What I've Been Up To -- A Round-Up

I've been crafting as much as possible, but it's much, much harder being a single Mom than I expected (and I grew up with a single Mom, so I knew it was tough already!)  Also my supplies are here, there and everywhere, and that's a challenge: I have almost no craft paint--where did it all go??  But this also means I'm using and de-stashing what I do have, and that's excellent.

 

It's hard to take credit for these, because it was mainly arranging jump rings in the right way, but these are three of my jewelry pieces I completed in the last month.  These blue crystals are ones I've had since 2010!!  See what I mean about needing to de-stash?   The picture on the left is a crude attempt at wire-wrapping, which is harder than it looks, people!  The 2nd photo of a jumble using a large dark blue crystal is simply on a large jump ring with several wire-wrapped pieces I bought from other sellers, which I took apart and re-arranged.  The 3 light blue crystals are attached to a wide-link chain using jump rings, and I'm so glad to get all 5 of these crystals onto necklaces!

This is a 16x20 canvas with 2 coats of crimson acrylic paint and hearts cut out from a pad of black, gray and white patterned paper.  The shiny paint worked out well with Mod Podge Gloss, so I'm glad I didn't have to handle the sheen issue with this one.  I'm very into black and white decor right now, with red accents, so this piece became my inspiration for decorating our new place (when we get one.)  And my beloved turquoise fits in well too, which makes me happy.



As far as a sketchbook, I've just started one this past week.  I'm using a Blick 9x12 Mixed Media wirebound journal.  I have been low on inspiration, but decided to let my desire for organization and order lead the way.  When in doubt, make a color chart!  :)

I have 19 Caran D' Ache Neocolor IIs now, {but no craft paint!!  LOL!!} and I bought myself the 12-piece set of Derwent Art Bars for Christmas, and they're extremely similar so far.  I've seen where other artists greatly prefer one over the other, but I haven't done much with either, so I have no strong preference yet.  

This is an attempt at a side-by-side color comparison chart.  I wanted to see color families together, rather than going by their names.  I've written the name of each in its space, so it's a great way to see what color I need.  (The whole violet/purple/magenta thing gets me every time, and my reds go purple or my purples go red.)  

Up next features this graph which was made on one of those insomnia nights, when I just could not go to sleep.  Allowing myself to go a little insane over straight lines and perfect squares keeps my mind off the clock, so I'm more focused on the page in front of me than on "Oh man, I have to get up in ... hours!"

 These are my markers.  These are everything from Crayola markers to Faber-Castell Pitt Big Brush Artist Pens, and also some Sharpies and "Power Liner" alcohol markers from the clearance section of Hobby Lobby.  In this case, it's about the color and not the quality.  I was also able to throw many markers away that had dried up over time.

I also have a blending marker, and the alcohol inks react with it and makes a kind of watercolor pencil thing happen, and I'll be exploring that in the future.

This last craft is more fun than craft, but whatever.  My son is totally obsessed with Batman right now, and I think we own every single Imaginext Batman toy there is.  Guess who comes with almost every set?  Batman!  We were drowning in Batmen, so James asked me to paint his extras into new costumes.  The lime green paint is a free sample of Liquitex acrylic spray paint, and the dark gray was made using black acrylic mixed with a tiny bit of white.  The 3rd one got painted red, but you can only see a little of him in this photo.  

James named them Grass, Oil and Fire, but I'm not sure if they are bad guys, good guys, goons or sidekicks. 


The Liquitex spray paint is AWESOME!!  It is seriously fun to use, it's not anything like normal spray paint.  There is a depth of color, it's basically the same as their regular acrylics except in a format that is easy to use, inexpensive and I even used it on some papier-mache shapes from Michael's with a brush and it worked beautifully.  (I had no other green to use!  Ugh, I hate moving!!)  I took pictures of the cute lil' flower, but they mysteriously disappeared and I have nothing to show you, but you should try out the Liquitex Spray Paint.

Thanks for seeing what all I've been up to.  I love this last picture of the newly-painted Batmen, so let it inspire you to do something totally crazy with your art supplies!

