Hi Friends! Still sick here but better than yesterday. Luckily the basketball tourney games were rescheduled so I didn’t have to go anywhere or miss them. I barely have a voice today but I shot this paint and brush storage video the other day for you.
What do you think of the way I reorganized the brush area? I like being able to pull the little caddy around to hold my palette and water buckets. I took the drafting table that used to be there and brought it upstairs to my office to be able to work in the heat for the winter!
I also wanted to tank you so much for voting for me in the Craftsy Awards! I got 1st place in the Papercrafting Tutorials category! Thanks so much guys! It was really nice news to wake up to this morning! Have a great night and til next time happy crafting!
Hi Friends, today has been rough, I have not been this sick in years! The twins were home sick too although they seem to be over the worst of it. I guess I am making up for not catching a single cold last year I have a real humdinger now! It hurts to talk even! (hold your applause, I heard that!) Luckily I shot this requested fabric storage video the other day before I was a goner.
I am hoping I can sleep this cold off tonight because my kids are in basketball tournaments tomorrow unless they are cancelled due to snow. I am fairly certain all of my time in germy basketball bleachers has put me in this state too. Next year I am getting myself a bubble to live in all winter. Sorry about my sour tome, also I am getting an earache. And snow, did I mention snow? Another foot today plus the 2 feel from 2 days ago slid of the metal roof so we are basically surrounded by a mote of snow. Oh well, only 5 more months of it. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Hi friends! You know what I could go for right now? Some more snow. Just kidding. We do have another 12″-16″ in the forecast tomorrow though. The cold I had has made the rounds and I am still not up to snuff yet. Being sick and cooped up is making me long for springtime and bright colors so I decided for my Papermart project this week to whip up some pastel party favors:
Directions:
Paint take out boxes with chalk paint (or use colored boxes also available at Papermart) and let dry. Fold a doily in half and cut out the center. Secure the doily ring around the box with washi tape. Make a washi tape flag by adhering it to half of a paper straw and insert into the side flap of the box.
That project did put me in a better mood but I tell what, come Monday that groundhog better see his shadow! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Hi friends! It’s a good thing that the girls and I filmed extra episodes last week because we are having a wicked blizzard up here! Actually, I am writing this post on Monday night because I fear that by Wednesday my power and internet will be out, better safe than sorry. There will probably be more spelling and grammatical errors than usual on this weeks posts due to the feverish pace I am scheduling them at. So, with those disclaimers out-of-the-way here is this weeks super-sized ask a crafter:
If you have a question for an upcoming episode (cuz we filmed until we emptied the jar the other day) leave them in the comments section. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Hi friends! Today I will share how to store ribbon and lace. I have a lot and I store it several ways so hopefully you will find an idea that works for you!
I have a tutorial on how I made the ribbon shelf here. It is very cheap and easy to make. Let us know if you have any great ribbon storage ideas in the comments below, your ideas can help fellow crafters too! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Hi Friends! Today I have a simple idea for a card using cardstock and ribbon:
I love the contrast of the rich colors and the white but you can use ribbons in any shade you like! I am using grosgrain and satin ribbon from Offray in this project!
Supplies:
White cardstock
Swiss dots embossing folder
Star die (or you can cut the star window using a craft knife and template)
1. Cut a sheet of 8.5″x11″ cardstock in half. Fold one of these halves to make your card base. Cut the other half down to 4″x5.25″. Die cut a star in the tip section of the smaller cardstock, then place it in an embossing folder to add texture.
2. Center the star window panel on the card base you previously folded and lightly trace the star. I traced it dark so you can see it in the photo but you want to keep it light otherwise the lines might show through the ribbon.
3. Apply double stick tape to the card base over the star.
4. Apply ribbon to the tape. Be sure to cover the entire star you traced. Trim the excess ribbon.
5. Apply foam tape to the back of the embossed panel.
6. Adhere the panel to the card base. Cut a slit on the fold of the card near the bottom. Thread the orange ribbon through, wrap around the front and tie. Add a stamped sentiment. Embellish with buttons if desired.
You can change the theme of this card simply by changing the window shape and color of ribbons used. If you do not have a die you can trace a stencil or print a free clip art shape off the internet to use as a template. This is a versatile idea to make a card for an occasion!
