Easy Dragonfly Painting with Matching Mat & Watercolor Pencil Tips!

Hi friends! Here is a fun painting you can make today!

I am using watercolor pencils and it is so easy to do. Learn how in today’s video!

Watercolor pencils and waterbrushes are from sponsor Arteza! Save 10% with coupon code THEFRUGALCRAFTER10 here! Check out their other art, craft and quilting supply basics at super low prices too:) 10% off coupon good through 9/17/17

Supplies:

• Watercolor Pencils
• Waterbrush set of 6
• Watercolor paper 
• Picture frame matt (cream or light color)
• Botanical Stamps
• paper towel or rag
• Reference photo

This project should take between 30-45 minutes to complete but feel free to pause the video and take breaks because the most important thing is that you learn and enjoy the process!

Want more in-depth watercolor lessons?

Check out my Essential Tools and Techniques for Watercolor course on sale for 30% off this week with coupon code TEACHME, you get over 5 hours of watercolor instruction for $55.30 (Regular $79!) Join the nearly 700 watercolor students getting fantastic results! Learn more here or enroll today! Sale ends Saturday so don’t wait:) Happy crafting!

Happy Bee-Day! Repeat a Pattern for cohesive Design!

Hi friends! How do you go about your card making process? Is it a scramble of sifting through everything you have hoping to find the perfect paper, embellishment or die cut only to make a chaotic card and have a complete mess of a craft table when you are done? If so I am going to share a tip that will streamline your process and help you create stylish cards (and you probably have everything you need already!)

I got the brand new Bee-Utiful Day stamp set from Rubber Stamp Tapestry this week. RST is a wonderful company who sponsors a weekly tutorial on my blog and YouTube channel and as a bonus they don’t mind one bit that I encourage you to use what you have:) Love those guys! When you get a new stamp set it should make all of your other supplies more useful (not redundant as so often happens) so keeping that in mind I thought of a design element I could repeat in the card. Hexagons! I could replicate the look of honeycomb by gathering the various hexagon stencils, embossing folders, punches, dies or pattern paper I already had and give them new live with the new stamp set! See where I’m going here? I could repeat the hexagon shape with different tools and add variety with different colors and materials but still have cohesion because of the consistent design element of the hexagon shape. Repetition and variety equal good (and easy!) design!

Need more ideas? Watch today’s video!

This video is sponsored by Rubber Stamp Tapestry! Use coupon code: FRUGALAUGUST17 – 10% off everything in the store. Coupon expires August 31, 2017. Become a Peg Stamp VIP & get an instant coupon for 20% off RST stamps here plus the deepest weekly discounts available! Offer expires August
31, 2017

Supplies from Rubber Stamp Tapestry:

• Bee-Utiful Day Unmounted Stamp Set
• Chamomile Bee Peg Stamp Set
• Field of clover Peg Stamp Set
• Ink Blending Brush
• Sponge blenders (make up wedges)
• Distress Oxide Ink Pads
• Archival Black ink (to stamp the bees and sentiment so the ink won’t bleed)
• DIY Spray mist tutorial
• Spray bottles: small or mini (Good price!)
• Honeycomb embossing folder
• Glue
• Foam Tape

Other Supplies:

• Heavyweight cardstock (white or cream)
• Hexagon stencil
• Pattern paper (purple and yellow)
• Tombow Markers (water based markers)
• Brads
• Vellum (Black & teal)
• Nature Dies (honeycomb)  (butterflies)
• Honeycomb embossing folder (if sold out above)
• Liquid watercolor in pearl (big 8oz bottle for ALL the spray ink you will need to make LOL!)
• Paper towels or rag

I also employed the “make the envelopes first and die cut the scraps trick” that I have been using a lot mainly because I have lots of pattern paper I love to use and I am no longer buying the cheap blank card and envelope sets. I am really loving the look though because a patterned envelope is so much fun and special to receive. What tips do you have to improve your card design or mix old and new supplies? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to share this tutorial with friends who might like it. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

PS here is a link to my DIY Shimmer Spray and Ink Dauber tutorial from a few years ago if you want it:) Have fun with your DIY supplies!

 

 

LIVE! English Roses in Watercolor Tutorial 12:30pm ET

EDIT: Here is the final painting from the Livestream today! Please note that there were some audio issues at the beginning of this video, we did swap microphones out and the audio improved. Oh the joy of live broadcasts LOL:)

Hi friends! I had a great couple of days off last week but I missed you during the live show so I am so excited to paint with you today! Earlier this week I was trying to paint an english rose with very packed petals. I was working in a small sketchbook with a waterbrush and a pocket set of watercolors.

