Cool Girl Craft: How to Make Elastic Hair Ties

What to do on a rainy weekend? ???!!!  Oh, it’s easy: bejewel a plain, ordinary crunchy* into a work of art.

 

How to Make a Jewel Crunchy/Hair Tie

Here is how ~ it’s a simple formula:

 

how to make a crunchy

1. Find some seed beads.

2. Find some matching colored sequins

3. And some thread (and a thin (jewelry) needle)

4. Any plain old crunchi (hair tie) will do as a base.

5. Hand-sew a strip of fabric of 1 inch around the crunchy.  Turn it over when you are at the end, and sew the two end pieces together.

Now you have a pink crunchy instead of a black one.

Next at a random pattern, sew on the sequins with the beads. When the thread is finished you are done. Easy as pie.

hair pin tutorial

 

See how pretty they are? ??!!

 

Make two, so you can bring one to school on Monday and your friend will have one also.

*Pony Tail Holders, Scrunchies or Hair Ties ~ all the same things.

Featured At

Reinvented kb.com ~ Trash to Treasure Tuesday
2nd Time Around Tuesdays
Frugal Family - Talented Tuesday
Blue Cricket Design - Show n Tell

2010 Challenge: 20 Days, 10 Crafts

A  new year, a new plan. That’s how it is at FineCraftGuild. Lots of things to do!!!  A craft a day ~ set the timer on…. Let 2010 be an action-filled year. 

We hope you’ll join our 2010 craft challenge. You can join any time during the year. The best entries will be featured here on this blog as ‘winners’ and ‘honorable mentions’.  I’m sure we can come up with some great give-aways and prizes for the craft best amongst us.

 

How to Join the Craft Challenge

1. Complete 10 (really good) craft projects within 20 days.

2. Write your craft projects up on your blog ( … with photos? Yes, we all want good photos!!!).

3. Submit your exact article link (not homepage) to us below.

4. Proudly feature our badge on your site, linking back to us, and we can all join in the fun and satisfaction of an abundantly crafty and accomplished 2010!

5. Leave me a comment below.

 

Feature Your 2010 Craft Challenge Badge

Proudly and prominently feature your 2010 Craft Challenge participation badge and use it to link back to this page, so we can all join.

 

2010 Craft Challenge

 

My Personal 10 Crafts for the next 20 Days

My 10 craft projects for the next 20 or so days, I think, will be …:

1. Lovely warm poncho made in 5 minutes flat - Status: tutorial written, but pictures still to take. Does not help that photo uploader was recently stolen… Hassle galore!!!!!!!!!!
Anyhow, you’ll love this easy peasy craft upcycling project/ winter garment.

2. Winter kid craft - Status: project completed, photos to upload, article to write

3. How to paint an elephant tutorial  (Yes, I’m just making this up now) - Status: done research and have some ideas

4. Prepping for Valentines Day - posted article for Kid Cards for Valentines and am making gorgeous guilled Valentine Cards… I’ll show you shortly. Meanwhile, here is some exemplary quilling art by Yulia Brodskaya

5. Tutorials for Martin Luther King Day Crafts project 1: paper letter garland &

Martin Luther King Day Crafts project 2 & 3: crochet letter garland, plus stars & stripes afghan - free patterns provided

6. Winter Wreaths - inspirational recycling idea & How to Make a Paper Wreath Tutorial

7. ‘Best 101 Craft Tutorials Using* Recycled Materials 2009 ’ * could be made in upcycling manner. BOOKMARK THIS so you can refer to it during the year

8. Fresh Ideas for 2010 to create your own CD-Case Desk Calendar - Status: photo uploader stolen and a tat stuck here. Fun January desk calendar done. Great inspiration for seamstresses.

9. Completing that bathroom (‘before/after’ home decorating project, that’s nearly done ha.. ha) - still to do

10. Tidying up the craft cabinet  (a ‘before/after’ craft organization project, that’s only just began and is much needed) - Status: begun the clean-up. Already feels a lot better.

 

Usually a few other ideas sneak in…. so stay tuned for happy surprises on this list of craft project.  Again, as per before, when done, I’ll feature the link to the actual article with the craft project. Most of my post feature free craft tutorials and all feature design ideas and photos.

 

Put Your Link Details Here

(this initiative is posted on A soft place to Land)

Craft Calendars 2010

It’s January 1. Time for a new calendar.

