In this week’s creativity prompt I am reusing bottle lids to create artistic patterned papers.
The polka-dot-circular-spotty look is extremely popular right now and almost ALL the patterned paper manufacturers have a few in their latest collections. Before you reach your hand to the wallet and buy some new papers why not stopping at the recycling bin and make your own ones?
If you are interested in some ideas, then keep on reading.
Watch on You Tube.
[I have had lots of comments requesting me to speak on my videos. I hate talking because my funny accent shines through. This time I took a deep breath and created a voice over - with my voice (I have to write it to believe it). Tell me the truth, don't you want the fabulous music back?]
Step By Step Instructions
Dip the lid in a pool of acrylic paint and stamp over the cardstock. To get a good impression of the lid make sure its entire surface is covered with paint. You may also use a brush to apply the paint more evenly to the lid. Apply some pressure on the lid, but beware of the paint’s slipperiness. I was going for the artistic look so I didn’t mind the imperfect stamping.
You may use the opposite side of the lid to create a circular outline. Use it as a frame, or as an outline to the solid circle you stamped with the other side of the lid.
Experiment –
Create different patterns.
Use different sizes of lids.
Use other mediums (instead of acrylic paint):
Ink pads.
Embossing ink + embossing powder.
Glue + glitter/ flock/ foil.
Use different objects to stamp with:
Toilette paper rolls.
Paper swirls.
Cardstock/ corrugated cardstock.
Old credit or gift cards.
Vegetables (if they went bad…)
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If you have any question, suggestion or remark – don’t hesitate to contact me – either leave a comment here, use the contact form or start a new thread on the Creativity Prompt Flickr Group!!!
I would also be very happy to see your own creations, so don’t be shy and share
Check out the new “Make Your Own Planner” workshop and you may solve this year’s holiday gift shopping problem. An affordable workshop that keeps on giving…
I don’t know if I mentioned this before, but for the past 3 months my husband and I have decided to transform our lives into healthier ones. Non of us was really heavy but we were gaining weight – little by little – and feeling bad, both physically and emotionally.
Weight can really creep up on you. From being a skinny teenager that eats chocolate non stop and only seem to get smaller, you become an adult that can gain weight from merely standing in close proximity to food. That’s life.
So we took control over our bodies, started eating healthier (that doesn’t mean less food. It means healthier, more nutritious food) and we wake up each day at 6:30 a.m. and go together to the gym for a strenuous workout that includes both aerobic and weight training.
We see results. GREAT results (especially my beautiful husband).
But every once in a blue moon we have a day in which we feel more tired and energy-less than usual.
This is such a day. So there will be no free tutorial this week.
HOWEVER – I am not missing a tutorial without leaving something nice for you guys instead. So I am including a freebie printable journaling labels for my fabulous readers to play with (right click on the link and opt for the ’save link as…” option).
Just print on cardstock and cut out with scissors. I used cream colored cardstock and it looked great on it.
Print as many as you want for personal use only.
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If you print out and use these labels please leave a comment and tell me if you liked them. Thank you!
An Artist Trading Card (aka: ATC) is basically a 2½” by 3½” piece of original artwork which is traded among artists.
Participating in an ATC swap is a great way to express yourself creatively without being overwhelmed with a huge blank canvas. It is also a great way to get to know other artists and expand your artistic world.
On this week’s creativity prompt I want to walk you through the process of creating my ATC for the swap.
If you want to find out how I made this ATC (plus learn some valuable tips and tricks) then keep on reading:
Step by Step Instructions
Cut your cardstock to the traditional 2½” by 3½” size. To make the most out of an 8½” by 11″ sheet of cardstock, start by cutting it at 2½” lengthwise twice and then you’ll end up with a 3½” strip.
Adhere a vintage text paper (from an old book. I used an old text book about Roman Law…) to another piece of non-textured cardstock with a glue stick.
Stamp the heart winged butterfly image in dark brown ink over the colored vintage background. Try to stamp the images as close as possible, but leave a small gap between them. Let the ink dry completely.