I enjoyed the challenge of my quick sketch above but realized that to do the flower justice I needed a plan. I wanted to paint it larger on good paper using better brushes and paint and that is what we will do today!

You can watch the live tutorial or replay in the player below but if you want to chat live be sure to watch at 12:30pm ET on the YouTube watch page.

Supplies:

• Watercolor Paint Winsor & Newton (this is the set I have) colors we will use: Ultramarine blue, Burnt Sienna, Olive Green, Winsor Yellow, Permanent Rose
• Brushes (you just need a few rounds of assorted sizes, I’m using Princeton Neptune)
• Watercolor paper: Arches 140# CP (you can also use Hot Press)
• Printable traceable pattern
• Reference photo by Lynn Doswell at Paint my Photo

Sale!!!

Save 30% on my full watercolor course! Use coupon code TEACHME if the discount doesn’t show up automatically.

If you have ever struggled to keep up with any of my YouTube tutorials or felt that you might be missing some of the foundations of watercolor then Essential Tools and Techniques for Watercolor is for you. I designed this course to teach the basics of watercolor and reinforce good habits when painting.  I had so many YouTube viewers ask me to make a class that would get people up to speed with watercolor quickly and have all of that needed information in one place for easy reference. In my course you get over 5 hours of step-by-step instruction covering a wide variety of topics from color mixing, texture effects, washes and more.  Upon completion of the class you will have filled your watercolor toolbox with techniques and competed 3 beautiful painting using the skills that you learned. Join the nearly 700 students who have enrolled in this class already! Here are some recent student comments:

Hey Lindsay, I had so much fun with this tutorial and learnt so many techniques – thank you! -Marianna Panopoulos

This is a great overview on color. I really appreciate the way you explained it. I never knew the difference between warm colors and cool colors and how they work together (or not) when you mix them to create new colors. Thanks for the encouragement on playing with colors. It’s so much fun. -Stephanie Youngerman

Love this lesson. Very detailed skills tips and skills provided. -Eloise Luyk

Yay!!! While there are lots of things I would work to improve, I NEVER thought I could do this before now! Thank you, Lindsay! -Diane Giarrusso

 

Below are the paintings you will complete in class:

You will also practise washes and do color mixing studies that you can keep and refer to later. You also have lifetime access to the class so you can return whenever you want a refresher. Feel free to share your work in the classroom and you can even share photos of painting in progress if you want feedback, or get stuck, right under the lesson it pertains too. I am so excited this feature exists because it is helpful to all students and not just the ones asking a questions. Learning together and from one another is so much fun!

Are you ready to lay a good foundation for your watercolor journey? Check out Essential Tools and Techniques for Watercolor and save 30% today! Use coupon code TEACHME if the discount doesn’t show up in your cart. I hope to see you at 12:30pm ET for another life painting lesson. Thank you for your support and til next time happy crafting!

Heat Embossing on Wood!

Hi friends! Today’s technique is a fun and useful one that can be used to make embellishments, gift tags or even Christmas ornaments!

We are going to emboss on wood!Are you ready to get inky? Than watch today’s video!

Tutorial sponsored by Top Flight Stamps Use coupon code thefrugalcrafter10 to save 10% on your order! They also have free USA Shipping over $50!

Supplies:

• Stamps
• Paint
• Wood shapes
• Cardstock (heavy)
• Black Eyelets
• Wire
• Beads
• Watercolor crayons (I used Lyra and Caran D’Ache)
• Small flat paintbrush
• 1/2″ flat paintbrush
• Craft Mat (or waxed paper)
• Dies  Honeycomb and poppies, butterflies and grids
• Scrapbook paper *Make envelopes first and then cut shapes from scraps.
• Black embossing powder
• Black embossing ink
• Heat tool

Tips!

1. If you have leftover paint, brush it over cardstock to make matching decorative paper!
2. Make an envelope first from 12″x12″ scrapbook paper and use the scraps to die cut embellishments.
3. Make a batch: It only takes a little more time to make multiple cards while your supplies are all out. As a bonus you’ll have less to file away when you are done. Use up those scraps now because they may never get used if you file them away. (At least that is the case in my experience.)
4. Be careful when heat embossing your small wood tiles so you don’t burn your hands off.
5. If mailing these thick cards place them (envelope and all) in a bubble mailer to prevent snags in post office machinery.