While I’m all for recycling old calendars and creating your own calendar (In fact, I have an article on how to make your own desk calendar, and will soon post some new scrapbooking page layouts for this calendar), I could not help it but just needed to whiz over to Amazon, to just ‘have a look’ at what they are having.

And yes. Many beautiful, fun & funny top calendars are already on sale. Here are some of my favorite craft calendar finds that are jam-packed with beautiful design ideas and craft projects for the new year.

 


knitting calendar craft
Never Not Knitting Page-A-Day Calendar 2010
origamicalendar2010
Origami Page-A-Day Calendar 2010
cynthia hart victoriana calendar 2010
Cynthia Hart’s Victoriana Calendar 2010
fun calendar
2010 Wall Calendar: Anne Taintor
anseladam
Ansel Adams 2010 Wall Calendar
environmentalart
Environmental Art 2010 Wall Calendar: Contemporary Art in the Natural World
familycraftandactivityayearroundcalendarofcrafts
Family Craft and Activity: A Year-Round Calendar of Crafts: 2010 Day-to-Day Calendar (Day to Day Calendar)
awardwinningquilts2010calendar
Award-winning Quilts 2010 Calendar: Featuring Quilts from the International Quilt Association
scrapbookingcalendar2010
Easy Scrapbooking: 2010 Wall Calendar
sewingcalendar
Sewing: 2010 Day-to-Day Calendar

Besides these lovely inspirational and instructional craft calendars, I also found the ‘always good’ calendars of Boynton & Dilbert…, and for sure, I don’t know which one to choose…

Let me mull over it for a day.

quiltingcalendar Quilting Block & Pattern-a-Day: 2010 Day-to-Day Calendar
sandra boynton
Mom’s Family Calendar 2010
dilbert
Dilbert 2010 Desk Calendar

Make Your Own Andy Warhol Christmas Card

Did you know that Andy Warhol made some other kind of artwork than that ‘4 images in different color scheme’ kinda thing?

In the beginning of his art career, Warhol was a commercial graphic designer for retail. For this job, he created fun, whimsical artwork, particularly for the Christmas holidays.

This image here is of one of his designs. We’re going to use it today as a base to create our own free Christmas greeting cards.

Craft Essentials For This XMAS Card

To Make your own Andy Warhol Christmas card, this is what you’ll need:

  • 6-7 pieces of gift wrapping paper
  • an equal number of small pieces of ribbons that match the paper
  • one or more curly, or small patterned stamps which can be used to devise a sled
  • Sharpie pen
  • one star stamp with silver ink pad
  • colored cardstock for the base of the card
  • piece of white, silver or gold for the sled
  • dye ink pads that complement the background color of the card stock
  • color markers or watercolor pencils to tie it all together
  • paper glue & scissors
  • patience to put it all together
Buy at Art.com
Christmas Card Design
Andy Warhol

Step-by-step XMAS Card Making Tutorial

  1. Make a thin sketch of the sled and the packages
  2. Cut out the sled body and the presents to size
  3. Cut off the ribbon bits and glue them onto the presents individually
  4. Use the small patterned or larger curly stamps to device the sled’s bottom frame
  5. You may need the sharpie or color markers to finish off the design
  6. When your present ribbons are glued and dried, and when the sled ink is dried, glue all the pieces together.

Voila.

Multiply!

I would make 10 of these designs, as the 10th version will no doubt look better than the first few versions*. Nonetheless, they are all likely to be adorable craft cards that everyone will want to receive.

Set of 24 with Carrying Case
Get The Right Markers for Your Work

* Professional Craft ‘Blooper’ Ideas

Never, and I mean NEVER, throw away old craft projects that did not work out exactly as planned. Instead, put them in a box, for later cut-ups to be used in other projects. Nope, I’m not a packrat… instead… I’m laaazzzyyyy, or we could call it efficient in my crafting.
Why keep those buggers? Becauz’ cut portions of these cards WILL make great Christmas gift name tags, place holders on the Christmas table, embellishments for more XMAS greeting cards, personalization of your note book give aways, ….. great key tags, or coffee cup cuff accents when laminated, etc, etc, etc.