Mask off 2/3 of the ATC with a post-it note and stamp the houndstooth background stamp using one of the distress inks.
Take off the post it and use it again, masking the part you’ve just stamped. Then stamp over it with the screen shadow stamp.
Take a small piece of bubble wrap and apply a layer of distress crackle paint over it. Use the wet bubble wrap to “stamp” with it over the screen shadow background. Let dry.
After the crackle paint is completely dry cover it with a thin layer of clear glue or glaze to prevent the paint from breaking and falling off.
In the meantime stamp the circular greeting on another piece of non textured cardstock using the same dark brown ink (I used the Clear Design: Who Loves You – CL309 – stamp set by Hero Arts, but it is no longer available). Punch the greetings out with a 1″ circle punch.
Cut a green textured cardstock to 2½” by ½” strips. Poke a line of holes, 1/8″ apart from each other, along the middle of the strip and “connect the dots” with a white gel pen. Adhere the strip to the border where the two different background patterns meet.
Cut the butterfly images with precision scissors. I am using Fiskars spring action micro tip scissors and I absolutely love them.
Attach the circular greeting to the cardstock strip with a foam dot.
Attach the butterfly above the strip in an angle using some mini glue dots behind its body and some pop up glue dots behind its wings.
Don’t forget to add your name, date and signature on the back!
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Have you ever participated in an ATC swap? Are you interested in assembling an ATC swap group here on creativity prompt? If you are, please leave a comment and show your interest.
If you have any question, suggestion or remark – don’t hesitate to contact me – either leave a comment here, use the contact form or start a new thread on the Creativity Prompt Flickr Group!!!
I would also be very happy to see your own creations, so don’t be shy and share
This week’s project is also quick and easy to put together. You decide how much time you want to spend embellishing each page later on…
All you need is a bunch of envelopes, 2 pieces of chipboard and a long piece of ribbon. Pretty straightforward.
You can take your time and decorate each page individually, or just adhere a photo on the back of each envelope and insert your journaling in each corresponding envelope. The sky is the limit for you.
Cut 2 pieces of chipboard – ½” taller and wider than your envelopes.
Stick a strong double sided tape at the center of each chipboard piece. You can use the markings of your cutting mat for easy alignment.
Adhere your ribbon to both pieces of chipboard, while leaving a ½” gap between them.
Adhere each envelope to the next at the base with plain packaging/wrapping tape. Make sure you keep the orientation of the envelopes.
Cut the excess tape off the sides of the envelopes stack.
Adhere the envelopes stack to the chipboard with some more strong double sided tape.
Cut the envelope inserts out of cardstock. Make them ½” shorter and narrower than your envelopes.
Insert a piece of cardstock into each envelope.
Embellish and… Voilà!
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If you have any question, suggestion or remark – don’t hesitate to contact me – either leave a comment here, use the contact form or start a new thread on the Creativity Prompt Flickr Group!!!
I would also be very happy to see your own creations, so don’t be shy and share
For this week’s inspiration prompt I want to share a different kind of inspiration – creative inspiration.
Sometimes no matter how hard we try we feel uninspired, blocked and cannot seem to come up with any new ideas or make anything that pleases us.
Our creativity needs refueling as much as our body needs food, as much as our car needs gasoline and as much as our cellphone needs battery…
Keri Smith, an amazing artist and author has compiled a list of 100 ideas that can help you rekindle an extinguished inspiration. 100 sparks of creativity, any of which can relight your fire.
Take a look. Try some of her brilliant ideas. Try each and every one of her ideas, an idea a day.
Fuel your creativity!
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Have you tried any of these ideas? How do you fuel up your creativity? share by leaving a comment on this post.
For this week’s project you don’t even need cardstock. It’s as simple and easy as it gets…
All you need is a batch of 4″ by 6″ photos, a 5″ by 6″ piece of chipboard and a fabric scrap.
Is that all? Yes. That. Is. All.
In my album I gathered pictures from 5 different apartments my husband has lived at (in 5 different continents). There is one common denominator in each photo – my husband is completely absorbed in his computer. I named the mini album: “Nadav’s Playground”…
If you have a few photos that tell a story and you wish to compile them in this cute album you can carry around or gift to a dear one, than read on.
