Stamp School: How to Blend Markers & Mixing Old Supplies with New!

Hi friends! Today we are going to tackle a few frustrating subjects in Stamp School. First we are going to work on blending alcohol markers. There is a learning curve to this and it does take a bit of time to get the result you are after sometimes. The other important thing to note with alcohol pens is that they are not for everyone. We are also going to dig into the crafty archives and breathe new life into some old stash that has been forgotten.

Watch the video and then try combining some old supplies with the new for a fun and unique card! We all have different stuff so all of our cards will be unique!

Video!

Tutorial sponsored by Art Neko *Save 10% off your next order of any size or get free shipping on orders over $50 (whichever discount is greater you get!) just by mentioning thefrugalcrafter!

I recommend a stamp with thick likes and open areas to color in such as the large butterfly stamp I used, also a part of this larger set.

Other Supplies:

• Smooth white cardstock (Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth in Solar White is great)
• Memento Rich Cocoa ink (or whatever color you want by memento or another brand that works with alcohol pens)
• Alcohol markers (I used Blick Studio markers, Premier by Nicole (AC Moore store brand I think) and Spectrum Noir, other brands are Copic, Promarker, Prismacolor, Chameleon, Touch, Tria, Bic Markits and Sharpie)
• Decorative Paper: The Gathering Collection from Authentique
• Assorted ribbons, trims, flowers, stickers, labels, brands or embellishments that you want to use up!

Tips and Directions!
1. Get prepared! Pick your patterned paper first, it is easier to match everything to the paper you want to use than it is to color an image and then find things to match (trust me, I know!) Then look in your stash for any ribbons or embellishments that match the paper. Finally test out your markers on a scrap of paper until you find about 3 shades of each color you want to use.

2. Stamp butterfly with memento ink, feel free to stamp another one to practice on if you want:) Color the butterfly using the techniques I shared in the video. I like to generally work dark to light but if you have trouble bending color the whole area you want to color with the lightest marker and then go dark to light. Remember you can repeat the process as many times as you want until you get the look you desire.

3. Make a 5″x7″ card base from cardstock, later papers, trims, embellishments and your stamped image. Look at your awesome card! Woohoo!

Have fun digging through your ribbons and old embellishments, I bet you will find a treasure or two. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below and if you know anyone who would like this video please share it with them:) There are handy sharing buttons below:) Thanks! Happy crafting!

Stamp School: Cardmaking Mistakes & How to Fix Them!

Hi friends! First up let me apologize for not having a live show today, we were hit by a ‘Noreaster with high winds and our electricity and internet were down today. I spent the day watching Harry Potter movies with the kids and painting watercolors in the living room. I can’t complain about a power outage because we have a generator and a wood stove, we are very lucky:) Several neighbors had large trees come down and rip electric wires off their homes and cause lots of damage. We fared quite well. I hope everyone who is digging out from this storm does so safely and if needed reach out to a neighbor for help or offer your home up to a neighbor in need. Take care of each other:)

I wanted to share this video tonight for a couple of reasons, first off I wanted to give you some hope and inspiration for your weekend crafting, no matter how badly a craft seems to be going you CAN salvage it and secondly because I mentioned the 40% off selected peg stamp sets and accessories sale going on at Rubber Stamp Tapestry and I wanted you to have a chance to grab some deals before the sale ends tomorrow night.

This video is sponsored by Rubber Stamp Tapestry BIG sale – 40% off 90 sets AND 35% off crafting goodies + free shipping on orders of $75 shipped within the USA (use coupon code: FREESHIP75) Sale Ends 12/31/16

Supplies:

• Pegstamp sets: Between the Paving Stones, Cherry Blossom, Stars & Stripes Forever
• Unmounted stamp (Cottage Containers)
• Neenah Classic Crest solar white super smooth cardstock for stamping/coloring with alcohol pens
• Kraft and cream cardstock
• Chameleon pens (Alcohol markers)
• Gelatos/Gel Sticks
• Memento dye inks
• Distress inks
• Embossing powder
• Black pigment ink (for embossing)
• Twine
• Grommets
• Heat tool
• Woodgrain embossing folder
• White gesso
• White gel pen
• Black fineliner (I used the one in the Chameleon pens kit)
• Dry adhesive (ATG gun)
• Foam squares

Directions:
1. Stamp window box with black memento ink on Neenah white cardstock and color with chameleon markers. Use the mixing chamber if you want a blended image and start coloring in the lightest area. Practice on a scrap piece of cardstock if you are new to these markers.

