I’ve mentioned this in my “Art on the budget” post but this is really easy and accessible activity that almost anyone can do. We all have scraps of old clothes, most of us have some thread and offcuts of different kinds (like crochet samples bellow, a stone and some thread that unravelled from something but looked so nice I had to save it “for later” – now that later has come – who says I don’t use stuff up? :D)
Slow stitching – a very relaxing and inexpensive form of art…
There are no rules – you can use embroidery stitches or just go with the flow. You can add natural materials or use up your sewing supplies – whatever works. The best thing about this kind of projects is that you can use up the threads that you can’t use otherwise because they are old and break so won’t hold anything together. But for decorative purposes they are just fine:).
Take things you cherish but can’t live in a sketchbook and give them a new home.
I’m not a very zen like person but you can do this in any state and it really is relaxing:). Unlike untangling the serger’s threads when starting sewing:D.
I’ve shown you what you can turn trash into on Friday but thought maybe someone would like a list of inexpensive things we can make or upcycle or add to your happy mail without breaking a bank:
Happy mail: handmade card and tickets on the left and embossed upcycled card on the right.
tags cut from pretty packaging (I like tea boxes because they have such nice designs but any beautiful sturdy cardboard would work
cards made from offcuts – you know when you have some left over pieces when you make an art journal or sketchbook or just cut your big sheets of paper to size and have some offcuts on the side – you can turn those into little cards
teabags – it’s a nice addition and we all have some tea at home – it’s also nice for your pen pal to taste something you drink:)
little envelopes made from stamped, printed or painted copy paper – we all have some plain paper at home but with a little bit of care we can make it into something beautiful:)
vintage paper thingies from your grannie – many pen pals collect vintage things so they might like something from the past era that you might not even think twice about. You can include sewing needles in original boxes, ledger paper, music sheets, vintage stickers (they might not stick anymore but they can be glued on with a glue stick), vintage papers, letters,… It’s fun to see those written in another language and with that beautiful handwriting that our grannies had…
handmade collage papers: copy paper is perfectly suitable for making collage paper, so is deli paper and tissue paper and they are all very affordable. You can paint it, stamp it, marble it, print it (with gelli plate or other type of mono print since most of us don’t have a press at home;)).
handmade postcards: you can see here how they are made – those are painted but you can also stamp them if painting is not your forte. Or collage them or marble them or… We have been making handmade postcards for our friends for decades now. Every year we send them from summer holidays and always use a different technique. So far we haven’t run out of ideas so you’re safe here – even kids can do it and people really like them:).
embossed packaging – if you find a nice single colour on some cardboard packaging you can emboss it with your embossing folders and voila, you get something unique that your pen pal can use:). I usually do that with carboard cans that hold instant barely drink (or coffee) – they really emboss gorgeously with the silver lining!
blank (unwritten) postcards or even promotion stickers if they have a nice design
There are many more ideas, from DIY stickers and cut-outs to hand painted envelopes and children’s games… But I always write too much as is so I have to remind myself not everybody wants 100 ideas in one single post :D.
Tags from packaging, copy paper and card offcuts… made somebody happy – isn’t that amazing?
Let’s give some old thorn T shirts a new life – let’s dye them and use them in our nature corners, to sew our dolls, mend things,… there are so many uses for naturally dyed fabric! But how can we dye it? Watch the tutorial bellow:). You don’t need anything special and if you are curious how different methods of brewing coffee and tee influence the results, check it out:)
Let’s dye!
Here’s what I’ve used: – Espresso coffee – actually since we don’t own espresso machine I don’t know if it’s called that – it’s a coffee from cafetiere – Turkish coffee – the brewed coffee in the Turkish coffee pot – Instant coffee – in granules that you just dissolve in hot water directly in the cup – Loose tea – I used black tea, also called Russian or Indian tea (but this one was from East Africa in fact :D) – made in a clay teapot – Tea bags – same black tea, this one was Earl Gray from Teekanne made in ceramic jug / pitcher.
Dying with tea and coffee is so much fun, all natural, non-toxic and gives really nice results!
