Spooky Time is Here! (Although this raven is too cute to spook anyone)

Hi friends, I love how cute this mixed media raven turned out. I want to find an ornate frame for it and use it in my Halloween decorating.

I’m going to share a look behind the scenes of designing this painting and show you how I come up with an idea and then figure out better ways to do it when I go to teach it. If you would like to paint this live with me I will be teaching it live at Michaels online classes on October 20th at 8pm ET. You can get the full supply list and pattern here. The class is $20 and students will get a recording the day after the class.

This Thursday I have a free Micheals class all bout Derwent Pan paints and I will share tips, tricks, and techniques on using them. If you have some of these products (or similar pan paints) and want some ideas on how to make the most of them please join me. You can ask me questions while the class is live and hopefully get some good inspiration! Sign up for free here.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you in one or both of those live classes! Happy crafting!

Painted Pumpkins // Dollar Store Craft

Hi Friends! You can use real or fake pumpkins for this cute craft! Great for kids and classrooms too. Put them out for decoration this Halloween! This would make a fun activity at a Halloween party too!

Watch the video to seehow!

Supplies (affiliate links used)

• Read or foam pumpkins. I got mine for $1 each at Dollar Tree, they are $8 at the craft store!
• Acrylic paint & brushes
• Acrylic paint pens
• Metallic pens (optional)
• Black and orange felt
• Fabric or tacky glue, toothpicks, scissors

Tips:

• If crafting with kids you might want to basecoat the pumpkins and let them dry before inviting the kids to craft.
• Ceramic, plaster and paper mache pumpkins can be used for indoor use but you will want to hot glue the accessories on as toothpicks won’t pierce them.
• If you are painting real pumpkins be sure to bring them inside a few hours before painting so the pumpkin can dry and warm-up for better paint adhesion. As a bonus painted pumpkins last longer than carved ones.

I hope you enjoyed this Halloween craft! What other pumpkin crafts do you enjoy? Let me know in the comments below!

Whoo’s Ready for Fall!

Hi friends! Today we are making a stamped card with alcohol marker coloring and rub-on transfers.

There are lots of techniques and ideas in this seemingly simple card, watch the video to see!

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:

• Hocus Pocus Stamp Set
• Autumn Nights Stamp Set
• Creative Expressions Andy Skinner Mixed Media Transfers
• Vintage music paper
• If you don’t have music pattern paper try this stamp and make your own
• Alcohol markers (Spectrum Noir Illustrator)
• Black ink (Ranger Archival)
• Double stick tape and wet glue
• Wink of Stella pen in clear and gold
• Colored pencils

Thanks for stamping with me today and til next time happy crafting!

What do Skeletons and Peonies Have in Common?

Hi friends! I am so glad to be back doodling around in a sketchbook today! After many weeks of spending my “free” time on assignments for a painting class I am taking it is fun to just play in a sketchbook!

I started off wanting to do a bit of a Halloween sketch so I sketched a skeleton in ink in the sketchbook that came in my Smart Art Box but I didn’t think that this mixed media paper was best suited to ink as it bled through so I decided to also try my watercolors on it.

The watercolor also wanted to absorb in and show through the back of the page a bit but I actually really loved the effect, it was like Chinese brush painting (not that I am trained in that discipline at all but I have played with the materials before) and I loved the effect. I also loved accenting that sketch with the flexible pen that also came in the box that I forgot to use in the first sketch. Remember, just because a supply came with certain things doesn’t mean you can’t try it out with something else you have that you might enjoy more. Any new supply you add to your stash should make your other supplies more useful (not redundant) and you often come up with really cool techniques when you use materials in new ways or in combination with other products. Mix up that media man! Watch the video to see these two paintings come together:)

The supplies in this video were in the October Smart Art Box. Smart Art sponsored this video and I thank them for their support. If you would like a surprise box of art supplies delivered to your door each month consider subscribing. They ship to many countries and you can find out more on their website.

Supply List: (Occasionally Smart Art will have additional boxes for sale. You can check availability here. As of now there are no extra October boxes listed so I have linked to the products on Amazon (affiliate links used) for your convenience.

• Sketchbook
• Pentel Aquash Brush
• Pen and Ink No-Shellac India Ink
• Zebra Zenzations Brush Pen
• Sakura Gelly Roll Pen (White)
• Lauren Golden Synthetic Watercolor Filbert 4 Brush
• Maribu Graphix Aqua Inks on Amazon, on Jerry’s Artarama (better deal)
• Reference photo

Out of curiosity I looked up the prices of the products in the box on Amazon and they came out to about $61. I will definitely use these products in other projects (and yay they included my favorite fountain pen safe waterproof ink!) After I open and use my products from a subscription box I store the supplies with other “like” supplies so I will remember I have them the next time I need a pen or bottle of ink. I recommend doing this if you get random supplies here and there. I know it is tempting to keep kits or certain brands together but you will use them more (and they won’t dry up and go to waste because you forget you have them) if you store like with like. If I find I have a double I put the extra in my office art space (for when it’s too cold to craft down in the basement) or in my travel art bag or pass it along to a friend if it has a shelf life. I mention this because art subscription boxes are fun but you might forget what you got if you don’t put them in their proper homes after the first play. At least that’s how I am. I hope you enjoyed this sketchbook sunday and til next time happy crafting!

Halloween Treat Bags-No Template Needed!

Hi friends!  Today we are going to make these sweet treat bags for Halloween! You get 2 bags from one sheet of standard cardstock (I am using the cheap stuff from Sams Club so whatever you have on hand is totally fine!) making these favor bags less expensive than store-bought treat bags.

