Create Your Own Craft Supplies

I'm a firm believer that if you can make it yourself (and you have the time for it)then definitely Do It Yourself! Craft supplies are no different. There are so many ways to create craft supplies without almost spending  nothing or very little money.

https://www.pinterest.com/einatkessler/create-your-own-craft-supplies/

So I created a Pinterest board with a collection of home made recipes for creating your own craft supplies.

Some of my favorites are:

Homemade stamp/ink Daubers 

Make your own Ink Sprays with Inktense Blocks

DIY Pearls

DIY Texture Paste recipe

There are many more recipes for homemade supplies you can use. Just click on the link and you'll be instantly transported to a world of DIY craft supplies.

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Have fun creating!

How to Create a Family Photo Wall Collage

I have been wanting to do this in my house for a long time but always found a reason to postpone it. For some strange reason I was scared it wouldn't come out right. But that was my first mistake, there is no right or wrong way to do it. Just a few principles to follow will guarantee that your will will look great!

1. Use different size and shape frames
If you use different sizes and shapes frames it will save you the need to measure and create even gaps between the frames. That is because our eye will focus on the shape and size and the gaps between the frames will in fact be invisible.

2. Use color wisely
If you use colorful frames then have black and white photos, and if you want to use colored photos then keep the frames' colors neutral like black, white or brown. Choose frame colors that compliment the colors in the room and furniture. You can also use the wall collage to inject a splash of color to a neutral colored room.

3. Incorporate other embellishments
Add little embellishments in between the photo frames. You can use shapes, canvases and other wall art. I also framed birds and flowers drawings in addition to the family photos.

4. Add a personal touch
Other than your family photos add words, sentiments or quotes that you relate to. If you make them yourself like I did. I cut out letters from a tissue paper that some gifts I bought were wrapped with and glued them to a canvas with gel medium. Plain, minimalist and simple addition to your wall with hardly any money spent.

I'm really happy how my wall turned out and I'm even considering adding more frames. Now I have a new wall for the new year!  Please share with me in the comments how you display your family photos.

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Have fun creating!

Extend the Life of Your Craft Supplies

We spend lots of money on supplies and we want them to last for a long time. Here are a few tips to help you achieve that. Most of these tips are not new but it's good to have them all in one place!

Punches
If your punch is not punching as cleanly as it used to it probably needs a little sharpening. Get a piece of aluminum foil and fold it in half, then in half again to create four layers. Stick that folded piece in your punch, and punch a couple of shapes from it. Do maybe half a dozen or so. Believe it or not, that will sharpen up your punch a bit.
If the punch sticks, and doesn't pop back quickly, It needs a little waxing to make it slide more easily. Tear off a small piece of waxed paper, and fold it into four layers. Punch through the folded waxed paper half a dozen times. You’re waxing up the edges a bit, which helps encourage the punch to spring back quickly.

Ink Pads

The cause of ink drying out in stamp pads so quickly is the same process that makes the ink dry on your project - the evaporation of the solvent or liquid in the ink. In order to extend the life of your ink pad always close the top of the stamp ink pad every time you use it. Put the ink pad into a plastic Ziploc style bag, making sure to force all the air out of the bag before sealing it. Store the ink pad upside down. Eventually you'll need to re-ink the pad with pigment and solvent. Almost all ink pads today have available refills.

Stamps

Proper cleaning and storage of your rubber stamps is an easy way to extend the usable life of your rubber stamps. Some stamps can become stained after repeated use or after use with permanent inks. If your stamp is stained, but clean, it will not transfer old ink into your new project. Most non-staining inks can be washed off using mild soapy water. A clean toothbrush is great for washing off ink that has become embedded in nooks or crannies in your rubber stamp. There are a number of great stamp cleaners and stamps scrubbers on the market, but I personally think you don't need them.

Stencils

Stencils are usually made of durable materials. But cleaning them regularly with soap and water will make sure no excess paint will interfere with the stencil's pattern. Store them in their original package so they will not get tangles in each other.

Brushes

1. Clean your brush immediately after using it. When you are having an artistic moment, it may be tempting to leave a dirty brush to sit for a while while you grab another one to complete your masterpiece. Resist! Especially in the case of painting with acrylics, forgetting to clean a brush often means buying a new one.

2. Between painting sessions, clean your brushes with brush cleaner, soapy water or shampoo.

When you know you’ll be putting your brushes away for a while, a simple rinse in water (or mineral spirits for oils) isn’t good enough. Work brush soap or shampoo into the bristles of the brush all the way down to the ferrule, and rinse thoroughly with lukewarm to cool water until no trace of paint or suds are left. 

