Mixed-media paper crafter; stamper, freelance craft tutor, designer of PaperArtsy JOFY stamps

5 March 2018

JoFY Bingo Wk.7


Welcome to week 7 of JoFY Bingo! How's this for an eclectic selection of stamps to work with!


I chose to focus on the robots - I don't use them nearly as much as I should - they're great for male cards/projects - especially Skid (the tall robot with the wheel - he makes me smile!)

I created a page in my art journal (really enjoying working in this journal at the moment - its the small Dylusions one).

The grey centre panel is a clean up/ghost gel print and I surrounded it with a border of graph paper.  The page came together quite easily - stamped the robot words around all the edges to create a border, added stencilled hexagons and stamped nuts and bolts randomly around the page. 

I painted a panel of card in Fresco Paints (Slate, Chalk) and a metallic grey/blue paint.  I stamped onto the panel the star flourish from JOFY57 and cut out the stars ready to attach where needed.... you don't have to use an entire image - just use the bits you need.

I created the robots by stamping them onto the page and onto printed papers, and paper pieced them together. Skid's arms and legs are quite fiddly to cut out and so this gives a much nicer finished result.
I gave Skid some googly eyes - who doesn't love googly eyes!! lol

I'm calling the other two robots 'the brothers' as they look related - the same but different...
The little robot is unchanged but the tall one has been made of parts... a bit like Frankenstein's monster - but much less scary! lol
I created him by I masking off the legs and then stamped him slightly higher up the page.  I drew tall legs and gave him a foot and a wheel.  I stamped Skid's head and the small robots body onto the same patterned paper cut them out and added paper pieced them onto the page.  I wanted his head to look different to Skid's so I cut of the 'ears' (colander handles!) and gave him one BIG eye!  (no robots were harmed in the making of this page! lol)



These little robots make me smile - they look related to each other - or maybe they are the robot world's first boy band!?!  I'll let you decide!


That's Week 7 done and dusted...  I hope you can join in this week - I'd love to see what you do with the robots! (and the other stamps of course!)

So if you fancy joining in here's what you need to know:

The numbers are drawn on Monday, along with a project I've made using the corresponding stamp sets, then the plan is to:
  • Use/combine 2 stamp sets (use only those stamp sets - not all the stamps in each set - that would be too much of an ask but as long as there are one or two stamps from each set then its OK!)
  • 7 days to create 1 project, makers choice:  cards... atc... journal page... dimensional project... tag...
  • Use any paints/media, colours, embellishments, stencils/masks
  • Load up your project to Instagram any time during the week.  Please use Instagram links #jofybingo and @jofyjo in the text (not 'tagging' me please) so I can find it :o)
If you don't have an Instagram account you can add your make in the comments on the Facebook post linked to this blog post (facebook links:  https://www.facebook.com/JoFY.JoFirthYoung/ or https://www.facebook.com/jo.firthyoung )

    I hope you can join in - I look forward to seeing what you create!


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    13 April 2016

    Its all about the boys 'n' bots....

    ... in my class this coming Saturday (16.04.16) at The Craft Barn..


    we'll create a group of cards featuring the latest JOFY stamp releases along with stencils, Fresco Finish paints, Distress Inks & a touch of die cutting.. (& I'm not sure I'll be able to resist adding googly eyes to those cute little 'bots much longer!)

    You can find all the details for the class HERE on the The Craft Barn's website.

    Hope you can join me!

    x
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    5 April 2016

    Upcoming classes in April... part 1

    Hi

    On the 16 April (saturday) I'll be teaching a class for The Craft Barn - this card making class is all about the boys and the friendly robots.  Below is a taster of what we'll be making.

    The class will take place in the Jennings Room in the Lingfield & Dormansland Community Centre (The High Street, Lingfield, RH7 6A) - a great location which many of you will be familiar with if you visited the Craft Barn's Extravaganzas when they took place in Lingfield near the original shop location.

