Today I am reviewing the March-April 2017 back issue of Somerset Studio Magazine from Stampington & Company and then creating an “accordion house scrapbook layout” inspired by that issue. Somerset Studio features the art of paper and mixed media, and it is FULL of inspiration! Special thanks to Stampington & Company for sending me this issue of Somerset Studio to review!
Purchase this issue HERE: 
Somerset Studio March/April 2017 – $9.99
from: Stampington & Company
The March-April 2017 issue of Somerset Studio is 144 pages of inspiration, including amazing photography, detailed project descriptions and full product lists. A full year’s subscription includes six issues, and even the back issues are trendy and motivating. There’s just something about relaxing with a magazine, actually turning the pages, and looking at good-quality photography that proves to be cathartic. Even if you’re not into mixed media, your tour through the pages of Somerset Studio would seem like walking through an art exhibit.
Each issue includes Artist Papers, which are specially designed tear-out papers perfect for cardmaking, scrapbooking or other papercrafts. These Artist Papers have a smooth, lightly glossed feel, and are sized at 8-1/2″ x 11″ (perfect for running through your printer)! Each issue also includes project templates and easy-to-follow instructions for creating something new. For my inspiration, however, I left the Artist Papers and the project template intact, and created a project of my own. I was inspired by two featured contributions to Somerset Studio, both of which had a “house and home” theme.
So, I found a pile of mixed media papers I had made a while back, and let my imagination go! First I used Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive to attach 2 mixed media pieces together accordion-style.
Next, I used more Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive to glue more mixed media paper on the back of my little accordion. I scored and folded them firmly (however I wanted… no particular pattern or measurement). Then, I used a Stabilo All Marking Pencil to draw guidelines for myself before I trimmed out little rooftops. The Stabilo All Marking Pencil at this stage will be handy in creating the look I want later on.
I punched out little squares for windows, and trimmed and glued little triangles for rooftops. All of this was solely based on my imagination and my own mixed media papers I had created months earlier (but hadn’t used yet). I adhered everything down with the Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive.
When I was happy with both sides of the accordion house, I used a water pen and a baby wipe to drag against the marks made by the Stabilo All Marking Pencil — Black. This is no ordinary pencil! It smudges, smears and drags, and it writes on plastic, glass, metal… almost anything you can think of! MUCH better than a marker for achieving the look on this project that I had in mind. I outlined my doors and windows as desired.
I used Ranger Ink – Tim Holtz – Distress Crayons – Set 2 an old cross-stitching stencil from my stash to create little houses on a sturdy piece of cardstock.
Also, I wanted the top corners of my cardstock to be torn at an angle (to accent the angle of the rooftops), but I also wanted the torn corners to reveal a surprise patterned paper underneath. ALL of the cardstock was pulled from my personal stash.
Prima 3D Matte Gel works great to adhere heavy things on all sorts of surfaces, so I used that to adhere my accordion houses to my scrapbook page.
Behind the houses, I adhered a large black torn piece of journaling paper from my stash. I accented the edges with some inexpensive white matte acrylic paint (dragged over the page with a palette knife), and found adhesive letters from my stash to add a title to the page.
This would be so cute as a first page of a family album! You could add little pictures inside the windows and rooftops of the fold-out houses. You could tell stories about a special house on the journaling section. I enjoyed this layout so much, and I was SO inspired by the Somerset Studio Magazine!
If you were inspired, check out Stampington & Company for all their publications! And don’t forget to LIKE and FOLLOW the Sandpaper Road Blog!
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