Colorful Fun ATCoins! And New Ways to use Distress Oxide Inks!

Hi friends! Today I am going to show you how I made these artist trading coins to bring with me to trade at the Heirloom Stamp Show in W. Springfield MA later this month.

I had so much fun making these and even if you have no desire to make ATCoins you can use these techniques on cards or mixed media projects. They are messy and fun and the perfect way to play with your supplies! Watch the video to see how!

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:

• Penelope Dee Organic Stamp
• Stamperia Stencil
• Stamperia Stamp (sentiment on back)
• Artist trading coins
• 5″x7″ gel printing plate
• Embossing powder
• Watercolor brush pens
• Distress Oxide inkpads and reinkers
• White Gesso (worlds best gesso, Jerry’s Artarama)
• Chunky clear glitter
• Black archival ink pad
• Beacon 3 in 1 glue

You can make the coin bases yourself if you don’t want to purchase wooden ones. They just need to be 2 1/2″ in diameter.  I recommend using a couple layers of cereal box chipboard for this. You can cut it with a die and glue them together so the raw sides are out and gesso it to prep it for paint or stamping. I might make some in this manner since I used up my MDF ones. These are fun and addictive and if you don’t want to trade them they would make a beautiful embellishment for a card or scrapbook page. I hope you try some of these techniques and til next time happy crafting!

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Let’s make a sweet little book!

Hi friends! Today we are going to make a cute little mini book!

He is so mini my little studio manikin can hold it! Watch the video to see how!

Sponsored by Smart Art Box! Visit their website to purchase a subscription, see available past boxes and see what countries they ship to.

Supplies:

• Cardboard (I used the smart art box)
• Kraft paper (brown bag is fine)
• Spray bottle of water
• Pearl Ex & Gum arabic (from smart art box)
• Bristol ATC pack (from smart art box) https://amzn.to/2HlfTOA *or cut bristol or cardstock to 2.5″x3.5″
• Ribbon
• Mod Podge or white glue
• Hot glue

You can make these books from your recycling bin. It would be a fun project to do with a group of kids as well. If working with kids I recommend making the tabs larger so they have more room to tape and let an adult do the hot glue part. Making books is fun, I am not sure why I enjoy it so much but I do. Especially tiny ones! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Sketchbook Sunday: Geraniums

Hi friends! Today for Sketchbook Sunday I am painting geraniums! These hardy plants do well in Maine, I got a potted geranium from my sister last week from mothers day (that’s the one we will paint) and a hanging basket from hubby and the kids. The hanging basket is currently on the porch but I am waiting to plant the potted one until the weather warms ups a bit.  I did feel bad for the hanging basket one night and brought it in but so far so good. I hope it can deal well with the cold and lack of sunlight. Tomorrow is supposed to be 70 but thunderstorms, hail, and windy rain. I might have to bring him in again and save him from the shock!

As always my sketchbook Sunday paintings are in time lapse but I do have a real-time lesson for this painting in Critique Club.

Supplies (Affiliate links used)

• Watercolor pencils
• Watercolor paints
• Gouache
• Watercolor brushes: #8 round, #2 round and this is the Princeton Cat’s Tonge that I used for most of the painting

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you had a chance to work in your sketchbook this Sunday and til next time happy crafting!

No Waste Rainbow with Circle Dies!

Hi friends, today I am going to show you how to make the cutest Rainbow using your nested circle dies and show you a card from the leftovers!

 

You will get 3 cards out of this technique which I think is super fun and a great way to make sure you have a stash of birthday cards on hand! Watch the video for this easy technique!

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:

• Happy Unmounted Clear Stamp Set
• Handmade With Love Unmounted Clear Stamp Set
• Mom and Dad Unmounted Clear Stamp Set
• Skyward Peg Stamp Set
• Party Time Peg Stamp Set
• Dye Based inks in Bright colors (Memento)
• Nested Circle Dies (any brand)
• Cardstock scraps in rainbow colors
• White cardstock for stamping
• Blending brush
• Blue ink for using with the blending brush, I use Broken China distress Oxide but you can use whatever blue ink you have.
• Cloud cut-out (Make 2, one to use as a stencil and one for your card) You can hand cut or die cut.

