Altered Candy Tin Swap - Sign Up Here!!!

Yes, I am running two swaps at once!  Crazy I know but hey, never claimed to be sane ;)  LOL!!  I've had requests for this swap every so often since I had the Altoid Tin Art Festival a few years ago.  Now's your chance to join in the fun!

Altered Candy Tin Swap 

Sign Ups - 4-7 - 4-22

Due Date May 14, 2016

(must be in my hands by this date)

Details....

• This is a one for one swap...if you make one tin you receive one tin in return...if you make 5 (different) tins you will receive 5 different tins back!
• You can sign up for up to 5 tins but each tin must be different to aid in swapping tins out.
• The tin you alter must be made of metal.
• I didn't specify Altoids tins because there are many different metal candy tins out there...the usual rectangle Altoids tin, circles, squares, etc.  The choice of tin is up to you, it should be no smaller than 1" and no larger than 4"
• You may use any theme you like to decorate your tin - the outside MUST be decorated, inside decorations are optional.  If the inside isn't decorated please add a goodie or two for the lucky recipient.
• Have Fun!!!

Participants:

1. Roni

2. Dixie (a.k.a. Mom)

3. Susan

4. Heidi

5. Leslie 

6. Brenda

7.Jeannie M

8. Dash Cam

9. Ina G.

10. Diana
11. Olga
12. Jan J
13. Terry D
14. Nancy E.

Spring Pocket Letter Swap - Sign Up Here!

              Spring Pocket Letter Page Swap

Sign Ups - 4-7 through 4-22

(names/addies sent out 4-23/4-24)

Ship Date 5-7-16

(YES, this swap is open to international friends!)

For those of you that participated in the last LP swap you know what fun is in store...for others you might be wondering what is a pocket letter?  Think of Pocket Letters as a set of ATC's with a few extra goodies thrown in.  Basically you take a 9 hole Baseball Card page; make an ATC for each space (more on this later) and tuck in little surprises behind each card...and don't forget the letter part!  Tuck a note into one of the pockets telling your friend a little bit about yourself (if you don't know them) or if you do let them know what's going on in your life at the moment.

Each pocket can hold a card with the same general theme yet each with a different design.

(Pocket Letter by Karen W)

You might sprinkle gifts on both sides...

(Pocket Letter by Loretta)

You could choose different designs for each card.

Or it could focus on a single color scheme.

(Pocket Letter By Heidi)

You could even make a pocket letter by creating a large scene then cutting it up to fit into the pockets.

Whatever you choose your pocket letter should be filled with art from your heart! 

Remember the back is just as important as the front of your Pocket Letter.  You should add a letter in one of the pockets, telling the recipient a bit about yourself, maybe about where you live, work, your art, etc.  The remaining 8 pockets can be filled with anything you can fit inside...it could be stickers, die-cuts, sticky back gems, buttons, eyelets, vintage ephemera, washi tape, glitter tape, fibers, ribbon, charms, pins, brads, twine, felt pieces, gemstones, etc.  Virtually anything you can think of.  You can also add little treats too - tea, cocoa, sweets, mints, etc. 

HOW IT WORKS: 

• You can sign up here for one or two spots - Sign ups run from today through 4-22.
• Once sign ups are closed I will send you a name and address of the person you will be sending your Pocket Letter to. 
• Make a pocket letter and fill it with goodness (you can start on this right now if you like).
• You should mail your Pocket Letter to the recipient no later than May 7th, of course you can send it earlier if you would like.  Once your pocket letter has been mailed, send me an e-mail with the confirmation number so I can keep track of everyone's progress and to make sure nobody is forgotten.  You will not go without receiving a PL...I make sure of it :)
• Stalk the mailman for happy mail!
• When you receive your pocket letter, PLEASE let me know and send a thank you to the person who sent it! We all like to receive an acknowledgement for our work :)

PARTICIPANTS:

Please post an e-mail addy when you sign up so I can send you an e-mail to obtain the necessary info. for the swap.

1. Roni

2. Dixie (a.k.a. Mom)

3. Karen W.
4. Heidi
5. Pam P.
6. Ruby W.
7. Dorothy
8. Ike
9. Jeannie M
10. Jackie C.
11. DotMc
12. Donna N.
13. Anita M
14. Carolnyn J
15. Ina G.
16 Theresa P
17.Dianne R.
18. Nikki C.
19. Olga B.
20. JeniRuth
21. Pam M.
22. Michele
23. Sue

Pigment Powders & Embossing Folders

Today I wanted to put a twist on using pigment powders (Color Burst, Brusho, Nuance, etc) paired with embossing folders.  So many times I see where people sprinkle the powders on the embossing folder then spritz with water...  It does produce some pretty results but I thought it would be fun to see how it would change the look if I spritzed the paper with water instead... and here's how it turned out!