Professional artists and advanced art students use top color markers. I mean …
Prismacolor Premier Double-Ended Art Marker Sets. This set of 24 contains Crimson Red, Pink, Poppy Red, Orange, Canary Yellow, Dark Green, True Blue, Violet Blue, Indigo Blue, Light Cerulean Blue, Violet, Mulberry, Rhodamine, Sienna Brown, Goldenrod, Dark Brown, Black, Spanish Orange, Blue Slate, Grass Green, True Green, Apple Green, Tuscan Red, and Peach.

Tip: Pick the right colors to be aligned with what’s hip ~ Check the Craft Color Planner for Winter 2010-2011.

© Copyright 2009, Rose, http://www.FineCraftGuild.com - All Rights Reserved

Fathers Day Certificates to Celebrate Dad

This super easy craft project allows you to complement the hand-made Fathers Day card or gift that you might have made in school or from a free craft template/project here at FineCraftGuild.com, with a Fathers’ Day Certificate that celebrates your dad’s special talents, hobbies and lovely things he does for you, year-round.

Actually, you can give your dad an all-around compliment and expression of live by simply making him a ‘Certificate for Being the Best Dad Ever’.  You get to choose what you wish to say on your certificate.

This free fathers day activity does not take long, and is great for all aged children. Toddlers make a drawing on the free  downloadable certificate, while their older siblings write out their specific Father’s Day wishes and celebrations of dad, and of course.

 

925994_letter_sized_certificate_border

Fathers Day Certificate

Click here for your free downloadable Fathers Day Certificate template.

(credit: Certificate by Andrew Davidson)

Other templates at Fine Craft Guild
Certificate of Attendance - with gorgeous flower border & butterfly detail

Great Decoration Tip of your Fathers Day Certificate

Cut out a long piece of red fabric into a ribbon and glue it onto your certificate. You can top if off with a red circle on top of that, to simulate a seal, which you can sign and date.

Also see:
10 free printable fathers day cards, templates & project ideas

Free Valentine Font for Greeting Cards

I thought to design some font for you to use for your free Valentine Card Template that I created for you a few days ago.

Free Valentine Font

free font for Valentines Card



Click on the image, to find the larger letters. Cut and paste your message.

Yes, of course, you can use this lettering for any other scrapbooking project also. If you are, like me, into hearts, they can be a year-round outburst of splendor on any evening.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

© copyright 2009 Rose, http://www.FineCraftGuild.com

Making Fabulous Paper Flowers with Tissue Paper

This is a tissue paper flowers craft project that is so simple, it can easily be done by children 6 years and up.

You and they will love it, as each flower takes only minutes to produce and looks stunning!

free kid craft tutorial :: copyrighted material :: link to it, do not copy


paper flower © FineCraftGuild.com 2009 :: do not copy


Craft Supplies Needed

Crepe paper or tissue paper
Twist ties, Scots tape or rag pipe cleaners
Scissors

bouquet paper flowers © FineCraftGuild.com 2009

Uses for Tissue Paper or Crepe Paper Flowers

* As a bouquet or single flower
* To decorate a room for a party
* To give away as a Valentine
* To embellish a present
* As a Spring classroom project

* Attach them to child’s dress-up outfit, or tie the pipe cleaner ends on a pony tail.
* As a garland for a little girl’s room
* To decorate a dining room table
* For mother’s day (in red, pink, orange & white)
* For father’s day (in blue & green)
* As a prop for a school play (which is why I am making them), and
* I am sure you can think of other applications also.

crepe paper flower folding © FineCraftGuild.com 2009 bowtieing paper flowers © FineCraftGuild.com 2009
free paper flower making tutorial - fold-over - © FineCraftGuild.com 2009 paper flower pedal pulling © FineCraftGuild.com 2009

crepe flower making tutorial: sqeezing  © FineCraftGuild.com 2009 crepe paper flower branch craft idea

Craft Project Instructions

1. Cut 3-4 pieces of crepe paper or tissue paper of 14×16 cm approx (rough is ok)

2. Pile the tissue paper, smallest on top

3. Fold the pile of tissue paper like an accordion using narrow folds

4. Use a tie-twist or a pipe cleaner to tie around the middle of the paper
(now it looks like a bowtie)

5. Fold the bow tie in half by pulling the ends of the crepe paper towards each other

6. Gently separate each sheet of crepe paper

7. Give a good squeeze at the bottom of the flower and shape it with your hand.

Your beautiful flower has emerged.

