Category Archives: Tutorials

Blended Ink Background Technique

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Welcome, it’s Make It Monday again! Today I wanted to share a background technique that is quick and easy and provides great results by blending ink.

make it monday logo

Kristie-Sloan-blended-ink-background_pin

It seems like every time I use this technique I use at least three colors. Today is no different. Supplies needed:

  • glossy card stock
  • ink pads (today I used dye based ink)
  • foam tipped daubers or sponge (I used my sponge rounds and cut them into 6 sections)
Minimal supplies for a background

Minimal supplies for a background.

So that you don’t cross contaminate your ink pads with a totally different color, be sure to use an applicator dedicated to one color. You don’t have to have one for each ink pad, but have one for yellow, one for orange, one for green, etc.

I like to start with the lightest color and apply it first. Just use your applicator and rub it on your ink pad. Then apply it on the glossy side of your glossy card stock.

Apply your first color

Apply your first color.

Next, you want to apply your second color, blending it up into the first color as you add it. You can use circular motions or just swipe back and forth.

Apply second color, blending it into the first color

Apply second color, blending it into the first color.

You may have already guessed, now you apply the third color! Again, blend it into to color you applied previously. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Remember it is going to be a background!

Apply the third color; again blending into the previous color

Apply the third color; again blending into the previous color.

A baby wipe can help you blend the color even more. However it will lift off a bit of the color as well, but can create a little different look.

A baby wipe can further blend the colors

A baby wipe can further blend the colors.

For the card I made with this background, I stamped a tree with Versamark ink, and then used black heat embossing powder. Because heat embossing will resist the ink, you can also emboss the image before you blend your ink onto the paper. Either way will work if you are heat embossing.

This was such a quick card. I used Bronze Shimmer Trim for even more pizzaz! And finished it off with a bit of bling from the Sparkles Brown and Tan Assortment. I already had the tree stamp, but it is very similar to the Always Grateful, Close to My Heart set.

A sunset background using the a blended ink technique

A sunset background using the a blended ink technique

 

 

make it monday logoI hope you’ve been enjoying the Make It Monday blog hops as much as I have! Did you land here from Digital Scrapbooking HQ? Melissa Shanhun always has great ideas on making memory keeping fast and easy. Today she shares how to use the new Project Life App for documenting a Week in the Life project. Next on the hop is Alice from Scrapbook Wonderland with a brilliant tip on using a postcard on a layout. Remember, to think broader than scrapbooks — think art journaling or mixed media, too!

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to leave a comment.  You are always welcome to shop at my online Close to My Heart store if you are in the USA. The links for some of today’s products are below.

Cheers to YOUR Artful Adventures,

KS

 

 

 


Mixed Media Halloween Wall Decor

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make it monday blog hop fall logoWelcome to this week’s Make It Monday blog hop! If you arrived by way of Karen Fitting’s website at Photos Kept Alive, welcome! I don’t want you to miss her post because she always has such great ideas, so I’ll tell you how to get back to it at the end of this post.

Today’s theme is Fall/Halloween for the hop. I have had this idea for a little while, and so I saved it for today. Since so many people want to know how to create the mixed media projects they are seeing, I decided to create something with a limited set of products. I chose the Scaredy Cat paper pack and Scaredy Cat Complements pack from Close to My Heart because I felt it offered such a great collection for what I wanted to create.

Halloween Mixed Media Decor Item

Halloween Mixed Media Decor Item

This project was done on a 12″x12″x1″ canvas. By painting the edges, it doesn’t need to be framed. If you wanted to, you could use a canvas panel so that it would be thin enough to place in a regular picture frame.

First off, select what you’ll use for the background. I chose the Slate paper for the top or sky, and the black for the ground bottom. I cut a strip off the bottom of the Slate paper and then tore a tiny bit along the edge. That way, the layers ease together nicely. Now, use an adhesive medium to coat the back side of your paper. Turn it over onto the canvas add a layer of your medium over the top to seal it.

slate background paper applied to canvas

Tear along the bottom edge to create less bulk when adding the next layer.

Next, I tore an edge on my Black paper to create the ground. Again, coat the back of the paper with your adhesive medium, turn it over onto the canvas and add another layer of the medium.

Black paper turn to give curves for the ground portion of the project.

Black paper turn to give curves for the ground portion of the project.

