Dina Kowal Creative

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Slimline Cloud Background - video!

Here is the video showing how I made my cloudy sky background for yesterday's post, using the Cloud Edger stencils from A Colorful Life Designs. Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, August 10, 2020

Impression Obsession - Old is New

With such a huge collection of wonderful stamps from so many artists, sometimes the older stamps in the Impression Obsession catalog find their way out of the spotlight. We don't want them to be forgotten, so we like to feature them regularly. We hope you're inspired!

Once again, I've got a Serendipity stamp to share - this one is called Summer Barn & Windmill, and I colored it up with Copic markers. I used the Cloud Edger stencil to fill in the sky on my slimline card (this one is 3.5" x 8.5") - I did take a video of my process this time, and I'll try to get that finished soon! I used a variety of inks as well as colored pencils and a white Pitt marker. More on that later!

Here's a closer look at the barn - all those different textures were a lot of fun! The sentiment is HERE - that's one of mine.

Be sure to check out the other designers' blogs for inspiration - see the I.O. blog for all the details!

Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Foiled Basics collection by Yana Smakula

One more Spellbinders post! Yana Smakula has a new holiday collection of foiling plates, and invited me to share a project - this is the Winter Village set!

The base of my card is a piece of backing board that I ordered from Clearbags to use in my packaging when I mail prints - it's a cheap, textured board about the thickness of matboard. I pressed the foiling plates into the board without foil, using my die cutting machine.

Next I brayered acrylic paint onto my Gel Press and pressed the board into the paint. Since the village images were impressed into the board, they remained white.

I used white gesso to add in some highlights to the scene, and I used colored pencils for shading and details.

With a pencil, I added a curved line below the lodge to create a frozen pond in the center of my scene. I used a ball stylus to dot in a few more snowflakes.

This whole collection has an elegant and modern style - I hope you'll take a peek at the other sets as well - they are available today!

Saturday, August 08, 2020

Spellbinders August Glimmer Club Kit - with polymer clay!

You may or may not know that I've been learning how to work with polymer clay in my spare time - when this month's August Glimmer Club kit from Spellbinders came, I squealllled because of the craft theme, and then immediately saw it as a texture tool for polymer clay!

My basement lighting is a little weird, but I did take pictures of my process for those who might be curious! I started by conditioning my clay to a workable softness - this is mostly cadmium yellow Premo clay, mixed with a tiny pinch of brown and granite.

I rolled the clay out and pressed the glimmer plate into it evenly - this plate is a nice repeating border, so it covered the area well.

I used circle cutters for the larger pieces, then reconditioned and rolled the scraps out and used a plastic texture sheet on that piece for smaller circles. (These cutters are intended for leather, so they're very heavy duty and they work great.)

I used PanPastels to color the raised surfaces of the pieces (I started with this golden color, then changed my mind and layered other colors on 2 sets), then baked them according to the package instructions, drilled holes and dipped them twice in PC-Petrifier, which is the finish I use on my paper beads.

I just stocked up with copper findings for fall so I used those on these earring pairs, each in a different style.

I love how these turned out! Simple, a little out of the box, and every piece unique. I will tuck them into my etsy store in case they want to be yours!

If you're interested in working with polymer clay, there are thousands of tutorials online, as well as several helpful Facebook groups! A few favorites for learners:

Polymer Clay Newbies (Facebook group)

Jessama Tutorials Polymer Clay Group (Facebook group)

The Blue Bottle Tree

Here are the club details, if you're not a member yet! My favorite perks are the extra sales and the 10% discount on the Spellbinders site (even on sale items!)! You'll begin receiving kits the month that you sign up, and the date you sign up will be your shipment day.

Spellbinders Monthly Club benefits:

Past Club Kits at Member Rates

10% Store Savings

Members Only Offers and Deals

Earn Creative Rewards for Each Purchase

Monthly Inspiration

Cancel Anytime

Skip Any Month

Annual Membership Gift

Exclusive Deals

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Spellbinders August Large Die Kit

This month's large die kit club from Spellbinders is soooo up my alley! The full set makes a cute little 3D easel, complete with a tiny 'canvas' and still life images. I used a few of the individual dies for a kaleidoscope design, and I'll share my process below!

I printed a circle guide with degree markings, and spaced the palettes every 60 degrees, then placed the brushes in between.

I laid a piece of Press'n Seal wrap over the panel, taking care not to move the pieces, lifted them up and flipped them over on the wrap, then placed foam tape on the back of each piece.

After removing the tape liner, I flipped the wrap back over and centered my design on a cardstock panel, then pressed the foam tape down to secure the die cut pieces and pulled the wrap away. Tadaaaa!