Product Review: Paper Assortment by Shizen

Shizen Paper Assortments & Embellishments

Submitted at: Dick Blick
Item Description: Exquisite and colorful handmade paper assortments and embellishments are perfectly coordinated for easy and unique holiday card making, gift decorating, or scrapbooking.

Each pack contains: Ten each of 3 sizes of patterned paper and two packs of sparkling embellishments. Paper sizes are (in inches) 4x4, 4x5 and 4x6. Price: $3.98/each

Currently available assortments are:

• Cocoa/Moss/Coffee
• Hot Purple/Hot Pink
• Lilac/Lavender/Purple
• Natural/Moss/Brown
• Red/Orange/Yellow

My opinion:

I bought 2 packs of these: the Natural/Moss/Brown and the Beige/White/Ivory that was on clearance for a little less. I love these paper assortments! They're perfect for mixed media collage and are very useful for those "I'm bored, let's try something new" moods.

There are glitter and embossed pages, all perfectly sized for Art Journaling. I don't have an art background, nor was I an avid scrapbooker when I discovered Art Journaling, so I've enjoyed using these special-effect papers for the first time. Having only spent $4 for the entire pack, I had the freedom to go with my "crazy ideas" that sometimes end up in the trashcan. No guilt--just try something else next time :)

I'm happy with my purchase and plan on buying more in the future.

This product’s quality compared to similar, competitive alternatives is : Really nice

The price of this product compared to similar, competitive alternatives is : A fantastic deal

I have not been paid or reimbursed for this review. I paid for these as part of an order of art supplies, and my review is not prompted by any company, organization or affiliation.

Mod Podge, Please Forgive Me

(I searched Pinterest for "Homemade Mod Podge" and chose this image from a random person's board.)

So, several months ago I defamed Mod Podge. I regret it now, though, in some cases. At the time, my personal preference ended up being 2 parts "school glue" to one part water, a little different from the blog standard of 50/50. And while I learned the hard way that it made my markers "run" and turned expensive special papers to slushy messes, I was ok with it. It's super-cheap, gets the job done and so it's became habit to be test-cautious then but overly-generous with it. And I'm not giving it up!

But I'm also going back to my dependable friend.

Mod Podge has been a friendly face at craft stores since before I was born (thank God at least something is!) Mod Podge Rocks! is one of my favorite blogs to read on a daily basis. Amy is awesome, and in November, after it was posted and re-posted 9 billion times on Pinterest, she wrote this article, in time for holiday crafting (very thoughtful, sincerely.) She let us know the reasons that school glue and water would not protect our treasures well, and in some cases (like me and the markers) the "make-your-own" would ruin your craft.

I've said before that I'm preparing for Spring already. This process includes going through art, schoolwork, sketchbooks and other random things to flesh out the special things, the little memories I'll want to look back on when my son is driving me insane in his teens (who am I kidding, he does it now!) and remember "the good old days."

You could not pay me enough money to coat these irreplaceable items with my homemade Mod Podge. It's startling how much my son's hands have grown since last Christmas (2010 I mean,) so no way am I entrusting 2011's best and brightest to 25 cent glue!

So I'm going back to the Mod Podge aisle for my refill...and I'm also going to try some of their other formulas while I'm at it; their Shimmer formula seems to fit my current "metallic/pearl" fixation.

I love you, Mod Podge!

OH!!!
An added thank-you to the makers of Mod Podge:
Last summer I made a pendant from a bezel using scrapbook paper and Dimensional Magic. Directions are very clear, and I'm emphasizing the importance of this to you now:
You must protect the paper by using a layer or two of Mod Podge--if not, the DM seeps through and ruins the project. This is what happened to me: I used one skimpy layer, and by the next morning, I could tell my bezel was not going to be worn...ever. But life got busy and time passed, and then I found the darn thing last night.
Did you know that another really awesome thing about Dimensional Magic is that you can correct your mistakes...sort of. The paper is ruined, of course, but the bezel itself can be salvaged by letting it steep in hot water--it loosens the bond and you begin again.
But months had passed, so I wasn't hopeful. But I thought it was worth trying. In just four hours using extremely hot water, I have a my bezel back! It is a little more "gunmetal" than the shiny silver it was, but that's cool with me.

