Hi friends! I have had a heck of a time getting excited about cardmaking lately. I was trying to figure out why and then it hit me…it’s the minutiae of it all. All the inks, stamps, papers, embellishments, and choices I need to make just to create a papercrafted greeting card. Let’s simplify, shall we?
In this video, I will show you how I unstuck my brain and got to card crafting again. Maybe it will help you too. Consider it a cardmaking therapy session.
Supplies:
Stamps and blenders are from Local King Rubber Stamps. 20% off coupon code: thefrugalcrafter20 now through 5/31/23 Check out their Magic Mushroom Blenders! *The original company!
Hi friends! Do you have any acrylic paint pens in your stash? They are versatile tools for artists and crafters. You can use them to add details to a painting, or paint on virtually any surface from rocks, to glass, to clothing! They are wonderful on cards too as I will show you in today’s video!
I will teach you three different ways you can use your acrylic markers for cardmaking but remember you can use these techniques on any surface you like! Let’s get started!
Supplies (affiliate links used)
You can find the acrylic markers I used at Ohuhu: Use coupon code Lindsay10 to get 10% off your order on the Ohuhu Website now through May 7th 2023.
I like to make custom envelopes with my hoard of scrapbook paper. It is a great way to use papers you are not in love with. Save the scraps to decorate the card with like I did on the inside!
These cards were so fun to make and you don’t need lots of supplies to make them. I hope you enjoyed this project and will give it a try soon. Happy crafting!
Alcohol markers (I am using this budget set of 80 from Art Beek because they are cheap and have a great selection of colors including pastels and skin/earth tones)
If you don’t have self-adhesive stencils you might want stencil spray to make them tacky.
There are several reasons that I like this hack:
You can practice your marker blending.
You can get a look of freehand drawing.
You can easily move and layer up stencil images (see the macaron and flower image from the video) and create new, larger, and more complex compositions. It’s like stamp masking but quicker!
You can get the look of stamping, and stencils are cheaper to buy and easier to store than stamps.
Most of us have stencils.
I hope you give some of those seldom used stencils in your stash some love today and til next time happy crafting!
Hi friends! Sometimes it get overwhelming trying to keep up with all of the supplies out there. I was at a thrift store a couple weeks ago and there was a massive pile of thick dies for sale. I immediately found a few that I liked including the one I used on this card to make the flower.
I really wanted to share this project with you but I didn’t want anyone to feel bad if they couldn’t find this older die so I decided to show you how to make it your own using supplies you already have. Watch the video and get inspired to make those old supplies new again!
The background can be made using whatever inks, stencils, and large background stamps you have and like. One of the best ways to get a fresh look with your supplies is to combine them in new ways. What media would you like to try, shop your stash! Here’s what I used:
Matte Mod-Podge in a squeeze bottle from Dollar Tree
I get such a thrill when I think of a new way to use my supplies. It’s just as good as getting something new, maybe better. Well, at least you can save what you would have spent and save up for the next unique thing you really like. Happy crafting!
Hi friends! Today at 12 noon Eastern time on YouTube I will chat live in the comments with anyone who wants to join in while I premiere this fun, stash busing, free cardmaking workshop!
don’t worry, if you can’t make it when it premieres you can watch the replay in the player below after the event.
Supplies & links to technique tutorials (affiliate links used) Please note that I am using up a lot of old, random stuff. you probably have scraps in your stash that will work just fine. Many of the supplies I used are discontinued but I tried to find similar things if you need them. Have fun and create! Everyone’s will be a bit different that that’s where the magic is!
The bird stamps and dies come free with the print issue of Simply Cards and Papercraft #216 (that I was featured in!) It $10.39 on Craft Stash or $17 at Joann Fabrics, Barns & Noble and other bookstores.
Yes friends, they sure are! I always had a problem making sticker look good on my cards until I decided to create my card around the stickers instead of using them as an embellisment at the end.
I love how these cards turned out!
Best of all I was able to use up some stickers I’d been hording as well as a bunch of older forgotten supplies. Gather your supplies and craft along with me in the free cardmaking workshop!
Supplies: Everything but the kitchen sink…seriously tho. Some things may be discontinued but I’ll try to find them or something similar. Affiliate links may be used.
Blank washi tape *use coupon code LINDSAYWEIRICH for 12% off at Topflight Stamps!
Stencils *I just bought this set of 30 that was an amazing deal! I didn’t use them in this project tho, they just arrived and they are as good quality as the craft store brands. (sold out) Very similar one
Hi friends! Have you ever seen really fun stamps but you have no idea what kinds of card you would make with them? That was the dilemma I faced with some really fun and quirky stamps from Katzelkraft.
I looked at the animals in the sets and internet searched the animal plus the words joke or pun and came up with all kinds of options that can be used as sentiments. Since a joke has a set up and a punchline it’s perfect for the inside and outside of a card!
This video is sponsored by Top Flight Stamps! SAVE 10% off your next order with coupon code: thefrugalcrafter10 *USA orders of $50+ ship free!
