5 Ways To Make Buffalo Plaid Using Supplies You Already Have!

Hi friends! Today I’ll show you how to use the supplies you already have to make buffalo plaid!

These techniques can be used on paper (we will use paper and make Christmas cards with the results) or on furniture, fabric or home decor.

Get that popular farmhouse chic look with the easy techniques in today’s video!

This video is sponsored by Rubber Stamp Tapestry  Use coupon code: LINDSAY and receive 15% off your retail order of $10 or more of peg stamps, peg stamp sets, and unmounted stamps! Coupon expires a week from this video publication. Continue to receive great deals by becoming a PegStamp VIP here. As a PegStamp VIP you’ll get a weekly deal via email plus links to fabulous tutorials by me, Lindsay the Frugal Crafter and other designers.

Supplies: (for cards)

• Gingerbread Wonderland stamp set 
• Trinkets and Wishes Stamp Set
• Winter Pine Border peg stamp set
• Holiday Garden Peg stamp set
• Dye ink pads
• Ink brush
• Bakers twine, wood embellishments, leaf and vine die cuts

For the DIY Buffalo Plaid:

• White and red cardstock
• Masking tape
• Striped stencil
• Red and black ink
• Fun Foam (aka craft foam)
• Plastic canvas and heat tool (optional)
• Chip brush (stiff bristle brush)
• Sponge blender (A make-up wedge works great!)
• Acrylic paint
• Small brayer or roller

Buffalo plaid Techniques:
1. Stencil + Ink applied with blender brush
2. Stencil and inkpad direct to paper (smudge with foam blender)
3. Stencil and acrylic paint dry brushed
4. DIY fun foam stamps to stamp plaid, Bonus! Heat foam with heat tool and press to plastic canvas for a fabric texture.
5. Ink plus small brayer.

If you are doing a home decor project paint your item your base color with acrylic paint (red or white are good bases) and let dry then use masking tape to make stripes like we did with the stencil, dry brush on the second color and let dry. Then remove the first tape and replace it going perpendicular and dry brush the second color again. Please feel free to substitute supplies for what you own. Have fun and til next time happy crafting!

 

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Did you know you could make an ornament with this?

Hi friends! When I designed the Let it Snow stamp set for Rubber Stamp Tapestry I knew that I wanted to be able to more with it than just snow globes, that’s why I drew ornament hangers along with the other elements in the set. A viewer who purchased the stamp set asked me if I could show her how to make an ornament so today I’ll do just that!

Watch the video to see how easy it is! As always substitute stamps you have if you don’t have what I am using. I also have some fun tips for heat embossing!

This video is sponsored by Rubber Stamp Tapestry  Use coupon code: LINDSAY and receive 15% off your retail order of $10 or more of peg stamps, peg stamp sets, and unmounted stamps! Coupon expires a week from this video publication. Continue to receive great deals by becoming a PegStamp VIP here. As a PegStamp VIP you’ll get a weekly deal via email plus links to fabulous tutorials by me, Lindsay the Frugal Crafter and other designers.

Supplies:

• Let it Snow Stamp Set
• Trinkets and Wishes 
• Peg Stamp Sets (you can use berries, boughs and snowflakes from any sets you like but below are the ones I used) Shady Pine (large bough), Christmastime (small bough), Holly Border (Berries), Happy Holidays (stars)
• Versafine Clair ink
• Clear embossing powder
• Gold embossing powder
• Glitter gold embossing tinsel
• Embossing heat tool
• Metallic watercolors
• Viviva watercolors (or liquid ink)
• Embossing folder
• Black cardstock
• Watercolor paper
• Zip dry glue
• Dry Adhesive (ATG)
• Ribbon, scissors, paper trimmer

Another fun idea would be to use the globe as a frame and put a photo behind it for a photo card. I love stamps that do double duty and coming up with ideas to use with my older stuff. I hope you give some of these ideas a try and til next time happy crafting!

Beginner’s Guide To Card Making: 10 Must Have Supplies!

Hi friends! Recently I have been getting a lot of questions from viewers about getting started in stamping and card making. I decided it was time to make an updated beginner’s guide to cardmaking so people could get started without much expense and confusion.

Often when we embrace a new hobby we get excited and overbuy or we invest in tools that don’t really suit the way we work. Today I have broken the supplies down to the bare minimum and most often used tools so you can have the greatest versatility of supplies that will earn their place in your craft room. I am often told by crafters that they had more fun and got more crafting done when all of their supplies fit in one tote. See what minimal supplies can create maximum impact in your card making in today’s 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!

