Think Crafts Blog – Craft Ideas and Projects – CreateForLess

By General Crafts Contributor Amy, from the Blog “Mod Podge Rocks!”

I have a boatload of books and not enough bookshelves.  I also have a craft book selection that I like to have easy access to on my desk, but the stack wasn’t working out.  So I decided to make these bookends.

To make, you’ll need to gather these supplies:

Bookends – any will do.  I got these from a friend

K & Company scrapbook paper  – 1 sheet (you might need 2 if your bookends are larger)

FolkArt Acrylic Paint   (whatever coordinates with your paper).  I used:

•             Light Periwinkle  
•             Pumpkin  
•            Turner’s Yellow  
•             Wicker White  

Mod Podge Gloss  

Flat Paint Brush  

Scissors  or Craft Knife  and Mat  

Ruler  

Pencil

First trace your bookends onto the BACK of your sheet of paper.  Cut out.

Trim the sheets of paper down to fit your bookends exactly.

Paint your bookends using the orange paint.  For complete coverage, you’ll need about three or four coats.  Set aside to dry.

While you are waiting for the bookends to dry, put a coat of Mod Podge on your paper sheets.  Coat the front, allow to dry, coat the back.  Set aside.

Tip: If you don’t have a cutout in your bookends like I do, you can skip this step.

Coat the back of the bookend with a medium layer of Mod Podge.  Apply evenly.

Place your paper down on the back of the bookend and smooth thoroughly.  You’ll notice that I used a brayer, and then to get down into the crack I used an old Starbucks card.  These are my favorite tools for smoothing!  Make sure you get the air bubbles out and then set aside to dry for 15 – 20 minutes.

Once the bookends are dry, coat both of them with Mod Podge.  Cover the fronts, backs and bottoms.  Give a first coat, allow to dry and then apply at least two more coats.  Allow to dry.

Once your bookends are dry, use the end of a paintbrush and the other coordinating paint colors to create polka dots around the cutout.  Allow to dry.

Tip: If your bookends don’t have a cutout, add a decorative shape cut out of paper to the front of your bookends for an accent.  Then you can use the polka dot method just like I did!

Here they are, holding my books and magazines!  Aren’t they great?  Quick, easy and perfect for some fun home décor.

I love to paint! Finger paint, watercolors, spray paint, and brush it on paint! The Society of Decorative Painters is a great organization that loves to paint too! It was organized in 1972 to stimulate worldwide interest in and appreciation for decorative painting; to recognize diversity and excellence in the art form; and to serve as the resource center for all aspects of decorative painting. You’ll find all kinds of information on the group’s website including a directory of teachers. Each year the organization has a huge conference (this year was in Peoria, IL, June 16-20) where classes, demos, and a marketplace for all things painting.

My favorite painting teachers include Priscilla Hauser and Donna Dewberry. I might be a little bias since I know both ladies, but each has brought their own magic to teaching and to painting. To me, Priscilla is the first lady of decorative painting and Donna opened the doors for people like me with average talent to excel in my brush strokes.

Jane Seymour paints her signature hearts at CHA Winter Show.

Take a visit to the Society of Decorative Painter’s website and download the group’s learn how to paint instructions. You’ll end up like me, you’ll just love to paint!

Welcome Gust Blogger, Barbara Matthessen, for Earth Safe Finishes.

Belt Bracelets

Recycle thrift store or old belts into fun and funky bracelets.  You can make 3, 4 or even 5 bracelets from a single belt and give them all different personalities with earth friendly paints, chains and beads.  Why not make a batch of these for gifts or to coordinate with every outfit you own?

Materials:

Leather or leather like belt

Opaque Shimmers from Earth Safe Finishes in your choice of colors 

Toggle or hook clasp

1″ chain or 22 GA wire to match clasp

Jump Rings

Strong scissors or leather shears

Leather/belt hole punch

Paint brushes, liner for details

Jewelry making tools, pliers and wire cutters

Optional extras:

Additional chain

Beads

Metal tags

Kevlar thread or wire to attach the above

Instructions:

1. Cut your belt 1″-1 ½” shorter than your normal bracelet size depending on how loose or tight you like to wear them.  (Don’t worry about the existing belt holes you can either ignore them or bead through them later.)  Trim corners round, on a diagonal or leave straight.

2. Punch holes on both ends about 1/8″ inch.

3. Paint your belt using Shimmers with your choice of colors.  Some are a random splash of colors, some use the existing embossed pattern and some are freeform patterns. You may also choose to use a stencil or rubber stamp to create your image.  Allow the paint to dry.

4. Attach your closure with jump rings or a combination of chain, jump rings or wire. If you are using a toggle make sure to add in a small chain on the bar end to make it easier to attach the bracelet.

5. Embellish more if you like! Stitch on beads, charms, buttons or trinkets using Kevlar thread.  Knot on the back then dot each knot with a dab of glue when you are done.

More Fun: Wire on tags by using a flat bead with a head pin run through it on the underside.  Wrap the ends of the head pins around holes in the tag, secure with more wraps then trim the ends. Add sections of chain by attaching chain ends to jump rings on each end. There are a million and one ways to make this bracelet so try it out today!

Learn more about Earth Safe Finishes HERE.

At the recent Craft and Hobby Association’s Winter 2009 trade show I discovered a very cool and very green company that I wanted to share with you.  Please welcome guest blogger Barbara Matthiessen.