Directions:

1. Cut a sheet of heavy white cardstock in half so you have two A2 cards.
2. Arrange your cardstock scraps in rainbow order and gather your circle dies. Take the two largest ones and cut a ring from red. Then use the smaller two for red plus the next size down to cut an orange ring, and continue in this manner making smaller rings as you go.
3. Adhere all of the concentric rings inside each other (inlay) on white and use the largest and smallest circle die to cut out the combined shape and then cut that in half and you will have two rainbows. Save the inside circles for a leftover card.
   Use a blending brush, blue ink, and a cloud stencil to ink the back of the card base. *You can make 2 rainbow cards as you have 2 rainbows!
4. Adhere rainbow and cloud cut out to card.
5. Stamp Happy Birthday over the sky area. I used several shades of memento dew drop ink pads to create the rainbow sentiment. *test out this technique on a scrap of white cardstock and save the test for the leftover card!
6. Stamp birds in the sky with black. Stamp You’re Amazing on a white scrap and notch the ends, mat on black and adhere over clouds.
7. Embellish with epoxy circles if desired. *Stamp clouds and balloons on inside of the card if desired.
8. For Card #2 Arrange the leftover circles on a white card base and glue a “happy birthday” stamped strip on top and embellish with epoxy dots. On the inside of the card adhere a note with reuse instructions and stamping.

I hope you try this die-cut technique. It’s so fun to find new ways to use old supplies! Happy crafting!

Expressive, Bold & Bright Bouquet!

Hi, friends! This week I was inspired by some lovely flower arrangements at a funky restaurant. I snapped a photo of one before I left because I wanted to paint it. Here is the photo I took:

And here is the painting we will paint today!

You can follow along and do what I do or you can use the photo and paint it differently. Watch the video for the real-time lesson and paint along! I recommend sketching on scrap paper and then transferring it on your good watercolor paper so you don’t have to be worried about erasing and marring the good stuff plus if you don’t like your painting you have the sketch already done and you can try again!

Supplies:

• Hahnemuhle Expression 140# CP watercolor paper. Also available at many fine art stores!
• M Graham Watercolors: Colors: Ultramarine, burnt sienna, sap green, permanent green light, Cad yellow light, card red light, Quin Violet
• Brushes: Creative Mark Mimik

*Want more flower painting lessons? Check out my Watercolor Flower Workshop and save 20% with coupon code TRYME OR learn the basics in this course Essential Tools and Techniques for Watercolor Painting. If you want more pastel training (not just for highlights) check out my course Soft Pastel for Beginners. The 20% off TRYME coupon will work on any course to learn something new and save some money today!

If you have any friends who would enjoy learning to paint please share this blog with them! I hope you enjoyed this supersized lesson and til next time happy crafting!

Coffee ATCs & Stamp Show Ticket Giveaway!

Edit: the 6 tickets have been awarded for the Heirloom Stamp Show, thanks for playing! Discount presale tickets are still available if you are going and want to save a few bucks. I hope to see you there!

Hi friends! I am delighted again this year to be able to give away tickets to the Heirloom Productions Stamp Show & Paper Arts Festival happening in West Springfield MA May 31-June 1st. My only requirement is that I want to give the tickets to people who will use them so the first 6 people to leave a comment saying “I am definitely going to the Heirloom Show in MA and would love a ticket!” will get one.  So if you are going and want a tick comment now before reading the rest of the post so you don’t miss out! If you do want to go but missed the giveaway you can still preorder tickets at a discounted rate or sign up for classes on the Heirloom Productions website through May 28th. I’m not teaching this year, I am going to play and shop! I hope to see you there! Stamp shows are so much fun! I always meet good people and see interesting products that you don’t see in stores or online. I love the demos and being around energetic, creative people! Every year the folks at Heirloom have an Artist Trading Card contest and I always submit one. This year I made extra to trade! The theme is coffee:

These were a lot of fun to make! I’m a coffee drinker (I bet you couldn’t tell!) and I have collected quite a few coffee themed rubber stamps over the years! Many were too big for ATCs which must be 2 1/2″x3 1/2″ but that demure size had me stretch my creativity and it was fun! Watch the video to see how I made these and if you go to the Heirloom show and make ATCs find me so we can trade!

