Crazy quilt that is! Hi friends! I love the look of crazy quilts and I thought it would fun to take that idea and apply it to a card.
The technique is easy and fun and best of all you probably have some supplies that will work. See how to make this in today’s tutorial!
This video is sponsored by Rubber Stamp Tapestry! use coupon code: FRUGALOCTOBER17 – 20% off ALL STAMPS! Coupon expires October 31, 2017. Become a Peg Stamp VIP here & get the deepest weekly discounts available
Start in the center of your card panel and mask off a shape (it can be a square, triangle, hexagon, trapezoid, whatever you like!) and stamp in it then dust with ink. Remove the post it notes and mask of an adjacent space and repeat. Continue in this fashion until your card is full!
To finish you panel poke faux stitching holes along the seams and trace over with a black pen. Puff the paper from the back using a ball end stylus (work on a mouse pad or sheet of craft foam)
“Bind” with washi tape and adhere to your card base.
Have fun with this card technique! It is a great way to use some small stamps! Happy crafting!
Hi friends! I am writing this post on Tuesday night, my van is packed with camping gear and I am about to head into the wilderness with a spirited group of 46 8th grade students. I am excited to chaperone this school trip but I am not a camper. I will get back in town late Friday afternoon and depending on what shape I am in I’d like to do the weekly live show at 7pm. If you are subscribed to me on YouTube and you clicked the bell icon you will get notified when and if I go live 🙂 I didn’t want to leave you hanging incase I am totally beat after this trip so I prepared a little mixed media painting in my art journal for you:
Providing I scheduled everything right you should be able to watch it in the player below, if not, wait and hour and try again (incase I messed up the times LOL!) Also, warning, this is a time-lapse, I know some people don’t like them but it was the best vehicle for this project. I hope you enjoy it!
Video!
Supplies:
Journal, Mermaid Markers, Paint-over-pens, dauber bottles, paint brushes, napkins and rub-ons were from Jane Davenport Mixed Media
Gesso & Matte Medium (I put them in Jane’s dauber bottles but I honestly think they might be too thick and I might have ruined the bottles, I’ll keep you updated as to how it works out so if it doesn’t you won’t ruin yours:)
You know the drill, use what you have. Mixed media is the “wild west” of painting! Be a rebel, splash on some ink, break the rules and have a blast! The main reason the video was not live narrated is because I didn’t have a clue what I was going to do next! Relax, let go and create with abandon! Giddyup!
Before I go!!!
There is just 2 days to get 50% off my new watercolor course Texture Toolbox: Feathers & Fowl! Learn the techniques to paint birds successfully and these techniques will cross over to your other paintings. Use coupon FOWL50 if the discount doesn’t show up.
Learn more here or enroll today! Offer good through 10/1/17
Wish me luck on the camping trip and hopefully I’ll see you live on YouTube tonight! Til then happy crafting!
Hi friends! A couple of months ago I picked up a set of marbling inks at the dollar store to use on a project. The colors were really pretty when wet but faded a lot as it dried. I was kinda bummed. A viewer suggested treating my paper with alum for brighter results but I didn’t have any…that is til this month’s Smart Art Box turned up on my doorstep!
I tested the supplies in the box on the paper that came with it, cardstock and tags and it worked great. I think pre-treating the paper with alum is key but I think the treated paper will only keep a couple of days in a sealed container so this project takes a bit of planning. I am the queen of losing track of multi step projects but luckily do don’t have to do it perfectly for it to work as you will see in today’s video!
This project features supplies from out sponsor Smart Art Box. Every month they send a surprise box of supplies to do a project as well as a booklet with step by step instructions. You never know what you are going to get! Visit their website to find out more or subscribe to the monthly box!
Supplies:
Alum powder (for preparing paper)
Methocel (water thickener)
Jacquard marbling inks
Liquid synthetic ox gall (optional)
Paper or fabric *This project is a bit of a process so you might as well treat a few papers to make the most of your effort.
