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Valentine’s Day Slimline Card
As Valentine’s Day is just days away, I wanted to share with you how to make a Valentine’s Day slimline card. Valentine’s Day cards are fun to make, but what if you want to move away from more conventional colors for these cards? In this tutorial we will be creating a card that does not use red or pink, but the more muted greys and greens. Slimline Cards Slimline cards seem to be everywhere. The style and dimension of these cards lead to some great creative possibilities. The panoramic style of them allows you to approach creativity and cardmaking in a different way. When used in an upright format, the…
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How to use Watercolor Pencils
Have you ever wondered how to use watercolor pencils? If you have not tried using watercolor pencils in your artwork or crafting projects, they are a very easy and fun medium. What are Watercolor Pencils? What are watercolor pencils? Watercolor pencils look like a colored pencil and they write and color very similarly. The big difference is that they are also water soluble. What this means is when you draw and blend with a watercolor pencil and add layers of color to your work. You can come in after applying the color and add in water to blend and intensify the color. How are Watercolor Pencils Different than Watercolor Paints?…
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Easy Brusho Christmas Card
As Christmas is only a few days away and the pace of the season can get a little hectic, I wanted to share this easy Brusho Christmas Card. This card does not take long to make, but the simplicity of the design makes for a very effective card. My hope is that this easy Christmas card project will give you an opportunity for creative self-care. Easy Brusho Christmas Card Creating the Brusho Paper The first step of this easy Brusho Christmas Card is to color the paper to be used for the Christmas tree shape. Using 90lb watercolor paper I spritz water onto the surface, tap out the Brusho powders…
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Easy Alcohol Ink Christmas Card
This week I want to share with you one of my favorite easy alcohol ink Christmas card designs. I love using alcohol inks and Yupo as these mediums work so well together. I find the process of using alcohol inks to be very relaxing. It is an opportunity to create is a less structured manner and allows me to find mindfulness in the moment. Alcohol Ink Christmas Card What I love about this easy alcohol ink Christmas card is that every card is unique and different. The nature of ink is to flow and when used with Yupo, which is a slippery surface, you can get unexpected results. This means…
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How to Make a Simple Christmas Card
As Christmas is drawing near, I wanted to share with you how to make a simple Christmas Card using stamps. It is easy to get wrapped up in completing elaborate projects around Christmastime, but sometimes our intentions and our available time do not align. Today I want to share a simple Christmas Card that can be completed under 10 minutes. Card Making for Self Care Card making is an essential part of my seasonal self care. It presents an opportunity to sit down for a few minutes and make something simple and creative. We often get so busy that we do not take time to pause, to rest and regroup.…
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Snowflake Christmas Card
As we are coming up to the Christmas season, I wanted to share this simple snowflake Christmas card project. Card making during the holidays can be a great self care practice. It is an opportunity to use our creativity to bless others through the gift of a beautiful and simple card. Relaxation Through Creativity The process of making Christmas cards is very relaxing and rejuvenating. I enjoy the process of coming up with simple card designs. Though I enjoy making cards, I also love my time in my art journal and painting canvases. This means that I usually do not spend hours and hours working on a single card. That…
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Fall Leaf Card Project
Are you looking for some creative inspiration for this fall season? Fall leaves have been part of my inspiration for the last month, including this fall leaf card project. In Calgary I feel so fortunate to have enjoyed such a beautiful fall. Between the mild weather, changing leaves and sunny, crisp days, it has been a beautiful season. Thanksgiving and Gratitude Thanksgiving in Canada was in October, but as Thanksgiving in the USA is coming up soon, I thought sharing this fall leaf card project was rather timely. During this time of pandemic, it may be harder to visit family for the holiday celebrations. But there is no reason…
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Adding Your Own Art to Stencil Images
Today I wanted to share with you a way of adding your own art to stencil images. Many of us struggle with our drawing skills, so we often use stamps or stencils to help us create images that we are happy with. I was working on a scrapbook page recently and wanted a focal image that was larger than any of the stamps I owned. When I was looking for an image I found a stencil that was the correct size but it lacked the detail that I wanted for an image. The thought came to me, “Why not just add in the detail by adding in my own art…
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How to Use Alcohol Inks and Stencils
In this week’s project I will show you how to use alcohol inks and stencils to create this beautiful card. I originally created this card for my husband’s birthday in July. The idea came from watching videos by Tim Holtz on some interesting ways to use alcohol inks. This inspired me to add them to my own creative practice. Card Making as a Self-Care Practice I use card making as a self-care practice in my life. Making handmade cards brings joy to the people around me. I enjoy coming up with new card designs, and it is also a great way of trying out a technique on a small surface.…
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Wet on Wet Watercolor Technique
This week’s project is an easy watercolor card using a wet on wet watercolor technique. I have been watercolor painting more lately as part of my personal self-care routine. Setting up your space for watercolor painting is so easy. All you need is watercolor paints, water and a watercolor sketchbook or a pad of watercolor paper. The easy set up gives you more time to paint when you don’t have unlimited time. Lately, I’ve only had about a half hour a day for painting, but I can do a lot in that time when I am painting with watercolors. Part of building a healthy self-care habit is making a…
The Art of Self-Care