3. Do your best to clean the base of the bristles.

The area near the ferrule is often the hardest to clean, but it’s actually just as important for maintaining a brush’s shape as the tip. Any paint residue that coats the bristles at their base will prevent them from coming together at the top. Gradually, your brush tip will become more and more spread apart until it no longer holds its shape.

4. Never store your brushes vertically in water or solvent.

There are a few good reasons not to do this. The pressure on the brush can permanently misshape the bristles, bending them or spreading them out so they no longer come to a point. If they are left too long to rest on the bristles, most brushes will never regain their original shape. Store clean brushes vertically head-side-up or horizontally. Make sure that brushes aren’t resting against the tips of other brushes, or they can become deformed.

Paints

Acrylic paints all dry out at some point but in order to reach that point as late as possible there are a few things you can do. Try to buy paint with a small opening the less contact with air the longest the paint will stay liquid. If you have paints in large opening containers cover the opening with plastic sheet and then close the lid. While working always make sure the paint is closed. If I have paints I haven't used for awhile I shake them every once in awhile so the pigment and the liquid will mix together and not separate (which is a contributing factor for fast drying).

If you have more tips on extending the life of your craft supplies please share it in the comments.

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Have fun creating!

Create Your Own Washi Tape with Ann Butler Stamps and Inks

Who doesn't love washi tape? We all do! That's why we have stashes of it at home right? But how often do you want a certain pattern, color or images on your washi tape and you don't have it? After all we can't have every single washi tape on the planet. I have a solution for this problem...Create your own washi tape!

It's a much easier task than you think. All you need is a medical tape which is low tack and semi transparent that you can find it in the drug store, stamps and ink. I used Ann Butler Faux Quilting 1" Stamps and Ann Butler Crafter's Ink by Clearsnap.

I played around with the ink and stamps and here are a few easy and quick techniques for you to try:

1. Simple Pattern
Choose a pattern stamp and a color of ink and stamp repeatedly across the tape.

2. Pattern and Color
Color the tape with ink diluted with water to create a wash effect and a muted background color. Just apply some ink on a craft sheet spritz with water and dip the tape (adhesive side up) in the ink. After it's dry stamp with a pattern.

3. Double Drippage
Repeat the ink technique on item 2 but with two different colors of ink. Dip the tape in both colors creating drippage by moving the ink around.

4. Graduated Pattern
Stamp the tape with a pattern stamp but change the pressure you apply on the stamp so the image will be softer or stronger on the tape.

5. Repeated Pattern
Repeat a a small pattern on the tape to cover a larger area and create a continuous design.

Once your washi tape is ready use it in whatever project you want!

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Have fun creating!

You Want to Make a Card?

The basis of frugal crafting is make your own supplies instead of buying them. So today let's make cards! Here's a guide to cutting typical card sizes from 8.5 x 11 and 12x12 papers.

Typical Card Sizes
A9: 5.5" x 8.5"
A7 5" x 7"
A6: 4.5" x 6.25"
A2: 4.25" x 5.5"
4 - Bar: 3.5" x 4.875"
3" x 3"
6" x 6"

Here's a table with all the cards sizes and what you need to cut either from 8.5" x 11" or 12 x 12 paper. I found this table at http://www.kgdcraftermath.com and  I thought it's really useful.

Print this out and save it. Next time that you want to make a card you won't have to go to the store and buy a card, simply cut it out of a paper in your stash! I always have a few cards ready for every occasion so I won't ve caught without one :)

Do you make cards or buy them? If you're a card maker, do you use pre cut cards or cut them yourself? What are your favorite cards to make?

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Have fun creating!

 

Make Your Own Envelope Glue

Lately I've been using the mail more, sending out Etsy orders. Most of my orders don't need a large box or envelope and they fit in a regular envelope. Let me tell you...licking the envelope is discusting! It's horrible and I always ask myself which chemicals am I putting in my body...

I decided to create my own envelope glue, which meand i would need to create myown envelopes too...

Here's my recipe:

1 Mix equallpart white vinegar with Elmer's Glue-All in a small cup.

2 Add vanilla, peppermint or almond extract for flavor. My personal favorite is cinnamon.

3 Dab glue on the paper with a sponge or small paintbrush.

4 Store in an airtight container.

There are more benifits for using your own envelope glue recipe, with easy available ingredients. First of all it's a fun way to be even more creative with your mail! Second, since it's not toxic you can use this glue to make your own "lick and stick" stickers from magazine cut outs, die cuts, etc!

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Have fun creating!

Frugal Crafting - Tips and Tricks!

We all need new creative ways to think about our stash and crafting. Our craft spaces are bursting with supplies and yet we buy more. Let's use what we have and stop buying!!
We can shop for supplies in our own drawers and shelves and create amazing projects without spending a dime!