Metallic pens (optional)
Plastic tray (not included i kit, I used a dishpan)
Directions:
Mix water and alum in a tray and soak papers of fabric you wish to marble for at least 20 minutes. (Fun fact: if you happen to forget about the bucket of soaking paper and leave it overnight it will still work!) Hang to dry completely and store in an airtight bag until you are ready to marble.
In a tray, mix methocel with water using a whisk and skim off bubbles with a paper towel.
Gently add ink to the paper surface. If you want the ink to move more you can mix ox-gall in with the ink before adding it.
Swirl the surface of the water with a skewer.
Bend paper and set the center of the paper on the center of the water and let sides drop. You can leave this in the water for a few minutes if desired but I lifted mine right off. Set aside and repeat this process with any other objects you wish to marble.
Rinse the project under a very gentle stream of water and lay flat to dry.
Don’t worry if your inks sink a bit or things don’t seem to be going perfectly because the projects usually turn out fine anyway. I think the biggest problem would be not whisking up the methocel properly (ending up with a gel-sludge on the bottom of your pan) so take care to do that.
These first two examples were done on the paper in the kit:
Notice the light streaks on the example below, that occurred because I laid my alum/water-soaked paper over a wire rack and those are impressions of the wire. It’s best to hang dry these I think.
This last photo is manilla tags and cardstock:
You will have leftover inks and powders so you can repeat this project at least 3-4 times. I think you will use a lot less ink if you have the methocel whisked in properly. Also this is quite a production so I recommend treating as much paper and fabric as you think you might want to marble to save time and supplies because it is a lot of work to just do one sheet of paper. Can you tell I don’t do well with steps and rules? 😀 This was a lot of fun though, I probably wouldn’t have tried this project otherwise but I know there will be some more marbling in my future! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Hi friends! When we liken something to “the treadmill” it usually means unending drudgery but did you know our minds strive to keep us on an even balanced path, this is known as the hedonic treadmill and that is what we are going to chat about today in this weeks Konmari vlog! *If you are new here “Konmari” refers to the boom The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo and it was the book that helped me declutter my art room and my home by only keeping items that “Sparked Joy.” I highly recommend it:)
Today we are talking about hedonic adaptation, or the ability of your brains to seek out a balance after something good or bad happens to us. When I first completed the Konmari declutter in my craft room I felt fantastic! I had a cleaner more spacious room and I was on cloud 9! A month or so later I was feeling a sense of let down, I could not see that I had made a difference, I had gotten used to the “new normal” and I didn’t feel like I accomplished anything. I decided to do another round of Konmari…then I learned about the hedonic treadmill and it all made sense!
Here is the short video by TED explaining the Hedonic Treadmill.
Have you ever said things like:
“I’ll be so happy when I lose 25 pounds!”
“If only I could get that promotion my life would be perfect!”
“If I had a big house like her’s I’d surely be happy!”
“If my art was every published I’d be happy!”
“If I had “x” amount of dollars in the bank I would feel satisfied”
If you then hit one of those goals you might know what I mean. I thought if I ever got my work in a magazine then I would be satisfied, then it was when I get my own column I would be happy, then it was if I was hired to teach at a convention I’d be happy or hitting 100k YouTube subscribers. It turns out I am just as happy now as I was before. Now this might sound incredibly ungrateful and I do not mean it that way at all BUT I have found achieving a goal to be kind of a let down. I think that the work is the reward and pursuing and progress feels better than hitting an end goal. Think about it, remember when you were first learning a new skill whether it is knitting, painting or playing an instrument, think about the thrill of making something that resembled a scarf, picture or a song. Those little wins kept you going. As you begin to master a craft you need to make it more complicated and advanced and the thrill you get from each step higher is not as great as the first thrills you got from knitting row upon row of a wobbly-edged scarf. Finally you have mastered a skill and you are leveled out on the treadmill.