I love how it turned out, the colors seem to be more vibrant and saturated using this method of delivering the water.  This technique uses less water so more of the colors soak into the paper rather than getting squished out of the folder as it does with the other method.

In this close up photo you can see how the individual little specks of color are absorbed into the paper rather than being blended or washed away.   A fun alternative to an already great technique!

Here's what I did....

I started off by trimming a piece of watercolor paper to size then spritzed it with water and set it aside.  This gives the water a chance to soak into the paper a bit.  You want to the paper wet/damp, not dripping.

While the water was being absorbed on the paper I went ahead and sprinkled the desired colors of pigment powder over the embossing folder.

I then placed the piece of watercolor paper in the folder, closed it up and ran it through my Big Shot.  And this is how it turned out!

Here is the orange/yellow piece...

I wanted to see what it would look like if I rubbed a coordinating ink over the embossed areas on the blue example....

Again, another fun result!  

The inked embossed areas really set off the pretty pigment powders.

So there you go, a fun twist on a very popular technique

and the best part is that this will work with any of the pigment powders on the market.

Distress Crayon Winners!

Hello everyone...time for some winners!

The winners of the Distress Crayons in no particular order are....

colleenMarch 26, 2016 at 10:15 AM

I would like to win this prize because I want refresh my stamping syle and want to try new things. COLLEEN cdmoore@shaw.ca

E. MarieMarch 25, 2016 at 12:02 PM

I really appreciate your honest sharing of these products. It also gave me some insight into some other products I have considered. I think I would invest my money in one of the others but would still love to have a set of the DC to just try out for myself. Thanks.

AnneMarch 27, 2016 at 11:08 AM

I have really enjoyed these product reviews. The only watercolor crayons I have are the Lyra Aquacolor ones and I like those very much. Thanks for a chance to win a set of of the Distress crayons. They sound interesting to try on some of my more collage-y pieces. Happy Easter! Anne

Yvonne ten BroekeMarch 31, 2016 at 7:42 AM

Thanks for the great review. I haven't had a good feeling about the Distress crayons and this review proofs I'm right ;). I already own Gelatos so I'll stick by it.

JenniferMarch 26, 2016 at 3:11 AM

i love your comparisons. you basically read my mind and answered every questions I had regarding the crayons!! thank you for the opportunity to win a set of crayons!! keep the demos coming...love them!

Tina DornbaumMarch 25, 2016 at 10:55 AM

Thank you for this comparison. I also wouldn't mind trying them out. I am one of those that need to play hands on for myself. I am on your Facebook as well so it will be easy to contact me.

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Please e-mail me your snail mail addies so I can drop your goodies in the mail!

Steampunk Flower Pendant

Recently I joined a swap where you had to make a Steampunk Flower Pendant charm on the Facebook group - Art Charms.  I have been thinking about what to make ever since.  I knew I wanted to include lots of copper (it's my fav. metal color), a few gears and of course a bit of ink just because that's my thing.

Here's what I came up with....

What do you think?

I actually made 3 of them - 2 for the swap and one for me to keep/wear.  I am really happy with how they came out.  They have depth, different textures, a bit of sparkle (gemstone brad in the center) and lots and lots of copper.  Very me :)

Here's how I made them....

First I started off by die-cutting several flowers from copper - 2 large flowers for each pendant.  Some of the metal was inked before I die-cut (shown above) then embossed with a mini gear embossing folder.  I ran out of the inked copper and cut a couple plain copper then swiped the ink across the flower after it was embossed.  (see the bottom pendant in the photo showing the 3 charms.)  I think I like the pre-inked charms better - it's got more of a grunge look to it.

Next I die-cut a few flowers from gold colored aluminum metal that I inked with Spiced Chai Stazon to highlight the embossed texture.  I also die-cut some copper mesh (not shown).

And finally a few leaves which were embossed & inked with both Emerald City (darker green) and Spiced Chai StazOn ink.  LOVE the mix of colors.  Looks so pretty in person.

NOTE: I sanded all of the edges of each die-cut piece so it didn't have any sharp edges.

Time to assemble!  I used an oval filigree piece as the foundation for my pendant.  I started off by attaching the leaves to the pendant with a mini brad.

Next I gathered up all of the various flower components, a couple gears and a gemstone brad.  I poked holes in all of the flowers; threaded each element onto the brad in the desired order and secured the back of the brad.

I attached the flower to the pendant using Aleene's Glass Bead Jewelry Glue.

Here's the back just in case you were wondering what it looked like...

I also added a jump ring and lobster claw.

What do you think?  

Hope the recipients enjoy them.

Use those Colored Pages!!

Ya know some people have asked besides coloring adult coloring book pages what do you do with them....  This past weekend I shared a couple of fun ideas on how to jazz them up using Imagine Crafts products.  Well today I have a few other fun ideas.

