Clean Your Craft Mat With Skin Peelings- Part II

Hey, Peeps. Here's the long, drawn-out sequel to Part I of "Clean Your Craft Mat With Skin Peelings, Part I", which was here.

Here is the final piece, still stuck on the mat, but dried. The extra heavy gloss gel medium dried beautifully clear.

The reason to lay it on extra thick (see part I) is so that it has "substance" when it's peeled off of the mat. Here you can see that there's something for my credit card to "grab" onto to get the peeling started.

Just find the edge and push to gather it slightly. I did this all around the perimeter of the design.

Here, you can see the edge.

Honestly, Froggers, I didn't expect that this would all come up as one piece. It's about 9x11 inches or so. I thought it would rip or tear at some point, but I must have done a whiz-bang job of laying down the gel medium, because I had absolutely no problem keeping it all together. I just pulled it off slowly and carefully. Here it is, placed on top of a piece of white paper.

There is just SO much yummy goodness.

Here, you can see the hand-carved stamped images.

More hand-carved stamp images as well as painted doodles.

Texture and layers.

And more glittery goodness.

And, because this is essentially "plastic", when you store it, make sure to put it in between two pieces of waxed paper and make sure it stays flat. And, don't let it fold in on itself. You might be able to pry it apart, but I don't make any guarantees.

So, what will I do with this?

Here are some ideas:

Die cutting- I would cut this into smaller pieces (I know- perish the thought!!!), place a piece between two pieces of paper, and run it through my Big Shot.

Cards- cut this into smaller pieces and collage onto cards, perhaps using some patterned paper underneath. I would use gel medium to glue it down, but if I used gel medium on top, I would definitely use gloss, since matte would dull it, and it's SO pretty in its shiny state.

Canvas- need I say more? This would look so pretty on a canvas with some embellies like flowers, buttons, etc.

As a layer on any other substrate, like laminate samples (see my blog post here), tags, old pieces of wood, wooden clipboards, etc., etc.

As a layer on top of gelli prints.

And on, and on, and on. 

When I get the nerve to cut this up, I'll show you sometime, K?

Again, thanks for visiting. 

Fondly, Tami

It's time to use my stencils, Peeps!

Hey, Peeps. this is a quickie post tonight. I realized that while I design and sell lots of stencils, I'm so busy doing that that I often don't get a chance to play with my own toys! So, I decided to use my Mish Mash stencil from my Etsy shop here.

This is actually one of my favorite larger stencils since it has tons of texture. It's almost like several stencils in one because it has so much going on.

So, here are a few things I did with it. I played with some mixed media paper and paint, using the Creative Jumpstart class prompts.

For starters, I took my stencil and just dabbed a few colors of paint through the designs.

After that, I placed the stencil on a brand new piece of mixed media paper and rubbed over and through it with a baby wipe. This accomplished two things. It cleaned my stencil and made another very cool page.

Here's the "rub-through". 

After that, I just added some transparent, high flow yellow paint to the first print. It's all about layers, Peeps, and this one will probably get several more before the week is over. And, sorry for the lighting. It is a dark and stormy night here in PA.

I'll be posting more on these pages in the near future. 

And, thanks again for checking out my blog. I do feel another stencil giveaway coming up.

Fondly, Tami

Save Your Money on Craft Supplies

Hey, Peeps. I've been thinking a lot about how us Mixed Media People love our junk supplies, and how we love to hoard collect stuff to use in our projects. I've also been thinking about products on the market, and how they are marketed to us suckers intelligent consumers. 

I went to one of my favorite Small Local Craft Stores. Believe me, there's nothing like them. I love that they carry cool products that the Big Craft Conglomerates don't. I like that I'm supporting them in feeding their families, not buying their next BMW. 

However, when I visited my Local Craft Store, I chatted with the owner, as I SO often do. She had been at a recent craft and hobby trade show. She was very excited about a new line of mixed media heavy bodied acrylic paint that had come on the market through a Large Company, that most of us know and quite frankly, idolize. 