I think the way to maximise your happiness without falling prey to the treadmill is to set daily goals that will put you on a positive path while minimising the “let down” of goals. The other thing about goals is how disappointed you can feel if you don’t hit them, say if your goal is to lose 30lbs by Christmas and you east healthy and exercise every day and only lose 20 you will feel disappointed but if you said “I am going to walk 45 minutes a day, write down everything I eat and make healthy food choices until Christmas” and you look and see you lost 20lbs you would feel great for sticking to a plan and not feel bad because it wasn’t 30. Does that make sense? Make your daily actions reflect who you want future you to be.
How to swap goals for plans:
Instead of “I will learn to paint like DaVinci” Try “I will paint 1 hour a day for 3 months”
Instead of “I will lose 30lbs by Christmas” Try “I will do some form of exercise each day and eat reasonable portions of healthful food going forward”
Instead of “I will have my art published within 6 months” try “I will send out 10 submissions to craft magazines per month.”
Get the idea? And also thing learning new things help push us past the “leveling out” plateau we hit in all areas that we are trying to master. If you painting is at a standstill try collage, knitting or jewelry making. By switching gears you put your brain in that fertile learning space and a colorway or technique in another project might push you past the block you are facing in your main art form. That’s why cross training is so effective in fitness. Try art/craft cross training (I’d say it’s more fun too LOL!)
One more thing to try…I was listening to the Happiness podcast by Gretchen Rubin the other day and one of her viewers called in and suggested making a “Ta-Da!” list instead of a To-do list, at the end of the day (or week) write down everything you accomplished. That way when you are feeling overwhelmed like you haven’t done anything you can look back at your Ta-Da list and see that you really are killing it:) It is the same principle of taking before pics of your pre konmari home, when you have evidence of what you have achieved it helps pull you off the treadmill. You could also keep a blog and post what you make each week, seeing the work add up pays off!
I’d love to know what you think! Leave a comment below and continue the conversation. Happy crafting!
Hi friends! I hope you try something new and crafty this weekend! No matter how much you create there is always more to learn! I learned something with this card:
I learned that when you work with craft foam you need a super strong adhesive! My ATG tape did not want to stick to the foam and after I photographed the card when I was done it fell apart! So, unless you want to send your friends and family a DIY card kit you want to make sure you use a strong adhesive like Scor-Tape or a thick fast grab glue. I could have not mentioned this and let you think that I am a crafty goddess but that’s not my style, I gotta keep it real:) I must say I really like the dimension if this card using craft foam as the matting layer but you can use paper instead and it would be just as pretty. Watch the video for a full step by step!
This video is sponsored by Rubber Stamp Tapestry! Use coupon code: FRUGALSEPTEMBER17 – 10% off everything in the store. Coupon expires September 30, 2017. Become a Peg Stamp VIP & get an instant coupon for 20% off RST stamps here plus the deepest weekly discounts available! Offer expires September 30, 2017.
Directions:
1. Cut a sheet of cardstock in half and fold to make an A2 card. Cut the remaining piece of cardstock in half to make a 4.25″x5.5″ panel and emboss using a hexagon embossing folder.
2. Ink the embossed panel with yellow ink and a blending brush and cut each corner off diagonally as shown in the video. This is easily achieved with a 12″ paper trimmer. Adhere the triangles to craft foam and trim so there is a 1/4″ reveal of the foam on the long diagonal edge of each triangle.
3. Use the triangle panels you just made as a template and trace on your card. Stamp a design in the area that will show. Use a white gel pen to protect any light areas you wish. Ink the background with a sponge dauber when you are done stamping and sprinkle with water and ink. While your ink is out stamp a sentiment and trim it out.
4. Adhere the triangle panels and sentiment to your card and embellish with buttons as desired!
This was a simple, yet fun card to make and I hope you give it a try! You can use any theme or occasion stamp you like too! Happy crafting!
Hi friends! I was feeling the need to paint a loose floral and this is what I came up with for today’s live lesson!