First off you can turn your coloring book pages into works of art!

Once I finished this coloring book page I mounted it on a black canvas.  The black background really makes the flower pop and IRL the translucent quality of the StazOn Studio Glaze adds texture, depth and dimension to the picture as well.

Here's how it was created...

First off I removed the page from the coloring book (Lesiure Arts) then I began adding my color.  I started off by painting a thin layer of Cactus Green Studio Glaze over the flower center.  It dried almost immediately which is so nice for people like me (I can't stand dry times - LOL!)  Then I went back in with more green and Gold Studio Glaze and added lots of dots for texture.

I then painted the petals of the flowers again using Studio Glaze....

From there I outlined the flower with Jet Black and Blue Hawaii Studio Glazes.  I "pulled" the colors away from the flower with a wet paint brush and watercolored the background using the glaze.  It mixes wonderfully with water and creates an amazing look once it dries....

After the page had dried, I trimmed off the excess paper and applied a layer of book binding glue (dries very flat) to the back of the page then adhered it to a pre-painted black canvas.

So easy yet it produces striking results!

It's also fun to share your coloring pages with friends and family by incorporating them into cards as I did here!  Of course colored pages are great but why not spice them up a bit!

I colored this page with a combination of various colored pencils.  Yes, it took me quite a while but it was so much fun!  And well, it was very "Spring-y" as well which helps combat Mother Natures mean streak (we had snow over the weekend and more to come!!!).  

But it's also fun to kick things up a notch by embellishing with some Imagine Crafts products - Here I have used Radiant Neon Electric Yellow Amplify.  It's a fun medium that puffs when heat activated.  It was added to the centers of all of the pink & white flowers.

I then used White (Wedding Dress) irRESISTible Pico Embellisher to the centers of the red berries and Clear Pico was applied to accent circles in the background which I sprinkled with fine glitter.  Once the Pico had dried I shook off the excess glitter and my page was ready to adorn several cards!

There are just so many fun ways to incorporate non-traditional mediums into your coloring book pages to make them not only a great way to relax but also a fun way to share art with the world!  I hope you take a moment every so often to enjoy coloring just for fun!

Supplies:

Leisure Arts - Coloring Book Pages

Imagine Crafts - StazOn Studio Glaze; irRESISTible Pico Embellisher; Radiant Neon Amplify! medium

Other - glitter, colored pencils

Coloring Book Fun!

Today over on the Imagine Crafts blog I have a post up on how to use Imagine Crafts products to create a fun card. To see how I made this card please check out the post - 

Adult Coloring Books + Imagine Crafts = FUN!

I also have a few other fun projects made by pairing the two that I'll be sharing over the coming days.  Today in addition to the card I wanted to share a fun page I colored in my Sea Life coloring book by using Memento Dye Inks and Ink Potion No.9 to create watercolor paints!

Start off by adding a drop or so of the desired colors of inker plus a drop or two of Ink Potion No.9.

Mix 'em up and you're ready to start painting.

I painted this page using Memento Danbue Blue, Lady Bug, Dandelion, Tangelo and Grape Jelly Inkers.

Once your page has dried, you can go back in with Memento Dual Tip Markers to add highlights and shading to really bring your image to life.

For an added little pop of color and dimension I used Electric Blue irRESISTible Radiant Neon Pico Embellisher to color in the dots on the page.

And here's how it turned out...

You might be thinking that watercoloring in some of these coloring books won't work.  Not so...Since this is actually a bound book the book closes nicely which will help flatten out the wrinkled pages.  

Here's another page I created using a variety of blue and green Memento inkers plus the Ink Potion.  You can create a wide range of color from a single color of dye inker by varying the ratio of Ink to Ink Potion No.9.   The pink shells were painted with Angel Pink inker then a top coat of Silver Delicata was added over top to give it a shimmery quality.

I'll be back soon with more fun ideas for creating with Coloring Books and Imagine Crafts.

Supplies:

Imagine Crafts:

Memento Inkers; Ink Potion No.9; Memento Dual Tip Markers; irResistible Radiant Neon Pico Embellisher; Silver Delicata

Skyhorse Publishing - Sea Life Coloring Book

Birds of a Feather

Today starts a new challenge over at the Just For Fun Rubber Stamps blog - 

Birds of a Feather!  

We challenge you to make any sort of project that is rubber stamped and bird related - could be birds, birdhouses, feathers, nests, etc.  If you use a Just For Fun Rubber Stamp in your creation you will be eligible to be entered into a drawing for a gift certificate to the JFF Stamp Store!

The team has created all sorts of fun projects to inspire you and the following cards are what I have made...

Here is the Inspirational Photo Collage to give you a few more ideas...

Hope you decide to head on over to JFF and check it out!

Have a wonderfully inky day my friends!