Category: Waterbrush

The Art of Doodling

4/5/2019

What is doodling? Doodling is drawing lines, swirls, dots, and zig-zags in a fun way with little fore-thought or plan to create designs that you are intrigued by in the moment

So many people get overwhelmed when it comes to putting a pen onto a blank piece of paper.. but I like to think of it as a Project WAITING TO HAPPEN!!!

When it comes to doodling, many of us having been doing it for YEARS! Maybe you used to draw swirls on the side of school papers, maybe you like to add a row of dots and scallops along the edge of your paper... you may be a Doodler and not even know it!!

Wendy was the demonstrator for Demo this week, and she taught us about the "Art of Doodling" .. check out some of these great ideas!!

First, Wendy started out by doodling on a piece of white card stock using her FAVORITE doodling pen... the Black Glaze Pen. She sectioned it out so she had 4 doodles on one piece of paper

Then, Wendy just copied her doodles onto a piece of white card stock AND onto a piece of Vellum

I like that the SAME DOODLE looks different depending on which paper it is copied onto...

Then, Wendy and I HAD SOME FUN!!!!

Wendy took half a sheet and I took half a sheet... and we played around with concepts and ideas on how to USE the doodles to create cards!!

Just LOOK AT THESE IDEAS!!!!

This one was really fun... We started out with this design (Wendy had the one printed on Vellum and I had the one printed on white card stock)

Wendy's Idea:

Wendy colored with Tombow Markers on the Vellum on the BACK SIDE of the doodle design. Then she found this fun stamp from Laurel Burch and colored the image with Prismacolor colored pencils making sure to use the SAME COLOR PALETTE as she colored the background.

When you color on Vellum with markers on the BACK SIDE of the Vellum you get this beautiful, muted effect that I JUST LOVE.

Elli's Idea:

Now, when I saw this image... I thought of ... SHELVES!!!

I used my home-die-cut-machine to cut out the Mini Cats from Impression Obsession so I could have them WALKING ON THE SHELVES

I used an X-acto knife to cut out some of the shapes and spread them apart so I could adhere some Mini Cats on the "shelves" that I created.

Then we played with the next design... Wendy took the one that was printed on Vellum and I took the one that was printed on white card stock

Wendy's Idea:

Wendy took hers (that was printed on Vellum) and watercolored her image using Tombow Markers and her Aqua Shimmer Pen. THEN she backed the piece of Vellum with a piece of Acetate (so the piece of Vellum is more sturdy). She cut out an oval in the front of her card base and the same size oval out of a piece of black card stock. Wendy tucked her image between the card base and the black piece of card stock so that the middle is translucent when you look at it in front of a window. Wendy added MORE DOODLES on the black card stock with a Purple Gel Pen.

Wendy added in the Hello die-cut from Hero Arts on the very front and I JUST LOVE how it turned out!!!

Elli's Idea:

At first glance at the doodle, it looked a little bit like a beach scene! I took Tombow Markers and a Waterbrush and added in some color for the sun, sky, and beach. Then, I took an X-acto Knife and cut just part of the line between the water and sand and added in a couple pop-dots to add dimension. Then I die-cut this Fishing Boat from Taylored Expressions and tucked it in the slit I created to make it look like a boat on water.

I used the same colors to color the boat and to add a little bit of color here and there... I didn't want the image to be too busy so I just added a pop of color rather than coloring the ENTIRE image.

The next design was A LOT OF FUN. Wendy had the one printed on white card stock and I had the one printed on Vellum

Wendy's Idea:

Wendy took Tombow Markers and the Nuvo Aqua Shimmer Pen and watercolored this image. It was such a quick and easy card to put together.. and the Aqua Shimmer Pen is SO IRIDESCENT and beautiful!! It really brings this image to life...

Elli's Idea:

I thought it would be fun to mount mine onto a piece of black card stock. I started out by cutting my image (printed on Vellum) into sections... I just followed the lines Wendy had drawn.. and then used the Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive to adhere my Vellum in place (THIS GLUE IS GREAT FOR VELLUM!!).

