Making Recycled ATC Card Holder

Anjuli Johnson is so passionate about working with cards. In an effort to explore her passion, she decides to make for her younger sister an ATC card holder, with 25 separate slots for 25 scripture cards.

It has to be well-made and easy to work with. The cards should be held in place so that nothing falls out or gets lost. This is how she went about it:

• Use of thick paper would do from which she would cut strips of 9” by 4 ½”and scored them at 3” and 6”. Folded and glued each envelope was 3” by 4 ½”

A cereal box cardboard would be ideal for a cover which doesn’t have to be thick for easy use and which would be painted black with additions of paper and tissue tape for a cool but clean and simple look.

• The modified cover measurements ended up being 14” long and 3 ¼” wide, with scored lines at 2”, 4” 8 ¾”, 10 ¾”. 
• Envelopes were then glued one at a time starting at the back of the cover and then one on top of the other.
• The latch for the cover was made using metal findings to create a knob for a loop of elastic. A bit of metal glue would give a great closure which would ensure that the cards are all intact.

Anjuli is always raring to go,to discover and also develop her talents while meeting new people from whom she strives to learn.

Ideas when Making Tag Books

Anything made from tags present good beauty. Melanie Statnick who uses scrapbook paper and Kraft paper with collaged images knows this too well. You can either gather pre-made tags or cut them into shapes that you so prefer. For the pages, any type of paper would serve.

• Fold the tag into half, then cut and fold blank pages to size and staple to the inside
• Cut assorted images and words and glue them onto your pages to create a story or note book.It does not matter much whether you use the front or back side or both; either option will post good results. 
• You can choose to decorate the covers. It’s an easy and quick task from which you can make dozens of them. 

As Melanie who is a published artist would put it, artwork is all about creativity. It is from this mentality that she is able to create art daily from her private studio.

Besides, as an artist you ought to know how to go out of your way with experimentation. The end result should not be such a bother at first because it is through experiments that you get to learn. Get up and become creative!

Is Scrapbooking Dead?

Ann Strecko Koeman believes in making things work with whatever comes her way hence she is always collecting things. Being a Mixed Media Artist, she finds use for every of her collections.

While a majority of people seem to be in total agreement with the selling of scrapbooking supplies having reached its peak and probably declining, she feels otherwise.

According to her, there is still some hope. After all the concept of collecting and cataloguing memories in paper form has been around since the invention of paper.

“The tools we have invested in, in our line of duty and creation should not go to waste,” Ann said. “Keep them and use them whenever necessary since it could be the wave to future creativity”. She continued.

Over the years Ann has collected a variety of skills and thus a vast collection of tools including an overpriced collection of intended for scrapbooking tools.

As a Mixed Media Artist, any tool to her is useful at some time in her artistic career. Just because a tool or supply is marketed to be sold in one market does not mean it cannot be used in another.

She has a lot to look up to including old trimmers, punches, plastic page layout guides, stickers and embellishments

Her parting shot is Scrapbooking may be a dying fad but Mixed media art making is very much alive.

Linnie Blooms and Linda Barutha

Michelle G. Brown understands that we all have an inner need to create, and bylearning a few basic techniques, the amazing world of mixed media art would be accessible to everyone.

When she came across the Linnie Blooms booth at CHA Winter Show 2015, she literally wondered why we don’t think about something new in crafting that leaves us completely impressed and mesmerized.

The range of alterable, mixed media items, made from canvas and recycled ephemera, with stitching on them was remarkable. That is how she got introduced to Lindy Barutha and her company Linnie Blooms whose range includes both substrate items – 12×12 panels, stitched journals and mini folios. This is in addition to canvas embellishments in the shapes of flowers, butterflies and many other designs.

When it comes to decoration, Linnie Bloom uses its current art supplies. They don’t need any special fabric supplies. Linda who has been building Linnie Blooms since mid-2013 says that she has always been creative and loves to create her own designs.

Linda is also working with two major online retailers to provide stitched kits. However, she has had to move from sewing all of the pieces herself, to having a few sewing assistants. The next few months are exciting for Linda and Linnie Blooms as she looks forward to featuring an online workshop. Watch out for this and much more.

Mixed Media Artist

Anjuli Johnson is intimidated by the awesome art I sees around her. However, she has grown in courage and a comfort zone that is getting bigger and bigger and being a scrapbooker she is constantly trying to push through her fears to discover and develop her talents, meet new people, and learn from those around her.

