Tuesday's Tip

Get more from your tools by using them in on-traditional ways. I love using stencils on a variety of projects, In addition to using them with inks, sprays, paints, Gelatos etc, I like to stamp through them. It adds a little extra texture to your image or background!

Tuesday's Tip

I love using a wide variety of ink pad colors. Heaven knows I have more than a few different brands and a wide variety of colors. Sometimes, the color I stamped with is just a little too light to get good details of an image or single word. I will usually start over - but if you are near completion it can be a major pain. So, recently, I stamped an image in Cloud Blue Adirondak that was a bit too light. The edges seemed to fade into the card stock. I still liked the look, but felt it needed definition. I did not want to over stamp with a darker color because it would change the design. So, I tried outlining with a thin lined marker in a similar color - just a little darker. I did use a light touch - and it looked great! No re-stamping necessary. If you have a problem with too light a color, try outlining with a shade darker!

Getting Back

I am trying to get back into the "swing of things" i.e. blogging. It is funny when you take a hiatus from something - blogging, working out, creating, etc - it is so difficult to get back into it? I know it is worse for me when it comes to blogging and working out! The good news is that I have been getting some creative time in.
With Summer PSL, I have been scrapping a bit more. I have some fun other projects on the back burner while I do a bit of scrapping and card making for my teams (although not a lot of that is being accomplished!). I did finish a fun Halloween page for my daughter's album. She was Micheal Jackson in her 7th grade year. They were allowed to dress up at school - it was quite the hoot. She was unrecognizable - so it did freak out a couple of teachers who thought she was absent - until they heard her voice announcing her presence!

I used one of the wonderful Halloween stamp sets from Artistic Outpost. One of my favorite, and very old, techniques is mixing ink colors on the stamp. I used India Ink Black and Adirondack Bright Orange on one of the Jack O' Lanterns and on the title. It is super easy. Ink you stamp with the lightest color, then add little touches of the darker color. It is not an exact science, so you can get slightly different effects each time:

It looks better in real life - adding depth to the title. (And, yes, I am scrapping photos from 2002 - I am that far behind!) Give it try - if you have not already!

Tuesday's Tip

Since I have been busy with Artist Trading Cards, I have been using a variety of coloring mediums. Even with owning a variety of paints, inks, and markers, I will still have a problem finding the exact color of which I need. So, I will mix my materials. I have used chalks/pastels over inks and markers etc. I recently read in Vamp Stamp News another possible combination to try. One stamper dotted water based marker into Radiant Pearls, and blended with a small paint brush. Just be sure to clean your brush marker immediately.

What combinations of  art mediums have you used? Share them in the comments!

Tuesday"s Tip

Today's tip is an oldie, but bears repeating for newer crafters. I was reminded of it while making background panels. A couple of my lighter colored ink pads became cross contaminated with darker colors. It is easy to clean them up a bit. I use a plain paper towel to gently wipe off the color. For stubborn stains, I wet the paper towel a little and wipe/pat. It works great. Afterwards, you can re ink the pad.

Tuesday's Tip

Given all of my inky play, I find I have very inky fingers! Some inks tend to have more staying power on my hands than others.  I find that using a barrier cream (when I remember!), such as Invisible Care, makes clean up easier and more efficient. Washing with a pumice or "lava" soap or using Purel will also get fingers/hands fairly clean. Remember that Purel has alcohol and can dry out your skin. After playtime and clean up, use a good hand lotion.