I first cut a strip of a baby T shirt into 5 equal trips, prepared coffee and tea in all different ways and then dyed the fabric. I didn’t etch the fabric with vinegar nor did I use salt. I didn’t leave it to soak over night, just a couple of hours and the results are quite impressive nevertheless – check the video to be your own judge:)
Chinese New Year (lunar year) is around the corner so let’s make some paper lanterns to decorate our home, to exercise our fine motor skills and learn something about their culture in the meanwhile. (Read about Chinese new year here and more on Sunday).
Let’s make some paper lanterns for the Chinese New Year!
Materials:
Paper or card (preferably red) – measurements at the bottom
Scissors
A scalpel or x-acto knife
A bone folder or cutlery knife
A ruler
Some kind of glue: glue stick or tape glue for paper, PVA for paper and container and all-purpose adhesive for lantern with acetate
A hole punch and/or an awl or a thick needle to make holes for hanging
A satin band, wrapped wire, yarn or decorative string of some kind for hanging
For the 2nd lantern: – Container (recycled coffee, cocoa or barely drink container); mine is: 11 cm (cca 4,5 in) high and 10 cm (4 in) wide – Red paint & paintbrush
for the last lantern: – Piece of scrap (recycled) acetate from packaging
Paper lanterns are quick to make but make everything more festive!
Measurements:
the first paper lantern: 20×10 cm (8×4’’) piece of red paper
the second lantern with the container: 33×13,5 cm (13×5,3’’) of red card
the third lantern with clear (acetate) centre: 23×20 cm (9×8’’) of red card and a piece of acetate 5×20 cm (2×8’’)
When we moved here, there were gold fixtures everywhere. I hate gold. I never liked it. It’s ok on some paintings, in very moderate amounts :D. But I don’t like it on metal things in house nor have I ever worn gold jewellery. So we had these ugly gold lampshades and I decided to change it. I redid one and was waiting to get the other one off the wall but before that happened we already got into acroyoga and crashed it (you can see it in the video):D.
Watch the tutorial how to make it – it’s easy but magical and very unique!
Luckily, there was one lamp left because we have put shelves where it used to be so we had an extra and it’s about time to change the broken one. So here’s the video tutorial how I did that – no special materials needed – the only supply that you might not have at home already is spray paint – but it’s easily accessible and even that is not necessary if you don’t hate the original colour;).
A wall lamp with elf, greenery and when you turn it on – a magical fairy!
And the best part of the light? The MAGIC!!! When you turn it on, another image pops up – on the previous one the trees get leaves and on this one a fairy shows up to greet the elf:) Everything here has to have an elf, a fairy and a fish – because those are the favourite things of my kids;).
Materials needed – nothing fancy;) – spray paint (acrylic spray) in desired colour, mine was black – scrap paper for template and mock-up – black paper for the cut decoration (or in your chosen colours) – pencil – scissors – PVA glue (wood glue/ white glue/glue for porous materials) – brush for applying glue (a cheap old flat one is the best) * optional: white pencil for drawing on black card if preferred – coloured pencils are sharper but can leave a dent and china markers don’t but are rougher to draw with * optional: x-acto knife or scalpel and cutting mat for cutting out intricate designs * optional: big shot and a cutting die – mine was Sizix Bigz Tim Holtz Garden Greens
I’ve written a lot about nature journaling in nature but when it’s raining we have to hide under a roof or a shelter of some kind so we don’t get our paper wet. So I guess I’ll be sketching on our balcony more these days…
Let’s upcycle an old coat into chair warmers!
And sometimes it’s so cold that we want something warm underneath so we can draw longer (and it’s also cosier;)). Let me show you an upcycled idea that will literally take you a few minutes to make! The video is super short and all the hands on parts are in real time so be assured it’s a quick craft – but so so cosy! And you’ll save something from the land field! As I mentioned in the video, I don’t buy fur clothes but I think rescuing one from marching into the trashcan is a great idea!
Upcycled chair warmers are so cosy and warm that you won’t even notice it’s getting colder;).