I asked fellow crafters and artists in the crafting industry to share some tips and tricks on how they do it. Here's a roundup of their projects. For more photos of each project, detailed content and material list please click the link attached to each tip.

Keren Tamir: How to make a layout look expensive yet spend under 5$

Here are Keren's tips on how to do that:
1. Save your scraps. Use them to build the layout.
2. Buy reusable items like masks and stamps.
3. Fussy cut elements from your pages to use as layers and embellishments on your layouts.
4. Buy products that contain numerous items that would last for numerous projects.
5. Use your packaging.

Read more on Keren Tamir's blog...

Jennifer Priest: How to change the color of your paper

If you don't like the color or pattern of the paper you have, change it by using stencils and paint or stamps and ink. Check out this project where I used stencils, ink, and paint to make a graffiti background on a piece of cardstock for a sports themed scrapbook page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ndEUHVb4CA

Read more on Jennifer Priest's blog...

Terri Burson: Upcycled shoe box storage

Need to organize your craft space? How about utilizing something you probably already have; shoe boxes AND use your stash to do it?

Terri tells you how to recycle, use your paper supplies to create new storage without buying anything!

Read more on Terri Burson's blog...

Sara Naumann: Frugal Crafting Tips

• The biggest thing that's helped me craft on a budget is being organized. When I'm not organized, I forget I have certain supplies, and don't use them, or forget I have them and buy new ones. So at the beginning of every month, I do a basic studio clean and put stuff away. 
• Each month I also check the levels of my always-use supplies like white cardstock, glue, etc. If I need to get more, then I put it on a list and do that as soon as possible.
• I really make my supplies work to do double, triple, quadruple duty. I like using Faber-Castell Gelatos because I can use them in lots of different techniques, and in combination with lots of other products (stencils, stamps, etc). Same thing with Spectrum Noir pens, embossing powders, paint...I really push myself to see what I can do with what I have. 
• I never buy anything that I don't have some inkling of how to use it. I've made this mistake before, buying things and then getting home and being totally clueless as to how to use it. Guess where it goes? In a drawer, where I forget about it. :)

Watch the video on Sara's YouTube channel

Marjolaine Walker: how to turn a recycled tin and outdated chipboard into a beautiful and useful decorative work of art.

I don't like to waste so I’m always trying to find ways to avoid it. I have always loved chipboard but am forever left with unused pieces from every collection. My solution is to transform the chipboard with Gesso and other medias and make a larger scale project to use a considerable amount at the same time thus noticeably diminishing the pile!

Read the full tutorial here

Lisa Fulmer: Vacation Summer Box

You can turn any sturdy box into a shadow box just by cutting a window in the lid. The gift boxes containing holiday candy or cologne sets are usually perfect for altering. Save some of that hard, clear plastic packaging too, especially if it has a large flat section. Trim it out with a craft knife into the largest square or rectangle you can. These pieces are great for making the windows in your box lids. 

If you find the box you want to use before you go on vacation, you can stash all your bits of ephemera inside it while you're traveling (or right when you get home), until you're ready to make your shadow box. Consider collecting several of the same size boxes to create a shadow box series - one for each vacation, special party or weekend road trip. Coordinate your paint colors so all the boxes will look great together on the wall.

Find out more about Lisa's book Craft Your Stash which is all about frugal crafting here

Birgit Koopsen: Mini Album

THRIFTY TIPS:

1. Cardboard cover - Using cardboard cut from any cardboard box to create a mini album cover is a

great way to give your little book a more sturdy look. If you want it even more chunky you can also use cardboard as a base for your pages.
2. Household item stamps - Household items are great to stamp on pieces of wrapping paper to create your own background paper. I used bottle tops, bottle caps and bubble wrap to stamp with black ink. Acrylic paint works great too, it gives a different feel, a bit less detailed maybe, but also lovely.
3. Hand carved stamps - I like to use my own custom made stamps. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on carving blocks. Cheap erasers from the children’s drawing sections are perfect to carve.
4. Spiral paper flowers – A little square piece of wrapping paper or book paper can easily be turned into a lovely flower. Free hand cut a spiral, about 1,5-2 cm wide and role the spiral from the outside in, keeping the bottom tight together. At the end let the role unwind a little bit and turn it upside down. Add some hot glue at the bottom to keep it all together.
5. Kraft journal spots – Don’t you just love kraft and black journaling spots? Several manufacturers sell then ready made but it is so easy to make them your self. Simply stamp with a frame stamp and black ink on the wrapping paper and cut them out. Easy, quick and you never run out of them.

So many tips and tricks on how to create amazing projects with little spending if any! I hope you were inspired as much as I was and got some ideas on how to frugal craft!

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Have fun creating!