Mixed Media Double Canvas Set

I decided to change my wall art a little, so I created a canvases set. A set is basically one piece of art that spreads on more than one canvas. In my case two 6" X 6" canvases. When you create a set you work on the canvases as if they were one. So the theme, color scheme and embellishments will be the same across the board. The divided yet cohesive look to a canvas set gives it a unique look and draws the eyes to move from one section to the other and by doing so capturing the entire piece.

I started the set with adding modeling paste texture to the background and pieces of tissue paper for layering effect. Then I added distress stains in different colors and blended them together.
My focal point is a leaf ribbon that spreads from top to bottom and is embellished with flowers that were colored with the same distress stains.

I also added a large wood butterfly which was colored with distress stains. I finished the canvas set with Perfect Pearls paint that I created myself by adding a little water. This shiny effect gave the canvases a shimmery finish and definition.

Have you ever tried to create your own canvases set? You can create a row of three or a large square that is made up from four small canvases. Take a look at the video tutorial for more ideas and techniques.

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Have fun creating!
Einat

My You Tube Magical Year

I can't believe a year has already passed since I published my first You Tube video tutorial on June 2013. It has been an amazing ride for me, a journey, a learning process and above all an important lesson in self belief.

First video http://youtu.be/HI0SEIGuLRI

I have been wanting to start doing video tutorials for a long time, but somehow I never found the time, or to be honest, the courage and resolve to take that first step. But the universe has a funny way of taking care of things and a chance (or not) encounter with a fellow designer opened up something in me and I decided to dive in and start Saturday MIXTRAVAGANZA.

Most watched video http://youtu.be/mErNe9jiXAY

There were a few bumps on the way, to say the least, but I was determined to go on. First, I had to figure out how to put my camera in just the right way and to come up with a weekly project. After all this was a long term weekly commitment that had to be fun, informative, interesting and well presented. Then I had to learn how to edit, how to add narration and music. And finally I had to unlock the secret of You Tube uploading and, tagging, titling and more. But...when the positive feedback, warm comments and subscribers started poring in I knew I was on the right track.

Today, wiser and more experienced after 52 video tutorials and 2253 subscribers I want to say thank you. Thank you all for the support, the good advice and the love. Thank you for subscribing to my channel and joining my journey from the very beginning. Thank you for all those amazing and positive comments, the questions and the shares.
I feel so blessed to be able to share my passion with you and to inspire you to try new things and create.

One of my favorite videos http://youtu.be/cd7ClcHGqb8

Stay tuned for all my insights and tips to create magical videos next week.
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Have fun creating!
Einat

Mixed Media Art Journal Page: AIM

We all have our own aims or goals in life, the trick is not only to set aims for ourselves but to stay focused and determined enough to keep walking on the road to fulfill them. But sometimes it feels like that famous sentence: "Man makes plans and God laughs". We set goals that we want to achieve but life takes us to completely different directions or is it? Do we set the right goals for ourselves or there is a hidden hand that points the direction we should go to? I think we want things and we set aims to achieve it but at the end of the day if we do what we love, believe in it and in us the universe will take care of the rest.

This week's video tutorial us all about the aims of our lives. I created a motivational mixed media art journal page with a quote that talks exactly about this. My art journal is starting to be a great source of self motivation, inspiration and lots of fun.

I started with a collage background made from different patterned papers square shapes from the MME Dolled Up collection. I glued them to the paper with no specific order and covered the paper completely. Then I covered the entire page with gesso.

I added stenciling and Gelatos to create a colorful background. Then I created a big target board by cutting different sizes circles and gluing them down on the page. I added arrows pointing to the center and to the sides and finished the page with the quote.

Do you have a favorite quote that inspires or motivates you? I always find great quotes at this website: www.brainyquote.com.

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Have fun creating!
Einat

Destiny's Calling: How & Why I started scrapbooking

It all started when I was a little girl. My grandfather used to create a scrapbook for every trip he and my grandmother took. He used to cut the pages and bind them with an embossed cover in the old fashion way by sewing them together. When it was done he glued all the photos in and embellished the pages with postcards, newspaper clippings and even dried leaves. I used to sit on the carpet with an album on my lap and look through the pages imagining I was there with them.

My grandfather and younger son

When my first son was born my grandfather said "why not make him a scrapbook, an album full of photos?" I was always a crafty person and it sounded like a great idea. That was my first scrapbook. Little did I know it was about to change my life.

First page in my son's Bar Mitzva album

The years went by and that baby grew and at the age of four he was diagnosed with Autism. I had to leave my job and I didn't know what to do. While I was searching and thinking of a solution I found myself spending more time scrapbooking. It was a great source of comfort and joy but slowly I realized it was drawing me in, it felt like someone is trying to tell me something.

My two sons

The message was loud and clear...this is what you are supposed to do, this is your destiny. Not in a heroic, happy ending fairy tale style but in a quiet, soul healing, joy giving way. I heard the message, I started a business for scrapbooking design and started teaching. My scrapbooks brought smiles to so many people and happiness to my heart. Since then I have expanded my mind, my art and my goals beyond scrapbooking and I still have more plans for the future.

Art in any form is an amazing therapeutic tool to change your life, your view of life and the way you touch other's life.

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Have fun creating!
Einat

Ice Resin Pendants

I'm not a jewelry maker but every now and then I like to play with a little bit of jewelry making. It's actually kind of easy if you try it. My favorite material to play with is Ice Resin, which is  a 2-part epoxy resin. Part A is the Resin. It has a slightly blue tint and Part B is the hardener. It has a very slight yellow tint. It comes in a plunger that dispenses equal parts of both parts and is really to use.

