All posts tagged: get crafty

2016.

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Hellooooo 2016 and Happy New Year to all! I’m kicking off this year’s posts with a colorful DIY and long-overdue recap series of the fiancé and my Seattle travel adventures. First up: our visit to Impress Stamps at University Village. Yes, of course I signed up for a crafty workshop on my vacation! I had been following Impress on Instagram and via their newsletter, and loved being inspired by their features. When I found out I could take a class during my planned Seattle vacation I was sooo in. And so was my fiancé. Well, he was ‘highly encouraged’ to join me. 😉 We took a 2016 calendar making class. Our instructor provided all the supplies to create a 12-month desktop calendar. Each month had a kit complete with stamps, inks, embellishments, and inspiration. I really liked seeing all the variations my workshop mates created. Here’s what I came up with: Before and after workshop, I perused their walls of stamps and fun supplies! Just look! I left with a basket full of goodies. Oh Impress, you’re a …

lined and noted.

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Snail mail is the best. Here’s a fun way to add a little fancy to your Christmas greetings this year…or any greeting any time of year! All you need are: envelopes decorative paper (I really like washi paper) templates (you can make your own or get these nifty ones from Paper Source) a pencil scissors glue stick Choose the template that fits your envelopes of choice. Trace onto your decorative paper and cut. Ensure the template fits in your envelope snugly. Fold and glue. No need to glue the entire piece of paper, just the flap. Open up the flap and press down to secure. Fold the envelope and crease. And viola! Now you have a lovely lined envelope for an extra pop of handmade. You’ll never look at envelopes the same… Are you hand making your Christmas greetings this year? Share below!

wrap it up.

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Oh boy! It’s that time of year- time to wrap up pretty little gifts with the most adorable packaging! Darby Smart teamed up with Gap to create a gift wrapping set, and as a Darby designer I got a sneak peek to get the party started. (Yasss!) It’s full of all the things to add a handmade touch to any gift.  – Get your own here! The kit comes complete with kraft paper, a set of gift tags by Darby designers, wooden tags, candy cane bakers twine, silver sparkle decorative tape, and a silver marker. And if you’re like me, you consider the shredded paper filler part of the kit, too! First off, can I say that I looooove kraft paper. It’s simple and clean, but has so much potential and can be dressed up in so many ways. Here, I’ve just added a wooden ornament to add some shape and dimension to the package. Easy peasy. And next up, I was inspired by the snowflakes on one of the gift tags and drew my own abstract versions …

tools of the trade.

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Today I thought I’d share some of my favorite craft tools! No endorsements here; just pure awesomeness. Paper trimmer I’ve had this Cutterpede brand cutter for years now. The blade lasts a really long time and the cutting cushion can be rotated and flipped for maximum use. I have yet to replace it. The side ruler swivels out and the clear ruler on top lifts up for easy paper placing. Scissors I use two types. For paper I have a Recollections brand pair (left). For felt, a Tim Holtz brand (right). The short blades allow for more control and precision. The finger loops are nicely cushioned. Fun fact: I used to use kitchen sheers for all of my craft cutting. Can you believe that? After finding these scissors I can never go back! Bone folder This makes folding paper effortless, and super fun, too. This definitely reduces my chances of getting a paper cut or paper burn (#realcraftproblems). Rotary cutter I didn’t realize how much I “needed” this tool until I bought one. It makes cutting fabric super easy. Pair with a really …

inked.

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Impress your friends and family with these fancy note cards! I always thought that this look was achieved with watercolor paint, and it can be, but I learned another technique with stamp ink and a foam sponge. Grab some thick cardstock cut to size, scratch paper for making a mess, inks of choice, and a foam sponge – you can also use a make-up sponge. Load up your foam sponge with ink, then blot and drag, or drag and blot, until you get a gradient to your liking. How easy is that? Allow the ink to dry and then write a sweet note. Tip: For the above look, fold your paper first, then add ink. Extra credit: Punch a hole and use as a gift tag. Stamp on a message. Round the corners for a smooth finish. Hang it up and call it art. Try it out and share your end result on Instagram. Tag @crafterateur for a feature.

wax on, wax off.

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Staff meetings at Sticky Art Lab are far from ordinary. This last meeting was no exception. Sure we talk business, but then thanks to boss lady and owner Rachel we get to play and learn a new crafty skill. On the agenda today: batik! Maitland, batik hobbyist and overall cool fella, walked us through the process. Batik is a dyeing technique in which you use wax (in our case paraffin) to make designs on cloth (we used a cotton muslin) and block the dye from coloring those areas. Sounds simple, but getting color to go where you want is a little tricky. First we bathed our cloth in an ash solution. The ash is suppose to help the colors stick to the cloth and prevent bleeding. Ideally, cloth should soak for thirty minutes or more and then dry completely before the next step. Next, we applied melted paraffin to the cloth either using stamps or brushes. Maitland brought some kitchen tools and we had wire and other metal items to play with. My favorite “stamps” …

eggcellent eggs!

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The Easter egg. Growing up, I never knew how eggs got invited to the party. It was only when my nephews and niece were old enough to go egg hunting that I looked it up. You know, in case they ever asked why I put together an Easter egg hunt, I felt like I should know. I came across a few explanations, but my favorite compared looking for the eggs to looking for Jesus in the tomb. Today I thought I’d share some Easter egg decorating techniques that even the shyest of crafters can do. Plus, all of the supplies are easy to find and you might even have some already. For all of these projects I used hard-boiled eggs. You can also empty out the insides, rinse, and just use the shells if you want your egg art to last longer. Protip: Use room temperature eggs; materials will stick better to the shell. Washi tape + egg Cut out triangles, squares, stripes, whatever you want – and stick. That’s it! Try mixing patterns, shapes, and colors. Kool Aid + …

the other ‘w’ word.

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SF Etsy put together a meet-up event at Weebly (Am I allowed to say that on WordPress?) headquarters for an informative session on creating a unique website for our crafty businesses. My crafty side hustle is hosted on Weebly so I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to learn about new-to-me features and ways to possibly upgrade my site. The head of PR pulled out her crafty skillz (with a ‘z’ because she’s hardcore) and decorated the meeting space with the cutest DIYs. Local Weebly customer Rocko’s Ice Cream Tacos was even serving up tasty treats. The evening was super informative and super fun. I met some local crafters and saw some old friends. Oh, and I won the raffle for an Amazon gift card. Sweet! Even sweeter, there was so much dessert we each took home a box of treats. When I got home I got ready for bed and sat down to update my site. Make sure to swing on over to Feed the Fish co and tell me what you think. The newest features are my online shop and craft …

gift local.

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Last month was my sister’s birthmonth! Every year I wish I could celebrate with my big sis in person, but since we live hundreds of miles apart, I send birthday care packages instead. This year I put together items from some of my favorite local artisans, plus some handmade goodies. This pouch is by Flowie. It’s pyramid shaped! I’ve never seen a pouch quite like it before. They are made to order — hand-silkscreened on heavy weight cotton canvas with original designs. I love Flowie’s color combinations. I couldn’t resist; I had to get one for myself as well. This hand-bound journal is by my crafty lady friend Anna of Pickypockets Press. I love the woodgrain and the camera image she used. Clean lines and awesome design, plus all of Anna’s journals are made with at least 75% recycled or repurposed materials. Yay for you and yay for Earth! I love making little packages for my loved ones, especially with some local finds. You know, so they can be reminded that so much awesome comes out of the Bay …