When I laid down my sections, I separated them a bit so the black card stock was visible between the images. Then, I went back in with a Uniball White Gel Pen and added some highlights here and there.

I LOVE how this turned out!!!

This was the last design that Wendy and I played with... Wendy had the image printed on white card stock and I had the image that was printed on Vellum...

Wendy's Idea:

Wendy started out by coloring SOME of the image red with a Tombow Marker. THEN she used the Scribble Circles die-cut from Impression Obsession to cut into her image. I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!!!

The circle pattern on the doodle COMBINED with this Scribble Circles die-cut leads to an AMAZING CARD.

I love the colors, the movement, and just the FUN that this card has... Great design!!!

Elli's Idea:

This image to me had a lot of negative and positive space... and I wanted to make those areas POP!!!

I just used an X-acto Knife and a cutting mat to cut out some of the little circles and sections in the doodle and then used The Ultimate Glue to adhere the Vellum to a piece of Light Purple Glitter Paper.

I LOVE how the pop of glitter draws your eye to focal points without it being too overwhelming.. Of course I LOVE glitter so I wanted that to be my focal point!

Really, Doodling is just the BEGINNING of what you can do!!!

If you want to start doodling, but are not sure where to begin, I suggest you take a piece of nice, white card stock and a black pen that feels comfortable to write with (like a Uniball Pen or a Gel Pen) and just draw. Just draw a line, then draw swirls at the end of the line, add some dots, add some circles, create a zig-zag... don't think, JUST HAVE FUN.

You never know what you can create when you just let the creativity flow!!

If you need more inspiration, or ideas on HOW to use your doodles to make a card, stop by the store!! We would LOVE to help!!

See you soon!
360-647-9663

Bullet and Dot-Grid Journals

4/2/2019

I don't know about you guys, but I LOVE DOT GRID JOURNALS (or Bullet Journals as they are more-widely known)

Why do I love these journals so much? Because you can actually write in a STRAIGHT LINE. Or create a layout that has grids that are the SAME SIZE. Or for creating my planner. Or for doing lettering. Or for drawing things to scale. THEY ARE WONDERFUL

We offer SEVERAL different ones here at the store.. and they vary in size, paper thickness, and design

Check out the ones we currently have in stock!!

Because we have carried Dot-Grid journals for awhile now.. I can tell you they vary quite a bit.

I LOVE the Traveler Journals from Pentalic.

The cover is soft and flexible but is durable.
There is a book mark
Pocket at the back for storage of papers or flyers
AND you can even do watercolor on this paper!! I mean, I don't recommend saturating your paper in water, but if you use a Waterbrush you will have the perfect amount of liquid to do watercolor without warping the paper.

There are also these next Dot-Grid Journals that have the BEST DESIGNS on the front!!

Just look at the cactus one!!

Ring-bound journal great for laying flat do do layouts

I also LOVE the leaf design!!

Includes book mark
Bright-white paper with darker dots so they are easier to see for making layouts

Check out how FUN this gold one is!!!

Elastic Band for holding Journal closed

This soft-cover Dot-Grid is fun and spunky!!

Soft Cover great for quick sketches
Folds flat for drawing layouts

This hard cover Purple one is bright and funky!!

Includes bookmark
Folds flat for drawing layouts
Hardcover is more durable over time

There are also these handmade books from India!

3 sections in each book include graph paper, blank pages, AND dot-grids! Great for ALL SORTS of layouts!
Hardcover made with paper made from recycled cotton fibers
Elastic Band to hold the book closed
Pocket at the back to hold flyers or other paper findings

Now, there are SO MANY THINGS you can put in your dot-grid or bullet journal... and I have had a lot of fun coming up with ideas over the last couple years!!

I LOVE to have fun writing and doodling in my dot-grid journal... and the pens I use the most are the Slicci pens (for fine line work) and the Glaze Pens (for thicker lines)

Here are some of the things I put in my dot-grid journal...

You can doodle little frames and incorporate cute paper clips!!

