​One of the Craft Clubs' regular members is Alexis from Payson, Arizona. She is a talented artist, and creative crafter, who finds the club is a great social way to jumpstart creativity and overcome the occasional creative block. She does beautiful projects after attending the live classes, and her work is so inspiring, it had to be shared!

​A couple of weeks ago, Alexis attended our paper bead making class. I crafted a basic bead drying rack from an old shoebox and some wooden skewers. It was pretty flimsy and hideous, but it did the job.
Alexis and her husband decided to create a more functional and beautiful drying rack out of PVC pipe, and metal rods. She showed me her creation, and I was impressed with the craftsmanship and functionality.
A day or two later, she told me she had made me one, and wanted to take a long drive to deliver it to my door. I squealed with delight and gladly accepted her offer. She and her husband made the one hour trip down the mountain and left it on my porch.
When I opened the door to retrieve the rack, I saw she had painted a soft shade of dusty lavender, a perfect color, and she even outfitted it with a handy tin drip tray! I quickly removed the old shoebox from the closet, hid it from view, and tossed it in the trash. This new rack proudly sits on my work table, and it will always remind me of the friend I have made since the Crafting Club began.

​Alexis made a beautiful bookmark from the beads she made that day in class, and she has inspired me to make different things out of the beads! In future live events, we will create objects from the beads we made, so if you haven't checked out the On-Demand class for making paper beads, be sure to do so!

Every month, the Craft Club will have a social event where we can share our creations and discuss upcoming live events. The first social event will be this coming Tuesday, June 30th, at 2 pm MST. Get to know other crafters and share your creative crafting successes, joys, frustrations, and failures. Let's have fun sharing our Crafting Club experiences! Join us, even if you haven't attended a Crafting Club live event before, we would love to meet you! Don't forget to register for the event by clicking here.

​Rubber stamps are a perfect jumping-off place for creativity. They take away the fear of the blank page, so you enjoy coloring or painting. I began stamping in the early eighties when art stamps first started to become available. I remember being a frequent customer of one of the first rubber stamp retail stores in Santa Barbara, California, and I amassed a massive collection. In the early days, the techniques were simple, but the effects were mesmerizing. I admit I was a stampaholic, and my collection outgrew my craft room!
Over the years, I learned creative ways to use rubber stamps, and I am excited to be able to share them with you!

​For this Friday's live class, we will dive into the world of rubber stamping! If you are a seasoned stamper or a beginner, this will be a fun and informative course. Rubber stamps are perfect for a variety of arts and crafts projects such as greeting cards, home decor, and DIY fashion. Once you learn the essential tools and techniques, you can be on your way to making amazing things with rubber stamps. Stamping can be creative and fun, so join us by clicking here to register. See you soon!

​Watercolors are great for creating beautiful backgrounds on greeting cards. For the live class this Tuesday, June 23rd, we will be applying soft, colorful color washes on watercolor greeting card stock, then making a variety of cards using different mixed media techniques. The backgrounds can be a foundation for a handwritten or stamped greeting, a sketch, or a collage.  Together, we will explore all kinds of ideas on creating one of a kind beautiful cards that you will enjoy sharing with loved ones and friends. It's going to be inspiring, and lots of fun. Please join us!

To make watercolor greeting cards you will need to have some basic supplies on hand.

• Watercolor paper, or watercolor greeting cards
• Watercolors
• Flat watercolor wash brush, or hake brush
• origami paper
• pens or markers
• Stamps, photos, stickers, or collage ephemera
• White glue or double stick tape

The live class is on Tuesday, June 23 so be sure to register, and if you can't make it, all classes are recorded so you can view any time, anywhere. 

Doodling is the act of creating spontaneous drawings in an unconscious or unfocused manner. Doodles are repeated patterns of designs, and science has proven that the enjoyable activity of doodling has many benefits. Mindful doodling can reduce stress, improve memory, and keeps you in the present moment. 

​Watercolor is my favorite medium because it is fresh, spontaneous, and has a mind of its own! I started creating watercolor doodle birds out of color mixes, mainly blobs of two or three colors blended. I usually make color mixes on a separate sheet of paper before I start the real painting to see how the colors look after drying.
I wouldn't say I like throwing away anything, so I started to doodle on the painted blobs with a brush or pen.  The addition of a beak, wings, and legs made the most fun whimsical birds!

​Grab your supplies, and don't forget to register for the live class! If you can't make it, you can always watch the recording at a later time. Of course, it will be more fun to make doodle birds together!

​There are so many types of glues and adhesives on the market, and it cannot be obvious which one to use in your art and craft projects. It's good to have a variety of adhesives for crafting, and for quick household repairs. You can make a simple glue at home by mixing wheat, flour, and water!