Fold each photo in half lengthwise (into 2″ by 6″).
Adhere half of each photo to the next with glue stick – back to back – to create a photo booklet. Go over it with a brayer to eliminate air bubbles or glue bumps.
Lay your chipboard pieces over the left side of the fabric scrap. Leave a gap between the 2 chipboard pieces. The gap should be as thick as the booklet’s spine.
Adhere the chipboard to the fabric with glue stick as laid before.
Trim off the excess fabric. Leave a 2″ edge all around the chipboard pieces.
Cut the corners of the fabric, but leave a small gap for a neat fold later.
Adhere the fabric flaps to the chipboard with glue stick. Use a brayer to ensure the adhesion.
Adhere the booklet to the cover with glue stick.
Embellish! (Although the American Crafts letter stickers are self adhered, I added a dab of strong liquid glue to make sure they stay put. TIP - I ran out of some of the letters so I switched on my creative half. The ‘N’ is actually a trimmed ‘M’ and one of the ‘A’s is an ‘at’ sign – which goes well with the computers theme.)
I want to share with you one of my favorite pictures from this mini album. It was taken here at our apartment in California. Note the pasta on his lap and the computer on the dinner table…
Isn’t that a memory to cherish?
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If you have any question, suggestion or remark – don’t hesitate to contact me – either leave a comment here, use the contact form or start a new thread on the Creativity Prompt Flickr Group!!!
I would also be very happy to see your own creations, so don’t be shy and share
I loverecycling and every time I manage to turn trash into treasure, I am happy. Maybe too happy, but that’s for the professionals to judge
If you are as jubilant about recycling as I am and would like to make a fat journal out of cardboard and packaging paper used for padding – then keep on scrolling.
I’ve got a video tutorial just for you.
Tools & Supply
Packaging material – cardboard and padding paper (or plain copier paper)
Cut cardboard at: 5½” by 4½” | 5½” by 4½” | 5½” by 1″.
Cut 2 pieces of patterned paper for the cover, at: 8″ by 6″.
Adhere the cover pieces to the center of the patterned paper with glue stick.
Cut the corners of the patterned paper and leave a gap from the cardboard corners – a gap as long as the cardboard is thick (between ½” to ¼” depending on the cardboard).
Fold the remaining patterned paper flaps over and adhere to the cardboard with glue stick.
To cover the spine, cut a 6″ by 6″ piece of patterned paper diagonally. Cut it 2″-1½” away from the corner on each side.
Fold and adhere the top patterned paper flaps to the cardboard spine with glue stick.
Apply strong double sided adhesive to both edges of the patterned paper and attach the cover pieces to it. Allow an 1/8″ gap between the spine and each of the cover pieces.
For the inside cover, cut your patterned paper at: 5¼” by 4¼” | 5¼” by 4¼” | 5¼” by 1″.
Adhere the patterned paper to the inside cover with glue stick. Optional - To secure the adhesion go over the cover with a brayer a few times in different directions.
Punch 2 holes in the spine using a Crop-a-Dile.
Cut the insert pages (from the packaging paper, or any other plain paper you have) at 8″ by 5″.
Fold the insert pages in half.
Optional - Use a T-Square ruler to straighten up the inserts (or leave them looking rustic).
Position your folded pages where they should lay inside the journal and mark the placement of the holes, then punch the inserts accordingly.
Thread your string through the inserts, from the inside – out.
Thread the ends of the string through the spine and secure in a knot or a double bow.
Write your secrets and deepest wishes in the pages of your new handmade journal.
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If you have any question, suggestion or remark – don’t hesitate to contact me – either leave a comment here, use the contact form or start a new thread on the Creativity Prompt Flickr Group!!!
