While creating the gelli prints is good fun, and slightly addictive, I knew that I needed to actually use them or otherwise you’d find me under several reams of them, and before long I’d probably need rescuing! The last class on the course was all about turning these wondrous prints into even more wondrous hand crafted items, and I left with quite a bundle of handmade items, some of which I probably wouldn’t have thought of or tried at home:

Using the gelli prints on (clockwise) a handmade notebook, a card and two bookmarks — A HANDMADE NOTEBOOK, A CARD AND TWO BOOKMARKS - THE GELLI PRINT WAY!

Though I was rather pleased with them, and I’m already using the bookmark with the orange tag in my book - and in case you’re wondering the orange tag is repurposed from a Superdry tag. I can definitely see that I’ll be using scraps of gelli printing alongside many other items I’ve saved for crafting - and I’m already wondering how small is too small for saving these scraps!

But anyway, inspired by the series of four classes I took in Newark and knowing that if I just put this to one side it would probably stay there for a while, I wanted to set about creating some more cards. I’d already toyed with strips of gelli printing and liked that so wanted to try blocks as backgrounds, with a design on top.

SIX pink/peach gelli print blocks with a gold and black floral design over the top on a white background

Both of these cards use the same concept but have turned out very different - and I like them both. I used a stencil for the outline of the floral and meadow designs and then adapted these, so they’re less stencil-like, using my knowledge of plants and flowers.

Six pink, white and blue gelli plate blocks arranged on a blue card with a meadow scene in black and highlights with pink and blue on top

And didn’t they work out well?

I wanted to try using some of the smaller scraps, and so that’s where gift tags came in. I think these were also successful and I used some scrap ribbon on both, and those black diagonal stripes - well they’re old dymo tape that I found in one of my many craft room boxes.

Two gift tags using scraps of gelli printing, some ribbon and washi tape (on the left hand tag) and dymo tape on the right

These three gift tags were originally intended as a card, however I realised my knowledge of birds is lacking and one (now cut out and discarded) wasn’t right at all. Not wanting to lose all of my work I repurposed these further making gift tags and adding ribbon saved from Christmas crackers many years ago as ties - and I’m not sure you’d know if I’d not told you.

A gift tag to complement the card - both use green, yellow and orange gelli printing. The card also has scraps of ribbon and paper, a strip of map and a button

My final make was again to avoid throwing away small scraps leftover from the card - and another gift tag. I think I could quite get into having coordinating cards and gift tags, though I’m not sure anyone other than me would notice!

I just know that there’s so many more uses for all of the gelli printing I already have, let alone the ones I’ve yet to print. I’m also pretty sure that this new craft is here to stay!