Vase + Facelift = Vaselift!

Happy Monday!

Easter has come and gone already. Can you believe it? From a craft stand point, that means we're in bit of a dry spell...except if you love weddings. Then this is like the super holiday season of weddings. And there are also birthdays. Birthdays are mini holidays sprinkled throughout the year to keep us going. I'm always a day or week late on those celebrations including this year when I made a bouquet of flowers for a friend (photos and tutorial will arrive in a few months for that one :) and needed a vase. 

Sherri Haab's "Resin Jewelry"

I am so excited to work on resin this holiday season (is it too early to get excited about the holiday season?) Here is an excerpt from Sherri Haab's DVD craft workshop, "Resin Jewelry."

Stencils and Stamps

I've always liked buying rubber stamps more than I like using rubber stamps. I see the designs in the store ("oh what a cute goldfish!") but when I get them home to my inks, I don't like the outcome ("How the heck am I going to use a goldfish?!") So I have all these stamps. And yes I kind of keep buying them. If you're like me, this technique is for you. Take all those stamps and use them not for the individual image but for the texture the image can make.

Decorative Ribbon Candies Tutorial

Vintage Photos

Cora from Paper Flowers found some great old photos at a flea market and is kindly posting them every Saturday to use. She only asks that you link back to her blog so that everyone can enjoy the art.

Thanks Cora!

Conscious Creation

Quilters have known this for a long time: fabric is amazing. This is a medium I, as a non-quilter, have begun to use more and more in my artwork. I love the versatility of pattern and texture and find myself staring at people's sofas and bed coverings wondering, ''How would that look on a card?'' I'm not alone in this area. The fabric arts is a growing medium. But what is the impact beyond the art world?

The answers aren't pretty. If you stack all the world's fiber needs into one pile, half of that pile would be cotton. Cotton doesn't exactly step lightly. It lives on 3% of the earth's arable land and, from that not-so-tiny corner, sucks up more than its fair share of chemicals. From the ground to the bolt, this plant sees chemicals of all kind: insecticides, bleaches and more. Cotton consumes one quarter of all insecticides used in agriculture. The cotton t-shirt I'm wearing is responsible for 1/3 of a pound of chemicals...imagine what my craft cupboard stash is responsible for...imagine how many pounds of chemicals are present in our favorite fabric shops or the textile section of Joanne's.

Sherri Haab's "Resin Jewelry"

After two absolutely beautiful days here in Oregon (including one day where Zach and I rode our bikes the 10 miles to and from work!) we are back into rain. On days with rain the answer is clear: resin!

Here's the trailer for Sherri Haab's "Resin Jewelry."

Somerset Submission Guidelines

Want your work in the pages of your favorite magazine Somerset Studio? Check out page 121 of the March/April issue. They have three upcoming themes.

Vintage Halloween
April 15, 2008
Apparently this is a continuation of of the 2007 Halloween theme. They are making it a annual tradition so you all must have done something right! They are calling for vintage Halloween artwork and suggest you "Think elegant and sophisticated, romantic an timeless as you sort through your collection..."

Special Holiday Projects
June 15, 2008
Once you get your vintage Halloween in it's right on to holiday crafts. (Who says it's too early to start thinking Christmas?!) Somerset writes, "We look forward to projects made with paper, rubber art stamps, calligraphy, an d mixed-media that will add sparkle to our traditions of giving thanks, rekindling our faith, and reconnecting with family and friends."

Black-and-White
August 15, 2008
Here they challenge you to take on two big fundamentals: black and white. Whether you try your hand at modern or classic, use the this dynamic duo in your work and perhaps see it in the pages of Somerset Studio Magazine.

CHA- a paperaholics dream

Across the country small business owners are staying up late preparing for the Craft and Hobby Association. This is a huge event where retailers go to find merchandise and product makers go to find retailers. We are working overtime preparing for the trip. I've been writing letters to some incredible paper stores (*drool*) and working on graphics for flyers. I spent almost 2 hours fighting Photoshop this afternoon but then accidentally learned how to do something really cool so it was all worth it.

On a completely random note, last night I was in our local craft store (surprise) and I was flipping through a 2007 Sommerset and suddenly was facing really familiar work. Sure enough, there was Sherrill Kahn's name shining out at me. It's so great to meet these artists and to have a personality to go with the names. Such talented hardworking people.

Pre Sale!

The wait is over! OK, well sort of. Gloria Page's beautiful workshop "Art Stamping Innovations" is ready for our pre order sale. I loved every minute of Gloria's stay with us. She is one of the most positive human beings I have ever met and her outlook on life is contagious. She is also an amazingly creative and talented artist. I took what I learned filming and editing her workshop and have begun to do my own card art (the elephants below). It is sort of an addictive art so be careful!

Check out a preview here.

Check out my posts from while filming and editing Gloria.

Got Questions for Sherrill Kahn?

