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How to Color + Free Giveaway!

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Good Thoughts CardColoring was one of the greatest activities in all of childhood. Back then, the biggest emphasis was learning how to color inside the lines. It didn’t matter how much pressure was exerted on the marker, colored pencil, or crayon. Mixing colors didn’t seem to be much of a problem, and if the unfortunate error of mixing the wrong colors occurred, it was easy enough to start over. The extent of sharpening the coloring techniques meant coloring the whole picture and making it pretty.

Now that we’re a little older and we’re adamant paper crafters, it’s time to sharpen our coloring skills! Stamps are a beautiful way to embellish paper crafts, but a plain outline can only go so far to really make a handmade card or scrapbook layout pop. Instead of leaving an empty outline on the page, color in your stamps! Learn how to color like an expert with classes from Annie’s Crafts.

I was fortunate enough to take one of Annie’s online classes, and I learned so much about different coloring mediums! A marker or a colored pencil could make the difference in really achieving the look you are going for with any of your rubber stamping projects. Instructor Keri Lee Sereika teaches a two hour session titled Creative Coloring Techniques. Within this class, Sereika covers a variety of mediums, including colored pencils, alcohol markers, airbrush systems, watercolors, watercolor pencils, chalks, and pigmented powders.

 

Beach Scene Frame

How to Color with Colored Pencils

This segment was so much fun to watch. Most of us have toyed with colored pencils before, but I learned so many innovative techniques for using them! Sereika talks about shading, blending, identifying light sources, and more. Colored pencils are an incredibly versatile material to work with, and they have great effects!

How to Color with Alcohol Markers

Coloring with alcohol markers is a skill that has fascinated me recently, and I was very excited to learn more about this medium! The vivid colors and effects that can come from these markers are truly astounding. The markers are great for blending, too.

You are Beautiful CardHow to Watercolor

Sereika talks about the uses of both watercolors and watercolor pencils, and she offers an array of tips and techniques for using each medium. For example, you can use your acrylic block as a palette for your watercolors. I’m always so amazed when I find new ways to use the same materials.

How to Use Chalk

To gain a soft and smooth effect, chalks and pigmented powers are an excellent option. They are very forgiving, and you can create gorgeous effects by layering various colors.

 

Creative Coloring Techniques

Learn how to color with any of these awesome mediums when you win this class in our free giveaway! AllFreePaperCrafts.com is giving away one Creative Coloring Techniques online class from Annie’s Crafts! Enter HERE to win. Contest ends 12/8/2013.

 

 

 

 

Paper Crafting at CKC-Chicago!

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Hey Paper Crafters! On October 4, 2013, I was fortunate enough to attend Creating Keepsakes’ Scrapbooking Convention in Chicago! I took four classes, and I learned so much about mixed media, stamping, scrapbooking, and card making!

Mixed Medium Mash-Up with Creating Keepsakes

Mixed Medium Mash-Up

This class was easily one of my favorites. Our instructor explained that mixed media art is any paper craft using materials other than paper and stickers. I absolutely loved working with a variety of media in order to create an incredibly dynamic scrapbook layout. The materials we used included Faber-Castelle Gelatos, water color pencils, spray mist (which terrifies many paper crafters but it’s actually quite fun to use!), molding paste, stencils, water, dress patterns, canvas, marker, paper tags, string, and more! My favorite embellishment to add was the molding paste. We spread a layer over an intricate stencil, and this gave the scrapbook layout a great texture and unique embellishment!

Stamp It 3 Ways with Paper Crafts Magazine

Stamp it 3 Ways

This class was a great introduction to stamping. We received a great little collection of fall cling stamps to play with, and with this set we learned three different stamping techniques. For example, have you ever used the BACK of a cling stamp instead of the front? We took different leaves and used the back of the stamp to fill in the color. Then we used brown ink on the correct side of the stamp to give it the leafy outline. I love how mine turned out.

Amazing 12×12 Album Class with S.E.I.

Amazing 12x12 Album

In this class, all of the students were given a full album kit and embellishment pack to create an entire scrapbook album. We learned many innovative ways to arrange our layouts to maximize space. A technique we practiced on many of the pages was scrapbooking outside of the liner. We would adhere photo pockets, envelopes, mini books, and more to the outside of our scrapbook pages to create dynamic layouts that were aesthetically pleasing. There really are endless possibilities when it comes to scrapbooking and scrapbook layouts!

Dynamic Dimensional Cards with Stamplistic

Dynamic Dimensional Cards

This class was easily one of the most popular. It was hosted by Stamplistic, and their booth at the vendor fair was by far the most crowded! Stamplistic specializes in 3D embellishments, and their techniques are unique and eye-catching! They take a regular stamped image and transform it into a 3D embellishment perfect for any card or scrapbook page. We turned a flat image of a pink flower into a dimensional, colorful, and sparkling DIY card.

