For years and years, I swatched paint in notebooks or loose sheets and then I decided to make it all a bit easier and more organized. This is my color rolodex: Watch the video to learn all about it: As I mentioned in the video, three things I love about my rolodex system: It's easy to add and remove cards. I can easily compare colors across brands, or simply to compare. It's simple to create a color palette. I simply pull cards and put the palette together. No guessing. THIS is the rolodex that I own. I use the regular... Read more →

Sometimes collage papers are those random little bits and pieces that come into being from cleaning your brayer, cleaning your paint brush, using up extra paint, etc. But sometimes you or I might sit down with the idea of creating some collage fodder. When I'm in an intentional mood, I like to focus on creating a thoughtful palette of papers. What does this mean? Instead of creating a pile of random multi-colored papers, I do my best to create (somewhat) monochromatic papers in a range of colors and values. Here are the papers I made during a recent collage-paper-making session... Read more →

This one is perfect for a Valentine's Day gift! Today's heart features a photo transfer of my two special Valentine's Day squeezes! I used TAP (Transfer Artist Paper) to do the transfer. But there are a million ways to do transfers -- you can learn four of them in my online class on the subject. Here's the process with TAP: I adjusted my image in Photoshop, including mirror-imaging it so that the text would read correctly. Then I printed the image onto TAP: I cut around the edges of the photo and laid my chipboard heart on top of the... Read more →

I previously showed you how easy it is to resurrect your hardened paint brushes with Murphy Oil Soap. It's just as easy to clean up your rubber brayer and make it look -- and more importantly function -- like new! Watch the video for the how to: I hope you'll give this technique a try! It has saved many a brayer for me! Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

I use a wide variety of paint... ...but my two most used brands are Golden Fluid Acrylics... ...and Liquitex Basics. I don't know about you, but I have been known, on more than one occasion, to buy the same paint color over and over. I also am somewhat unaware of what I have. I find myself reaching for blue, but which blue? Both problems have such an easy solution: make paint swatches. I went online to Liquitex & Golden's websites and found color charts. Neither site had a printable color chart that really worked for my needs. I ended up... Read more →

I recently stumbled into this excellent video from Jennifer McGuire on YouTube: In the video Jennifer shares a fabulously amazing tip for keeping your fine-tip adhesives from clogging. I love Glossy Accents, but every single time I take it out to use, I have to grab a pin to unclog the tip. It takes a while and it's frustrating. Jennifer shares how she uses a Fine Line Applicator Cap to keep her nozzle from clogging. I **had** to try it. These are the parts and pieces I had: A bottle of Glossy Accents with its tiny tip and original cap,... Read more →

Today I want to share an art tip with you! I'm usually super good about washing out my paintbrushes. They may sit in a jar of water for a week, but I try very hard to never let paint or glue harden in them. After all, that's how a perfectly nice brush becomes a stick. That said, I recently discovered that one of my favorite brushes had not been thoroughly washed after I taught a class. I had assumed it was okay and stuck it in my brush bucket when I got home. When I took it out to use... Read more →