I used the Slicci Pen to make tiny little numbers for my year-at-a-glance and used Washi Tape to make it more fun!!

I LOVE dot-grids SPECIFICALLY for my month-at-a-glance layouts because I wanted all the boxes to be the SAME SIZE!

I love to also include a mini-month at the bottom of my month-at-a-glance.. the Slicci Pen is GREAT for jotting down all the tiny little numbers in a small space

I also LOVE to use the Taylored Expressions Clearly Planned stamps in my dot-grid notebooks because they are SO FUN and their fonts are just wonderful

I also wanted to think about OTHER THINGS that I wanted to reference quickly... and I realized I actually had a LOT I wanted to keep track of!!

Such as, books I wanted to read:

Podcasts I wanted to listen to...

(I even incorporated scrapbook papers to make the sections MORE FUN!)

Movies I wanted to watch...

What to have for dinner....

Where to eat out for dinner...

Breakfast joints and coffee...

Traveling...

And of course Addresses and Birthdays...

I also LOVE to use Washi Tape!!

This is ADORABLE Mushroom Washi Tape is from Alexandra Renke designs and I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!

Now, I also started a SECOND dot-grid journal to track outfit ideas...

I don't know about all of YOU but sometimes I feel like I have "Nothing to Wear!" ... when in reality I have TONS of clothes.

So I started doodling and sketching my outfits in a dot-grid notebook... making it much easier to find a fun outfit to wear without getting stressed out...

I always LOVE looking through other people's journals and sketch books... and I always wanted to make one of my own!!

I found that I was more passionate, and less self-critical, when I was sketching something for MYSELF to use!!

And, it was fun to draw the outfits I LOVED the most!!

Dot-Grid Notebooks are SO MUCH FUN to have, collect, and fill with ideas...

Do you have a dot-grid/bullet journal you have filled with art/ideas or created your own graph or planner? WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE!!!

Stop by to see us 7 days a week to get inspired..

See you soon!!
360-647-9663

Tuesday with Wendy, Oct 23rd

10/26/2018

We have been busy creating new things here at the store! Check out the newest cards Wendy designed for her last card making class!!!

The first card that Wendy designed was made using this snowflake die-cut from Penny Black, Crystalline as well as this stamp set from Lawn Fawn, Winter Scripty Sentiments

To make the card:

Start out with a white card stock card base. Select a piece of Handmade Paper 4" x 4" (Wendy used this iridescent blue/green paper that looks like ice!). Use double-sided tape to adhere the paper to the front of the card base.
Next, cut a piece of navy card stock that measures 3" x 3" and adhere that to the front of the Handmade Paper
Take 2 pieces of Stardream TEXT WEIGHT paper that both measure 3" x 3". Wendy used Stardream Ice Gold paper. Stack the 2 Stardream papers together and die-cut the Crystalline Snowflake out of the papers at the same time
Then, use Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive to adhere ONE of the snowflakes completely to the front of the navy card stock
With the second snowflake, press the Versamark ink pad to the snowflake until it has clear ink all over the snowflake. Sprinkle on Star Dust Embossing Powder and heat-set it with a heat gun
Use Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive to adhere the CENTER ONLY to the other snowflake and curl up the ends of the snowflake to add dimension
Then, take 6 strips of paper (1/4" x 8 1/2" for each strip) and curl each strip into a little circle.. this is called Quilling. When you have completed your curl, use Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive to hold the curl in place.
Then attach the coils to the center of the snowflake on your card and adhere the coils with Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive
Finish off the card by stamping a sentiment from the Winter Scripty Sentiments along the bottom of the card using Versafine Clair ink, Twilight

I LOVE how this card turned out!! Just look at this DETAIL!!!!