Here is a list of the 10 must-have card making supplies from the video:

1. Good heavy cardstock (white, cream, kraft- I like the Recollections heavyweight from Michael’s)
2. Scissors & paper trimmer. I recommend Cutterbee micro tip scissors from EK success. This is the newer version of the xacto trimmer I have, and this is the compact (safer) trimmer I showed, EK Success changed the name and color but I think it is the same thing.
3. Decorative paper (I recommend the 4.5”x6.5” mat stacks or 6”x6” pads for card making as the prints are smaller and you will have less waste.)
4. Sentiment stamps in a non-decorative font for occasions like happy birthday, thank you, congratulations etc.
5. Image stamps: Flowers, scenery, butterflies and other nonspecific images will work for most occasions. Ask yourself “how many ways can I use this?” before buying.
6. Waterproof black ink pad: Ranger Archival and mini dye-based ink pads for colors like Memento Dew Drops
7. Water-based markers or watercolor pencils  (Very versatile and small investment and the markers can double as ink pads and be used to write a sentiment if you have no stamp for it)
8. Acrylic stamp block
9. Dry and wet adhesive: I recommend the Scotch ATG gun and Zip Dry Glue
10. Embellishments: You can collect ephemera to decorate your cards like clothing tags, buttons, tickets, ribbons and trim, and other pretty packaging or you can buy embellishments that you like. Just make sure you don’t go overboard buying a certain type until you know your card making style. I love small wooden die cuts but rarely use stickers for instance. You can repurpose supplies from other crafts too!

I hope this video helps you start (or revive) your card making and stamping! If you find you would like some help selecting supplies or coming up with ideas check out Annies CardMaker Kit of the Month Club. Save 50% on your first kit (Regular prie $19.99 a month) and receive a free tool kit just for trying it out. Sometimes I find that when I go back to basics I feel much more creative and I wish I had this list when I started because I would have avoided purchasing so many things that didn’t suit my style or could never use up. I hope it helps you avoid those pitfalls. If you have any must have supplies or advice for beginners please leave it in the comments below. Happy crafting!

Inspired by Christmas Decorations!

Hi friends! I spent the morning teaching a workshop making DIY kissing balls, it was so fun! I wish I took a photo because you would not believe how lovely all of the Christmas kissing balls looked hanging in the greenhouse as my beginner students put the finishing touches on them. Now I am enjoying a hot cup of tea before climbing into the attic to fetch our Christmas decorations. We decorated the porch last weekend when the weather was nice and it has been so cheerful to come home to. I enjoyed the decorations on my porch so much that I thought it would be fun to create cards inspired by them!

We still have a few finishing touches to add like icicle lights at the roof and greenery in the ice skates but all in all I really like it! We have a small ranch style home so I think it is enough to look nice, classic and cozy.

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Inspiration is all around you! If you feel a spark of creativity in your surroundings make a mental note and use it to fuel your next craft idea! Watch the video to see how I made my decor inspired cards!

This video is sponsored by Rubber Stamp Tapestry  Use coupon code: LINDSAY and receive 15% off your retail order of $10 or more of peg stamps, peg stamp sets, and unmounted stamps! Coupon expires a week from this video publication. Continue to receive great deals by becoming a PegStamp VIP here. As a PegStamp VIP
you’ll get a weekly deal via email plus links to fabulous tutorials by me, Lindsay the Frugal Crafter and other designers.

Supplies:

• (Peg stamp sets) Embellished Holiday Wreath, Shady Pine, Christmastime, Happy Holidays, Winter Night Sky, Holly Border *Feel free to use any evergreen foliage you like on these cards
• Flower pot stamp
• Lamp Post stamp
• Dye ink (Memento)
• Ink Blending brush
• White cardstock and patterned paper
• Die cut felt
• Ribbon
• Metal plates other embellishments
• Double sided tape

Tips!

• Have a look at other stamps you own and ask if that can be combined with peg stamps for new looks.
• Draw a line or circle if needed to help you placing your images. You can erase it later with a soft white eraser after your stamping ink is dry.
• Peg stamps are great for adding little touches to tags and envelopes so leave a few holiday themed stamps and ink pads out when you are addressing Christmas cards or wrapping gifts so you can make tags and envelopes extra special!