Supplies:
Stamps *If ordering from one of these awesome small companies please let them know where you heard about their products! Thanks:)

• Small coffee stamps (Purple Onion Designs)
• Large coffee cups (Inque Boutique-Out of Business)
• Cats (Katzelkraft)
• Coffee ladies (Katzelkraft)
• Coffee Quotes (Technique Junkies) *Save *10% off discount code: LINDSAY10TJ

Other Supplies (affiliate links used)

• Gelli Plate (Jane Davenport/Gelli Arts)
• Markers (Arteza)
• Cardstock for marker coloring (Neenah classic crest)
• Pearl cardstock (for gel printing)
• Teacup stencil
• Star stencil
• Pan pastels
• Palette pastels (Jane Davenport)
• Memento ink for stamping and marker coloring (I used black and cocoa)

Remember, the first 6 people to comment telling me that they are going to the show and want tickets will get them. After that, you can purchase advance discount tickets on the Heirloom Productions website through the 28th OR pay admission at the door (it’s cheaper to buy tickets ahead of time.) I am doing it this way instead of a random draw so that I can get the winners names to Heirloom soon and people won’t have to wait around for a name to be drawn and miss out ordering online. I hope that all makes sense LOL! Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!

What will I do with it?

Hi friends!  Yesterday I took a photo of a pretty bouquet at a funky restaurant and I decided I wanted to paint it while it was fresh in my mind. I wanted to use a large sheet of really nice watercolor paper and just express the colors from my photo. I quickly started to gather my supplies before the Practical Party Pooper (aka the PPP) could chime in. I am sure you have heard the “PPP” before. That that voice in your head that says “What will you do with that after you make it?” or “What’s the point of that silly project?” Often the point in in the creation! Do children wonder what they are going to do with the mud pies after they make them? No! They have fun and play in the dirt. The joy is in the process!

I went to the bookstore with my sister a couple of weeks ago and I was pondering the choices in the art and craft section. I saw a wonderful book on bookbinding. It’s called Making Handmade Books by Alisa Golden and there were like 100 different binding techniques and ideas.  I was delighted by the projects and photography and I knew it was something I would enjoy reading as well as trying the projects inside. I almost didn’t buy it because of the PPP. “You have so many sketchbook and journals, what’s the point of making more?” and of course the old classic “What will you do with the handmade books after you make them?” And I thought you know what?  I don’t have to “do” anything with it. I can make it because I enjoy it. I can give it away. I could put it in my next craft fair booth. I can set it on a shelf and look at it. I can store it. I can use it or it can just be. Your art does not have to have another purpose other than to make you happy. Art is meant to be created. An artist creates. That’s what we do. What happens to the creations after we are done is not as important as the process we go through to create it. That in itself is enough. Nobody asks a musician “What are you going to do with that song after you play it?” They just play it! Musicians play, actors act, runners run and artists create! Enjoy the process. Sure, we all want something to show for our effort. Nobody wants to feel like they are wasting time or materials or feeling like our creations are useless dust collectors but if you think of the “product” of our art to be personal enrichment and education you can let go of that pressure.

It’s why I like working in a sketchbook so much, even if the art isn’t anything I want to display I can keep it stored compactly and look at it later to see how much I have progressed. But don’t let that stop you from making something big and impractical once in a while. The real waste is art supplies and our creativity going unused. I think one of the downsides of going through the Konmari method (the decluttering technique from the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo) and paring away excess is that I have avoided making some things that I really enjoyed because I didn’t know what I would do with it afterward.  That that is the main “Con” of Konmari LOL! Everything in moderation, especially moderation! Go make something fun and frivolous and til next time Happy crafting!

PS I will share that big painting of the bouquet I mentioned with you on Wednesday with a tutorial, sneak peek of the first layer above:)