 

Which of these paper crafting classes would you like best?

 

 

How to Mask: Cardmaking and Scrapbooking

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Are you guys into card making or scrapbooking? My hunch is no–we seem to be more of a crochet and knitting group. Paper crafters, feel free to say hi in the comments, though! I wasn’t much of a card maker either until I started looking at some of the project ideas on FaveCrafts and seeing how easy they might be to replicate. I mean, anyone can cut out shapes (either with scissors, a paper punch, or a Cricut), and anyone can adhere embellishments to a piece of cardstock, especially with the help of glue dots. I soon learned that you can even make your own embellishments if you want to save money in the scrapbooking aisle at the craft store.

Card making is one of those crafts that everyone has dabbled in at some point–we’ve all got to give cards to friends and family on their birthday, and a good number of us give cards on Christmas, Halloween, Easter, Mother’s Day, and other special occasions. We’ve got lots of cardmaking technique videos on our YouTube channel that could turn even the most novice paper crafter (i.e. me) into a real card making maven.

One of the techniques I learned from our very own YouTube channel is masking. Ever heard of it? Me neither! Masking means blocking off part of an image when using rubber stamps so that the blocked-off (or “masked”) portion does not get stamped. Clear as mud, right? This video by Latrice Murphy explains it a lot better! You can watch the whole thing to see how she makes that adorable bunting and cupcake card, or just watch through the first 3 minutes to learn the technique.

And if you don’t feel like watching a video, don’t have the capabilities of viewing one on your computer, or you’re reading FaveCrafts at work and don’t want the boss to find out (shhh, I won’t tell!), I’ll break it down for you:

How to Mask

  1. First stamp the image you want to mask onto a piece of scratch paper and cut it out. In the video, Latrice stamps a bunting stamp and cuts out each individual triangle.
  2. Then stamp the same image onto your card or scrapbook page. Latrice stamped the same image in the corner of her card using the bunting stamp.
  3. Take the cut out shapes (the “masks”) and adhere them to your card or scrapbook page, right on top of the stamped area. Removable or re-positionable adhesive works best for this step.
  4. Now that your image is masked, you can feel free to stamp over it. In the video, Latrice stamps her card with a cloud background so that the bunting looks like it’s in front of the clouds, like real bunting billowing in the breeze.
  5. When you’re done stamping, remove the masks and you’ll see the unstamped section beneath (in this case, the cloudless bunting shapes).

Doesn’t that sound easy? For all of you non-paper crafters–doesn’t this video make you want to give it a try? What’s the most involved card making technique you’ve ever used?

Nature Clear Stamp Collection Giveaway

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These stamp sets each have 9 images including a tree, bird, cloud, flower stems and flowers. You can layer your color, detail, and scene. Collage artist and illustrator Claudine Hellmuth teamed up with Ranger and Stampers Anonymous to bring her whimsical style and flair to stamping.

We’re giving one away to a lucky winner!

Learn more and enter for a chance to win!

Contest ends April 8, 2011.

Sketchy Alphabet and Framed Alphabet Clear Stamp Sets Giveaway

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These two clear stamp kits will be a welcomed alphabet to any paper crafters, cardmaker, or scrapbooker’s collection. The Sketchy set contains 31 stamps and the Framed contains 36 with numbers included.

We’re giving one away to a lucky winner!

Learn more and enter for a chance to win!

Contest ends February 18, 2011.

Never Buy Another Stamp Again

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Are you a stamping fanatic? An ink enthusiast? A homemade-card-making-paper-crafting-scrapbooking maniac? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then I have a startling revelation to deliver to you: you’re spending too much money on stamps.

Now that you’ve realized you have a problem, it’s time to find a solution, don’t you think? Luckily, I have another revelation for you: the Teresa Collins Stampmaker Kit. This amazing machine, valued at $169.99, will cut clear stamps into literally any shape you want. You can use dies, stencils, or your own designs, and in minutes you can have your own menagerie of personalized stamps. I meant it when I said you’d never buy another stamp again!

Don’t want to spend the money to buy your own machine? Here’s an even easier way to get your paws on one: go to the FaveCrafts facebook page, “like” us, and enter to win one! That’s right–not only will you never need to buy another stamp, but you also don’t have to pay a single cent to own this technological wonder. All you have to do is like us on Facebook! And how hard can that be, considering you already clearly like us? (What can I say? we’ve been called “likable” more times than we can count!)

How to: Craft with Glitter

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Glitter is one of the most versatile materials to craft with. You can use glitter on fabric, glass, plastic, paper, or wood. You can wear glitter in your hair, on your nails, in your makeup, or on your clothing and accessories. You can knit or crochet with glitter yarn, you can use glitter with rubber stamping in scrapbooking and cardmaking, and you can add a little extra glitz to everything in your home with glitter. Everyone likes a little sparkle now and then, from children to teens to grandparents. Use this guide to get you started with glitter!