Hi friends! Today we are going to dive into the world of watercolor pigment powders. They have been around for a few years so if you like to keep up with the trends chances are you might have purchased some of these in the past. I hadn’t seen many people using them lately so I thought it would be a good time to take them for a spin again!
Watercolor pigment powders are made by many companies, today I’ll use a variety including Colourcraft’s Brusho, Ken Oliver Color Burst, Magenta’s Nuance Powder, Cosmic Shimmer and Infusions by Paper Artsy. Any of these brands will work for today’s techniques. You can even use fabric dyes but you want the kind that have the mordant (salts or soda ash) separate. I have had good luck with Tye-Dye kits but bad luck with Rit as it has the salt crystals in it and it keeps the color from reacting as intensely. I prefer the powders that use multiple colors like the Paper Artsy Infusions do but you might like others. There are a lot to choose from!
I made more backgrounds than I did cards but that’s OK, they will keep. I cut all my paper to layering size (4″x5 1/4″) prior to working so when dry they will go into my paper storage, You might remember a couple of weeks ago I cut all my scraps down made lots of serendipity papers in that size. I’m telling you, cutting down my scraps was the best thing I ever did for cardmaking, I can make a card in no time now and the bins of paper are so inspiring to look at!
So, are you ready to get inky? A few tips before you begin:
Cover your workspace with plastic or a craft mat that will wipe clean. This will stain.
Wear gloves or be prepared to have multi colored hands for a day or two.
Pre cut all paper prior to beginning, Watercolor paper or bristol works the best with the watercolor powder but any thick white paper will also work, expectantly with the texture paste technique.
Create a space for the paper to dry, these will take a few hours to try so I usually do a project like this at the end of the day and leave them over night.
These powders are really fine and can easily be airborne so you might want to wear a mask (and nowadays we all seem to have them!
Video!
This video is sponsored by Top Flight Stamps! SAVE 10% off your next order with coupon code: thefrugalcrafter10 *USA orders of $50+ ship free!
I think projects like this are perfect when you have a couple of hours but you don’t really know what you want to do but you still want to be creative. There is no pressure for perfection and you are making so many little backgrounds that if you have a couple of duds it’s no big deal. It’s only a piece of paper! You could even stamp, stencil or gel print on any dud so there doesn’t have to be any waste. What was your favorite technique?
Sourdough Bread Update!
I made my first sourdough loaf yesterday and it was a hit! I used a King Arthur Flour sourdough bread machine recipe on the longer rising French bread setting and it was good but didn’t rise as much as it should have. I am experimenting today with the beginner sourdough loaf recipe from TheKitchn because that is where I got the starter recipe from and since it makes 2 loaves I am going to do one loaf (in a loaf pan) risen slowly overnight in the fridge and the other as a round artisan loaf (because I only own one loaf pan LOL!) risen at room temperature so I can serve it with dinner tonight. Both of those recipes require a small amount of baking yeast so it’s not a 100% true sourdough but my starter is only a week old and I am new at this so I am giving myself a break. I must say I enjoyed the crusty heel slice of yesterday’s bread toasted with Margarine today much more than the slice I had yesterday. The kids were disappointed that it was gone! I don’t think I am going to have a problem with discard starter in this family the way they like to eat bread around here! Anyway, that’s what’s going on in my neck of the woods:)
Hi friends! I don’t know about you but I have really had to push myself to be creative lately. I’ve been feeling down, adrift and out of sorts. It’s hard to get motivated to do anything other than the bare minimum when you feel this way but I’ve found that if I make myself venture down the the frigid basement craft cave and make myself start something I usually end up enjoying the time and working longer than I planned. All you have to do is just start, even when you don’t feel like it.
I know this must sound incredibly entitled and silly that I have to push myself to do something I enjoy. I must sound incredibly spoiled to anyone who is essential and still working outside of the home. In fact, I think that’s part of it. I actually feel a bit guilty that I get to work from home. My work feels very frivolous during this time. I’m struggling. First world problems, I know. If you are feeling like this you are not alone. Art and craft is not like food, shelter and healthcare, it’s not life sustaining but it can be soul sustaining and if you can share a smile with a friend you can’t visit in person I think it’s worthwhile. I sent one of these cards to a friend who is a nurse. We all have a part to play during these weird times. So, even though you might not feel terribly inspired right now pull out some old supplies and make something that will make someone else’s day a bit brighter. That seems pretty worthwhile to me. Watch the video to see how I made these.
I used my old letterpress platform to line up my stamps in a similar fashion that you would use a MISTI. I think it worked just as well as a stamping platform and I already had it!
I use a variety of inks from Gina K and Memento. *The smaller pads give greater variety without taking up a bunch of space For the background, I used water-reactive ink such as Distress ink.
To seal the postcards with the inky background I used wax, the kind you would wax furniture with.*any wax will work toprotect postcards. This is not needed if you are going to mail them in an envelope.
I also used a Stampin up roller stamps and a tattered angles background stamp.
The purpose of this card is to show you that you can make do and re purpose supplies to use them in more versatile ways. Which version did you like better, with the colorful background or without? I ended up turning these into regular greeting cards by mounting them on folded cardstock. I never quite know where a card making journey will take me. LOL! Happy crafting!
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