Multimedia artist Sherrill Kahn arrives at the Creative Catalyst studio in two weeks to film her first instructional DVD workshop. Is there something you've been wanting to ask Sherrill? Some process you'd like her to show? Now is your chance! Email questions to me at kelly[at]ccpvideos.com

Alphabet Magnets

I found small 1" square plastic letters in the children's section of Staples and thought, "Hey, these could be cute magnets!"

Simply adhere flat magnet sheet (the kind you can print images on) to the back of the plastic with double stick tape. Cover the whole back side or the magnet won't be strong enough to hold.

Elephant Magnets Tutorial

Check out how to create these cute Elephant Magnets! Great for gifts or home decorations!

Elephant Magnets Tutorial

Elephant Magnets

I just finished being in a local play and made these magnets as gifts for the wonderful cast and crew. Everything was sort of prairie or elephant themed in that the play was called, "Going to See the Elephant."

A set of these would make a great gift and they are the perfect size for stocking stuffers!

Check back Monday for easy instructions!

Printmaking!

For more information on "Painterly Printmaking," go here.

Paper Scraps!

After a paper project I find that I have a bunch of scraps left over. These pieces are too small to use in a project but I hate to throw such beautiful scraps away. Now a solution: put them through a paper shredder and use them as confetti! It works as a little surprise in an envelope or even as pretty packing material for shipping small jewelry and crafts to friends, family or ETSY customers.

Try This at Home Challenge- Traci Bautista

Why have I not been around? I'm in the middle of play rehearsals and am having time management issues!

But. Here's what I came up with for the latest TTHC for May's Craft Cat. (Hits in boxes middle of next week!) I got to explore all the fun that is Traci Bautista. What a creative woman! We filmed Traci live down at Art and Soul in Asilomar, California. She shows how to create your own papers and fabrics and then how to make a journal complete with cover and colorful inside pages. I used the paper and fabric techniques in a slightly different manner. This will be a Mother's Day table decoration or become a GIANT card!

Faux Stained Glass

Ingredients:
-Polymer Clay (translucent)
-Clear plastic sheet (folder, overhead project sheet)
-Tissue paper of your choosing
-Gel medium
-Craft knife
-Acrylic paint

Recipe:
Frame-
-Roll out polymer into a sheet (7 on pasta maker).
-Cut two "frames" with identical measurements.
(I cut 2 index cards to represent the outside and then inside of the frame as a guide.)
-Make small hole at top of each frame (they should meet when brought together)
-Bake as the polymer instructions indicate.
-Allow to cool.
-Paint frame with acrylic paint.
-After dry sand lightly with sandpaper and remove sections of paint.

"Glass":
-Cut two pieces a bit larger than the "window" of your frame of plastic and tissue paper.
-Spread a watered down gel medium over plastic. Attach right side of tissue paper to glue. -Carefully smooth out eliminating any bubbles.
-Repeat with other tissue/plastic. Allow to dry.
-Spread a thin layer of gel medium on the back of one of the tissue papers. Attach to second. -Plastic side out.

All Together:
-Sandwich everything together so that it goes window, plastic/tissue paper, window.
-Make sure the hole as the top meet.
-I used a little tape to make sure my "glass wouldn't move around too much inside the frame and then I gel mediumed all the edges. Wipe off gel medium that seeps out the edges or use it to fill the gaps.

Put in a hook, hang with ribbon or chain and hang in a window.

Easter Fun

After so many holidays using one color set it was really a treat to use a different palette for spring. (SPRING!)

Here are some of what I'm working on.

Idea 1:

Instead of Easter Baskets why not give someone a cute Easter cup?! Imagine finding one of these on your office desk or night stand!


Ingredients:
-coffee mugs in a Spring color- check your local Goodwill or thrift store. This cup was .99
-green napkins (Target is a great source)
-four different colors card stock
-pipe cleaner
-and of course CHOCOLATE!

Recipe:
I used cookie cutters to outline the flowers.
-Cut four flowers each a slightly different size.


-Poke a small hole in the center of the cut flower. (A push pin would work)
-Slide flowers onto a short green pipe cleaner.
-Cut napkin as indicated below and unfold.

-Stuff into cute mug and fill with chocolate.


-Plant flowers in. You could even tie a little tag and note with paper and ribbon to the mug handle.

More to come!

Easter

So Easter is fast approaching and there's lots to be done. I'm currently plotting my Dayle Doroshow Try This at Home Challenge and I'm hoping the fun that is polymer will help me in creating a bunch of fun Easter treats (non-edibles clearly :)

I also have a ton of cards to make and send. Above is what family will be receiving in their mail boxes. The blue paper was PACKING PAPER inside a random box sent to Creative Catalyst. Susan the office manager keeps an eye out for such treasures for me and I have a TON of this stuff now. The paper on the birds I made using techniques learned while filming and then editing the Traci Bautista video. And the style of using pen lines is straight up Claudine Hellmuth...a style I now love since doing her Try This at Home Challenge last month. Little does my family know that each card comes from 4 or more people! Tweet!