FESTIVE LINO PRINTED PAPER CHAINS!!
Well, the online class was a great success - the ladies were festooned in a magical array of festive outfits & accessories! We had turkey headwear and reindeer antlers along with a rather fetching ‘sprout’ sweatshirt! Spirits were high & everyone was ready to jolly in the 1st of December. I kicked off with lino-printed Christmas cards, showing how to print 2 colours, as if in a reduction lino, without actually carving twice. Just by masking off parts that I didn’t want to print each time.
Masks can be made easily from rubbings or proof prints - cut out the parts you would like to be coloured differently!
I moved on to wrapping paper, yes folks, hand printed papers are sooo lovely and such a bespoke accent to your gifts, easy to do too! Choose thinnish papers though as the ink adds extra layers and can make it hard to fold around the shapes! I did the pic below using ‘newsprint’, like fish n chip paper, its fab!
A pop of Red on holly printed paper acts as a tag as I only glued the little legs down!
Holly printed paper - inverting the print block can make for different repeat patterns - see this cut into strips & made into pin wheels, lanterns & paper chains ho ho ho…
After wrapping paper I demonstrated how to make your own crackers too, again using parts of your prints to decorate. Really easy & fun to make, you just need silly fillers, a choccy coin or two and some snaps. Tissue paper works best so you can scrunch & pull fairly easily!
Don’t forget your envelopes…..once the lino is ready to be re-inked just plop it down on the front or back (I like back!) so boring white envelopes can get an upgrade!
You can also print your lino prints onto thinnish card, cut them out, hole punch & string to form decorative garlands too!
Courtesy of Country Living Magazine!
Paperchains never go out of fashion and are ubiquitously fun to make…..a really easy way to add handmade decorations to your living spaces……use a nice quality wrapping paper, or just cut up your own prints!!
Sooo pretty & uniquely yours! Or why not make a set for a friend as a gift….even a lino cut set might be a thoughtful gift too….
Pin wheels are quirky additions to your tree, or to hang anywhere you like….really small or all the way up to massive, as well as being fun to make….you need a glue gun though to fix the buttons or similar to the front & back, or they pop open like concertina skirts….great ideas for lampshades though!
Let me know if you would like some info on how to make the lanterns! Drop me an email…
A twiggy tree this year courtesy of cheeky kittens that chewed on the ends of our fake tree like it was a chicken bone!
Finally, for gifting, you can make lots of nice things with a bit of cotton calico or linen fabric (Ikea does a nice linen by the meter) I showed my print ladies how to use the same carved lino blocks, yet with different inks this time, especially for fabric. A roller can’t be used to apply the ink, as unlike block printing ink, the consistency is more like paint. So, add it to a sponge & dab onto your blocks before placing down carefully onto fabric, on a slightly cushioned surface works best. Apply good pressure!
It states for screen print but I used it as described above with my lino blocks and it worked well!
Lino printed napkins, table runners, tote bags or even a nice hanky!!!!
I hope I have shared some possible ideas that are enjoyable to make & lovely to receive….go on….dig out that old shirt!
I have a visual handout that I shared with my print class after the workshop - email me if you would like a copy!
HAVE A GREAT FESTIVE INFUSED WEEK EVERYONE!