awww I can’t believe spring break is over already. I know I say it way too often, but time just flies…at supersonic speed!! Of course I didn’t get nearly as much done as I had hoped. My ambitions and self-expectations always seem to exceed my time, and I always think that I am going to have more (time) than I ever actually do! Drats. So, I guess you notice that I did not get too many fabulous tutorials up here over the past week. I am still working on it though.  I have been up to my eyeballs in projects around here. My workspace looks like a cyclone hit it and I have stacks of sketches everywhere! What I would not give for another week of “break”…

I hope it does not sound like complaining. Because I really don’t want for it to seem like that. I am happier than a clam being busy with projects and making stuff! It is frustrating when you just feel like you can’t ever get everything done that you want to do! I tell ya, sleeping and eating really takes up way too much time! LOL  Anyway. I suppose there is always tomorrow to get back to my to do list…

For now I am just going to leave you with a new image that I just digitally colored for my kristenpowersink site. I really am liking this one and thought you might too.

ttfn

kristen

…like I need a hole in my head! But I just can’t seem to help myself! As many of you may (or may not) know, I have opened a new stamp shop on Etsy (kristenpowersink). For the past couple of weeks I have been busily adding digital ’stamp’ images*  to download and use in your own art and craft creations.  I not only want to offer digi-stamps but clear stamps and  hand carved stamps too. So I, of course, had to start carving as soon as I had a free moment (which happened to be this morning at 5 a.m.)! Please visit my shop to see my new, one-of-a-kind designs. I probably will just put these up as the mood strikes! Here is one of my  hand carved babies…

one-of-a-kind hand carved rubber stamp by me, kristen!

If you love stamps please visit my Etsy shop and here on my blog often. I have new designs every day and my line of clear stamps will be added very soon too! They are going to production as I write this!

*digital stamps, for those of you who may not know (and I didn’t even know myself until recently…) are images that are sent to you via email. It is great because you can print them over and over again and even re- size  as needed to suit your project. It is not a “traditional” stamping but getting your images this way definitely has it’s benefits. I will have some tutorials here very soon on digi-stamping and, you know, other stuff too!

TTFN and as always thanks for looking at my blog and my art!

xo

kristen

So, last week I was looking at Totally Tutorials blog. I wanted to find out more about their exchange program. The deal is this, someone who sells supplies will offer up some goodies in exchange for making a tute out of the product that is being offered. All you need to do is send along an email with your ideas and/or concept for a creative tutorial. If you are chosen, the seller will notify you and send you the product or supplies and you make and post your tute within a given amount of time. Sounds fun right? I thought so when I found out I could get this really cool, burlap coffee bean bag! So I submitted my idea (like maybe i don’t have enough projects on my plate already! LOL) and a few days later, I found out I was one of the three lucky recipients! My bean bag arrived on Friday and I set out to make this really cool bulletin board! I hope that Betty at Donkee House and Dotty at Totally Tutorials both like it…and I hope YOU like it too!

coffee bag message board with coffee bean border and push pins!

Here is the list of items that you will need:

1) Coffee Bean Burlap Bag

2) Cork Board ( I got mine at an office supply for $12. It is 24 x 36)

3) decoupage medium and medium to large paintbrush

4) scissors

5) hot glue gun (and about 6 hot glue sticks)

6) whole coffee beans ( I used approx. 6 oz.)

7) thumbtacks

24 x 36 bulletin board and Burlap coffee sack

besides the burlap bag and the cork boarde, this is the other stuff you'll need!

lay your board and your bag out and measure...

cut the side of bag that you want to use. make it a bit larger than the area that you are covering.

spread your decoupage medium all over the board...make sure to get it to the edges.

place your burlap onto the board...

press firmly and get out any wrinkles or fold marks

once the bag is in place trim bag to the inside of the frame

make sure all the edges are glued down well

I had a little help hot gluing all of the coffee beans around the border!

finishing the border...

make some tacks with hot glue and coffee beans!

hang your pictures, notes, mementos, grab a cup of coffee, sit back and enjoy!

