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DIY

DIY Enchanted Iridescent Stenciled Tray

[According to FTC regulations, I must disclose to you that I did receive free product and payment from DecoArt in exchange for this post, however all opinions and project tutorial are my own]

Scroll down for tutorial.

Hey y’all! It’s been a while since I posted a fun mixed media tutorial, but I’m back today with one! I really wanted to show you this cool product that released this year: Americana Enchanted & Enchanted Shimmer. These are acrylic paints with an iridescent shine that I just love. They are new from DecoArt, now at Michaels! I used them to make the DIY Tray below. Here’s a short blurb about them from DecoArt:

The dazzling glow of iridescence has made a recent appearance in many industries; fashion, automobiles, jewelry, art, & more. Many crafters want to add the look of this special glow to their own pieces. Americana Enchanted is an iridescent topcoat that can create this magical look. Americana Enchanted Shimmer delivers the same iridescent look with an added subtle glitter effect, but still quite distinct from glitter paint itself. Create projects that pop with shimmer and iridescence with these translucent topcoats. Millions of luminous particles recreate the unique sparkling shimmer of a butterfly wing, as they dance in shifting angles of light. For the most dramatic effect, use over Enchanted Ultra-Black Basecoat or other dark paint colors.

DIY Enchanted Iridescent Stenciled Tray

Okay, time for the DIY!

Supplies:

Wooden Tray (The tray I’m using is from Walnut Hollow)
Enchanted Ultra-Black Basecoat
Americana Enchanted or Enchanted Shimmer, Available in five 2-oz shimmering colors
Paint Brush
Paint Knife
Blending Palette
Stencil (I used these 8×8″ Succulent Stencils from DecoArt)
Gel Medium

What are the differences between Enchanted and Enchanted Shimmer?

Enchanted is an Iridescent Topcoat Acrylic, it’s more of a solid shine rather than glitter.
Enchanted Shimmer is an Shimmering Iridescent Topcoat Acrylic, it is less opaque, with more of a iridescent glitter effect.

I swatched them in my sketchbook, as you can see below. Iridescent paints work best over a dark background and are nearly invisible over a white background. The color will shift depending on the angle of the light.

I also tried mixing Enchanted in with some different mediums with mixed results: Modeling paste dries white and it dulled the iridescence slightly, whereas gel medium dries clear, so it let the Enchanted paint do it’s magic while still adding some texture.

(Above: Enchanted on the left, Enchanted Shimmer on the right.)

Step one:

Shake the Ultra-Black Basecoat well. Using a wide brush, paint your tray with the Ultra-Black for a dark base. Let dry.

Step two:

Use a palette knife to mix a bit of Enchanted Shimmer in with Gel Medium on your palette. I recommend about a 40/60 ratio.

I’m using two different colors of Enchanted for this project: Violet and Magenta.

Step three:

Use the palette knife to scrape the gel medium/paint mixture through your stencil and onto your tray.

It’s helpful to have some baby wipes or paper towels on hand to wipe off and excess paint you might accidental get past the edges of the stencil.

Note: I love the texture that the gel medium adds, however, if you want to use Enchanted as a more solid look and avoid streaky brush stokes, Use a soft brush in long vertical strokes and while still wet, brush over in long horizontal strokes for a uniform finish.

Step four:

Remove stencil, wipe off, and repeat, adding designs across your tray.

Step five:

Let dry. As it dries, you’ll see the white fade away and the magic iridescent start to shine!

I wish you could all see these stenciled succulents in person, because seeing how the Enchanted paint changes in the light is so cool. Remember they’re Now available at Michaels, so go grab some and get crafting!

Want more DIY’s? Check out some of my past DecoArt projects:

Uncategorized

Product Review: Totally Tiffany Big Canvas Sticker Binder

I was recently going through my sticker stash and realized that it really needed some decluttering and organizing. So when it was time to choose a new Totally Tiffany product to review as a part of their Blogger Troop I knew I wanted something to help with my stickers.

After chatting with the folks at Totally Tiffany a bit, I decided to go with the Canvas Sticker Binder.

They also sent me to this video, where Tiffany shows a few different options for organizing stickers & gives some really good tips!

According to FTC regulations, I must disclose to you that I did receive free product in exchange for this post, however all opinions are my own. 🙂

First let me tell you a little bit about this product (blurb taken from the Totally Tiffany website):

Do you have a lot of stickers? Have you been looking for the best way to keep them organized? This Big Canvas Sticker Travel Binder could be the solution you’re looking for.