Next, you can either add some texture to background or you could just continue to the next step. I like to add a lot of different textures, so I used black StazOn as well as some white paint and a bit of Thistle ink. In the end I was sorry I had added too much of the white, so I grabbed some black paint and gave a squirt into my white paint to make a nice gray. I then brushed this over the sky portion of my background and restamped my texture in StazOn.

Texture added to the background

After my night sky became too light, I ended up creating gray with my paint and toned it back down.

Now it was time to really start having some fun. Between the paper pack and some stickers from its coordinating set, there was a lot to play with. Since these were the only products I wanted to use, I did a lot of cutting. One of the decorative sheets has a lot to choose from, and the parts that didn’t get cut up from that sheet will still be used to make some other things — cards, treat bag toppers, etc. You can get a lot of mileage from that one piece of paper! Here is what it looked like

Major pieces placed and doors and windows added.

Major pieces placed and doors and windows added.

Next I added details with a fine line marker, placed more stickers, and then used a black Pitt Pen to smudge around the edges of everything to give it more definition. A bit more black was smudged into the sky to add a little more darkness. NOTE: You MUST have sealed everything with your medium over the top, even the stickers. The Pitt Pen will smear for a second as soon as you put it on, but it will not smudge if it is on unsealed paper. You have to act quickly, and you may need to dampen your finger, as well.

The last thing I did was use a white gel pen to add some final definition to a few areas. You’ll notice that I didn’t try to make perfectly straight lines.  That’s it. Complete! Here are some close ups.

White Gel Pen used to add some details

White Gel Pen used to add some details.

Black Pitt Pen smudged around edges

Black Pitt Pen smudged around edges.

 

Night sky with more black smudged in over the Slate background

Night sky with more black smudged in over the Slate background.

Here is the final piece.  I may go back in and use my fine tip black pen to outline the witch and broom over the moon. What do you think?

Halloween Mixed Media Decor Item

Halloween Mixed Media Decor Item

Here is the FINAL piece. I went back in and outlined the witch!

Halloween Mixed Media Decor Item

Halloween Mixed Media Decor Item

Easy access to the Scaredy Cat items are below.

As promised, if you missed Karen’s great idea for hybrid Halloween tags, you go back and check it out HERE. Otherwise, next on the Make It Monday blog hop Melissa Shanhun is scrapbooking Halloween and there’s not a costumed child in sight! 

I hope you all know how much it means to know you’ve stopped by, looked and read. I’d appreciate it if you’d leave a comment!

Until our next Artful Adventure,

KS

 

 

Here are the featured products used in this project, with links to my online Close to My Heart store.


Watercolor Background Effect Using Ink

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make it monday kristie sloan artful adventuresWelcome to another Make It Monday blog hop project! You can check out the list of participants later in this post.

In today’s project, we’ll learn how to create a watercolor background using water soluble dye based ink pads that you may have on hand for stamping. Creating this effect uses very few items.

All we need are:

  • Ink colors
  • Acrylic stamp block
  • Tiny mister for water
  • Card stock or other paper
watercolor ink background tools

Very few items are needed for this technique.

A quick and easy way to apply the ink to your block is to just rub the corner of your ink pad onto the center of the block.

Rub ink into the center of the acrylic block.

Rub ink into the center of the acrylic block.

Mist the ink with your sprayer and let it mingle for a moment before applying it to your paper. I just used a piece of card stock for this project, but you could certainly use watercolor or a mixed media paper. If using card stock, make sure to not over saturate your paper with water. Wipe the block off between colors, or even between applications. Baby wipes are a great item to have in your craft room! Continue to randomly stamp the colors until you are happy with the results. Don’t worry about leaving white spaces, they can work well into your finished piece.

Stamp the ink from the acrylic block randomly on the paper, changing colors as desired

Stamp the ink from the acrylic block randomly on the paper, changing colors as desired.

Now you have a background piece to use as you wish. I cut a piece to use as a card front, however you can use this technique in selected spots on a scrapbook page background for a nice artsy feel. Since the background has so much going on, I wanted to just create a simple card by only using black to stamp any designs or greetings. Here is the finished card, using a black card base (with white liner), backed  with a piece of CTMH Thistle card stock.

Design and greeting stamped in black

Design and greeting stamped in black.

For a finishing touch, I added a rhinestone for the head of the butterfly on the right.

I’m happy with the way the card turned out, and I have enough paper to use for another card. These are not colors I would normally use, but I’m glad I gave them a try!

