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Saturday, August 30, 2014

Faux Leather TP mini Album - THE PAGES!

WOW!! I got so many amazing responses. Thank you! I'm so happy you liked this mini album as much as I did. Wasn't it really fun and easy to make? Well...after much anticipation here comes the second part...THE PAGES! We'll venture into these beautiful pages and learn how to create them one by one!

Let's get started!





















This album is full of interactive surprises. Pockets, flaps and more... as well as handmade embellishments that will take your breath away. Some of the work is delicate and requires patience but believe me, it's worth it!


 




































Since TP rolls are already pockets, that part is rather easy. All you need for this part is to add tags. I used scraps of paper from Tim Holtz papers to create the tags. To embellish the tags I add a cogwheel or sticker to each one.




















The most challenging pages were the corset opening page and the butterfly embellishment page. They took a long time to plan, but you're lucky I've done all that for you already. They do need patience to create but I think you'll agree it's worth the time.






















In general the entire mini album took longer to make then I originally thought partly because I tend to try almost every possibility when I design until I'm happy. So I need to work on that... I've managed to edit the video so it will be much shorter but still simple and easy to understand.
Make sure to watch the video tutorial for all those important steps to create all the pages!





















I will be happy to see how your mini albums turn out. If you make one please share!

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Have fun Creating!
Einat

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Faux Leather TP Steampunk Mini Album

I love techniques. I love finding new ways of using old unwanted or unneeded things, namely recycling and reusing. I love mini albums. I wonder...if only I could come up with an idea that will combine all three....

Wait!! I found it...a faux leather mini album made from toilet paper rolls!


 
This fun project started one day as I realized how many TP rolls we throw away all the time. I really wanted to do something with them. I've seen TP mini albums before but I wanted to do something different and incorporate a little mixed media, techniques and messiness.
 

 
I transformed all TP rolls to pocket pages that look like leather and believe it or not kind of feel like leather too. I've used a special technique to make that look and you will not believe how easy it is! You only need water, Glycerin and a spritzer. You wet the rolls, crumple them a few times and then ink them and you have that leather look. I also embossed some of the pages for extra texture.




















I made the cover from chipboard pieces and a simple binding mechanism to attach the pages. This tutorial was so much fun, however it turned out to be too long for one time so I divided it to two parts.

Make sure to watch the video for the step by step instructions on how to create the mini album.

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Have fun creating!
Einat

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Mixed Media Canvas - "Layers of Color"

Sometimes all you need are a few stencils and paints and you can create an amazing work of art full of colors and shapes. If you are not the artsy type and you want to get your legs wet and your fingers dirty this is the easiest way to get started with 12X12 canvases.

























It's all a matter of coordinating your color palette and using the right kind of stencils. The right kind of stencils is not necessarily by a specific company, or in a specific size, what matters is the pattern, the shapes on the stencils and their size. The idea is to layer different patterns and different colors and create a rich design.

Start with the lighter, palest colors as background and add bolder colors on top of them. if you want to keep layering more texture and patterns add lighter colors with large patterns on top of the stronger colors so they will stand out.

There is no right or wrong here. Just start and have fun. Always remember that if you don't like the result you can cover the entire canvas with white gesso and start again!

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Have fun creating!
Einat

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Mixed Media Altered Paintbrush

I've been wanting to alter a paintbrush for awhile but I just never found the right one. All the paintbrushes I could find always seemed to be too small. I wanted a big paintbrush so I can treat it like a canvas and so a mixed media creation on it. Well... I finally found one, or my husband did. A 6" paintbrush with a wooden handle (much easier to paint than plastic)...what a joy!



























I wanted to create a colorful, happy scene with lots of flowers and give it a homey feeling by adding a white picket fence and a street light.




















I started with covering the paintbrush with gesso and then stenciled the entire surface of the paintbrush including the bristles. Then I colored it with spray paints creating a multi colors textured background. I added the fence and the street light and embellished with layers of many bright colored flowers. I also added more textured with cheesecloth and lace I colored with the same sprays.




















Altered projects are so much fun and it just goes to show you never throw anything away because you never know what your creative mind will come up with!
Do you have any fun ideas to reuse old unwanted things?

Make sure to check out the video tutorial for all the details, tips and techniques!

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Have fun creating!
Einat

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Back to School - 30 Freebie Lunch Box Notes

I can't believe school is around the corner (for some it has already started). I look at my kids and I can't believe how fast they have grown. The other day a friend wrote she doesn't understand the crying moms on the first day of school. I have to admit I was a crying mom when they were younger but now I'm over it.



However I still like to make them feel special and loved with a little note in their lunch box. This year I decided to create my own lunch box notes. So far I have made 30 loving notes for an entire month and I want to SHARE them all with you!