So, I hope Plaid is feeling my love!!

Product Review: Sakura Identi-Pen Dual-Point Marking Pen

Submitted at: Dick Blick

Item Description:

The Sakura Identi-Pen has a fine-point marker on one end and an extra-fine tip on the other.  This pen will write on virtually anything. Use it on fabric, metal, glass, ceramics, rubber, leather, photographs, etc. It is permanent on most surfaces, as well as fade-resistant and waterproof. Available in Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Purple, Red and Yellow.

My Opinions:
The "extra fine" tip is the same as the Pitt Pens Medium tip or the 05 Pigma Microns; their "fine" point is slightly larger than the Pitt Pen Brush and about the same as the Sharpie Metallic Fine Point Marker.

I was really surprised at how wide their "fine" point is; it really writes more like a marker. No bleed-thru though, and since these are only $1.56 and dual-tipped, they are an excellent addition to my collection and in particular to my "grab and go" drawing kit. Both tips are reliable, with no skipping or smearing of the ink.

Oh! As a unique bonus: this was the ONLY pen that could write on the very glossy pages of my altered book art journal--it was a lonely children's book with excellent illustrations, so I'm keeping most of the art and I've been painting the "backgrounds" with flat acrylic craft paint so far so that my other supplies have something with "teeth" to keep them from rolling off the paper. I made the mistake of using gloss craft paint and it was the same slippery surface, but this pen worked very well even on that.

Overall, this may not be my favorite pen, but it's worth the money just to have more room for more art supplies in my kit. I'll be buying more!

This product’s quality compared to similar, competitive alternatives is:

Really nice

The price of this product compared to similar, competitive alternatives is:

A fantastic deal

I have not been paid or reimbursed for this review.  I paid for these as part of an order of art supplies, and my review is not prompted by any company, organization or affiliation.

This Past Week's Crafts

I have a stomach virus at this moment--most likely the one going around the schools right now.  I'm utterly miserable, and looking at my crafts makes me feel better.  So these are all new, and I'm attempting to include explanations and source inspiration everywhere.

 Fractured Flower

This design is based on the stencil "Fragmented Flower" created by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer and The Crafter’s Workshop--however, my hand-drawn design is on a 20"x30" foamcore board, and I used my geometry tools to create the petals.  More information about Julie's great stencils can be found here.

I plan to paint each section of the flower and I might add photos or ephemera as well, art journal-style.  I call my piece "Fractured Flower" because I think Life itself can be this way: sometimes everything is perfect, and sometimes everything falls apart and cracks appear.  This is a long-term project for me.  I don't see myself finishing it before Christmas.

Homemade Mod Podge

source

"Homemade Mod Podge"---You've seen it, I'm sure, it's all over Pinterest right now--and it works, it really does!  I'm not happy with the half water/half white glue mix recommended because I like a thicker decoupage medium.  I do see applications where the original recipe works better though.  I recommend to shake often, not sure if it's necessary, but better safe than sorry since a brush-full of water can ruin your work.

 

Also, a word from the wise: if you are going to use it straight from the jar like this, always use a clean brush or a "decoupage only use" brush--I had a tiny amount of black paint left in my brush bristles after swirling it through water to rinse it, and it turned the ENTIRE jar gray and I pretty much had to start over.  But, white school glue is 50 cents at Dollar General, so all is well.  

I made my concoction in an 18oz jar, which ended up being 3/4 full, containing 3 bottles of white school glue ($1.50) and 2 and a half  bottles of water (just use the same bottles the glue was in) so it equals around 15oz.  Brand name decoupage medium at this size costs at least $7.99, if not more.

I may get adventurous one day and attempt a colored version, as well as some with (high quality) glitter just to see the results.

Scrap-style Framed Vacation Photo

My son and I went on a 2-day vacation at the very beginning of this year.  It was a HUGE deal for me, I'd been suffering from agoraphobia for a long time and was uneasy about being out and about.  I'm enormously proud of myself for making the trip all on our own, and this picture of us on the train is a true treasure for me.  I FINALLY got around to framing it, and decided to do it scrapbook-style.  Ric-rac sparkly white ribbon makes the snowflake on the top right corner, and the red heart I cut out of an old purse.

