My Weekly Review & Stencil Love

I accomplished a great deal this week and I'm congratulating myself. I'm still learning how to be retired...I thought the transition from working to being a lady of leisure would be fast and painless. I have since discovered that it really is transformational and would require many stops & starts!

I completed 3 blog posts for this personal blog:
http://themermaidscloset.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-whatevers-5-catching-upfinally.html

http://themermaidscloset.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-whatevers-6.html

http://themermaidscloset.blogspot.com/2013/02/anatomy-of-tag-with-7-dots-studio-and.html

A project for the Helmar DT blog featuring 7 Dots Studio:
http://helmarusa.typepad.com/blog/2013/02/hopefully-from-7-dots-studio-sticks-together-with-helmar-.html

Several projects for myself...oh and cleaned my project table which...woot-woot... is still clean!

         Journal Page                          Jesse James Bead Bracelets

   Pie Chart Ronda Palazzari                 Stencil Girl Stencil Club

    Journal Cover                     Vine Profile

        Antique Ledger

Also received and listed an order of newly released stencils from The Crafter's Workshop in my Etsy shop. I am waiting for more stencils to arrive, different from the ones already listed.

I'm now going to see what else I can accomplish today as it's only 10:30 am EST...yippee!

Have a GREAT weekend.

Scraps of Darkness "MY GUY" Kit Project #3

Hello...hello! Today I'd like to share with you another project I created for Scraps of Darkness using supplies from the September kit "MY GUY".  It revolves around a picture I've wanted to scrap for a very long time.

The photo is of my Dad and his father working in there Gladiola farm in Bath, NY. My grandfather was a professional photographer {specializing in postcards} but in the 1920's stock market crash his business ground to a halt. So what had once been a hobby for him turned to a source of income, selling flowers at a roadside stand. My dad was in his early teens and I believe this photo was also hand colored by my Grandfather. There are still postcards of his photos floating around the Finger Lakes region of NY.

Kit Ingredients used:

Authentique paper ~ Academic
Kaisercraft paper ~ Sears & Son collection
Prima Craftsman paper
Kaisercraft  Sears & Son Die Cuts
Tattered Angels Chalk Glimmer mist
Tattered Angels Natural Elements paint kits ~ Aged Mahogany ~ Granite
TCW Gear stencil
Helmar Acid Free Professional Glue ~ 450 Quick Dry Adhesive
Ribbon
Sulky Thread
Janome Memory Craft 6300

If you are looking for a kit club to subscribe to I suggest you take a look at Scraps of Darkness...if grungy & alternative isn't your style there is also Scraps of Elegance for the romantic souls!

Thanks for spending some time with me. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Have an ARTSY day!

And MORE Stencil Storage!

I believe that anyone who has a studio or a designated spot in their house is always looking for better ways to store tools & products used in creating art. My last blog post was about storing 12x12 stencils and you can read it here. After reading a blog post by Ronda Palazzari and her method for storing 6x6 stencils I knew that I had discovered how I would follow suit.

I purchased the 6x6 page protectors from We R Memory Keepers. You may have a favorite from another company and I don't have any connection with them.

They arrived before the weekend so I had the opportunity to work on it. I used various sheets of left-over 6x6 cardstock to create a background for ease of viewing.

There is room to place another stencil in back of the cardstock so you can actually store 8 - 6x6 stencils in one page. I'm so pleased with the concept but I still have some stencils without a home. As I was doing some organizing a stumbled upon an 8x8 album with photo protectors included...you would have thought I struck gold when I found this because it answered the problem for these stencils. I wish I could tell you the manufacturer but it's one that I've had for several years.

Perfect for the 5x8 Dylusions Stencils

Perfect for 8x8 Prima Stencils

Now I have one more size stencil to store and I have an idea of what I'm going to do. When it is finished I will share. For me this creates a visual of my stencils, keeps them neat & orderly and I can quickly find what I 'm looking for. 

Thanks for stopping by, make sure you come back to see the final method of storing border stencils.

Have a CREATIVE day!

More Stencil Storage Ideas! Update :)

Yesterday a blog post by the incredible Ronda Palazzari on her stencil storage ideas was just the push I needed to finish what I had started.  I was originally influenced to share my idea by a post the talented Alissa Fast  had on how she stores her stencils…and the same goes for Ronda! Funny how great minds think alike….

I he{ART} stencils. I love using them and use them OFTEN, in fact I started a series on this blog but life somehow got in the way and I never finished it. My favorite stencils are from The Crafters Workshop, although I have others I find them to be the BEST!!!

Here is the original post where I shared a tutorial on making your own background papers.

