Hi friends, Mother’s day is this Sunday so why not make mom a lovely card!
My mom (and sister) have a green thumb so we usually buy them some sort of plant from the greenhouse. They all open up around here about a week before mother’s day and there are always so many choices. Luckily mom can keep any plant alive so we can choose what looks pretty! I thought it might be fun to make some cute plant markers to customize the gift.
They would also make pretty bookmarks and I have a free SVG cutting file you can download if you want to make some. I cut them as is from white cardstock and then I cut them with a shadow on kraft for a matting layer. That way they would be sturdier and have a nice finished look. Check out the video to see how I made these and then dig through your stash for similar products and give it a try!
Hi friends, are you curious about (or frustrated by) layering stamps? Today I will take out some of the mysteries and help you decide what kind is best for you or if they are for you at all.
I will try and find links to the products I used or similar ones if they are retired. I keep and use my stamps for a long time so often they are unavailable when you are watching my video. There are new beautiful stamps being released every day so feel free to follow along with what you like! Affiliate links will be used if available.
Type of layering stamps:
Rubber-These were the first layer stamps I ever used. Stampin’ up made these on wood blocks and they were called “2-Step Stampin’.” To get perfect alignment you could use a stamp-a-majig (best $12 you can spend if you want perfect placement for ANY stamp. wood block or clear) but the best thing about these designs was that you didn’t need to stamp them perfectly for a beautiful result. My favorite stamps of this genre come from Rubbernecker. You can still get some of the old-style rubber stamp (the layered poppy I demonstrated is still available) but they have transitioned over to clear photopolymer for easier alignment (and to work with the new style hinged stamp positioners like this) and so they can be used with metal dies. Rubber stamps can use any ink or water-based markers to get excellent results. The downside to the rubber layering stamps is that they are harder to find and you don’t get photorealistic designs from them. They are the most durable kind of stamp and give the best impression in my opinion. They also tend to be on the expensive side.
Photopolymer: These stamps are clear, and easily stain, but give an excellent impression. You can use dye ink, pigment ink and water-based markers on them as you can with rubber stamps however you want to avoid harsh chemicals and inks such as solvents. Since they are clear they are easier to line up well and can be used in a hinged stamp platform to make lining up and making multiple of designs easy. Altenew has a great selection of photopolymer layering stamps including the Amaryllis stamp I used. These stamps are made by a process of exposing a gel to UV light and can also turn yellow or even be damaged is stored near a window so I recommend storing them away from light for longevity. The macaron stamp set I used is from Impression Obsession but it seems to be discontinued however some other sweets stamps from the same designer are 50% off right now! I did find a similar macaron stamp from Crafters Companion. Photopolymer stamps give a great impression but are a bit expensive and you need to take care of storing them and be mindful of what ink you use. Also never stamp them on ink jet photo paper as it may fuse to the stamp and ruin it.
Silicone stamps: These clear stamps are my least favorite but the cost is much lower than the other two options. You usually only see the silicone stamps in big box stores from large manufacturers because they need to order large amounts to make it worthwhile. silicone stamps are made, usually in China, by pouring silicone into a mold. They often do not stick as well to clear blocks (but sometimes come fused to the packaging!) and dye inks tend to bead up on them is there is a large solid area. Markers do not work well on this kind of stamp because marker ink is too thin. Pigment ink works best on silicone stamps. I like Versafine Clair but that can be pricey so you might want to choose a multi pack of mini cubes to get more variety at a smaller cost and less need for storage space. If you have trouble with ink sticking you can rub the stamp with an eraser prior to stamping.
I hope you found this helpful and it inspires you you pull out your layering stamps and make a card! Happy crafting!
Hi friends, as you know I love mixing old and new supplies to make cards. To be honest there aren’t too many stamps out there that can pull me away from my tried and true collection amassed over decades. If you don’t have a big collection and want to get something new there are lots of options!
The real inspiration of this card were some pretty metal look stickers I found at the dollar tree a few months ago. I thought they would be great for father’s day, graduations and vintage themed birthday cards. Feel free to use the techniques I share in today’s video in your next card!
Hi friends! Today I am going to share many ways you can use a water-based colorless blending marker.
I’ll show you several ways to color with it, how to refill it and also how you can use it for embossing! Watch the video to see how! Oddly enough the technique I didn’t think would work well was my favorite!