Framed Fingerpainting

My son made this finger-painting back in 2007.  Along with 3 others, it has hung on our refrigerator ever since, because I wanted to frame them but never seemed to get around to it.  Part of the pile of goodies from my mother's new farm was this great frame, the perfect size for my favorite among the 4 painting.  I painted it Metallic Blue Topaz and it looks awesome :)  

Another thing I learned about Metallic paint: it highlights every single flaw, so I will never, NEV-ER use it on furniture!

Ugh, more to come........  I hate having a stomach.

Totally An ADD-Day (picture heavy)

This being a new blog and all, I haven't mentioned yet that I also LOVE and spend waaaay too much time playing World of Warcraft.  (aka WoW.)  I read the books, know the lore and I keep abreast of all the latest game info and I can even gossip about characters in the game.  Other people have celebrities, I have WoW.  My husband and I have played consistently since the game's release in 2004 and I have characters in the game that are technically older than my son by a full 2 years.  Ouch, didn't realize that til just now.

So, to get to the point of this post:  Today, well every Tuesday, is a day where they shut the game down to...do something computer-y which I don't understand, but TODAY a new part of the game begins.  In WoW-speak, Patch 4.2 is up and running, and we need to save Thrall!!  So, instead of eating, cleaning, or doing anything else, I want to play my game and revel in the awesomeness that is Blizzard.  (Blizzard is the company that created the game.)

My point: I should be playing my game but instead I'm blogging.  And then I realized I need to link my characters to my blog or something, because I do love them, I should after spending so much time with them, right?  And I want to check out some of the new fan art on Blizzard's site. I love the ART of the game as well as art from it's fans.  So you will most likely be subjected to a few of these in between my book reviews and crafty tutorials and so on and so forth.

This is Lady Sylvanas, also known as The Dark Lady.  This is a fan's artwork, from here. 

This is Deathwing.  He's bad.  Very very bad.  Linked from here.

See, who wouldn't want to live here?  Well, except for Deathwing and all......  Linked from here.

SO----
As if the excitement of WoW isn't enough, I also got my order of art supplies from Dick Blick.  I'm ready to do some collages right now!!  (Notice I'm still here blogging though....)

A side note:  Do you see this paper? 
It's high-quality paper, 40 sheets of it, and it's a huge 12" x 18"!!!  Do you know how much it cost?  If it was in the scrapbook aisle as opposed to the art aisle, it would be at least $10 on sale and with a coupon, and it would be just 12x12.  This set me back $3.15.  Yup. I'll say it again: $3.15!!

Oh, but it's just plain and not patterned, you say?  Check these out:

Those cost me $6.63.  So all together, I got TONS of awesome stuff for tons less than a single pack of stickers from the scrapbook aisle.  Seriously, I wish I had known this before last week!

Oh!!!  AND the markers.....  And this Colorless Blender: It's only $2.27!  And it fixes your mistakes, and then you can clean it on a paper towel, but it also blends and does...other artsy things.  Watch the video (you can skip to 1:22 into it to see this baby in action.) 

Oh, and one last thing calling my name:

I won this awesome craft kit from Amy at Positively Splendid.  Woot!  It came in the mail yesterday, and my son did an actual double-take when he saw it.  Look at all the stuff in it!  And the really funny thing is that I'd bookmarked the set to buy for my son.  Gotta love that, right?

OK, off to do, well, all of the above :)  Thanks for sticking with me through this crazy post!!

Summer........

It's way too hot outside, but I'm already bored inside the house. Pinterest has become my newest obsession, but I also have fallen in love with art collages. No really, IN LOVE. Look at some of these:

by Christy Tomlinson

by Junelle Jacobsen

and another by Christy:

She listened to her soul

I've started following Christy Tomlinson's blog, and she's set up Creatively Inspired...a summer art challenge.  I've already got some ideas, and I want to get some crafty projects done this summer.  I get into a trap on the Internet, and even through Pinterest, where I get so busy bookmarking that I never get around to actually CRAFTING.  So this summer, I'm going to make sure I get some crafting done!