Tips for Successful Crepe Paper Flowers

1. I prefer tie-twists rather than rag pipe cleaners as that make for an easier-to-fold bow tie.
It’s also more ‘environmentalist’ to reuse old twists.
2. If you separate the sheets all the way back to the fold, you get a nicer flower
3. Use your hand to round out the shape at the end. Crepe paper is easily molded.
4. I find that the folds should not be too large to get the best looking flower - aim for 0.5 - 1 cm wide
5. A roll of crepe paper is usually 50 cm wide, fitting 3 pieces of 16 cm.
So, cut your strip of crepe paper14 cm wide.

garlandfinecraftguild120.jpg

Alternative Crepe Paper Flower Creations

* Make multicolored ones by placing a 4th contrast color piece on top of your pile for the center. (tip: make this paper size 2/3 of the other pieces for a more natural flower look)

* Play around with 3 tones of colors, adjacent to each other on the color wheel.

* Sculpt the left & right edges of the paper pieces, particularly suitable for the tissue paper ones. This gives a little more sophisticated look.

* You can make them with or without stems. If you don’t use a stem, use green pipe cleaner for a finished look.

blue paper flower © FineCraftGuild.com 2009

* You can cover a pencil in green paper and attach the flower at the top, for a really cool pencil for you. Or, if you buy dad a new fountain pen for Father’s Day, this would make a really beautiful presentation.

* You can attach them to a larger tree branch, and make a flowering ‘tree’. See the last picture in the tutorial. If you click on the image, it shows you a larger version.

* Make a jeweled garland and space out the crepe paper flowers and the tissue paper leaves. See picture above on the left.

Where to Buy Tissue Paper

The online bargain for quality tissue paper to suit this project can be found here at Blick Art Materials:


24-Sheet Package (for as cheap as $1.99!)


24-Sheet Package

(Click links or image to investigate and order)

© copyright 2009 ~ Rose, http://www.FineCraftGuild.com - all rights reserved.
If you like to feature this article and/or the images on your blog, please link to this article. Do NOT duplicate the images or the materials, and mention Fine Craft Guild, http://www.FineCraftGuild.com in your article. Thank you so much!

Craft & Art Instruction :: Books I’m Currently Reading

Today I thought to share with you the books that I like reading / am getting inspiration from / am currently plowing through.

Most are related to projects I am either doing right now, articles I am planning to write, projects that are coming down the pipeline, and then of course, good old food for thought and eye candy for my creative mind.

Last but not least, I want to continue to become a better artist also, so am looking at various books that advance my art and broaden my skills.

So, here you go.

Favorite Craft Books List, February 2009

Jewelry Making - Beading

Mastering Beadwork: A Comprehensive Guide to Off-loom Techniques
Brilliance! Masterpieces from The American Jewelry Design Council (Lark Jewelry Book)

Painting

Altered Surfaces: Using Acrylic Paints With Gels, Mediums, Grounds & Pastes

Photography

Scott Kelby’s Digital Photography Boxed Set, Volumes 1 and 2 (Includes The Digital Photography Book Volume 1 and The Digital Photography Book Volume 2)

Art Journals

(For Upcoming Articles)
True Vision: Authentic Art Journaling

Art Journals and Creative Healing: Restoring the Spirit Through Self-Expression


How to Make a Simple Butterfly Mosaic

I’ve been inspired by mosaics for some time now. Mosaics can be whimsical, or serious. In consider mosaics classical. And, as historic mosaics in ancient cultures show us, they can be durable.

This weekend, my 5-year-old niece and I ventured out to an mosaic making art workshop. Together, we created a mirror butterfly mosaic. It was really my niece’s art project and she did most of the work. It came out good, don’t think?

It was remarkably easy., You just have to know how and what materials to collect beforehand. I thought to create a beginners tutorial based on the mosaic experience, so that you can make something like this (or better) too.



Grap this button for easy linking from your site to this free tutorial.

3 Easy Steps in Making a Mosaic Tile or Mosaic Mirror Project

STEP 1. DESIGNING YOUR MOSAIC

Create patterns, a focal point and an overall image.