Anjuli made her first scrapbook at 12years with her mother helping her around. She used plastic sleeves to hold all my paper treasures- school awards and church certificates, hand-outs with quotes, pictures of friends and all different kinds of ephemera. It is when she was in college that she developed a scrapbooking craze and as years passed and her talent improved.

She began to develop the strong desire to use her artistic talents in other ways. Creative thinking, care, and time seemed to be a huge part of the work that she was seeing all which intimidated her. Having moved east and left all her supplies she missed her engagement in the creative process and it is until when the supplies were returned to her that a new dawn came her way and began to work every day only to realize that she was creating with a purpose. Her talents were developing and ideas were flowing more regularly.

According to her, it’s been amazing to realize how important and sacred the act of creation is.As we create, we become artists, but even more we can become better people, and we help others do the same.

What is your Obsession?

Vicki has always been involved deeply in the creative arts is always focused on sharing her journey to art and how life events can shape us through creativity. She confirms to be a studio person by nature and finds more pleasure in figuring out all the ins and outs of a subject long before she experiments with it. Serious life changes back in 2002 pushed her to learn how to paint and instead of experimenting with watercolours, she studied the chemical formulas and what made some pigments play nice together and that some made mud.

After a lot of work her conclusion was that she hadn’t really crossed over to the dark side of crafting and she thought she could start art journaling as a means of technique experimentation for implementation in her ‘real’ art pieces. She spends hours making journals and she has to choose her materials very correctly otherwise she would not get the right product. She prides in being able to see books she has made earlier while experimenting using different watercolours.

She is into many aspects of art from professional soft crafts publications (knitting/crochet/needlework) to French Hand-sewing, stencilling to macramé, oil painting to encaustics. Whatever your leaning could be, she believes in the healing power of creating. The desire to grow and create is what has driven her into doing what she does now. Join the club and start crafting.

Seth Apter: The Passionate Mixed Media Artist

“The wonderful or not so wonderful thing about the craft industry is there is always something new.” It allows us to give ourselves permission to play and experiment. And you just never know which product or combination will spark a new idea or move your interests in a new direction as there are always new products to try. While the true definition of “mixed media art” is extremely broad, there are three main categories in abundance on the internet at the moment – mixed media painting / collage, journals / books and mixed media assemblage.

Michelle G. Brown is passionate about mixed media art and enjoys sharing her knowledge and techniques with people to allow them express their own creativity. Michelle loves Seth Apter's pieces of art which appeal to him. Seth is surrounded by inspiration every time he steps out of his front door – the energy of the city, the architecture, the culture and the shops all provide a dose of daily inspiration. This allows Seth to see his work differently and what may have appeared finished at first glance actually needs more work.

Seth will then use the new products, like inks and sprays as adjuncts to the core of his designs. He loves bookmaking and likes to use Gelli printed papers to cover book board, either to create a book or to use as a layer in his collage. By learning a few basic techniques the amazing world of mixed media art is accessible to everyone.

Inspiring Yourself in Becoming a Full – time Artist

As a paper-crafter and mixed media artist, Keri Sallee believes that everyone was made to create and though pursuing a dream is not an easy task, you must have the strength of heart, heap of patience and a dash of insanity.

She quit her job to become a full-time artist in the paper-crafting/mixed media world something she had never considered until she met an amazing woman named Cheryl Boglioli. Cheryl is a home school mom/medical transcriptionist turned full-time artist and social media maven. The following are the practical tips Keri learnt from Cheryl of becoming a full time artist: -

• Do your research! Take time to figure out what kind of business is right for you. You can Seek help from those who know more than you.
• Find a mentor who will not do the hard work for you or act as a business coach but one who will be an example of a professional designer and to be your sounding board for questions.
• Be prepared for rejection and don’t take it personally. Instead be open to critiquing; in the long run, it will make you a better business person and artist.
• Be organized and have a plan because it helps keep the lines of communication clear. 

From the Artist’s view Keri learnt that you must also believe in yourself that you can do it. Stay true to yourself by asking yourself self – evaluation questions and by being inspired by those around you. “Inspiration Does exist, but it must find out working.”

