More Easter Eggs

Take two friends from Germany, bring them over to the Oregon coast, plop them down with plastic eggs, Mod Podge, washi papers and soft thai tamarind papers (found here), doublestick tape and some brushes and the fun begins!


Karin and Patricia spent one evening of their 2 week visit with us decorating plastic easter eggs using a slightly modified version of the instructions found here. I said I would find a use for those triangles cut out in the other instructions and Karin and Patricia decided they would look nice just added onto the eggs in a random pattern.


We also experimented with covering separately the top and bottom halves of these eggs, being careful not to interfere with the closures and we ended up with eggs that could be opened and stuffed with surprises and then closed back together.
Since these plastic eggs also come with a small hole at the top we discovered we could take a bit of thin wire, bend it in half sticking both ends through the hole and twisting the ends into a ball so they wouldn't slip out. This made a nice little loop to hang the eggs from. If you look closely at the first picture you can see Karin's first egg suspended at the top of the window. This would also allow one to hang the eggs and spray on a sealant.

Karin and Patricia also got to attend one afternoon of the Heirloom Stamp Show in Portland last weekend, after helping us with a tree planting project in our neighborhood. They also got to sample Tillamook ice cream at the dairy (which they loved so much we had to stop again there for an ice cream breakfast on our way back to Portland), saw several grey whales migrating north off of the Oregon coast, and this morning Karin caught the salmon above while out with my husband (also pictured) and my brother on his boat in the Columbia.

Japanese Papers A Lot of Projects and Samples this Week--To see all this week click Older Post thru to Washi Eggs!

Who can resist beautiful papers, especially Japanese decorative papers commonly referred to as Washi or Yuzen? I know I can't resist all the textures, colors, prints that are found in paper shops around the world. While some husbands might complain about those paper stashes some of us have, my husband considered my paper obsession a blessing. While wives were out purchasing the latest fashions, fancy jewelry and other expensive souvenirs while traveling--I only wanted to go to paper shops and used book stores. Paper is a relatively cheap obsession. Like the toddler who spends more time with the packaging of his or her Christmas or birthday present, I could be ecstatic by the rough textured TP in the restrooms of Budapest (much more suited for art projects than it's intended purpose, if you ask me!), cocktail napkins in Japan or Germany, foil wrappers from chocolates or confections and on it goes. But I do have to say that my greatest love is for the elegant decorative papers of Japan. They can be a bit pricey, but a little bit can go a long way. Our Japanese decorative papers are limited to what is in stock. If we are out of a paper we will notify you as to whether it will be restocked and the likely wait time and you can choose to receive a refund or to substitute a different pattern. I hope you enjoy the samples this week of projects using these papers. We have quite a few projects here this week so be sure to read all the way through to Washi Easter Eggs at the end of this segment on Washi papers.

Punching with Washi

This is an example of using punches with your washi.

Being quite fibrous,washi alone does not punch well. It frays, tears and gets stuck in your punches.

However there is an easy solution. To punch successfully, adhere your washi to card stock. When adhesive is dry, punch away.

Works great with Mulberry paper also

Hippity Hop.....

This card uses bunnies from our Fox and Bunnies sheet and a background from our Washi Papers collection. The bunnies were stamped on a scrap of water color paper and a damp brush was used with water color pencils to color in the bunnies, sky and grass. This piece was trimmed and layered on black and then mustard cs, which was then layered on the bunny washi paper and finally layered on mustard cs blank card, landscape orientation. Japanese papers often reflect prints that are used on kimono fabrics. As the kimono are constructed from strips of cloth that run vertically from the bottom in the front to the bottom in the back, with no shoulder seam, patterns are usually printed so that they will have motifs that are both right side up on the front and upside down on the back and upside down on the front and right side up on the back. This sometimes requires playing a bit with the larger sheet of paper to find the right section to trim off for a background.

