Monday, June 29, 2015

How to Make a Cute Journal Cover

How to Change a plain cover of a new book or journal with some love and a little paint.  That is what I  want to share with you today.

Hi, thanks for stopping by and checking out how I took an unfinished canvas journal and made it my own.  Today over at the Linnie Blooms Blog where I am one of the Designers I posted this project that I made for them.  I truly enjoy working with LB  and their products, so this is not a chore for me!
One of the reasons I like Linnie Blooms in addition to the great products is the fact that they donate 1% of their sales to charity  to help in the Mental Health Awareness campaign, a cause I am totally in support of.



Here is the journal cover I decorated with some other fabulous products made by the DecoArt® Company.  Now this company also has a wonderful program: the Helping Artist program which actually helps to support the creativity of artists such as myself and a whole big lot of them!  It is worth checking out.



Supplies:
"Mini Mixed Stitch Book" by Linnie Blooms
"Bloom" stencils/Masks by Linnie Blooms
Glass seed beads from my stash
Pigma Micron  Micro Pigment Ink pen in black by Sakura
"Cling Hydrangea Garden" cling rubber stamps with template by Stampendous®
"Gesso" by DecoArt® media™
"DecoArt® media Fluid Acrylics™" in (Cobalt Teal Hue, Dioxazine Purple, Hansa Yellow Medium, Primary Magenta, and Titanium White")
"DecoArt® media™ Liquid Glass" (Clear)
"DecoArt® One Step Crackling Medium"

Thanks for checking in today, and come back soon!

Friday, June 26, 2015

How to Mend Projects made of Creative Paperclay®

Fix your cracked and warped Creative Paperclay® Air Dry Modelling Material projects with a little bit of water, some heavy weight, and a lot of patience!

Hi, thanks for stopping by today and checking out how I get myself out of a near crafting disaster, every now and then.  Yup, I make boo boos and I turn them into Creative Opportunities!  I share my tip for repairing a nearly failed project made with Creative Paperclay® over at the CP blog with pictures.  Basically what happened and still happens is that I have learned how to reduce the quantity of disasters I make in my studio.  Note I said "REDUCE" not eliminate!

So here is the short version.  I wanted to use a piece I had made a while back that I had forgotten on the back of a shelf.  By the time I remembered about this piece it had warped, chipped and cracked.  I did not want to go through the process of starting over so I tried to fix what I had.  By golly, it worked!


Success!  So that is why I am sharing this with all of you.  My piece of air dry modelling material was rescued with some water spritzed on the back, a heavy object from my studio placed over it.  I also placed a piece of plastic (old lid) between the two, and patience.  That's it.  The warped piece went flat again.



To deal with the crack on this large and thin piece I decided to adhere it to a piece of scrap scrapbook paper with someDecou-Page by Deco-Art.  I love that stuff!   Now I can move the whole piece safely and decorate and alter it any way I need to for future projects.  Here I show how I started to do just that.



To know hen I post new tips and how to's just become a follower of my blog.  You can also join me on social media.  All my links are now in the left hand side bar.  Thanks for stopping by.
Remember there are no figures in the studio,  just "Creative Opportunities".



Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Why and How I do What I do

I have been trying to find the answer.... Mind you not THE answer, but rather the most  efficient way to answer  these two questions:  What do you do ? Followed by the other ultimate question:  What is your blog about?  I have no problems in sharing what I have done by the end of each day, and believe me the list is exhausting.  The challenge for me is to summarize it all in one neat package, or into the so in demand "30 Seconds Elevator Speech"!  


So I say: "I am a Mixed-Media Artist, Designer, Writer, and Teacher, with my own Blog and YouTube Channel. My diverse skills and creativity enable me to find solutions and grow companies'  brands".

To anyone else who has more than 30 seconds I say something like this: "I just love to make things", and what I do is...For one, obviously, I Blog.  Which means I write and send my words out into the world not knowing but guessing that some of you are actually interested in what I have to say.  I tend to blog about the things I make with my own hands.  I do this because for one it is a diary of my public and creative work.  Second, because I love to read about how other people make things, so I do the same. Third, I share because I care, seriously.  I care about leaving a positive imprint on this earth, even if it is a tiny one such as mine.  If I can share something that will have a positive impact on just a few people then yeah for me! Fourthly, I blog so I can get some free stuff and sometimes money.  Mind you this is so not a lucrative job, and by no means does it support me and my family.  The free stuff is fun, but I usually have to work pretty hard to get that. The fifth reason I Blog is for the exposure.  Yup it is a big word these days.  The reality is it doesn't matter how talented someone is to determine their level of financial success, but who they know.  You, my followers are the reason companies give me stuff to play with.  They do expect me to make nice things, take great photographs, write well, and do alot of social media sharing.    However, even if I make such an outstanding masterpiece, they still will not pay me more for it.  Making great projects is just good advertising. I tell the world look what I can do,  I can do the same or better with your product.