We’ve put together a Craft Binder, and loaded it with the storage pages that are best for your sticker collection. Organize by theme, type, or color, and you’ll be able to find exactly what you need in seconds. No more digging and searching! When it’s time to head to a crop, a class, or your work table, the Craft Binder is ready to travel. In addition to your organized stickers, there’s a place for tools, paper, a trimmer, pens – all the supplies you need in one zip-it-up-and-go tote!”

What you get:

1 Craft Binder – choose your color (includes 1 spinder, 1 shoulder strap, and sample pack of storage pages)
10 Perfect Six pages (4″ x 6″ pockets)
10 Vertical Double pages (6″ x 12″ pockets)
10 Fantastic Five pages (5″ x 7″ pockets)

This Big Canvas Sticker Binder comes with 1 spinder (3-ring binder section), but it can hold up to 2- 3.

In the past I’ve stored my stickers in a large flat wicker basket. It certainly works & keeps them all together. I can flip through them, but it’s also a bit hard to find specific stickers if I’m looking for them.

This week I pulled them all out of the wicker basket, and organized them into themes, for example: Travel stickers, planner stickers, stickers from Stickii Club, etc.

In my package I received a variety Totally Tiffany storage pages, which is good, depending on what type of stickers you have, you may want different pocket sizes! My favorites are the Vertical Double storage pockets.

I also received 5 tabbed dividers! I haven’t labeled them yet, as I want to make sure I like the categories I’ve organized my stickers into first, but I’ll be making some labels for them soon.

The left side of the binder also features storage pockets & elastic for tools & markers. I have a art retreat coming up this Autumn & I love that I could take this binder with me & have it hold so much.

So far I’m really liking this binder!! The canvas material feels really sturdy and I imagine it’s going to hold up really well.

To learn more about Totally-Tiffany and to get more tips on organizing your craft supplies, make sure you follow them on facebook.

You can find the Big Canvas Sticker Binder available for purchase here.

For more product and book reviews, You can see more of my previous reviews here.

(This post is sponsored by Totally Tiffany, however all opinions are my own.)

Reviews

How to Organize Your Tombow Dual Brush Pens +…

This post contains affiliate links, which help pay for this site. That being said, I never promote anything I don’t love! If you purchase using them, I might get a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Let’s say you’ve recently gotten the big pack of Tombow Dual Brush Pens, how do you organize them? I’ve had mine for a while, but I just got a replacement set (perks of being a part of the design team.) and wanted to do show you how I organized them!

organize your Tombow Dual Brush Pens & Learn what those numbers on the side of each marker mean! @tombowusa @studio.katie

Color Designation Numbers:

First let’s talk about what those numbers on the sides of the markers mean:

On each Dual Brush Pen you’ll find 3 numbers. These are hue, chroma and value.
For example, the first 2 digits denote the hue and chrome, so 00 to 10 are yellows, 10 to 20 are greens, etc.
The last number on each pen marks the value of each color, with 0 being the lightest and 9 the darkest.
The grey/neutral markers are numbered slightly different so you have to keep that in mind. Instead of the first number they have an N for Neutral. This is followed by 2 numbers: the first is the value, 1 being the darkest & 9 being the lightest (opposite of the colored markers where 9 is the darkest), and the 2nd number denotes the temperature of the gray from cool to warm. 1 being cooler, 9 being warmer.

Now to organize my Dual Brush Pens I printed off the free 108 Dual Brush Pen Color Tracker from Tombowusa.com. Next I followed the chart from the back of their Blending Palette which actually has all of the marker colors on there from 020-N00 organized by their designation.

As I placed each marker in the case, I also swatched it onto the chart so that I will have a handy reference if I ever want to see all the colors together (and incase I need to know where it goes again.).

If you don’t want to swatch all of yours, Tombow also has a printable chart that is colored already. Get it here.

And that’s pretty much it! Knowing what the numbers mean can come in handy if you’re choosing colors to go together, choosing markers with a similar value makes for a lovely palette!

I hope you learned something! I learned most of this from classes with Marie Browning, and her book Brush Marker Magic.

Want some Tombow tutorials? Check out my online class, Tombow Techniques! or check out my Tombow archives here on the blog.

Reviews

Product Review: Totally Tiffany Embossing Station

Do you ever do much heat embossing?

Totally Tiffany sent me their brand new Heat Embossing Station to try out and review, so today I wanted to share with y’all my thoughts about it & the little project I made to try it out!