Becoming a Self-made Artist like Gaby

The combination of the illustrations and industrial in Gaby’s work at the Designer Showcase at the Craft & Hobbies Associates Winter Show in 2014 is what drew Michelle into wanting to learn more about Gaby. Gaby who started Gaby&Co in September 2012 is an illustrator, artist and a pattern designer. Having graduated with a Bachelors Degree in graphic design and a minor in photography in 2004, Gaby always enjoyed taking art classes of all mediums while in college and continued to take night art classes after graduation. Additional classes that Gaby has taken include photography classes, painting, ceramics, jewelry making/soldering, jewelry enameling, DIY design/collage, children’s books illustration among others.

As part of his commitment to post weekly illustrations which have now turned to daily sketches of street objects, Gaby has created her own website gabyandco.com. It has been fun turning her illustrations into zines, zip pouches and other products and with the help of the husband who helps her prepare she has zest for art and drawing. The husband helped her silkscreen her illustrations on cotton fabric by using their homemade silk screen station while her mom, who is a wedding dress designer, taught me how to sew zip pouches and helped me sew a few for the show. According to Gaby art is just amazing.

How the Concept of Craft Test Dummies was Created

Probably you have no idea what Craft Test Dummies have to do with presentation of beauty and review of products. This is according to Jenny Barnett Rohrs who carries out simple product reviews and tutorials on a remarkable website. Markers will be used on different papers, inks across different mediums and unusual ways will be used to make cards and other crafts.

Craft Test Dummies website was born after Jenny realized that she could not find answers online regarding which markers were suitable to include on her fabric quilts and how long the adhesive she used would take to dry. Since 2008 the website has been growing steadily and attracting like-minded people who want to be online craft – mentors. The website so far has four other “Testers”, all volunteers.

The success for Craft Dummies website is based on these two key principles:

• “we are provided product to review, but the review will be honest first, and helpful second”
• “Our audience can smell a fake and we will turn stuff down if it’s not right for the blog”.

Jenny and her testers will also provide manufacturers with feedback about their products. She enjoys a range of craft and will “play with anything”. “Paint, mist, stencil, draw, Zentangles – whatever is at hand”.

She is a working mother and will juggle her family and business. Besides, she has a supportive partner. Jenny has her passion for all things crafting shines through and her parting shot is that “You need to believe in what you are doing”.

Stuart Morris, a Successful Artist

Becoming successful in anything is really not that easy. You will definitely need lots of patience and perseverance to reach your goals in life. Like with arts, there are some artists who prosper and there are also some who fail.

Let me introduce you to one of the most triumphant artist in the world today. His name is Stuart Morris. Stuart is a British artist based in East Anglia. Being an artist, Stuart loves using natural materials such as wood, rock and sand, whilst his bold use of color is a nod to the Post-Impressionists that captured his young imagination.

Stuart has an entrenched textile printing business and is the top charity fund raising in the UK. His company - "Stuart Morris" flourished through the years with different clients from home and abroad including heritage and charity organizations.

If you want to be successful like Stuart, here are Stuarts's top 5 tips for aspiring artists

Be single-minded and set your sights on what you want to achieve,

Be determined and don’t let anything stand in your way,

Work hard at your craft,

Release your inhibitions and let your personality come out in your artwork,

Be expressive – the best paintings are not necessarily ‘life-like’, but tell a story

Warning: Frugal Artist at Large

Debbie Ward, from Lucky Girls Paper Arts, has identified herself as a frugal artist. She recently realised that continually buying new scrapbooking papers and ephemera doesn't always make her more creative. By going through the supplies she already has accumulated and purchased over the many years Debbie have been crafting, it provides an opportunity to "make do" and create lovely cards.

Whether its paper you have stashed away, rubber art stamps you haven't used in a while or a pile of cardboard, turing your hand to craft recycling can help to focus your attention. It also goes a long way to creating real value by using what you already have. It also makes is much easier to use materials you already have, rather than trying to find a new home for it!

Come and read more to determine is you are becoming a Frugal Artist

Transform your Doodles into Art

The very clever Francesca Albini spends many hours doodling; while watching television, talking on the phone or writing notes. If there is a pen or marker lying around, doodles are being created.

But she hates throwing them out.

She has figured out ways to transformed those hours of doodling into mixed media collages and art journal layouts. There are the usual methods to be used in mixed media with cutting and gluing. Then Francesca has explored ways to scan her doodles into her computer and use them digitally as well.

Come and read more about What to do withDoodles