For Dad’s and DIYers!

I practically grew up in a pile of sawdust. I had my own nail apron and hammer and I would pound endlessly on scraps of wood my dad left around in the shop. I was a proficient step-stool maker by the age of 4! My dad was a contractor and then later he opened a hardware store/lumber yard which he still works at, open to close, every day except Christmas and Thanksgiving. (Talk about hard to buy for!) Today’s card is for all the DIY dads out there and with Father’s day coming up you might want to make one! It came together in minutes using my new Tool Apron SVG and Printable Pocket card kit.

It is great to give as is or tuck a gift card into.  It also would make a great scrapbook page element as you can use the pockets in the apron to hold extra photos or journaling and the tools are fun scrapbook page elements.   Have a great weekend and til next time happy crafting!

Last Day for 40% off @ Lindsay’s!

Howdy folks! I hope you are having a great weekend! I just wanted to remind you that the 40% off sale at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff is going on through today if you want so snag some deals on party supplies, SVG cutting files/templates, digital stamps, painting kits and more!

Here are some digital products you might enjoy!

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

DIY {no-hassle} Tassels & 40% off!

Tassels are trendy! They are cropping up everywhere and they are so easy to make! You can use them to decorate cards, jewelry, home decor and gift packaging like I did below on my Grad Hat Gift box. That template along with everything in my shop Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff  is 40% off now through Sunday so shop happy (and keep an artist employed LOL!)

I was asked by a few people how I made my tassel earrings so I made a video to show you how, it is very quick and easy!

See, told ya! If you ave any questions you can leave a comment. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

A Fun & Interactive Centerpiece! {Video Tutorial}

Want some party decor that doubles as an icebreaker? Try crafting this photo prop centerpiece:

There are no flowers in it so it can be made months in advance (or 2 days in advance in my case LOL!) and it will keep if you want to use the elements over again! I made 6 of these for a friends 40th birthday party and the materials totaled $25 and the supplies came from Papermart! Best of all he spools of Tulle are so long and the bags of feathers so generous that I have loads leftover for future crafty fun! I also used black marbles for table scatter. Watch to see how I made this in real-time and high definition! {gosh, I’m getting fancy!}

I did a few things before hand such as cut out the masks/crown and score the rosettes. I recommend if you are doing a project like this to go assembly line style: Do all of the die cutting at once, then assemble all the vases, glitter all the tags, etc. It keeps the mess under control and is quicker than having to switch gears all the time. If you need templates for the masks, photo props and crown you can find them in printable templates as well as SVG cutting files in my shop:

Click here to download the “40 is Fabulous” printable labels I promised for free!

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Happy Fat Tuesday: Let The Good Times Roll!

I live nowhere near the Big Easy but that doesn’t mean I can’t celebrate! I made this colorful Mardi Gras mask using inexpensive products from Papermart. I have done this project in classrooms, summer camps and even as a birthday party activity. It is easy and fun and you can’t make it look bad. I used feathers, rhinestones, gold ribbon, metallic markers, hot glue, a bamboo skewer and cardstock to make this quick project. The mask template can be found here.

You can change-up the colors and make photo props or decorations to hang on the wall, it is such fun. Watch the video to see how it’s done!

Remember, if you are doing this project with the kids you might want to use Thick & Tacky glue or glue dots instead of hot glue, let’s all be safe out there! {Don’t burn your hands off!}

Thanks for stopping by and til next time let the good time roll, oh and happy crafting!

An easy watercolor card to paint…

Happy Monday folks! I think this is going to be a good day! We seem to be in the midst of a spring thaw and my kids all seem to be mostly over that cold that has been going around. Let’s hope they don’t catch anything new at school LOL! Here is a quick and simple watercolor card I painted last month:

You can easily recreate it, you will need a#140 watercolor card (I use Strathmore pre-folded watercolor cards) and a #8 round brush. here’s how:

1. Wet the card front leaving a rough border around the edge dry. It should be quite wet and look shiny if you tip it to the light,
2. Add sap green, cad yellow, mauve and purple, just loosely dab it in the areas shown. Let dry.
3. Paint the detailed lupine in with purple and mauve paint. Add grasses with green.
4. If you like you can splatter some of the colors you used onto the card.

