UPDATE: Paperbag Studios stamps and Art Pops™ are no longer available, but many things can be substitued to make this project!
Get creative and have fun!

Laurie Haley

When I received my design team package in the mail I fell in love with Roben-Marie Smiths Art Pops™ Cards. I would lie awake at night for a while after going to bed thinking of all the ways I could use them in my first project. My mind was whirling so I made a list of the ideas I had so I could think about them over the next week or so.

About two weeks went by and I wanted to decide on what I would be making so I could start focusing on how I would go about making it. I sat down at my desk and spread out all the Art Pops™ Cards, Stickers and Stamps and stared at them. lol I kept noticing how the stamps looked like faces instead of flowers. And when I looked at the arrow stickers I saw arms and legs instead of arrows. This is just how my mind works. I love to create whimsical characters from small boxes and chipboard and when I kept seeing faces in the stamps I knew I had to create a cute little art doll.

Using the Art Pops™ Cards for the body was perfect because this way I could leave part of the Art Pops™ Card uncovered. I really wanted to keep some of the card exposed because I think they are so beautiful. Now I had a plan and that made me happy. :-)

The inspiration for my art doll came from seeing the stamps in a different way. To me, they were faces, not flowers. I encourage you to look at your supplies and use them in ways other than they are intended. tweet that!

I love how a beautiful card turned into a body and arrow stickers turned into arms and legs. I had so much fun creating these dolls. I hope you will be inspired to give it a try too. Think outside of the box. In fact, I think you should just paint that “box”, cut it up and make something with it. lol

have fun with your supplies!

Going Deeper...

What's your top tip for dealing with blank page paralysis?

I find adding something like a few splashes of paint or gluing some scraps to the page or canvas helps me. I might do some journaling with my thoughts that I will cover up. Anything that "un blanks" the page usually gets my mind flowing and from there who knows what will happen. It's a lot of fun finding out though. :-)

What do you do with your art once you've finished it?

Years ago when I made cloth dolls I sold them but I always kept the first one I made from each design and they sit on shelves in my studio. Now I do a lot of mixed media art but I have not sold any of it. I either give it away or it finds a spot to sit in my art room. The journal pages I create stay in their journals so I can flip through them when I am in the mood to.

Canvases I usually hang on the wall or stack in an old wood sewing machine lid that I flipped upside down to hold things. I like to keep tags I make hung on wire dress forms or sitting in old wood sewing machine drawers. I also like to hang clay or bead charms I have made on wire dress forms. Other items might be in a cabinet or on a shelf. I never worry about where it will go. I'll find a spot.