Bookmarks and Notebook - Gift Ideas | Sue Plumb

Hi everyone!

It's Sue Plumb here to share my latest design team project with you. As we head into the festive season, I thought it would be a good time to share a couple of simple appreciation gift ideas with you. There are always people in our lives that deserve a small token of our thanks - whether that be teachers, neighbours, friends, the mailman, or even the staff at the local store. So I decided to whip up some simple stamped bookmarks and notebooks featuring some of my fave Banksy stamps to give out.

For the notebook, I started with a plain, kraft cover notebook (purchased from Kmart). I used Dina Wakley acrylic paints, applied with a brayer and layered randomly to add some colour. I then took the recently released Victorian Flower Background and used it to stamp a border around 3 sides of the cover.

Next, I chose the fabulous Banksy Wall Singer for my feature image on the cover, before I also stamped the Banksy Life is Beautiful as the accompanying text. I love how it turned out! I paired it with a pen before wrapping it up.

After I created the notebook, I decided to re-visit a project I have created previously and shared here - bookmarks. (You can find my original watercolour bookmark post HERE) This time however, I wanted to use a more minimalist style to showcase some cool Banksy stamps. 

I started by cutting some smooth white cardstock into strips measuring 2x8.5". I then stamped a focal Banksy image onto each one, and an accompanying quote as well. 

Here is a list of all the stamps I used on the bookmarks (as shown from left to right above):

- Banksy Man on Bicycle and You Only Live Once

- Banksy Frida Kahlo and Banksy Just Because

- Banksy Spray Can Cop and The Unicorns Made Me

- Banksy Einstein Protestor and Banksy Love is the Answer

- Banksy Girl Floating with Balloons and She Was a Dreamer

- Banksy Ladder Painter and Banksy Life is Beautiful

- Banksy Gas Mask Flower Girl and Where is My Mind?

- Banksy Child Sitting and I Hope You Know

- Banksy Swing Girl and She Spread Her Wings

I also stamped the back of each bookmark with the Banksy stamp.

Once they were all stamped, I used Faber-Castell gelatos to add a splash of colour to each one. I wanted to keep them simple, so I only used a single colour on each one and left the focal images uncoloured.

I then took all the bookmarks and laminated them, trimming off the excess laminate with a trimmer.

I then punched a hole into each bookmark and added a variety of twine, tassels and a metal charm to decorate them.

I am so happy with how these turned out and cannot wait to gift them to their new owners! Thanks so much for stopping by so I could share this with you. I hope I have inspired you to create some special handmade appreciation gifts for the people in your lives too. 

Stamps used:
- Victorian Flower Background
- Banksy Wall Singer 
- Banksy Life is Beautiful
- Banksy Man on Bicycle 
- You Only Live Once
- Banksy Frida Kahlo 
- Banksy Just Because
- Banksy Spray Can Cop 
- The Unicorns Made Me
- Banksy Einstein Protestor 
- Banksy Love is the Answer
- Banksy Girl Floating with Balloons 
- She Was a Dreamer
- Banksy Ladder Painter
- Banksy Gas Mask Flower Girl 
- Where is My Mind?
- Banksy Child Sitting 
- I Hope You Know
- Banksy Swing Girl 
- She Spread Her Wings
- Banksy

Other materials:
- Plain notebook
- White cardstock
- Tsukineko StazOn ink
- Faber-Castell Gelatos
- Dina Wakley acrylic paints
- Laminating sheets
- Assorted twines, tassels and charm

Steampunk Balloon in Houndstooth

Close-up

 

Supplies:

VLVS! Stamp-Steampunk Balloon Ship

Paper Towel used to blot up Tim Holtz Distress Stains

Pilot FriXion Color-Pencil-Like Erasable Gel Ink Pens-Orange, Cherry Pink, Yellow Ochre,  Tea Brown, 

White Gel pen

Miracle Tape

May Arts Ribbon-Woven Houndstooth 

Tag-Black

Decoupage medium

Water mister

A while back I won this marvelous houndstooth ribbon from May Arts.  I knew I wanted to use it as a background, but it took me a while to figure out how.  It shouldn't have taken so long.  The technique is easy-peasy and I've used it before.  Sometimes, these things just don't click until suddenly they do, lol!

I keep the paper towels that I use to blot or clean up any paint, dye or ink.  I misted one I'd used to blot up some Tim Holtz Distress Stains to blend the colors a little more. Paper towels usually have layers, so I separated the top layer and put the second layer aside for another project.

I stamped my Steampunk Balloon Ship onto the paper towel, flipped it over and added Miracle Tape to the back.  After cutting the ribbon into three pieces that fit the section of the tag to be covered, I used more Miracle tape to adhere it to the tag.  Then I adhered the stamped paper towel over the ribbon.  The ribbon has a nylon edge.  I fit the paper towel inside those edges and I trimmed off some for the top and bottom so it framed the image.

Very carefully, so as not to tear,  I colored the image with the gel pens.  I didn't try to get very dark color because the paper towel was too fragile.

Then I covered the entire front of the tag with soft gel medium (any decoupage medium would do).  This not only protected the paper towel from future tearing, it made it semi-transparent so the houndstooth design shows through.  The black tag became glossy, resembling black metal.  

To finish off, I took the longer piece of ribbon and tied a bow at the top. 

And remember that second layer of paper towel?

I adhered it to a Kraft cardstock tag and stamped it.  I haven't decided what I'll do with it yet, though I think it will end up as part of a journaling spread.

VLVS! Stamp-Worn Clockface

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