First let me tell you a little bit about this product (blurb taken from the Totally Tiffany website):

Using your embossing heat tool can be cumbersome, awkward, and dangerous when you’re trying to hold everything in your hands. You need a heat tool caddy! With the Desk Maid Embossing Station from Totally-Tiffany, your hands are free to hold your project at the exact angle and distance. This sturdy holder will keep your heat tool steady while you work. Clip your project onto the separate paddle while you’re embossing, then set it in the angled slots to cool while you work on the next one. There’s even a pocket to hold your anti-static tool so it’s always where you need it.

Designed to fit most craft heat tools, this embossing heat tool caddy also comes with a removable sizing ring for smaller-tipped tools.

The Embossing Station includes:

Stand for craft heat tools
Removable sizing ring for different size tool applications
Convenient storage pocket
Cooling/drying rack
Project paddle with removable clip
Compact storage slots for paddle and tool cord

Dimensions: 11″ tall x 4″ wide x 9″ long (28cm x 10cm x 23cm)

Do you love to heat emboss? Read my review of Totally Tiffany's Heat Embossing Station on my blog, studiokatie.com @studiokatie

When I opened up the box, the stand was already completely put together, so I didn’t have to worry about that.

The Embossing Station is designed to fit most heat guns, but it also comes with a sizing ring adapter for smaller tools. mine is by The Paper Studio and was a bit too loose in the stand so I did end up using the sizing ring (which you can see in the photo below). Which worked great, I just attached it with a bit of Tombow Xtreme Putty.

I do a lot of heat embossing on my handmade cards (which is, oddly enough, something I don’t post about too often), but I am so bad about getting the heat gun too close to my fingers & burning them. Ouch. So I’m glad this product came with the paddle! It also came with a large clip to hold you project to the paddle with. I love the clip, but I wish there had been 2, for both sides of the paddle.

To test out the Embossing Station I decided to make a couple of cute embossed notebooks!

Here’s an easy diy:

Stamp your notebook covers with your pattern using embossing ink.
Pour your embossing powder on top, then knock off the excess powder.
Clip your notebook to the project paddle, & hold it underneath the heat gun until you see the embossing powder completely melt, moving it around a bit so that the heat isn’t focused on 1 area for too long.

The stand also includes angled slots on the back to hold your project before/after embossing. My notebooks were a bit too thick to slide in there, but I imagine it will be super handy when I’m making a bunch of cards at the same time, rather than having them spread out everywhere.

It also has a little tool pocket on the inside of the stand. I stuck my Tombow Blending pen in there that I use for embossing.

To learn more about Totally-Tiffany and to get more tips on organizing your craft supplies, make sure youfollow them on facebook.

You can find the Embossing Station available for purchase here, and learn more about it here on the Totally Tiffany website.

For more product and book reviews, You can see more of my previous reviews here.

(This post is sponsored by Totally Tiffany, however all opinions are my own.)

Reviews

Product Review: Desk Maid XL Pen & Ink Palace

Hey my friends, I have a fun product review to share with you today! Have you heard of Totally-Tiffany? Totally-Tiffany is a company that makes creative storage solutions for organizing craft products and supplies, and I’m excited to announce that I’ve joined their Blogging Troop! This means that I’ll have the opportunity to try out their products and share my reviews with my readers, YOU.

Also, according to FTC regulations, this also means that I must disclose to you that I did receive free product in exchange for this post, however all opinions are my own. 🙂

For my first product review, I am trying out the XL Pen & Ink Palace by Desk Maid (a brand included in the Totally-Tiffany family).

Need an easy shelf to hold your markers and/or inkpads? Read this review of the Desk Maid XL Pen & Ink Palace by Totally-Tiffany on the Studio Katie blog.

The XL Pen & Ink Palace is 15″ wide and is the bigger version of the original Pen & Ink Palace which was 9″ wide. One thing I liked was that this didn’t need any assembly! Yay!

Okay, as you all know, I love my Tombow Dual Brush Pens! I use Tombow’s marker stand to hold my 108 set, but I actually have a good number of color doubles. I thought about storing them on one of the Pen & Ink Palace shelves.

They do fit, but they’re longer than the shelves, and I didn’t like how much they stuck out, so I won’t be storing them here.

What I’m storing on the shelves of the XL Pen & Ink Palace:

So instead of my Dual Brush Pens, here’s what I’m storing on the XL Pen & Ink Palace shelves:

Tombow TwinTone Dual Tip Markers. (These are shorter than the Dual Brush Pens and they DO fit really well on this shelf.
Paint Pens. I use these for DIY’s and in my art journal, so it’s handy to have them all on this shelf. These are mostly the DecoColor brand.
Inkpads. The rest of the shelves I’ve filled with my inkpad collection, and they all fit really well. I don’t have just one brand, so I have Umbrella Crafts, A Beautiful Mess, Stampin Up, Tsukineko, Memento, Stampabilities, ColorBox, StazOn, and Distress Inks.