I painted my sample on cheaper paper (6″x9″ 140# aquabee paper, it is actually 100% cotton so you painting will last but you get like 50 sheets for $16!) so feel free to use whatever you have, there is no lifting or scrubbing so any watercolor paper will do I think. BTW I use “cheap” paper but not “bad yucky” paper LOL! I will be doing the live demo on Arches 140# CP so it will be fun to see if there is any quality difference in the final painting. I hope you can join me! Don’t worry if you can’t join live because the replay will be available in the player below. If you are tuning in live and want to chat with fellow painters or ask me questions you will want to watch on the YouTube watch page.
Supplies can be purchased from our sponsor Jerry’s Artarama! Use coupon code: frugal20FS49 for 20% off $49 + Free Shipping (Excludes: Sale, Super Sale, Egift Cards, Buy It Try It’s and Vendor restricted items. Look for the green coupon eligible icon on the product listing.
Supplies:
Watercolors (I’m using Yarka St. Petersburg/White Nights original set of 24) Colors & pigments #s so you can substitute if desired:)
Carmine Hue PR170:1, Cadmium Orange PO36, Cadmium Yellow Med PY35, Emerald Green PG7, Russian Blue (aka phthalo) PB15
Watercolor paper (BTW the sample I did before the live show was on cheap watercolor paper, there is no lifting or scrubbing so you can really use anything but I’ll use Arches CP 140# torn to 6″x9″ in the live demo)
Other: Credit card scraper, 2 water buckets, paper towel, spray bottle of water
***You might want to tape or clip down your paper but I left mine loose. Tape it if you are painting this larger than 6″x9″ or using thinner than #140 paper.
I just wanted to remind you…
…that my brand new watercolor course Texture Toolbox: Feathers & Fowl has a special launch price through the end of the month so if you have been thinking about improving your skills with an intermediate level course check it out while it is half off!
If you ever wanted to improve your bird painting skills and learn some gentle techniques for fixing mistakes in your watercolor painting give this class a try! You will learn how to create textures from fluffy down to sleek water birds and wispy feathers. During the swan demo you will learn the secrets to painting any all white object in watercolors. There is so much to learn that you can carry over to non-bird paintings too! Join the nearly 200 students who have enrolled in this class already and take your painting to the next level! Here is what some of the students already have to say about Texture Toolbox: Feathers & Fowl:
Just beautiful Lindsay! I hope I can do it justice! I see where learning this will come in handy for painting lilies, or even snowmen on snowfilled winter scenes. Thank you for another informative,fun class! Also looking forward to more tips on correcting paintings gone wild! Very helpful! But how do I get the trash man to bring me back the paintings I pronounced too far gone?!? Lol Live and Learn! – Linda Fitch
Hi Lindsay ! I finally made it through the first class and so excited to start this one. You are a wonderful teacher and detailed which is great for a beginner like me. -Dianne Prewitt
This was fun and it felt good when my 5 year old grandson knew it was a peacock feather! -Jessal Strecker
Oh Lindsay, this is gorgeous! Just previewing the class content and am really getting inspired. -Elaine Legere
If you want to improve your paintings and skill creating texture, working with reference photos and fun ways to fix mistakes (using a couple mixed media techniques) I encourage you to check out Texture Toolbox: Feathers & Fowl today! All the links in this post should have the 50% off discount attached but if not use coupon code FOWL50 if the discount doesn’t show up automatically:) Thanks again for all of the encouragement to provide these watercolor courses! 🙂 I hope you can paint with me today at 12:30pm et! til then happy crafting!
Hi friends! Do you ever feel like you are making the same card over and over again? We all get stuck in a rut sometimes so today I want to share an idea that you can take for a spin!
It’s a spinner card and it is easier than it looks and you probably have supplies at home you can use to make it. I’ll list the specific supplies I used below and in the video I will share tip on what kinds of images work best for this card.
The punches and stamps are from Stampin up, if you don’t have a Stampin Up Demonstrator you can order from my friend Wendy Cranford she also has a blog with really lovely tutorials for free. *If ordering less than $150 be sure to use the host code on her blog, orders over $50 get extra goodies!
