Make Money with Your Art Work

Laura Bray is having a fantastic e-course on how to develop a successful business and how to have fun while you do it!

Multiple Streams of Income:
An Online Course

Begins September 7, 2009

• Are you struggling to make a living doing what you love?
• Do you feel like you are working all the time and getting nowhere?
• Do you feel overwhelmed and confused about all the ways artists and crafters can make money?
• Are you always jumping from one idea to the next without following through on anything?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, this online course is designed for you!

Laura Bray, an artist with an M.B.A., will teach you how to create income by doing what you love. Sign up soon, class starts next week!

Welcome Our New Guest Designers

First of all I'd like to thank all of you for participating in our Designer Call this past month. We had so many qualified applicants that I actually haven't gotten in touch with all of you yet. It was a joy looking at all your photos and blogs and etsy stores and flicker sites and, and, and...well, you get the picture. So without further adieu let me introduce you to Art Glitter's Guest Designers for September, October and November:


Violette Clark

I am a mixed media artist, author, designer, workshop instructor and creative catalyst. I live in beautiful B.C. Canada with my partner Mr. G (aptly named for his tolerance of glitter) in a purple magic cottage. The cottage sports a huge papier mache dragonfly drenched in glitter!

My first book "Journal Bliss: Creative Prompts to Unleash your inner Eccentric" is all about Visual Journaling. My passion is to teach others to embrace who they are through the vehicle of their creativity. I do this mainly through classes on Visual Journaling (among other mixed media projects), in my online classes and in my blog. My home, glittery van and art have been featured on numerous TV shows.

You can check out my blog at http://www.violette.ca/blog.html and sign up for my newsletter here www.violette.ca (get free creative playcards!) Watch my youtube videos here: http://www.youtube.com/user/creativeboho

Jan Hennings

I've been a card maker for the last fifteen years and have branched out into scrapbook layouts, altered item, gifts and love making 3-D projects. One of my favorite things is to find an item I can recycle, reuse and rethink. I'm a wife and a mom of seven children. I have a special place in my heart for kids and serve on the Board of Director's for a Child Advocacy Organization.

My work has been published in Stampington and Company (Gallery Magazine) and upcoming publication in Bel Armoire Magazine. You can also find my art in scrapbooking.com, Ready, Set, Create! and Scrapbook News and Review.

I currently have projects in Spellbinder's Pendant Contest where my purse was listed and an Honorable Mention and on the Bind-It-All blog where my Summer Fun Album was chosen as a winner in their contest.

Blog: http://papercraftpleasures.blogspot.com

Lisa Kettell

Ever since Lisa could hold a crayon, she has been creating a world of fantasy,
now in Altered Art Circus, she shares her unpredictable, imaginary world with you.

Lisa’s various artistic mediums have been fueled by her love of history, her world travels and her inimitable imagination. She shares her creativity in The Faerie Zine, a zine she founded in 2006 that is dedicated to the unlimited possibilities in the world of art and to building friendships within the artist community.

Her artwork has been published in newspapers, magazines, books, and on websites. She enjoys teaching workshops and is currently in the process of licensing a new line of products. Her imaginary world is based in NJ. Here is her website: www.moonfairesworld.com

Thank you for helping us spread the sparkle. We look forward to what you will be sharing with us!

And I'd like to give one more big thank you to Laura Bray, Linda Hess and Nancy Ward for being my first set of designers. You are such creative women and wonderful to work with. Thank you for putting up with me while we ironed out the bugs of this process.

You can always find Laura, Linda and Nancy on our Guest Designers page. Be inspired!

Mixed Media Canvas by Linda Hess

Painting has always been a challenge for me. That is one reason I LOVE the products from Earth Safe Finishes...they make even my basic painting "skills" come alive!

(Be sure to click on photo for a close up of glitter details!)

For this mixed media canvas I first painted overlapping color blocks using Shimmer Opaque paints in sapphire, turquoise, ruby, and magenta. Once these dried I covered the entire surface with crackle medium, criss crossing as I spread the product. I let the product dry (this took a little bit of time) and then painted over it with gold acrylic paint. I set the canvas aside and let the crackle process take over. I was pleased to see the soft, shimmery look that the canvas took on.

I usually let canvases "speak" to me before I add anything to it. This one asked for stenciling :-) I applied a fabric stencil from Tulip to one side and sponge painted the open areas with Black Pearl Shimmer Opaque. While the paint was still wet I dumped (yes, dumped!) #291 Fire Engine Ultrafine Opaque glitter from Art Glitter over the wet paint and pressed it into place with a finger. Carefully I peeled the stencil away to reveal a beautiful design.