Click on the link and download the file. Print the file and cut the notes. I made them all squared so cutting will be fast and easy. I plan to create more notes, hopefully a different one for each day of the year and share them with you in parts (I hope I can do it...how many school days are there anyway?)

Click here to download the Lunch Box Notes
Click here to download the Lunch Box Notes 2
Click here to download the Lunch Box Notes 3

Put one note a day to make your child smile and to let him/her know you love them!

Follow me on Facebook and YouTube for more crafty treats! You can find more back to school projects here.

Have fun creating!
Einat

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Ready, Get set, De-stash! Fun Quote Book

The best supplies store is my studio. I have so much stuff it's unbelievable! So I decided to challenge myself to create something only from the leftovers I can find around my studio. I started looking around and found a stack of 6X6 papers by MME that could be a perfect base for a mini album. But I didn't just want to create a mini album, I wanted it to have a purpose. So I decided to create a special mini book for all the quotes I find and love.




















To have a more interesting book and not just 6X6 pages I added all kinds of tags, scraps of paper, journaling tags etc. as pages as well. Some had to be prepared, folded, glued or cut to fit the size and mood of the mini book.




















This was a super easy, super fast and super fun way to use scraps I don't need anymore, leftovers of unused papers, old collections' products and items that were laying around my supply drawers for too long. It's those supplies you always look at and say "I don't want to throw them away...I'll probably use it soon" and you never do. So this is the perfect opportunity to create something useful and pretty and de-stash at the same time!





















What supplies do you have in the back of your drawers? dig them up and think of ways to use them.

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Have fun creating!
Einat

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

There Is No Place Like Home - House Projects

"Storms make trees take deeper roots" Dolly Parton

This quote speaks to me so loudly. In the last four weeks this is exactly how I feel. Those out there who fire rockets and want us destroyed just make me more determined! This is my home, it's the only place we have in the world. It's my family's and my friends' homes and we are here to stay.
While thinking and pondering about this I realized I made a lot of house theme projects during the years probably because this subject is important to me. I wanted to share these projects with you because I know this subject speaks to you too.





This is a layout I created with a photo of my mom and aunt when they were little girls. I created a background with bright colors as a childlike scene with flowers and a house. Happy, fun and nostalgic page.

























My first video tutorial more then a year ago. Time flies when you're having fun! It's a mixed media, technique packed canvas with the house as a central focal point. If you want to revisit the video tutorial here's the link: http://youtu.be/HI0SEIGuLRI?list=PL2hIgklxaiuXMAdlaEk0ZYJEbp7RAgOuo

























This a DT project I created for Susan Weckesser Inc. It's a house in a capsule of flowers and love. Note that the love breaks through the wall to the outside...




















Another DT project, this time a frame cluster for family photos with a house in the center. This is a great piece for a wall in your home or as a gift.

























This project was created as a workshop called House of Memories. It was a really fun workshop that produced different houses because each participant made a different roof and added different photos.































My favorite house projects are the two recycled houses from milk cartons. Both houses are photo displays for family photos. One a vintage flowery garden display and the other a spooky house for Halloween. You can find a step by step video tutorials for the Spooky House here:  http://youtu.be/E2g0qu02Pf8?list=PL2hIgklxaiuVG-o5vzJZHF8RmuPMgjPid

























Finally a3D shadow frame with the famous quote: "Home is where the heart is". This project has layers of flowers as background and many 3D items and embellishments like a little high stool, shelf with books and a small garden bed with grass. There are even two quilled 3D pots with plants on the top of the frame.

























To close this homey collection, a snowy card with a house in the snow for the holidays.

There are more house projects I created, many more then I realized when I started writing this post, but I think these are the top ones. Do you have any house projects? Try and create one, it'll warm your heart for sure!

Have fun creating!
Einat

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Mixed Media Art Journal Page: STRONG

Lately life is not easy. We are going through a tough time here when rockets are flying and terrorists want to destroy us. In times like this it's a little hard to create but I have come to realize I need to force myself to create because it distracts me and helps me with the everyday stress. The best thing to create, while also inspiring yourself is an art journal page with a quite to empower you.





















This is one of those rare times when I started a project with very little in my head. Meaning, I didn't know what I wanted to create and I didn't have a picture in my head like I usually do. I knew what colors I wanted ad that was about it.


























From there I just started to create, using my favorite mediums and supplies, basically trying to have fun. working with so many bright colors and an inspirational quote was very liberating and rewarding and I'm really glad I forced myself to do it, it was totally worth it!!






















Don't forget to check out the step by step video tutorial: http://youtu.be/aCmb5UjjhFc for all the tips and techniques.
What do you do when you have a difficult time. do you create? does it help?

Thanks for all your support, prayers and love.

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Have fun creating!
Einat