2. Stamp on flowers with peg stamps and dye inks.

3. Accent image with white and black pens. Add more color and shading with alcohol pens if desired.

4. Run a scrap of cream cardstock through a embossing machine with a wood-grain embossing folder. Color with distress inks, gelatos and gesso. Repeat steps if desired until you get the look you want. Fold up top and bottom of that panel to make a contrasting border on the panel. Attach panel to frat cardstock with grommets and thread twine through he holes to make a frame.

5. Stamp Thank you with black pigment ink an heat emboss.

6. Make a 5″x7″ side fold card with cream card stock. Ink edges and stamp border is desired and attach all card elements.

 

I hope it goes without saying, use what you have, you do not need to have the exact same brand of ink, pastel, marker, pen etc to make a fabulous card. The best supplies to use are the ones you have. Have fun working through those mistakes and til next time happy crafting!

Coloring Practice with Alcohol Markers!

Hi friends! The other day I posted some pressed flower projects including a card that I colored with alcohol markers.

May of you asked for the coloring tutorial, so here it is! There are no difficult techniques here so if you are a beginner this one’s for you! Also I did not speed up any of the coloring (I did clip out any repetitive bits) so you can see the techniques in real time. I hope you find it useful!

Products: (Affiliate links used-thank you for your support!)

• Rock a Block and Flower Fairy Stamp (Crafters Companion)
• Copic Markers (e33, e35, yr00, r32, r59, g99)
• ProMarkers (y635, y337, 0555, r346)
• Chameleon Pens (BR2)
• Lawn Fawn Black Licorice ink
• Neenah cardstock
• Distress ink pads (Vintage photo, crushed olive, broken china)
• Color Dusters

I like to blend alcohol markers from dark to light, it is quick and works well on high quality cardstock like Neenah. Remember that Copic coloring takes practice, enjoy the journey! You can find more alcohol marker tutorials here. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

 

 

Brush Marker Comparison!

Hi Friends! Today I am comparing 6 of the most popular brush markers on the market to see how they hold up and if they play nice together.

Honestly I like all of these but they each have unique qualities that different artists might prefer. Here is a handy checklist to print and record notes on as you try other brands yourself. brush_marker_comparison_chart

Now watch the video!

Here are the markers I used today (affiliate links used when available, thank you for your support:)

• Tria markers (letraset)
• Winsor & Newton BRUSHmarkers (formally Letraset FLEXmarkers and cheaper on the letraset website)
• Prismacolor Brush Tip Markers
• Sharpie Brush markers
• Copic Sketch or Ciao Markers
• Chameleon Color Tones

So now that you have the information you can go forth and color. Also, if you already have a bunch of chisel tip markers you can use them with your brush markers. I suggest you try a couple from each company before investing in a huge set and get different colors because they do play nice together. I keep all of my alcohol markers together for just that reason. Experiment ad have fun! If you have any questions let me know in the comments. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

 

Stamp School 13: Intro to Alcohol Markers!

Hi friends! Today we are going to look at a product that you may want to try for enhancing your stamped cards: Alcohol markers. These have been the darling of the stamp world for a few years because you can get a beautiful blended effect and also because you can spend a long time on an image to get it just perfect. Coloring is very relaxing. I have spent as much as an hour coloring a really detailed image with markers. Because of that I would tend to stamp out a few images and color them while I was watching TV I the evening or while my kids were coloring. Today we are going to color an easy design perfect for a Christmas card.

During the demo you will be able to see how the markers blend, how to fix mistakes and learn tips for getting good results from your markers. The stamps I am using are from our sponsor Art Neko, be sure to mention TheFrugalCrafter if you order to get 10% off your order or free shipping on orders over $50, whatever discount is greater!