White Craft Glue
Super Glue
Hot Glue
Spray Adhesives
PVA
Pressure Sensitive Adhesive
Epoxy
Glue Sticks
Fabric Adhesives

​Join us this Friday at 2 pm MST by clicking on the Live Event tab on the upper right corner of this page. We'll discuss the many types and uses of adhesives, and helpful tips. We will also show a fun project using a special kind of glue originally designed for Shogi screens. See you soon!

Be sure to bookmark the two websites below. They are excellent references for any sticky situation!​
Adhesives.org
Thistothat.com

​Something is addicting, and oddly satisfying about making rolled paper beads. As a child, I remember how much fun it was to make paper bead jewelry out of brightly colored construction paper. Childhood craft techniques haven't changed much over the years, but now there are more tools and materials available to make the process more efficient, and the final product more beautiful. Making paper beads is easy and, are made out of ordinary and inexpensive materials. 

Bamboo Skewers

• Paper strips at least 11" long: Magazine pages, scrapbook paper, or office paper
• Scissors
• White glue
• Xacto knife
• Monofilament line (fishing line)
• Small Clips
• Empty shoe box
• PC Wood Hardener from hardware store
• Gloss acrylic glaze such as Polycrylic or bead glaze
• Paint markers, paints and pens
• Straight edge ruler
• empty glass jars

During the live class tomorrow, you will learn how to make a paper bead roller, and all the techniques to make pretty beads that can be made into jewelry and more. Make sure you register for the class by clicking on the live event button up on the right of this page, or you can register right here:  Click here to register, and after you submit your registration be sure to click "add to calendar" so you are reminded to attend the event!

If you miss this class, or any of the other live events, you can always find them on the On Demand page. See you tomorrow!

​Join us in a relaxed and calming mindful art exercise today at 11 am MST.
There are many benefits of doodling and mark making! The practice of making marks is not only relaxing; it may help you with become more creative as well as focused. In the class, you will learn to use the simplest of supplies and focus on the brush, pen, ink, and paper.

For tomorrow's live class, we will be making colorful, patterned papers using the Gelli plate! The Gelli plate is an elastic silicone surface that lets you create beautiful monotypes without a press. It's easy, enjoyable, and addictive! The prints are great to use greeting cards, origami, collage, and mixed media art. 

The process is pretty simple. You apply paint on the plate with a brayer, brush, or stamp, then place a sheet of paper on the plate. Press with your fingers, baren, or brayer and to transfer the paint from the plate to the paper. There are so many ways to create with the Gelli plate!

During the class, I will be making prints on colorful six inch paper squares. I will show you that working with already colored or patterned paper makes the process even more fun. Be sure to register for the class by clicking on the upcoming events link, and if you can't make it, the class will be available for you anytime.
Check out the video below to see the basics you need to know when you start gel printing.

​Stencils have come a long way since the days of plain bold block letters. Stencils now come in thousands of designs and sizes for every creative project imaginable. Stencils are used to decorate the home and embellish clothing and for lots of mixed media projects. The possibilities are endless!

​Join in a live Stencil Basics class on Tuesday, June 9th, at 2 pm MST. We will be covering the necessary supplies as well as some fun techniques to inspire you to start creating with stencils. You will be surprised at how versatile stencil crafting is!
Be sure to register so you don't miss the fun! If you miss the live class, no worries! All live events will be available on-demand for you to watch at any time.

"Several years ago, I developed a meditative art technique inspired by the Zentangle method developed by Rick and Maria Roberts. I loved the relaxation benefits "tangling" had to offer but had difficulty remembering the steps and sequences. I also wanted to create something that started with splashes of color. After a lot of experimenting, the Kumomi method was born! The word Kumomi comes from a combination of Japanese words meaning cloud gazing.

​When we look at random shapes such as clouds, we sometimes see familiar things. It's our brains trying to make sense out of chaos! Cloud gazing is very relaxing as we watch clouds float by and change shape as they go forming into elephants, birds, angels, and just about anything. The configuration takes form then drifts away quickly. Kumomi is the essence of cloud gazing. The shapes are painted loosely on paper using a combination of colors.  The colorful shapes are outlined with a fine-tipped pen while we look to find something familiar. The final step is to bring out detail with lines, shapes, and doodles.

For several Saturdays this summer, I'll be teaching mindful crafting techniques for relaxation, and well being. Kumomi will be in the first session so be sure to register so you can join all the relaxing fun! We will be doodling, mandala making, and other mindful art and crafts!

This Saturday, June 6th, I will introduce you to the art of Kumomi in a live event. I promise it will be fun as well as relaxing. Below is a list of items you need to get started. If you don't have everything, please feel free to watch and enjoy the process so you can try it at a later time.