The next card was SO STUNNING and is absolutely perfect for a Thanksgiving card... It was made using these stamps:
Winter Still by Penny Black
Grateful Hearts by Impression Obsession

To make the card:

Wendy started out by taking a piece of ivory card stock and stamping out the Grateful Hearts sentiment using Versafine Clair ink, Chianti
Then, Wendy inked up the Winter Still leaf image by tapping on the different colors of ink. Use Distress Ink starting with Rusty Hinge, then Aged Mahogany, then Peeled Paint.. making sure to tap and gently massage the ink into the stamp
Then, stamp out the Winter Still leaf image onto the ivory card stock, overlapping the leaf image with the sentiment just slightly.
Then, layer the ivory card stock onto a card base.. Wendy chose this beautiful fall-tones color that matched with the Rusty Hinge ink color PERFECTLY

I love how this card turned out! Such a quick technique with BEAUTIFUL results!!!

Mary McClary (one of the gals from class) said she accidentally messed up on her card!! But, clever as she is.. she used some of the quilling papers to make it BETTER!!!

Well, I just LOVE that!!

The last card of the series was inspired by this STUNNING image from Impression Obsession, Deployed

To make the card:

Stamp out the image in Versafine Clair ink, Medieval Blue onto white card stock
Use a Blue Tombow Marker to color onto a craft mat and use a Waterbrush to pick up some of the color. Watercolor your image giving light and dark tones to create depth
Use a pair of scissors to fussy-cut around the image.. cut around the head and around the feet so that it looks like the soldier is walking away
Mount the image on a piece of red card stock and apply mounting tape on the back
On your card base, use red-white-blue decorative card stock and put one pattern on the left and a corresponding pattern on the right
Adhere the soldier image onto the card front using the mounting tape so it has a little bit of dimension

This card is GREAT for anyone who may be Serving our Country or a Veteran of War... it is just a FANTASTIC card

I love how this card has the idea of a 3D card without having to do a lot of extra fussy-cutting

What a GREAT series of cards this week!!!

If you would like any of the items listed above, please give us a call at the store!

To sign up for the NEXT card making class on November 6th, give us a call!
You only need to bring double-sided tape and scissors to class, but you MUST register by the Saturday before class!!

360-647-9663

NEW STUFF!!!!!!!

7/6/2018

Just earlier this week, we got in a HUGE order of new stuff!!!!

We LOVE looking at all the goodies.. and we know you do too!! Here is a sneak peek of some of the newest things we've been getting in...

First off, if you haven't seen the new Hero Arts release, you will want to see some of these WONDERFUL designs!!

Yes, yes.. it's here already!! CHRISTMAS and HOLIDAY stamps!!!

For those of you starting to work on your Christmas Cards, now is a great time to stop by and get inspired!! It seems like the holidays sneak up on us SO FAST.. why not create less stress for yourself by starting early? We are here and happy to help if you hit a snag!!

Also, check out NEW PAPER!!!!!!

With Florals and Ocean themed images from Kaiser Craft and Couture Creations ... you will find something to love!!!

Of course, it wouldn't be summer without *new* Summer Die-Cuts!

We love these Under-the-Sea images and the Sailboat!!

This floral die-cut is BEAUTIFUL and perfect for any wedding or anniversary card you may be making.. this is SUCH A GREAT DIE-CUT!

We cut it out in Gold Mirri Card paper to show you just how stunning this image is!!

We LOVE planners around here.. and we especially love making our own planners!!

These new stamp sets are AMAZING!!!! We just love all the little illustrations and words!

This makes it easy to design your own planner or make your journal just WAY MORE FUN!!

Just look at these cute little banners! And did you see the little kitty on the edge of the paper?!!? ADORABLE!!

For those of you who LOVE to paint, collage, and create... check out these new products!!

This Collage Paper is thin and decorative.. ideal for layering and working with in your altered journals or any other collage you may be doing! We also got in the SET OF 6 Water Brushes from American Crafts

We just LOVE these designs in this Collage Paper pack!!!

For those of you who LOVE glitter, the Glitterific Acrylic Paints are back in!!!

And.. I know you are all waiting for them to come back in... the Alcohol Ink Storage Tins are also back in stock!!!!

Remember when Wendy designed this card using Distress Inks and the Resist Spray?! Well, the Fern Embossing Folder she used to make this card is also back in!!