Howdy folks! I have had fun this week painting with watercolors and I posted 4 new lessons in my shop Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff. These new lessons are intermediate level. I don’t think they are any more difficult than the beginner projects but they do not have the in-depth explanation of each technique because if you painted my beginner projects (also in my shop) you would already know how to do them. Also if you have painted with watercolors before the intermediate projects should be easy. They are like a traditional painting packet you would buy in a tole painting shop or read in a decorative painting magazine. So basically in the beginner lessons I assume you have never picked up a brush in your life and in the intermediate kits I assume you know basic techniques 🙂 Here is what you can paint!
Don’t worry, it is really easy, I like to have several paintings going at once so I have something to work on while I am waiting to parts to dry. One change I made to the intermediate painting kits is that the pattern is a re-sizable jpg so you could print it small to go on a card or larger if you like. Keep in mind that you can change colors and leave out (or add more) spattering because they are YOUR paintings, have fun! All the kits are $3 and think of how much you can learn and the fun you will have! Thanks for stopping by and til next time Happy crafting (and painting!)
We woke up to 4 inches of sticky white snow this morning! The kids got dressed and played in it until it was time to get on the bus for school. What a great way to start the day (Although I don’t envy the school-teachers that have to deal with all of that giddy excitement!) Then I went out and walked the dog and seeing all of that beautiful snow put me in the Christmas spirit! Here is the Advent Calendar I made last year. I had to wait to post it because it was featured in The Decorative Painter Magazine last December.
I cut a large Take-out box from #300 watercolor paper using my Box Bonanza Template kit and then I transferred the poinsettia digistamps from my Nature’s Christmas kit on the sides. I transferred the flower a couple more times and cut it out and glued it over the design so it would be 3-D, the 300 pound paper almost feels like balsa wood! I also sketched on some holly and ribbons. I scored the box with a ruler and stylus so it would be easier to fold later and painted it with watercolors.
When the paint was dry I added detail with Prismacolor colored pencils and flicked on some watercolor paint for texture.
I made paper fortune cookies to go inside. I inserted little strips of paper with holiday ideas on them like “bake cookies”, “watch a Christmas movie”, do Christmas crafts etc. so the kids could pick a cookie and do an activity. You could number the cookies as well if you need certain events to fall on certain days in December Here is an old video showing how I make the cookies…please don’t mind the low-techness, it was one of my first videos:)
You could also use this idea to make a “Thankful” box and put things you are thankful for on the paper strips for thanksgiving. Enjoy your day and til next time happy crafting!
Howdy folks, just wanted to pop in quickly and let you know that everything at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff is 50% off now through Sunday:
A girls gotta pay the bills right? So check it out now through Sunday to save 50% on everything…yadda, yadda, blah, blah, blah…Shameless promotion over 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
It looks like we have a rainy weekend in store for us in New England, I’m glad I have this new project for my kids to play with. I don’t pay for chipboard anymore. I have found that I can simply use the stuff in my recycling bin, namely cereal boxes and they cut great in my electronic die cutter! I used the SVG file from my 3D Mailbox template to make the box and new postal stamps from Pink Persimmon to make stamps and envelopes and other goodies for this play set for kids:
Are you ready to get started? Here is a video to show you how it’s done! I’ll even show you how to make your own lick and stick envelope glue,”air mail” bakers twine and custom envelopes!
I did not share how I assembled the mailbox (I used hot glue) but I have a video on this post that will show you how.
Envelope Glue Recipe:
2tbs white glue (not washable)
1tbs white vinegar
2 drops flavored oil such as peppermint
Mix the above ingredients in a jar and brush on envelope flaps or back of paper to make stickers or stamps and let dry before using.
I hope you enjoyed this project! Here is a look at the brand new Pink Persimmon Stamps I used:
Famous. Last. Words. Just kidding folks 🙂 My son wanted to have a sleepover for his 10th birthday (in October) but we live in a tiny house so I said maybe he could have it early (in the summer) and have a campout in the backyard. Boy, did he like THAT idea because A. it meant her would have his birthday early and B. camping out is his favorite thing. Add a bunch of 8-10 year old boys and it is a recipe for fun…or disaster…I’m not sure which LOL! So if you are reading this blog post hoping to see a professionally photographed party you can stop right now. It was such chaos that I didn’t even dare to stop supervising the madhouse to take a picture until 8:30! Luckily I took a photo of my lovely S’mores bouquet before the yahoos arrived:
My son said to me “Mom, I hope you aren’t going to put that out until it is time for s’mores, otherwise we’ll just hog down all of the candy” straight from the mouths of babes. The S’more fixin’s went out at 8:30, that’s when I spotted my camera and thought “Oh no! I have not taken one picture of the party!”
I only took 2 photos that night…and I left my camera out in the rain…
BTW I put the marshmallows on barbecue skewers, they look great but are a bit short for roasting marshmallows. On the upside they were too short for the kids to stick them into the flames and make dangerous marshmallow torches with. Small favors.
We also made doughboys (AKA donuts on a stick) at the party. I bought 6 dowels at the lumber yard (smartly I realized that I did not want more than 6 kids around the fire trying to cook at once) and some refrigerated biscuit dough. I bought Grands biscuits by Pillsbury but any brand will work. The original seems to work best. Cut the one biscuit in half and stretch it out and wrap it around the end of the dowel and cook it over the campfire. Keep it in the heat but out of the flame. It is done when it puffs up and it sounds hollow when you tap on it. The full size grand biscuit will not cook, just use a half. Then roll the doughboy in butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Yum!
