It has been a while since I posted. I have an Investigative Art Journal for you today. Today we are seeing how many half pans can you get from one tube of watercolors.
For this experiment I used Reeves Watercolors that I picked up at Michael’s. The affiliate link is listed here:
I found this a very interesting experiment, how much is actually in a watercolor tube? I was pleasantly surprised.
There are four and half, half pans in a tube!
This is a great if you want to invest in higher quality watercolors, but you don’t think you can go through that many pans, so sharing with a friend or 2 is now a viable option.
There is plenty of product to go around to everyone!
Check out the video to see more on the experiment and there are links to my other Investigative Art Journals.
What other experiments do you want me to do with watercolors?
Can you believe that Easter is just right around the corner? Where is this year going? Anyway, I have a fun and easy Dollar Tree DIY Easter Decor project for you.
FTC Disclaimer:
I was compensated for this post. This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.
So, to do this project you will need a few supplies, most of them can be picked up at the Dollar Tree.
First you will want to paint your canvas. I used a gold Folk Art paint. You can use any color you want, but it will take a few coats to cover up the canvas. You might not be able to find the exact canvas I am using, but look around they seem to always have some great choices for canvases, and you might want to experiment with different sizes.
Once your paint is dry you can add the grass. Take as much as you want and shape it into a nest shape and hot glue it to the canvas.
Then you add your eggs, add a single one in the middle, or a grouping of 3. If you can’t find any eggs look around for another spring related item that would fit on your canvas. Be creative and experiment with your center piece.
These are just so cute when they are all finished. These would look great in a grouping of 3. Also, this would be a fun project for kids or a church group. There are so many great options for these canvases.
Thank you cards are something we all need to have and these easy DIY cards are perfect for almost any occasion. And since I am obsessed with watercolors, these are right up my alley 🙂
These would be great gifts for new homeowners, newly weds, or graduates.
This first card is super easy and looks really cute. All you do is spritz the watercolor card with water and then lightly spray 2 different Dylusions ink sprays. Move the card to blend the colors in the middle, then add some washi tape at the bottom and stamp Thank You in the middle and you are done! Quick and easy and they look great!
This next card is also super fun and easy to make. Which is great because you can make a lot of them ahead of time and have them ready! For this one take a wet paint brush and paint with water in a blob type shape. Then add some watercolors into the blob, you can mix the 2 in the middle and blend them together. Add splashes and a stamped Thank You to the middle and some washi tape on the bottom. Now you have another Thank you card for your stash.
This last card takes a little longer, but it is worth it. All you do is watercolor the sky, starting with the lightest color and work your way darker. Blend carefully, you don’t want to create mud. Once the sky is dry it is time to paint the mountains. I just used black acrylic paint to make the mountains and then I lightly drew in the trees with the same paint. Now you have a cute sunset card that is perfect for all occasions.
There you have it, 3 easy watercolor Thank You cards.
Don’t you just love it when a plan comes together? Recently I went to Hawaii with my family and I went to Quilt and Fabric land and I picked up a pile of fat quarters (with complete honesty, I don’t sew but I do glue things onto canvases, lol) I knew I wanted to make a beach landscape mixed media canvas. I am so thrilled with how it turned out, just how I imagined it!
You can see the video here in case you need more in depth instructions:
Use any sized canvas you want, I used a 20×20 and painted the edges with black acrylic paint.
First cut your fabric into strips then plan out what you want you canvas to look like. I wanted a beach landscape with a sun set, so I used a lot of blues for the sky, turquoise for the water, tans for the beach, and yellow, reds, and oranges for the sun. This will give you a rough idea of what it will look like, but things will move and shift and you will change your mind throughout the process, which is perfectly fine.
Now, we need to adhere everything down. So I took a heavy gloss gel (modeling paste would work as well) and spread a thin layer on to the canvas. Then I dipped a strip of fabric into the soft gloss gel and soaked the fabric (make sure you ring it out out) then I crinkled it up and put it on the canvas. I wanted to to stay in place and this seemed to work great.