Bunnies

This is a very simple card that takes a classic image and repurposes it as an Easter card. Stamp Hiroshige Moon Viewing Rabbits in black ink, and emboss with either clear or detail black embossing powder if you like. Sponge gold and red inks to color the moon, and add color to the landscape with pastels. I trimmed the image into a rectangle, then cut around the moon so it is partially outside the frame and edged the entire image with black ink. The bunny frame is then layered onto purchased scrapbook paper, gold, and black cardstocks. Adding another panel with a springtime washi design completes the design. The washi panel is backed with black and attached to folded white cardstock.

Presentation Case

Sometimes you have a little gift you'd like to dress up to make a special presentation. Washi papers offer the perfect solution - guaranteed to impress and please. It can be as simple as wrapping a strip of washi around a package wrapped in plain paper and tying a ribbon, or you can use it to create a presentation folder or box. This folder was created to send some small chocolate bars to a very thoughtful and creative friend. It's easy to make, and can be sized to hold a small framed photograph, paperback book, notecards or any other flat item you'd like to give in a package that says you care enough to do something a little extra!
Essentials include washi paper, wrapping paper or other decorative paper for the lining, a piece of heavyweight cardstock, matboard, or corrugated box, PVA or other white bookbinders glue, sponge brushes or other brushes for applying glue, a sturdy adhesive for attaching the closure buttons, a ruler, bone folder, scissors, and a craft knife. The clasp for closure will require other materials, depending on how you would like to finish the project.
Start by determining the size you need. Measure your gift item to get dimensions for length, height, and depth of the package you need. I took a piece of corrugated cardboard from a shipping box and laid my chocolate bars out on the cardboard, marking the length and height I wanted directly on the board. Be sure to make the package slightly larger than the gift inside so it will be completely enclosed.
Next, determine how deep the package will need to be (How thick are the chocolate bars plus a little wiggle room for tissue paper or foam? B, D above) Now cut a piece of cardboard that is the height and twice the length you measured (A and C) + twice the depth of the chocolate bars + 1/8 inch (B and D) + 2 inches for a flap (E) to fold under the top. The length of the package will be A+B+C+D+E. With the long edge of the cardboard in front of you, beginning from the right-hand side, take your ruler and bone folder and score a vertical line 2 inches in from the right. Score another vertical line parallel to the first one, making it the depth of the box. (D) Moving on to your left, score the third vertical line at a position equal to the length of the package (section C) . Finally, to the left of that line, score another line equal to the depth of the package plus 1/8" (B). Fold along the scored lines which should be on the inside of the package. You will have what looks like a large matchbook except the top will fit over the flap instead of inside of it. Note: Your flap may need to be a different size to suit the finished size of your package. The extra 1/8"in depth is an allowance for the thickness of the flap so the top of the package will lie flat when closed.
Cut a piece of washi paper the size of your cardboard, adding an extra inch all the way around. If you are using page-size sheets of washi, you can connect pages with an almost invisible seam, depending on the pattern you are using. With the outside of the box facing up, and working in small sections at a time, cover the box with a light coat of glue, placing the washi and smoothing it as you go, leaving a one-inch border all around. Turn the package over, and fold the borders of washi into the inside, gluing them to the cardboard and mitering the corners. This doesn't have to be pretty - the inside will be covered with the lining paper. Fold the package after the washi has been glued on, just to make sure the paper stretches over the folds before it dries. Open the package and place it in front of you with the inside facing up. Cut a piece of your decorative lining paper just slightly smaller than the size of your cardboard. Using the same process as with your washi, glue this paper over the washi edges and covering the inside of the package. Fold once again, smoothing the lining into the folds. Your package is finished except for the closure.
For this one, I punched a small hole in the package top, centering it along the edge on the right when folded, and inserted a gold eyelet. I made a loop of elastic cord long enough to come up through the eyelet, run behind the bottom of the package, and come back across the top to loop over a decorative charm. (See the picture at the top.) The piece should be long enough to hold the package closed, but not so tight that it stresses the closure. To make the loop, fold your cord in half, threading the ends through a flat, two-hole button and tie a knot. Pull the loop through the eyelet from back to top and glue the button flat against the back of the package top, centered on the eyelet. On the top, glue another button just to the side of the eyelet, and glue a decorative charm or bead to the top of the button. The charm should be wider than the button so that it leaves an open edge for the loop to tuck under, and the button should be thick enough to raise the charm over the eyelet and cord.
To keep the chocolate bars from sliding out, I taped them together in a line and wrapped them with gold tissue paper, put them in the package, and with the package flap tucked in, wrapped the cord around the bottom of the package to secure it. It's ready to go!
Editor's Note: You notice the chocolate is missing--I got it back on my birthday in February and let me tell you, it didn't last long! But I still have the case--To borrow from John Keats--A thing of beauty is a joy forever! Thank you Bonnie! Sadly the chocolate will probably be with me forever as well.....Life is too short to waste time counting calories!

