Hello, friends! Before I launch into today's post, there are two things I need to mention: Enrollment for Creative Jumpstart begins today! This is my TENTH year teaching a lesson for this annual online class. The early bird price is just $49 (regularly $89). If you sign up using THIS LINK, I will get a small percentage of the sale. Thank you in advance! Watch the video to learn more: In my lesson I'm using ink pads on a gelatin plate and cutting my own stencil and mask shapes in order to tell a personal story. You'll have to check... Read more →

If you're new to Art Journal Every Day, the concept is simple: It's a commitment to take ten minutes each day to do something in your art journal. No need to finish anything or even like it. It's about making the time to nourish your creativity every day! If you have the time to flip through your phone, you have the time to Art Journal Every Day. If you'd like to share what you make, use the hashtag #artjournaleveryday so that we can all take a peek. You can find new Art Journal Every Day posts here on the blog... Read more →

Happy Thanksgiving! I made marbled leaf cookies and they turned out super cute. This is an easy process, even for a novice decorator. I used the same process from these Valentine's Day cookies I made last year: A lot of cookie decorating is harder than it looks, but this is one process that is actually as easy as it looks. The only note of caution is to make sure that the gel food coloring is really well distributed in the icing. Otherwise, the food coloring will attach to the cookie in a big glob and won't fully dry. Here's a... Read more →

One of the things that I have been focusing on in Design Boot Camp is teaching the students HOW to use the Elements and Principles of Design to improve their work. You may recall the two paintings that I shared two weeks ago? In class last week I demonstrated how to improve them, and here are the improved versions: The transformation is radical, in my opinion. Each piece is deeper, more complex, more interesting, etc. Here's a peek at all of the details: Some advice that I gave to my students that I will also pass on to you: Use... Read more →

Carving a stamp can be as quick as 10 minutes or as long as days. It really all depends on the size of the block. This simple little stamp took me less than 10 minutes to carve: It's also teeny tiny. This big block... ...took me about two-and-a-half hours. You can watch the process, which I've condensed down to under a minute, in this video: (Members can view the real time 2.5 hour process in the Classroom. And yes, this is the one of the stamps I carved for the #CarveDecemberClass.) If you're on the fence about participating in #CarveDecember,... Read more →

I updated my Lantern Houses Online Class with a new style of house: It's square instead of rectangle and has a sturdier roof so that it can more easily be used as an ornament. This is the original style, which I still love: Students who are already enrolled in the Lantern Houses class can login and access the update for FREE. A printable pdf (and instructions on hand cutting) are available to those who wish to cut their houses by hand. An .svg cutting file is available to those with electronic cutters. And, of course, if you purchase the class... Read more →

Today's card is about being lazy and reimagining an existing stamp instead of carving a new one. ;) I carved this "flower" stamp several years ago. But over the weekend I decided I could turn it upside down for a Christmas Ball Celebration! Watch the video for the how-to: Supplies: watercolor paper Pigma Micron PN black ink hand carved stamp craft foam scrap paper optional: clear ruler QoR watercolors paintbrush gold paint pen tape runner blank black card I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. I hope you enjoyed this whole week of card tutorials! I had a great time putting... Read more →

I have always lived in the Northeast. So Christmas and Winter are inextricably linked to snowflakes. Therefore, I couldn't resist creating some cards that feature a flurry of snowflakes! Watch the video for the how-to: Supplies: snowflake masks (make your own or buy them) gelatin plate brayer acrylic paint texture comb (optional) sentiment stamp black ink white cardstock scissors or circle paper punch tape runner paper trimmer blank card foam adhesive I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and will make some gelatin printed snowflake cards! (PS: If you want to make lots and lots of gelatin printed papers, my online... Read more →

Stenciling once is fine. But stenciling twice is super cool! These cards feature a mixture of hand cut masks and stencil, along with a Crafter's Workshop stencil I designed several years ago. Watch the video for the how-to: Supplies: white cardstock transfer tape Identi-Pen craft knife & cutting mat Distress Ink Ink Blending Tools scrap of paper for extra masking optional: release paper The stencil is called "Christmas Words." Sadly, it's discontinued, but you might like THIS or THIS. painter's tape tape runner paper trimmer blank black card I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. This is a technique that you... Read more →

This is such a simple idea and super duper addictive. Once I started making these trees, I just did not want to stop! In essentials, I just stamped a whole bunch of hand carved stamps on top of each other. Watch the video for the how-to: Supplies: white cardstock tissue tape stamping ink hand carved stamps craft foam scrap paper for masking tape runner paper trimmer gold cardstock optional: paper punch and wet adhesive I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. If you're interested in learning more about carving and printing your own stamps, I offer several online classes. I'm currently... Read more →