Glitter 1Glitter 2Glitter 4Glitter 4

Types of glitter

Low-Grade Chunky Glitter: This is the kind of glitter you used in school to make hand-print Thanksgiving decorations and other art projects. You may still have some stuck to your kitchen table from that craft you glittered 20 years ago.

Spray-On Glitter: Use this type of glitter on fabric or in projects such as wreath-making that need a uniform coating of sparkle. Spray-on glitter comes in an aerosol can, like spray paint.

Glitter Glue: Squeeze this gel onto paper projects, clothing you’re embellishing, or other crafts that need a three dimensional glitter finish.

Fine Powder Glitter: Use this glitter to emboss with rubber stamping projects or in your scrapbooks.

Read this comprehensive list for more information.

Ways to Craft with Glitter

Crochet or Knit with Glitter Yarn: Glitter yarn isn’t exactly glitter in the traditional sense; rather, it’s yarn that is mixed with strands of metallic thread for a glittery look. Check out these gorgeous glittery yarn projects on FaveCrafts:

Christmas Bow Pillow
Christmas Bow Pillow

Holiday Gift Pouch
Holiday Gift Pouch

Pink Openweave Scarf with Glitter Yarn
Pink Openweave Scarf

Glitter your Wardrobe: Like I said, you can add glitter to just about anything, from your bag to your shoes to your T-Shirt. Check it out:

Mod Podge Flower Pin
Mod Podge Flower Pin

Glittery Lips T-Shirt
Glittery Lips T-Shirt

Live and Laugh Tote
Live and Laugh Tote

Papercrafting with Glitter: The most obvious of uses for glitter is in scrapbooking, cardmaking, and other papercrafts. Here are some of my favorites.

Glittery Butterfly Lace Card
Glittery Butterfly Lace Card

Halloween Glitter Illustration
Halloween Glitter Illustration

Je T’aime Wedding Scrapbook Layout
Je T'aime Scrapbook Layout

Decorate your Home with Glitter: If you’re attracted to bright, sparkly, shiny things, why not make your home shine and sparkle? Make these home accents using glitter techniques to add glamour to your life.

Glittery Buttons
Glittery Buttons

Decorative Fall Plaque
Decorative Fall Plaque

Glue and Glitter Snowflakes
Glue and Glitter Snowflakes

Tips and Tricks for Working with Glitter:

What are your favorite glitter projects? Do you have any more tips and tricks for crafters who want to begin working with glitter?

A Simple Guide to Rubber Stamping

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You can become an artist with a stamp, ink, and a little color from chalks, pastels, watercolors, markers, or colored pencils! Rubberstamping is a technique used to create greeting cards, home décor items, collage, apparel embellishment and so much more.

1. You’ll need a rubber stamp or two. There are traditional wood mount rubber stamps and the next generation of stamping, the clear stamp. Clear stamps are unmounted meaning that you will need an acrylic mount to place the clear stamp image upon to stamp with it. You can also buy rubber stamp images that are unmounted. Experiment with mounted and unmounted stamps. Paper artists tend to prefer the clear unmounted since this type of stamp makes image placement very easy (you can see where you are going to stamp the image through the acrylic mounts) and storage takes up less space than the traditional wood mounted stamps.

2. Next you’ll need some ink. There are two types of basic ink. The first is pigment, which is a slow drying ink and the second is dye ink, which is fast drying. Dye inks are more colorful than pigment inks, but only pigment inks are opaque. You’ll also need pigment ink if you decide that you want to emboss an image.  There are a rainbow of colors available in both kinds of inks, but black, gold, silver, red, and blue are the most popular of ink colors.

3. Ink rubberstamp by tapping the ink pad to the image making sure the entire image is inked. Stamp directly down to your surface (paper, wood, acetate, and more). Do not rock or shake the stamp, but lift directly up. You’ll have a crisp, clean image with no smudges. Practice several times when stamping on a new surface to determine the pressure needed to get that crisp image. Note that rubber stamps do give a better detailed image than clear stamps. This is because the rubber is slightly harder than the material used to create the clear stamps.

4. Once an image is stamped you can color it with a huge variety of coloring tools. You can use chalks and pastels by brushing or rubbing the color onto the image. You can watercolor with watercolor pencils or paint, again brushing on the color. You can also use colored pencils and markers.

Rubber stamping can easily become a passion since it is so easy to do and you’ll have wonderful projects completed in less than an hour. Check out these fun rubber stamping projects:

Papercraft Butterfly Card– This is a great card to send to a friend; it’s easy to make.
Recycled Jewelry– Save the environment by recycling and reusing jewelry.
Decorative Clay Pot Patterns– Decorate your clay pots any way you wish.

Crochet

Jewelry

Knitting

Paper

Sewing

Thrifty