Summer of Love Envelopes and Paper Doll

The sweet little motifs in the March 2019 StencilClub designs by Ann Butler evoked images of the late 1960s and early 1970s, and propelled me back to my younger years. I remembered the special dresses and hats my mother made for me to wear on Easter, and the outfits that, later on, I made for myself to wear to school, dances, proms, and even my graduation. The stencils also reminded me that my first calling, as an artist, was fabric design. Back in the 1980s I worked as a print stylist for a fabric manufacturer in NYC's famous Garment Center. Ann's stencils reminded me of some of our patterns, which were fondly called "dumb florals" or "bread and butter" designs because they were so popular and saleable.

I happily  mixed up some '70s-inspired pastels with my acrylics and got busy making some textiley designs.

Painted and stenciled deli paper

First, I painted sheets of deli paper with the pastel colors. Once dry, I started stenciling randomly with the new set.

I had a big supply of clear mailing sleeves leftover from a recent mail art exchange, so decided to use the painted deli paper to make envelopes, and sized them to fit.

Templates for the envelope and card

The gold circles are washi tape. I miscalculated the shape of one of the flaps, and, with washi tape, added extra paper to my template so it would overlap properly.

 

First, with a piece of heavy watercolor paper, I made a card template slightly smaller than the sleeve. Next, I folded, measured, and cut some paper to make an envelope template. I traced around the envelope template to create the shape of the envelope on each of the five painted and stamped sheets of deli paper.

Painted and stenciled deli paper, cut and ready to fold

Pale blue embossing powder was sprinkled over the floral image, which was made by stamping VersaMark through a stencil, and on to the painted envelope

The painted and stenciled unglued envelope, ready to assemble.

On the front bottom and on the back flap, decorative edging was applied with VersaMark and gold embossing powder.

I added some magic with more stenciling, but this time, instead of paint, I used a VersaMark stamp pad and embossing powder. In addition to the March 2019 club set, I used the April 2013 Stitchery set, designed by Stencil Girl founder Mary Beth Shaw. The Stitchery set fit perfectly with my Summer of Love theme.

 

Five finished handmade deli paper envelopes.

I was really happy with the set of envelopes, but I had quite a few scraps left. Rather than stuffing them in my scrap box for later use, I decided to make one of my favorite "go to" things: a paper doll.

Scraps of painted deli paper were glued to heavy watercolor paper, then cut to create the doll.

Using a template, intentionally mismatched doll parts were cut for the body and limbs.

A dark edge was added by running a mini dauber and sepia Archival Ink along the edges.

Wanting to keep the same Summer of Love theme going, I searched for just the right face to evoke the era. I found a face in an ad that reminded me of Julie from The Mod Squad, a show that was the epitome of cool in its day. I carefully glued the face to some heavy watercolor paper, cut it out, and ran the sepia mini dauber around the edges.

I fashioned a Woodstock-worthy floral crown from a little piece of pink scalloped edging and added some tiny satin rosettes. Some "granny boots" from The Graphics Fairy completed her hippie look. Still, something was missing...wings!

Using a butterfly stencil from Gwen Lafluer, I applied VersaMark onto black paper, then sprinkled gold embossing powder, and zapped it with my heat gun. The final touch was adding pink circles at the edges of the wings, which I punched out from the deli paper leftover scraps.

The finished Summer of Love doll, atop a pile of matching envelopes.

Doesn't this just make you want to go home, pull out the old Simplicity patterns, play the Mamas and Papas, and watch reruns of The Mod Squad? Or at least attend the next Coachella festival?

Shine!

For the past few years, like many other artists and creative souls, I have chosen a word of the year each January. This year it was SHINE. After a difficult 2017 marred by corporate downsizing and a shift to a new job, on the heels of the loss of our beloved Maltese Coco, and followed by a steep learning curve of a new job throughout 2018, I decided that 2019 would be my year to shine.

My journal page not only features the word SHINE, but has shiny gold gesso and some of my favorite Gwen Lafluer stencils done with Emerald Creek embossing powder. 

The word was a good omen: the shining for 2019 even began a little early--at the end of 2018 I taught my first mixed media art class at the Ink Pad NYC and it was sold out. There was even a waiting list. I figured I was on a roll and shine was a good indicator of a great year to come.

More good news at the end of 2018 was being selected to be one of the StencilClub Voices. As part of Voices, I get early shipments on some new stencil releases. My upcycled shoebox was on the Stencil Girl blog a few weeks ago, and more work will appear on the Stencil Girl blog in March.

My first StencilClub Voices project: an upcycled shoebox

Here's a peek at what I have been making (and forgetting to blog about!) lately:

ATC paper doll sample for my first Ink Pad class

Intention Card side 1

Intention Card side 2

Sample 1 for Ink Pad: Industrial Modern journal page

Sample2 for Ink Pad: Industrial Modern journal page

Samples for Ink Pad class featuring Character Construction stamps

Frida Santos Cage Doll from a Character Construction kit

Tag with inspirational words for 2019, using Stencil Club designs

Journal page for The Stencilfied Journal 2, with music prompts. The first theme was Bohemian Rhapsody

Handmade books constructed from painted and stenciled paper, with button/grommet/ribbon closures

Articulated paper dolls made from paper scraps

Paper doll made with Character Construction stamps, Dina Wakley face stamp and The Graphics Fairy body parts

envelope front, made from stenciled and embossed deli paper

envelope back, made from stenciled and embossed deli paper

Mail Art envelope front, made from collaged paper scraps and washi tape

Mail Art envelope back, made from collaged paper scraps and washi tape

Well, Hello Dollies!