So, I decided to try this paint. I bought a tube of it in a color that I really liked I didn't really have yet, which was a lime green color. That night, I watched a few videos from the Craft and Hobby Association where this paint was being featured. There were many qualities that this paint had, so I was excited to try it out. 

The next day, I played with it. As I collaged, I pulled a bottle of a different color and brand. As I squirted the aqua onto my craft mat, I noticed something. It appeared to have the same properties as the lime green color that was touted as being wonderful. 

So, I decided to experiment. Keep in mind that this experiment was less than scientific, but it was good enough by my standards. Technically, I should have compared the same color to it, but I didn't have it, remember? I also am not paid by anyone to do this, but if you want to pay me, that would be fine, too. 

I am not showing the Expensive Paint container, but here's the brand below to which I compared it. This is a multi-surface paint that I bought, mainly because I liked the color and wanted to try it out. It was $1.39 (without a coupon). The Expensive Paint was $5.99.

I squirted the paints side by side. They were of the same consistency (oops, I forgot a picture, but imagine two blobs on a craft mat, with gently formed peaks).

I painted them onto a piece of mixed media paper. They spread equally as well and had the same coverage.

Next, I painted circles onto a piece of plain paper from my printer (of course, I had to print something onto it, which is a copy of a deed from my grandparents' farm). They spread the same. Here you can see that the lime green color is slightly more translucent, but I would guess that that's because it's a lighter color. 

Here, I spread both paints and inscribed into them with the non-brush tip of my paint brush. Since the lime green colored paint was touted as being a great consistency, I wanted to see how the Folk Art paint held up. Both inscribed well. 

Then, I painted onto a surface that had been colored with gesso. They both also spread the same.

But wait! Perhaps the Expensive Paint would work better through a mask. Alas, it did not. Here, I used both on my Loopdeeloop mask, and as you can see, both worked well. 

So, why did I do this? I think the main reason was to empower you wonderful Mixed Media Artists to think before you buy. Is the value of what your buying really a good value? In this case, the less expensive paint is just as good, is a better value, and has a larger palate of colors. 

Will I go back to my Small Local Craft Store? Absolutely. But, I will buy fun hardware and embellishments that I can't make myself, instead. 

And, you know those shoes that you have in your closet that have a crack in the sole and water filters up and wets your dry socks? Yups. Those. Well, cut them up, add vintage buttons, and use them in your projects. 

As usual, thanks for checking in. Fondly, Tami

The CUTEST Inexpensive Hand Carved Stamps

So, I'm stepping out of my comfort zone, art-wise. I discovered art journaling about a year ago, but I remember thinking, "Why the heck would I want to make art in a journal when I could put it on canvas and display or sell it???"

Obviously, I was stupid. Well, not really, but I just didn't get it.

Until recently. 

Art journals are a wonderful way to express one's self, but for me, they're a great way to "practice" my art. Now, don't get me wrong. When I create a beautiful page in my journal, I think to myself, "Crap. I could have put that on a canvas." Oh, well.

I'm also learning to let go of my perfectionism. Of course, nothing I do is perfect, but I would like to think it is. I'm trying to let go of straight lines, perfectly washed out brushes, and a pristine canvas.

Enter hand-carved stamps. 

I love them.

Absolutely love them. 

They are fun.

They are whimsical.

And there's no way they could be perfect. 

I started out with my linoleum cutters. This set belonged to my MIL. I'm not sure what she used them for, but I inherited them. Yay for me.

The tips are interchangeable.

I find that for stamp carving, I use the tiny one more often than the others.

I started by purchasing a Speedball Speedy Carve Carving Block. Then I quickly discovered: 

1. I LOVED making them.

2. That I'd go broke soon, and my daughter would have to drop out of college because I couldn't afford to send her there anymore because I was buying too many blocks.

So, I found a much cheaper alternative. MUCH cheaper. Stay tuned....

This was my first attempt with the expensive block. I really like the rustic, non-perfect look.

Then, I read on the "interwebs" (as HubbyDoc would say), that you can use dollar store big erasers. 

Can you say habit score???

I was skeptical at first, but then I took my tools to the rubber, as they say. 

