stuck on glitter...

Tis the season for glitz and glam!

Hello my wonderful friends!

 Are you ready to get sparkly? 

I've noticed in the stores a fun thing... glitter tape.  It's just what it sounds like... a roll of tape that is glitterized. Well, that got my brain to thinking...

That's fun and all, but...

You guessed it, I wanted more control! I wanted it to match MY projects, MY colors, MY patterns, and MY style! I didn't want to have to match my work to what the STORE decided to carry! UGG!

But, when has that really stopped me before?  It just forces me to be a little more creative. :)

So, here is a fun way to make YOUR OWN glitter tape. (well, more like glitter ribbon...)

Step 1: Stamp a design onto tissue paper.

Step 2: Cover with a strong double sided adhesive, and trim off extra tissue... I like to use a double sided adhesive that comes in a sheet so I can cut it to the size and shape I want. I'm using a Silhouette Double Sided Adhesive sheet here.

Step 3: Peel off the back of the double sided adhesive and cover in Creative Inspirations Angel Dust Resplendence.  Press the glitter onto the adhesive and brush off the extra to return to the jar.

The fun thing about this technique, is not only is it totally customizable, but it is also semi-transparent, and you can tint it by rubbing on a little distress ink to the tissue paper side of the tape. Of course you can make plain glitter tape by simply covering one side of the double side adhesive with any color Resplendence glitter, then using the back side to adhere it to your project.

The glittered tissue tape will have to be attached with an adhesive like a glue runner or another piece of double sided adhesive... or, you can do what I did here..,

Because the back is not sticky, and it is stabilized by the tape, it can be tied in a bow. 

Not your average glitter tape, huh!

Enjoy!

~Kassi

gelli time...

Hello my wonderful friends!

 Are you ready for a little enabling fun?

I want to talk about one of my favorite tools to use with paint...

(commonly referred to as a "Gelli plate")

So what exactly is it? 

I was over at my parents' house the other day, and I was talking to my mom about some project I had been working on that used the Gelli plate (she knew what it was and was following the conversation just fine...). My dad overheard, and got this really funny look on his face. He looked at me and said "What exactly do you DO with a jelly plate? Isn't it kind of messy?"

I couldn't help but laugh! 

The truth is it is messy, but not in the peanut-butter-and-jelly way he was envisioning! 

What it really is, is piece of  rubberized-ish gelatin that stores at room temperature that is used to make mono-prints. Think of when you make Jello Jigglers-- how the jello is really firm... this is even firmer, but is still somewhat squishy. It is absolutely amazing and addicting!

So, what do you do with it?

Well, that is one of the wonderful things about this. It is a TOOL. 

You can make SO MANY different styles of art using this, and I can only scratch the surface in one post. But I can give you the general idea to get you started. From there, it is a journey of experimentation and learning. (and if you google it, or search pinterest, you can find lots of great inspiration and tutorials!)

I generally work with acrylics, but you can use watercolors, or even oils! 

Simply put some paint on and brayer it around.

You can add some texture with all sorts of things.. they make special rubber combs, but I like using found things like bubble wrap, plastic mesh, cheesecloth, or stamps (hey, they're 'found' overtaking my studio!).

You can also use stencils!

Once you have your design, lay a piece of paper over it and rub it with your hand to transfer the paint.

This is called a "pull"

Notice there is still paint left on the plate... you can clean that off if you want, but, I leave it on and just add more paint over it. 

You can get interesting effects if you mist some water onto the paint... or some spray ink 

*the instructions do say that they don't recommend using dye inks because they may stain your plate, but that the stains will not effect the printing performance... I figure it is similar to my clear stamps being stained. I really don't mind, so I do it. But to be fair, I did warn you.*

Here's that pull... 

Ok.. want to add some dazzle? Creative Inspirations Paint work beautifully on the Gelli!  Here I have put on some cream acrylic paint and Denium CI paint.

Here's the pull... Isn't it pretty!

Hard to see in this picture, but the shimmer transfers BEAUTIFULLY!