One feature that I would like to point out is that the shelves are removable so that you can pull them in and out, say, if one of your smaller inkpads gets shoved too far back.

I do wish that the shelves were different depths though. They’re interchangeable, so the shelves are all the same size. With the staggered design, you might think that the bottom shelf would be much deeper than the top shelf, but it’s not.

Overall, I do really like this stand. I am expecting to get some new markers soon, so I may reorganize things once they arrive to see if they fit!

To learn more about Totally-Tiffany and to get more tips on organizing your craft supplies, make sure you follow them on facebook.

You can find the XL Pen & Ink Palace available here.

For more product and book reviews, You can see more of my previous reviews here.

(This post is sponsored by Totally Tiffany, however all opinions are my own.)

Tutorials

DIY Moon Phase Planner Spread

Hey guys! This is a project I originally shared on Tombow’s instagram account, but as you know I’m a huge space nerd, so I wanted to share it here too.

Today I’m showing you how to make a Lunar Calendar Spread in your bullet journal/planner!

Supplies:

Planner or Journal. For my planner this year, I’m using a Bloom Daily Planners Dot Journaling Planner. I added one of my Galaxy Girl stickers to the cover to customize it , but I love the marble background too.
Tombow Twin Tones
Tombow 1500 Colored Pencils
Ruler

Ste one: Use a ruler & Twin Tone markers to draw out 2 sections at the bottom of your page, and write each month name with 6 on each side.

The bullet tip of the Twin Tone is fantastic for monoline lettering (a single line, not a brush pen) like this. Draw 4 circles for each month, and fill them in according to the lunar calendar. Next Using a pink Twin Tone, I wrote out the dates for each of the moon phases above the circles.

View this post on Instagram

It’s @studio.katie back to show you how to add a lunar calendar in your @bloomdailyplanners planner. First step: Use a ruler and @tombowusa TwinTone markers to draw out 2 sections at the bottom of your page, and write each month. The TwinTone’s tips are fantastic for monoline lettering –you can choose between a broad and extra-fine on either side. Draw 4 circles for each month, and fill them in according to the lunar calendar. Using a pink TwinTone, I wrote out the dates for each of the moon phases.⁣ .⁣ Did you know we have a lunar eclipse this month? There’s a “Super Blood Wolf Moon Eclipse” on the 20th, so you can add that to your calendar too!.In my next post I’ll show you how to add a moon sketch to the top of the page! -@studio.katie #tombow #tombowusa #tombow2018dt⁣ ⁣💕 #bulletjournal #bulletjournaladdict #bulletjournaljunkies #bulletjournalcommunity #bulletjournaladdicts #bulletjournaling #bujo #bujojunkies #bujoinspire #bujoaddict #bujocommunity #bujolove #bulletjournallove

A post shared by Tombow USA (@tombowusa) on Jan 14, 2019 at 9:45am PST

Step two: Now let’s finish decorating the spread.

Trace a circle onto the top of the page, and lightly color it in with a light pink 1500 Colored Pencil. The trick to colored pencils is to color in light layers, so keep adding colors but not adding to much pressure as you work. Using a darker shade of pink, add in the craters of the moon. You can also pull up an image of the moon on your computer to use as a reference.

Step three:

View this post on Instagram

It’s @studio.katie here for one last step in your lunar calendar planner spread! Trace a circle onto the top of the page, and lightly color it in with a light pink @tombowusa 1500 Series Colored Pencil. The trick to colored pencils is to color in light layers, so keep adding colors but not adding too much pressure as you work. Using a darker shade of pink, add in the craters of the moon. . Don’t forget to add details! To finish the moon, use the fine tip of the black TwinTone marker to add in a few details and outline the moon. . And that’s it! Do you ever use colored pencils your planner? They’re nice because they won’tbleed through thin pages! #tombow #tombowusa #tombow2018dt 💕 #bulletjournal #bulletjournaladdict #bulletjournaljunkies #bulletjournalcommunity #bulletjournaladdicts #bulletjournaling #bujo #bujojunkies #bujoinspire #bujoaddict #bujocommunity #bujolove #bulletjournallove

A post shared by Tombow USA (@tombowusa) on Jan 14, 2019 at 1:48pm PST

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Katie Smith (@studio.katie) on Jan 14, 2019 at 7:02am PST

Don’t forget to add details! To finish the moon, Use the fine tip of the black Twin Tone marker to add in a few details & outline the moon.

