Posts from ‘Design Team’
Summer Zentangle
I loved this assignment. Something about trying something new and getting our of my comfort zone really gives me new perspective on how I create and with how hectic my summer is I was really drawn to the idea that a Zentangle could actually calm me down and relax my attitude. For my zentangle I grabbed a couple 4×6 and 3×4 card stock pieces because I knew I wanted to incorporate a few of the styles into my Project Life album. I made up about a dozen different styles for things we are doing this year. Swimming, gardening, sandbox time and running through the sprinklers. Some turned out better then others but the process was all relaxing and very invigorating. I loved the layers it took to create each piece. I can’t wait to try it again on a larger scale… maybe making an entire background paper for a layout or something. I’ll be catching up on my Project Life album together this weekend and I post a few picts soon. Enjoy your creative weekend!
-Joanna
“tangle” supplies;
Tombow MONO Adhesive Dots , Tomobw Dual Brush Pen – N15 black , Tomow White Gel Pen
the idea of the “ZENTANGLE” is interesting to me. all those doodles in
the notebooks of my college classes actually have a name now! well, unfortunately i am
not much of a doodler now, but i took inspiration from the zentangle
and put it toward my scrapbooking.
this layout was inspired by the doodling now called zentangle. Both the pattern paper blocks on the page and the title were a result of the research i have done concerning zentangle. the result is a fun technique that fits my style. i’m coining my own phrase and calling it a “scrap-tangle”!
using coordinating pattern papers (all of mine came from OCTOBER AFTERNOON’s recess line) i cut (mostly) straight lines from one of the pattern papers. then using the other coordinating patterns i filled in a 4″ square piece of white cardstock. the final result is similar to the different doodling one might do with they were creating their own zentangle.
*tips* (because i tried this three different ways)
*you can doodle a zentangle first.
i took my 4″ square piece of white cardstock and drew directly on it first.
then using a piece of vellum i laid it over the design and traced it.
next i flipped the piece of vellum over onto the pattern paper i wanted to use and re-traced the lines on the back side of the vellum.
this will transfer the lead from the front side of the vellum to the pattern paper.
now you have a guide to cut out your shapes out of patterned paper.
a suggestion with this method – number each piece that is traced on the vellum AND on the pattern paper. so when all of your pieces are cut out you can fit it together like a puzzle with a pattern.
*another way to do this is to use scraps pieced together
generously apply adhesive to the background you want to use, again mine was the 4″ square, and then apply pattern paper. i used the Tombow MONO dot runner, as it is a little more forgiving if the pieces need to be adjusted.
then after laying down the background pieces i covered the seams, where the pattern papers came together, with the bold strips.
*keep all of your “bold” strips the same pattern paper. it will keep a cohesive feel to the final piece.
*try to make your bold lines wavy, not always straight
*use your Tombow Dual Brush Markers and ink the edges of the pieces being put together. it makes the “scrapped zentangle” have more definition.
“scrap-tangle”!
Tombow is highlighting their Mono White Gel Pen this month and at the same time Joanna challenged us to a Zentangle inspired project. It was a tall order but once I rec’d the lovely Capella packet from Basic Grey (I know!! One of my all time favorite paper companies!!) I knew I could do it. I had a direction that turned out so very vintage and lovely!
For this card I used Basic Grey paper, brads and some lovely vintage lace from my stash that matched perfectly! To keep with the scallop and circle theme in my “zentangle” drawing, I punched one edge of BG paper with an eyelet scallop punch.
I colored my Zentangle image with Tombow DBP’s and put the whole card together with Tombow’s Mono-Adhesive Dots. I am pretty pleased with how it turned out. It was a fun challenge.
-Debbie
A sneak preview of what I have been working on – coloring Zentangles with Tombow Dual Brush Pens. What is a Zentangle®? It is basically a doodle – a doodle that reduces stress and improves your focus while you create a beautiful piece of art. Traditional Zentangles® were developed by Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts. They use Zentangles® as a ritual way to meditate and give you a sense of well being. Their mantra is “Anything is possible one stroke at a timeTM”
Although not a traditional zentangle technique, I love to color the Zentangles® with the Tombow Dual Brush Pens. Tombow offers 96 different colors and a colorless blending pen to provide an endless array of color combinations and shades. I used a permanent black pen to create the tangles and then choose my colors.
The Dual Brush Pen palette used in this Zentangle® are:
173 – Willow Green 195 – Light Green 245 – Sap Green 451 – Sky Blue 452 – Process Blue 493 – Reflex Blue 761- Carnation 723 – Pink 743 – Hot Pink N00 – Blender
All this week the design team will be posting their take on Zentangles and the many ways they were inspired by this simple, relaxing process so check back often, you’ll be amazed at all the different ways Zentangle can show up in your everyday creations!
Ever have projects that are in your mind for a LOOONNGG time before they actually get done? Yeah, that’s me big time. I’ve had this idea for a HOME album since we moved in….. 6 years ago. I had ideas of before and after pictures of what we’ve done with the place, how it’s been decorated and showing off how we’ve turned it from a house into a home…. I’ve done pages here and there but never really sat down and finished it out. The ironic part is that the pages I’ve done need to be added to. 4 years ago I did a LO of my son’s room. Basically that needs to be completely revamped because now it’s less like a nursery and more like a little boy’s room. That’s how it goes, right? You create, you learn, you grow and you document. Life is ever changing and it’s part of the process. This week I’ve been working on updating and creating and I am loving the results of our house transforming into our home.
