Tag Chandelier with the Gelli Arts® Stamping and Printing Kit by Kirsten Varga

I needed to
make something, anything, to attempt to pull myself out of a massive creative
slump I have been in as a result of a massive 1,100 mile move I made with my
family a few months ago. Workable space is hard to come by in my mess of a
studio as I attempt to reorganize my supplies from the unpacking. When I feel uninspired (we’ve all been
there!) I tend to make something small with easy to use supplies, simple marks
and then try not to overthink it. Please tell me I am not alone! My original
thought was to just make a small stack of prints and add them to my collection
of collage papers or even print some patterns on some tags for future gifts.
You know, something small and not too intimidating. Well, it became much more
than that.

This project
started out with theGelli Arts® Stamping and Printing Kit. Having the tools I needed already picked
out for me was a relief. So I gathered my paint and a stack of manila tags and
got to work.

I started off
with creating simple patterns on the foam so I could use them to stamp onto myGelli Arts® printing plate.
Making my own marks with a ballpoint pen on the foam was an exciting, easy and
satisfying way to create my own patterns.

Included in the
kit was some bubble wrap and sequin waste so it was easy to decide to use them
along with my patterned foam sheets. I thought I would end with a dozen or so
tags, you know ‘cause I wanted to “keep it simple”, but I was having so much
fun that I ended up with 42 tags! Printed on both sides!

One side is a burst
of color and the backsides are strictly monochromatic black. (Here is a tip for
getting a great print from your foam “stamp”. Make sure you don’t have too much
paint on your plate.)

I likened the
contrast to my creative brain. Sometimes it is bursting with ideas and other
times not so much. I purposely used my foam plate patterns on both sides
because my creative brain still has ideas waiting to come through even when it
seems like I am creatively stuck.

I decided I
wanted to keep the tags together in a single project. To showcase them I took one
part from a small embroidery hoop and tied the tags onto it by their strings.

Repetition is
one of the strongest principles of design and makes a great visual impact. I am so glad I got lost in the process and
created such a large number of tags at once.

This project
became much more than just a quick way to make something to jump-start the
creative juices. I am glad I was able to find personal meaning within it and
create a visual reminder for myself. Whether I am bursting with ideas or not so
much, the creativity is there, ready to burst forth.