Paint this relaxed beginner watercolor landscape in real time!

Hi friends! Today we are going back to basics with a fun and relaxing watercolor landscape of a forest, lake and meadow.

I received such lovely feedback from viewers on YouTube and Instagram that I think I will make more of these real-time beginner tutorials which can also be used as warm-ups for more advanced painters! It’s great way to fill that watercolor sketchbook! Watch the video and follow along!

Supplies:

• Paper: Shizen 100% cotton rough handmade watercolor paper
• Watercolor paint (Joiart) colors: cobalt blue, prussian blue, crimson, yellow ochre, lemon yellow, burnt umber
• Brushes: 1″ flat, #8 round, 1/4 dagger (Princeton Neptune)
• Ceramic flower palette

Beginner watercolor tips:

1. Don’t be afraid of the water, wet that paper well! That’s why it’s called watercolor:)

2. Wet paper = soft blended edges and dry paper = crisp and hard edges. so be sure to wet the paper if you want it to blend and work on dry paper when you want crisp details.

3. Take a break, your eyes will play tricks on you after working on a painting too long so giving your eyes a rest will help you come back to work refreshed with a new truer perspective.

4. Paint! Whenever you can with whatever you have for supplies. That is the one thing that will make the most difference in your art.

When I painted this piece and recorded the video is was a quiet Sunday morning and I was the only one up in the house. I got to enjoy a cup of coffee and greet the day with a paintbrush in hand and I think that is the ideal way to start the day! How about you? Let me know if you would like more lessons like this and til next time happy crafting!

Save Money & Make Your Own Kissing Balls!

Hi friends! This is by far my favorite Christmas decorating project! I was actually on the ball and decorated my porch before the snow fell. You will see the snow in the video tho!

I was able to find most of the supplies I needed right in my yard! The rest of the supplies are common craft supplies and small christmas decorations but they are optional. I was able to get the floral foam (you need the kind that holds water) from the dollar tree locally  but I also found great deals on the foam and other supplies at Consumer Crafts if you want to shop online. BTW Consumer crafts has 25% off your total regular price purchase today with coupon code: XMAS17 and if you like dies their special of the week (ending today) is darice die sets for $5-$6. Also they finally got the Studio 71 marker sets back in stock and the 48 pack is on sale for $39.97. I know that is random but I had so many people ask me to share when the marker sets finally got back in stock because they sold out the day after I posted my Studio 71 Marker Review. Sorry for getting off track there, here is the kissing ball video!

You will need:

• Floral foam: I used the 2 pack of 4″ round disks from the Dollar Tree OR save more money and get this block for $1.27 and cut it in half to make 2!
• Velvet ribbon (I got 20 yard spools of 2″ on sale for $2 a roll (reg $5) at A.C. Moore because I wanted enough to wrap my porch posts too)
• How to tie a velvet bow tutorial
• Floral Wire
• Twine
• Berries
• Wire cutters
• Craft Sticks 
• Everyday supplies: Scissors, hot glue & Glue Gun
• Evergreen trimming from around your yard or from the Christmas tree off cuts at a home improvement store

Because of the floral foam keeping the evergreen sprigs watered your arrangement will last for a month or more, you could even water it if you like, just be careful because it can drip and make an icy patch underneath it (not good if it is hung over your front steps!) If you are hanging this indoors I’d put it in the sink once a week and water it and let it drip dry for an hour before hanging it again. If you have it outside in a cold climate I don’t think you need to do anything as the water in the foam will freeze and the evergreens are used to this so they stay nice and fresh. Only water if it is going to be somewhere warm I’d say. Otherwise it will have enough in the flower foam from the pre soaking to keep it looking good.

Let me know if you make one of these and how it turned out. Happy crafting!

Embossed Vellum Candy Filled Ornaments!

Hi friends! You can whip this project up in a flash. It is a great idea when you need a bunch of inexpensive goodies for a large group!

From each sheet of 8 1/2″ x 11″ vellum you get 4 ornaments. You can use any paper or cardstock if you don’t have vellum, in fact, you could probably use wrapping paper! Watch the video for a new spin on an old favorite (the sour cream packet!)

Video!