Thanks to Offray for sponsoring this post. Use the coupon code FRUGAL15 to get 15% off your order at Offray.com. 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 February 28, 2015. 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! Today I have a mixed media painting for you:
I forgot how much I enjoy painting at an easel! The nice thing is that if you have long-handled brushes you can sit or stand back a ways from the painting so you can see the whole canvas without distortion, especially if you are working large. I used an 11″x14″ stretched canvas, acrylic paints, deli paper (you can also use tissue paper), stencils, letter stamps, mod podge, glazing medium and a set of brushes from our sponsor D’Artisan Shoppe. Watch the video to see how I painted it:
Here is a list of the brushes included in the D’Artisan Shoppe Maestro Series XV Kit #000 Liner/Rigger, #1 Round, #2 Filbert, #3 Round, #4 Filbert, #4 Fan, #6 Round, #6 Flat, #8 Flat, #8 Filbert, #9 Filbert, #10 Flat, #10 Angled Shader, #11 One Stroke/Bright, #5/4 Wide/Square Wash
If you want to try these for yourself be sure to use coupon code FRUGALXV for $10 off! Be sure to apply the code prior to check out to get the $10 off. Best of all if the brushes happen to be on sale you get $10 off the sale price, cool huh?
I used a homemade hot glue stencils in the video, you can find the tutorial here. Tip! When you are all done painting take the leftover paint and spread it on some art journal pages or another canvas or cardstock so you have a background for a future project.
I use a stay-wet palette which is really like a big, flat plastic container with a lid. I place a few paper towels in it and spray them with water and then place a sheet of palette paper or waxed paper on top and them squeeze out my paint. This keeps them from drying out and if I need to take a break I lightly spritz the paint with water and put the lid on and I can keep the paint for a couple of days this way. Good paint can be expensive, let’s not waste a drop!
I think I will play some more soon with acrylic paints. I actually moved some things around in my studio today to make it easier to do (video soon to come!) and with the 18″-24″ of snow in the forecast Monday night-Wednesday I think I will be snowed in with plenty of time to paint! I want to thank D’Artisan Shoppe for sponsoring today’s project, I was so happy to find a set of high quality brushes to recommend that won’t break the bank and I am so glad they are offering my readers $10 off with coupon code FRUGALXV. Do you have any painting plans this week? Will you be snowed in too? Take care and stay safe everyone and til next time happy crafting!
Hi friends! I had a very lazy day today. It is snowing and I woke up with a very sore throat so I spent most of the day chilling out on the couch, quietly drinking tea and watching old movies. The Odd Couple and The Nutty Professor was on today! I have one of those top of the throat sore throats, the kind that is aggravated by talking (It’s a pleasant change around the house I’m sure LOL!) and I think I feel the beginning of an earache coming on…maybe I am just a hypochondriac about the earache but the sore throat is real. I read that if it is painful to drink orange juice than you have strep throat but I ate a grapefruit and I was fine. I blame not wiping down the shopping cart with an antibacterial wipe last night when I did groceries or the kids at the basketball games (It’s a germ buffet I tell you!) Speaking of kids Girl Scout Thinking Day is right around the corner. This year we have Sweden. Here are a few swap ideas. I had some comments on my YouTube channel from actual Swedes and they said that they do, in fact eat spaghetti and meatballs but the traditional dish is Swedish meatballs, gravy and mashed potatoes (we can use texture paste/caulking for mashed potatoes! Feel free to snag the spaghetti and meatballs for Italy though.) and their flag was more blue than the cardstock I had on hand. These were a few ideas to get the girls started. Oh and by request I demonstrated flocking.
The girls will have to make Swedish food to serve, give a talk on Sweden, teach a Swedish craft and perform a traditional Swedish song or folk dance as well. They enjoy this event every year! If you want some other ideas here are some of the other countries we have done:
I hope some girl scouts find this helpful and have an enjoyable time preparing for thinking day! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Hi Friends! I am still shooting and uploading the organization videos, who would have thought there was so many ways to store your craft supplies? Today I am going to show you how I store my die cutting stuff. I will show you where I keep my cricut (I have it on another record cabinet so the mat can more freely around and not collide with other things on my die cutting bench), big shot, wafer thin and thick steel rule dies, embossing folders, sizzlits, letterpress plates, cutting pads and other accessories that pertain to using out die cutting machines. I will even show you my laminator that for some funny reason I like to keep here, I think it is because it takes electricity and it is handy here. Some things just work, don’t question it. If I used my comb binding machine more often it would be here too but I only have that out on rare occasion so it sits on a high shelf with other supplies I don’t need often. If you have any questions about my die cutting area you can leave them in the comments. I hope you find this video helpful:)
Oh! I have say a HUGE thank you to everyone who voted for me in the Craftsy Blogger Awards! You guys are so awesome!!! Voting is open until January 30th, wish me luck! Thanks so much for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
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