Hello Dolly by guest artist Shannon Benedetti

Creative Paper Dolls by Shannon Benedetti

If you love paper dolls, doodling, and RubberMoon Art Stamps, then let's get creative and make your own RubberMoon Paper dolls!

You will need the following supplies and stamps:
Dye inkpads of choice

Smooth Watercolor Paper – I used 100 lb.

Coloring medium – I used watercolor pencils.

Here are some of the stamps I used from 
RubberMoon Art Stamps :

• Love this face – kp5172b
• Itty heart – mk169a (little heart for hat)
• Doodle Thing – sc113e (to make the top)
• Dots and Circles – ml205 – (for skirt)
• Shiny star – mk166a (star used in skirt)
• Inksplat - kp5152h (for background dots on tag)
• Be Yourself -db9116C (words)
• Give me Paper - MK479E (used as top)
• Cameron Quote-ML203G- (skirt)
• Little home- db2324D- (top)
• Doll legs- hbhrS10 (available soon)

Once you stamp your selected images, let you imagination fly. Simply draw around your stamped images to create body shapes. I drew the arms, and used a stamp for the legs, but you can draw your own legs and shoes.

For finishing touches, I rounded the corners of my tag, added a fiber tassel,

I used Ranger Glossy accents and Ranger Liquid Pearls to add a bit of 'pop'!

Now you are ready to color and add your own special touches. Have fun!

Here I have done a little step out diagram so you can see the process:

More samples !

Guest artist Shannon Benedetti has been a long time RubberMoon lover! She lives and makes her wonderful creations in sunny Florida.
Thank you Shannon, for sharing your time and talent with us!

A TREAT of a project from Debra V.

RubberMoon Arts is very excited to share this TREAT from the original Moon Goddess, Debra Valoff!
Here Debra shares with you her creative ideas and process for repurposing art and imagery into fabulous folders you can not only have fun making these but you can use and enjoy them every day. Your office supplies never looked sooo good!!

Having lots of wonderful mail art and snippets of projects/ideas I wanted to do something with it that I could enjoy, rather than being in a box that only gets looked at a couple of times a year.  Since I use file folders a lot I figured they would be the perfect way to see all of my fun mail often and serve a useful purpose at the same time.
So the first thing you need to do is select a bunch of loot that would work and that you'd be willing to cut into. The cutting wasn't as hard as I thought it would be because I knew I was turning it into something else that I could still enjoy.  Another huge plus is getting to use small snippets of art that would otherwise be difficult to use.
Luckily office supply stores carry a nice selection of colored file folders so select a color that will compliment your chosen pieces.

Next select pieces that will work for your folder and arrange them in a pleasing way for you. Don't overlook the backs of envelopes or little play pieces you stamped and buried in a pile. After they're the way you want, dab with a glue stick to keep them in place.
*I secured mine in the end by stitching them down so if you don't plan on using a sewing machine please take more time and use a good glue to attach them.

There are tons of great decorative tapes on the market and if you're like me, you probably own half of them! Go grab some and get busy attaching pieces here and there.

Now grab some awesome RubberMoon stamps and embellish some of the blank spaces that are needing attention. Since my folder is a dark color I decided to use a lot of white ink (which I had to cover with a spray fixative since I didn't want to emboss). I also ran a sewing marking tool through some black ink for more added interest and some consistency. (The dot dot dot tool I used in a recent Lynn Whipple class and I want to use it on everything now!)

My last step was to stitch the paper pieces down using a zigzag stitch ( 3.1 wide, 3.1 long) with black thread. When I finished, the back side of the folder wanted to curl but I simply put weight on it for an hour or two and then it was fine.

TA DA!!!
All done and ready to use.

Thank you Debra, your art and projects are ALWAYS a treat!

Foodie Fun!

Hi there! Barb here again with a quick, easy gift idea project.

For some reason I get a little obsessed with coasters at this time of year. Maybe it's looking forward to those warming beverages during the long, cooler months.