This video is sponsored by Rubber Stamp Tapestry! Use coupon code: FRUGALDECEMBER17 – 20% off ALL STAMPS! Coupon expires December 31, 2017. Become a Peg Stamp VIP here & get the deepest weekly discounts available

Supplies:

• Snowflake peg stamps
• Silver embossing ink
• Silver embossing powder
• Vellum (cut a 8 1/2″x11″ sheet in quarters to make 4 pouches!)
• Bakers twine
• Silver mirror cardstockmirror cardstock
• Strong double-sided tape
• Embossing plate
• Ball end stylus

I love a quick and easy project I can make is big batches, just add candy and you will have one happy group of people! Happy crafting!

 

LIVE! Field of Colorful Poppies 12:30pm ET

Edited to add the finished painting! Have a great weekend!

Howdy friends! I decided to take a break from winter this week and paint a riot of color inspired by this photo by Lina Angelov on Unsplash :

Won’t you join me? We will sketch together so no pattern will be provided but I assure you this will be easy enough for a beginner. You can watch the live broadcast or the replay in the player below but if you want to chat with fellow painters or ask me questions be sure to watch on the YouTube watch page.

Supplies:

• Rembrandt watercolor 48 half pan set ON SALE currently for $134 (regular list price $501) These are amazing paints
• Watercolor brushes (mimik)
• Watercolor paper (Arches 9″x12″ CP Block)
• Colored pencils for sketching (use normal wax colored pencils if you want your lines to remain or watercolor/Inktense pencils if you want them to dissolve)
• Reference Photo by Lina Angelov on Unsplash 

BIG SALE!!! All classes under $20 at Craftsy! 

Craftsy has all kinds of professionally produced DIY classes from cooking and crafting to art and gardening. You can even snag a sweet deal on my mixed media class and it is available streaming or on DVD!

I hope to see you at 12:30pm ET today for a fun colorful and free painting lesson! Invite your friends and til then happy crafting!

Glitzy Girl Art Journal Page!

Hi friends! Art journaling is so fun. I don’t start with a plan in mind or any expectations. I gather up supplies that I want to use and just play!

You can watch the process of this page being created and I hope you try some of the techniques on your next project!

This tutorial is sponsored by Top Flight Stamps! SAVE 10% off your next order with coupon code: thefrugalcrafter10 *USA orders of $50+ ship free!

Supplies from Top Flight Stamps:

• Steampunk Butterfly
• Own it (Sentiments)
• Watercolor powder (Paper Artsy Infusions)
• Flat stamp mounts

Other Supplies:

• Surface: Grumbacher Acrylic paper
• Archival Black ink
• Versafine Onyx black ink
• Metallic watercolors
• Watercolor crayons (Jane Davenport Aquapastels and Dina Wakley Scribble sticks )
• Glitter markers: Cool and Warm
• Metallic markers
• Mermaid Markers
• Prismacolor pencils
• China markers
• Stabilo all pencil in brown or brown watercolor pencil
• Mega Mount stamp mount
• Rock a blocks

Art journals are all about creative play! I hope you make some time for it today! Happy crafting!

 

New Vs. Old Prismacolor Colored Pencils {Comparison and Review}

Hi friends! I have a product review, demo and comparison for you today. After hearing a lot of complaints from people who said Prismacolors were not as good as they used to be I decided to compare a brand new set to some colors I had for the 1980’s and 1990’s. I have always loved my Prismacolor pencils but was hesitant to recommend them after hearing other people’s experience with the new ones made by Newell Rubbermaid in Mexico.

*Disclosure, I bought the pencils I am using.

I picked up the 23 pencil Magna set to test because is currently $7.66 I didn’t want to buy a big set in case they were bad quality.  The larger sets have been really cheap lately on Amazon. The 72 set is probably the best deal at $24 but they have sets from 12 to 150 pencils. This is the toned tan sketch pad I used. Watch the video to see how the new pencils compare to the tried and true pencils from yesteryear.

Video!

Prismacolors pencils are known for their smooth, creamy waxy lead that is more opaque than other colored pencils. They blend well. The downsides to these pencils is that the fragile lead can shatter in the pencil and break whenever you use it. Also the wood casing have been known to separate and crack. The complaint of the new Prismacolors were that the leads were not centered so they broke more easily and some say the pencils are less pigmented.  What I found was the lead was the same quality as the lead in my pencils from the 90s and 80s but I found the lead size to be a bit thinner, maybe to reduce breakage. I noticed some of the newer pencils had off-center leads. The new pencils come pre sharpened and I think that may be a way to check them for breakage before they leave the factory. Back in the “olden” days we would glue out pencil stub to a fresh pencil and keep on truckin’ so no pencil was wasted but this is not possible with the new pencils.