I hope you have something fun and crafty planned this weekend. I’d love to know what your favorite holiday decoration is, let me know in the comments below! My favorite decoration from my childhood was a scene of ice skaters on a pond from the 1970s. There were white plastic snowbanks surrounding a mylar mirror-like pond and the ice skaters were brightly colored clear plastic. I used to skate those around the plastic pond all season long. I wonder if my parents still have that old decoration in their basement LOL! I am sure it is worse for wear with all of the skating I made those figurines do! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

The More the Merrier! Stamp a gang!

Hi friends! Do you have stamp sets that have several related characters? Today I’ll show you how to combine them using the masking technique so you can turn a solo stamp into a party!

I have seen many cute stamps recently that will have a gaggle of characters grouped together like this but with those stamps you only get one option but if you have a set of single characters you can group them however you want giving you more bang for your stamping buck! Watch the video to see how and remember to save any masks you cut for future cards.

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:

• Katzelkraft Meerkat stamp set, *Any of the other Katzelkraft animal sets would also be super cute with this technique.
• Patterned paper (I use a stack from My Minds Eye)
• Star and circle dies
• Skintone/Neutral 24 marker set
• Inkpads: Memento– best for alcohol marker coloring (rich cocoa)
• Ink cubes: Gina K 
• Post it notes or post it tape
• The round sentiment is a moldy-oldie from my stash from Stampin Up

Variations on a theme…

• Draw or die-cut a Polaroid frame and use this technique to make a “selfie” themed card.
• Use this technique when you are making a card from a  group of people, such as “Happy retirement from the gang!” or anytime you are going to have a group of people sign a card. People will have fun matching the stamped critter to the person in the office LOL!
• You can get a more elegant look by using butterfly stamps and coloring the with jewel tones.

Whether you like cute or quirky, elegant or sassy you can get more bang from your stamping buck with this masking technique. Give it a try on your next card and til next time happy crafting!

Starburst Rainbow Stamping! (With a fun little gadget!)

Howdy friends!  This idea will add a bit of fun, playfulness and color to your next cardmaking project and you can use it for any occasion!

I am still stockpiling Christmas cards so I used a Merry Christmas sentiment but it would but just as cute with a “happy birthday”, “thank you” or “thinking of you card” theme! Watch the video to see how it’s done!

This video is sponsored by Rubber Stamp Tapestry  Use coupon code: LINDSAY and receive 15% off your retail order of $10 or more of peg stamps, peg stamp sets, and unmounted stamps! Coupon expires a week from this video publication. Continue to receive great deals by becoming a PegStamp VIP here. As a PegStamp VIP
you’ll get a weekly deal via email plus links to fabulous tutorials by me, Lindsay the Frugal Crafter and other designers.

Supplies:

• Trinkets and Wishes Clear Stamp Set
• Gingerbread Wonderland Clear Stamp Set
• Dye ink *Ink colors used: rose bud, love letter, tangelo, dandelion, bamboo leaves, cottage ivy, bahama blue, grape jelly
• Blending brushes
• Double stick tape
• White and black cardstock
• Circle punches or dies
• Stamping gear *Or make a DIY one with this video and this one
• Black enamel dots

Make sure you sign up for the Rubber Stamp Tapestry Newsletter if you want to get the Black Friday deals as well as project ideas in your inbox! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

3 Ways to Use Layered Stamps!

Hi friends! Layered stamps are really trendy right now but they can be used for more than just one thing! Today I’ll show you how to use layering stamps to make some christmas projects! We will use them as they were intended by layering and also use portions of them for resist and backgrounds with pearl powders. I hope this gives you new ideas for your stamps!

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:

• Christmas wreath layering stamp set
• Christmas Sentiments
• Black and white cardstock
• Smooth white watercolor paper or bristol *smooth paper is easier to stamp on
• Pearl ex powder
• Dye ink pads in several shades of each color you want to use. Any brand is fine but if you are looking for some these memento Dew Drop (here is another bundle with no duplacates) sets are great quality and an affordable way to get started and you can purchase refills if you use a color up.
• Versamark ink (for embossing and holding the pearl ex)
• Clear embossing powder
• Paint brushes
• Adhesive, I used zip dry glue
• Foam squares

Techniques:

1. Basic multi color layering: Starting with the most solid stamp layer and the lightest shade or ink stamp the image layering images each time with a darker ink.
2. Using top layer stamps to watercolor resist: Stamp images with clear ink, sprinkle with embossing powder then heat. Add watercolor over image and the stamping remains white.
3. Making backgrounds with base layers and Pearl Ex: Stamp images with clear ink on black cardstock and brush on mica powder (Pearl Ex) then buff with a tissue to remove excess.

Freshen up your card making using these techniques for any occasion! Thank for watching and til next time happy crafting!