Howdy friends! I hope you are having an awesome Saturday! I sure am! Actually I am hoping this bog post goes off without a hitch because today’s video is currently uploading as I write this. I am hoping to time it correctly so when the post goes live the video will be ready. What can I say, I like to live on the edge LOL! Here is today’s page:
Thanks to Oriental Trading Company for providing many of the supplies for my mixed media art journal tutorials. Please check out their wonderful offerings and don’t forget to tell them Lindsay Thefrugalcrafter sent you! That is all for me today! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Hi friends! I am absolutely giddy, the folks at Heirloom Productions have given me some tickets to give away for the Heirloom Productions Rubber Stamp show in W. Springfield Massachusetts! I want to make sure the tickets go to folks who want them and live close enough to attend so if you want to win just leave a comment saying if I win tickets I will go! Also, because I am nosy, tell me what you want to see most at the show, a vendor, demos, your favorite crafter perhaps…just kidding! đ If you are not sure what to expect check out the Heirloom Productions website where they have a full list of vendors and classes that will be at the show. I will pick winners Sunday and post the winners names on my blog. You will receive your tickets via email. One of my favorite vendors that will be at the show is Lost Coast Designs, I bought my first stamps from them 3 years ago and have been a die hard fan ever since. Because I know everyone cannot get to the show I have a coupon to share with you if you buy more than 6 items, you get 20% off and free shipping! The prices at Lost Coast Designs are very reasonable so that is a really good deal! Use this code when shopping: RSCVC and don’t forget to tell them Lindsay sent you!
***how to use the coupon code: Use the Shopping Cart as usual and put “RSCVC” in the comments area to get your special pricing. If you use a credit card, she will calculate the discount before running your card; if you use PayPal, she will refund the discount back to your account.
The card was literally made from scraps near my paper cutter, don’t you love it when projects work out that way. I had just enough poppy paper left over from yesterdays project to use on this card. I only own 4 sets of label dies but they get quite a work out, I love cutting a label layer out of the center of a piece of card stock that is hidden because I can stretch that perfect color paper scrap and save weight on the card for mailing. It is two ways to save money! How about mixing and matching your markers? I recommend newbies to try out different brands in different colors so you can see what markers you prefer, they all work well together as long as they are the same type (alcohol or water-based) and they blend well together too. Why commit to one brand of markers when you are not sure it is the best for you? I love scrap cards, I always feel so good making something with leftovers, it’s like a free project, don’t you think? Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Hello Friends! Today I have a project that I hope you will enjoy. With the school year winding down you might be scrambling to find ideas to thank the scout leaders, teachers and coaches in your life. Gift cards are usually the way to go if you are unsure about their personal style and when you are giving a gift as a group everyone who wants can contribute a card to a place they think the recipient might like. It’s like giving a guilt free shopping spree! And this is a fun way to package and store them and you can make it affordable using supplies from Papermart. Watch the video to see how it is done:
Directions:
I started by cutting a 5″x12″ piece of sturdy patterned paper then used a label die to shape one end of the strip. Then I scored and folded the paper so I had a cute purse with a gusset at the bottom. I sealed and cut the ends off three envelopes, stacked them and folded them in half then I punched tabs in the center of the open ends to make the gift cards easy to remove. I punched holed through the stack of envelopes and gusset area of the purse and used baker’s twine to tie it together. I made the handles from Jute cord. The flap is secured with hook and loop tape, only $2.39 for a 10 yard roll of each! I embellished the purse with die cut leaves and flowers as well as buttons. For further instruction refer to the video.
I hope you enjoyed this fun and easy project! Happy crafting!
Howdy friends! This is a milestone video in so many ways, first of all I managed to get Kathy and Lorraine both in the studio (see, they are not the same person) and it is my 600th YouTube video! I just realized that I have been making videos for just over 4 years but the last 400 videos were done over the last year! I owe it all to the “pause record” feature on my camera allowing me to edit on the fly…oh and I owe it to you for watching and cheering me on everyday. Thanks guys:) I was lucky this week to get Kathy and Lorraine to be on the show, if you have half as much fun watching as we did filming a good time will be had by all!
And if you are in the New England area I hope you will check out the Heirloom Stamp Show in W.Springfield Mass June 7-8th. We will be there on Saturday so be sure to say “Howdy” if you see us, I’m not involved with the show, just shopping, but it is a great time and some of my favorite stamp companies will be there too! If you have a question for next weeks show you can leave it in the comments. Also, be sure to check out the comment thread on YouTube, there is always great ideas shared from other crafters. Great work guys! Well, I think I better be off, I finally was suckerd in to doing the free trial of amazon prime (they have the first 3 seasons of Grimm on there and I needed quick shipping on a backpack for the boy) and my TV is not going to watch itself…er uh I mean I joined prime for the books, yeah…the books…Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Hello Friends! I think as crafters and artists we can become…well..pack-rats if we are not careful. I finished up a set of cards the other day and could not bear to throw away the scraps of bakers twine trimmings. So rather than dump it into my big ribbon scrap jar never to be seen again I decided to make a quick gift tag with it, have a look at how easy it is:
This technique can be used with ribbon, yarn, string or even slivers of paper. Cuz let’s face it, some of this stuff is just too pretty to throw away, even the tiniest scrap! To make the tag I cut a heart out of white cardstock and punched it out with a large label punch. Then I applied adhesive (score-tape) to a scrap of cardstock slightly bigger than the heart and adhered my twine scraps to that. I covered a manila tag with rainbow paper and adhered my twine square to that then topped it with my heart window with foam tape. Easy peasy and I have a gift tag ready to go and no guilt over throwing anything away. You can find the baker’s twine I used at Papermart, they have awesome deals on bulk supplies but that doesn’t mean we should waste anything. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Hello friends! Tonight I have a very easy painting tutorial. We will paint double impatiens using Inktense Blocks by Derwent and a waterbrush on 140# watercolor paper. I am using soft press paper by Fabriano which is a cross between hot press and cold press, it is quite smooth and similar to Rives BFK printmaking paper. I like the smoother finish for working with the Inktense Blocks or watercolor pencils because it makes it a bit easier to blend as there is no texture for the pigment to get caught in. But, really, you can use whatever paper you like, even a heavy weight mixed media or drawing paper. OK, enough gabbing, let’s paint!