Many companies boast about being green these days but few take it to the level of Earth Safe Finishes. Earth Safe Finishes not only has non-toxic, environmentally friendly products, recycled packaging but a total commitment to keeping artists healthy and the earth clean. For more info on the product line and company please go to Earth Safe Finishes.

As an artist I want to share my experience with the product line and what makes it unique. First the quality is amazing, true one coat coverage with Perfect Paint and the Shimmers are beyond any other metallic paint I have ever used. (I have used almost every paint line on the market over the years, good, bad, cheap and pricey.)
 

I love only needing one set of paints to use on all surfaces from metal and glass to fabric and paper. The only prepping I’ve had to do is make sure the surface was clean, dry and oil free and that includes my kitchen countertops. No heat setting is needed which saves power and allows more creative freedom.

All the products work together, mix and match. I can use the Colorants to custom mix any color paint, varnish, texture, glaze I want. With a few paints, Colorants, and mediums I am able to work on any surface using any technique and get great, durable results. Compared to my old ways of having well over 300 bottles of paint and countless mediums I now can do even more with 2 shoeboxes full of product!

LOVE the Colorants! I can instantly dye all sorts of materials with these gems, use it as an ink or tint any other medium. I was even able to match and fill a small tear in my car interior using Perfect Paint and 2 Colorants. The more I work with this stuff the more uses I find for it and the more money I save. No stinky smells, need I say more? I so enjoy not gagging to work on a project or worrying about preserving my brain cells.

Recently at the CHA show in Anaheim I had the pleasure of spending some time in the Earth Safe Finishes booth with Nancy and Jessica, mom and daughter owners of ESF. Yes, the booth itself was recycled and everything in it including sample projects and literature were repurposed, reused or recycled. Demos were done on dumpster dive, thrift store and had on hand items from old shoes, paper towels, glass and metal trays, to jackets. Now that is how to make art beautiful and green!

Barbara and fellow designers at CHA Winter 2009 trade show.

Check back soon and you’ll find the instructions to make these cool bracelets!

Earlier this week I posted about dimensional paint and thought I’d show off some great Halloween projects I found at Duncan’s Website.  Dimensional paint can be used to outline, add depth, add sparkle, and even adhere!  It’s a product that you should spend a little time practicing with before you start using it on your crafting surfaces, but it’s time well spent.  Feel free to share you dimensional paint projects and your Halloween crafts!

You can find the instructions for all these fun projects at Duncan’s Website!

Types of Brushes

1. Spotters- Fine detail work
2. Liners- Continuous curved or straight lines of same thickness
3. Scripts- Holds more liquid than Liners
4. Miracle Wedge- Can be loaded on three sides with different colors
5. Chisel Blenders- Thick, heavy color or fine precision blending
6. Angular Shaders- Fan, leaf, “S”, and “C” strokes
7. Filbert- Soft edges and blending colors
8. Rake- Texturing for fur, grasses, vines, or feathers
9. Fan- Dry texturing and smoothing, softening of brush strokes
10. Dagger Striper- Long flowing thick to thin line work
11. Deerfoot Stippler- Texturizing with pouncing motion for fur or foliage
12. Washes- Long, broad sweeping strokes · Shaders- Crisp edges, stroke work, and floating
13. One Stroke- Longer hair than Shader for lettering and borders

Natural or Synthetic?

Natural brushes are made of animal hair and are usually the most costly and time consuming to make. Most painters feel that a natural brush gives the finest chiseled edge or point. Synthetic brushes are manufactured with hairs made of polyester. The advantages of a synthetic brush include being less expensive to produce, easier to clean, less prone to damage from solvents and paint, and better suited for painting with acrylics.

Proper Care of Brushes

1. Use the proper solvent for the paint being used. Watercolors and acrylics use water. Oils use solvents.
2. Keep the water-based brushes and solvent brushes (oils) separate. Most solvents repel water.
3. Always clean the brush between brush changes and color changes. Never allow paint to dry on the brush. Acrylics dry very quickly, even when basecoating with an acrylic there is a need to clean the brush occasionally.
4. Avoid twisting and pushing down hard on the brush hairs. It leads to distortion of the natural direction of the hairs. The fine edge or point of the brush is permanently damaged.
5. The water level of your water container should not be above the ferrule (where brush hair is attached to handle) of the brush. Excessive moisture to the handle can cause the surface of the handle to chip and erode causing damage to the ferrule and brush handle. Excessive moisture will distort and loosen the ferrule.
6. Never let a brush sit in water. Clean or rinse brush and remove from water container. When the painting session is done completely clean the brush. First wipe brush on a paper towel. Rinse thoroughly in proper solvent. A brush cleaner or soap and water should be used. Then wipe brush over paper towel again to make sure there are no traces of color left in brush. Dry the brush including ferrule and handle. Reshape the brush with fingers.
7. Store brushes upright on their handles, suspended, or lying flat. Tips (brush hair) should not be bent or pressured.
8. Avoid storing wet brushes in an airtight container to prevent mildew problems.
9. Do not try to keep placing the little plastic tip protector back on the brush. More times than not, damage is done to the brush hairs. The plastic tip was meant to protect the brush from the manufacturer to the store shelf.
10. Avoid getting paint into the ferrule. It is better to have a light touch with the paints and have to apply a second coat, than to overload a brush with paint. It is a good idea to occasionally restore the natural oils in natural hair brushes with a paintbrush conditioner or clean with conditioning brush soap.
11. Use damaged brushes for basecoating, strippling, antiquing, or donate to a children’s craft class.