Today's topic was prompted by a member question. Each month members ask questions and request demos for that month's livestream. In July a member asked for what to do with dried out markers. Do you have any dried out markers in your collection? Instead of tossing them, why not try reviving them? Watch the video for the how-to: This video is part of an ongoing series of videos I'm doing all about basic art techniques you should know. If there's anything in particular you'd like to know, do let me know in the comments section. Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

Have you ever thought about etching glass? It's super easy to do and takes almost no time. Here's what you need: Etching Cream Tape Adhesive-Backed Flexible Stencil -- I made my own from adhesive-backed vinyl, but you can buy pre-made stencils too. Rubber Gloves Access to Running Water Glass Object Timer Good Ventilation Optional: Apron The process is simple: Place the adhesive-backed flexible stencil on your glass object. Tape off any areas not covered by the stencil and which you do not wish to be etched. Put on your gloves. Make sure you're in a well-ventilated area and near running... Read more →

Tomorrow night I'm teaching a live online mixed media collage class (just 2 seats left - grab one). As I was prepping for class last night, I decided to turn on the video camera and capture the process. Take a peek: Some notes about the process: If you're wondering what to do with your gelatin prints, you can see that I use lots of them in my mixed media collage artwork! The glue I'm using is Matte Medium, which I decant into a Fineline Bottle. It's AWESOME for collage. I used watercolor in this piece. Watercolor can be tricky in... Read more →

I've started a new series of short instructional videos that I'm calling, "Art Basics." In essentials, it's skills and techniques that every artist should know. The first skill is scoring paper: why and how? If you make a greeting card... ...a box... ...a book... ...a paper lamp... ...or any number of artful paper projects... ...you're going to want to score your paper, before you fold, for best results. In this video I take you through tools, methodologies, and even paper grain. Enjoy! Bone Folder: https://amzn.to/3O9tMyG Scor-It Score Board: https://amzn.to/3tqf9Px Let me know what basic techniques YOU think every artist should... Read more →

Have you ever used reflective Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV)? I tried it out for the first time and I had my doubts. I mean, other than reflective stripes on bikes or running clothes, I just wasn't sure what I'd do with it. However, after some experimenting, I'm a fan now. The reflective nature of the HTV is like a fun bonus that makes your handmade objects that much more special. This weekend, I made this super fun bag... ....which totally transforms with the addition of light in a dark room... The reflective HTV changes color when the light flashes across... 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. Check the blog archives for posts going back to the first Art Journal... Read more →

Yesterday, I was discussing the process of mounting a paper collage on a wood canvas with a private coaching client of mine. And I realized that I wrote a post about the process back in 2013. I thought that you might find the process useful to revisit. It's possible that some of the links no longer work, so do let me know if you come across one and I'll update it. Thanks! ------- Gosh, I got so many questions about exactly how I mounted my collages in this post, so I decided to do a quick tutorial. You will need:... Read more →

You guys! This weekend I printed this awesome piece of fabric and it's all thanks to my visit to the nail salon! Last week I was sitting in the nail salon when I suddenly realized that the foam things they put between your toes were super cool shapes! In this video tutorial I show you how I turned my pedicure into a fantastic foam stamp as well as how to use the stamp to print on fabric. I even take you through how to use an ironing board to set up a print studio for printing on a long piece... Read more →

Back in 2015, I tried Color Burst Powders for the first time. I believe they're now called Color Sparx and co-branded with The Crafter's Workshop. I've been using them a lot with my son (he loves spraying what looks like nothing and seeing the color magically appear), so I thought it was a good time to re-post my original video all about them. Here's 2015 me trying out Color Burst Pigment Powders for the first time: As a side note, I re-watched this video last night and was inspired! 2015 me really had a lot of good ideas! ;) Here... Read more →

The ScanNCut is a mega scrap busting machine! Because of the built-in scanner, I'm able to save and use all of my little scraps of paper, fabric, vinyl, and other materials. One of the techniques that I go back to time after time is "the baseball field method." What's that you ask? Well, I'd be delighted to tell you! The baseball field method is a simple technique that allows you to maximize your time and effort. In essentials, I take different colors/patterns of the same material and place them onto my cutting mat spread apart -- like bases on a... Read more →