Produced in Jacksonville, Florida
Creation Date – February 2017
Artist – Johanna Lawson
Technique – monoprinting, sewing on paper
Inspiration – Recycled Remnants
Hopefully you have read about my inspiration for this month in my blog post Batch No. 5. If not, let me give you a little synopsis –
On February 11th, my mother and sister threw my spouse and me a beautiful baby shower. The generosity of my friends and family inspired me to make thank you cards for Batch No. 5 using the recycled remnants of the wrapping paper. I wove strips of the wrapping paper together to form 4 x 4 squares that I mounted onto the cards. Sending a little piece, a remnant, of the shower back to my favorite people was like sending a little love – and that is what small • batch • cards is all about!
For this batch, I decided to stick with the recycled remnants inspiration and rummaged through some of my old monoprinting pages (see if you can spot any from Batch No. 1). I started by cutting the remnants into 4 x 4 squares. Then out came the washi tape. Using washi tape, a tape that doesn’t adhere very well, meant that I would not damage the monoprint underneath. Although, I did find that on certain types of paper, the washi tape did stick and tear.
I picked two different size tapes and arranged them on the squares in various positions. Once the tape was on the square, I used Tim Holtz Distress Paint (Picket Fence) to “white wash” the rest of the square. When the washi tape was removed, the bright colors from the monoprinting really popped. I felt this gave the various monoprints a more cohesive look.
Inspired by the weaving technique I used in Batch No. 5, I cut other monoprint remnants into small strips. I then sewed these strips over the larger of the two areas left by the washi tape.
Oh! Did I mention that my amazing art-mentor grandmother, Gran, gave me a sewing machine (the Singer Starlet) for my birthday this month? Very exciting! Prepare yourself for some sewing to happen in batches now and in the future.
One thing I really love is that there are so many interesting sewing designs I can choose from. For this batch, I tested a few different designs and decided on simple and organic. The thread is teal to match various parts of the different monoprints. I thought the teal worked even on the monoprints without blue or teal because of the contrast it created.
Once the strips were sewn down, I mounted the squares on black card stock and then onto the cards. To be honest, these cards started out as a practice project and, in my opinion, turned into something really special. It is exciting to take pages that I thought were “rejects” and turn them into beautiful pieces of art! Enjoy!
These cards, along with all other batches, will be sold in June 2017 at the Riverside Arts Market.
Other great news…
I finally had my stamp made! This stamp will be used on the back of all small • batch • cards to show the receiver when and where their card was made, who made their card, and what technique was used to create their card. When you purchase a card your loved one will now be able to access this blog and see exactly how their card was made – how much time and attention was given to each individual card.
This month, I also put the finishing touches on the small • batch • cards logo. Check it out!
This is all very exciting and I look forward to creating many more cards in the months to come and then finally getting the chance to share these cards with others. Stay tuned for more upcoming announcements from small • batch • cards.
small • batch • cards 