined up the stencil again and pulled a print on the ghost printed paper. I made sure to line up my print with the paper under the gel plate!

I removed the stencil and quickly pulled another print using the first gel printed paper, making sure to line it up with the paper under the plate:

I repeat this using the same colours with other stencils until I had a few prints to choose from.

I then die cut some mount board (or you can use light chipboard sheets) using the Eileen Hull’s Passport Sizzix Die, and added my printed papers to the cover. I painted the spine with black chalk acrylic paint. I also die cut some pages for the journal using the same die. I assembled the journal, added some beads to the spine, elastic and a brad for the closure. I am really looking forward to filling this little mini album with photos and journaling!

Thank you so much for stopping by, I had a blast making this project :)

Thank YOU Tania! So glad to have you and absolutely loving this first project from you! 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“.

Nat

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Nice to Meet You! with Tania Ahmed

It’s time to get to know an artist with… Nice to Meet You! Today I’d like to introduce you to the inspiring art and story of my newest Creative Squad member Tania Ahmed! I are so happy to have her on the team and I thought this would be a great way for all of us to get to know her :)

Please introduce yourself to our readers and tell us where you live:

Hi! I’m Tania Ahmed a crafts tutor, blogger and creative from Hertfordshire, UK. I’ve been actively working in the crafts industry for over 6 years now. I am grateful to be able to contribute to the industry in my own little way. I love working with people and at the moment I produce creative content for magazines and craft manufacturers and teach at independent stores, craft shows and for local charities. I also work part time as a professional interpreter and I do financial administration for an interpreting agency. I am originally from Pakistan and have lived in the UK for 10 years. My work in the creative industry has introduced me to many new hobbies and the sweetest of people including Nat!

How do you make time to be creative?

I have to make time to be creative to flourish and function as it is so deeply entrenched in me. I have been creative all my life so I feel the need to express my creativity regularly. I can be found either crafting, enjoying (amateur) photography, writing, gardening or cooking. I try and incorporate some sort of “arting” into my daily routine. I either craft on days when I am at home or craft at night which suits me as I am a night owl!

What are some of your favorite n*Studio stamps / stencils? 

All of the ArtFoamies and the Stroll Around the Block Cling Rubber Stamp Set.

Nat’s ArtFoamies
Stroll Around the Block Set

 

 

 

 

 

 

How do you love to use them?

I sometimes teach block printing which I adore as I love building patterns. I find it very relaxing! I am really looking forward to using Nat’s designs on fabric and stitching on them. I also love Nat’s sketch style building stamps which are perfect for colouring in which appeals to the intricate-detail-crafter in me, haha!

What is your favorite medium to work in?

Embossing powder and acrylic paints. No question! Basically anything that will make my hands looks like a rainbow at the end of a craft session, the messier the better. At the moment I am really into mixed media and papercrafts.

What inspires you to be creative?

I am inspired by nature, bright colours, good conversations, textures and trying new creative techniques. And tea … lots of tea! I also love focusing on individual products and discovering unique ways to use them. I would highly recommend Creative Jumpstart to someone looking for inspiration as it is an awesome introduction to many different artists, techniques and new kinds of art!

Do you have a favorite artist?

I have far too many favourites, but if I am pressed to name one it would be Frida Kahlo.

How did you get into art-making?

I have been crafting all my life and growing up have been surrounded by creative people. My aunts and grandmothers either knitted or sewed or embroidered. I grew up wearing dresses my mother lovingly sewed and played with a giant doll house that my father made from scratch. He is a very talented carpenter. I never thought I would pursue creativity as a profession until a few years ago when I was encouraged by friends and family to pursue my passion.

In three words, how does art-making make you feel?

Uplifted, nurtured, wondrous.

Thank you Tania and a BIG Welcome to you from the Creative Squad! We can’t wait to see what creations you dream up beginning in April :) Here are some of my stamps and stencils that Tania used:



And if you had fun learning about Tania, be sure to check out all of my Nice to Meet You features on the blog – they are super inspiring! And join the Creative Squad on Instagram for weekly project ideas.

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Comments (1)

  • Sue Clarke

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    Welcome Tania!
    I am not so good with embossing powder so I look forward to your projects using it.
    Love the little house.

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Vacation Mode – Maura Hibbitts

  

Happy Tuesday from the Creative Squad! Today we are excited to share with you a wonderful little upcycled travel bag from Maura Hibbitts. She is using my Versailles foam stamp set and my Urban Scribble stamp set (no longer available but if you’re looking for building stamps here is a good place to start) along with this month’s theme: Vacation Mode – Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we are slogging through winter with only one thing on our minds – vacation! Whether it’s Spring Break, a weekend getaway, or an hour with a good book, everyone needs an escape to Vacation Mode now and again.