Other handy supplies: Wax paper, clothespins/binder clips, rhinestone pick up for teeny punches
I just wanted to mention is you don’t have dies you can use any cutting system that lets you cut a window out of the inside of paper or trace a stencil and cut it out with an xacto knife. Get creative with the stamps and punches you have and try it today! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Hi friends! Today I want to talk about some random bits I collect. I was reminded of this while cleaning up after my live stream on Friday afternoon. I put my supplies away and then placed the color swatch I painted to determine what colors I was going to use in the painting in my “random crafty collage junk drawer” I had to giggle at the pile of swatches I have saved over the past 2 years and I thought it would be a nice jumping off point for this weeks Konmari Craft Room video. Remember, it’s NEVER just about the STUFF.
(If you are reading this in your email click over to my blog to watch the video)
It can be hard to be intentional or even know what we really want or need in this day in age but you can hone your skills to live a life of intention instead of habit. It all started when I read “The life changing magic of tidying up” by Marie kondo and decided to keep only items that sparked joy (or really use) and it was life changing to say the least!
I know my hoarded items are not crazy excessive and they are well contained but I enjoy adding to my stash of color recipes every week (aka live show paint swatches) and the corks are useful and the bottle caps, well, they have a use by date now that I no longer teach little kids craft classes but one thing I can say is that my hoard is intentional where as before the konmari method my hoard was an uncontrolled “Well I better keep this in case I need it, or someone I know needs it, or someone I have not yet met might like it ” scenario.
Last week I talked about how I stopped using baby wipes for a month to see if I really needed them. Did they add value to my life or were they just a habit or convenience? In June I stopped drinking wine except for 2 glasses on a holiday and birthday. Turned out in both cases these things were habits and pacifiers and not items that added as much value as I thought they did. My consumption of either the wine or the wipes was not big but it was also not necessary. I will still enjoy a glass of wine now and then but it will be more like 4 times a month (not week!) It will be a treat, not a habit. I know it is not an excessive amount and I am not judging anyone, only figuring out what is right for me:)
I guess is there is one thing I’d like you to get from this is to be intentional and differentiate a treat from a habit. Habitual consuming (eating, drinking, shopping, smoking) can be a real problem because in many cases we aren’t aware that we are doing it and it takes more and more to satisfy us the more we do it. Take coffee for instance, you can have a cup of coffee once in a while and get this burst of energy but if you have it habitually every day you need more and more to get the same effect that one cup used to give you. It becomes the new normal. Every once in a while I wean myself back on coffee so I can still enjoy the benefits without being such a slave to the habit. Shopping can be like that too, a little pretty here, one there and it becomes so frequent that the pleasure we once got from shopping has been dulled and we can’t appreciate any of the things we purchased. Then we wonder why we are so unsatisfied.
I say if you want a habit then pick a good one: Daily exercise (oddly enough I used to hate to exercise but I discovered podcasts so now I look forward to my evening walk with a TED Talk and it has become a treat!), volunteering, spending time with loved ones, making art, learning a musical instrument or even tidying up. Those can become things you don’t even think about, you just get in the habit of doing them and they only benefit you and your family. They say you don’t quit a habit, you replace it, so let’s intentionally replace the habits that don’t add value to our lives with ones that do. I’ll drink to that!
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, til next time happy crafting!
Hi friends! My twin girls turned 13 today and these are the cards I made:
They LOVED them! I was really surprised at the reaction because they live in a world of handmade cards for every occasion but the fact that I made them a word search that highlighted their qualities really made them feel special. In today’s video I’ll show you how to make them.
This video is sponsored by Rubber Stamp Tapestry! Use coupon code: FRUGALSEPTEMBER17 – 10% off everything in the store. Coupon expires September 30, 2017. Become a Peg Stamp VIP & get an instant coupon for 20% off RST stamps here plus the deepest weekly discounts available! Offer expires September 30, 2017.
I made my custom word search here. *I used the “print screen” button on my keyboard to capture the image and then cropped and resized it in my photo editing software but you can print it in full size from the website.
Watch the video for step by step stamping instructions. This is a fun card and can be made for ANY occasion just by changing the words you use:) Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
The Frugal Crafter Blog 