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

Collecting Photos… {and social media musings}

Hi friends! I just got back from a couple of days away in New Brunswick, Canada. It was the first time since you needed a passport to cross the border that I have visited and the first time the kids have been. It was lovely.  Feel free to use any of the photos share today to paint from (I will do some tutorials for them in the future.)

We didn’t have much of a plan except to “get away from it all” and do something marginally educational to keeps the kids brains from turning to mush over the summer so we headed to King’s Landing, a living history village near Fredericton. It was so pretty there and I took lots of reference photos for future paintings.

The thing that struck me most while at Kings Landing was how ingenuitive people were back in the 1800’s. The tools and machines they had to invent to cut wood and build homes and how much they got done! It got me thinking that we have so much convenience in our modern times, and the same number of hours in a day, but we get less done and feel busy and overwhelmed most of the time. (Disclaimer: there are many people who get way more done than I do in a day and I am fully admitting I am naturally lazy and am speaking for myself here.) 😀 I kinda felt like Mr. Weasley from Harry Potter as he marveled at all of the cool inventions that muggles made to get things done without magic. I mean, just think, we can pull our little magic boxes out of our pockets and find any info we need in seconds, it’s is kinda magical.

But there is a downside to this instant access always-on society. If we can just look something up instantly it can squash out desire to discover things for ourselves. Or we can look up something with the intention of acting on the information but end up getting sucked into the rabbit hole of the internet. We have all joked about hopping on Pinterest “for just a minute” to look up a recipe only to look up and see hours have past and your kids are eating cereal for dinner but what you might not realize is that social media is designed that way on purpose.

As a blogger and YouTuber my goal is to inspire people to create awesome art and craft projects. I am thrilled if you are so inspired to create after watching a video that you shut off the computer and grab your supplies but YouTube sees my videos as a failure if you do that. Sounds weird right? YouTube and every other social media network has one goal, to keep you glued to the platform as long as possible. They all use complex algorithms to serve you content that is likely to keep your eyes glued on the screen. If you go on Facebook you are not seeing posts from friends and people/companies you follow in chronological order, you are seeing them in order of interest, or what Facebook thinks you will be interested in most and keep you on the platform longer so you can see more advertisements. since social media is “free” entertainment it is ad-supported and instead of paying to use these sites with money you pay with your data (all of this info is in the terms of use you agree to when you sign up) and it is cataloging all of the other websites you visit so it can serve you relevant ads for products you have looked at. I remember how creepy it felt the first time I saw an ad for the markers I was just looking at on facebook. Yes, Big Brother is watching.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not against advertising. The ads on my YouTube videos make it possible for me to make tutorials for free. What I am against is algorithms that make us become addicted to these platforms. There is a lot of good that can come from social networking, we just need to make sure that we are using social media and not the other way around.

I am not perfect, I get sucked into Facebook too but when I start to feel anxious or angry or lonely I know it is time to close the computer and spend time with real people or work on a project that will last. Most of the time I don’t even remember what I just read or saw on social media. It can’t be that important then, but the feeling of empty anxiety remains.  I think this feeling comes from the fear-mongering from popular articles that are shared as well as the feeling of insecurity we get when comparing out real lives to the “highlight reel” we see of other people’s lives on social media. Many years ago I read 8 Weeks to Optimum Health by Dr. Andrew Weil and one of the things he recommended was cutting out all news media because if it is really important you will hear about it. This book was written before social media, I can only imagine what he would say about that! He also talks about walking every day and I recommend that advice as well because you can do it at most fitness levels, even if it is just a walk to your mailbox it is so beneficial for health and well-being.

Do you ever get sucked down the rabbit hole of social media? Let me know in the comments below! Share your tips for breaking the spell of the glowing screen. I think it is easier to break away once we realize that it is designed and engineered to be addictive. I think we should take advantage of the wonderful benefit of these social sites but also be aware of the trappings so we can take control of our one truly finite resource; our time.

BTW, that cool little computer that you have in your pocket, did you know you can call a friend with it? You can even make plans to see someone in real-life:) It takes more effort than just scrolling but it’s what makes life worthwhile. Thanks for reading through this long Monday musing. I’ll have a new stamping project for you tomorrow, til then happy crafting!

Disclosure: The link to the book 8 Weeks to Optimum Health is an Amazon affilate link but you can always borrw the book for free from your local library:)

Easy Duct Tape Wallet to Make With or For the Kids!