I started with the sun, which was my focal point and then I built the scenery up from there. This does take a while, but be patient and take breaks if needed. Then let it dry completely before moving on to the next step.
Once it was all dry I adhered sea shells on to the fabric with the heavy gel. I wanted to add more texture and interest to the canvas.
Then I dry brushed on different paints in metallic and sparks colors to add even more detail.
I love how this turned out and I can’t wait to create more landscapes with fabric!
I you all had a wonderful holiday. I relaxed and had a great time off, but now it is time to get back to work, lol.
As many of you know I have a You Tube Channel where I feature a lot of the projects that I do right here on the blog, but I do have a series that I haven’t mentioned here. This new series I started is called Investigative Art Journal this is where I take art and craft supplies and I weight them, test them, and destroy them to learn things and to see how much product is there.
Craft supplies can be really expensive and was curious as to how much product is actually in a tube. I am hoping that these video will help you with your purchasing decisions.
In my first video I checked out Faber-Castell Gelatos:
This was so much fun and eye opening! There was a surprising amount of product in that little Gelato. It makes me feel a little better about buying all the colors, lol. But now I need to use them all, but that might take a million years, lol.
I have created a few videos, but the one that surprised me the most is the Stickles:
When I thought I was done, when I couldn’t squeeze out another drop I cut it open and I was surprised to see how much was left! You won’t believe it when you see the video. So make sure you cut open the bottle when you think you are done.
Here is a link to my playlist so you can check out all my videos:
I would love for you to check out my channel and subscribe.
This has been a super fun project and I have a ton of other products I am going to test this year.
Is there anything you would like me to test and check out? Leave me your suggestions below and I will see what I can do.
Christmas is almost here! In anticipation I created this Christmas Tree Mixed Media Canvas. I just love everything about the Christmas season and this canvas put me in the holiday spirit!
I did a video tutorial that goes over all the steps and I will try and describe what I did in the instructions below (but the video might be easier to follow along with all the steps, lol).
Start with an 11×14 canvas and cover it with old music. This is a great way to break up the background and start a canvas.
Now it is time to add color and texture. I used the Dina Wakley stencil and added glass beads to the bottom. Then I painted the sky with a few different blues and the snow with white. Don’t forget to paint the edges. for sparkle I added Mica powders and spread them out with water and let it drip to the bottom. Let this all dry before going on to the next step.
Now it is time to prep the tress. Find 3 different Christmas papers that will work for trees and cut them into triangles.
Then I used a gel stick to add color to the edges and smeared it in then I added a white line on top with a gel pen. This added dimension to the trees.
For the snowflakes I painted the wood cut out with liquid watercolors and then added some Finnabair wax on top. For the tree trunk I painted them with a Finnabair wax.
I glued it all on the canvas with hot glue then I added white splashes with watered down white acrylic paint. Seal it all with a spray sealer when you are done then hang it up and you decor is now complete!
What season or holiday should I do next for my next canvas?
I love making handmade cards for the holidays, I think they add the perfect touch and a little something extra special for the recipient. I have a quick tutorial for a Christmas Card using Yupo Paper.
The video might be the easiest way to see the process, but I will do my best to describe the process.
Christmas paper (not the one I used, but it will work): http://amzn.to/2l39qii
Snowflake embossing folder (not the same one I used, but it will work): http://amzn.to/2kqPVwj
Christmas tree die cut (not the same one I used, but it will work): http://amzn.to/2AdU90U
Stickles: http://amzn.to/2iT3qVg
Rubbing alcohol
Instructions:
Start with Yupo Paper, what is that you ask? It is a wonderful synthetic paper that is perfect for alcohol markers and watercolors.
I am in love with synthetic paper, so be on the the look out for more tutorials using it.
For the blue background scribble blue alcohol markers all over
Then you take a pipet and alcohol and drop it all around. This will blend the colors and create a really wonderful effect. Play around with it and use more or less alcohol and try different colors.