Faux Iris Folding With Washi

I traced out the ginger jar using a brass stencil.
I gathered the scraps from some other washi projects and cut them into 1/4 inch strips. The strips were then edged with a 18K Gold Krylon pen.
I did not use a pattern, just made it up as I went along, gluing down the strips.
The little girl is stamped on rice paper and colored with pencil crayons then over sprayed with Tattered Angels Walnut Gold.
Layered and "voila"

Washi background

For the background two pieces of torn washi paper were used. The base piece for this layer is in greys to simulate a winter landscape. The upper piece of torn washi is in colors and print evocative of a winter sky, and the lower piece overlapping the upper piece, representing the sea. The layers and torn edges separate land from sea and sky.

Five Snowy Egrets are stamped and embossed in white and then colored in with a white Glaze pen. This is then layered on complimentary layers of paper to complete the card.

Looks cold doesn't it?

Be sure to click Older Post on right below to see the rest of this weeks projects--through to Washi Easter Eggs!

Bargello Backgrounds

Heather Taylor created this beautiful card using small leftover strips of Japanese papers. This project can be found on the Projects
page of the Art Neko website, together with a modified version my 10 yr old granddaughter and I used to create the following set of notecards. Any leftover papers can be substituted for this technique--my grandson used strips of paper from old magazines, but sadly he got away with them before I could scan them.

Oriental Stampart Anniversary Challenges

My favorite online stamping group is Oriental Stamp Art with it's companion website Oriental Stamp Art. This year the group is celebrating it's 10th Anniversary with a series of two weekly challenges for members. This was my entry for one of the challenges earlier this year. I cut a piece of cling mounting foam in the shape of a heart and attached narrow overlapping strips of washi paper scraps, starting with shorter strips diagonally left to right on the left top of the heart just long enough to cover to the point where I started with longer strips in the other direction. I trimmed the strips along the edges leaving just enough to fold to the back 1/4" or so. I used double-stick tape along the back edge to secure the overhanging strips--in some cases making little slits to get the paper to lay flat and follow the curves of the heart. The finished heart was layered on white, then a coordinating washi paper and then a coordinating solid color cs. Since I was just layering this on a card I didn't finish the back. However if you wanted to make this into a pin you could cover the back with a piece of washi paper cut to the shape of the heart. You could add a ribbon loop or bow at the top to hang the heart or you could put a pin back on it. You could also seal it with a clear varnish.

Funny how one starts a business because they love doing something and then never have the time to do the things they love. I am hoping these challenges on OSA will motivate me to make more time for stamping this year!

If you appreciate Asian themed art I highly recommend this group. Warning! Warning! Warning! Do not start exploring OrientalStampArt unless you have a comfortable place to sit, munchies and beverages handy and a lot of free time. The galleries, classes and techniques sections, ezine and other resources are simply awesome!

Washi Flower

The flowers were created using Spellbinder Shapeabilities but you could use any of the various shape cutting tools or cut the shapes freehand. The leaves the same way. You can select papers in various colors and patterns for the petals and the leaves. A piece of yarn or mizuhiki cord can be used for the stem. These flower parts were then layered onto a background paper with a variety of styles of Asian calligraphy.