Here's a fun tip: If you use an embossing folder to emboss some card stock, then use that to create texture on your Gelli plate, you get some amazingly fun embossed pieces to work with later. Here You can see the shimmer from another print I made using CI paints.  (If you are into mixed media... those piece of bubble wrap I showed earlier are pretty darn cool looking too, after they are covered in multiple layers of pretty paint!)

After you have made your prints, you can use them for what ever you want... art journal pages, cards, scrapbook pages, die cuts... what ever!

Want to expand your horizons even more? You don't have to stick to paper... You can print on fabric, canvas, ribbon, tape, directly INTO your art journal... there is just SO much you can do! And each pull is unique!

There are some people who have developed serious artistic skills that aren't near as random and they actually make pictures instead of just random backgrounds... It really is a versatile TOOL!  One that the beginners can love as much as the artist who has been honing their skills for years.

So, where do you get one?

Good question! They can be kinda hard to find! 

One of the ladies on the CI design team, Tina, owns a store -Frog Dog Studio- where you can get a kit with a Gelli Plate and a few things to get you started... Click HERE to check it out.

You can also find them HERE at dickblick.com in a variety of sizes.

Enjoy!

~Kassi

homemade made easy...

Hello my wonderful friends!

WHO STOLE THE TOILET PAPER????

pssst!  check the craft room! 

What's it doing there? 

How about the EASIEST way to make homemade paper!

Lay a sheet of toilet paper inside an embossing folder and lightly spritz with water

Lay another sheet of toilet paper on top of the first and spritz that one with water.

Continue stacking and spritzing until you have 6-8 layers, and finish up with a final spritz ... (you just need to spritz- you want the paper damp, not dripping.)

Close your embossing folder up, and run it through your embossing machine like usual...

Carefully open the folder up and peel out the paper. Allow to air dry, or dry it with a heat tool.

Once it's dry....

Use your highlighting pad to ink the embossed areas with Distress Ink

(What? You don't know what a highlighting pad is???? Check out my tutorial HERE!)

Spritz water on it to let the Distress Ink wick out a bit

Now, use your highlighter again to hit the embossed with some Creative Inspirations Paint for the perfect shimmer!

And there you have a fabulous custom shimmery paper that has that unique feel of hand made paper... it does some fun things with inks and sprays and such! Play around with it! 

Enjoy!

~Kassi

cheesecloth...

Hello my wonderful friends!

Despite our best efforts, life rarely seems to go how we plan. I had grand ideas of spending the past week in art heaven as I participated in a week long art class (taught by Tim Holtz!!!)... instead, I spent the past week stressed out and sick... and trying to keep up in my art class in the wee hours of the night/morning if there was time before I couldn't stay awake any longer. 

I had planned to get some fantastic inspiration from that class that could really make for an awesome CI tutorial today... instead, today's tutorial was inspired by a trip into WalMart.

Art and Life have a lot in common. We can plan all we want, but what happens, happens. We can choose to either get flustered and give up, or run with it and see what happens. 

I didn't learn this technique in my class... I saw the cheesecloth at the store, and because of my exhaustion and stress I was in a rather "slap-happy" mood...  It may not be what I planned, but I ran with it...

And I liked where it took me. :)

Step 1: Cover card stock with matte glue. I prefer Ranger's Matte Glue N' Seal because once it is dry, you can't tell there is any adhesive there at all. However, matte Mod Podge works too... I'll show you in a sec.  

*You can do this on a blank card stock, colored card stock, chipboard, or any other sturdier media... I wouldn't recommend doing this on any thin paper that can not hold up to the saturation of wet glue. *

Step 2: Press cheesecloth onto your card stock. Make sure you press firmly over the entire piece to ensure the glue adheres to all the fibers. 

Allow to dry.

The blue/green one was done with Matte Glue N' Seal. The purple was done with Matte Mod Podge... I know it's hard to see in the picture, but there is no white in the purple piece... that is sheen of the "matte" surface of the dried mod podge in the sunlight. Although it is more matte than the glossy, it is still visible. You cannot see the Glue N' Seal at all. 

