May 24th, 2016
Inside: how to make frugal DIY paper embellishments for the most amazing craft projects How many times you were making a scrapbook page or a card and needed an embellishment but couldn’t find anything that fits? Instead of buying every embellishment in the craft store make your own! WHAT IS FRUGAL CRAFTING Frugal crafting is a way of crafting that emphasize using the craft supplies you have to make all your project and instead of buying supplies – making them from what you have! Here are a few tips how you can use the supplies you already have in your craft projects: Use household items as the base for your project. For example, use milk or juice cartons to make a project like a photo display, recipe box and more. Check out some ideas here. Add items from other parts of life as embellishments to your project. For example: use metal washers, screws and …
September 15th, 2015
Inside: what are the best pens and markers for arts and crafts and the best tips for using and storing them. One of the most used tool in arts and crafts is a pen or a marker. These important tools are essential for mark making, doodling, writing, scribbling and any other technique you’ll want to apply on an art journal page, card, scrapbook page or mixed media project. Since these pens are such an important asset it is important to make the best of them and learn not only what are the best pens and markers to make arts and crafts but also how to store them. TIPS FOR WORKING WITH PENS AND MARKERS 1. Make sure that your surface is completely dry if you’re using acrylic paints or mediums before you start writing or doodling. If the surface is wet the tip will be destroyed. Believe me I have destroyed many by being impatient. …
July 31st, 2015
Inside: how to make your own washi tape Have you ever been in the middle of making a craft project and you needed a specific supply and didn’t have it? It is the most frustrating situations because it can put the entire project on hold and if you’re like me you have zero patience when it comes to finishing a project. What’s the answer? Make your own! This is what happened when I needed some washi tape for a project I was working on and didn’t have the right color and pattern. So I made my own!! WHAT IS WASHI TAPE Washi tape is a decorative adhesive tape made from traditional Japanese paper that’s great for craft or journaling. The name washi can be translated to “Japanese paper” simply meaning wa (Japanese) and shi (paper). Unlike western paper which is made from tree pulp, it’s made from Japanese shrubs so its benefits are many: No …
September 27th, 2014
Inside: how to make altered matchboxes and easily recycle them into a drawer vanity. I don’t like to throw things away. I’m not a hoarder but when I throw some things away, especially boxes of all types it always seems like a waste. I always think to myself there must be something to do with them instead of throwing them away. Usually I end up throwing them into the recycling bin, but every now and then I get a really creative idea – altered matchboxes! This time I took all my empty matchboxes and made them into a miniature drawer vanity. WHAT IS ALTERED ART Altered art is the transformation or alteration of ordinary, everyday objects into decorative pieces using a wide variety of different techniques and materials, for example, rubber stamps, fabric, paper, paint and fibres. It’s a broad term that includes many artistic styles or genres, but at its most basic describes …
November 30th, 2013
Inside: how to make a Christmas advent calendar to countdown the days until Christmas! Since I was a kid whenever I had an important event coming up I always made a table with the number of days I had to wait and I crossed off each day counting down the days remaining. It was such a thrill to see fewer and fewer days that needed to be crossed off and that whatever I was waiting for almost here. With the holidays and Christmas fast approaching I imagine many such tables or advent calendars are popping around your homes. WHAT IS AN ADVENT CALENDAR Advent is an important part of the Christian calendar. It means ‘coming’ and it’s the period before Christmas, which celebrates the birth of Jesus. It is all about preparing for Christmas Day. An Advent calendar is a special calendar used to count the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas. Since the date of …
November 9th, 2013
Inside: how to transfer a photo to paper I cherish all the photos I take but making scrapbooks and mini albums can sometimes be boring. So I try to find new ways to make craft projects with photos or combine them with what I create. HOW TO TRANSFER A PHOTO Photo transfers were once a complicated, sometimes hazardous process. Then, technology made it possible for anyone to scan, copy, and print photos from the comfort of their home or studio. Images printed on inkjet printers are much safer to use and easier to transfer. There are many image transfer methods and they differ depending on the surface you’re transferring the image to. TRANSFER A PHOTO TO PAPER METHODS There are two methods to transfer an image to paper: LASER PRINTED PHOTO TRIM THE PHOTO – you can cut around the photo in a rectangle or square shape or you can fussy …
October 26th, 2013
Inside: how to make a mixed media canvas with found objects that create amazing texture I thought a lot about what to give my sister for her birthday. Ironically, in the past I used to buy her gifts, never thinking of making her one myself. This year I decided to change the tradition and create her gift myself! I wanted it to be really special and beautiful so I created a collage mixed media canvas with a photo of us when we were kids. This is her favorite photo of us so I was sure she will like it. MIXED MEDIA COLLAGE CANVAS MATERIALS A lot of people ask me where I get the materials to make such type of canvases and how they can get them too. The main principle you need to know is that every object you use on this canvas should have texture. It means that flat objects are less recommended …
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