Dolls are dear to the hearts of  many people. As much as I love three-dimensional dolls, I have always loved paper dolls even more. I have fond memories of receiving new paper dolls on special occasions, and of seeing the Betsy McCall paper dolls in the McCalls magazines at my grandmother's house. So, it's no surprise that as an adult, I am especially enchanted with making arty paper dolls. One of my friends recently started an online art paper doll trading group, so I got to work right away.

The first theme is "artists choice," so I started rummaging through my scrap papers looking at them with a new eye to see how each scrap would translate into an arm, leg or torso. I also spent some time rifling through fashion magazines for interesting heads, printing and painting my own heads with stencils, stamps, and watercolors. My dolls usually cry out for wings and crowns, funky shoes and skirts too.

My work table with assorted doll parts and heads to choose from.

Left: Paper Doll body from Retro Cafe Arts; Right: head stamp from Lynne Perrella plus assorted body pieces.

For most of the body parts, I used a template from Retro Cafe Arts. Reprints of vintage paper doll parts are also fun to use, and available on the internet from many sources, such as The Graphics Fairy.

A face stencil from StencilGirl was used for some of the doll heads.

A stencil from Stencil Girl had nine heads that were just the right size for my template. I dabbed black ink through the stencil, and also flipped the stencil and made nine more.

Color was added with Derwent Inktense Blocks.

I added hair, ears, and more color to the stenciled faces.

  I added my own lines for the hair and ears. With Derwent Inktense Blocks and water-soluble colored pencils, I added details. After they dried, I carefully cut out the ones I liked best.

Some of the faces were very close together on the stencil, leaving little room for hair so those faces needed hats and crowns.

 For wings, I used a large butterfly stamp that was purchased at Ink Pad NYC. A magical effect was achieved using the stamp with Seth Apter's Baked Texture embossing powder. I used a variety of embossing powder and background colors for the wings. For more subtle dolls, I used a mini wing set and small crown stamp designed by Birgit Koopsen. German Dresden Trim Gold Bourbon Crowns from Gwen Lafluer's website topped several heads--some distressed, some left shiny.

This was a test page leftover from creating grunge-effect backgrounds painted on a recycled manila file folder. I used the left side to make butterfly wings and the right side for body parts.

Once I got started, my worktable looked like a doll factory. I had an assortment of body parts scattered around, and kept mixing and matching them. I like to use mini brads to assemble the dolls; the brads allow the dolls to be posed, and also makes it easy to tuck the arms and legs up and down so they fold up very small for storage. Unlike three-dimensional dolls, 20, 30 or more paper dolls can easily be arranged to fit inside a shoebox for storage.

A folding tray table was used to try out different combinations of body parts
before mini brads were added to hold the dolls together and make them poseable.

This green-toned doll has a supermodel's magazine photo face, mail art scrap body parts, embossed wings
and a Dresden Trim Bourbon Crown.

 On another, I used a Dresden Trim gold medallion and distressed it to look like an ancient warrior's helmet. To enhance the warrior/goddess effect, I added little gold wings on her feet. Later, I gave her a gossamer ice blue skirt, made from a sheer fabric gift bag with the bottom cut off.

This doll has the feel of a female warrior, with her elaborate Dresden Trim crown, embossed wings and winged boots.

Washi tape and a downloadable rose from Gwen's collection were added to enhance some of the body parts. The large and small wings have added bling with embossing powder from Emerald Creek.

Two different floral washi tapes were added in a cross design to enhance a body made from commercial scrapbook paper.

This doll has a small downloadable rose and several washi tapes on a collaged body.

Four of my favorite dolls--I couldn't quite part with any of them.

It was hard to decide which to keep and which to trade. Once I made a doll that I loved, I didn't want to part with it. Finally I created one that was perfect for my trade partner: a hipster fashionista steampunk-inspired doll. She has a magazine face, big embossed wings, distressed rust body parts made with Seth Apter's chalk paints, and most magical of all--a skirt made from an embellished Silk Sari scrap--one of the new items on Gwen Lafluer's website.

The word "seek" was made from an Artistcellar pocket stencil used with chalk paints and Baked Texture Patina Oxide, and the clock parts were gifted to me in an art trade.

On a background of chalk paint layered to imitate a rusty surface, I stenciled and embossed the word SEEK,
and also flipped the pocket stencil to get the opposite image.

This detail shot shows the embellished sari scrap skirt and clock parts.

It was hard to part with this very special doll, but I received something wonderful in exchange.

In the first trade, in exchange for my "seek" doll, I received a fabulous creation from artist Ann Sullivan Barnes. She used components from Character Construction to make this fabulous doll, which she named Liberty. Liberty also came with a beautiful red, white and blue carrying case.

"Liberty" by Ann Sullivan Barnes

"Liberty" detail shot

These type of paper dolls can also be a great shared project with children, and, depending on how they are decorated, make great additions to seasonal displays. Imagine Halloween paper dolls in scary witch costumes riding a broom or lucky leprechauns with a pot of gold!

Here are some of my favorite creative dolls I have received in trades over the years. I hope they inspire you to give paper doll making a try.

Teapot/geisha doll by Leah (last name unknown)

Mythical, magical midnight ball "Bartholomew Badger," by Joann Robinson

Turn of the century Zetti bather "Liam," by Joann Robinson

Turn of the century Zetti bather by Jeanne Draachreider

Tea party/geisha "Mi'" by Joann Robinson

Marie Antoinette theme: Madame DuBouffant, by Deb Benedict

Steampunk Doll by Kay Milam

Mizz Prissy BuZahrd by Jeanne Draachreider

Mermaids and Mermen theme; Stan the Toucan Man by Marilou Bain

Congratulations to Gwen Lafluer! Her online shop has just turned one year old. To celebrate, she is offering a really great discount--15% off Mixed Media supplies and downloads. She has a really unique and inspiring collection...I really want everything on her site! Happy shopping!