Video!

Supplies

• Stamps: Star Sprinkling Angel, Snowflakes (some of these stamps are found in larger Christmas sets from ArtNeko, look at those before buying to see if you want the other stamps in the kits because it brings down the individual stamp price.)
• Dye ink: Memento
• Distress ink (Tumbled Glass, Vintage Photo, Wild Honey)
• Cardstock: Neenah (white) brown, maroon
• 6″ paper doily
• Distress ink in vintage photo, tumbled glass, wild honey
• Gelly Roll Stardust pen
• ribbon & buttons
• Alcohol based markers (Copic, Promarker, Sharpie, Bic Markit, Prismacolor, Spectrum Noir, Tria or others)
  * OR you can use watercolor markers but be sure to stamp with Archival ink so it does not smear. Also, if using watercolor markers you can’t go over the paper as much as we do with alcohol markers.

If you are thinking of trying alcohol ink markers I urge you to see if you can borrow some from a friend before deciding to invest. Also expect a learning curve. I have not used mine in a while and I was a bit out of practice. Also I am fond of quick projects so I don’t often reach for my markers but on the other hand there is something really relaxing about spending an hour coloring an image. One way to get started is to buy a 36 pack of Bic Markits or Sharpies then a few really light shades of some art markers so you can blend and get a range of shades. Below is a playlist of many alcohol marker techniques that you might find helpful:

I was not intending to cover alcohol ink markers in stamp school but so many of you asked me if I would so I hope that gave you a good foundation on them. So, what do you think? Do you use alcohol markers? What do you like about them? Do you have any tips for beginners? Leave that info in the comments below and help your fellow stampers out. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Chameleon Pens: Hit or miss? What do you think?

Hi friends! Happy Mother’s Day to all the mom’s out there. I am writing this post at the tender hour of 6:30am (apparently my dog did not get them memo that I wished to sleep in LOL!) I will be visiting my mom this afternoon, I can’t wait! My kids love to see their little cousin and we all just chill out at mom’s PLUS she has an enormous lilac bush in the back yard that is always full of flowers on mother’s day so she always sends me home with some. I adore lilacs, always have but could never get them to grow at my house. Every mason jar I own will be full of fragrant flowers tomorrow, yippee!

So, I have been asked A LOT about the Chameleon Color Tones Pens since they came out at CHA 2014. I loved the concept but resisted buying any because I have hundreds of alcohol markers already so it seemed a bit foolish to buy more. On the other hand I know i have the means to try out more supplies than many crafters because I make my living in part by my videos and reviews help you guys decide if a product is right for you. Every product is not useful to every crafter.  Chameleon generously sent me a set of their pens to review. Here is a demo and first impressions. BTW I had a duplicate in my box and they have shipped me the missing pen, they are very nice people over there!

Video!

The full line of pens come in 22 colors plus a blender. My kit also had a black pen you could draw with and color over and not bleed. There are 22 reinkers and blender solutions that each come with a refill needle and reinking seems to be easy and neat.

I think these pens would be most useful to someone without many markers already or someone wanting a kit to take with them on trips or vacation. I like the limited palette but it is more work to get the exact colors (by layering and blending) and there is a learning curve just like with all markers. These are best for small images (in my experimentation) but larger blends can be achieved by practice but if you already have a large collection of markers I think you would turn to them first.

Often coloring with alcohol markers is slow going and the additional time waiting to charge the pen with blender might be frustrating for some. I did not mind it because I do coloring projects while watching TV or listing to a podcast. That is why I did not speed up the video, I wanted you to know how long it took to realistically color an area. If you want to pick up some of these pens for yourself you can at the Chameleon website and get free domestic US shipping with the coupon code: SASFS

Are these markers for you? Let me know what you think in the comments! Happy crafting!

Cheap Marker Review & Tutorial PLUS Stamp Giveaway!!!