Washi Eggs

Making washi eggs is a fantastic stress-free way to spend an afternoon; and since it doesn't require serious concentration, you can join the family while getting something really cool done. You may even gather helpers as you work! It sounds complicated, but once you get the first one done, you will find ways to streamline the process to make it work for you. Although some people use real eggs and blow the insides out before covering them, I prefer to make a trip to a local craft store and buy some of the unfinished wooden ones that are usually available. They are much more durable, and you might even be able to pass them on to your grandchildren! I made the eggs in the back bowl more than ten years ago, and all the eggs in the four bowls in front were made in one day last spring and given away as gifts. The basic instructions are simple. You can google Washi Easter Eggs and find lots of tutorials. Here is one that is fairly similar to my method and the illustrations will help explain parts of the instructions below.

You will need:
1. Eggs - real ones emptied out or wooden ones .
2. A lightweight, clear-drying glue made for working with paper. My favorite glue for this project is either PVA which dries very quickly or a more manageable product like Mod Podge or other decoupage glue/sealer. The finish is up to you. I personally prefer the satin lustre look more than the matte or high gloss. 3. Glue brushes - foam or bristle (don't use your really good ones!) 4. An assortment of washi papers. 5. Paper crafting scissors. 6. Some damp paper towels for keeping your hands unglued! 7. Newspapers or disposable cloths to work on.

If you are using wooden eggs, they are likely to be the same size. If you have eggs that vary in size you will need to make the following template for each size. Cut a trial strip from a piece of scrap paper, making it long enough to wrap around the largest part of the egg and create a small overlapping seam. Holding the test strip on one egg, gently press the paper toward the top (narrow) end of the egg, noting where the paper touches the tip of the egg. Mark that spot and repeat the same process at the bottom (wide) end of the egg. Leave a very tiny margin to allow for overlap at both ends. (You'll figure out what you need after you do your first one!) Cut your strip and use it as a guide to cut your washi papers.

Cut one strip of washi, fold it lengthwise, and start cutting strips from the outside edges in toward the folded edge, stopping about 1/2 inch from the fold. The strips should be about 1/4" wide. Trim the ends of the strips into points so they look like the pickets in a picket fence. It is now ready to go on the egg. Some people put their glue on the egg - some people put it on the washi. I've found that I like to limit the amount of gooey glue just waiting for me to get it all over everything, so I start by brushing a band of glue around the middle of the egg, and then fit the washi strip around the egg, onto the glue, and overlap the seam. The overlap should be big enough to hold the paper in place with no empty spot, but not add a lot of extra paper. Then I add glue to one end at a time, usually starting with the small end of the egg and covering all the surface from the center to the tip. You may find you need to add glue as you work. Don't be afraid to use it liberally. It dries clear, and the washi will be molded into the glue! You will also be sealing the egg with the glue when finished, so stray glue on your paper will not matter. Fold the cut strips toward the tip of the egg, pressing the paper into the glue in the center to smooth the area where the strips join the uncut center and move out from there. It's easier to cover the tip smoothly if you first attach three or four strips, skipping some strips as you go. You can then trim the remaining ones to fit, removing extra paper, until all the points touch and cover the tip of the egg. Washi is very forgiving and workable. If you cut too much, patch it! If you end up with a hole, cover it. Smooth it all over with enough glue to make it flat. Pay attention to what you have done so you can adjust your cuts the next time. Repeat with the bottom end of the egg. The spacing is different, but the process is the same. Make the strips longer or shorter as needed when smoothing them down. Don't worry if it still looks a little rough. When you have finished your egg, put it aside to let the glue dry while you work on the next one.