This Layout is all about our backyard fun this spring. I swear that space outside has turned into another room in our house and I love the sanctuary it gives us. From reading in the hammock together, playing in the playhouse,enjoying countless picnics, building in the sandbox, growing in the garden or flying on the swing it’s our little oasis. For the branches I grabbed a few backyard twigs and used Tombow MONO Adhesive DOTS for a quick hold while I stitched it firmly in place then I added a little texture with some fleece from my sewing stash and added some grass/leaves with Tombow MONO AQUA Liquid Glue and finished it all with a couple Doodlebug Flowers, twine and wooden trim. What about you? How have you documented some of your favorite places?
-Joanna
Can you tell that I have Father’s in my life that fish? I found this wrought iron bottle opener at a boutique shop a few weeks ago and I knew it was a perfect Father’s Day add-on gift for my Dad. The problem was how to present it. It is small enough for a card but I was really worried that nothing would hold it in place. (it weighs at least 1 lbs.) My solution? Chipboard and Tombow MONO Adhesive POWER BOND. I cut my card out then applied the chipboard with POWER BOND to the back. Once that was in place I trimmed the edges, hole punched a few spots for my twine and attached my little gift. The letter stickers are from Basic Grey’s Max & Whiskers line and were perfect to add a pop of color to the grey’s and browns.
What about you? What cards have you made lately? Remeber that today is your last chance to comment to win one of our great prize packs! Winner announced tomorrow at 10!
i have been on a frame kick lately. i love frames, and i keep buying them, but i don’t always fill them right away. this frame i’ve had for quite sometime, and because of the odd sizes and the number of pictures it needed i never felt like i found what i wanted to use it for.
so fast forward to last week, when i got a fun box filled with basic grey’s max and whiskers line! i don’t have animals, but i immediately was impressed with how masculine the papers looked. then the ideas started flowing…pictures of my husband, with the kids, in the frame, just in time for Father’s Day. so i used some of the pattern paper as the background, letter stickers, the paper ribbon and some embellishments. because i wanted to use the lumpy embellishments i took out the glass and made sure it would last with Tombow MONO POWER BOND Adhesive. the end result was totally unique and very quick to come together. once i had the idea it was put together in 15 minutes. thank you basic grey for having a paper for every occasion. happy father’s day!
-sarah
My boys surprised me with how well they did this project. Pinwheels are so cute, and look so terrific with this Basic Grey paper!! They’re simple to make and come together really fast.
- Cut a 12×12 sheet of paper into 4-6 inch squares…double sided paper looks the best!
- Fold each corner to corner, diagonally, creating an X on the square.
- Cut along each fold, stopping about a half inch from the center.
- Punch a small hole on the left bottom corner of each side.
- Cut a 12″ by .5″ strip of paper, run a line of Tombow Mono Adhesive Permanent Dots along it.
- Wrap around a pencil, pulling tightly.
- Pull the holes on the bottom up to the center of the square, and secure with a brad.
- Dip the brad ends in Tombow Mono Aqua Glue, push into the pencil eraser.
Note:
Most paper pinwheels spin, but these ones do not. I thought the matching brads were way too cute to not use, and so did my boys! If you want yours to spin just use a thumb tack instead of a brad, and don’t dip it in glue prior to pushing it into the eraser.
-April
Ever start a project and have it turn out completely different then when you started it? Yeah, that is exactly how this card project was. It was supposed to be a simple summer card to give with a few gifts, it was supposed to take only about 10 minutes to do both of them…. instead, it turned into an hour long project that is way funner and way cuter then I could have hoped!
Supply List:
White Cardstock
Dual Brush Pens (all from our Jelly Bean Set!)
Maya Road (super sparkly) Jewels
Maya Road’s (perfect with everything) Chipboard Scrolls (mini)
Tombow Permanent Adhesive Roller
Glimmer Mist (I put that stuff on everything nowadays!) or water
Stem do-dad’s. (seriously, don’t know what these things are called- you’ll have to watch the video for more info.)
Scissors (hint here? don’t let your scissors get dull.. it will ruin your day… just sayin’)
I’ll be posting a video on our YouTube channel soon with step-by-step instructions on how to make this great Hibiscus on your next project . Remember today is your last chance to comment for a chance to win our great Team-up prize pack! Winners announced this weekend!
-Joanna
to create this fun wall hanging, I used a “page” from Maya Road’s Wavy Layer Chipboard Book. I painted the front and back a creamy white color then sponged the edges with permanent brown ink. I hand cut a piece of Basic Grey patterned paper from their Porcelain line, sponged the edges with chocolate ink, machine stitched around the edges and adhered with Tombow’s Mono Adhesive Power Bond.
I used Tombow’s Mono Aqua Liquid Glue to adhere brown glitter to Maya Road’s David Chipboard Alphabet. I used the Mono Aqua Liquid Glue to adhere the letters to the wallhanging.
The bird and leaf is punched from one of Stampin’ Up’s punches. The flower is made by stamping several scallop circles, wadding them up in a ball and then flattening them back out. I made two holes with my piercer and threaded the vintage button with crochet thread for strength and knotted to the back. I then spritzed the flower very lightly with water and one layer at a time started scrunching the flower up around the button. After the flower was completely dry, I brushed the edges with brown ink and ahdered the flower with the liquid glue. I finished it off by adding a ribbon hanger with Maya Road’s Pink Sophisticate Striped Ribbon. Thanks for checking in! (and don’t forget to comment all this week for your chance at this week’s drawing!)