It needed something more, so I pulled out some scrapbook supplies: metal words, rubber stamps, ink, and gold paper. I added these elements but the canvas asked for more! I found a Friendly Plastic butterfly floating around my studio (I created it for an AMACO challenge and then was excited to have it chosen for an advertisement). It added the perfect final detail to the canvas.

I hope you can see how easy it is to use these materials and create fabulous home decor pieces and/or gifts with just a little bit of effort. If I can paint anyone can! Give it a try and remember....there is no wrong way to create. Have fun ;-)

Fantasy Butterfly Box by Emily M. Miller

See this article on Scrapbooking.com with more instructions on how to make this paper too!


I took a fun class a couple of weeks ago with Jill K. Berry, a great instructor at Art Unraveled. We made several boxes and cases and I wanted to share this basic origami box with you. You may already know how to make one.


Jill made hers with this neat beaded lid that opens easily, only I changed it a little to make the handle a stamped Fantasy Film butterfly. Enjoy!


Materials:
Cardstock: two square pieces – 10”, 2.75”
Bone folder
Matte board: 2 square pieces – 3” , 2.5”
Sharpie: black
Fantasy Film: 1509 Krista’s Eyes
Stamp pad: Permanent Ink, Black
Stamp: Butterfly
Iron set to med-high heat
Parchment paper
Designer Dries Clear Adhesive w/ metal tip attached
Ultrafine Opaque Glitter: #78 Slate, #66 Yellow
Scissors
Ruler
Pencil

Directions:
•Using the square 10” cardstock follow these instructions to make the bottom half of an origami square box:

http://www.kid-at-art.com/htdoc/lesson16.html


Like the paper I used? Me too. It’s watercolor paper made by Jill Berry, if you get the chance to you have to take a class from her!

•If matte boards have white cord, blacken edges with sharpie. To create lid glue 2.75” cardstock square to top of 3” matte board and the 2.5” matte board to bottom.

•Ink butterfly stamp with black ink. Set stamp on table with inked rubber side up. Place three layers of film gently on stamp surface. Without moving the film, cover it with parchment paper. Press and iron for 3 seconds on the entire surface of stamp. Too much dwell time will burn the film. Peel film off stamp surface. Make 2 sets of butterflies.

•Cut closely around butterflies up to, but not the black lines. Leave one flat and crease other one at thorax and bend wings up.

•Glue flat butterfly to top of lid where desired. Put a small amount of glue onto bottom thorax of creased butterfly and let air dry for about 30 seconds before placing directly on top of flat butterfly. Glue weighted down for at least 20 minutes.

•Add glitter embellishments as desired and let dry!


I also added glitter to the back of my lid because it was white.

Note: These measurements and colors are just what I used. You can make yours any size you want, just start with a perfect square for the bottom of the box and then use the finished box as your guide to what size of lid to make.


I just had to share one more view so you can see how the film changes colors and sparkles in light. As you can see I should have ran my sharpie along the edge of my gold cardstock too! Opps!

NEW! Here are several smaller versions I wanted to share with you. Some have dragonflies, some have an origami lid and others have the butterflies askew instead of directly on top of each other. More Fun!

Glitzy Beads and Pendants by Linda Hess

I do LOVE glitz and glimmer! For this reason I was instantly attracted to the Gala Glitz products. In the past I have worked with the Clear Cast resin from Environmental Technologies and knew that the 2 products would work together very well. I wasn't disappointed.

Materials:

Art Glitter Gala Glitz Pink & Gala Glitz Gold

Art Glitter #806 Sonata Small Glass Beads

Art Glitter #19 Grape Ultrafine Opaque Glitter

EasyCast Low Odor Clear Cast Epoxy (www.eti-usa.com)

2 #33610 easy Cast Jewelry Resin Molds (www.eti-usa.com)

disposable mixing cups with measurement lines

small disposable cups (Hint: Recycle old medicine cups)

popsicle sticks

The EasyCast lives up to its name...it is very easy to use. It comes with 2 bottles, one hardener and one resin. Pour equal amounts into a disposable measured cup (mine has 1/2oz markings on the side). Mix thoroughly with a popsicle stick (my "tool" of choice) for 2 minutes and then it is ready to pour.

