I'm travelling into a new way of working, a new country, a new language, and a new hobby which I'm passionate about. Come with me for some of the journey...

Wednesday 15 July 2020

Double-sided Acetate

Hello all!  Firstly, a quick heads-up... I've just embarked on an Instagram journey, so if you'd like to see how that looks, do come and follow me there.  My Instagram name is w0rdsandp1ctures (I'm far too late to the Instagram party to have those words without fiddling around a little bit).  I'm determined to keep blogging too though (unless New Blogger makes life so miserable that I can't bear it!), so don't worry.  I like words as well as pictures...

This post title may be a reference known only to a particular viewership and a particular age group... Blue Peter, a children's show on the BBC, used to make craft projects every now and then and rather than mention a brand name would refer to "double-sided sticky tape".  We all knew who they meant!  But it seemed a good name for this post sharing a couple of samples from my latest stamp release with PaperArtsy


One quote/tag is for EAB19 Life & Living and one is for EAB20 Night & Day, but the thing the pair of them have in common is the stamping and embossing of the quote on acetate for a rather magical effect.  It wasn't until later that I realised that the acetate stamping wasn't all they shared!





Don't panic if you're finding the quotes hard to read in the photo above... it's not your eyesight.  Thanks to the sunlight they are there in double because of the shadow (and so the post title just keeps on giving!). 

When you look at them in the shade, or just in normal light, you can read them perfectly well...










... but you can still see the background and/or stamping going on behind at the same time.  So again, it's almost like seeing double.  You get the quote, but you don't lose anything behind it.

But just wait until you see the magic when the full shadow effect is in operation!!











First things first, though...  These started with a simple sponged background, blending the paints on for a lovely soft ombre effect.  The left-hand one is the tag for the meadow flower Life & Living tag... you'll see the other in action in an upcoming post.












And then for this one I got out one of my oldest stamp acquisitions, this fabulous PaperArtsy Hot Picks wildflower stem.  It's stamped in Olive Archival.













One of the things I love about it is that it has a fairly bendy stem so you can reposition it to go in a different direction which means it looks like two different flowers!













And at the foot of the tag is another long-time favourite, these lovely birds amidst the grassy stems.














And now for that sunlit magic...  I'm so in love with this effect!  The words are stamped in Archival and embossed in Wow Earthtone Pepper, a lovely mottled grey.  But just look at that shadow... double George Eliot delight!












Let's take a quick look at the other tag, using the amazing Jack London quote from the Night & Day plate.  I think these words are simply magical, so I kept the tag nice and simple to let them shine.  And I'm more than happy to have these words twice over!!










There's another sponged background - I use a natural sponge which I think gives a much better texture.  The surrounding stamps are Hot Picks again...  this is just a partial stamping of the gorgeous giant moon from HP1903. 

I painted a white area over my sponging before stamping in Watering Can Archival, so that the moon could glow nicely.









And here are those birds back in action.   I honestly wasn't thinking of these tags as a pair - they were made on different days.  It wasn't until I was photographing all the sample batches that I realised how much they have in common.













They're stamped in Archival and embossed in the Wow Pepper, just like the quote itself.  When you get it at the right angle, it has a lovely light-reflecting gleam.








So two relatively simple tags apart from that leap of faith of stamping onto the acetate.  (It's just some leftover packaging, by the way, nothing fancy.)  I hadn't really thought when I did it that you would get those lovely shadows, I just rather liked the idea of giving the words a bit of dimension, floating above the tag.





The doubling of the words was a delightful bonus which appeared as I was photographing them... happy accidents are so lovely, aren't they?  I hope they give you as much pleasure as they do me.





That's your lot for today, but as I say, if you're on Instagram do come and say hello to me there.  I'm still finding my way around so that will make it much easier for me to find and visit you in return.  I hope you're all having a good week, and I look forward to some more blog-visiting soon.  Happy crafting all!

I thought the most beautiful thing in the world must be shadow.
From The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

27 comments:

aussie aNNie said...

wow most beautiful work of art and gorgeous colours ♥

Valerie-Jael said...

Beautiful tags, love the colours, it's all so peaceful. I won't follow you at Instagram, I hate it. Hve a great day, Valerie

Words and Pictures said...

Completely fair enough, Valerie! That made me smile. I've resisted for a long time... xx

Meggymay said...

I love your tags and the new fantastic quotes. I am having so many issues with an old computer just now, I stick with blogger. One day I'll get to the store for a replacement.
Stay safe.
Yvonne xx

Let's Art Journal said...

Beautiful tags! Loving the backgrounds and the stamp that you used with the branches and birds is gorgeous 😁. Wonderful acetate quotes too! Enjoy Instagram, I joined this year too and definitely prefer blogging (grin!). Happy and creative wishes! Hugs, Jo x

Helen said...

Beautiful tags, as ever! I did start an instagram account to find something Paperartsy were talking about - but never used it ! good luck with yours.

Redanne said...

The sunlight on your acetate tag sentiments does look pretty amazing and has embossed so well. I love the perfect shadows that are created behind too. The birds in the grasses are always a delight to see.

It was lovely to see you on Instagram (am following you of course!). I know lots of people seem to have moved away from blogs to either Facebook or Instagram but I am still clinging to my blog, as it is good to have as a record of projects. Thank you for taking the time to visit again, I really appreciate it. Anne xxx

suzyb said...