Bottom line: I did not notice a major quality difference between the new and old pencils. I DO think that when Rubbermaid first took over the line they sent out some shoddy product but I would say after the new set I purchased that they have worked out the kinks. Making the lead slightly thinner and pre sharpening the pencils have probably solved a lot of breakage issues that other artists complained of. The prices of these pencils are about half what I paid in the 90’s for the majority of mine and I think it is a great deal. I assume when Prismacolor earns back the trust of the consumer the prices will return to what they were. For now tho I recommend grabbing them if you see a good deal! I hope this comparison helped you! Happy crafting!

Tam’s Book Launch Blog Hop & Give Away!

Edited to add winner’s name: Janice Higgins! You will have received an email from me with instructions on claiming your prize. Contest is closed here but you can still enter to win on some of the other blogs I linked to below.

Hi Friends! I have a fun giveaway to share today! My friend Tamara, the creator of the LifeBook year long workshops,  has just created a book that encompasses the spirit of her fabulous yearly LifeBook class! It is a beauty and she is letting me give a copy away to one lucky reader! I have been enjoying my copy for a few weeks and it is simply delightful and inspiring!

Let me tell you a bit more about Tam’s new book in case you
haven’t heard about it yet! “Celebrate and honour your creative potential with Create Your Life Book!” Based on much-loved mixed-media artist Tamara Laporte’s popular, multi-year series of online classes, Create Your Life Book offers mixed-media drawing and painting projects that can raise your awareness of and help you work through personal challenges and other obstacles to creating art and achieving self-fulfilment. Each themed chapter presents 4 or 5 two-part projects: The first part of each project explores a common issue that hampers creativity and/or positive self-worth, and includes a worksheet or list of questions to be answered; the second part is a step-by-step mixed-media art project that provides a way for artists at all skill levels to contemplate and work through that issue. Also included are projects contributed by some of Tamara’s Life Book guest teachers–Roxanne Coble, Andrea Gomoll, Alena Hennessy, Mystele Kirkeeng, Ivy Newport, and Effy Wild–who are noted mixed-media artists in their own right. Along the way, Tamara shares inspirational photos and uplifting and encouraging affirmations. The final chapter presents a simple binding method for creating a keepsake book of your Life Book projects.

The nice thing about having her class in a book format is that I can browse it at my art table without having the distraction of my computer around. Sometimes I just want to get away from the screen and get lost in a beautiful art instruction book. I also love how she mixes unusual supplies to create beautiful, whimsical and uplifting art.
You can now pre-order Tam’s awesome book here: Amazon USA,  UK, Canada, Australia, or from The Book Depository. It’s officially published in January 2018, although many sites are now showing the publishing date as earlier in December 2017! You can pre-order it NOW! 🙂

Now then, onto the give-away and blog hop! 🙂 I can give away 1 copy of Tam’s book to 1 lucky winner, yay! 🙂 And if you follow the blog hop (see below for links and dates) you can up your chances of winning by entering all the other give-aways also! 🙂
Simply leave a comment below letting us know why you would love to get a copy of Tam’s book! I will announce the winner on 12/18/17.

Here is the list of the other people on Tam’s Book Launch Blog Hop – they too will be giving away a copy of Tam’s book so go check them out and enter their give-aways! 🙂 Their giveaway will go live on the day in december that corresponds with the number next to their name so check back for the dates later this month if their posts are not up yet!

1.  Tamara Laporte
2. Effy Wild
3. Ivy Newport
4. Roxanne Coble
5. Andrea Gomoll
6. Mystele Kirkeeng
7. Tracy Verdugo
8. Wyanne Thompson
9. Shiloh Sophia McCloud
10. Alena Hennessy 
11. Lindsay Weirich (you are here!)
12. Jane Davenport
13. Carla Sonheim
14. Mati Rose McDonough
15. Annie Hamman
    Have a great time following the blog hop! 🙂

I am so happy to share Tamara’s book with you. If you would like to enter for a chance to win simply leave a comment below and I will pick a winner in one week. You can also pre-order a copy on Amazon if you wish! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Build This Card Keeper to Organize Your Handmade Cards!