Pour about a third of the mixture into a small disposable cup and then add about a teaspoon of the Gold Gala Glitz to it. Mix thoroughly. If the mixture seems saturated with color, then it is ready to pour into the mold. If however you see more clear liquid than Gold Glitz add a bit more Gala Glitz and repeat the mixing process until you are happy with the saturation. I was amazed at how far a small amount went! As you can see in the photo I was able to pour multiple pieces before using it up.

I repeated the process with the Pink Gala Glitz and was greeted with similar results (in terms of how far it went).

With the last of the EasyCast I wanted to see if the Small Glass Beads would work and if the color would "bleed" (remember I had a bit of a problem with some of the colors mixed into liquid polymer clay). The mixture wasn't as sparkly as I had hoped using just the beads, so I grabbed my pot of glitter and added about a 1/2-1 tsp to the cup and then mixed. Perfect glitz and glimmer!

The EastCast product must soft set for 24hrs before you can pop pieces out of the mold. Once I popped them out I noticed a couple of points that may save you from any frustration:

1) Do not over fill the molds. If you fill the molds to the point that I did (all the way to the top) then you will be spending a little time sanding the curved edges away (unless this curved edge works in your design idea).

2) The Gala Glitz and Small Beads will sink to the bottom of the EasyCast mixture during the curing process. If you add more product to the resin during the mixing step then the separation may not be as noticeable. Again, for some this separation may add to the design concept and be the perfect "unplanned" detail. For others it may seem like a disaster...be forewarned.

3) The glitter seems to stay suspended in the curing process. Imagine Glitter beads or glitter touches in your designs! I am already planning to experiment with painting the mixture on a canvas to see the effects. Or on wood beads. I will let you know what happens.

What to do with the finished un-molded pieces? Holes can be drilled through for stringing, bezels can be added for pendants, or pieces can be wired wrapped...wouldn't that make a FABULOUS ring?? Unfortunately the pieces CANNOT be baked (my favorite question for most manufacturers), but they can be set into pre-baked polymer clay bezels for truly custom made eye-catching art pieces.

Enjoy experimenting with these products. I know I am. Now off to the studio I go......

Glitter Notes By Laura Bray

I always carry a small notepad in purse with me. I use it to make shopping lists and to jot down crafty ideas while I’m out and about. Of course, I always have to embellish my notepads! These make great gifts too

Supplies & Tools:

Small notebook. Mine measures 3” x 5”
Fabric, for my notepad I used a 2.5” x 4” piece.
Cardboard. It should measure the same size as your fabric piece.
Art Glitter to match the colors in your fabric. I used Ultrafine.
Art Glitter: Designer Dries Clear Adhesive
Ribbon

Directions:

1. Glue fabric onto cardboard backing. This will create a sturdy surface and will prevent the fabric from getting too “wet” and wrinkling in the next step.
2. Once fabric is adhered to cardboard, begin carefully applying glue to areas on the fabric that you want to glitter. Work on one color at a time. For example, I applied glue to all the areas where I wanted to apply green glitter (I used Key Lime #94) and then sprinkled the green glitter over the glued areas. Carefully pick up the fabric and tap off the excess glitter. Continue working, color by color until all the design elements on the fabric, that you want glittered, are sparkling.
3. Allow the fabric to dry.
4. Once the fabric is dry, center and glue it onto your notepad cover.
5. Tie color coordinated ribbon to the spirals on the notepad.

Extra Idea! Cover a composition book in fabric and then glitter the fabric according to the above directions. Tie a ribbon on the spine and you have a lovely journal!

Note: If you are glittering fabric that will need to be laundered, it is recommended that you use Art Glitter’s Fabric Dries Clear Adhesive.

Art Glitter Give Away at 365 Cards!

Art Glitter joined up with 365 Cards blog challenge this week to inspire you to sparkle your cards to the layouts they present! Here are a few from their designers:

They have a lot of great ideas to share:

So join in the fun and maybe you'll win an Art Glitter Basic Kit!!!

