Tag Archives: Teal

Apr24

Getting rusty

Posted on April 24, 2017 by Betsy Skagen

Remember when rust was considered a bad thing? Now altered art enthusiasts cannot get enough of it. In fact, we even try to turn not-metallic things to rust. All the elements on this tag are paper, yet adding some paint techniques to Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Lock and key really makes them appear rusty.

I wanted to share this tutorial which was recently featured at Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts. I learned the basics of this faux rust technique from watching tutorials by Andy Skinner. I took his basic technique and adjusted it to my own whim and supplies on hand. Of course, the snark is pure Betsy Skagen! Read the rest of this entry →

Nov3

Adding some color into winter days

Posted on November 3, 2015 by Betsy Skagen

Adding some color into winter days

When the beautiful colors of fall have disappeared, the scenery can get sometimes pretty stark up here in the Northland. I try to add as much color as possible indoors and out to my winter days.

You can see how I decorated my lilac trees last year. If only the snow always stayed that pretty! I can tell you that is not going to happen when you live in the heart of the city.

This year, I have already begun working on adding some indoor color. Here is a mixed media tag I made this week full of rich, vibrant color. I shared the tutorial on the ColourArte site. I hope you check it out. Read the rest of this entry →

Apr26

Make this industrial chic altered art supply tote

Posted on April 26, 2015 by Betsy Skagen

Make this industrial chic altered art supply tote

It was time for a little spiffing up the Paper Calliope studio, so I added to my industrial chic look by creating this altered art suppy tote. Please hop on over to the Robin’s Nest and take a look at the tutorial.

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Apr22

Beach beautiful is wild

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Betsy Skagen

Beach beautiful is wild

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.

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Feb24

Some things are worth repeating

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Betsy Skagen

Some things are worth repeating

A long, long time ago, when this blog was brand spanking new (last month), I switched hosting services. I just now discovered that something went awry and the pictures to an early post disappeared. What’s worse, I’m not able to edit the post that was created on the other hosting service.

Since I only had about five readers the first time this was posted (and one of them was my fictional test character), I figure there is no harm in reposting it. If you saw the post the first time around you can compare the experience to re-watching your all-time favorite movie. Because some things are worth repeating.

Honestly, I’m not that arrogant about my work. From my experience, it is pretty near impossible to be cocky and anxious as the same time. However, I do hope you like these pages and inspires you to repurpose unusual materials for scrapbook pages. Read the rest of this entry →

Jan27

Crafting is exactly like Breaking Bad

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Betsy Skagen

Crafting is exactly like Breaking Bad

Help! I couldn’t update my blog because my pc was tombed beneath layers of polyurethane. Luckily, since the only way my life parallels Walter White’s is that my son is a teenager, I’m not engaged in any nefarious meth-related violence. No, I’m not wrapping bodies up in poly and finding the nearest 55 gallon drum–although admittedly if certain family members had kept pushing my buttons yesterday, it might have become a tempting option.

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Jan5

Blogged or bogged?

Posted on January 5, 2014 by Betsy Skagen

Blogged or bogged?

time-flies-blog-lo

Drumroll please—this is the first blog I have written about an actual project.

Ok, so that drumroll was actually the sound of my dog’s toenails clicking across the studio floor. I could do worse.

I’m still figuring out how I want to do this. I know my biggest challenge will be documenting all the brands and products I use. I do not like being bogged down in facts, figures and files. That’s probably why all my papers are piled haphazardly on top of my file cabinets, instead of neatly within them.

While I will provide info on resources, my foremost purpose is to offer inspiration, ideas and techniques. Along the way, I hope I make your day a little lighter.

Let me count the ways I love thee

Currently I have a love affair going with….Oops, web entries have to be short. You all are supposed to have the attention span of gnats and this is way too long. Are you still even there?

Ok, I’m cutting this section and I’ll put it in an upcoming post. It will be fantastically, awesomely riveting. Read the rest of this entry →