PaperArtsy Word Up!

Hello all, and welcome - great to have you drop by!  I'm sharing some more samples for the new PaperArtsy releases today.  Yup, it's more...

... new PaperArtsy stamps... new PaperArtsy stamps... new PaperArtsy stamps...

Check out the new JOFY stamps released on Thursday here (and my samples here), and the brand new Lin Brown line revealed on Friday here.

Sunday at noon on the PaperArtsy blog there'll be one more set of brand new releases that you won't want to miss, but for today let's hear it for the amazing new stamps from designer Sara Naumann!  You're in the midst of my sneak peeks right now.




This Eclectica collection is pretty much all about the words, so I leapt at the chance to have a play  with them in advance of the release date.

There are 8 new plates in total, and you can see them all over at the PaperArtsy blog today, along with sneak peeks from my fellow Design Team members of the projects they came up with.







I had 4 sets to play with (little pause to pinch myself, can't believe my luck!).

I'll share a few photos of my pieces today, and follow up with some more detailed posts over the next days and weeks (so that I can keep a record too).





Of course, these stamps will be fantastic for art journalling, or as accents and background texture around other focal images, but I tried to be a purist about my samples and stick to just using these stamps for them.  But, oh boy, am I ever ready to start combining them into other projects?!

So the first piece was created using ESN01, a tag in my favourite neutrals with highlights of Treasure Gold in White Fire.

See the sneak peek for a close-up of that fantastic Gothic font on the tag background... those who are always wondering about how to source old German book pages, fret no more - the solution is here!

Then there's ESN04 with two of my favourite words to live by, play and experiment, right there in bold, and so many other inspirational words and phrases, plus the fabulously Alice-y: "the words "DRINK ME,"!

Another tag, this time switching from neutrals to my current colour obsession of turquoises and teals.

ESN05 has the most gorgeous letter ephemera - Carte Postale which is just a joy, and some French script which is also delicious.

I started out by messing around with lots of inks, sprays, stamps and stencils to create a background (you'll spot the straw technique in there again if you look closely!), and then cut it all up.

The word forgotten was calling me, so that became the focal word of each square.  Up to this point, I was really enjoying where the project was going...






... but here's where - if I could have the piece back, I'd change it!  I'd love to rip the whole grid off that dull-as-ditchwater card and bung some corrugated card behind'em - but it's too late: they've all been shipped off to Leandra for possible show display. (Looking at it now, I'm hoping not this one!)

Thankfully, inspiration struck again and I waltzed back into my comfort zone with this "vintage" postcard!

I just allowed the words to tell me a story, and off we went...

And the final plate I had to work (ahem!) with was ESN06, where I also took a journey from trying to impose on the stamps to just letting them do their thing... but I'm going to forgive myself for rushing into it at first - we were on something of a short deadline!!









So the first piece, using hexagonal beer mats to create a hanging, was great fun to make... lovely inky stencilling, book pages, and my favourite stamping on tissue paper to put the words centre stage, but it never really took off for me - I felt I was letting the stamps down.







But then they burst back into life on the tag, with watercolour Distress Stains, and Fresco paints and crackle glaze in the background tag.  It happened without me really thinking about it, which I find is usually the best way to play!

If you've not already been there, then do check out the PaperArtsy blog for lots of sneak peeks and links to what the rest of the team have been creating, as well as details of the other 4 new Sara Naumann stamp sets.  There are some real beauties.

But for now, I'd like to say a huge thank you for your company today.  I will be following up with more details of some of these projects in the days to come, so it would be lovely to see you again... and I do hope to see you when my full PaperArtsy "duties" kick off in September.

Happy crafting (and shopping) in the meantime!

A person who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. 
Albert Einstein

True happiness comes from the joy of deeds well done, the zest of creating things new.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

Oh, and by the way, here's a definition from The Urban Dictionary of the phrase I used in my post title.  Thought I'd share it as it tickled me!
Word Up - I comprehend what you are saying and verify that your statement is true, my good brother.  
It also signifies acknowledgement, approval, or an indication of enthusiasm - so it seemed like the perfect title to accompany the new PaperArtsy releases!