Friday, June 24, 2016

Mono printing on Fabric


Hello,  today I have a project tutorial over at the Gel Press™ Blog with the following:



Playing with paints from Deco Art™ and Oly Fun Fabrics from Fairfield™ I made several prints on the crafting fabric.  I now have my very own printed fabrics to make into other projects.



It is a fun and easy process.  All you need is:  a Gel Press™ plate, Neon Deco Art Acrylic Paints,



                                                       "Doily" stencil from Deco Art,



                                                                      and Oly*Fun™.




Thank you for stopping by, and stay crafty!
*Note,  this is a sponsored post.


Thursday, June 23, 2016

Favourite New Product to "Die" for

Today the Designers from the DCC (Designer Crafts Connection)  are participating in a fun Blog Hop where we show and tell about our favourite new products.  Most months we are given sample products by various manufacturers and asked to make projects that showcase those products.  This month, we are switching things up a bit and are showing you what our personal new favourites are.




My new favourite product is the New Steel Cut dies from Spell Binders. They are Designed by Seth Apter, fellow CHA Designer and New York Artist.  These new dies are different from so many of the dies already on the market, as they allow you to make Mixed Media style embellishments for your making pleasure.

Here is a little something I made:



Being a Mixed Media Artist I am always on the look out for anything that catches my eye, that is a little bit different, even worn or vintage.  Now, with these dies I can make my very own worn looking pieces for  my mixed media making.


One of the fun things to do with die cuts is to stack and glue several of them to make substantial elements that weigh very little, and can be glued to a canvas or any substrate.

Here I show you how I cut some Drips out of chipboard that I glued together, and painted.


There is a whole collection of these wonderful Mixed Media style Dies available, I highly recommend them if you love to make mixed media.


Thank you for stopping by.

**Note this post is NOT sponsored.  If visitors to my blog click on any of the affiliates on my page and make a purchase, I will be compensated monetarily.

Friday, June 10, 2016

Getting my Zen on with Gel Press

Hello,  welcome to How to make Zentangles on a Gel Press™ Print. Today my Colleagues and I are doing a fun blog hop where our viewers get to see how we were inspired to "Get Zen" with Gel
Press™.   Here is the link to the GelPress™ Blog, where you can comment on the hop.

Here is my project






I made a Purse Size Zentangle Tile Carrier.  I like to doodle and draw zentangles when I am just waiting around such as before appointments.  Having this folder will mean that I can carry a handful of tiles (pieces of watercolor paper sized  3.5" square ) in my purse without getting damaged.




To make this I started with one of my many prints made on an 8" x 10" Gel Press™plate, made with cardstock and acrylic paints.  I chose this particular print because of all the white spaces that were crying out for some zen doodling love!


After I had added all the doodles I wanted,



I drew some guidelines for folding.









 I cut the paper down to 8.5" x 8."





I folded the paper in half, and then I folded the bottom section in half again.



Using some dry double sided adhesive, I glued the flap down to the two side edges, which created a large pocket.


 The pocket inside the folder now holds some blank tiles ready for zentangling or doodling on the go.

Supplies:
Cardstock (Any)
Gel Press® 8" x 10"
Acrylic Paints (Deco Art)
Black Permanent pen
Permanent Adhesive Tape (Tombow)
Stencils

Hop along to all the designer blogs!  Don't forget to go to the Gel Press blog and leave a comment.






Friday, June 3, 2016

Making with Mod Podge

Not too long ago I was asked to review a book about projects that can be made with Mod Podge®, from LeisureArts®. You can read the review by going here.

I made a couple of projects and of course added my own twist to the projects.  Here is one of those project.


To make this I repurposed an old wooden frame which I covered with gold tissue paper using Mod Podge®.  I also painted the inside and outside edges with some gold acrylic paint.



I measured some golden brown colored cardstock to size to adhere to a white based thin cardboard.



Using my Cricut Explore Air™ I designed the letters I wanted in the Cricut Design space™ and cut out the letters for the sign.  I had drawn out the design I wanted by hand on the green cardstock and used a craft knife to cut out the logo.  I found this quicker than trying to design this on the Cricut®.



To adhere each letter I decide to use a repositionable adhesive and my good old Xyron® Sticker maker.

Once I had the letters in place I then used the Paper Mod Podge® to secure everything in place.  After everything was dry and glued down I covered the entire sign with a coat of the Mod Podge®.



I deviated slightly from the instructions in  the book, just to make this my own.

I hope that you enjoy learning about Decoupage.  I would love to read your comments and please follow me by subscribing to the Google group in the left-hand bar.

Thank you for stopping by.


Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Mod Podge® Book Review



Recently I had the pleasure of reviewing  a Leisure Arts ® publication titled:  Mod Podge® Family Activities Easy projects to craft together.  A soft cover 32 glossy pages book,  a lot of photographs, and well-written instructions to make 12 projects or more.  The authors also provide a good explanation of exactly what Mod Podge® is,  all the varieties available, how best to use the products, and some basics of how to do Decoupage.




Mod Podge® is a product made by the Plaid® company, for use in adhering paper and/ or fabric to most surfaces.  The products work as a glue, a sealer, and a finish.  There are different types of Mod Podge® sold, and a chart indicating which products are for which application is provided on page 4.



The projects presented include;  "Personalized Birthday Plates, a Book Birdhouse, Craft Stick bracelets, Jar Lid Bigs, A Monogram Frame, Tin Pail, Photo Blocks, Collage Letters, Picture Plaques, Pillowcase, Glow-in-The-Dark Mummy Pumpkin, and a Family forever Wreath."  Patterns are included as well.



Lil' Bug I made.

The instructions are clear and easy to understand, and there are lots of tips included.  Each project provides a "Shopping List" of recommended products and tools.  All of the recommended products are usually found in major craft supply stores and Department stores that sell arts and crafts materials.


                                                                       Sign I made.


I read through the entire book and found it to be well written and presented.  I tried making a few of the projects from the book too.  I found all of the steps well explained, and the instructions clear.
I find this to be an excellent crafting activity book to be used as part of a family's activities, a group of children in a club or school setting, and it is a good book to initiate adults to the art of Decoupage.



The book was given to me free of charge by Leisure Arts®.  The Plaid® products that I used were also given to me by Plaid®.  The rest of the supplies and tools used in the making of my projects came from my own collection.  I have not been financially compensated for this review.

Thanks for stopping by, I really appreciate your comments, questions, and suggestions.