As you probably know, I host a TV show on PBS called Scrapbook Soup. (You can watch episodes online, on your TV, and/or by purchasing a DVD of the show.) The show is always filled with great guests and lots of papercrafting techniques. Over the last few years we've done more and more non-scrapbooking projects. So it should come as no surprise that the name of the show -- and the focus -- is being changed this year. That's right! Scrapbook Soup is becoming Make It Artsy. I'm delighted about the name change. It opens up a whole wide range... Read more →

As you may or may not know, I host a TV show on PBS called Scrapbook Soup. It's a lot more than "just" scrapbooking! Now that the show is being carried on the Create Network (a special DIY network within the PBS framework), it's available in so many more locations! I know that here in the Boston area, it's on TV twice a week! You can also watch a new episode online every week for free and/or buy a DVD of the entire season! Today I wanted to share a segment from the show. It's packed with loads of ideas... Read more →

Yesterday I shared some art I made on the airplane and in my hotel room. Today I'm sharing several projects that I made in the midst of filming Scrapbook Soup in order to fill two holes. It's always interesting to make projects during filming -- high tension. The projects have to look good and they usual require using very specific supplies and techniques, which can be limiting. I prefer to think of them as a fascinating puzzle that has to get done as quickly and efficiently as possible. An art game of sorts! First up, I needed a project that... Read more →

I'm delighted to bring you another episode of the Adventures in Arting Podcast! I hope that you enjoy listening to these podcasts. I know that Mom and I love chatting about artful living with each other and our variety of guests! If you do not see the podcast player above, please click on this link. You can listen to a podcast anywhere and at any time. It is a recording that is available to you whenever you'd like to listen. If you'd like to download it to your iTunes library, click here. You can also pause and rewind or fast... Read more →

Today I'm sharing some scrapbook pages I created for the upcoming season of Scrapbook Soup TV. First up is a page that features two of the new Balzer Designs stencils: Tiled Flower and Pods on Sticks. This next layout is kind of a cool idea. The segment is all about how titles can change a layout. So I took the same layout and tried out three different title (and embellishment) treatments. Which title/embellishment combo is your favorite? Thanks for stopping by! ---- The winner of the box of goodies from Tami Sanders.... ...is... Congratulations, Miss Iowa! E-mail me with your... Read more →

I'm back from filming Scrapbook Soup! I'm going to be sharing a bunch of posts related to the show this week. Today, I'm starting with a peek at three of the projects I put together for Scrapbook Soup. First up, a page from my watercolor travel journal: Some simple black and white doodled Project Life cards: And keeping in the black and white theme, a (mostly) black and white layout: The new season will air this Fall. You can watch for free online or on your local PBS channel, or purchase the DVDs. And don't forget that you can always... Read more →

I'm continuing to put together projects for Scrapbook Soup. I carved up two new interlocking stamp sets (chevron and triangle) and paired them with an old favorite set (circles). If you can't tell from the photo, interlocking stamps are stamps that fit together. These are really simple ones. In the past I've done some fancy ones like this: I combined the prints from my little two-part interlocking stamps with one of my favorite stamps I carved during #CarveDecember... ...in order to create this scrapbook page: The heart detail is one of my favorite parts. I cut the heart shapes from... Read more →

As you know I host a TV show on PBS called, "Scrapbook Soup." As the name suggests, the core of the show is scrapbooking, but we do a lot of off-the-page projects too -- home decor, greeting cards, even some art journaling! As always, the focus is on techniques that can be applied to any kind of art-making. We are filming our next season in May and so I'm busily working on projects! Today I thought I'd share a few with you. Over the next few weeks, I'm sure you'll see a lot more of them! I made these cute... Read more →

I know that all you really want in life is DVDs of me doing artsy things, right? ;) Obviously, I'm joking, but just in case you do want some artsy inspiration on DVD (and many are available as streaming HD video too), here are a few options for you: Working in a Series: Making Better Art This is a brand new DVD or HD streaming download -- your choice. Jenn Mason and I each share how working in a series has helped us and then share techniques for creating in a series. My focus is on mixed media collage. Find... Read more →

I do a lot of filming these days. It's awesome! I love it. It's also a lot of work. Today I thought I'd share a peek at some of the nuts and bolts of filming Scrapbook Soup. The prep is epic for any kind of how-to taping. Here's a peek at my prep steps for a single segment: Receive assignment. It could be a theme, such as "flowers," or a product, such as "Sakura Koi Brush Markers." Get up to speed. This is the research phase. If it's a product, I need to experiment and play around with it. I... Read more →