The final step is to add a coat of sealer or finish to the egg. This step is optional, really, but the sealer will protect your egg, give it a look of lacquer, and help to smooth all those edges you were worried about. You can use the same glue you have been working with as long as it dries clear. I like to have a soft look to my finished eggs, so I avoid a glossy product. Other people like the high gloss. They are YOUR eggs! Have them the way you like them. With your brush, paint the glue over the outside of the egg, pressing any edges down as you go. I usually paint about one-half of an egg at a time - then rest the wet egg upright in a small container. Paint the other end when the first one is dry. I like to cut the bottoms out of very small plastic cups, turn them upside down, and make small pedestals for several eggs to dry at one time. You can have eggs drying while you are still working on new ones. You can always start with a few - or go for dozens. Think big! As long as you and your kitchen and maybe the dog and cat are covered in newspapers and glue, you might as well make it worthwhile. You will always find someone who wants them, and you will always want more to add to your own collection. Bonnie

Editor's Note: I wondered if plastic eggs would work for this so here is a modification that worked for me after some experimentation. I tried the method above with mixed results, in part because the plastic is slippery to work with. And though it doesn't show so much in the photo, the plastic eggs are split to put things inside so while working with the egg it slid apart and I ended up with a ridge when I tried to push it back together. You can avoid this and also secure you papers better by putting a strip of doublestick tape around the egg over the seam where the two pieces come together. For the blue egg I cut 12 strips of paper about 1/2" wide (way to use those little leftover strips....) and long enough to go from the bottom center to the top center. Then I folded the pieces in half both ways. Starting about 1/2" up from the bottom fold on the narrow strip I cut a line diagonally to the center fold at the top (now I have to figure out what to do with the four long triangles of scrap, trust me I will--I never throw anything away!) for each of the 12 pieces and then unfolded them. With a "finger bowl" of water handy to "destick" my fingers, I took four of the strips and adhered them equal distances apart to the strip of doublestick tape around the center of the egg, placing them so that the points reached the top and bottom points of the egg. I used a watered down solution of a water soluble paper varnish (you could use pretty much any water soluble glue you have at hand) and coated the underside of the upper portion of these four strips using a paint brush. Then strip by strip I pressed them down in place and smoothed them out onto the egg surface. I took the second set of four strips and place them to slightly overlap the first while also filling just over half of the empty space between each set of the first strips. Paint on glue and smooth down with your fingers. Then I ended with the last four which slightly overlapped the pieces on either side of the remaining opening. You can apply more of the glue by paintbrush or with your fingers as needed to help you smooth out the egg. I placed them wet side to the top into cups to dry. After the tops dried I repeated the process with the bottom half. Bonnie's method above will also work with these plastic eggs (but add the ds tape to secure the paper around the center and keep the two halves together). If you have papers that have a pattern that wouldn't work chopped up into overlapping strips then Bonnie's method would work better -- be sure to consider the design when starting out to have the larger motifs around the center band to preserve the largest portion of any images on the paper.

You can play around with these and try your own modifications--for example start with a cheap solid paper base on the egg and add bits and pieces of washi scraps in a crazy quilt fashion (aha! I knew I would think of something for those leftover triangles!). And of course you can try papers other than washi or even start with a plain paper, stamp it out with your own favorite stamps (small is good) and then apply to the eggs--but be sure it is a soft paper rather than stiff. I'd love to see what any of you do with this!
Candice

March 2009 Cherry Blossom Special

I am debuting our new blog with Cherry Blossoms as this week's theme. Go to the Search Box at the top of any page of the Art Neko website and enter the word Cherry. This should bring up two pages showing most of the items on the Art Neko website that are somehow related to the word Cherry or Cherry Blossom, including images of stamps, sheets of stamps, sets of stamps or decorative papers. Click on the small image of any of these items to get the complete information for the item.

The flowering cherry (Sakura) and flowering plum (Ume), common motifs in Chinese and Japanese art are often confused by westerners. Both are considered harbingers of the coming of spring with the plum blooming at the end of winter in February and the cherry in April when spring is in full sway. In addition, cherry blossoms are generally very pale to pink while plum blossoms are usually white or a much darker pink to red than the cherry (although they are depicted in just about any color on Japanese decorative papers). The petals of the plum are generally smoothly rounded while the cherry generally has a slight notch on the edge of the petals.