    There are a few places left so call the shop on 07958 569279 to book your place.

    I hope to see you there!

    x
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    31 January 2016

    Well its a New Year....

    ... so that means NEW STAMPS!!  For the next 7 days over on the PaperArtsy blog there will be new releases - how awesome is that!!.. so many fabulous new products it will make your head spin!... and I'm up first.


    I'm really excited to share these stamps with you - its my most varied release to date and I think (I hope) there is something for everyone.

    Visit the PaperArtsy Blog HERE where you can see lots of lovely samples made with my new stamps by my group of talented wingmen.


    I designed 2 little ladies - the one on JOFY41 has her eyes closed and I imagine has her face to the sun, while her friend on JOFY42 in her boots looks ready for anything!
    See that little happy little character on the JOFY42? that's a Critter. Some of you may recognise the name from a page on my blog - funny/cute little fabric creations I made that were 'not quite right' - well I'd wanted to create a stamp of one...  PaperArtsy have a Critter - you may have seen him on the PA stand at shows - he's called PAMM (PaperArtsyMiniMascot), recently I made him a girlfriend... and a stamp was a natural progression!
    Now everyone can have a critter.
     

    Its a jolly little critter.. I could resist replacing its button eyes with googly eyes:


    Here is a great video that PaperArtsy made detailing all the stamps:



    On the blog is a card featuring one of my robots - LOVE these little 'bots!! Details of how I created the card can be found there...



    The large nuts on the card are die cuts.. but I don't have a die for nuts and so I improvised:



    I die cut a hexagon out of silver card, then cut a smaller circle inside the hexagon - a nut!  Bazinga!





    So, a new year and new stamps I was inspired to create a book. I've been thinking about positive phrases to focus my thinking, aims and approach to life (the universe and everything! lol).. so I put some of these phrases into this 'little book of Mantras' using Fresco Finish paints and a little (9x9cm) upcycled book that I rediscovered (unearthed) while clearing out my workroom (I had a serious  (ruthless - with myself and 'stuff') clearout - it felt soooo good!)
    I wanted this to be a simple book.. playing with new stamps (JOFY41 &JOFY42), creating an inspirational set of pages - really a 'just for me' sort of project.
    I'll leave you to 'play spot the new stamps' :o)




    I bought several books in a charity shop..
    Dinky little board books... removed the printed layer of each spread - peel them off (very theraputic! lol)... and paint!


    I covered each spread in a different type of printeed book pages, and allowed them to dry.


    Here are the covers.  I painted them in Teresa Green and Dusty Teal Fresco Finish paint.., a book page circle, strip of washi tape and the year die cut from kraft card... and a 'go to' stamp image.

    The first spread features is my word for the year... 


    ... using letters that I found during the 'great clear up'!..


    I'm always a little nervous about writing on pages - its the little voices in my head saying 'what if its not perfect'.. 'what if its not straight' ... then I have a stern word with myself (does it matter if its not perfect?!!), take a deep breath & draw lines in pencil, write the words in pencil and then write over them in pen... I made a feature of the lines to link the words across to the photo (taken from an old nature encyclopedia I bought in a charity shop).. stamped a loopy border a few times and 'shaded' using a charcoal pencil (gotta love those!)


    I like this phrase.. when I'm having a testing day I often say this to myself.. Slate and Chalk created the background, prints of small bubble wrap and stamps of flowers.. words were stamped onto book text that had been painted with diluted Dusty Teal.

    This alphabet, from JOFY21, is great to use - nice and blocky, easy to read - and more importantly - easy to cut out!


    This phrase resonates with me too - for those days when MS Fatigue makes a visit... Created with washes of Dusty Teal and Slate and stamped images with book text.


    So thats my little book - featuring several new stamps and favourite paint colours... I hope its inspired you to take a second look at board books, and to use my new stamps.. available now from your local PaperArtsy stockist.

    Keep an eye on the PaperArtsy blog all this week where there will be more exciting things happening..

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