Hi friends! Do you have a stash of chipboard shapes from back in the day? Or maybe a stach of cereal boxes you have saved to make your own DIY chopboard shapes? Well, todayis the day we dig them out and put them to good use!
I have also been hearing of many people who have recently purchased their first gel printing plates so we will give that a workout too and create some really fun cards. This is a longer video so grab your supplies and craft along, or you can put this on as you do other things for a bit of company.
Supplies: (affiliate links used) *I have lined up to what I can find but I like to use old stamps that may no longer be available. Have fun and substitute with what you have!
Now I did whip up a few more cards with leftovers while I was at it that did not use the chipboard shapes. I think it is fun to make use of these extra doo-dads at the end of a crafting session. They are fun to mail out for a quick hello for no particular occasion. I hope something in this video inspired you and til next time happy crafting!
Hi friends! Today I have a fun technique video for you where you try lots of things and make a batch of watercolor greeting cards!
Watch the video and see how!
Supply #1: Altenew Watercolor coloring book: (affiliate links used) Here you get 24 5″x7″ floral designs printed on watercolor paper. There are 12 designs, each version has a dark line version and a light line version so you can have a choice. This is fun and relaxing even for experienced painters who can draw because sometimes you just want to play!
#2 Watercolor pan paints: These are the basics, they will provide you all the colors you need and you can mix other colors too. Probably the most versatile supply.
#4 Dual brush markers (waterbased brush and a fine liner) at about 30 cents a color you can color and outline your work for definition and you get a beautiful carry case you can use for other supplies after these are used up!
#5 Gouache (opaque Watercolor) is great for when you want an opaque highlight or if you completely want to cover your lines. It is available in cups like I used today and tubes. The quality is the same, go for the kind that is more convenient for you.
Also in this project, I wanted to use an old tool that I’ve had a long time, the Making Memories Tag Curler. I actually found a few on amazon if anyone wanted one. I know many of you already have this so it would be fun to use it. Keep in mind this is a discontinued product so getting tags for it will be difficult, if you are going to buy one make sure you can get some tags with it. This seller has a bulk pack of 54.
Clear glue *be careful ordering glue during cold months as it might freeze in transit.
Well that was fun! Keep in mind you can cut down watercolor paper and stamp any stamps you have or freehand draw designs if you don’t have the coloring book I used. Make the project work for you and til next time happy crafting!
Hi friends! I wanted to pop in and wish you a happy Valentines Day and since I know not everyone one loves this holiday I thought I’d make a funny card. Honestly I about died laughing when I saw these stamps at the Lost Coast Designs booth at the last stamp show I went to. Remember the “before times” when we could go places and do things…
This is not a sponsored post, I just love these stamps from Lost Coast Designs and Carmen’s Veranda! BTW Use coupon code QUARANTINE to get 25% off any purchase of stamps at Lost Coast excluding Katzelkraft and Stencil girl products. *Carmen’s Veranda and Lost Coast Designs are owned by the same person, Linda will combine orders if made on the same day to save you a shipping charge or to meet shipping minimums and refund the difference.
Hi friends! Happy Thanksgiving to all of my fellow Americans! It’s pouring rain here in Maine today which is weird for Thanksgiving but I think we can agree it’s a weird year so I guess it’s par for the course. Today I have some beautiful and funky Christmas cards to share.
We will use some new and old supplies and play with lot’s of techniques that you can adapt to your next card projects.
This is a live narrated video so join me for laughs, mistakes and a lot of fun!
This video is sponsored by Top Flight Stamps! SAVE 10% off your next order with coupon code: thefrugalcrafter10 *USA orders of $50+ ship free!
Hi friends! Today I am going to share many ways you can use watercolor pencils. I am using the new woodless watercolor pencils from Altenew but you can use what you have. This post is part of a blog hop. To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $30 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog by 10/28/2020 for a chance to win. We’ll also draw a winner to receive a $15 gift certificate from the comments left on each designer’s blog on the blog hop list under the video. All winners will be announced on the Altenew Winners Page on 10/30/2020.
Woodless watercolor pencils are easy to use and versitile and I will show you 3 ways to use them for differnt effects.
The neat thing about woodless watercolor pencils is that there is no waste, you can use every bit of the pencil!
Watch the video to learn how to use these pencils!
Now that you have seen my project with the Paint a Sunflower stamps and Woodless watercolor pencils check out the other designers in the blog hop and be sure to comment on all of their blogs for a chance to win!