The two flowers have differing symbolism in Japan and China. In China the plum blossom (really more of an apricot than a plum) is much more highly revered than the flowering cherry whereas in the 9th Century the cherry overcame the plum in popularity in Japan. In China the plum is more representative of winter than spring as it is in Japan. In Japan the plum is believed to be a charm to protect against evil. In China the Plum represents resiliency and perseverance and the cherry is representative of feminine beauty and love. In Japan the flowering cherry represents the transient nature of life owing to the brief period, though spectacular, that the trees are in bloom. It is traditional in Japan to have picnics under the blossoming trees and to celebrate this time of year with festivals and other Cherry Viewing activities.

Silent Cherry Blooms

This card was sent to me all the way from Australia by fellow Oriental Stampart member Adrienne West. Adrienne stamped our Cherry Blossom Border stamp on black cs, embossed in gold and then colored in with a shimmery metallic ink or paint. The two pieces were then layered onto a light pink inclusion paper, which was layered onto a darker pink cs and then layered onto a black blank card. Silent Cherry Haiku was stamped onto the inclusion paper in black ink.

Plum Blossom Branch

I've used the Plum Blossom Branch and the small Sakura Branch (Cherry Blossom) images to create these two cards, once again offering contrasting effects by changing backgrounds. The primary plum blossom image in both cards was stamped in black ink and embossed on background papers created with color sprays and pigment inks. Flower blossoms were colored with twinkling H2O's, and buds were given extra dimension with pearl stickler dots.

In the green card, the cherry blossom branch was stamped in pale pink on a pink panel and in pale green on the folded white cardstock. In the purple card, the branch was stamped in white ink on a black cardstock panel, and layered with other cardstock to complete the card. Once again, the impact is considerably different - one is fresh and gentle, and the other is more dramatic; but the floral images are great no matter how you use them!

Sumi-e Style Crane Scene

This card was created on rice paper using several Art Neko images to create a spring vignette. A single crane stands on a mound of grass with cherry blossoms blooming around it. The cherry blossom "tree" was created using multiple stampings of Taylored Stamps Sakura Branch and then colored in with pencils. The Sumi-e Style Crane and Crane Kanji are also Taylored Stamps images available from Art Neko. The crane is stamped with permanent black ink and colored with pastels. The pine in the corner is created from a portion of an Art Neko Taylored Stamps image, Whispering Rabbits, stamped in multiples and colored with pastels and pencils. The sun is a creation of sponge and inks, and pastels were sponged around torn paper masks to create the grass mound. I drew a smudged charcoal pencil line to add definition then drew in some charcoal grasses. Background colors are from pastels on rice paper. While the crane is the focal image, this picture illustrates how versatile our stamps can be when we use them in different ways!

Cherry Blossom Branch

These two cards were created using Taylored Stamps Cherry Blossoms on Pond from Art Neko issued last winter. The effect is very different, even though the image is the same. The image in both cards has been stamped and then embossed in gold. Both were colored with twinkling H2O's and touched up with gold pen highlights. The darker background is more sedate, or mysterious, with a darker stream; but the shimmer of the twinks gives it an almost magical feel. The pastel background and brighter colors in the other card make you believe that springtime is here! The card on the left is layered onto washi paper and a pattern-stamped background paper; and the darker card is layered onto purchased scrapbook papers embellished with a metallic ribbon.

Three Friends of Winter

This card was made with the Three Friends of Winter stamp. I stamped it with black Versafine ink and embossed it before coloring with twinkling H2O's and sponging the edges. I like the bamboo, pine, and plum image; and the twinks gave it a nice vibrancy that brightened my day!

Pine, Bamboo and Plum are referred to as the Three Friends of Winter, and are used to signify the season of winter when used in Asian art.