Hi Friends! Last night I posted a haul video on YouTube where I shared my crafty loot from a recent trip to ACmoore and the Dollar Tree. I asked what I should use first and the answer was overwhelmingly “The Markers!” Why, because they were cheap, like $24 for a set of 18 art markers and I only paid $12 because I had a coupon, cheap.  And because I feel funny showing off all the new goodies I got I thought YOU should get something too so you can win all of the stamps I used in this note-card set! The stamps are from this plate from Art Neko and the entire set is half off right now! Don’t worry, if you buy them and then win the giveaway you can pick an equivalent in stamps. I do not know how long the sale is on for. All you have to do for a chance to win is leave a comment on this post and I will draw a winner next Friday. This giveaway is open to anyone in the world! Yay!

Markers can be really expensive but good markers are a joy to work with. I have used everything from Sharpies to Copics and everything in between. You can get good results with all of these markers if you know some techniques that I will show you in this video.

I would rate these no-name gems to be as good as Promarker and Prismacolor markers, better than Bic Mark-Its and Sharpies but not as good as Copics which I think is pretty darn good given what I paid for them. They were all very juicy and the fine tip end was pointy and springy like a brush nib but smaller than Copic. The palette blending technique and a blending pen is essential to getting smooth blends with a limited palette of bright colors. You must have an alcohol based blender marker for this to work but any brand is fine such as Copic, Prismacolor, Promarker or Spectrum Noir. If these blenders run dry you can refill them with denatured alcohol. A blender pen costs between $3-$7 depending what brand you get but they all are very similar.

I decided to make some envelopes to match these quick little note-cards. I think they would make a nice gift set for the holidays or a birthday gift.

I hope you enjoyed this review and coloring tutorial. Don’t forget to leave a comment to win the stamps from today’s project. If you end up shopping at Art Neko you can use my coupon code Lindsay10% to save 10% on your non-sale rubber. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Let’s relax with a tall glass of lemonade and color!

Hi friends! I hope you had a good weekend. We were busy but it was fun, we spent the 4th with friends at their camp and yesterday we had a family cookout down the road. Today was beautiful weather-wise and we hung out at home, played outside and made silly putty with glue and borax. Gotta love science! I went down to my studio tonight to get a jump start on a couple framing jobs I had just got in and my daughters soon joined me and they decided to stamp out some house mouse stamps to color. I got a new pack of Mr. Sketchy markers (Yes, they still smell wonderful!) and they just had to use them! It was so funny, the first time each girl used the markers the first thing they did was color out a swatch chart and write the name of the smell under the color. My studio now smells like a fruit salad LOL! That reminds me that coloring is a great way to relax after a busy week. Today I’m going to show you how I colored the Lemonade Stand image from Impression Obsession using alcohol markers:

I was hoping to make the card on the video too but dang, this image took 20 minutes to color and I swear it only felt like 5 minutes. I hope you find the tips, tricks and techniques I share in this video is worth 20 minutes of your time.

Sometimes I will stamp out a bunch of images and keep them in a baggie with my markers and take them upstairs so I can color while I watch TV or visit with the family. It is still fun to color, no matter what your age, don’t you agree? Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Stamp Show Ticket Winners and a Card Tutorial!

Howdy friends! First, let me announce the 8 lucky folks who won tickets to the Heirloom Productions stamp show in W. Springfield Mass for next weekend: Lynne, Debby Graham, Ginny Maxam, Maureen Robertson, Chris Baxevanis, Richard, Amalia Montano and Marie Mordeszewski!!! Yay! I hope to meet you all at the show! No worries if you did not win, you can still purchase discounted tickets online until the 3rd for $6 or at the door for $8. I can’t wait to go! Winners, I have sent your names and emails to Heirloom Productions and they will email your personalized tickets within a day or two.  Since we are all about the stamping today I thought I’d show you how to make one of my famous “Headin’ out the door on the way to a birthday party” cards:

This card was made for a friend of my daughters right before we left for the party. Watch how quick and easy it is as I make the card in real time in under 20 minutes coloring included!

The stamps are from Penny Black and the paper is from Fancy Pants. I just realized I got the cardstock and patterned paper both on sale for cheap at the Heirloom show last year, cool huh? If you want to buy one of the bow making jigs my husband makes you can here.

I hope you enjoyed this quick card project and try a quick and simple card yourself sometime, remember this is supposed to be fun! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!