I love your work Alison, have done for years now. I really love your style, the colours, the stamps and words. Thank you for being here and sharing.

Christine Alexander said...

Beautiful tags Alison, I love the effect of the double acetate and the beautiful images below.
The new Blogger has good and bad aspects so nothing new. I haven't ventured into Instagram, so many social media places :)

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I tried to join Instagram and learned I need a cell phone. Yes, I'm one of three people over the age of seven who doesn't own one. But I love what you have created here. I especially like the second one because the grasses are taller. Just a personal preference, even though they are both beautiful.

So glad you are staying with your blog, too, since I can't get on Instagram. It goes dark and won't let me see anything until I sign up.

Cigale said...

I love your tags and also many other posts on your blog. From now on I am a follower of your Instagram account. Blogger felt so good in the past, but for me it was difficult to get comments or followers and I appreciate so much all comments and warm contacts on Instagram that I even did not try to see how new Blogger works. From you I understand that the new Blogger is a nasty thing, I think I shall leave my blog as it is. So, see you at IG!

craftytrog said...

A beautiful pair of tags Alison! Wonderful quotes and I love that old favourite bird stamp from PA.
I'm doing a bit of armchair bird-watching, magpies, jackdaws, great spotted woodpecker, as well as blackbirds, bluetits, robins, sparrows and starlings. And the pigeons of course! I could sit here all day, lol!
Hope you're having a good week, great to see you on Instagram,
Alison xx

Jane said...

These are beautiful Alison, I love seeing you pop up on my Instagram feed last week and it's great to see you there. I find I spend more time there than blogging now, it is so less time consuming to write a post and I can still share several photos in one posting so all good! Hugs xxx

Neet said...

I did start an Instagram account myself but I haven't used it in ages now, probably forgotten how to. I hope you don't leave blogging though, I still prefer it to anything and almost use it as a diary to let me know what is happening in my life, even though it is only twice a week these days.
Lovely tags and I can see the magic in the ds for you, especially as you love words so much. Gorgeous colours for the background and lovely simple pictorial content allowing the words to shine - in more ways than one.
Hugs, Neet xx

Lagene said...

Awesome creations! I love how you get the double sentiment with the shadows!

Fonda said...

Gorgeous tags! Now I'm following you on Instagram!

Sue said...

These are beautiful Alison, you had me with the moon and stary sky! I've found you on Instagram but I must admit I'm a bit (lot) hit an miss over there. Take care and have a great weekend, Sue xx

Chrissy said...

Beautiful tags Alison..love the grasses with the little birds all embossed and the lovely soft colour behind them..gorgeous.

I'm dealing with the new blogger, I just shut my eyes and hope for the best..at least when I upload pictures it now reverts back to where they pop up in that box and you can sort the order out..don't know how that happened, must have been so many complaints..

Luv CHRISSYxx

Felix the Crafty Cat said...

More beautiful tags. The effect of the sentiment on the acetate is magical. I have an Instagram account but to be honest I don't really use it. I like to write tutorials and instructions for things I make and I find blogging a more interactive source. We don't need to worry about the new Blogger as the Legacy interface will still be available. I've been on their forum and I'm not the only one that's not happy with it, there are loads of complaints so maybe they will make it easier to use. Have a lovely crafty week, Angela xXx

My name is Erika. said...

I'm sitting in a field watching stars and fireflies on a warm summer night. These tags took me right there Alison. Very beautiful!

Margaret Mifsud said...

Absolutely gorgeous tags once again Alison. I love the delicate stems and flowers and the little tiny birds in the grass .. pure delight. Backgrounds, colours .. everything created to perfection. Love, love, love. I have followed you on Instagram but must admit I don't use it often. Am trying to write a post with the new blogger at the moment and finding it a little easier than the last time I tried it. Be interesting to see if I can get to the finish. Have a fabulous weekend. x

Craftyfield said...

Love the play of transparency on your wild grasses tags, Alison!
My Instagram account is still in the works (i.e. thought about it and done nothing yet!). My main concern is that we get to see the same item on each social media feed and there is just too much to wade though... Blogs are more in depth, leisurely long reads, more my style. hmm maybe September! x

Cocofolies said...

Two absolutely gorgeous tags... and I also love the effect of the acetate for highlighting these beautiful quotes lighlty, and the happy shadows when photographying them! Fantastic!!! xx

Dorthe said...

They are wonderful with the fantastic new quotes, Alison,- and the weeds stamps, are so beautiful, I love the one with the birds . I have to read about the acetate stamping- it looks gorgeous !! Hugs, Dorthe

Patty O'Malley said...

Beautiful tags, Alison. I love the backgrounds on each.

Anita Houston The Artful Maven said...

Following on Insta and FB too...so glad to see you. LOVE the stamping on the acetate, cool idea. These are lovely.

pearshapedcrafting said...

Absolutely beautiful in every way! Love the magical effect with the words! As you know I am on Instagram and at first I found I wasted a lot of time on there - I still love my blog - until new blogger decides to spoil it - then what??? Joining Instagram was the only way I could see some folk who gave up blogging! Still resisting FB though!! Hugs, Chrisx