Step 3: Enhance the texture by adding Creative Inspirations Paint. Gently go over your card stock, with sponge or dabber (see below) hitting only the fibers of the cheesecloth.

I used Antique Copper for mine.

My favorite tool for techniques where I want to highlight texture using CI paint is the Inkadinkado Dabbing Brush. The circle foam tip fits perfectly inside the lid of the CI paints, and it is hard enough that it will hit only the raised areas, and porous enough to really hold and distribute the paint and shimmer well. Bad news.... I looked on Inkadinkado's website for a link... they seem to not make them any more... Maybe my next tutorial should be how to make your own applicator! (not a bad idea...)  In the mean time... google it and pick one up where you can now if you want one!

*you can do this technique with a makeup wedge, so don't panic if you don't have the cool foam tool!!!*

Step 4: If you want to take it up a notch... run your cheesecloth paper through your embossing machine... 

Step 5: Again, enhance the double texture with your Creative Inspirations paint. How stinkin' awesome is that!

Pull it all together for a quick card...

and for a couple up close looks...

check out that shimmer! The paint really makes the texture pop!

Honestly, I love the double texture... It is so fun! 

Enjoy!

~Kassi

Supplies Used:

Paper: card stock

Stamps: Basic Grey "Cakes"

Creative Inspirations Paint: Antique Copper

Dies: Quickutz "Nesting Circles"

Other: Tim Holtz "Bubbles" texture fade, Distress Paint, cheesecloth 

wrapped in burlap...

Hello my wonderful and creative friends! 

Burlap is quite the trend right now in home decor.. have you noticed that? I'm not complaining. I really like it actually. 

One of the best parts is that it is inexpensive, and very DYI!

  

Ready to try your hand?

Step 1: Cut your burlap to the size you want it, both in width and length. If you want frayed edges, pull a few of the strings out along both the top and bottom edges.

Step 2: (optional) To keep the burlap from fraying farther, run it through your sewing machine with a small zigzag stitch. Since we are just wrapping a candle, it really isn't overly necessary, but if you want to be on the safe side, that's how you do it. 

(thanks mom! She's the sewer, not me! LOL)

Step 3: If your burlap is not the color you want, go ahead and change the color by spraying it with ink. I use All Purpose Ink by Tsukineko because if you heat set it, it is permanent in fabric. 

Step 4: Lay a stencil over your burlap. I cut mine out of acetate using my silhouette.  Keep the shapes fairly simple. Burlap has a fairly large weave. Any detail too fine will get lost in the weave.

Step 5: Sponge on some white acrylic paint. This will give you a base coat to paint over since the background is dark. If I had left my burlap white, I could skip this step.

Step 6: Sponge on some Creative Inspirations Paint. I'm using Gold. I thought it fit well for the season. 

I could have used many different tools to sponge on the paint. I chose to use a cotton ball because I like the distressed look not all the acrylic paint getting covered up. Personal preference for this project. Feel free to experiment with how you like to apply your paint, and how much paint you apply. I tend to go light, again because I like the white to show through and accentuate the weave of the fabric.

Step 7: Now it's time to personalize...

Try stamping... Simply load up you stamp with Creative Inspirations Paint using a makeup wedge...

...and stamp onto your painted burlap.

You can also use a paintbrush to doodle...

Whatever makes your heart sing. :)

Step 8: Once it is all finished and dry, wrap it around your candle, and use a needle and thread to sew the back shut. 

Here's a closeup of mine. I wrapped some heavy twine around it

 An acetate leaf colored with alcohol inks strung on the knot, and it is done! From start to finish this project really didn't take much time at all. It could be a fun gift... or a great project for the kiddos to help with. :)

Enjoy!

~Kassi

PS:  Don't forget the Creative Inspirations Design Team Call!  There is still time to get your application in.. and let's face it, the application requirements this time are EASY! No new projects required. So there really isn't any reason to put it off. :)  Here's the link to the info>>>DT CALL