A friend of mine was throwing a "Drinks n' Hors d'Oeuvres" party to celebrate the beginning of Autumn, so I thought I'd get out my blank coasters and make a fun little gift to take to her. I ended up making a dozen of these in less than an hour. Way less! It took longer for the final sealer coat to dry than it did to make all of them.


I began with a blank 3.5" square coaster. You can find these in just about any size if you search them online. Or, if you have a kitchen supply type store in your area, they usually carry them.


My friend loves to cook (we call it "getting chef-y"), so I thought RubberMoon's chef stamp would be perfect.

To begin my project, I simply stamped the chef image onto the coaster using StazOn Jet Black ink.


Next, I colored him in. Since the coasters are an off-white, I painted in his chef whites using white acrylic paint. I happen to have Amsterdam Acrylic on hand, but any white acrylic would do. I colored in his scarf and hair with sharpies.


Then I gave him a little bling by coloring in the platter with a silver metallic pen and dabbing copper Liquid Pearls on for his buttons.

I wanted the chef to stand out a little more, plus I wanted to add some background interest. So, I stamped the chef onto a piece of scrap paper and cut it out to use as a mask.


I put the mask over the image on the coaster. I set it on there loosely without bothering to tack it down in any way. I then used some turquoise colored glimmery spray that I made myself and gave the piece a few spritzes until I was happy with the amount of coverage.

I noticed that his platter was empty and decided that just wouldn't do. Being a bit of a story teller, I asked myself, "Well, what is he serving?" I answered myself with the sarcastic answer I used to give when asked what was for dinner, "Food."  Aha! I got out my RubberMoon "Food For Thought" stamp.


I only wanted to use the word "Food" from the stamp, so I masked the rest of the stamp off with scotch tape. If you've never done this before, it's simple. Mask the part you don't want inked with the tape. Then tap the stamp in ink. Remove the tape strip, and, ta-dah! You can now stamp a clean image using just part of the stamp.

That's how I arrived at my friend's doorstep with a dozen chefs each carrying a platter of food.

For a tutorial on how to make your own Glimmer Spray, please stop by my blog at In The Studio With Barb: All That Glimmers. Thanks!

Universe DreamCatchers

Hello everyone! Martice here from the Uneek Art blog. This is my first post with RubberMoon, as one of the Creative Dream Team members and I want to say 'thank you' for joining us here today.


I think we call all agree that our Universe is truly magnificent, right? Funny thing is, the more I learn about our world, the more I learn about myself and my purpose in life, and to have more faith. You should never feel embarrassed or hesitant to

Speak dreams out loud; decree it's YOURS! Set a positive energy

 form in motion to work for you. (Tweet this!)

Today, I bring you Universe DreamCatchers

These are the supplies and tools I used:

RubberMoon stamps: Large Fern & RubberMoon Alphabet Set (rm-2594)

Cardboard from food packaging OR 140 lb. Cold press watercolor paper -- for the circle templates

Gelli prints

Phone book paper -- for the stars and feathers

Your choice of paints

Note: I used these paints --
DecoArt Americana Acrylic paints: Bahama Blue & Razzle Berry
DecoArt Americana Neons Fluorescent Acrylics: Torrid Orange & Fiery Red
DecoArt Gloss Enamels: Dioxazine Purple
DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics: Phthalo Blue & Quinacridone Gold
DecoArt Multi-Surface Satin: School Bus
Premier tempera paint, White

Gel Medium (or Mod Podge®)

Scissors

Embroidery floss, choose 3 different colors

Let's Begin!!

STEP 1: Create Round Template

Glue gelli print to the circle OR paint a galaxy onto the cardboard.


Set aside to dry, then cut out template.


With circle RIGHT SIDE UP, use an awl (or sharp, piercing tool), to carefully poke one hole in the top and 3 holes, equally spaced apart, at the bottom.

STEP 2: Create Stars

Using phone book pages, paint randomly onto the surface. Scribble positive words, wishes and thoughts into the wet paint.


Set aside to dry.

Draw a star on a scrap piece of transparency. I cut the star out and used it as a guide for the next step.

