Hi friends! I had an amazing night! We had our annual Trick or Treat open house and it was a blast, so many families came, we had a pot luck dinner so the kids could eat something good before the candy:) The kids took off in mobs to go around the small cul-de-sac where we live and they came home with candy, they also played tag outside in the dark, pool and pinball! I even set up a well-lit photo area so parents could snap pics of their kids in costume. I took a few seconds before it all began to wish you all a happy Halloween in this video (shot in front of the aforementioned photo booth:
Sorry if this is rambly, it is late and I am tired but a good tired knowing that everyone had a good time and that my kids are not too old for Halloween. Have a fun and safe Halloween!
Hi Friends! Last night I posted a haul video on YouTube where I shared my crafty loot from a recent trip to ACmoore and the Dollar Tree. I asked what I should use first and the answer was overwhelmingly “The Markers!” Why, because they were cheap, like $24 for a set of 18 art markers and I only paid $12 because I had a coupon, cheap. And because I feel funny showing off all the new goodies I got I thought YOU should get something too so you can win all of the stamps I used in this note-card set! The stamps are from this plate from Art Neko and the entire set is half off right now! Don’t worry, if you buy them and then win the giveaway you can pick an equivalent in stamps. I do not know how long the sale is on for. All you have to do for a chance to win is leave a comment on this post and I will draw a winner next Friday. This giveaway is open to anyone in the world! Yay!
Markers can be really expensive but good markers are a joy to work with. I have used everything from Sharpies to Copics and everything in between. You can get good results with all of these markers if you know some techniques that I will show you in this video.
I would rate these no-name gems to be as good as Promarker and Prismacolor markers, better than Bic Mark-Its and Sharpies but not as good as Copics which I think is pretty darn good given what I paid for them. They were all very juicy and the fine tip end was pointy and springy like a brush nib but smaller than Copic. The palette blending technique and a blending pen is essential to getting smooth blends with a limited palette of bright colors. You must have an alcohol based blender marker for this to work but any brand is fine such as Copic, Prismacolor, Promarker or Spectrum Noir. If these blenders run dry you can refill them with denatured alcohol. A blender pen costs between $3-$7 depending what brand you get but they all are very similar.
I decided to make some envelopes to match these quick little note-cards. I think they would make a nice gift set for the holidays or a birthday gift.
I hope you enjoyed this review and coloring tutorial. Don’t forget to leave a comment to win the stamps from today’s project. If you end up shopping at Art Neko you can use my coupon code Lindsay10% to save 10% on your non-sale rubber. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Hi Friends! Man, I am so tired tonight, I had to drag my sorry butt off the couch to write this but I know how much you love your weekly crafty gab session with the girls so I am happy to do so! Without further ado join Lorraine, Kathy and me for this weeks ask a crafter!
…zzzzzzz…oh, yes, I am awake:) I hope you have a great night and til next time happy crafting!
Hi Friends! Let’s use up out stash and make Christmas cards! It feels good to use up what we have rather than buying new. Today I am going to share a way to revamp your old pattern paper and use up washi tape and give you some ideas for duct tape too! If you don’t have washi and duct tape simply cut pattered paper into strips and adhere them with glue. It will be just as cute!
The duct tape and backing paper I am using is from Oriental Trading Company and the pen and adhesive are from Tombow. Do you want more quick and simple Christmas card ideas? Let me know in the comments and if there is interest I will make more! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Hi Friends! Today I am going to show you how to make this dry erase board I made to put next to my kitchen phone:
My kids love this, they have been leaving messages and stories on it since I hung it up the other day. I think it would be a cool idea to snap a picture of it each day with its different messages and put it in a project life album. Today’s project is sponsored by Offray. Save 15% on your offray.com order though 11/30/14 with the coupon code: FRUGAL15 See details below. Now, let’s make a dry erase board! Watch the video to see how!
Supplies:
A frame with glass & Hanging hardware (mine was 16″x20″)
Large white paper such as poster board.
Screwdriver, awl. ruler and craft knife *Optional: Die cut machine or you can cut the letters with your craft knife.
Cut the word “family” out of white paper to fit your frame. I used my die cut machine so I had to cut down the paper so I could fit it in my cutter, if you are cutting the word by hand you can keep it in one piece.
Lay out ribbon on your backing board in a pleasing fashion. Place the word mat on top to test placement. If you like it glue the ribbon to the board.
Glue the paper over the board so the ribbon shows though the word cut-outs. Add additional ribbon as embellishments (like I did over the gap in the paper)
Make sure the glass in your frame is clean and place the decorated backer board in the frame. Secure the backer board in.
Attach handing hardware and wire to the back.
Attach a dry erase marker to the side of the frame with an eye-hook and ribbon.
Hang on the wall and enjoy!
This project was so fun and easy to make and it is really useful too. Now there is a place to jot down phone messages next to the phone and we won’t have to rummage for a pen because it is attached! You can find the beautiful ribbon I used at Offray and remember to use the coupon code FRUGAL15 to save 15% through 11/30/14. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
*Details: Use FRUGAL15 during checkout on Offray.com to receive 15% off one order. Offer expires 11:59 PM eastern time on Sunday, November 30, 2014. Discount excludes applicable tax and shipping costs. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Discount cannot be applied to previous purchases. Subject to change or cancellation without notice. Other restrictions may apply.
Hi Friends! My hubby is really a good sport. Not only did he agree on a couples Halloween costume but he let me film the make up and accessories tutorial too! I think he makes a very handsome Frankeinstein’s Monster!
That make up was done with the same kit I used for my Bride of Frankenstein costume with the addition on a tube of green creme makeup, it is easier to use than the greasepaint when you have to cover the whole face. One YouTube viewer suggested powdering the makeup to make it longer lasting but I did his makeup at 6pm and it was still on when we got home at 1am without powder. It is not a bad idea though. I hope you enjoyed out silliness and til next time happy crafting!
Hi Friends! I was wondering, how many of you are selling at craft fairs this fall? That is not the topic of today’s vlog but I am curious. My crafty friends on Facebook have been talking about the fairs they have been selling at and the season is in full swing. I wish all of you folks setting up booths this year the best of luck! Today I want to talk about something that will help anyone’s business, whether you are a writer, artist, crafter…or even a plumber. We have to be reputable. As artists we need to produce high quality that is consistent. It is how we build out reputation. After we build our reputation (which is similar to building our “brand” and as creative people we are our brand) we need to build our authority. But how? I will explain in this weeks art marketing vlog:
I hope that made sense to you. Reputation is what we control and create but authority is bestowed upon us from outside sources. Both are important to our success as creative entrepreneurs. I wish you the best of luck writing that book, getting into that gallery or selling at the next craft fair or art festival. I hope these art marketing vlogs help you in your artsy endeavors. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Hi friends! Yesterday I was on TV!!!! More on that in a minute, first here is a cute Halloween favor you can make with supplies you probably already have at home:
So the reason I wanted to share that tutorial today is because I also got to share it during my interview on the local ABC/FOX affiliate stations in Bangor, Maine. I could not manage to embed the video here but you can watch it here on the FOX22/ABC7 Website.
How cool is that?!? My apologies to my friends on Facebook who had to endure my excitement of this all day. I just can’t help it! Thanks so much for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
The Frugal Crafter Blog 