Designing in playful ways:
You can use the mosaic design tool below, or simply get a handful of mosaic pieces (called ‘tesserae’ in official mosaic-making lingo) and start playing with them. We just started to play with mosaic pieces, and that’s a very satisfying way. We obviously stuck to a color scheme, which would suit my daughter’s bedroom.

If you want some order, rather than pure random: find some traditional patterns to look at here. There is also a Photoshop filter that makes a mosaic out of an image, so that might be worth exploring as well.

random butterfly mosaic

Designing a specific image:
If you want to make a really exact artwork, you can or you can use a photo or other images as a base. Simply draw or photocopy and re-size the image to the right scale and place tiles on top to match this base design.

Material selection:
Mosaic pieces can be made from a variety of materials. The official durable mosaic pieces are made of ceramic, glass, or marble tiles and smalti (the official name for the tiny, bright-colored mosaic pieces).

However, as least as much fun is to be had with pebbles, rocks, shells, little mirror tiles, beads, broken china, buttons, paper, and whatever you can dream up. I’m going to post an article about a mirror made with credit cards soon….

Ensure the mosaic pieces and the grout color you are using are suitable for its future conditions. Consider heat/light/moisture exposure (sun, water from rain, pond or steam) and usage (being walked on, or hung up).

You can use a range of bases as well. We used a simple wooden butterfly shape that can be bought in any craft shop. Of course, you can make your own butterfly drawing on plywood, and then saw out the shape. For outdoor tiles, I recommend a cement base instead.

STEP 2. CREATING THE PERMANENT MOSAIC

This can be done in a direct and an indirect way. In the direct method, the mosaic pieces are glued straight onto your base. You can put the glue either on the pieces or on the base, covering area by area. You grout the artwork when your glue has dried. This direct mosaic method is faster and easier, perfect for mosaic novices and generally for doing small mosaic projects, so that’s what I’ve used here. It’s also better to use when the thickness of your mosaic pieces vary, and when the front and the back of the pieces differ because the direct method allows you to see the overview of what you’re creating at all times.

For projects whereby you need an even surfaced end-result, use the indirect method (see footnote below)

STEP 3. GROUTING YOUR MOSAIC

Once your mosaic is glued on completely and the glue is dry everywhere, it’s time to put the grout on. Grout is really a powder, which when mixed with water, becomes a paste. Smooth this paste evenly over your artwork and you may use your (gloved) fingers to fill all the spaces between the mosaic pieces. Then, you can use an old credit card, or better: a small squeegee to smooth over. Have a rag handy for clean up and nitpicking.

Let it dry, and you’re done!

Footnote on Color

To get good at the color co-location, I suggest you get inspired (and educated) by some impressionist artwork. After all, color co-location is exactly what these masters were masters at. There is of course, no substitute for trial and error and to first hand determine the effects of a large red block with a small pink versus a small red with a large pink.

When choosing on a color scheme, consult your color wheel. What works well are complementary colors which are opposite each other on the color wheel, or go with a nice family of colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel.

Be very mindful of the color of the grout you’ll be choosing, as this will have a major impact on your overall design. Black, white, gray, beige and brown are standard grout colors. Choose the color of grout that best-blends in with your artwork design. (Again, you can use the before mentioned Photoshop filter to make the best selection With that filter, you can even check the effects of different grout widths).

It is possible to colorize your grout by applying a coloring powder. However you’ll find that the actual color of the grout will be shades different from your initial selection after your grout has dried. You have to ensure that your grout batch is large enough for your entire mosaic as there will be color variances between batches, and this would degrade the look of your artwork. So, in the beginning, stick to neutral grey, white or black.

Footnote on Indirect Mosaic Methods

In the indirect method, you create the mosaic back to front. It is fairly easy when you work with glass or other materials of which the front & back are the same, and so are different between mosaic pieces. However, it can be ‘impossibly hard’ when all pieces have the same backing.

I consider this technique only suitable for the very organized and more advanced mosaic artisan. This method is often used for larger scale work, for artwork made off-location and for floor mosaics.

Mosaic Making Resources

Free tool to plan your mosaic design online

Other Butterfly Craft

“Painting” with 3D Paper Butterflies - free tutorial

© copyright Rose, http://www.finecraftguild.com

Inspiring Stencil Projects

I’ve collected a number of art, design and craft projects which use stencils as basic tools. I love the variety that you can achieve with stencils, as well as the wide range of graphic styles. I tried to offer a sample of everything here… well, of many things.

