Creative Thoughts:
This year has felt like it's gone by faster than any other. Since it's already August, it's a good idea to start planning your gift lists and projects, especially if you run a business or enjoy DIY activities but have limited time. Many small business owners have already begun their projects, but if you tend to procrastinate like I do, time is of the essence. With the school year starting soon and many already back in school, it's the perfect moment to take action on your projects and have some fun creating. Create a project list to organize your supplies and be prepared so that you can work on a project whenever you have a few spare moments.
You can find an Art Supply Template in the Freebie Section that you can print and fold into a small booklet. This booklet can be conveniently carried in your purse or pocket to list your projects and needed supplies, helping you prepare for DIY projects you want to work on. I demonstrate how to cut and fold the template into a booklet that you can customize to your liking, or you can fold some plain ones to include in stockings for children or grandchildren along with markers, allowing them to create their own little books. I used watercolor paper.
Here are some ideas to spark your creativity and get you started on your projects early, which can help you save costs and allow you to relax and enjoy the Holidays.
Project List:
1.Explore thrift stores and garage sales to find denim jackets and jeans. Get creative by using fabric paint and stencils to add a design on the back of the jacket or along the legs of the jeans. Feel free to paint any design by hand as well. There are numerous enjoyable videos available on painting clothing for inspiration. Additionally, search for attractive floral clothing that you can cut up and sew onto your jean jacket or jeans. You can either hand sew or use an embroidery stitch to attach your patches. Check out a fellow artist who has created some videos on repurposing clothing on Facebook at Fruitful Life Studio. She's a great fiber artist and this is a really hot trend that's sure to continue well into next year.
2.If you enjoy garage or estate sales, consider starting a collection of costume jewelry to create unique Christmas ornaments. You can use broken jewelry pieces and E-6000 glue to decorate ornaments, or create a jeweled tree by starting with a styrofoam cone. Utilize stones or beads from necklaces to fill gaps between larger jewelry pieces, or purchase bags of beads for this purpose. Begin by coating the cone with Elmer's glue using a foam brush and allowing it to dry for 24 hours. Then, apply gold or silver metallic paint from a craft store and let it dry. The cone should be sturdy enough to attach jewelry pieces using the jewelry pieces pin clasps. For extra security with larger pieces, consider using E-6000 glue or long straight pins. Fill in any remaining spaces with beads, securing them with the long pins. You can find helpful tutorials on YouTube for creating trees, ornaments, and wreaths. Another idea is to place a styrofoam wreath made with the costume jewelry laid flat on a dish with candles in the center to create a beautiful centerpiece for your coffee table. If you need more directions, Google Salvaged Living .com with Kim Pepper. She has directions for doing the tree.
3.If you're looking to save money on gift tags and wrapping paper, consider printing a free template I have in the Freebie Section to transfer onto watercolor paper for creating the tags. Watercolor paper can be bought at various places like craft stores, Walmart, or Amazon. Use markers, watercolor paints, or colored pencils to fill in the designs as you prefer. Adding an outline with gold or silver metallic markers can bring some sparkle - I recommend using Posca Gold metallic pens, available at craft stores or Amazon. Make sure to choose a paint tip size that suits your liking or project. Feel free to personalize your tags to make them unique. To match the craft paper brown gift wrap and bags, you can stain the watercolor paper with a brown wash or paint along the tag edges. The provided template can help you get started, or you can explore holiday stencils on Amazon for more options. Get creative! For gift wrapping, get a roll of brown craft paper from Walmart or Amazon. Sometimes, I like to stencil or paint the design after wrapping the gift to avoid stenciling the entire paper. You can also paint or stencil the paper beforehand. Experiment with stamping or painting designs randomly, in strips, or with large dots in a color of your choice. In the past, I painted large turquoise dots on the paper, bags, and the back of the tags. Coordinating all the elements like packages, tags, and bags can create a cohesive look. Before filling them, I prefer to stamp or hand paint the bags. Instead of using ribbon or pre-made bows, I opt for twine, sometimes even using kitchen twine from the grocery store. One year, I found brown twine with red accents, which I used to tie the packages and loved the effect. Combining the old paperbag color with twine for tying the packages gives them a vintage look, especially when paired with hand-painted Christmas designs or stencils. The gifts look charming when gathered under the tree. If brown craft paper doesn't appeal to you, Amazon offers craft paper rolls in various colors.
You can find Posca pens, brown craft bags, craft paper by the roll, twine, and stencils on Amazon. Amazon also offers watercolor paper, paints, and markers for purchase. Whether you prefer to use what you already have or opt for a one-stop shop, Amazon can deliver your supplies right to your doorstep for convenient online shopping. By the way I a not affliated with Amazon. It's just about time and convenience for me.
Feel free to take these ideas and make them your own. Let them serve as inspiration for your creations, whether you decide to use the craft paper, craft paper bags, and twine as they are, or add a touch of elegance with a fancy ribbon to make your packages and bags more beautiful. Utilize the paper folded booklets from the freebies for notes, grocery lists, or as mini art journals for moments of creativity. Additionally, I have another suggestion for gift-giving that you might find appealing, suitable for any time of the year. Don't forget to explore my craft demo in the Video/Demo Section.