Easy Peasy! You can find more painting projects in my shop and they are all on sale 50% off right now!:

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Paint with me!

Howdy folks! I have had fun this week painting with watercolors and I posted 4 new lessons in my shop Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff. These new lessons are intermediate level. I don’t think they are any more difficult than the beginner projects but they do not have the in-depth explanation of each technique because if you painted my beginner projects (also in my shop) you would already know how to do them. Also if you have painted with watercolors before the intermediate projects should be easy. They are like a traditional painting packet you would buy in a tole painting shop or read in a decorative painting magazine. So basically in the beginner lessons I assume you have never picked up a brush in your life and in the intermediate kits I assume you know basic techniques Here is what you can paint!

Winter chickadee (this would be cute on Christmas cards!):

Magnolias:

Blue Bunting:

Crocus:

Don’t worry, it is really easy, I like to have several paintings going at once so I have something to work on while I am waiting to parts to dry. One change I made to the intermediate painting kits is that the pattern is a re-sizable jpg so you could print it small to go on a card or larger if you like. Keep in mind that you can change colors and leave out (or add more) spattering because they are YOUR paintings, have fun! All the kits are $3 and think of how much you can learn and the fun you will have! Thanks for stopping by and til next time Happy crafting (and painting!)

It’s Snowing!!! Let’s Make an Advent Calender!

We woke up to 4 inches of sticky white snow this morning! The kids got dressed and played in it until it was time to get on the bus for school. What a great way to start the day (Although I don’t envy the school-teachers that have to deal with all of that giddy excitement!) Then I went out and walked the dog and seeing all of that beautiful snow put me in the Christmas spirit! Here is the Advent Calendar I made last year. I had to wait to post it because it was featured in The Decorative Painter Magazine last December.

I cut a large Take-out box from #300 watercolor paper using my Box Bonanza Template kit and then I transferred the poinsettia digistamps from my Nature’s Christmas kit on the sides. I transferred the flower a couple more times and cut it out and glued it over the design so it would be 3-D, the 300 pound paper almost feels like balsa wood! I also sketched on some holly and ribbons. I scored the box with a ruler and stylus so it would be easier to fold later and painted it with watercolors.

When the paint was dry I added detail with Prismacolor colored pencils and flicked on some watercolor paint for texture.

I made paper fortune cookies to go inside. I inserted little strips of paper with holiday ideas on them like “bake cookies”, “watch a Christmas movie”, do Christmas crafts etc. so the kids could pick a cookie and do an activity. You could number the cookies as well if you need certain events to fall on certain days in December   Here is an old video showing how I make the cookies…please don’t mind the low-techness, it was one of my first videos:)

You could also use this idea to make a “Thankful” box and put things you are thankful for on the paper strips for thanksgiving. Enjoy your day and til next time happy crafting!

Shameless Promotion 50% off at Lindsay’s!

Howdy folks, just wanted to pop in quickly and let you know that everything at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff is 50% off now through Sunday:

A girls gotta pay the bills right?  So check it out now through Sunday to save 50% on everything…yadda, yadda, blah, blah, blah…Shameless promotion over Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

 

Craft a cute post office playset {for kids!}

It looks like we have a rainy weekend in store for us in New England, I’m glad I have this new project for my kids to play with. I don’t pay for chipboard anymore. I have found that I can simply use the stuff in my recycling bin, namely cereal boxes and they cut great in my electronic die cutter! I used the SVG file from my 3D Mailbox template to make the box and new postal stamps from Pink Persimmon to make stamps and envelopes and other goodies for this play set for kids:

 

Are you ready to get started? Here is a video to show you how it’s done! I’ll even show you how to make your own lick and stick envelope glue,”air mail” bakers twine and custom envelopes!

 

I did not share how I assembled the mailbox (I used hot glue) but I have a video on this post that will show you how.

Envelope Glue Recipe:

2tbs white glue (not washable)

1tbs white vinegar

2 drops flavored oil such as peppermint

Mix the above ingredients in a jar and brush on envelope flaps or back of paper to make stickers or stamps and let dry before using.

 

I hope you enjoyed this project! Here is a look at the brand new Pink Persimmon Stamps I used:

 

 

 

Here is the 3D Mailbox template from Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff:

 

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!