Let me remind you again that you can follow along with watercolor pencils, watercolor crayons or even soft pastels. Try what you have before you buy something new. I really am enjoying the Derwent Inktense blocks I just bought (well, all except the flimsy packaging but we’ll talk about that later) but my style tends to be quick and loose. If your style is tighter you will prefer the pencils I think. honestly, I think the pencils are much more versatile but I have wanted the set of 72 blocks for a loooong time and I came across a good deal đ I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial and it inspires you to loosen up and paint from nature. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Howdy friends! from the blog post title you can probably guess that we are going to get inky today! But first I want to announce the winner of stamps and a gift certificate to Art Neko (formally About art Accents) congrats to Kimberly E.!!! Check your email for details;) Don’t worry if you did not win, the Garden Friends set it is still on sale and I have another idea for using it in today’s video:
Feel free to adapt this technique to suit your project. You can even just do the inked emboss and call it a day, that is pretty on it’s own. Here is a recap of what we did:
First we did an inked emboss by inking an embossing folder with pigment ink and a brayer and embossing white cardstock. Then we added a little bit of copper, gold, rust and verdigris embossing powder to the embossed panel and heated it with a heat gun. We scribbled metallic green, gold and brown gel sticks to the panel and topped it off with a spritz of homemade shimmer spray ink.
Here is my tutorial on the firm foam blenders for gelatos.
Thanks again to Art Neko for sponsoring this contest, remember to use my coupon code Lindsay10% to save 10% on your non sale rubber! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Howdy friends! Just a quick reminder that if you haven’t signed up to win stamps on last Sunday’s post now is your last chance because I will be drawing a name tomorrow! Today I have an art journal page tutorial, it was my quickest page ever I think. I started it with a sketch using Inktense blocks but I was not happy with it so I gessoed over and started again, sometimes it goes like that but i like the end result:
Want to see how I made it? Watch the video and find out!
It is funny, after I posted this video on YouTube several people asked for a tutorial on drawing the ballerina, I was shocked because that was the part I was trying to disguise LOL! I will have a tutorial on drawing a (much nicer) ballerina in a few days.
Here is a brief summery of how I made the page: First I drew the ballerina and swiped gesso over the page with a palette knife to tone down the colors. I tore patterned scrapbook paper and glued it to the page with hot glue. I stamped music noted using the “stamp in the hand” technique and I also stamped on a dance diagram and a shoe. I hot glued organza ribbon on the ballet dancers skirt and a twisted piece of fabric strip for a border. I use permanent markers to write the quote “if you stumble make it part of the dance” and I added some color to the edges of the page with Inktense Blocks.
Thanks to Oriental Trading Company for the Art Journal I have been using for all of the Mixed Media Fun tutorials and thank you for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Hello Friends! It is not a shocker, we always need more birthday cards right? Well, did you ever think of making a set of birthday cards with matching envelopes to give as a gift? They are wonderful presents for non crafty friends. Here is a set of cards I made using adorable Penny Black stamps and supplies from Papermart:
I also came up with a couple cute ways to package them. Using clear bags is a great idea if you sell cards at craft fairs because it keeps the cards visible and clean. Â The paper portfolio is a great idea for gifting because the cards and be easily accessed and stored right there, plus it can be used to organize other cards after the original set is used up…just a warning, if you give cards this cute you will be asked to make more! Watch the tutorial to see how easy it is to make this set:
This project is an example of assembly line card making. By doing the similar tasks together you will save time and end up finishing all the cards at once (that’s right, you won’t get 2 cards done and get bored with the project.) It is also great if you have a limited amount of time to craft, if you have 10 minutes you can cut all of your papers and stamp your images. Next time you can color etc.
Directions:
1. Cut two 8.5″x11″ sheets of cardstock in half (5.5″x8.5″) and fold each of these papers in half to make 4 cards.
2. Â Choose two or three designs of patterned paper (scraps are great for this!) and cut into strips, labels, circles or rectangles.
3. Stamp images on white cardstock and color with colored pencils or markers. Stamp a border on 4 white envelopes.
4. Assemble all cards. Tie on bakers twine and embellish as desired.
5. Package the cards in a clear bag with left over patterned paper as a topper or make a paper portfolio to store them in using this tutorial.
How easy is that? It is a useful, thoughtful, handmade gift and aren’t those the best kind? I also wanted to mention that the polypropylene bags I used are FDA food safe so they can also be used to make treat bags for parties or other food packaging. It’s good to have lots of uses for them because you get 1000 in a box! That said, I’m on my 2nd box LOL! Thanks so much for spending part of your day with me and til next time happy crafting!
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