  1. Something Simple
    (Possible uses: Applique Patches, Screen Printing or Spray Painting)
    Free Butterfly Stencil

  2. Something Elaborate
    (Possible uses: Fabulous Interior Design Wall Painting … wanna make a matching bed spread…)
    wallstencil.jpg
    http://itsajaimething.com/

  3. Something Sophisticated
    (Possible uses: wall paper, artwork,fabric design & silk screening, paper craft)
    spiderstencil.jpg

  4. Something Wild
    (Possible uses: graffiti, spray paint art)
    spraypaintstencils.jpg

  5. Something for Fun
    (Possible uses: pumpkins, Halloween cards, Halloween party invitations, decorations & goodie bags)
    Free Halloween Stencils

    Click Here for More Halloween Crafts Stencils, Craft Tutorials & Other Freebies

  6. Something for Work
    (Possible uses: Web design, digital art, art journals)
    photoshop stencil

  7. Something for Saturday Morning
    (Possible uses: coffee, hot chocolate, cup cakes, petite fours, pancakes, placemat or table cloth designs)

    coffee stencil
    Stainless Steel Coffee Stencils




    Easter Coffee, Cupcake & Cookie Stencils
    easter cookies cupcakes & coffee stencils




    Sweetheart Cupcake and Cookie Stencil
    valentine's cupcakes, cookies, coffee stencils

    Crafty Cup of Coffee

    Click here for:
    Christmas Holiday Coffee Stencils

How to Make Your Own Stencils

In this Free Tutorial by FineCraftGuild.com you will learn that stencils are for serious artists like Banksy* or Warhol, as well as for absolute beginners like the rest of us. They are a great tool to make larger artworks fast. And, they are a great tool to create, yes, diversity, while sticking to a pattern.

They offer an easy and professional way to decorate furniture, and of course, are excellent for scrapbooking and producing the most intricate handmade gift cards, matching tags, bags and more.

Oh and there are more uses of stencils. There are the pumpkin carving and other Halloween stencils. Stencils are useful for needlepoint work, textile art and kind of on the other end of the spectrum of things for graffiti art! (* I love Banksy’s graffiti artwork so much, I should mention that stencils are a great way to make a good piece, fast!)

What’s in My Stencil Library
Personally, I have a range of store bought stencils, including basic (and not so basic) shapes, and a variety of alphabets. Then I made my own stencils of a pineapple, leaves, words.

Honest to goodness, I wish that I’d made a Buddha stencil as that would have saved me lots of time. (Seating buddhas are a series of mathematical shapes, did you know that?!). Oh, and I have a butterfly stencil. That’s about it, I think.

Need I say more: you need to learn to both make and use a stencil!

copyright 2009 ~ FineCraftGuild.com

Making Your Stencil from Printed Designs or From Scratch?

If it’s too daunting to create your own stencil to begin with (as it was for me), you can start with store bought versions. Craft shops, craft catalogs, and their online versions sell these in an abundant array of sizes and detail.

If it is the drawing, rather than the cutting that scares you, you can take advantage of the loads of websites that offer free stencils suitable for a range of art applications and craft projects. (A listing free paint stencils is a topic for another article.)

Unless you’re doing a one-off interior design wall painting project using stencils, as an artist or artisan, what you want, or need rather, is to build a stencil ‘library’. Same as with stamps. However, the use of stencils is a bit different to stamps. Yes, they overlap, but their emphasis of use is different. Stamps are for smaller works and detail. Stencils are excellent large scale backgrounders, outlines, line borders.

What stencils can do better than stamps is creating solid color blog design in a large format, and then allow you to shrink that same design (or elements thereof), for a border or accent to be place along side of it.

It is particularly for these unique situations that you will want to be able to make your own stencil.



Grap this button for easy linking from your site to this free tutorial.

