Hello friends! I’m here again with another post for Gwen Lafleur’s Artist Tribe. I’ve been playing in my art journal with one of Gwen’s three new Paper Artsy stamp collections - Eclectica³ EGL23 a.k.a. Ullasa. It’s the second edition in her Build-A-Collage series with seven nature themed designs that coordinate beautifully with her other collections. I just love using these stamps to create both focal points and collage fodder for my journal. Some examples of collage fodder I’ve created are pictured below. Here I’ve stamped the mirror images of the butterfly onto a vintage book page. I love the shapes... Read more →

Just a quick post to link you to my Waxed Canvas and Denim Tutorial on the StencilGirl Talk blog. You won’t believe how easy it is. Hope you give it a try. ‘hugs, Jill Read more →

Just a heads up that my spring column for the StencilGirl Talk Blog is available. This time I’m sharing tips on buying and cleaning vintage textiles and three techniques for printing on them using the sun. You can read all about it here. I hope you’ll stop by and see the process pics for this textile Cyanotype project using Rae Missigman’ s Botanical Wildflowers Stencil and my own Jardiniere Stencil design. Until next time.... Hugs, Jill Read more →

I’m so excited to announce that StencilGirl is launching seven new stencils today that were designed by me! The series is called Trivets and is made up of three mini 4x4 stencils, three small 6x6 stencils, and one large 9x12 stencil. All were inspired by my love for Japanese Woodblock prints from the late 18th century. What I love about this series is that all of the stencils are designed to reveal hidden patterns when they are repeated next to each other. I created a short video to show you what I mean. It includes a quick demo on how... Read more →

Hi Everyone, Glad you could join me for another Gwen Lafleur Studios Artist Tribe project featuring Fall, my favorite time of year, and StencilGirl® Products stencils designed by Gwen and Seth Apter. I'm sharing a panoply of nature and found treasures from my stash in a FallScape inspired by Roxanne Evans Stout. I'm using a bulletin board mounted in a vintage frame to display my temporary collage. And I have to say, it's really freeing to work this way; knowing that you can switch items in and out it of a composition on a whim takes away all the pressure... Read more →

Hi Everyone, I'm back with another Artist Tribe post for Gwen Lafleur Studios. This time I used two of Gwen's stencils from her Spring 2018 Collection to send the world a message on a rather large canvas bag that I scored at the L.L. Bean Outlet for 50% off. It felt nice to slow things down a bit and relax with a little stencil embroidery. I love L.L. Bean Canvas Bags. I use them to haul around all kinds of things from work supplies to art supplies. But by far, my most favorite things to carry in them are rocks.... Read more →

Hi Everyone, I'm so excited to share with you my first official post as a member of the StencilGirl® Creative team. I'm on the StencilGirl® Talk Blog today kicking off their new monthly feature, "What's old is new again" with a thrift shop treasure makeover. I even made a video for commemorate the event. Come shopping with me at my local Savers Store in Manchester, CT and see how I refresh a pair of $5.99 thrift store curtains with Terry Stegmiller's Straight Stems Stencil. Then I'll show you how I made my fabric collage medallions from cannibalized vintage clothing and... Read more →

Happy New Year. Today it’s my turn to share my latest project as a member of Gwen Lafleurs Artist Tribe. It’s an art journal page with a Journal Pouch, an Inspiration Artist Card, and stamped images from my #CarveDecember designs. Every year for Christmas, I like to give my staff a small gift of appreciation that includes something hand made by me. Gift cards can feel impersonal; but not so when given in hand-painted fabric pouches stenciled with Gwen's hand-drawn stencil designs. These pouches feature Gwen's Border Stencil from her Art Deco Stencil Collection and the Curvy Ornament, Filagree Ornament,... Read more →

Hi everyone, I’m really excited about my Artist Tribe project. This month Gwen challenged the us to use German Dresden Trim or English Scrap in one of our projects. Since I’ve been known to actually drool over Dresden Trim in the past, you can probably guess which direction I went… If you’re not familiar with Dresden Trims, they are deeply embossed, gold, foil-lined cardboard and papers originally made in Germany during the victorian era for paper dolls, christmas ornaments and other intricately detailed decorations. Gwen has a great selection of high quality trims in her webshop. My inspiration for this... Read more →

“Hank truly wanted to believe that his brain was mightier than his sword. But when he tried to use calculus to rule his subjects, the damn Buttons just kept on multiplying. And that my friends, really set him off on a tangent...." Mixed Media Panel by Jill McDowell This month, Gwen challenged the Tribe to use beaded and embellished trims in a project. I have to tell you that I really had a difficult time picking out which trims I wanted to work with. The Ribbon, Trims, & Textile Section of Gwen's online shop is a feast for your eyes.... Read more →