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Mixed Media Magic: Transforming Pumpkins with Decoupage
Looking for a way to practice your mixed media skills outside the art journal? Try making a fun and original home décor pumpkins with decoupage techniques! I found a plastic pumpkin at my local craft store and thought it would be perfect for adding a variety of mixed media elements to make it unique. Generally, I’m not much of a home décor creative, but occasionally it’s fun to change up the creative process. It can be a way of picking up new skills or learning how to use skills that you have in a different way. I find there’s always fun surprises along the path of creative self-discovery. Hop-A-Long Studio…
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Easy Glass Painting Techniques with Pebeo Vitrea 160
Are you interested in using your painting skills not only in the journal but also with home décor projects? Glass painting can be a great way to vary your creative practice and make beautiful and useful gifts. Lately I’ve been experimenting with glass paint and am very impressed with the pieces I’ve created. But there are a few techniques to make sure that you get the best results with your glass paint. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more. Pebeo Vitrea 160 Glass Paints For painting glass, I like using Pebeo Vitrea…
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Mystified by Acrylic Pastes? How to Color Pastes in 1 Easy Step!
Are you mystified by acrylic pastes? Acrylic pastes can add beautiful textures on any project, but if you don’t know how they work, they may seem hard to use. Today we’ll talk about what you need to know to purchase and color acrylic pastes. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more. Choosing the Right Acrylic Pastes There are so many acrylic pastes available that you may be overwhelmed by choice. Here are some things to consider when choosing the right acrylic paste for your creative practice. Craft Pastes There are a variety…
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Create this Easy Snake Book with 1 Sheet of Paper
Have you ever tried creating your own book? Making a book might feel intimidating, but this easy snake book is a great place to start! I love these snake books because they are simple to make and work perfectly as gifts. I like to use mine for art journaling and for a place to write down my favorite quotes. These also make great gratitude journals! Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more. What is a Snake Book? A snake book is a simple folded book made from one piece of paper. The size…
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In A Rush? 3 Beautiful Holiday Tag Designs for Last Minute Gifts
Do you ever forget that you need holiday tags for your gifts? Often a few days before Christmas when I’m wrapping presents, I realize that I need to make holiday tags. These holiday tag designs can be very complex or extremely simple depending on how many layers you add to your holiday tags. Today I’m sharing 3 holiday tag designs with different amounts of layering. This way you can make a tag in a few minutes or add a few more layers to make a more complex but beautiful holiday tag. Holiday tags can also make fantastic Christmas cards. You can mount them onto a card back or you…
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Beautiful Smudge Free Pan Pastel Christmas Cards
Looking for smudge free results with your Pan Pastel Christmas cards? These easy Christmas cards take advantage of the beautiful blends you get with Pan Pastels without the smudging that sometimes occurs with this medium. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more. Blending with Pan Pastels I love the beautiful blends that we can get with Pan Pastels. This is what makes Pan Pastels so forgiving and fun to use. If you are new to Pan Pastels, check out my How to Use Pan Pastels video where I walk you through the basics…
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Amazing Alcohol Ink Cards Using Hardware Store Foil
Are you looking for alternative surfaces to use alcohol inks on? Yupo isn’t the only surface that you can use for alcohol inks. There are so many ways to create beautiful alcohol ink cards using hardware store foil and other household items. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more. Using Foil Tape and Aluminum Foil for Cards If you haven’t seen last week’s post, I shared how you can make beautiful card bases using aluminum foil and metal ducting tape. To see how to make these foil backgrounds, click here. Once you have…
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3 Christmas Card Ideas Using One Die Cut Design
If you’re new to making Christmas cards or are looking for a simple and easy holiday cards, today I’m sharing 3 Christmas card ideas using only one die cut. I love choosing beautiful and intricate dies for my cards. If you choose the right die, it can be used for so many different designs! Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more. Creating Colorful Backgrounds One of the keys to a beautiful and unique Christmas card designs is creating a beautiful, colorful background. There are many patterned papers and colorful cardstocks that will give…
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How to Use Watercolor Backgrounds in an Art Journal
In last week’s tutorial we created beautiful watercolor backgrounds using stencils. But how can we effectively use these watercolor pages in an art journal? It’s always fun to try a new technique, but the real question is how do we apply it to our projects? Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more. What to do with Watercolor Stenciled Papers So what can we do with these beautiful watercolor stenciled papers? They can be used as backgrounds in cards or on art journal pages. They can also be cut into images or used in…
The Art of Self-Care
