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!

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Sweet Friendship // Sketchbook Sunday

Hi friends! Today for Sketchbook Sunday I am sharing the painting I did for the watercolor class I am taking. My sketchbook Sunday posts are all about the stuff I do to help grow my skills and perspective as an artist, usually it’s in a sketchbook but sometimes it is a larger painting like this 22″x29″ watercolor:

You can see the time-lapse in the video below. Many of you asked how I did the skin in one layer on a previous painting and this video will show that.

Painting the skin in one layer gives a very fresh and translucent effect, you just need to be brave enough to use more color than you think you need and leave it alone LOL! This is the other painting I mentioned, I shared it on Instagram but forgot to share it here. I painted the skin the same way, one layer and lots of color and then left it alone to dry (and it looks like a hot mess when it is wet just so you know.)

Supplies *Affiliate links to Consumer Crafts and Amazon used. See deal at Consumer Crafts at the bottom of this post!

• M Graham Watercolor: Quin Red, Pthalo Blue, Ultramarine blue, Yellow Ochre, Burnt sienna
• My M Graham paints are in a large studio palette like this one
• Bee watercolor paper 22″x30 100% cotton CP
• Mimik Watercolor brush value set
• Sea sponge

Today Only! Consumer Crafts is having 20% off your total order and free shipping over $49 with coupon code FFSALE18 through 11/11/18  *I just got a great deal on M Graham watercolors there:) They now have tons of artists quality paints, pencils and markers as well as general craft supplies and gift art sets. Their prices are very low to begin with so 20% is a big deal! I apologise not mentioning this sale earlier and it is over tonight at 11:59pm PST so don’t delay if you need a good deal on any supplies! Happy crafting!

Easy Scene Building with my NEW Clear Stamp Set from Rubber Stamp Tapestry!

Howdy friends! As I write this I am suffering with my first cold of the season. It’s snowing outside too and I have been convalescing by watching lots of Christmas DIY decorating videos on YouTube and lots of HGTV. When I feel better I am going to knock down some walls and shiplap everything LOL! Just kidding:) I will say though, that I have the christmas decorating bug big time right now. It is an odd feeling for me that returned to me last year about this time. I say odd because I used to absolutely dread seasonal decorating and I think it was because my house was so cluttered but ever since the “big declutter of 2017” I have found joy in holiday decorating and entertaining again! Why am I bringing this up you might ask. I’m not entirely certain but I think when we stamp we can do a trial run of ideas on a small scale. It’s kinda like a “vision board” when you gather ides on color, texture, layers and design elements. We can play and pretend. We can arrange a space to see what we think and try colors together with no consequences and we have a cute card to mail when we are done!

All sorts of problems can be worked through when we create whether we are painting or stamping, knitting or sewing. Stepping into the “right brain” whimsy can leave the logical side of the brain to work through whatever it is it needs to fester on while we enjoy being in the zone and creating. Remember that anytime you feel like you are being too indulgent or just “wasting time” as you create. It’s not a waste if you enjoy it. Take 3 hours to make a card if you want to, it’s your card, it’s your supplies. Supplies are only wasted if they are never used. You have my permission to get out your supplies and play, who know what it will lead to?

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 (Affiliate links used)

• Fireside Christmas clear stamp set
• Trinkets and Wishes clear stamp set
• Hello Mistletoe peg stamp set
• Christmas Traditions peg stamp sets
• Christmastime peg stamp set
• Dye ink pads
• Ink blending brush
• Sponge daubers (great deal on 40 pack!)
• Studio 71 marker set of 48
• White cardstock for markers (neenah classic crest)
• Kraft cardstock
• Washi tape
• Stencil

I hope you found this project inspiring and entertainng. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happty crafting!

Sunny Sunflowers You Can Paint in Watercolor!

Hi friends! Today I have a fun and cheerful beginner watercolor painting tutorial for you so grab your paints, a cup of tea and block out a relaxing hour of art time! You deserve it!

You will find step by step real-time instructions in the video below. I hope you enjoy:)

Supplies:

• Watercolor paint *I am using Renesans paint: Indian yellow (or any warm yellow), Raw sienna (or yellow ochre), Magenta (or any cool red), Ultramarine blue,
  Cinnabar green deep (or sap green), Burnt Umber (or burnt sienna)
• Watercolor paper: Strathmore Windpower
• Watercolor brushes
• Other: pencil, eraser, tape, 2 water buckets
• Reference photo

If you liked today’s video you’ll love my Watercolor Flower Workshop. I have created loads of easy to follow step by step tutorials so you can create loose floral bouquets, wreaths and swags to enhance any painting you want to create! Learn more here and use coupon code TRYME for 20% off any class!

I hope you give this painting a try and til next time happy crafting!

Feeling like a “Square?” Give round watercolor a try!

Hi friends! A couple of years ago I created a tutorial on making your own watercolor blocks. They are convenient and much cheaper than the store-bought version. Recently I have seen round blocks for sale so of course I have to try that too!

I have not see the round blocks in stores and they are expensive to order on amazon so I thought it would make a fun project to try and it was super easy too. Watch the tutorial to see how!