It's really fun to play with and the only problem, at least for someone like me who likes immediate satisfaction, is that you have to wait a few hours before it's dry. I made three pendants and tried a few things and techniques.

First I tried different mediums to color the resin. Both Perfect Pearls powder and acrylic paint worked very well and blended completely with the resin. You can create different degrees of transparency depending on how much paint or powder you mix.

Then I had lots of fun working with Ice Enamels which is sort of an embossing powder that works great with the resin. The great thing was to create layers with  the enamel and adding embellishments.

Finally I did some Ice Resin Molding. I used Martha Stewart and Mod Podge acrylic molds and also came up with a great idea of how to turn the molds into beads or pendants. When the resin is cured it slides out of the mold and it's ready for use.

I assembled all the parts to beautiful shiny pendants and I'm really happy with how they turned out. Check out the video for all the details.
Do you create any jewelry? If not this was a fun way of starting!

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Have fun creating!
Einat

One Sheet of Paper: quick projects when time is short

Sometimes time is short and you need a quick project to make as gift, or you want to have fun with some crafty friends and you want to create something easy and fast. And every now and then you simply want to make something cheap but beautiful. Well...I have an idea, use only one sheet of paper to create a variety of pretty and fast projects!

Folded Mini Album

Create a beautiful mini album by folding a 12X12 cardstock in different directions. Add a few embellishments and photos. Find the full tutorial here.

One Paper - Three Cards

We all love celebrations, events and birthdays and us crafters always enjoy giving a special card for the event. But can we make cards and save our supplies at the same time? Yes we can...just use one sheet of paper to create three different cards.

By cutting a 12X12 double sided cardstock wisely you can increase your paper "real estate" and diversity. Follow the steps of the tutorial here.

 

Window Photo Display

 

Present photos in a cute and easy display made from one sheet of paper. This display has enough room for two photos and a special window for journaling. Find a step by step tutorial with photos here.

 

 

Flap mini album

 

Create a small but sturdy mini album that can fit in a purse or a bag. A few cuts and folds and a surprising binding are all the secrets you would need to know to create this project.

 

Use a double sided cardstock and a Bind-it-All to create the album's pages and the flaps. Check out the full photo tutorial here.

 

I hope you will find these ideas useful and create a few of them. I would love to see your creations. you can post them on my  Facebook page. Also check out my  YouTube channel for more crafty treats!

 

Have fun creating!

Einat

 

 

Mixed Media Art Journal Page: Flowers

Creating an art journal page always makes me happy. It inspires me not only when I create it but also afterwards, when I look at the page I created. That's why I always try to add a quote or a sentence that speaks to me, a sentence that inspires me and lifts me up.

This time I added a paraphrase of a quote made by the famous author Hans Christian Andersen who said that Just living is not enough one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower. Well... I changed it a little. After all this is my art journal right?

I created the back ground with stencils and a really fun technique called reverse stenciling. I added gesso, Gelatos and stamping. The more layers of color you add to your page the better it will look that's what I always say. I added big circles with acrylic paint and sponge and smaller circles I created with Gelatos and a stencil.

I added a tissue paper butterfly and stamped a field of flowers. I colored them with water diluted Gelatos and colored pencils. To finish the page I added the quote. I wrote it on a white paper and colored it with the same Gelatos I used on the background and flowers. I also added a little bit of doodled flowers.

This was really fun to create and I invite you to watch the video and join in the fun!

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Have fun creating!
Einat

Summer Vacation Mini Album - 10 things that will ensure you create it!

Every summer we go on our family vacation. We plan it, book hotels, cars, buy plain tickets and do all the other arrangements needed. Every year we take the most wonderful photos capturing all those amazing places and experiences, all the fun we had, and we tell ourselves (at least I do) that we'll create the best mini album with all these photos and...we don't. So, I decided this year I will help myself achieve the task of creating a summer vacation mini album so help me God!

I came up with 10 things that will help me and ensure I will do it this time:

Before you go

1. Take a journal
In the journal you will be able to write about all the places you visit, the experiences you have, the people you meet and even the little jokes and family special sayings. Here's a journal I created while on one of my trips to the US.

2. Post on social media
Tell your friends on Facebook, post a photo of your luggage on Instagram and twit about your upcoming vacation. Share your plans to create a mini album and generate expectations you'll be committed to.

3. Prepare supplies
Make sure you have all the supplies to create your album so you will not be delayed by going to the craft store and buying stuff. Have supplies with your vacation theme like: beach, camping, trip to Paris etc.

While on vacation

4. Collect Memorabilia
Save things like plain or train ticket, admission tickets to museum or attractions, collect cool stuff like coasters from bars, tree leaves, shells or brochures. In this layout I added a few shells from the beach.

5. Journal
Write in your journal daily even if it's just a few lines. Try to give each day a "title" that could later be a page in your album. For example: The First Day: Building Our Tent or Collecting Sea Shells on the Beach.

6. Take photos on your phone
When you take photos with your phone you can share them on social media and keep the level of your friend's curiosity high. This way they'll nag you about the mini album you made with these beautiful photos.

After you return

7. Start immediately
Start working on your mini album as soon as possible. The longer you wait the more difficult it will be to start. Here's the first page I created in my US trip mini album.

8. Plan your mini
Make a plan of the mini: how many pages, what title for each page and general shape.

9. Schedule
Make a schedule for your work. Divide the project into small steps for example: one page per day or per weekend. Then find the time on your schedule to actually sit down and create. If you need to...write it in your calendar or planner.

10. Create together
Schedule a crop night or a crafting evening with your friends. It's easier to create in company and it's more likely you will not bail on your friends.
I hope these steps will help you complete the mission of scrapping your summer vacation!

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Have fun creating!
Einat