I love this type of projects – they cost zero money (something that is not irrelevant these days), it saves things from the land field, we don’t have to buy new things (so less produced) and it’s really much cosier and warmer than any foam pad I have ever tried (even the fancy ones when visiting fancy people;). And the coat can be totally ruined… – you can always find a small patch that is still usable:). It’s a quick craft but so gratifying! You can make the same thing out of other kind of clothes but fur (real or faux) is really easy because you don’t have to hem it.
3-4 minutes read It’s “be an angel” day. If you haven’t heard of this concept that’s when you do something nice for somebody else with no expectation of reciprocity. Usually it’s done for a stranger but it doesn’t have to be. It’s fun to do with kids and gives you a warm fuzzy feeling:). I don’t usually post these things but I will make an exception so you get some visuals as to what you can give.
Let’s all be angels from time to time and make the world a little bit brighter for someone:)
I’ve been on both sides of the coin already, sometimes in the exact same period. I once got a lovely set of intense pans and some watercolours from a lovely lady across the ocean – just like that (THANK YOU!!!) – the exact week that I have made some gnomes for the fundraiser in my kids’ primary school – picture at the bottom (they always have shortage of things to sell – people would like to donate by buying small gifts for their friends and family – but the stuff quickly runs out).
Christmas ornament – this one was for granny but you could make the same for a Christmas fundraiser for a charity:) I can’t find the picture of the ones I made from polymer clay for our school’s fundraising.
How can you become an angel and where can you find this kind of fundraisers? – charities – schools – local societies – online crafter’s communities – happy mail (more on that in the future), inchies and “send a postcard” swaps where you can participate as an angel – the person who gives to the participants that didn’t receive back from their assigned partner – in person if you know of someone in need and just send or deliver a package with no trace of who is it from to their door – or the kid’s space in the school/kindergarten:)
Happy mail is another idea to brighten someone’s day…
What can you give? That depends largely on who is it for. – When I am making things for our school’s fundraiser they have to be small cute things that can be given as a gift because people tend to buy gifts at Christmas fairs. I don’t remember half of the things I did but I will list those that I do: I made gnomes, tree ornaments, jewellery. cards, bookmarks and small cute packages of candies etc… – When I participated in a craftster’s forum and one of the ladies was expecting her 6th child with one humble (husband’s) pay check and other ladies organized a charity to help her, she made a list of items she’d need – mostly reusable hygiene supplies – I remember I sewed her washable sanitary pads and breast pads that she really wanted and some stuff for the baby (burp cloths, washable diapers…) and older kids (toys, journals). – For the refugees we collected batteries, sanitary supplies and medicine, blankets, canned food and warm and practical clothes. – For a dog shelter we made blankets from old clothes and chewing toys from the leftovers. So what you make or give really depends on the situation.
Tiny packages with candies for a summer fundraiser for the local kindergarten.
I hope this gives you some ideas of how you can help make this world a tiny little bit better place for some people or animals – and you can do it even if you have no money. I have given things to sell at fundraisers even when we were quite broke on one humble pay check with 3 kids (like the sample above – I bought a bag of soft candies and a sheet of cardboard – that’s not that expensive;). You don’t need that many supplies and you can even make many things by upcycling old clothes like the gnomes I made.
Gnomes upcycled from old clothes, slippers, stockings and socks. They look really cute, I made them in different colours and they were gone immediately:)
Last week I published a class on how to make a cute little sketchbook out of recycled materials – and if you’ve missed it – here is the free link to the class (it’s on Skillshare but with this link you can access it for free – because – you are my people:). If you have 45 minutes, check it out – some people said they really loved it (people not-related to me;)).
A very quick tutorial on how to make a mini art journal.
But if you don’t have 45 minutes and just want the gist of it or maybe just need to scratch the creative urge with a quick 5 minute craft, this mini version is just for you! As somebody said – if you don’t have 10 minutes, you don’t have a life;). The tutorial is only 5 minutes long so you have the other 5 for making it or for just chilling out – it is almost summer, after all;).
Mini art journals are practical and cute – everybody loves mini things, right?