Supplies (affiliate links used)

• Watercolor paper *I used Bee 140# 100% cotton watercolor paper, I used the 6″x9″ papers but recently ordered the 22″x30″ sheets and they are the same great quality if you are looking for a larger sheet of high quality paper at a low price. Feel free to use whatever paper you prefer.
• Circle cutter or Circle dies (or trace something round and cut out with scissors)
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks.
• Cardboard
• 1″ Binder clip
• Silicone spatula
• Scrapbook paper
• Ribbon

Directions:

1. Cut paper and cardboard into circles.
2. Place watercolor paper on cardboard and top with a scrapbook paper circle. Line up the paper and place on a binder clip. The binder clip will protect the unbound slot of the block.
3. Add a bead of hot glue along the page edges and quickly spread it with the spatula. Repeat until you have coated the entire spine except where the binder clip is.
4. Add ribbon and cover.

Enjoy your new watercolor block! I hope you liked this DIY and til next time happy crafting!

 

 

A Beginner Pastel Lesson on my NEW Fabulous Camera!

Hi friends! I have been wanting to upgrade my video camera for a couple of years but always got overwhelmed at the amount of choices and the price tags out there. I was so afraid of buying the wrong thing but I know cameras have come a long way since I purchased my beloved Samsung F90 a few years ago and I really want to make high quality videos where you can see as much detail as possible.

So I asked my tech savvy husband to research the options and he narrowed the search down to 6 cameras and I ended up picking this Panasonic Lumix G7 and I am so pleased with the results. Jason has been working on adding mounts to my filming areas to hold this camera since strapping the camera to my “ceiling sticks” with an elastic cord is probably not the safest route LOL! I am still keeping my “old reliable” Samsung and I still have a few videos filmed on that one that I haven’t published yet but going forward most of my videos will be shot on the new fancy camera. You can see it’s debut in today’s video!

I got asked many times if oil pastels could be used instead of chalky soft pastels and yes you can! The results will be a bit different but use what you have. You may prefer one of the other as well f you don;t like dusty fingers of the feel/sound of the chalk. If you are new to soft pastel I recommend starting with an inexpensive but good quality student grade set as you ill get all of the joy with none of the potential toxicity of artist grade pigments. You can always upgrade later if you like them and when you understand how to handle them safely. I am not trying to scare you, I just want to make sure you are not blowing or breathing in pastel dust.

Supplies (Affiliate Links used)

• Pastels (Schminke) *I also used some Winsor & Newton pastels but they are discontinued. For beginners I recommend the Faber Castell student line
• I also used some NuPastels for the initial sketch but you really don’t need them for this. Pastel pencils are also available for sketching.
• Pastel Paper
• Sponge blenders (optional)
• Reference Photo (thanks Jennifer!)
• My new camera (if you are interested) Panasonic Lumix G7

I hope you enjoy the higher quality video and let me know what you think of this project in the comments below! Feel free to share this tutorial with anyone who might like it or Pin it on Pinterest using the sharing button below. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

The best watercolors $20 can buy?!? Pretty Excellent Watercolor Review!

Hi friends! Don’t you just love it when a product exceeds your expectations? I really wasn’t expecting much when I ordered this $20 set of Pretty Excellent watercolors from Amazon a couple of months ago. I had some  money left on a gift card and I loved the color and size of the tin and I fully expected I would be discarding the paint to fill with other pans but boy was I wrong! The paints are beautiful!

It took me a while to review these because I was trying to find something wrong with them. I used them on cards, bookmarks and small paintings and the jewel like colors are rich, clean and vibrant with no shift in color, fading or chalkiness. The lightfast ratings on the box were really good too with 19 out of the 36 colors being absolutely permanent and the remaining ones moderately lightfast. The amount of paint is typical half pan size (I pulled out the insert to make sure the wells were deep.) I contacted the seller Lightwish to see if these paints were the same as the Paul Rubens paints I had seen reviewed a lot lately and they said “Yes, they are the same as the Paul Rubens brand paint. But they also have some difference.” I think the difference is probably the packaging as the Paul Rubens paint comes in a higher end metal tin with individual plastic half pans and a chamois cloth and fancy gift box. If you were looking for a better buy on the Paul Rubens it seems this would be the set. If you were looking for an inexpensive travel set or a gift for an aspiring watercolorist I highly recommend this Pretty Excellent brand one. Watch the video to see them in action and for more information!

Pretty Excellent brand watercolors Review (Affiliate links used)

Pros:

• Price: $19.98 for 36 half pans of watercolor *no removable plastic half pans, they are poured in the plastic insert.
• Bright clean transparent colors
• Colors mix cleanly
• Lovely tin/palette
• Comes with a waterbrush or you can use the storage slot for your favorite brush
• beautiful smooth colors finely milled
• According to the back of the box 19 colors are absolutely lightfast and the remaining color were moderately lightfast but no pigment info is provided in English.

Cons:

• All the info except color names is in Chinese so if there is pigment info available I can’t read it LOL!

Bottom line, these are an amazing value for the price. There is no chalkiness even in mixes. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to use watercolors and ins’t concerned with pigment composition (urban sketchers, art journalers, scrapbookers, cardmakers) or beginners who want the experience of painting with a high quality transparent watercolor without the high-end price tag. I was really pleased to hear that the pretty excellent paint was the same as the Paul Rubens paint at a much nicer price as the 24 set of Paul Rubens is $39 and you get 36 of the Pretty Excellent paints for $20 in a less fancy tin which suits me fine.

The only downside on these paints is not knowing what pigments are in them. If you take them at their word about the lightfastness they are an incredible value. Keep the back panel of the box to refer to that info if you want it. I hope you found this review helpful and til next time happy crafting!