Be sure to visit the next stop on the Make It Monday hop, Jen Wright. She’s got some ideas for a scrapbook template and a challenge. Here is the whole list this week:

Connie Hanks: Layers on scrapbook layouts

      You’re Here — Kristie Sloan: Watercolor Effects Using Ink

Jen Wright: Scrapbook template ideas and challenge

Alice Boll: Capture the beauty of fall on a ‘WonderFALL’ scrapbook layout

Gina Zee: Make a school themed tag from a cereal box

 

Until our next Artful Adventure,

KS

 

 

Here are some handy links to some of the products in this project. When you use these links to purchase these items, I receive a commission. Yes, shameless promotion!


Fast and Fabulous Base and Bling Necklace

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Welcome to a Make It Monday project!

Base and Bling Necklace.

Base and Bling Necklace.

I am so excited to invite you to meet a few of my creative and crafty friends from all over the world with this new blog hop! I am amazed at the diverse and creative projects these ladies share! I met many of them through Layout-a-day, so it’s safe to say many of them enjoy scrapbooking. However, you’ll find they have a passion for projects from Scrapbooking to Art, Embroidery to Photo Management, paper to digital. Come join the fun!

Today I want to show you a quick way to create a personalized necklace with minimal supplies. In fact, once you have the supplies, you’ll be ready to make more of these not only for yourself, but they make great, affordable gifts. Who doesn’t like a thoughtful gift?

You’ll need:

  • A pendant base
  • A beveled glass cover
  • Clear craft lacquer
  • An image to use
  • A Necklace chain
  • Charms (optional)

You can create your own image the size you need, but there are images ready to just peel and stick! Take a look at these choices from Close To My Heart:

base and bling story teller style sheet - Z1973

Base and Bling Story Teller Style Sheet

base and bling signature style sheet - Z2055

Base and Bling Signature Style Sheet

base and bling journey style sheet - Z2054

Base and Bling Journey Style Sheet

base and bling free thinker style sheet - Z1974

Base and Bling Free Thinker Style Sheet

base and bling dreamer style sheet - Z1976

Base and Bling Dreamer Style Sheet

base and bling craft queen style sheet - Z1975

Base and Bling Craft Queen Style Sheet

 

Once you select your image you need your base. Here are the bases that are currently available from CTMH:

CTMH Pendant Bases

CTMH Pendant Bases

 

Select a glass cover to match your base.

Rectangle Glass Cover

Rectangle Glass Cover

Oval Glass Cover

Oval Glass Cover

Circle and Square Glass Cover

Circle and Square Glass Cover

 

I decided to use a rectangular image and a square base. They are the same width, so just trim the height to fit.

Rectangle image used for square pendant

Rectangle image used for square pendant.

 

Place the image into the base and press firmly against the base. It’s okay to press it up the side a tiny bit, because once the cover is placed in the base, it will look fine! If you have created your own image, you will need to adhere it to the base.

Adhere image to the base and press firmly in place

Adhere image to the base and press firmly in place.

 

Next, you’ll want to have your cover and a wipe ready, along with the clear craft lacquer. I’ve used the  Liquid Glass from Close to My Heart.

Have your items ready, along with a wipe

Have your items ready, along with a wipe.

CTMH Liquid Glass

CTMH Liquid Glass

 

There is no need to completely cover the image with the lacquer, because as you press the cover on, it will spread on. Look closely at the following, and you can see that there is space that has not been covered.

Add clear craft lacquer to over image to adhere the glass cover

Add clear craft lacquer to over image to adhere the glass cover.

 

As you press down the cover, you will be pressing out any air bubbles. Look to make sure you have pressed them out. Quickly wipe any excess lacquer that may have seeped out from the edges. Hold the cover in place for a moment to make sure you have a good seal. Allow project to set for awhile to be sure the lacquer is dry. I like to let mine set for about 24 hours, just to be safe.

Press on the cover and wipe edges

Press on the cover and wipe edges.

 

That’s it! Add a chain and you’re finished.

Base and Bling Necklace

Base and Bling Necklace.

 

Here are some other pendants created from the same style sheet.

additional base and bling pendants

 

To further customize your creation you can add some charms. Who knows, you may already have some charms you can add to your chain! Links to the currently available CTMH charms are in the product links below. (Affiliate links)

Oval Pendant with added Charms

Oval Pendant with added Charms!