Hi friends! Are you looking for a fun and useful project to make with your kids this summer? How about a duct tape wallet?

This project is a really great introduction to using duct tape for crafting and my local Dollar Tree usually has some cool patterns in 10 yard rolls. Also if you keep an eye out you can find it on clearance at Joann Fabrics of Wal-Mart or use a less expensive plain duct tape for the inside of the project and splurge on a special design for the outside since you don’t need that much. I think even at full price it is only around $5 a roll. BTW the cheap dollar tree duct tape will work just as well as the Duck Brand stuff for this project:)

Supplies:

• Duct tape (any brand) Amazon or Dollar Tree
• Craft Knife *I recommend this fiskars knofe with the locking handle as the blade does not come loose as my other craft knives do but you can use what you have.
• Craft Mat
• Non Stick Mat (like a silicone baking mat-do not cut the tape on the silicone mat tho!)

Directions:
1. Make a sheet of duct tape fabric by overlapping 9″ strips of duct tape 1/4″. Flip over the sheet and place it sticky side up on your workspace and cover the back with strips of tape. Tip: For extra strength lay the second strips in the opposite direction. *See tip below for another way to make duct tape fabric.

2. Trim the sticky excess off the edges so you have a square/rectangle. It doesn’t have to be perfect. it should be about 8″ square.

3. Fold over the one side to see about how tall you want your wallet to be (and determine what pattern you want on the outside) and trim off the excess (it will be a strip about 2″ wide, this will become the front pocket.

4. Cut 1/2″ wide strips of duct tape and finish the raw edges if the top of the wallet and pocket. Ise 1″ strips to attach the pocket and seal up the sides.

A couple of tips to make your duct tape crafting easier…

1. keep a bowl of water handy and dip your fingers i when you are trying to handle the tape, it will keep it from sticking to you. This is helpful when you need to put the sheet of duct tape fabric stick side up.
2. If you (or your child) is having a hard time making the fabric you can use a piece of tarp or plastic grain bag (like the kids chicken feed comes in) for the back side of the fabric. I do this when I need to make a large sheet of duct tape fabric to conserve the tape. You can get a 6″x9″ tart at the dollar tree too if you don’t have a gain bag handy LOL:)
3. If working with your kids consider pre cutting the pieces and let them assemble it to save frustration and keep them safe as craft knifes are very sharp. If they want to do it themselves then show then how to tear the tape. The results will be a bit more rustic but that’s OK!

I love that you can express your child’s personality in their wallet and I also love that it can teach them how to look after their money (no more dollar bills wadded up in their pockets to get lost) and since the texture of the tape is grippy it is unlikely to fall out of their pockets when they play. It’s never too early to teach your kids to be responsible with their money or to craft so that is a win-win in my book! Happy crafting!

Carousel Horse Painting in Oils!

Hi friends! I feel like need to start today’s post with an apology to you. There will not be a live show today but I have pre recorded a longer oil painting tutorial for you in place of the long live show that I usually have on Friday. For you watercolor lovers I just posted a watercolor tutorial yesterday to make amends. I am taking a couple of days off to have some summer fun with my family and recharge my draining batteries. I hope you understand. Remember YOU are what make this community special. Feel free comment and respond to other’s comments and spread the love of painting. It is a common bond we can all enjoy. Think of how great the world would be if we all spent our time and energy on creating and lifting each other up. Today we will paint this:

I used oils but if you want to use pastel, gouache or acrylics you can! Acrylic painters might want some glazing medium or slow dry medium to help with blending but there is no reason you can’t use any opaque medium you like. Here is the reference photo I worked from:

Watch the video and paint along! Remember you can speed it up or slow it down using the gear icon on the bottom of the player or pause it whenever you like!

Video!

Supplies can be purchased from our sponsor Jerry’s Artarama. Use coupon code: frugal20FS49 for 20% off $49 + Free Shipping (Excludes: Sale, Super Sale, Egift Cards, Buy It Try It’s and Vendor restricted items. Look for the green coupon eligible icon on the product listing.

Supplies:

• 9″x12″ Senso Linen painting panel 
• Oil pastels 
• Lukas 1862 oils (Cad yellow, lemon yellow, yellow ochre, prussian blue, cobalt blue, titanium white, alizarin crimson, Cad red)
• Mimik Hog Brushes (value set)
• Chelsea Classical Studio oil painting medium complete sampler pack

I hope you enjoyed this change of pace tutorial and have a wonderful weekend! Happy crafting!