What you’ll need – i.e. materials: – a piece of paper – the longer, the better;); mine was a bit heavier drawing paper 120 lb (200 gsm), 60 cm long (cca 24”) – coloured or patterned cardboard – it could be recycled – mine was from an old tissue box – a ruler (if you use rotatory cutter metal ruler is the best) – scissors or a rotatory cutter – a pencil – a cutlery knife, a skewer or a bone folder – glue for paper (stick glue, PVA, craft glue, whatever;) *optional: corner rounder or a coin
Mini art journals are quick and easy to make and so cute!
Instructions: 1. Cut a stripe of paper down the length of the paper – I like to use the width of the ruler as my guide but you can choose the size of your little booklet. Mine was 6 cm (2 1/3 in) wide. 2. Place the ruler perpendicular and score the same width with a bone folder, a cutlery knife or a skewer. 3. Repeat the scoring by placing the ruler against the previous score as you go – you will get square pages. If you want other dimensions or ratio, you can of course adapt the measurements – just make sure that all the pages have the same width. 4. Measure the pages and cut the two covers from the coloured/patterned cardboard a little bit bigger than the pages – they should stick out at least a few mm (1/8”). This will secure the pages from any abuse later on. 5. Glue on the covers. 6. Enjoy your new little art journal or give it to a friend!
It’s finally out! It took me a year to get the courage to put it out! I do hope you will like it and as a thank you gift I want to give you afree access to the class so you don’t have to pay anything! I’d love your feedback – on Skillshare or here – I’d like to make things useful for you and I really want to connect families with nature and art because I know what it does to us! I have three proofs at home;)
Intro to my “Art journal for families” class.
So here is the link to the class – and in the picture bellow is what we will be doing together – a cute little art journal from kids leftover art supplies (they always seem to have some leftover paper at the end of the school year.) You can even use up half drawn pictures, whatever!) But more frugal tips later on, so stay tuned;)
Art journals I made during the class – and you can, too!
In the class, you can find a lot of tips on how to do art with kids and there’s even a lesson where kids make art journals themselves to demonstrate that! I hope you will find it useful, maybe get a tip here or there and that it will inspire you to do some art or go for a walk in nature:). Either way, I will be happy:) Feel free to share the link as you please and have a nice weekend!
I’ve seen different expressions used for this type of booklet: concertina book, accordion book and Laporello book and as far as I can tell they all mean the same – this zig-zag folded booklet that needs no stitching.
I love the simplicity of this concertina booklet – it’s art that kids could do but it looks really cute.
When I was little I never understood the benefit of these books – they seem to fly out and why would you want to have a book that can just literally unfold itself? It didn’t seem practical – and I’m a practical girl;). But… I’ve only read books at that time… I didn’t paint in them (my parent’s would’ve killed me if I had :D). I have since come to realise there are many benefits to concertina sketchbooks / art journals. They might not be suitable for novels but they are perfect for making art!
Even trying out a material or basic art exercises can look nice in an accordion book.
Why? I’m glad you asked;) Because:
you can work on the next page before the one before is dry – and just keep going until half of your book is full if you are in a grove. I don’t particularly like to wait so I appreciate that a lot;)
you can make several-page long art – you are not limited on a two-page spread
you can make a story that travels from one page to the next
this is perfect for storyboarding
it’s a good way for trying out your book illustrations – do they work together and is a character unintentionally changing on the pages etc… so you can correct it
it can look really lovely all laid out on a mantlepiece or windowsill
it’s really easy to make – even kids can do it without your help (tested many times;)
doesn’t need any special bookbinding supplies, no needles, pokey tools, nothing fancy – just cardboard, paper and glue:)
it can largely be made out of recycled materials, leftotver scraps of paper etc.
makes unique, practical and lovely gift when customized to recipient’s taste
it’s fun! Kids can use it as a toy (if you let them;)
it makes cute videos of your finished artwork if you want to share that
I’ve made several of them and keep reaching for them and keep making the same design because it’s so practical for painting! The “no need to wait for page to dry to be able to paint the next page” is big in my book!
So I hope I’ve convinced you to give an accordion book or concertina book a try:). If you don’t know how to go about it, I have a surprise for you coming up tomorrow so stay tuned!
Very Arty Fairy 