The November Scrawlr Box landed in my mailbox this week. And it contained A LOT of pens and markers. You can watch my unboxing/first thoughts video here: I ended up breaking my own self-imposed rules about only using what's in the box and I added some black paint, adhesive, and book pages to the mix. Here's what I made: And here are the box contents: Bruynzeel Fineliner/Brush Pens (Tokyo & Venice Set) Uni POSCA 1MR, White -- I already own some of these. Love them. Recommend them. Derwent Slim Eraser -- I couldn't find this exact eraser, but THIS is... Read more →

Hello, friends! Here is a little bit about life around here right now: What are you working on? Stamps, stamps, stamps! All I do is carve rubber stamps! And I looooove it! I'm surprising myself by really enjoying using the prompt list this year. I normally am not a fan. But for some reason, this year it's inspiring me each and every day! What are you loving? I have been working in a small art journal -- about a 1/4 of the size I normally work in -- and I'm really having a lot of fun with the smaller format.... Read more →

Here's a quick peek at my "handmade" tree -- i.e. all the ornaments were either gifts or handmade (and sometimes both). These are the stars I made from my son's artwork: And these stars I made last year. I wrote about them HERE. This Deadpool ornament is a prototype I made for a video I did for the Marvel YouTube channel several years ago. You don't see my face, but those are my hands in the video! One year I made a whole bunch of paper diamonds for an online workshop I was teaching. And that's the same with these... Read more →

Friends, there continues to be so much amazing stamp carving being shared! You have to check out the amazing work you can see at the #CarveDecember hashtag. Today I am sharing what I made for days 9-15 as well as some samples of the beautiful artwork being posted online. Day 9 - Jovial Here's mine: And two I love (all of the images I love are pulled from instagram - if you're reading this in your email and can't see them, click HERE): Day 10 - Round Here's mine: And two I love: Day 11 - Fantastical Here's mine: And... Read more →

Just around dinner time, Steve announced that he was going to make decorated sugar cookies for his Dungeons & Dragons group meeting the next day. "Um," I stammered. "Decorated sugar cookies usually take a few days." He said, "I already made the dough." Well, alright then. I'm an optimist! "Let's do it!!" And so we took the frozen dough out of the freezer and thus began the marathon of cookie making/decorating in concert with bathing and putting our son to bed. As we giggled over our terrible piping skills as we ran out of royal icing close to midnight, I... Read more →

Every year I make a few new handmade ornaments for my Christmas tree. This year, I made two different kinds of ornaments: stuffed fabric ornaments and paper stars made from my son's artwork. I put together a quick video of the papers before and after they became stars: If you want the how-to for either of these projects: Tomorrow (Wednesday, December 15, 2021) at 1pm EST I am sharing a free stuffed fabric ornaments mini class live on instagram. The instructions for the star are in THIS ScanNCut Club video. Next week I'll try to do a round-up of all... Read more →

I'm deep into collograph at the moment. It's a printmaking technique in which you make a simple plate -- often from random garbage around your house -- ink it up and print it. There is a very clear and straightforward blog post HERE that explains the process in photos. This is the plate I made... ...and here are some of my prints. I tried several different paints/inks but experienced a lot of paper tearing, as you can see in the photos. I was using supplies I happened to have on hand -- always a good idea when you're first testing... Read more →

Friends, there is so much amazing stamp carving going on! I am blown away by the amazing work you can see at the #CarveDecember hashtag. Today I thought I'd share what I made for the first 8 days as well as some of the beautiful artwork being posted online. Day 1 - Lovely Here's mine: And two I love (all of the images I love are pulled from instagram - if you're reading this in your email and can't see them, click HERE): Day 2 - Odd Here's mine: And two I love: Day 3 - Chaotic Here's mine: And... Read more →

Today we're talking about art supplies with a big price tag -- over $100. If you're looking to give the gift of art supplies, keep reading. And if you're looking to receive art supplies, feel free to share this list with Santa. H-Frame Easel - $169.99 This is the easel that I have. I bought it more than a decade ago when I lived in a tiny NYC apartment. I could fold it up flat when I wasn't using it and unfold it when I wanted to paint. Perfect for a small space. Now that I have a big painting... Read more →

Today we're talking about art supplies under $100. If you're looking to give the gift of art supplies, keep reading. And if you're looking to receive art supplies, feel free to share this list with Santa. QoR Watercolors - $90.01 for the set I was first introduced to QoR (pronounced "core") watercolors in 2016 and I've never looked back. I've also never had to buy watercolor again. I'm still using the original set from 2016 five years later. So, yes they're pricey, but they will last you. They are intensely pigmented use Aquazol instead of Gum Arabic as a binder.... Read more →