With this method, you can instantly see which parts you'll like best for your Universe DreamCatchers! I just love simple, little tricks like this one!

Now, the fun part! Take your dry, painted pages from previous step and use the transparency star as a viewfinder - look for interesting sections to cut out.


Trace around the star in 6 or 8 different places. Cut out each star.


Paint the back side of each star in a light colored paint. (I painted mine Bahama Blue)


Set aside to dry.

Such a pretty pile of painted stars and feathers!

STEP 3: Make the Feathers

From the same painted pages, draw elongated oval shapes in random places. These will be our feathers.

On the reserve side of the feathers:


Create a mixture of black and white to make a light gray. On one side of the feather, paint it a darker shade of gray.


Paint the other half white. Blend colors for a more realistic look.

Using embroidery floss, let's create a vein down the center of each feather, following these steps:


a.) With a paintbrush, apply gel medium to the center, along the length of the feather,

b.) Lay down the string of embroidery floss. Apply another coat of gel medium - directly on top of the embroidery floss,

c.) Fold along the floss.

d.) To make a prominent crease, use the handle end of your paintbrush to gently rub along the floss. 
(Do both sides this way.)

e.) Gently open up the feather. Stop right before the floss is exposed. Turn the feather right side up and press the center to one side (left or right), with your finger.

   f.) Use scissors to cut slits at an angle. Stop your cut just before reaching the center.

STEP 4: Stamp Image & Letters

I used the Large Fern stamp (in Phthalo Blue) for the back of the stars and added fluorescent Torrid Orange dots with a paintbrush.

I used RubberMoon Alphabet Set (rm-2594) for the sentiments "Listen", "Recall", "Dream", and   "Wish" on the front of the stars.

STEP 5: Assemble the Universe DreamCatchers!

Retrieve your circle template. String the feathers (attached to the embroidery floss) through one hole at a time. Tie a knot at top of each hole. Vary the lengths of each strand.

Tip: For more visual interest, try using a different colored floss for each hole. Don't forget to embellish with your favorite charms!

Gold flakes, Metal wing charm (from Metal Gallery), Decorative button (from Prima Marketing, Inc., and silver archival ink.)

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!

"There wouldn't be a sky full of stars 

if we were all meant to wish on the same one."

~ Frances Clark

Until next time,

Keep those wishes and dreams BIG!

Martice Smith II

RUBBERMOON Kre8Tiv ELEMENT STAMPS LOOK GREAT ON RETRO ART

I just love using RUBBERMOON'S KRE8TIV DESIGN ELEMENT STAMPS in my Retro Art. This actual piece combined a total of 8 RubberMoon Stamps. After I painted a gesso wash over clock themed scrap paper I drew the coffee pot using a graphite pencil. 


After the drawing was complete, I traced the graphite lines with Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen (Fine Tip). Then came the fun part! 


I situated each stamp onto the drawing to give the coffee pot a Retro Mid-Century look. The following images are pics taken during the process of the painting. 
                                                   

The stamps I used for this painting are listed below:


(1)  SQUARE LIKE POSITIVE
(2)  THREE RINGS
(3)   RADAR
(4)   LINEAR
(5)   MOD COMPASS
(6)   DOTS AND CIRCLES
(7)   BURST
(8)   8 POINT STAR
(9)   COMPLETE CRE8TIV ELEMENT COLLECTION

I can't tell you how much fun it is to add these cool stamps to my painting. It adds such flair and personality. I hope you like it!

Another Retro Coffee Pot using RubberMoon Stamps!!!

Whimsical Watercolor Houses

Hello friends!  Carmen here stopping by from Serendipity Studio to share my very first post with RubberMoon Stamps.  So exciting!  

I'm lovin' my new stamps and how versatile they are to use on different papers, canvases and mediums.  For my first go round I decided to do a watercolor painting using Strathmore Watercolor Paper cold press 5.5" x 8.5".  I used a standard watercolor set and a set of Pro Arte Artists brushes in sizes #8, #6 and #2 for the details.

I used Ranger Archival Ink for the stamping.  The stamps went on evenly and smoothly, no spaces!  I love that!