Well, "they" really don't say that.

I love the erasers because I can make about 4 small stamps (2 on each side), and I can use the sides as well. 

I just draw the shape I want and cut it out. I does help to do a little planning, and you can color in the areas that you definitely want to remove (keeping in mind that that's the part that will be light and not inked), but I just eyeball them. 

There are a few things to keep in mind. 

1. ALWAYS cut away from your body and your hands. I just had to say it.

2. This isn't a children's craft, for obvious reasons.

3. The tools are sharp. Or they should be. You should use gentle pressure. If you have to press hard, your tool isn't sharp enough and it's time to buy a new one.

I tend to turn my rubber instead of turning the tool. I think you have better control that way.

Here's one of the slanted ends. I just stuck my small tool slightly into the rubber and twisted it around, essentially gouging it out. See. It isn't perfect. Yay.

Ink your stamp up really, really well. I find that the eraser stamps don't take the ink quite as easily as your regular store bought rubber stamps. So, just ink well.

These stamps aren't super pliable, so I like to press the paper onto the stamp instead of the stamp on the paper.

Here's a sample of the difference. On the right, I stamped the rubber to the paper. On the left, I stamped the paper to the rubber. Of course, I'll still be able to use both. If you're using your stamp on a canvas project, keep in mind that you might end up with the look on the right, which in my opinion, is part of the "charm", as "they" say.

Then after I stamped the flower, I realized the center was too dull, so I changed it up.

I took a piece of cut out chevron plastic from a one of my tag stencils.

Then I traced it with a pen and cut it out of the thick end. You can play with how you want it to look. Think positive and negative space. You could just carve out the lines, or carve out sections. I decided to do sections.

And, here's what it looks like, stamped with some acrylic paint.

If you don't like the "leftover" lines, then just carve them away. I think they provide a rustic look.

Here's a brick wall design. Notice, all I did was carve lines. No rocket science here, Peeps!

I stamped it with distress stain. You can see the chevron on the side. Gotta make use of ALL surfaces since I'm cheap frugal.

Here's a little fox. She was a little more intricate, but I like her. Remember to take away as little as possible, stamp with it, and then you can see what you don't like and take more away. You can always cut more, but you can't UNCUT!

Here are all of my stamps so far. I stamped them with archival/permanent ink onto dried out teabags, naturally stained, of course. The one on the bottom left is a border that I made from leftovers of the key stamp. GOTTA USE ALL SURFACES, PEEPS!!! ;)

I believe this is a new addiction hobby.

Just think of the possibilities! Gesso, molding paste, Gelatos, inks, paints, gouache, etc., etc. etc. You'll be able to actually use all of your crap supplies!

Thanks for stopping by, Everyone!

Fondly, Tami
I'm linking to:
Stringtown Home
My 1929 Charmer
Craftomaniac
Ivy and Elephants
Flamingo Toes
Funky Junk Interiors

More Gelli Plate® Fun

Hey, Froggers! I've had a little bit of time to play lately, and I mean a little. My back problems keep me from sitting for an extended period of time, so I'm eeking in what I can. I've had loads of fun designing more stencils, and hopefully in the near future, I'll be selling them on Etsy.

This is my key stencil that I just cut out on a manila folder. I love the way it turned out. These keys are my original designs, and when I created them, it was the first time I felt like an "artist".
And, this stencil design (made of durable stencil plastic and not manila folders!) is available in my Etsy shop here.

Here's the first print. Again, I used a manila folder from a stack that I was going to throw out, until I realized that that would be a big mistake!

When I used the stencil on the Gelli Plate for the first time, it stuck a little too much to the plate, so after I took it off, I covered it with clear gesso. I haven't used it since, so I'll let you know how the next printing fares.

Here's the second print. I had covered the original black on the plate with white paint, and this is what I got. I think I put on a little too much white paint, but that's the fun of Gelli printing. You just don't really know what you're going to get.

And here's the last print, or "ghost print". As usual, this is my favorite print.

And, here are some stencils I plan on playing with in the future.

Stay tuned! Fondly, Tami