Glittery Tennies by Nancy Ward

SUPPLIES
Art Glitter™ UltraFine Glitter, Silver (or color of your choice)
Art Glitter™ Dries Clear Fabric Adhesive
White canvas tennis shoes
Bic Mark-it™, Fine Point, Black (or color of your choice)
Plaid® Apple Barrel™ Acrylic Gloss Enamel, Black (or color of your choice)
Plaid® Folkart® Outdoor Gloss Sealer
Rubbing alcohol and cotton ball or alcohol swab; synthetic brushes (Round Scrubber, Angled Shaper); paper plate or large piece of scrap paper; small plastic baggie; tweezers; paper towels; drying rack for shoe laces


INSTRUCTIONS
1. Wipe off the edges of the soles and the metal lace grommets with alcohol; set aside to dry.
2. Color the lace grommets with the black marker; color the sides of the soles with the black marker. Set aside to dry.
3. Add 1 TBL black paint and 1 tsp water to the small baggie; squeeze the bag to blend the paint/water. Place one shoe lace in the bag and zip the bag closed. Squeeze the bag so the shoe lace is completed colored. Remove the shoe lace from the bag with the tweezers. Holding the shoe lace at one end, pull it between a folded piece of paper towel to remove excess paint/water. Repeat for the second shoe lace, adding more paint/water to the bag if necessary. Set laces aside to dry.
4. Using the Angled Shaper brush, apply black paint to the inner tongue of both shoes. When dry, apply black paint to other areas of the shoes as seen in the picture. (NOTE: use another coloring design if desired.) Set aside to dry. Clean the brush.
5. Using the Angled Shaper brush, apply a thick, but even, coat of Dries Clear Fabric adhesive to the front of one shoe. Sprinkle glitter over the glue; gently shake off excess glitter onto a paper plate or piece of paper. Repeat for the second shoe.
6. Using the Angled Shaper brush, apply a thick, but even, coat of Dries Clear Fabric Adhesive to one half of one side of one shoe. Sprinkle glitter over the glue; gently shake off excess glitter onto a paper plate or piece of paper. Repeat for the other half of that side; repeat in this manner for the other side. Set aside this shoe to dry for 12 hours. Clean the brush.
7. Repeat Step 6 for the second shoe. Return excess glitter to the glitter container.
8. Turn a shoe upside down over the paper plate or scrap paper and tap the sole to remove excess glitter; repeat for the second shoe.
9. Using the Round Scrubber dry, brush glitter from the black areas of both shoes. It may be necessary to use strips of masking tape to remove remaining glitter.
10. Using the Angled Shaper, apply a thin, even coat of varnish to all glittered areas of one shoe; repeat for the second shoe. Set the shoes aside to dry overnight.
11. Apply a second coat of varnish as directed in Step 10.
12. Lace up the shoes and show them off!


Nancy Ward
http://paperfriendly.blogspot.com/

Glitter Globes By Laura Bray

Make your own glitter globes. These are great for marking a special occasion. The one I made here was given to my daughter in honor of her first ballet recital.


Supplies & Tools:

Glass Jar. I used a small, caper jar that I washed out.
Scissors
Small, Styrofoam ball
Ballerina cupcake topper or any other small plastic toy
Light Corn Syrup
Distilled Water
Art Glitter: Transparency Sheets
Ribbon
Tulle
Silk Flowers
Art Glitter: Designer Dries Clear Adhesive
Art Glitter: Double Sided Tape
Art Glitter: Ultrafine Opaque Hologram Glitter in Jet Eye
Art Glitter: Faux Snow


Directions:

1. Cut the small Styrofoam ball in half, and glue toy onto half of the ball. Apply glue to base of ball and press into the bottom of your glass jar. (If you are doing a large project and the plastic toy you are using is large, you may be able to glue it directly into the jar without creating a Styrofoam base.) Allow the glue to dry before beginning next step.
2. Pour light corn syrup into the jar, leaving about 3” from the jar top. Sprinkle glitter and snow into the jar. Add distilled water to the jar, leaving about ½ to 1” of open jar to allow for shaking. Make sure the glitters you use are either transparent or ultrafine. Extra large opaque pieces can make it difficult to see your toy. Be sure to use distilled water. Tap water can be cloudy.
3. Apply a fine line of glue around the inside of the jar lid and screw onto top of jar.
4. Embellish jar with ribbon, tulle and silk flowers and other items of your choice.
5. I printed out the words, “my little dancer”, onto transparency paper and taped it to the back of my jar, so that you can read the words through the front of the jar.

This would be a great a project for the holidays, using plastic deer or pine trees and lots of faux snow. If you want to do this project with children or for a child, consider using plastic containers instead of glass jars. Just make sure the plastic is clear for best results.

About Laura Bray

Laura Bray is a professional artist, designer and crafter. She lives in Southern California with her husband, daughter and their dog, Jack. She loves having a career doing what she loves and she shares her business knowledge with other artists and crafters so that they can do they too can live and work creatively. For more information about Laura and to sign-up for her free newsletter, visit her website at www.katydid-designs.com.