It's Blitsy time again and this week I have a tutorial to help you recycle your Blitsy packaging into art!
[I do use affiliate links and there are some in this blog post.]
You know that thing when you are a kid when the box is more fun than the contents? Well, that is exactly what I've been up to with this tutorial this week. Although Bltisy boxes are always full of fun but how about an idea to make the box fun as well? It is perfectly timed too as yesterday was Earth Day so if you have been looking for a recycling project then try this one out!
As filming tutorials go I am totally at the absolute beginner stage, but it is something I've been wanting to do more of for ages now. However, I keep putting it off because I want the films to be good, not just good Perfect! If you are going to do something do it well, right?
Yeah, well I think I'm changing that mindset as, let's face it, my films will never be perfect particularly if I don't actually make them! So here we go, I'm going to try and make more regular films, pop on over to my YouTube channel if you fancy subscribing!
I've taught variations of this faux print look with the guys at PaperArtsy at the Ally Pally show last weekend and at their Retailer Training day in March and as it went down quite well I thought I would turn it into a video for you all to enjoy too.
The technique itself is not particularly new but it's all about the application of the technique to get this Faux print look.
It is really simple to do and all you need is a surface to work on, a plastic card, some paint and, if you like, some stamps too. I've been using various PaperArtsy stamps, including my own range, I'm working on some heavy weight smoothy cardstock and the Fresco Finish paints which dry super quick so are perfect for this technique.
The technique is based around the kind of look you get in screenprinting but without using a screen, so the best way to do it is with a plastic card like an old credit card, an old gift card or a PaperArtsy Splodger if you have one. Video:
I run through the whole technique in the video with tips and trick too, but feel free to ask me any questions, here, on social media or in my YouTube Channel.
Samples:
Here are some peeks at some other samples using this technique.
There are more examples at the end of the video. The sample that I walk you through is this one:
Hope you enjoy playing with this one and as always let me know what you think and link up any projects that you do so that I can take a peek! If you want some more inspiration on what you can use this technique for then pop on over to Jo Firth-Young's (aka JOFY) to see the amazing greeting cards she has made with it.
This week over on the Blitsy blog I am sharing the making of this art journal page from start to finish... [I do use affiliate links and there are some in this blog post.]
It is a super drippy art journal page using die-cuts and the Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolours to make lots of texture and interesting colour. I had loads of fun making it and playing with the paints on the page so if you are want to see more do pop on over to my How To Make A Die-Cut and Watercolour Art Journal Page on the Blitsy blog.
Do you fancy an art journal tutorial? Well if you do I have one over on the Blitsy blog today.
[I do use affiliate links and there are some in this blog post.]
As the title suggests this journal page is all about circles and I've used lots of different ways to include circles in it! You can see all the steps over on the Blitsy Blog.
I just wanted to let you know that I have a tutorial up on the Blitsy Blog today.
[I do use affiliate links and there are some in this blog post.]
This week my Blitsy tutorial is all about how to make some wearable art. I've used denim and the lush Neon WOW Embossing Powders to make this cuff. I've also added more neon pop with Papermania Neon tassels and buttons. I just love how the Neon looks on the denim.
Stamping and heat embossing on fabric is really easy but if you want to see how to get a nice crisp, colourful image and not just lose the colour into the fabric then go check out the tutorial!
I'm looking forward to seeing your wearable Mixed Media art so do post the links in the comments below to anything you make or have made in the past.
Time for a free tutorial from me over on the Blitsy blog as part of the Blitsy Creative Team and guess what? It is my first full length video! Gulp! Hope you like it.
(I use affiliate links on this blog so some of the links in this posts are affiliated).
In my video I go through all of the stages for a mixed media piece using buttons and an embroidery hoop as well as some other stash favourites. I also show you how to make your own circle canvas too which you can then either mount in the hoop or use it as it is.
I've become a bit of a tote bag collector. It was kind of an accident, I started buying them for DIY projects and article work. But then it became a bit of a habit.
They are so useful to have to hand so every now and again I replenish my stocks with a new tote blank ready for decorating or a get given them at blogger events. It seems to be the thing at the moment for many of the events I find myself at to give out canvas tote bags, Yay! Tote Bags! Sometimes these totes have a logo on them but sometimes they are blank, so they get added to my growing collection.
It is a fun project to do - arting-up a tote bag so I hope you will go take a look at the tutorial then give it a go yourself. But don't forget to share the result on the Blitsy Addict Secret Facebook page (Shhh! It's a secret!) or on the Blitsy Inspiration board.
Well, I have some good news, you can get your very own Happy Planner in the Blitsy sale this weekend. Oh yeah! It's your birthday! Ok, so it might not be your birthday but I'm just getting a bit over excited and all. (By the way I do use affiliate links and there are some in this blog post).
To give you a bit of inspiration of what you can do when you get your Happy Planner I have been planner hacking and I have a tutorial for a collage planner cover over on the Blitsy blog right now.