This project really didn’t take much time (about 2 hours) and only cost about $14…it would have cost just a few dollars more if I would have purchased the burlap coffee sack. This was a lot of fun and I think it will look great in my kitchen! Thanks again to Donkee House and Totally Tutorials!

xo

kristen

I recently found a couple of great blogs,  Julie’s Open Window and The Play Date Cafe!  The Play Date Cafe posts a design challenge each week. The design team will post a creative inspiration along with a color swatch. The challenge is to create something using the color parameters that you are given. I have been wanting to enter this for a while now and I have finally done it!

Here is the inspiration:

I designed this image just for the occasion...

work in progress

close up

my finished card for the Play Date Cafe design challenge

I know I haven’t posted much lately but I am now officially on Spring Break (hooray!) So I should be able to get some really juicy tutorials and artwork up here over the next week.!! I know that I usually have more ideas and aspirations than I have time, so I won’t make any grandiose promises LOL but I promise I have at least a couple cool things coming here from my drawing board! For now I will have to leave you with one of my new digi-stamp images. I had fun with these and am working on a few more…there will be 9 in all. Please visit my etsy shop to see the others that I have completed.

TTFN

xo…Kristen

I didn't mean to draw myself as a matryoshka doll...it just sorta happened!

This is my ’sketch’ for a painting I am doing in class. I know it’s silly but I couldn’t bring myself to do a still life of a flower! Ugh. I guess I will never be a “real” artist, because I just cannot seem to keep my head from going a million different directions and FOCUS on actually creating a body of cohesive work. I just want to make stuff and paint and draw whatever strikes my fancy. I think “real” artists are much more disciplined than I can ever be! Oh well, I will have to be happy with being a “real” crafter and maker of stuff!

Anyway here is my post for today of my latest “work”…

another version....

I like to think I will make a card out of it that says, “hope you fillet better soon!” or something like that…

Just want to say thanks for all of the nice comments I have been receiving. I am really excited by the response to my new digi-stamp shop! I have so many projects that I want to do, I feel like I may burst! I think my new painting pretty much sums it up with the statement,  “It’s all in your head”. This is something I did a few weeks ago, I consider it a sketch because it is still very much a work in progress!

peace.

kp

I wish I had more time to put up some artwork and do a new tutorial because I have so many ideas swirling around in my head! Unfortunately for each idea I have, I also have some other task that needs my attention! So for now I have to be content with putting up a couple of new images! I may not be able to post anything for a couple of days, as I will be out of town visiting my college girl! When I get back I will put up something new and exciting!

Have a great weekend!

a few of my new digi stamp images

* I can’t wait to color these! Hopefully next week I will get the chance!

So as you may or may not know, I have just opened my digi-stamp shop on Etsy (kristen powers ink)! I am really excited about this new shop and all the things I am planning! If you like card making and/or scrap booking ideas, please peek back in from time to time and see what I am making and dreaming up! I can’t wait to make some cards and do some painted and colored samples. Also, for those of you who like to hold a REAL stamp in your hand, I will be offering  some limited editions of those soon too…right now I am just trying to get things posted and keep my head above water with school (mid-terms are coming up)! But I promise you will see some fun new stuff and tutorials soon. As always, thanks for visiting and looking at my art!

peace,

kristen

my first digi image that sold!!

I have been taking a painting class this semester and how lucky am I to get Carol Carter as my instructor?!! Her work is just incredible and it is a thrill just to get to see all of her work that she brings in to share! What is even better is that she is a great teacher and a wonderful person. This week we have been working with different textures and experimenting with a variety of ways to achieve texture in watercolor. Here I have done a sampler using things like, tissue, matte medium, salt and texture paste to create a texture palette. I wanted it to look like a quilt. I figure it will come in handy for some future projects I am planning and I thought it looked pretty cool too.

watercolor texture palette

And here is the first painting I did in class of a tiny still life….

"firestarter"

more coming soon!