New Folksy shop

I have bitten the bullet and set up a mini shop on Folksy. I have kept it rather small to start with, but plan to add more as and when I create something I deem worth selling. It's a bit nerve racking, but also very exciting. Just hope that someone sees and likes my wares. Eeek!

I love knitting print

I have managed to combine two of the things I love into one project, printing and knitting. I have been practising with different ideas and settled on the below print to execute for real. I did this by making my own stamps and masking of areas of the paper to leave me with a heart shaped print. Had a bit of a misprint in the corner where there are 2 white squares, but I kind of like it!

Below are some other ideas that I would like to try out either with stamps or lino cuts.

Handprinted: a fabric swap III

Today I have signed up to a hand printed fabric swap. I'm hoping that it will inspire me to come up with a brilliant fabric printing idea, but we'll see...

Anyone interested can find out more here. Also look out for some interesting printing ideas to try out.

What other people did with lino

I have just been onto Folksy for a general browsing and whilst I was there searched for lino prints. Well, the things you can achieve with lino are amazing. I've been left feeling inspired, but slightly deflated about my efforts...

Fun with lino printing!

For christmas I bought James a stamp set so that he could make cards for people for birthdays etc..., but it could easily have been a gift for myself as I could not stop imagining what pictures could be made from the stamps in the kit. I must resist using it (too much) though as it is for James and not for me. It has got me to thinking about how I could make my own stamps however. I have had a piece of lino tucked away in a drawer for sometime now and thought now's as good a time as any to dig it out and have a go. Using a sketch I uncovered the other day I drew out my image onto the lino and got cutting...

 I did (what I regard to be) a fairly successful print using just the outline. I added a little monogram of my initials to the corner. I thought that this may make it look a bit oriental. Maybe if I printed that bit in red it would stand out more!

I really like my first attempt, but thought I may as well push this a bit further, so I cut a stencil of the overall shape and sponged some paint through it onto some cartridge paper, which I had just stamped with the end of a cork.

Once this background had dried fully I stamped the outline on, the result of which is pictured at the top of this post.