This is an exciting day on the Joggles Blog as it marks the first of our weekly posts by the Joggles Design Team. It’s Bonnie here today to share with you my delightful playtime with some of the Joggles/Margaret Applin fabulous new cling mounted rubber stamps. There is a wonderful range of stamps which work beautifully together and as stand alone images. I created one art journal page for which I have included a tutorial but I couldn’t resist playing a little longer and will also show that second art journal page.

Supplies Used:

Inkssentials NonStick Craft Sheet

Dylusions Journal Block

Joggles/Margaret Applin Cling Mounted Rubber Stamps – Vintage Correspondence; Grunge Spots Border; Bird Collage (Project #2 : Grunge Stars Border, Skeleton Flower #1, Skeleton Flower #2, Tropical Re-Leaf)

Archival Ink Pad – Tree Branch; Jet Black;

Ranger Inkssentials Mini Ink Blending Tool

Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads – Spiced Marmalade; Scattered Straw; Worn Lipstick; Vintage Photo

Tim Holtz/Tonic Tools Paper Distresser

Scor Tape: .25 inch, .5 inch

Aleene’s Super Thick Tacky Glue

Idea-ology by Tim Holtz – Metal Word Bands

Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pen – (S) Super Fine Tip – Black

Other:6 x 8 and 4 x 6 inch pieces of kraft paper plus a 6 x 2 inch scrap; scraps of burlap and cheesecloth; 4 inch doily; cream buttons; fine hemp cord; toothpick; two silver brads; book text or music paper; scissors; ruler; black cardstock; cream thread

Here is my process:

I started with a 12 x 12 sheet of kraft cardstock which I cut in half giving me two 6 x 12 inch pieces. Both were cut off at the 8 inch mark leaving me with two 6×8 inch pieces and two 4×6 inch pieces. I only need one of each but I prepared the other set for a ready background for another project.

Using Tree Branch Archival Ink and Joggles/Margaret Applin Cling Mounted Rubber Stamp – Vintage Correspondence mounted on the Dylusions Journal Block, i applied the image repeatedly to the 6 x 8 inch kraft background, re-inking as necessary to cover the surface. For the other 6×8 inch background, I removed the stamp from the block and rolled it onto the background to get imperfect impressions randomly spaced. I was curious to see how it looked that way as well.

Using a Ranger Inkssentials Mini Ink Blending Tool, I applied Tree Branch Archival Ink around the edges of the backgrounds using a circular motion and beginning on the craft sheet to avoid harsh lines.

Using a Tim Holtz/Tonic Studios Paper Distresser, the outside edges of the 6 x 8 inch backgrounds were torn and tattered for a grungy look. I was quite rough here making sure that I had several small tears around the pages. These tears were rolled onto the page on an angle so that they opened up V shapes. I wasn’t looking for neat or perfect here. Behind each of the small Vs, text paper scraps from an old book page were adhered with Scor Tape so that the text showed through the rips. On the second background, I substituted old music paper.

On the 4 x 6 inch pieces of kraft paper, with a Mini Blending Tool, Scattered Straw, Spiced Marmalade, Worn Lipstick, and Vintage Photo were applied, overlapping and blending each colour where it touched another. I added more Vintage Photo Distress Ink around the edges to frame the pieces and allow to dry them to dry thoroughly. (if you are wondering what the little white squares are on my Distress Pad lids, they are velcro squares which I use to attach the sponge for that colour).

I chose one of the two Distress Inked pieces for my focal image background. I applied Joggles/Margaret Applin Cling Mounted Rubber Stamp – Bird Collage to the Dylusions Journal Block and inked it with a Jet Black Archival Ink Pad, stamped, and let it dry. Then I trimmed close to the stamp and distressed the edges with the Distresser Tool.

On the 2 x 6 inch scrap of kraft cardstock, Joggles/Margaret Applin Cling Mounted Rubber Stamp – Grunge Spots Border was stamped using Jet Black Archival Ink and the Dylusions Journal Block. Once this was dry, the paper was torn close to the stamped image on both sides and one end. The edges were inked with Tree Branch Archival Ink.

One of the two finished backgrounds was chosen to continue. I selected the one with the stamp applied using a block because I wanted the more solid pattern.  A length of burlap (from a garden roll) and a slightly larger rectangle of cheesecloth (from the kitchen) were cut to adhere behind my bird collage image with short pieces of .5 inch Scor Tape placed where they would not show. A 4 inch paper doily was cut in half and one piece was tucked under the burlap and secured with Scor Tape.

The Bird Collage rectangle was Scor Taped over the cheesecloth which was tucked under the image to give a more uneven edge. The stamped border piece was adhered horizontally so that it slightly overlapped the Bird Collage. The excess was trimmed off even with the edge.

To create the little cluster of embellies which overlapped the border stamp, a length of fine hemp cord was looped into a circle. I used a small piece of washi tape to hold it together at the top where I knew the button would cover it. It was then glued in place using Aleene’s Super Thick Tacky Glue. The three buttons from my grandmother’s button box were threaded with cream thread and adhered with the same glue. Using two silver brads, the Idea-ology Word Band was attached to the background above the border stamp.

At this point, I always take a look at composition and audition a few things to finish off the page. I decided that I wanted a bit more text paper to tie in with the ones peeking through the tears at the edges. I added a heart cut from text to the left side of the Bird Collage and a photo corner offset with black cardstock to the upper right corner with more of Aleene’s Super Thick Tacky Glue applied with a toothpick. A black Super Fine Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pen was used to add a border around the edges, faux stitching to the heart, and outlining to the photo corner.

The finishing touch was to adhere, with Scor Tape, a black cardstock mat to the back of the piece which framed it, added contrast, and drew the eye into the page.

This last photo , above, is the extra art journal page I created with the second background and Joggles/Margaret Applin Cling Rubber Stamps – Skeleton Flower #1 and #2, Tropical Re-Leaf, and Grunge Stars Border.Bits of lace, drywall mesh, a wooden button, and black rhinestones completed the page. 

Thanks so much for visiting today. I had a blast creating with these fabulous stamps. Be sure to tune in again next Friday when two more of the Joggles Design Team show us their amazing projects featuring some of the many Joggles Stencils available in the shop.