“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt from the heart.” –Helen Keller
Each month the Robin’s Nest provides its International Design Team with a quote to inspire our art projects. This month’s quote got me thinking about focusing 2015 on the “things” that are important to me. One such beautiful thing–which cannot be seen or touched–is loyalty in friendship. Read the rest of this entry
On Day 12 of Paper Calliope’s 13 Days of October the end is near. It may not be Thursday, but I am sending out a throwback today with this Halloween tin I created several years ago. Read the rest of this entry
If you thought Venus Fly Traps were scary, just wait until your guests see these these scary sprouts. Talk about creeper vines.
Welcome to Day One of Paper Calliope’s 13 Days of October. Each post in October will feature a unique October-themed craft. These projects aren’t for the faint of heart. All you mummies with young children should carefully wrap up and tuck away your tender little ones before attempting any of these projects. Even if you don’t try them, you are sure to be sent to an early grave by all my horrible Halloween puns. Read the rest of this entry
As I wrap up my month as the guest blogger for the amazing company Whisker Graphics, I took advantage of all the stripes, dots and zig zags that their products offer to create a fun mini circus album.
Anyone who visits my blog regularly knows that I love anything with a vintage circus theme, and this mini album is chock full of circusy fun. I made the album for a friend of mine who has been especially kind this last year. She is the mom of a talented youth circus performer and I thought she could add ticket stubs, photos and other mementos of her daughter’s performaces to the mini album.
I am thrilled to show you my newest Artist Trading Block (ATB). It is especially exciting because it is also my first project as a member of the Robin’s Nest International Design Team. Please stop by their blog and check out my Cinderella’s Time Gone By ATB and tutorial.
The Robin’s Nest recently gave a challenge to think outside the box when creating greeting cards. Since I don’t think a box exists that contains enough nooks, crannies, twists and turns to hold my little ol’ brain, this seemed like the perfect challenge.
I love creating three-dimensional and interactive cards such as explosion cards, pop-up cards and cards with secret compartments. (I also like creating irreverent cards with vintage images, but The Robin’s Nest might not want their upstanding name associated with that). At the same time, I think a lot of manufacturers would like designers to get back to the basics and offer tutorials that crafters can complete without an engineering degree, $47K in specialized tools and a tattoo of Tim Holtz’s autograph on their arse.*
With that in mind, I created a three-dimensional card that can be completed in one sitting, requires no special tools and remains flat enough to be mailed in a regular envelope. Read the rest of this entry
In today’s Installment #3 of the Mask and Stencil Making Series, we will make a mask with–you guessed it–masking tape!
For this tutorial I decided to stick with the giraffe theme. (You do get it, don’t you? Stick = Masking tape? Okay, just had to make sure) Read the rest of this entry
Do you love the masks and stencils that are on the market these days? Buying one or two is certainly reasonable for almost any budget. However, like most art supplies (and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups), it is hard to stop at just one. If you do want to buy some, you might find Artist Cellar and Stencil Girl Products irresistible.
If, however, you would rather spend your money on other things, say, for example, on items like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups your mortgage, then I have a few solutions for you. Over the next several posts, I will share ways you can make your own masks and stencils. In addition to saving money, this can be a fun and artistic process in itself. Read the rest of this entry
Bonus: Learn a fabulously frugal trick for using
spray inks when you don’t have masks or stencils!
Without going into the gory details, last summer was a tough time for our family. Truth be told, all of 2013 pretty much sucked. A short respite from the dismal came when we visited a small zoo south of Milwaukee. Normally, a zoo isn’t all that exciting to me, but this one turned out to be pretty fun–probably more so because it was such a relief from the worries. It was literally a stone’s throw from Lake Michigan, so it wasn’t long before we headed down to the beach to watch my son climb rocks and my daughter do handstands in the sand.