Let this completely dry before using the embossing folder. I let it air dry over night, but you can use a heat gun if you are careful not to melt the paper, lol.
Once the background is dry use the embossing folder to create a snow flake background.
Cut out the trees using a die cut.
To assemble the card layer a coordinating background paper, then add the embossed, blue Yupo Paper, add the trees (I used foam tape for dimension), stamp the sentiment, and then I added stickles to the trees for detail.
That is it, a wonderful, handmade card that is perfect for everyone on your list.
With the holidays approaching it is important to take time to relax and a bath is perfect for relaxing! I made these altered bottles for bath soaks which look great in your bathroom!
They are easy to make and they can also make a perfect handmade gift, or you can sell them at a craft fair.
For this project find a really great bottle. I found mine at Who Give a Scrap. It is on on the larger size, that worked perfectly for me. Make sure it has a lid and that you clean it thoroughly.
Once the bottle is clean and dry add your embellishments. I added burlap and lace around the bottle to start.
Then I added a lot of flowers and beads to create the look I was going for. You can add flowers, buttons, keys, and found objects. Anything would look great on the bottle.
Once it was all decorated I added the bath salts and the cork. Now I have a great gift, or even something for me.
It is that time of year when all the junk mail comes to your house. I recycle what I can, but sometimes it is just too pretty to throw away. So I save it.
And that is were the problem comes in, I have a stack of junk mail that needs to be dealt with, so I turned a few pieces into art journals.
This is just the tutorial on how I created the art journal, if you want to see what I did to the inside let me know in the comments and I will show you the art (when I am finished with it, lol)
Here is the video tutorial:
So what you do is start with really great junk mail. I had one from Capital One and Tiffany’s. Side note: I have only been to Tiffany’s once and I bought the cheapest pair of earrings there about 10 years ago and I still get their mailers, lol. And their mailers are beautiful!
Once you decided on what you want to alter grab some gesso. I used white, black and clear. The black is fun so I can use some light colors, it breaks up the book. I also added clear gesso over some of the images, that way I keep the image but the page is prepped to take all sorts of mediums.
The cover of the Tiffany book is so pretty and festive! This will be my holiday 2017 art journal. When looking for junk mail to make into an art journal look for mailers that have slightly thicker paper. If it is too thin then the pages will buckle and it won’t hold up.
The white gesso didn’t cover all the images completely, but that is ok, I will fill the page with other art and it won’t get in the way. But if you want the image to be completely gone, the add a few layers.
I left some words uncovered, I thought they we fun and it will help me start the page.
The Capital One mailer was a great size and it will be fun to do more landscape journal pages. I kept the images and some words, and it makes for a great starting point.
It was a lot of fun to prep my new art journals. What piece of junk mail do you have that is too beautiful to recycle? And did you just keep it or did you re purpose it?
Christmas craft fair season is upon us! Yikes, I am not ready! Anyone else doing craft fairs and are you ready?
One item I like to see are earrings. On a side note I only make and sell things I will use/wear/display in my home. Too often people try to make only what they think will sell and not what they actually like or that they would wear or use. This is my opinion, and I sure it is different from other opinions. Now I want to sell it all, but I know some things won’t sell and that is ok. And since I like it I will be more likely to use in my daily life.
They are fantastic, I love how portable they are with the handle and each bin comes out so I take out what I need. There is a lot of room and they fit my needs perfectly.
The organizational bins behind the plastic storage is the metal strip my husband hung along with the magnetic containers from the dollar store. You can read the blog post here: Organizers
The earrings are really cute and fairly simple to make. All you do is add a French hook to a cute charm. I used a zipper pull and some other charms I had in my stash.
I like to use a variety of charms, not just Christmas ones. You never know what people will need or want.
Once I have a pile made I will package them and get them ready for the craft fair. If you are interested in seeing how I make my packaging and how I display my earrings let me know and I will write a post about it.