Buying The Happy Planner From Blitsy
For us in the UK (sorry my readers from other countries, I can't advice on prices for your countries) the Happy Planner from Blitsy including postage and packaging works out around £19.28 (according to xe.com at the time of writing this blog post), that's approximately £12.87 for the planner itself. This means you can drop something else into your shopping basket and not have to worry about import tax and duty as long as you make sure the goods don't cost more than £15 before postage and packaging is added.
But a quick note, again for those in the UK: be careful of using the 40% off codes on Blitsy as when these are added you can get a super deal BUT the original un-discounted retail price of the item is placed on the delivery label, even though you did not pay that amount. That price on the delivery label can tip you over the £15 (approximately $23 depending on exchange rate) import limit and you might get charged duty and import tax even if you did not pay that price (they can only go by what is on the label). So you would need to factor that in when working out if you are saving money or not. I have no idea why this happens when you use the 40% codes and I have pointed it out to the guys at Blitsy and they said they would look into it.
Of course you will have to wait a little longer to get your planner if you order it from Blitsy as it does take a few days for dispatch and then it will take some more days to travel from the US to the UK! But it is only like a 2-3 weeks delay before it is in your hands and sometimes not even that.
Calling all mixed media fans and planner fans, I've merged two of my favourite things at the moment to bring a mixed media planner pocket page tutorial to the Blitsy Blog.
Go check out the Blitsy Blog to find out how I put this page together.
Also check out the Blitsy's Secret Society page on facebook. It is the perfect group for us Blitsy Addicts, just ask to join or give me a shout in Facebook as I think I can add you to the group.
I *HEART* Blitsy so they are one of my affiliate programs and some of the links in this blog post are affiliated, I have a full run down of my affiliations on my Disclaimers and Disclosure page.
Hey guys, I have a feature on the Blitsy blog today all about making the most out of your cutting dies.
Intrigued? Then pop on over to see the full step by step tutorial on the Blitsy blog and let me know what dies you will be using.
I *HEART* Blitsy so they are one of my affiliate programs and the links in this blog post are affiliated, I have a full run down of my affiliations on my Disclaimers and Disclosure page.
If you are one of my regular readers then you might remember that I have recently moved house, so when the guys at the Self Storage company Space Station Storage asked me if I would like to share a storage idea I thought 'what a good idea!' I mean storage is a bit of an ongoing project for me at the moment as we are still unpacking boxes. Ok so we moved in July last year but I don't think we will finish unpacking any time soon.
Here is one of my favourite storage tips that can work well for lots of areas in the house but is super perfect for my studio and seeing as I'm still not sure where everything is I do need to make some more of these!
Turn an uninteresting cutlery drainer into a pretty, sectioned storage basket. The great thing about this upcycle is you can theme it to fit any room in your house and store anything you need - even cutlery if you want!
You Will Need:
Cutlery drainer
Patterned paper
Glue (Mod Podge is perfect for this)
Brush
Spare card
Pencil
Step 1
Give the cutlery drainer a good clean to remove any dust and dirt then stand it on the card. Draw around each of the bottom sections and cut them out. Then place the cut outs into the bottom of each section and trim them to get a good fit. The cardboard covers up the draining holes and makes a flat floor for each section.
Step 2
Tear the patterned paper into strips and decide if you want the white paper core to show or not, both looks work well depending on what you want.
Brush glue over a section of the cutlery drainer and add the paper. Brush more glue over the top of the paper. Keep working in sections until both the inside and outside of the drainer is covered. Then let the whole thing dry.
There you have it, one very handy pen holder for my desk.
Thanks again to the guys of Space Station Storage for the inspiration to share one of my favourite storage ideas.
I would love to hear your storage ideas, particularly if they are upcycle and recycle ideas, but really any of your storage ideas would be great I need them all! Do share in the comments below if you have any.
Just popping in for a bit of a heads-up. You all know that I LOVE writing for magazines and it keeps me pretty busy, well I have already got some favourite articles coming out this year and here is a heads-up about one of them.
[Photo credit: Practical Publishing International Ltd]
It is a masterclass that I did for Simply Cards and Papercraft about monoprinting with gelatine plates, which as you know is a cheap, DIY alternative to Gelli plates.
Why is this one of my favourites so far this year? Well for a few reasons actually, I just love how the cards turned out (yeah it always surprises me, even though I'm the one making them - are you like that too or is that just me?!), the colours are lush and I love the way that the guys at Practical Publishing make them look gorgeous (I want ALL their photo props and equipment (and skill LOL!)).
But there is an even bigger reason why it is a favourite of mine and that is I get to share with you one of my favourite techniques for getting cheap, easy, fun and unique printed cards using inks.
Now if any of you have tried using inks on a gelatine plate it doesn't always work out that successfully but with this masterclass you can put those niggles behind you. So have fun and I can't wait to see what you do, please do come back to share with me any of your makes using this masterclass I would love to see them!
You will find the full masterclass in issue 134 of Simply Cards and Papercraft and there is a bonus card on their website, which, by the way, has lots of lovely extra makes from loads of other designers, so a good place to check out regularly #hint #hint.
