DIY Business Cards

Oops! I made a *little bitty* mistake and didn't order new business cards in time for the Buckman Show & Sell this weekend! But it all worked out because I just spent the evening making these little cards instead, so everyone that picks up my card gets a tiny original piece of my art.

I started the same way I start all of my work on paper--with a soft but colorful watercolor wash on a nice heavy watercolor paper. Then I cut them to size, covered all of the edges in ink, and stamped each one with a collection of hand-carved stamps I made for a new series of paintings I'm working on. I'm thinking of doing a little experiment and leaving them slightly mysterious--there is no extra information on the back. I may change my mind though before the show starts. What do you think?

Saturday Crafty-ness!

What to do on a cold, rainy March Saturday? Why, make your own dry-erase boards, of course! Heehee, I'm a dork, I know, but a couple of days ago Indigo and I bought a 2-lb container of strawberries. May sound like a lot, but in this house strawberries don't have a chance and we finished them off last night. I was about to throw the container--one of those clear plastic clamshell thingies--into the recycling when I remembered that I really need a dry erase board. That, and it's Saturday, and we've already been to the movie theater today (we saw Bedtime Stories), and it's raining and cruddy out, and we needed a project to finish off our afternoon.

Here are the basic steps:
Cut out a rectangle (or any other shape!) from the clamshell. It has to be smooth and flat, or the dry-erase markers won't erase.

Cut out a piece of white poster board (or matt board) the same size as your clear plastic.

Using a stapler, staple the plastic and the poster board together on all four edges. It doesn't have to be perfect--your frame will cover it up.

Take 4 wide popsicle sticks or strips of wood and measure how long you want them to be around your board. If you're using popsicle sticks, you can probably cut them to size with scissors.

Paint the popsicle sticks! We used acrylic paints, but you could use tempera or watercolor, or even decopage them.

It is really stinky, but I used E6000 to glue the popsicle sticks to the plastic side of the boards. It sticks to plastic better than hot glue.

I also used E6000 to glue a couple of magnets to the back of the boards, so they will stick to the fridge or the inside of a locker. Pretty cool, huh?

I have heard that you can also use this kind of plastic to make your own shrinky dinks, which will probably be my next project when we have another container to recycle. It makes me feel a lot better to be able to use this kind of stuff and not just throw it away. Even in a recycling container, where I am not sure whether it will actually be recycled or not. Now, to go pick up those aliens...

Time to make your Valentines!

I must admit, some years I think Valentine's Day is a crock. Other years I get really exited about it. It really doesn't have to do with whether or not I have a sweetie in my life--I'm not sure what it is, exactly. One year I was perfectly single, and I randomly decided to make valentines, vanilla bath salts, and homemade hot chocolate packets for all of my female friends.

Anyway, this year I am exited about it! Especially since I have come across some cool supplies to make really interesting valentines. I am not sure yet what I'll be doing or making, but these things inspire me nonetheless! So I created a little "Make Your Valentines" section in my supply shop to help spark your creativity too :)

Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale!

This year I have brand new coloring books made from my original artwork, mini-paintings priced at $25-30, magnets, stickers, and more! Whether you need stocking stuffers or main gifts, this will be the place to be. I will be there along with 180 other Portland artists and artisans. Buy awesome, unique gifts and support the local economy!

See you there!

Color Me House

I have mentioned a few times that I have been working a temporary, part-time job for the past couple of weeks. I know that today is Monday, time for my project of the week post, but because I have been working so much I haven't had the time to do this week's project (I promise there will be one next week!). However, the company that I have been working for is an incredible mom and pop business, with a fabulous product, and the owners are such fantastic people. I have really enjoyed working for them! So I thought that this week it would be really fun to highlight their product, as it is a fun project for kids, a great gift to give, affordable, recycled, and the money goes to a really great small business.

Color Me House is a cardboard house (or rocket ship!), that kids can color themselves and play in. The houses and the rockets are made of recycled cardboard, with serrated edges so that they are paper-cut free. They are very simple to assemble, and to disassemble for easy storage. Plus, the outside is all white so that children can color/paint/decorate it however they want! No more destroying your kitchen knives trying to cut doors and windows in an old cardboard box, Color Me House is perfect for make-believe play. Check out their website to see pictures, buy one online, and read more about this great little company :)

In the meantime, if you are still yearning for your project of the week, my friend Danielle has a great tutorial on her blog this week, instructing you how to make a cute little decorative box:
Poetic Purl: The Basic Box

Have a great week!

New Supplies and a feature from TinyFig!

Today I was one of the featured Etsy supply sellers on TinyFig's blog! Thank you Tiny Fig!!

It is a busy day, because I am also listing a lot of new supplies, including four new prints of Japanese Washi paper and a super-cool butterfly ephemera kit. You may have also noticed that I have been adding a lot of other great supplies, including scrabble tiles (don't forget to enter my scrabble tile challenge!), wooden disks, Diamond Glaze, gold-toned adjustable rings, and more! Some of these are limited stock items, and others will be continuing inventory. All of them are a lot of fun, though, so come and take a look!

Scrabble Tile Challenge!

By now most of you are probably well aware of the ubiquitous scrabble tile pendant. My friend Ryan of LittlePutBooks covered them in beautiful Italian and Japanese papers and sold them hand over fist in cute little decorated tins. Many other Etsy sellers took up the same idea and ran with it, and Ryan has since sold the scrabble tile business in exchange for some personal down-time.

Still, the cuteness and craft potential of the Scrabble tile has not disappeared! I am now selling the tiles in packages of 100 in my shop. If you want to make your own washi-covered pendants but aren't sure how, Ryan has a fantastic tutorial. I would like to challenge you, however, to make something new and different with these multi-purpose little tiles! Perhaps a different type of jewelry, your own game, even a sculpture or fantastic piece of altered art or collage. Send me your photos of your finished projects, and I will post them here in my blog. At the end of September, one lucky winner will get a $10 gift certificate to be used in either one of my shops. I can't wait to see what you make!

The first entry is from http://LydiaLayne.etsy.com This is her own version of a scrabble tile pendant in which she uses graphics that allow the natural wood of the tile show through:

Weekend Project--Crayons!

This weekend was a blast! Friday night was a great time at the show; I had a most delicious dinner and margaritas cooked by my lovely friend Katie and shared with her husband, Chris; I caught up with my friend Jill; I even managed to spend time with a new friend. I'm not normally such a social butterfly, but it was just what I needed.

Between all of this socializing, I also managed to get some new supplies listed in my shop! I recently added a destash/limited stock section with some really fun stuff. Finally, I did a new and super-fun project--made crayons!!! These whimsical lovelies were given a new, rejuvenated life from Indigo's old broken-up crayon graveyard. I have listed one set of three in my shop--the others will be coming throughout the next couple of days.

Here's to a great week!

Sunday Project--Learn how to make stop-motion video!

Need something to do?

If you are feeling a little bored and need a project to get your creative juices flowing, check out my new diy kits!

I currently have two, with more to come. The first is a make your own shrinky dink pendant kit, complete with enough materials to make two of your own unique pendants, along with complete instructions.

The second is a decorate your own slide top tin kit. It comes with one large slide top tin, the perfect size for storing MOO cards, and a surprise collection of collage materials. Check out my flickr to see how I decorated a couple of tins for my Valentines!