How to Make Your Own Stencil - Free Tutorial

Tools & Materials

  1. You will need to print or draw your design. As mentioned, you can print web-found designs, but also magazine found designs or hand drawings. Use a photocopy machine to create larger or smaller versions of your design for consistency. Or, if you have good drawing skills, you can put wide horizontal and vertical support lines on your original, and redraw scaled designs using these guides (simply make narrower or wider support banners)
  2. you will need a firm surface to cut the stencils, such as a double-layer of thick carton, a cutting board or other craft plank.
  3. You’ll need a sharp exacto or craft knife for the cutting. The sharpness of the knife determines the quality of the stencil. It’s easier to be successful if you use a good sharp knife.
  4. You will need a sheet of firm plastic.
  5. Optional: adhesive tape. Tape the plastic and the design to eachother and onto your cutting board.
  6. Last but not least, you will need a decisive, firm hand for the cutting. Place the plastic over your drawing and both on your cutting surface. Cut the desired designs into the plastic.
  7. When you’ve cut the entire design, pick it over and smooth curves or edges as needed. Don’t fiddle around with it. One firm adjustment. That’s it.
  8. Dependent on the type of plastic you are using and the nature of the design, you may wish to sand down rough edges.
  9. You are now ready to paint or otherwise use your stencil.

Tips for Success in Stencil Cutting

  1. Start with a simple design. It’s obvious, but it should be mentioned.
  2. For the more advanced stencil painter: try to design something that you can create both as a cut-out and a mask. This allows for more exciting layering.
  3. One line at a time. Your first few cuts will give you a feel for how easy it will be and if you need to make adjustments, i.e. put a new sharp blade in your exacto knife.
  4. Start with the straight and long lines as these are easiest.
  5. Rotate the entire board or move around yourself so that you can cut easily without straining your body.
photo by Oscar Chavez

Tips for Painting with Stencils

1. Building up with thin layers is the way to go. Thick layers of paint tend to bleed and generally make a mess of your art.

2. You can use either a real brush, a thick flat glue brush, a foam brush or a sponge. The effects of them will quite different.

3. If you use your stencil for painting, rinse it under cold water immediately after use, so it stays a permanently usable tool.

4. When dry, store your stencils FLAT.

By Rose
Copyright 2009, FineCraftGuild.com

Other Articles on Stencil Craft

How To Make a Sophisticated Stencil
Passionate for Stencils - Stencil Tips
Inspiring Stencil Projects
Happy Fourth of July

How to Use Stamps in Scrapbooking

Rubber stamps are so versatile for the use of scrapbooking. They are fun and inexpensive.

Above all: stamps allow you to create many scrapbooking styles and vignets, in a flash. Plus they can be used with other media and techniques.

The more often you use them, it seems that the more versatile they become, as they stimulate your ever growing creative virtue.

Buy at Art.com
Female Head with Stamps
Andy Warhol

6 Basic Stamping Styles (or Functions of Stamps)

  1. Stamping with Solids for Quick Stamp Results
    Solid stamps create a complete impression that requires no additional coloring.

  2. Outline Stamp Designs for a Coloring Job
    In contrast to solids, outline stamps create a detiled or refined image that you can color with pencils, markers, or chalks.

  3. Using Shadow Stamps to Define Areas
    These stamps look like plain color blocks. These are best to use in combination. Shadow stamps make an impression that defines an area on your page. Other outline stamps or solids can be overlaid. Or images can be layered on top.

  4. Make a Fringe or Image Border with Stamps
    Fringe stamps are embellished shape outlines. They can be filled with outline or solid stamps, or a photo.

  5. Creating Page Borders with Rolling Stamps
    Rolling stamps can be used for anything that require a repetitive design.

  6. Creating Backgrounds with large Background Stamps
    Ideal to cover large surfaces, background stamps are used.

Buying Stamps

When building your collection of stamps, try to have create a mixture of compatible stamps that have different functions as per these 6 options.

Stamp Inks

There are two types of stamp inks. The first type of ink is dye ink. This type dries very fast on paper. These dyes do tend to bleed a bit on porous paper and other surfaces.

The other type of ink is pigment ink. Pigment ink takes slightly longer to dry, however it does not bleed. Instead, it will leave clean, crisp lines. Wow.


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Getting Started and Advancing with Scrapbooking

Now start with just 1 stamp and 1 dye ink. Experiment, experiment, experiment.

Once you gain some beautiful designs with this basic set, you are ready to move on and add more stamps or more colors.

You will find that if you build your scrapbooking skills up in this way, you’ll never get overwhelmed in options. You can have fun while you learn how to best use the stamps. And….

almost immediately, you’ll get better and more sophisticated results by keeping it simple.

Stamps ~ they are so easy, even Warhol use them !!

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