Hi friends! Today I am going to show you how to make a box out of cardboard and decorated with paper that includes dividers so you can sort and organize your handmade cards.

You can divide the cards by occasion like I did or divide it by month and write the names and dates of birthdays and anniversaries on each divider so you are always prepared for upcoming birthdays and events!

Watch the video to see how I made this. I will post measurements for the box I made to hold A2 cards below but you can resize it to whatever dimensions you want.

Video!

This video is sponsored by Annie’s CardMaker Kit of the Month Club! Save 50% on your first kit and get a free tool set! Use coupon code “FRUGAL”.

 

 

Supplies:

• Matboard or cardboard *You can glue two sheets of cereal box cardboard printed sides together for your base.
• Strong double-sided take such as red line or scor-tape
• Adhesive tape runner
• Magnet and metal disk *Look for “rare earth” magnets
• Clear tape
• Patterned paper
• Cardstock
• Bone folder
• Piercing tool
• Corner Rounder (WeR Memory Keepers Corner Chomper)
• Thin washi tape (optional)
• Ink & Stamps (optional)
• Pen or pencil that you can mark your cardstock with

Measurements:

• Front/Back: 5″x6″ (make 2 from matboard) Matting layer: 4 1/4″x5 1/4″
• Top/Bottom: 4″x6″ (make 2 from matboard) Matting Layer: 3 1/4″x5 1/4″
• Sides (make 2 from matboard) 4″x5″, Matting layer: 3 1/4″ 4 1/4″
• Lip/Closure (make 1 from matboard) 1 1/2″x6″, Matting layer 1 1/4″x5 1/2″, Cardstock liner for underside over magnet will be the same as matboard piece.

This is a great project to keep you organized so you never miss another card sending event. It also makes a great gift especially when filled with handmade cards! Another great gift is a subscription to the Annie’s CardMaker Kit of the Month Club. If you know of someone who wants to get started in card making. These convenient monthly kits have all the supplies (except scissors and adhesive) to make 8-10 handmade greeting card and an instruction sheet so you can make the most from the kit and learn as you craft! I want to thank Annie’s for sponsoring this project and thank you for tuning in! Til next time happy crafting!

Pretty Winter Scene Card! LEARN Partial Embossing & Masking

Hi friends! I really enjoyed making this card and it is very easy too! It used limited supplies and you probably have nearly everything you need to make it!

I love the partial embossing technique, it really gets that “How’d you do that!?!” response which is always fun! I just realized that I would be a lousy magician because I love to give away my secrets LOL! Watch the video and yu can learn how to do this technique too!

Video!

This video is sponsored by Rubber Stamp Tapestry https://pegstamps.com/ use coupon code: FRUGALDECEMBER17 – 20% off ALL STAMPS! Coupon expires December 31, 2017. Become a Peg Stamp VIP here & get the deepest weekly discounts available!

Supplies:

• Stamp Sets (from Rubber Stamp Tapestry) Embellished Holiday Wreath, Sunny Daisy, Muscari and Hyacinth border, Dancing Dragonflies, Cherry Blossom, Winter Pine Border, Peace on Earth (small)  *the larger peace on earth is from my stash but it is retired.
• Memento Dye ink in colors Paris Dusk, London Fog, Cottage Ivy, Tuxedo Black, Teal Zeal
• Ink Blending Brush
• Embossing folder (any kind with an all over pattern, I used a damask one
• Partial embossing template (Darice EZ Frame) or you can make one with 2 sheets of cereal box cardboard die cut and glued together. You make a window where you don’t want the embossing to show up and the frame creates the pressure for the embossing elsewhere.
• Glue pen
• Clear extra fine glitter *Instead of the glue pen and glitter you can use glitter glue  or a glitter pen
• Foam tape
• Double sided tape
• Sticky (aka post-it) notes
• Circle and rectangle dies (optional)
• The die cutter I use is a Big Shot

You can adapt this idea to other seasons as well. Experiment with inks and stamps to create sensational scenes! If you liked this video please consider sharing it with a friend using one of the handy sharing buttons below or pin it on Pinterst! That helps other like-minded crafters find my blog. Sharing is caring! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!