The second thing I do is make videos.  That is pretty self explanatory, and the reasons are pretty much the same as for Blogging.

Thirdly I teach.  Whether I teach one on one, a large group, or an intimate class, online and in person.  I can teach many subjects, creative, and academic.



Fourth, is my writing.  Well, duh I blog so I write, but I also write for publication. There are websites, print magazines, e- newsletters, and more.

Number five is  that I am a Designer.  I create projects from the ground up.  I take an idea, a concept, a smidgen of inspiration and devise a plan.  I think, a lot,  I often sketch something, I always make notes and I plan on executing a project.  Those plans might be shared with another Designer who elaborates on my ideas with her own ideas.  Other times I literally Draw a plan, make a pattern, write instructions and make a sample.


Finally, I am a Mixed Media Artist.  Now this one often makes my non creative acquaintances give me that inquisitive look!  I mean, I create art, and craft in various mediums while using my many skills.  I draw, paint, sew, knit, crochet, make jewelry, work with clay, make paper, make cards, and scrapbook.  Often I do a combination of many of these and make one piece of Art.




Essentially I hustle.  My average day is nothing close to average, I plan weeks in advance and always go over what I have accomplished on my list for the day and look ahead to the next day. As each day starts I inevitably have to deal with a new situation that arises, and plug that into my already busy schedule, and that is my normal.  I begin each day like most women in my age group with teenagers, a husband, and a pet.  I deal with my family's needs first, I see to my household obligations, and then I get my coffee and get on the computer.  I quickly check for urgent emails, I go through all the blogs I am responsible for and go sharing on social media.  I check my agenda and to do lists and either go into the studio to work on a project or I stay at my computer and write. I f Iam lucky I just create on a long uninterrupted streak and get something done.  Most of the time though I stop several times and create in steps.  There's the creating part, and then there is the photography and editing part followed by the uploading, blogging, emailing and snail mailing of my creations.  My work may need to be approved, or will need tweaking before it goes "public".  Now once my work is out there then I have to promote it.  The entire time I am doing all these things I am always looking for the next contract or project.  I network,  learn new things, upgrade my skills, manage my business and so on.  I do just create for myself, I have to, every now and then.  I usually incorporate business with pleasure, because everything is a creative opportunity.

And that is what it's all about, being creative.

Thank you.

Sunday, June 21, 2015

How to Add Pressed Flowers to a Candle

Pressing flowers to use as art supplies is fun, fast, and free.
Hi, today I want to share with you how I found a way to preserve some of summer's beauty all year round by preserving some blooms from my gardens.  Over at the Arnold Grummer blog where I am a Designer I made this project to show their great Flower Press.  I am after all, an avid gardener in addition to being an avid maker of all things! LOL!  I used some Deco-Page from Deco-Arts (thanks to Tracy at Deco-Arts) to glue and seal those pretty blooms to a plain candle I already owned.

Here is the before:




Now here is the after:



The press, and the flowers I pressed two weeks earlier:



I applied one coat of Deco-Page to use as the glue before I applied the flowers.  I applied a second coat over the flowers to seal them in.  I applied a third and final coat just to make sure everything was sealed in tight.


Supplies:

Flower Press provided by Arnold Grummer
Deco-Page provided by Deco-Art

candle (from my stash)
flowers (from my garden)


Please subscribe to my blog, my youtube and follow me on social media by clicking on the links in the side bars.  That way you will be notified whenever I post a new FREE to you project and how to's.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  Now get Crafting!

Saturday, June 20, 2015

How to Make a Pretty Holder

Easy DIY projects for the studio and home are fun.  Here I took an ordinary small glass and spruced it up with some gems.  Iy is now a great and cute candle holder.  I can also use this to hold water as I paint and hold my brushes after wards!  You too can do this.


All you need is some really good adhesive that will work with glass, some Dew Drops, a few embellishments, and some imagination.  I made this easy project for the Robin's Nest blog.  It is my last project for the Design Team, as my contract comes to an end, and it is time for me to move on to new and exciting adventures.  I might be done with my obligations to RN but I am still working hard on this blog along with some new projects.  You will have to check back to see what I mean.

To be sure you do not miss any of my creative adventures, just sign up to follow my blog in the side bar.  Every new follower I get makes me very happy and encourages to keep coming up with FREE content to share.