I also came up with a Vegan/Kosher s’more. Roast a piece of banana over the fire and place it on a graham cracker that has been spread with peanut butter and chocolate chips. Top with another graham cracker.
Another fun activity to keep the campers entertained were homemade marshmallow shooters:
The idea came from the blog Come Together Kids. I used 12″ balloons and large plastic cups. Buy an extra package of balloons so you can repair the shooter if need be. I put out a bag of mini marshmallows and that was plenty, I had the kids re-use the ammo so I would not have a yard full of marshmallows to pick up (or for my dog and chickens to get sick eating LOL!) Here is a quick video on how to make them:
If you are still reading, thanks! I originally thought I’d let the boys stay up until 10 and then have them settle into their tents to chit-chat and read. (I also thought that the boys would be sitting around the campfire singing folk songs but that didn’t happen either!) but by about 6pm I realized that these boys will be going into the tents at 9. By the time the boys had all used the bathroom, brushed their teeth (hopefully?) and settled into their tents it was about 9:30. At 10 it started to rain…pour actually…and the tent was leaking! Camping in the rain, why that’s my specialty. I tarped the tents and got the boys settled, again. All in all the boys were asleep around 1am.
My son and I silkscreened T-shirts for the guests. All the boys made it though the night and I did too! They all had a blast and they were all good kids but If I told you that having a campout party was a piece of cake I’d be lying. I’m keeping it real, folks.
Oh, I forgot to mention, the quest list was small compared to the other birthday parties. Jackson invited 9 boys in his grade. It being summer I was not sure if they would all make it to the party. I invited siblings to come over for a cookout supper and smore’s. I wanted to have a little party favor for them when they left and made these, I got the idea from girl scout swaps:
I made a wood grain stamp with my Stampmaker and used it to stamp on tags, then stamp a little tent and the word thanks. The flashlight pin was made from golf tees cut short and painted, then I glued on a gold pony bead (for the light) and scrap of funfoam for the switch and a pin back so it could be worn.
So, if you are STILL reading you are probably thinking about throwing your own backyard campout. Here are some tips and friendly advice:
Keep the party small. 6 kids is a good amount. Put 3 each in a tent and they might get to sleep before midnight. Maybe.
If by some lapse of reason you decide to invite more kids enlist some other moms to help. Maybe have a few organized games to keep the kids from running wild.
Get emergency contact info from every parent before the day of the campout. Find out if anyone is on medication, needs an inhaler or has any food allergies.
Also I asked that pocket knives and video games be left at home.
Don’t forget the prefect invitation! I used free tourist maps to make envelopes and the printable Backyard Party Campout kit for the interactive invitation.
Well, that’s how you host a backyard campout sleepover. And I lived to tell about it…I think I should have made myself a T-shirt too, ha ha! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
How’s that for a headline? It is true, I am having a 50% off sale now through Saturday at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff. I have some cool new kits to check out as well as a free die cutting file so you can make this swing card! On this card I also used the Pretty Posies Digital Stamp Set on sale for $2!
If you want to see this interactive card in action then check out the video, there are some tips there too including how to use a regular paper punch to make seamless borders. I own very few punches but I still make them earn their keep!
Here is what the card looks like closed:
And all the way flat:
It is such a simple design but it holds a fun surprise for the recipient! The Free SVG kit also contains a printable file, I shared that back on this post along with a video on how to make it by hand with a paper cutter.
That’s all for today! Remember to visit Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff to snag your freebie and to save 50% on everything else! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Happy Monday folks! I saw a really pretty card on a blog the other day (I’m so sorry I cannot find the card I saw, I went hunting for it again, so if you recently posted a pretty gatefold easel card on your blog leave me a link so I can check it out!) I couldn’t get the lovely card off my mind so I decided to try to make one and came up with this. I used Lily digistamp from my Pretty Posies Digital stamp set for the center panel. By the way, Everything at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff is 36% off through Wednesday! It’s my birthday sale! Anywhoo…on to the card:
Here it is closed:
Remove the band and open the flaps:
And pop up the easel, fun huh?
Do you know what else? It is really easy to make too, check out my video:
Here is the cutting, scoring template:
I tried to find out who originally came up with this idea and saw many more lovely cards (not the one that first inspired me tho!) so if you know who came up with this idea please leave a comment so I can credit them:) Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
How about a sale on something you want when you can use it? Cool huh! This is one of my favorite kits and I am putting it on sale through the 4th of July! Us the USA Mega Party Kit for your independence day celebrations or other patriotic events! You get this mega bundle for only $5 now through Wednesday!
This was so fun to design that I just couldn’t stop, you get 16 full sheet printables and 2 cards/invites! Here are some closer looks:
Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Hey there, I just wanted to let you know that everything is 40% off today only at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff and MyGrafico! OK, now that the business is out-of-the-way check out the thank you easel card I made for my mom using the Paper Flower SVG kit:
Here is a look from the side, you can see how it stands for display, it will also fold flat:
Now for some quick tips!
Cut slivers of paper and thread them through your buttons for the look of real string, it is so quick!
If you see hot glue strings on your project blast them for a second with your heat gun and they dissappear…opps! I forgot to do that LOL!
You can make an easel card any size, simply fold your card in half as usual then fold one end to the middle fold. Then you can attach a panel (the same size as your original card front) to the half folded section. If that is confusing just search “easel card template” and you will find lots of instructions 🙂
That’s all for today, be sure to check out the 40% off sale at Lindsay’s and Mygrafico. Til next time happy crafting!