If Halloween isn’t your cup of tea you can use the technique for making these bags for whatever occasion you like! You can change-up the dimensions of the box, all you need to remember is to keep the sides the same size,  and the front the same size as the back. You can save time by using thick patterned paper to match your occasion too! 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:

• Katzelkraft Monster Stamps
• Katzelkraft torn paper frame stamps
• Katzelkraft Top Flight Stamps Exclusive Accessories
• Stamping Mat
• Watercolor Markers (Color It) *These are the refillable ones!
• Scoring board (Scor Pal)

Supplies below can be found at Consumer Crafts. *25% off sitewide at Consumer Crafts today (no minimum purchase!) with Coupon Code FLASH918 (expires 11:59pm PST 9/19/18) Free shipping on orders over $49 everyday:) *Affiliate links used.

• White cardstock
• Distress Oxide inks (peeled paint and spiced marmalade)
• Archival ink in black for stamping
• Scissors
• Hot glue or strong tape
• Make up sponges or blending tools
• Water and a paintbrush

I hope you found this project useful! You can make a wider, thinner box to hold gift cards as well. Just make the score for the bottom flaps equal to the skinniest side so you don’t have to cut off excess and it will make your bag a bit taller to hide the card. Add ribbon and you have a bag you could even hang on the Christmas tree! There are so many options for this, I hope you give it a try! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Inktober Day 3: Poison

Hi friends! Just popping in really quick with today’s #inktober2017 sketch using the prompt “poison.”

Here is a quick time-lapse video of the sketch:

Supplies:

• Marker paper
• Prismacolor fine liner
• Alcohol pens
• Clear blender pen
• Paint over pen (white)
• Uniball signo gel pen (white)
• Reference photo

That’s it for now! Are you doing the Inktober challenge? All you need is a pen and paper, give it a try and let me know how you make out in the comments below. Happy crafting!

Easy No-Spill Candy Bag to Sew!

Here is a fun idea for trick-or-treating OR anyplace you need a no-spill bag for kids (like keeping Legos and crayons from spilling all over the car!)

The design is simple and easy to sew by hand or machine and it can be made with a half yard or fabric or 2 fat quarters. Watch the video to see how!

Supplies:
1/2 yard of fabric OR 2 “Fat Quarters”
Needle and thread or sewing machine
Iron
Sewing Pins
Hook & Loop Tape (AKA Velcro)
Grosgrain ribbon
Felt (orange, green, black, white)
Glitter
Fabric Glue or Hot Glue and spray adhesive if using glitter

Thanks to Papermart for sponsoring this post! Thank you for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

 

Wicked Easy Halloween Trick-o-Treat Bags!

Hi friends! Here is a fun way to get some use out of your Halloween themed stamps, use up some paper scraps and get a head start on Halloween!

If you don’t celebrate Halloween you can change-up the stamps and prepare these little bags for another event! I am using tin tie coffee bags from our sponsor Papermart, they are sturdy and plastic lined so you can actually gift food items in them, they are sturdy bags that you can decorate and stamp on too. I think they are a wonderful item to have on hand, they come in kraft, white and other colors but I like the kraft best. FYI The other colors are a bit glossy so you would need a specialty ink to stamp on those.

Video!

Supplies:
Tin-Tie Coffee Bags
Mini Clothes Pins
Colored Pencils
Colored paper (scraps can be used!)
Halloween stamps and dies & ink (optional-mine are from Stampendous)

Directions:
1. Layer green and blue paper to make grass and sky and fold in half to make a bag topper. You can cut it into a fancy shape if you like (as I did in the video) or leave it as a rectangle.
2. Stamp a pumpkin on orange paper, add details with colored pencils, cut out and glue to topper. You can add a stem or witches hat to the pumpkin if you like. Stamp “Happy Halloween” on the backside.
3. Place over the bag and secure with a mini clothes pin.

Consider making a few of your treat bags with a teal pumpkin or teal hat like I did and having non-food Halloween treats in them like crayons, pencils, puzzles so you can give them to kids with food allergies. You can let parents know that you have non-food treats by placing a teal painted pumpkin on your porch. I am not sure who started the teal pumpkin project but I think it is a great idea! Let’s make Halloween fun for everyone! Happy Crafting!

Stamp School 14: How to Make a Shaker Card {for Halloween!}

Hi Friends! The other day I shared a quick shaker card but tonight I am going to go a bit more in-depth for my stamp school friends!

Sorry if I still sound a bit stuffy, I’m not back to 100% yet and it is getting on my nerves, I like being productive darn it LOL! It was nice to chill out and make a relaxed card. I hope you enjoy tonight’s mellow tutorial.

Video!

Supplies:
Cardstock (purple and white)
Stamps from the Halloween Collection from Stampendous!
Ink: Black, lavender, purple
craft knife
ruler
Acetate or clear packaging
Foam Tape
double-sided tape
Ribbon
Embellishments and glue if desired

Directions for shaker card:
1. Stamp frame image on purple cardstock, tear away frame and cut out window. Save this center for the inside.
2. Place the frame on a folded card and trace the window. Stamp skeleton inside window and color the background orange.
3. Attach the acetate clear sheet over the backside of the frame to cover the hole you cut. Go around the opening with foam tape and fill with glitter, beads and sequins.
4. remove the liner from the foam tape and center the folded card over the frame so that the skeleton will show through the window.
5. Embellish as desired.

Tip! The dollar stores can be a treasure trove for embellishments, look at Halloween decorations, jewelry and party favors and see if you can repurpose them into card embellishments! Also look at your orange, purple, green and black supplies to see what you already have!

What kinds of cards and projects would YOU like to see me do in stamp school? Christmas cards? Scrapbook layouts? Let me know in the comments! Til next time happy crafting!