envy is a driving force...

There are many times at work when the phrases 'it's not fair' or 'I want to play' pop into my mind.

[un]fortunately for me I can still remember what it was like to be a student; teaching in the environment where I used to study is a constant reminder of the fantastic resources that my students have access to.

Currently my first year group are working on a printed textiles project, which, since discovering my love of stamping, collage and all things to do with pattern, has increased my student envy ten fold.

So I decided that it is now my turn to play too...

We are working on developing a repeat print in tomorrows session and I happened across this rather fabulous post from the Design Sponge blog back in 2008.

Using the technique as inspiration and some of my *best* stamps I set about creating some design work this afternoon.

[Stage 1: Design collaged from *best* bits and *best* stamps]

The first stage was to create a design in the centre of an A3 sheet using a monochrome colour palette. I used bits from the ever expanding bit box, my favourite Suzi Blu stamp, bits from Elsie Flannigan, Paper Artsy stamps, old calendar pages and any other ephemera that I had been saving for *best*.

[Stage 2: Cut and rotate vertically]

The second stage is to scan the image [or in my case photograph as I am scanner-less] and using Photoshop or similar cut and rotate the design vertically down the centre.

[Stage three: cut and rotate horizontally]

Then cut and rotate the design again horizontally, so the design sits around the edges of your A3 sheet.

[Complete, repeatable design]

Finally add your whole, original design to the centre and then there you have it, a unique screen print which will line up in repeat. [Hopefully, if you haven't got confused by all the cutting and rotating, easily done I can assure you!]

Tune in over the next few weeks when I will be putting the image onto screen and hopefully getting some sample prints done. *eek* excited face.

Happy times indeed.

♥