The doodle trees, pathways and grass were created using Micron Pen .03 mm. 

The images of the houses and dangle hearts are the perfect size for adding watercolor and being able to give them dimension by adding more/or less water and color.

The stamps that I used were:

Lovely Loft House db4265

Crooked Chimney House db4793

Row House db4452

Love Grows ge2881

Here is a brief video of this creative process...

I plan on framing this piece and displaying it in my studio.  Thanks so much friends for letting me visit with you today.  Remember to come back often to see what the other members of the RubberMoon Design Team are up to.  

Blessings,

Carmen

A Cloth Frida Pin

Hi Lovelies!  Let me introduce myself, in case you don't know who I am.  I am mischievous Maggie Barbour and I'm a mixed media artist.  I have been making things since I was a tiny girl, when my momma taught me to sew a button onto cloth at the age of three.  I LOVE all mediums and flit from one thing to the next, often incorporating mediums together.  

Other things about me?  I play the mandolin and love all music, but especially bluegrass.  I have three rescued chihuahuas and a fat min-pin, five hens, and a cross eyed cat named Cricket.  I love to garden, so excuse the condition of my hands in the photos on this tutorial.  

My tutorial is on how to make a Frida Folk Art Pin, using RubberMoon's Frida Stamp, because I love all things Frida!  So let's get to it!

Frida Pin

Supplies:

Muslin (size depends on the size stamp you use or size of pin you want to make)—cut 2 the same size

Scrap piece of print fabric, or solid color (same size as your muslin)

Needle and embroidery thread

Staz-On stamp pad

Colored pencils, I used Prisma Colored Pencils

RubberMoon Stamp

Pin back

Scissors

Supplies I used to make the pin.

 

Finished Pin Front

 

Finished Pin Back

 Using Staz-On stamp pad, get your stamp good and inky!  My stamp pad was a little dry, so my image wasn't as crisp as it could have been.

Stamp image on muslin.

Cut stamped image piece, MAKING SURE you leave an EXTRA ¼ of an inch all the way around to be folded over later and stitched down.  You can just eyeball it, this isn't rocket science--tee hee!  

Cut an extra layer of muslin the same size.

Cut print fabric the same size.

Color image with colored pencils.  After coloring, I blend the hard edges of coloring with a white Prisma colored pencil.  If you color over the stamped lines, you may want to use a fine tip permanent marker to go over some of the stamped lines that may have gotten covered by colored pencil too much.

Lay your print fabric WRONG side up.  

Put the plain piece of muslin on top of the wrong side up layer.

Lay your stamped and colored piece “pretty side up.”

Get your needle threaded with the embroidery thread and make a knot.  Fold the edge of your choice over about ¼ of an inch over the top of your stamped layer.  This is what helps make the “frame” around the pin.  The layers make a nice little edge to stitch around.  

I let my knots show, and the raw edges of fabric, and intentionally made my stitches messy to give it a folk art look.  I like color, so I changed colors of thread as I went.   Just whip those stitches around the edges!   If you are a tidy person that can’t stand that look, hide them on the backside.  Or if you know how to do a blanket edge stitch, you could do that, instead.  

Continue folding the fabric over as you go and keep on whip stitching.  You might have to take a few extra stitches on the corners.

Sew a pin back on to the back of the finished piece (you can get them at just about any arts and crafts store, Wal-mart, Joanne’s, Hancock’s.  Heck, even some dollar stores carry them).  

*********

Wear your new pin!  And when people ask where you got it, tell them you bought the stamp from RUBBERMOON, made it YOURSELF, and there is a tutorial on how they can make one for themselves!

Also, imagine the possibilities if you did some beading on this little pin!  Or if you hung some dangly bits of trims and fibers!  Or…ooo…ooo!  Or added little charms or buttons!!!   Or sewed or glued lace around it!   I get so excited!!!   Oooo!  They could also be hung on a necklace chain or sewn to a ribbon to become a cool choker!  They could be sewn or glued on to an art bag or hat!  

Have fun!

Love, Mischievous Maggie Barbour