Monday, June 15, 2015

How to Mono-print on Handmade Paper

How to do Geli Prints on Handmade paper is the topic for today's post.  Hi, there I have a project that I made for the Arnold Grummer Paper Making Design Team and Blog and I am sharing some tips with you over on my blog today.  As you may already know I enjoy making my own papers from pulp made with recycled junk mail and other throw away paper goods.  I took my DIY craziness a step further this week when I tried making mono-prints or "Gelli" prints on some of those yummy sheets I have stashed away.


Working with handmade papers for this technique can be challenging.  The trick here is 'Speed".  Yes, you must work quickly and let each print dry thoroughly.  You see, handmade paper has texture and tends to be more fragile when wet than regular ready made manufactured papers.

Here are a few of the sheets of paper I made recently before I printed on them:



Now here is one of my finished projects with some homemade printing.


To make that project I made prints on three different sheets and used different parts of each sheet in an assemblage of sorts.

Supplies:
Arnold Grummer Paper Making Kit  Discount  June code:  HotDis
Recycled papers from the bin
Gelli Plate
Acrylic Paints Student Grade: Light Blue, Bright Orange, Medium Yellow, Black
Brayer
Linnie Blooms "Feather" Stencil and mask.
Aleene's Tacky glue
Dimensional foam tape

Thank you for stopping by.  Don't forget to stay informed of all my FREE crafting tips and How To's all you have to do is subscribe and follow me on Social media.  Just check the links in the side bars.  :)

Friday, June 12, 2015

How to Make a Clay Art Doll

Dolls and doll making are another one of my favourite things to play with.  Today I have my own version of Where's Wanda?  Wanda is my creation for this weeks's post over at the Creative Paperclay® blog where I am one of the Designers who gets to work and play with their fabulous products.  This type of air drying clay is easy to work with, has such a smooth finish, dries quickly, and is very light weight.  

So here is Wanda, my wandering doll:


She is the product of a reincarnated empty pill bottle, Aluminum foil and lots of imagination.  I go over how I made her at the CP Blog here.

Come back to see where Wanda wanders off to next.

Thank you for stopping by, please follow me on social media and subscribe.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

How to Flip Card

The Interactive card challenge continues over at the Blue Moon Creation Crafting Station Facebook challenge page and the Blog.  This week I made a flip or Swing card as they are also called.  It is a simple and fun card to make.  Basically you cut a rectangle inside another rectangle leaving about a one inch hinge in the centre.  The fold are created at each end of that hinge to make the fun two way card.

For the centre image and sentiment I used a Spiced Sunshine Stamp Digital and a clear Blue Moon Creations Stamp.  To participate in this challenge and see other ideas check here.



Supplies:
Card stock from Recollections
Print paper from Recollections
Digital and clear stamp images from Blue Moon Creation And Spiced Sunshine Stamps
Copics:
Black Archival stamping ink



For more of my Free crafty tutorials come back here.  Better yet, subscribe and follow me on social media so you never miss a thing.  Thanks for stopping by.

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

How To make a Water Colour Journal

Hi, I just made this journal with a Home Decor kit from Linnie Blooms: Rustic Journal.  I have the project posted over at the Linnie Blooms Design Team Blog here. So just click on the blue here and that will take you to more pictures of my work in steps.


Briefly I used the kit: Rustic Journal from LB....


and with the help of my Gelatos I changed the look and personalized it.  I wanted a small size journal that would allow me to make small works of art on the go.  I chose to use water colour paper for the pages so I would have a sturdy, thick paper that could take on wet supplies like ink and paint.

Thanks to Linnie Blooms for the Rustic Journal Kit,  to Plaid® for the ModPodge, and to Spiced Sunshine Stamps for The Buzzing Bees stamps.

Thank you for stopping by.

Saturday, June 6, 2015

How To Alter Chipboard Scissors

How to alter plain chipboard into beautiful projects with a few supplies is what I intend to share with you today.  Hi, thanks for popping over.  Perhaps you are here because you saw my project over at the RN blog (click here) or you are here because you are subscribed to my blog.  Well, if you don't want to miss any of my crafty shares which are FREE, then subscribe to my blog or follow me.  There are links whether you are on Google or other platforms.  Just check out all the options in the side bars and choose which ever one you want.

Ok, now for the real reason you are here, the "HOW TO! "  I made this for the RN blog:


it started out as a plain chipboard (cardboard) die from Gina's Designs.  Pretty neat just by itself and lends itself beautifully to inexpensive craft paints.

Step 1: clean residue off chipboard with a damp cloth or some wipes.


Step 2: paint on a coat of a dark colour of craft or acrylic paint   I chose black in this case.


Step 3:  after the paint has dried apply a coat of Crackle Medium"and let that dry.