 

Thanks for visiting today. I hope you will visit the others on the hop this week. Next up on the hop is Gina Zee from MesstakenIdentity with a very artistic way to save a stained shirt!

make it monday kristie sloan artful adventures

Here is list for our blog hop this week:

Connie Hanks: Clicky Chick Creates – cupcake toppers with a crafty feel.

Karen Fitting:  Photos Kept Alive  – Using Panstoria Artisan to make a 3D frame from your pictures.

Alison Day: Alison Day Designs – Take your layouts from ‘meh’ to ‘Marvellous’ with these simple framing ideas!

Alice Boll:  Scrapbook Wonderland   – Learn how to use your artwork on a scrapbook layout.

Beth Soler: Scrapping Wonders  – Creating labels for our Project Life and Scrapbook layouts with my Cricut.

Melissa Shanhun: Digital Scrapbooking HQ  – How to create a simple digital Project Life style page without templates (video tutorial)

This is where you are!  Kristie Sloan: Artful Adventures  –  Create a simple customized necklace with minimal supplies!

Gina Zee – MesstakenIdentity – See how to rescue a stained shirt using some artistic flair!

Cheers to YOUR Artful Adventures,

KS

 

 

Here are some quick links to the Base and Bling products to make these fun pieces.


Composition Notebook Makeover

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Back to school sales are a great time to pick up composition notebooks, as well as many other basic supplies. Often there are bargains that won’t be matched at any other time of year. Since composition notebooks are rather inexpensive, I guess that’s why they are not very pretty! Never fear, they are easy to dress up. Not only can you fix up one for yourself or anyone at your home, you could even make one for a quick little gift, because who couldn’t use one to keep notes?

For this makeover we are going to use the new Chalk It Up line from Close to My Heart (CTMH). This is just one of the double-sided papers in the pack. Here are basic supplies I decided to start with:

Chalk It Up notebook supplies

Basic supplies: composition notebook 3 pieces of decorative paper or card stock, any ephemera you choose.

For the front and back covers, cut two pieces of paper at 6 3/4″ x 9 3/4″. For the binding you’ll cut one piece of a coordinating card stock or decorative paper at 2 1/4″ x 9 3/4″.

Cut pieces for notebook

Cut 2 pieces each 6 3/4″x 9 3/4″; Cut 1 piece 2 1/4″x9 3/4″

Lining up the out edges of the paper against the notebook, adhere in place with your chosen adhesive. I used the Bonding Memories Glue Pen by CTMH. It has a very wide tip and makes it easy to apply adhesive to paper. You notice you have a bit of an overhang if your notebook has curved corners. Just flip the cover open and trim along the edge, using the notebook cover as your guide.

Snip off excess around the curves.

Snip off excess around the curves.

To adhere the binding cover, I used some sticky strip because I thought the backing may get the most use and it may be hard to keep in place with glue. I ran the strip on the long edge of each side. I carefully aligned it just over the edge of the binding (the measurement was a little big wider than the original binding). Flip the notebook over and your ready to place the back of the binding cover down. That’s it! The basic makeover is complete. Now just decorate to taste.

Cover the edge of the original binding

Cover the edge of the original binding

notebook binding cover

Sticky strip used along the outer edge of the binding cover

The Chalk it Up Complements pack is a set of coordinating chipboard pieces and I had already chosen a piece to use. I love the phrase it has on it, Every Accomplishment Begins with the Decision to Try!

From the Chalk It Up Complements set

From the Chalk It Up Complements set.

I decided to use an initial “k” because if I decide I want to give it away, I have two family members who also start with a k. However, I think I’ll probably keep it. We can always gift to ourselves, right? Anyway, I cut a lowercase k from the alphabet that is from the CTMH Cricut Artbooking Collection cartridge, in the same color I used for the backing.

Lowercase k from the CTMH Cricut Artbooking cartridge

Lowercase “k” from the CTMH Cricut Artbooking cartridge.

 

It looked like it need something more and it got three hearts from the Chalk It Up Assortment.

Hearts from the Chalk It Up Assortment.

Hearts from the Chalk It Up Assortment.

At this point I wished I had used some ribbon or something along the binding edge because it just looked so naked! I spied the black arrow washi tape and gave it a try! I was happy with it and I pronounced it to be finished! It was a fun, easy project, give it a try!

Composition Book Makeover

Composition Book Makeover

Be sure to stop over at Take Heart Ideas to see what other inspiration pieces are available for the current Back-to-School theme challenge, and play along with us!

Cheers to YOUR Artful Adventures!

KS

August Stamp of the Month 2014