When I go on vacation, I like to take along an art project or travel journal to capture my experiences. I up cycled a small canvas bag that came filled with some yummy tamales for my project. You could use a purchased canvas bag, or sew one yourself if desired. (Mine is about 8 x 10 inches/20.5 x 25.5 cm) I like how the printing peeks through my stamped design. Now I have a fun bag I can fill with art supplies, or use to fill with found treasures on my vacation.

Start by inserting a piece of cardboard into the canvas bag. This will keep the paint from leaching through the other side.

I found the best way for me to get good paint coverage on the Versailles ArtFoamies stamps was to use my gel plate and a brayer to adhere the Quinacridone Gold paint onto the foam. You could also use a palette instead of the gel plate. Do both sides of the bag, and be sure this paint layer is completely dry.

Through trial and error, I discovered I was able to match the stamped images up better if I started with the negative impression, and then stamped the positive with the Cobalt Turquoise Hue acrylic paint. Let dry. As you can see, there are a lot of imperfections in matching the images, but I’m ok with that.

I used a gold pen, and a Posca metallic orange pen to add some doodles to the bag on both sides. I don’t plan to wash this bag, so did not worry about using washable pens, but take that into consideration if you plan to wash your bag.

Now, it’s time to add some embroidery. I used turquoise thread and stitched the bottom of the bag with a Blanket Stitch. Next, on the front panel, I added French Knots inside the circles I’d drawn with the pens, using a yellow orange thread.

I wanted to make a charm to add to the bag, so I stamped the Urban Scribble image onto Shrink Plastic with archival black ink, and cut a section of it to use. Punch a hole into the plastic, then heat it and shrink it with your heat gun.

My final touches on the bag were to add the shrink and metal charms with embroidery thread, and tie loops of bright orange and yellow orange threads to each section of my blanket stitch at the bottom. Once I’d tied the loops on, I trimmed them to the same length. Now I just have to plan my next trip and decide what to fill my artsy travel bag with!

Thank you Maura! I could see using this bag for a fun evening out too! I just love the bold colors and the embroidered details – so cool!! In addition to an upcycled canvas bag (there are some possible choices in the list below) and some cardboard, Maura used the following supplies for her project :



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“.

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Nat

Comments (1)

  • Sue Clarke

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    I absolutely love this Maura! The color and the tag you made are awesome.

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Vacation Mode – Jennifer Gallagher

  

Hello from the Creative Squad! Today we have Jennifer Gallagher and her set of absolutely lovely postcards to send from your vacation destination. She is using my Toledo and Kassel stencils and my Valley Road foam stamp, along with our theme: Vacation Mode – Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we are slogging through winter with only one thing on our minds – vacation! Whether it’s Spring Break, a weekend getaway, or an hour with a good book, everyone needs an escape to Vacation Mode now and again.

This month we are in Vacation Mode here at the Nstudio Creative Squad. What better time to beat my current winter blues than looking ahead to Summer and family vacations. I love the warm Summer sun, sand between my toes, and the salty ocean breeze. So, today I will walk you through making some adorable beach-inspired postcards to send to family and friends from any destination.

These fun postcards are quick and easy to make and you can use your favorite Nstudio stencils, stamps, and artfoamies to make them uniquely you. I used my six by six inch gelli plate, brayer, watercolor postcards, and inexpensive acrylic craft paints. To make some really standout postcards I used Nat’s Toledo stencil, Kassel stencil, and Valley Road Artfoamies.

I layered my paint onto my gelli plate from light to dark in coordinating colors with my brayer. I put down my stencil and pressed my watercolor postcard down. Press firmly!

I chose complimentary colors, in this case turquoise and teal, and applied the paint to my artfoamies. I applied the design in interesting places on my postcards.

After the paint dried, I decided to add some interest with black India ink. Following the spaces between the stencil gives an interesting line for the eye to follow.

Now all that is left is to send them out. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit every Tuesday for the latest Creative Squad post. Enjoy!

Thank you Jennifer! Those colors are sure to brighten any gloomy winter day :)  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“.

Join us on Thursday March 22nd at 4pm EST for my latest Kaffeeklatsch on Facebook! I’ll be chatting about all the latest and greatest here at Nathalie’s Studio. Special this time is a GIVEAWAY you will not want to miss, tales from my trip to Japan, and lots of news about exciting upcoming in-person workshops! Join us and say hi!

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Comments (1)

  • maura

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    Love how you made your own postcards with the stencils and stamps, Jennifer! Cool idea and colors! Maura

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