Although it may seem premature for a holiday blog, it is important to take the time to fully understand and personalize these ideas. Additionally, by deciding on the ideas and projects you want to pursue early on, you can budget and purchase craft supplies gradually. I trust you will find these projects enjoyable and easy to complete. I will begin working on mine shortly.
Freebies:
Freebie 1: Below is a template for the booklet featuring the phrases "Art Supplies" and projects already printed. If your printer cannot handle watercolor paper weight, just fold the watercolor paper as shown in the slides. You can then print the titles for the pages as you like. There's an instruction sheet for folding.
Freebie 2: Here is the template for the gift tags. Print it out and then transfer the designs onto your watercolor paper. If you prefer not to use the tags, simply trace one of the tag designs onto the wrapped gift and paint it directly on the package or gift bag , including some lines for the "To and From" with the design you have painted.
Video/Demo:
Start saving your boxes you receive to paint and skip the wrapping paper and gift bags completely. This can be done for any occasion, not just Christmas. I've been doing this awhile and people love the boxes. You can gear them towards men or women. These can be painted in a number of ways. Since these are cardboard boxes you can gesso them first with gesso and let dry, then paint your base coat. Since I had chalk paint I used it. So here's my version of the project. You can experiment after all it's just a box you would have otherwise thrown away.
My Steps:
1. Base coat. It took two coats of paint letting paint dry between coats. Some boxes I unfolded the box and painted the inside and outside.
2. This step you decorate the outside of the box. Since this is for Christmas you'll want a holiday theme. To accomplish this you can hand paint your design. If your not comfortable hand painting you can use a purchased holiday stencils from your craft store or Amazon. You can also use stamps. Check out Iron Orchid Christmas Kitties or Pups. You can go to their website to find a retailer near you or many stockist sell these stamps on Esty. You can also use Iron Orchid transfers and rub on the transfer to your boxes. You'll have to check on Esty or your local stockist to see if there are any Christmas themes, but there are plenty of other themes you can work into Christmas. You can also decoupage designs onto the boxes, checkout Whimsykel Designs or have a look at thepaintedphotographer.com. Look under Connies papers, she has some of the cutest little rice decoupage papers for the holidays.
Choose a different color from your base coat color and paint dots all over the box. Simple and clean and just the right size.
3. Next, the boxes need to be sealed. You can use a clear coat spray like Krylon or a top coat specific to the chalk paint brand you've chosen. Another option is to apply wax to the boxes. For scented wax, consider using Wise Owl Salve, which offers various fragrances such as Citrus Mint or Cozy and Currant. Personally, I used Jacquards Dorland Wax to seal my boxes as I had it readily available. I appreciate the smooth texture that wax adds to the boxes. If you opt for wax, make sure to follow the instructions for application and then buff the surface.
Tips/Books:
Do you seek creative inspiration? Personally, I discover that watching YouTube videos in areas outside my expertise often sparks ideas for my own art. While I draw inspiration from various sources, YouTube is my go-to platform when I need relaxation or late night go to which fortunately isn't often.
So here are some of my favorites. There is no particular order.
Art Prof
The Chateau Chronicles
Rajiv Surendra
Bob Burridge... Bob Blast
The Unexpected Gypsy
tmyers handmade
Acrylic University by Jed Dorsey
Amika Studios
Art School Live with Eric Rhoades
Books and Paper Art
Brent Eviston
Pat Scrivener
What I'm Working On:
I've been quite occupied, just as I'm sure you have been. I've been working on organizing some projects for the final quarter of the year. I trust that some of the ideas I shared with you
have sparked inspiration. I hope you had the chance to check out the painted boxes for holiday gifting; I found joy in creating and giving them to friends and family. I tend to keep boxes for this specific purpose. Unfortunately I didn't get to finish all ten boxes, but I'll do reels on Facebook and Instagram to finish out some creative ideas for you. Additionally, I've been dedicating a lot of time to painting studies. These studies have been instrumental in my exploration of various techniques and color schemes, allowing me to expand my artistic skills. Some of these studies have even turned out well enough to be sold. I've adopted Bob Blast's (Bob Burridge) approach of working on 4-8 studies simultaneously on watercolor paper. This method makes it easy to experiment with new ideas and techniques that may not work well on a larger canvas. Conducting a small study beforehand proves beneficial as it prevents investing significant time on a large painting only to realize that the design concept or color palette isn't suitable. Perhaps this approach can also serve as a source of inspiration for you. That's all from my end. I hope you're having a fantastic month, and I look forward to seeing you and your work on social media.
New on My Website:
Admittedly, I tend to procrastinate. I have been gradually uploading my artwork to my website. The updated version of my website is now complete, and I invite you to take a look. Additionally, I want to highlight that I stock Woodubend mouldings and trims. If you haven't tried them yet, I recommend giving them a try. These products are user-friendly and can be applied to various surfaces. Comprised of wood particles, they are designed to become flexible when heated with a heat gun or hair dryer, allowing for application on furniture, mirrors, garden pots, and more. Ideal for up-cycling furniture or engaging in crafting projects, they can be customized through sanding, cutting, staining, and painting. Simply adhere them using wood glue. Should you make a mistake, don't worry – just reheat the material and carefully use a putty knife to adjust or remove it. Moreover, they can enhance wood panel canvases as part of your wall art collection. You can explore these products on my website.
Inspirational Quote:
"True friends are like bright sunflowers that never fade away, even over distance and time" William Johnstone
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