Yesterday a blog post by the incredible Ronda Palazzari on her stencil storage ideas was just the push I needed to finish what I had started.  I was originally influenced to share my idea by a post the talented Alissa Fast  had on how she stores her stencils…and the same goes for Ronda! Funny how great minds think alike….

I took a 12x12 album that I wasn't using and decorated the cover with various stencils. 

I love how my 12x12 stencils fit perfectly in the 12x12 protectors.

I have been very pleased with this method but I was running into trouble of how I would store my 6x6 stencils and was using 8x10 protectors but that meant I had to go through several stencils before I might find the one I wanted to use. Thank your Ronda for the suggestion of using 6x6 sheet protectors…problem solved!

So now I'm off to find some 6x6 sheet protectors. How do you store your stencils? Thanks for stopping by. I found a great source at Amazon.com and I will show you how great they are in my next blog post ;)

Stencil Love

I have a real love affair with stencils. Over the next week I thought I would share some ways to easily incorporate stenciling into any project. Today I will share my favorite technique which is to create my own backgrounds using stencils from The Crafter's Workshop and Tattered Angels paints. 

Creating A Stencil Background

Grab your stencils, & favorite spray inks. I prefer to do this technique on 140 lb. watercolor paper. This will allow you to do both sides if creating a journal.

I randomly mist colors, try to not worry about where it's
going because this is only the 1st layer of color.

I created mist guards from an old spray mat. I like to be able to

control how the stencil appears on the background.

I often will flip the stencil to get a reverse design.

This is time to start experimenting with stencil placement.

Have fun with different themes & shapes with your stencils…

there are no mistakes when creating your own backgrounds.

Start layering with random shapes, sizes & colors.

Have fun because these backgrounds are created to be cut apart to

use on tags, cards or make into mini-books.

Here is another background being created and another method of
securing your stencil using Blue Painters Tape.

MATERIALS USED:

Strathmore 300 Series Watercolor Paper 140 lb.

Stencils from The Crafter’s Workshop:

Balzer Designs designed by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer ~ Burst, Circle in Squares, Triangle Plaid
Dylusions Stencils designed by Dyan Reaveley ~ Dotted Flowers, Luscious Leaves, Number Jumble

TCW ~ Flower Shower, Sunburst

Tattered Angels Paints:

Glimmer Chalkboard Mist ~ Boogie Board, Calypso, Cotton Candy, Fairway, Firefly, Mint Chocolate Chip, Splash, Teal High Heel, Tomate Cerise, Valencia

Glimmer Mist ~ Iridescent Gold, Marmalade, Pearl, Pumpkin Spice, Purple Pansy, Rum Punch

CREATING A SIMPLE TAG
Using backgrounds to create tags is one creative way to work with 
YOUR newly designed papers

MATERIALS USED:
TAG BACKGROUND
Ranger Craft Tags Size #8
Tim Holtz Distress Seasonal Inks Summer 
Unity StampCompany: ~ Quarterfoil Background  


STENCIL BACKGROUND
The Crafters Workshop: Balzer Designs in Circle Explosion
Tattered Angels Paint Mediums Used:

Glimmer Mist in Key Lime Pie & Pearl

Glimmer Chalkboard in Fairway & Calypso


COMPLETED TAG
Unity Stamp Company:: Itty Bitty Follow your Heart
HELMAR Adhesives: Professional Acid Free glue
Tim Holtz Ideaology 
Misc.: Washi Tape, Sticker, Ribbon

Thanks for stopping by because I so enjoy sharing my art. Do make sure you stop by over the next week to see some other possibilities of creating your own stencil backgrounds. Tomorrow I will share how I store my stencils and more tags.

The he{ART} Tribe...Etsy Store

I am super excited to tell you about the Etsy store I have just opened. The concept was born at the Winter CHA 2012 in Anaheim. My thoughts behind it are relatively simple...to bring you the Best from the Best. Products from artists that I have worked with,learned from and observed...artists like Dyan Reaveley,Julie Fei-Fan Balzer, Nathalie Kalbach and Anna Dabrowska-Pekoca (aka Finnabair} who are now expanding into the retail side of the industry. Items that I have personally used from taking online or in person classes with them. My hopes are to eventually carry "soon to be released" stamps, stencils, papers from them plus more. 


I'm just starting to load the newest stencils from Dylusions and Balzer Designs and have more to put up but hoping you will bookmark this Etsy store and check back often. I hope to have the Balzer Design stencils loaded in the next few hours. 


I'm also hoping to convince some of my International artist friends to allow me yo carry their products...I'm working on it now ;)


Thanks for stopping by...would love to hear what you think...any suggestions or comments are greatly appreciated!


Martha