Last fall during the Old Webster Fall Art Walk, I demonstrated making pages for an art journal with paper collage work and stencils at Schnarr’s Hardware. I added in some paint samples to pay tribute to the hardware store atmosphere and remind me to have fun with colors. Later on I added some image transfers I made with clear packing tape. Learn how to make image transfers and add them to your art journal pages on the Schnarr’s blog:
Yesterday was my two month anniversary of getting married! I’ve been really busy with moving my studio, plants and personal effects and before that working on wedding projects so I’m a bit behind on writing new blog posts and coming up with new projects. However here are a couple of new articles about me on the Canvas Corp Brands blog that you might enjoy:
Crew Interview – Carolyn Hasenfratz
The following article was written before the wedding so it makes it sound like the wedding is coming up but it was really in August. The instructions are still good though!
Hand sewn-canvas nautical flag banners with my (former) initials CMH
To learn how to make them, go to the Canvas Corp blog:
Nautical Alphabet – Initial Flag Banners
For more DIY Wedding ideas, see my Wedding Pinterest Board
It’s a lot of fun to salvage an old drawer and turn it into an attractive and functional shadow box. Last week I taught a class at Schnarr’s Hardware in Webster Groves to show people some creative possibilities for old drawers and give them some ideas for displaying memorabilia. The day after the class we published a tutorial and some video of the class so you can try the project at home.
Read more on the Schnarr’s blog
I love to make mixed media charms and beads to use in jewelry making. Recently I participated in a charm swap and made some initial necklaces for friends at JoAnn Fabrics and Crafts where I am a teacher. Learn how to make these charms by reading my tutorial on the Canvas Corp Products blog!
Read More:
Combine Collage and Letter Stickers to Make Initial Letter Charms
Yes, I hand-sewed all those selvage pieces to the front of a blank canvas pillow cover. It’s the third one I did, and I’m in the middle of a fourth one now. Hand-sewing is something I love to do to relax. When I don’t have anything specific to make but I’m in the mood to sew, adding another strip or two is a great soothing activity for me.
Read my tutorial about how to make a pillow like this on the Canvas Corp blog:
Sew a Pillow Front From Selvage Pieces
Several years ago I made a ceramic plant tray specifically to hold three planters that used to be in our bathroom in the 1970s. The tray turned out the perfect size and shape but it got broken so I decided to remake it with scrap wood. There are two planters shaped like fish in the photo above. The third planter is shaped like a frog and it’s in storage so I need to dig it out and display all three planters in this new tray. Do you want to make a tray like this?
Read more on the Schnarr’s blog:
Make a Wood Plant Tray
I recently taught a two-part class to help people get started in the hobby of Letterboxing which combines outdoor exploration and creative expression. Two of the items you need to participate are a rubber stamp and a logbook. In part one, we hand carved a personal stamp and in part two we made a personal logbook. I wrote a tutorial for each class and they are now published on the Schnarr’s Hardware blog. If you want to try letterboxing or just learn to carve a rubber stamp and make a simple handmade book, here are links to my tutorials.
Read more on the Schnarr’s Hardware blog:
/Introduction to Letterboxing – Part I – Carving a Personal Stamp
Introduction to Letterboxing – Part II – Making a Personal Logbook
My tutorial on decorating the lids and making tags for seaglass-colored Mason jar candles has been published on the Canvas Corp Brands blog.
Read More
QUICK AND EASY – PRETTY PACKAGING FOR MASON JAR CANDLES
To learn how I made the candles, you can read my tutorial on the Schnarr’s Hardware blog:
Make Old Wax Candles Into New Candles
Schnarr’s Hardware sells several sizes and shapes of Mason jars as well as lids and other canning accessories.
Do you want to start scrapbooking? First here are some guidelines to help you narrow down your choices of formats and tools.
1. To begin, make a decision about what format you want to work in.
2. Choose a cutting system for papers and photos.
3. Select what adhesives you’d like to use for attaching photos and papers to the scrapbook page. I recommend having all of these in your arsenal when you start out because all are useful in certain situations and you will develop your own methods and preferences as you learn.
Other basic tools and supplies you will need to start scrapbooking:
Scissors
Ruler
Scrap paper
Bone folder
Pencil
Eraser
Pencil sharpener
Marker for writing captions
Selection of solid color cardstock
Selection of decorative patterned papers
How to start your scrapbook
1. Lay out a few blank pages on your work surface that are the same size as the finished pages you want to make. This is to help you visualize what your future pages will look like.
2. Go through your photos and decide what order they should go in. Decide if they need cropping or trimming.
3. Place your photos and any embellishments or memorabilia you want to use on two or three blank pages at a time. This is to get ideas for page layouts.
4. When you plan your layout, don’t forget to leave space for captions or journaling.
5. Make or prepare what you want to add on your page. For example, you might want to make a pocket to hold something special or make a frame for a photo out of colored paper. Take a blank page and start building your page from the “bottom up”. Use whatever adhesive is appropriate for each part. For example, photo squares are good for most photos and glue sticks or a tape runner work well for attaching a large piece of paper.
6. If it helps in positioning things, you can make indicator lines on the paper with pencil then erase them later when you’re done with your page.
Going to the next level
If you get more serious about the hobby, these paper crafting supplies are really fun to use on scrapbook pages and give you a lot more creative options:
Stickers
Stencils
Rubber stamps and rubber stamp ink pads
Markers and colored pencils for coloring and drawing
Die cuts and embellishments
Paper punches
Decorative paper tape (also called Washi tape or design tape)
Journaling cards
Rub-ons
Decorative paper edging scissors
Wet media such as paints and mists
A paper cutting system that allows you to cut shapes – this can be some kind of template and blade system or a computer driven cutting system such as a Cricut.
Paper crafting supplies are a bit of an investment in the beginning but keep in mind you can get a lot of use out of them by making other paper items such as journals, planners, calendars, handmade books, cards, holiday and party decorations, gift packaging and more.
Here are some online resources that I have written or found to help with scrapbooking and other paper crafts:
Scrapbooking Page Layout Sketches
https://www.pinterest.com/chasenfratz/scrapbooking-page-sketches/
Scrapbooking with Memorabilia
http://www.chasenfratz.com/wp/resources-for-crafters/scrapbooking-with-memorabilia/
Scrapbooking with Small Format Photos
http://www.chasenfratz.com/wp/scrapbooking-with-small-format-photos/
Mixing Different Paper Crafting Brands Together
http://www.chasenfratz.com/wp/mixing-different-paper-crafting-brands-together/
Planners, Journals, Albums, Scrapbooks and Handmade Books
https://www.pinterest.com/chasenfratz/planners-journals-albums-scrapbooks-and-handmade-b/
Art Journaling
https://www.pinterest.com/chasenfratz/art-journaling/
Examples of Pocket Scrapbooking
https://www.pinterest.com/campfirechic/project-life-scrapbooking-inspiration/
Scrap Gals Community
https://www.facebook.com/groups/scrapgals/
Scrap Gals Podcast
http://www.thescrapgals.com/
My teaching, demo and event schedule
http://www.chasenfratz.com/wp/about/classes-and-events/