Monthly Archives: March 2014

Organize Your Stash of Arts and Crafts Supplies

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washi tape first aidMost of us have seen the many little funny quotes about crafty messes, and they ring true for so many of us! I am guilty of running to my craft room, quickly getting something done, and running right back out with the completed item. Did you notice I didn’t say anything about cleaning up? Gasp! I didn’t do anything. I have even been guilty of going back in to find I didn’t even get something closed like it should have been, returning to find it totally ruined! I just hate it when that happens, and I have been trying to be much more careful about that!

Last year, my husband gave up his home office for me. Yes, I’m spoiled! But he is so neat and tidy, and easily keeps my previous area clean! Now I can just close the door and he doesn’t have to look at it! I have worked to get everything organized, but sometimes it’s hard to keep it that way.

My friend, Margareta Carlsson from Organize Your Stash has started a fantastic list of prompts for getting these artsy supplies organized. She is sending out daily prompts to spend just 15 minutes each day working on getting your things in order! That’s right, JUST 15 minutes! Image how many hours that equals in a year. You do the math, I don’t like to! I’m sure it’s more than I usually would spend!

What will your area look like after a year?  Hurry on over to her site and sign up to get your marching orders each day!  www.organizeyourstash.com

True Stamp 2014

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true stamp 2014We’ve got exciting news to share! 50 lucky people can get a spot for just $49 by using the code ROLLBACK. The code is good until the 50 spots are taken, or until Thursday, noon Eastern time (3/27/14), whichever comes first!

So, if you’ve been lacking in the creative mojo, or wondering how you can get more life from the stamps you already own… or you just want to spend a day with a bunch of super-cool crafty people, then look no further!

My friend Lain Ehmann of True Scrap has pulled together six of the hottest stamping companies around to offer a full day of inspiration and fun, such as Technique Tuesday, Lawn Fawn, Simon Says Stamp, and three more. They’ll be revealing all their best stamping tips, tricks, techniques, and secrets in the ground-breaking True Stamp event.

True Stamp is a one-day, online, LIVE event on April 5. Yep, that’s right – all six instructors will come to YOU via the magic of the Internet in a state-of-the-art web room. You’ll watch class demonstrations, chat with instructors and other students, and have the time of your stampy life – all without leaving home (or even changing out of your PJs!).

Save $48! Use code: ROLLBACK

Register Here! 

You’ll learn from experts such as Shari Carroll, Kelly Marie Alvarez, Nichol Magouirk, Bev Grey, Bobbi Lemanski, and Kim Hughes, with a few surprise instructors.

If you’re tired of just staring at your stamping supplies or creating the “same old” projects, then check out True Stamp.

Register Here!
Save $48! Use code: ROLLBACK

Affiliate links.

Art Journaling Basics for Beginners ebook and Videos

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Art Journaling Basics for BeginnersLearn the basics to getting started on your own Artful Adventure into Art Journaling!

If you have always wanted to find out more about art journaling, here’s your chance.  This eBook is complete with video links, as well as images and ideas for your first few pages! It addresses some questions you may have about the very basics of getting started.

The ebook is a downloadable 26 page .PDF file and includes 4 video links along with the printed information, which is NOT a transcription from the videos!  It is an 8.5 x 11 inch size, so that you can print out the included images and quotes to use in your art journaling.

This eBook offers valuable tips on:

  • What to use for a journal
  • Instructions for making your own journal by recycling a book, if you’d like to go green!
  • Tips on Basic Supplies
  • Information on Adhesives
  • 5 Ways to Make Backgrounds
  • Tips on Getting Started
  • Starter Prompts
  • Printable Images and quotes to help you get started! 

Get yours now for just $7

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art journaling basics for beginners ebook

 What People are saying:

I highly recommend Kristie’s ebook, Artful Adventures – Art Journaling Basics, for anyone who has dabbled or who has thought about dabbling in art journaling. Kristie debunks the myth that you need to be an artist to have an art journal. With her open, shoot from the hip style, you learn what an art journal can be, what to look for when buying one and how to create gorgeous background patterns. Getting messy can be the hardest thing for Type A people like me but after watching Kristie slap gesso on the page with her hands, I want to try it! Thanks to Kristie’s tips and tricks I feel more confident in my own fledgling art journaling attempts!

Alison Day
AlisonDayDesigns.com

I love Kristie’s approach to learning about art journaling.  I am so glad I got a chance to read her book.  It is full of beginner info that I found invaluable.  This book should be in every beginner’s hands.  

Gina
GinaZee.com

Get yours now for just $7

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Vintage Look St. Patrick’s Day Tags

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We don’t really celebrate St. Patrick’s day at our home in a big way, but just bringing in some green and thinking that spring will eventually come this year, it was fun to participate in a St. Patrick’s themed tag swap!  These little tags made for a swap, were speeded along by using the vintage images offered by Joanna Grant!

Vintage Look St. Patrick Tags

What size tags do you usually make? Do you tend to stick to one size, or do you like to mix it up? By making these tags 3 inches by 4 inches, they could also be used in pocket scrapbooking pages!

Here’s how these were quickly made:

  • After cutting card stock to 3″ x 6″, the corners were rounded, and a pattern was stamped. I chose to use thinned down acrylic paint to give it a little different look than stamping with ink.  
  • Next, Tim Holtz Distress Ink was used to add more green over the entire card, and a bit of brown was added to the edges. 
  • The vintage images were printed out onto Presentation Paper, and torn around the edges and inked around edge before adhering to the card.
  • One tiny embellishment was added — a tiny pearl in the middle of her bonnet.
  • Finally, a bit of ribbon and twine was added to a punched hole. 

That’s it!

I enjoy using technology to speed up creating, but still love to get messy and crafty! By using this kind of on-demand printing for projects, it can allow you to have less physical product on hand — or not!

What kind of technology do you incorporate in your artsy/craftsy ventures?

KS

Monthly Art Journal Diary Page – March

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Some of you may remember the pages we did for a monthly calendar, using a cross between art journaling and scrapbooking. Here was last year’s March layout. This year, I am doing something a little different. I have been participating in Joanne Sharpe’s wonderful online class, Draw Your Awesome Year. We are each working on a journal, and each month we are creating an artful layout to use in documenting little bits about each day.

This is great for me, because I don’t typically journal every day; at least not a full page. That’s why just a snippet of info is a great way to keep a bit of info so that I can look back and remember the year.

March daily calendar art journal.

This particular spread’s design was created with Inktense pencils and a water brush. Isn’t it great how you can create something by only coloring in the negative space? I love these pencils because they are so vivid and not too messy!  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to being messy!

I pulled out my greens and just went to work. Not a great idea! I should have looked at my color swatches and realized that “Leaf Green” has a brown tone in it! Yes, I dove in right around the title of my page, and it was hard to get that color toned down. I tried to pull it into other areas of the page, but the top of the right page has a little too much more my taste. The background and design are done, and for me, it’s time to move on!

Do you often find that you spend a great deal of time trying to “fix” something you didn’t plan on happening in your art or crafting? Share your stories so I don’t feel like I am all alone!