And that’s it! Do you ever use colored pencils your planner? They’re nice because they won’t bleed through thin pages!

Tutorials

Easy Rainbow Geometric Art

Hey y’all, I wanted to let you know about my latest tutorial for Tombow! DIY Geometric Rainbow Art!

DIY Rainbow Geometric Art by @studiokatie & @Tombowusa

Learn how to make geometric rainbow art using @tombowusa Twin Tone Markers with this tutorial by @studiokatie

I used Tombow’s new Rainbow Twin Tone Markers & Templates by Josie Lewis to create these “watercolor” geometric designs. Using the markers makes this super easy, because they dry a bit faster than regular watercolors, and are super vibrant.

Find the full tutorial on the Tombow blog here.

Reviews

Book Review- Anywhere, Anytime Art: Gouache by Agathe Singer

Have you ever used Gouache? I have in the past, and honestly I didn’t love it. But I recently found this book all about Gouache at my library so I thought I’d give it a go again.

The book:

Anywhere, Anytime Art: Gouache: An artist’s guide to painting with gouache on the go! by Agathe Singer

What is Gouache?

Firstly for anyone who doesn’t know, Gouache is a paint that is a bit of a cross between acrylics and watercolors. Like watercolors, the paint is mixed with water before use. Unlike watercolors though, gouache is opaque instead of transparent.

I think the reason I didn’t like it before is the type of gouache I have. It’s not a very high quality paint brand, so I think if I bought a more artist quality I would like it more.

Anyhow, despite not liking my paint, I did learn a bit from this book!

About the Book:

Here’s the official blurb from the book:

Take a fresh look at an up-and-coming art medium with Anywhere, Anytime Art: Gouache!

Gouache paint has a long history, but it’s often associated with watercolor and multimedia art. Until now, that is! Trendy artists with large social-media followings are reinvigorating gouache, making this the ideal time to add this medium to your toolbox…or start your art journey with it!

Like the other books in the Anywhere, Anytime Art series, Gouache explores this medium in a portable, approachable, and contemporary way. Basic painting topics, such as tools and materials, techniques, and color theory, are presented in an easy-to-read, visual style. The subsequent step-by-step projects focus on various subjects that artists can find anywhere, whether they’re home or out and about. Artists can learn to paint their favorite things, including plants, flowers, cats, patterns, and more.

Anywhere, Anytime Art: Gouache is filled with vibrant, colorful artwork that’s sure to inspire any artist to give gouache a try and get out there and paint!

I liked this book because the author/artist really broke down color theory and tutorials for you! Agathe included some great tips for choosing colors, mixing colors, and even painting on the go.

There’s 12 project tutorials in the book that are really fun. So even if you’re someone who thinks they can’t draw/paint, you can follow her tutorials to get a fun piece of art!

Inspired by Agathe’s paintings, I painted these little Gouache Branches in my Aaron Arts Sketchbook.

Learn more and find this book on Amazon here.

This post isn’t sponsored in any way, I actually checked this book out from my library and decided to share about it here. I hope you liked this little peek into it. Do you like these book reviews? You can see more of my previous reviews here.

Painting

Maple Valley Art Walk

Hey friends! So this post is just a bit of an update about something exciting with the more fine art related portion of my work.

Back in September last year I submitted my art to an art walk and got in! This was my first ever “art show”, so it was really neat. The Maple Valley Art Walk happens every 2 months, so my art was at the Vintage Vino in November, and here at The Nutty Squirrel for the next 2 months.

This month though was extra exciting because I submitted a few more pieces and have the whole of The Nutty Squirrel Gelato featuring just my oil paintings!

As an emerging artist, I’m pretty proud of this! I’m excited to see how my art will continue to grow in 2019. I’ve really enjoyed working more with oil paints lately!

You can see all of my paintings in my gallery here.

Art Journals

Dual Brush Pens + Gesso Mixed Media Art Journal…

Hey guys, I wanted to let you know that I have a new tutorial up on the Tombow blog (my first for 2019!) showing you how to create a Mixed Media Art Journal Background using Dual Brush Pens and Gesso.

This is a really fun technique for a colorful, but bright and airy background.

Click here to read the full tutorial on the Tombow blog.

Want some Tombow tutorials? Check out my online class, Tombow Techniques! or check out my Tombow archives here on the blog.