I would also be very happy to see your own creations, so don’t be shy and share
A good quality art journal with sturdy signatures may burn a hole in our pocket. However, by using just 5 high quality cardstock pieces, you can make your own art journal for a fraction of the price – not to mention the cute foam cover you get…
If you are interested in watching how to make one of these cute art journals, than keep on scrolling…
Tools and Supply
Heavy weight cardstock (5 sheets of 8½” by 11″ will make 10 signatures = 20 pages)
Fold the signatures in half. For a sharp crease use a bone folder.
Poke holes along the crease line of each signature. Start at the center and then continue each inch below and above the center.
Sew your signatures together. Start at the top hole and go through each hole with a plain running stitch, after you went through the bottom hole go back through the top hole again.
When attaching the second signature (and the ones after it) secure each stitch by going through the stitches on the spine before threading the needle through the holes.
After you have made the last stitch on the last signature, secure the ends with a few knots.
Cut the fun foam at 9″ by 5¼” for the cover.
Attach the signatures to the fun foam with a generous layer of glue stick. Apply pressure on the journal for an hour or so to ensure good adhesion.
Start painting and sketching in your new art journal…
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If you have any question, suggestion or remark – don’t hesitate to contact me – either leave a comment here, use the contact form or start a new thread on the Creativity Prompt Flickr Group!!!
I would also be very happy to see your own creations, so don’t be shy and share
I am always trying to come up with the quickest and easiest projects for Creativity Prompt, but this time I have really outdone myself…
All you have to do is gather all your 4″ by 6″ photos together and in a matter of minutes they are all assembled in a cute mini album, with a twist.
This project is perfect as a last minute gift, or a mass production gift as well as a way to deal with a large amount of photos that convey the same story.
If you want to watch me make this mini album, than keep scrolling.
Tools & Supply
Your batch of standard size photos (4″ by 6″)
1 sheet of 12″ by 12″ cardstock (cut to 4 pieces sized 4″ by 6″ each)
Temporarily adhere both cardstock pieces together and cut a shaped window out of them – you may use any shape and any die-cutting system you prefer.
Adhere the cardstock pieces and the acetate in a Cardstock-Acetate-Cardstock sandwich.
Back each photo with a 4″ by 6″ piece of patterned paper.
For the back cover, cut 2 additional pieces of cardstock at 4″ by 6″ each and adhere together – back to back.
Gather all your photos and both cover pieces together and punch 2 holes w/ the Crop-a-Dile.
Fasten with the binding rings.
Tell the story.
Shana Tova (Happy New Year) to all my Jewish readers!!!
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If you have any question, suggestion or remark – don’t hesitate to contact me – either leave a comment here, use the contact form or start a new thread on the Creativity Prompt Flickr Group!!!
I would also be very happy to see your own creations, so don’t be shy and share
This week’s creativity prompt is more of an idea on how to reuse drier sheets after they have made your laundry smell fresher and become softer. You know how much I love recycling, so this project is right up my alley.
It takes merely seconds to make this flower and it has a fabric-like texture. Think of it as a tissue paper that won’t rip.
The added bonus of the drier sheet is that even after it does its job inside the drier machine, it still holds its smell. That means that you are not only adding cuteness to the project but a scent too!
Add color by rubbing ink directly onto the circles. If the ink pad falls off, no worries. Stick it right back with a glob of Diamond Glaze.
Cluster the circles together and adhere with Diamond Glaze – a dot of glue will do. (dry adhesive, like a tape runner or glue dots will not work)
To finish off the look, thread an embroidery floss through a button and adhere to the top circle with another dab of Diamond Glaze.
Let dry. After the adhesive has dried up and hardened, you can go ahead and attach the flower to the project with a glue dot. (Position the glue dot directly on the hardened adhesive).
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Share your thoughts and your own drier-sheet creations by leaving a comment!
An Artist Trading Card (aka: ATC) is basically a 2½” by 3½” piece of original artwork which is traded among artists.
For this week’s project you don’t even need cardstock. It’s as simple and easy as it gets… 
I am always trying to come up with the quickest and easiest projects for Creativity Prompt, but this time I have really outdone myself… 
This week’s creativity prompt is more of an idea on how to reuse drier sheets after they have made your laundry smell fresher and become softer. You know how much I love 