Step 4:  paint on a coat of light coloured paint..  Here I used a warm white.

Step 5: as the top coat dries you can see the lovely crackling happening.  Let that set.  I used some stamping dye ink and a sponge dauber to add some more dimension and antique the piece some more.


Step 6:  assemble the pieces of chipboard into the scissors.


Step 7:  decorate with some gems or dew drops using a good glue Tie a piece of ribbon near the top.

I enjoyed making this and I hope that I have inspired you to go find some plain old cardboard and turn into your own masterpiece!

Don't forget to subscribe to my blog,  leave some comments or questions, and follow me on social media, to keep up with my project making.

Thank you so much for stopping by.  Keep crafting!  :)

Links to Supplies:
                                                                             





Thank you to the following sponsors: Robin's Nest,  Beacon, Gina's Designs

Thursday, June 4, 2015

How To Make Interactive Cards

A card that moves is what I have to share with you today.  We have a new challenge going on over at the Blue Moon Creation Crafting Station:  "Interactive".  That is the blog where I am on their Design Team, and I get to use all those fun stamps they give me. That means the  participants are to make a card that moves or can be interacted with in any way!  Mine is a big fat ladybug with a spinning belly!  I do not know what this guy ate but he seems happy anyways!


To make him or her I used a beautiful digital stamp image from the Spiced Sunshine Stamps over at the Etsy shop for Blue Moon and Spiced Sunshine.  I used Copic paper and markers for the colours.  To make the spinning belly I used a punch the same size as the bug's belly.  I was lucky that I have a Creative Memories circle punch that matched the size of this bug's belly!  I pierced a small hole into the circle and the belly and attached them with a brad.

All the papers I used are scraps from my scrap box.  The red Dew Drops are from The Robin's Nest.
I also used my Fiskars paper edger punch with the red scrap.

I hope that I have inspired you to make a fun card too.

Thanks for stopping by.


Fiskars

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

How To Get Started in Crafting

How do you get started in crafting?  Well, some of us just jump right in and buy everything in sight.  Others are hesitant and will research and question to make sure they buy only the best.  Today I want to share with you some pearls of wisdom I have personally gained over my many years of crafting.

First off I want to say that the point of this post is to show you a few items that I have invested in and that have served me very well for many many years.  As a multi-crafter (I do several different crafts) I really like to invest in tools and products that will serve me well across multiple types of creating.  I invested in tools made by Creative Memories when they first came to Canada, and these tools still work perfectly.  My absolute favourites and I swear by the quality are all their cutting tools.  New versions are available again online including in Canada as of this week!



As an artist/crafter/teacher/writer and more I also need to be very organized.  I believe in investing more time and some money in a system that works for me, not for everybody else.  So that is key, people.  What works for me may not work for you!

In my very large and stuffed craft room or studio....(IE. my basement) I have different zones dedicated to different crafts.  There is an "Office" zone where I have my computer, printers, and electronic die cutting machines that link to a computer.  In that zone there are also all my business files, office supplies, and a bunch of business related  paraphernalia.
Next there is the "Photography" zone where I have lights and a set up to take photographs of my finished projects.  The more fun zones are the "Sewing",  "Needle crafts", "Jewelry Making", "Messy Making ", "Drawing", "Cutting", "Die Cutting", "Work Bench with power tools", and the "General Crafting and Scrapbook Making ".  I know that seems like a lot, but this system allows me to maintain some order and organize my tools and supplies to each task  as needed.

Within these zones I use a lot of different organizational products.  One thing I love to use are those plastic drawers in a tower that can be wheeled around.   They come in different sizes of drawers and colours.  I like to use mainly white and clear containers however I do invest in specific colours for specific supplies.  For example, in the "Sewing" zone I organize my vast collection of threads using these multiple coloured drawers.  Each drawer
holds threads in the same colour family as the drawer.
Thanks for stopping by and let me know in the comments what other "How To's" you are interested in.




Monday, June 1, 2015

Flower Collage

Flower time again!  Handmade by myself with some recycled papers.

Hello, by now you may have figured out that I am a flower lover.  I am not ashamed , it could be worse.  The other thing I love is making things and sharing how I make these things with whomever cares.


So today I have this post over at the Arnold Grummer blog where I am one of the designers and I am sharing that link with you here.  I basically took all the left over bits and scraps of handmade papers I had from making other projects for AG in the past and put them together in this super simple and easy collage.  It is definitely the type of project you can make with children.  While teaching about shapes, art , and recycling. Please enjoy and check out the AG blog.

If you have any questions or comments leave them below I promise to eventually get back to you.


*************************June coupon code:  HotDis***********************************************

Thank you for stopping by.