Make Your Own Colorwash

Making your own color wash with rubbing alcohol and dye-based re-inkers is easy and allows you to customize papers to fit any project. In the sample given here, a piece of scrapbook paper (Design Originals) was cut into quarters. The top left quadrant is the original coloring. The top right quadrant was sprayed with a yellow color (Adirondak butterscotch). The lower left was sprayed with a green (Adirondak lettuce) and the lower right was sprayed with blue (Marvy blue). As you can see, the custom coloring would allow you to coordinate purchased scrapbook paper.

Process: Fill a small spray bottle (Judikins spritzer, for example), half way full with rubbing alcohol. Add approximately ten drops of dye-based re-inker, and shake to mix color. Test the color. If it is too dark, add more alcohol. If it is too light, add more re-inker.

By Design Team Member Brenda Marks

Handmade Rub 'n Buff Cream - Make Your Own! Contributed By: Maylin Fetters - NE Be sure to use boiled linseed oil as a binder or it will not dry after application. Add a few drops of "Boiled Linseed Oil" to some powdered pearls. Mix to a thick, paste consistency. Store in an air tight container. To use on a larger surface, apply with a soft cloth, (I reccommend wearing rubber or laytex gloves to protect your fingers from getting stained), or use a Q-tip for smaller areas. Embossing Powder - Create Your Own Colors! Contributed By: Mrs Anesha Marshall - England Use clear embossing powder and Faerie Dust, Powdered Pearls, or Pearl EX Powders and create beautiful colors of Embossing Powder In an empty embossing powder jar, mix and shake well, clear embossing powders with what ever color you like of Faerie Dust, Powdered Pearls, or Pearl EX Powders! You can get some really beautiful effects by embossing with it! Mock Mulberry Paper Contributed By Joyce Pacer Due to necessity I came upon this idea when I needed mulberry paper and was out. I used a cloth softener sheet that had been used. First, I dampened it then rolled it with the needed color using my brayer. The texture was great. I went one step farther and crumpled up celophane wrap and used this to lightly sponge the colored sheet with gold ink. It turned out very pretty and brought abooout many comments in my little group. You do need to wet the edges to fray. It doesn't tear as easily as mulberry paper. RECIPE ink for pads TO MAKE REGULAR DYE INK: (non-embossible) To make the "ink" you'll need: A baby food jar OR an old film canister Rit POWDERED Dyes, in various colors Rubbing Alcohol Directions: Baby Food Jar: Add your entire package of dye to the jar, add alcohol to the top of the jar, replace lid and shake.  Film Canister: Fill canister 1/4 way full of dye, add alcohol to the top, replace the lid and shake.   *You are not limited to the dye colors - mix a few and get new and different colors - just remember to write down how much you mixed, so you can do it again. TO MAKE EMBOSSIBLE INK: Homemade Rubber Stamp Ink Powdered Clothes Dye (any color) 1/4 Teaspoon Alcohol 5 Tablespoons Glycerin Mix dye with alcohol to the consistency of thin cream. Add glycerin. Stir until well blended. This makes enough to replenish a stamp pad several times. Pour ink over stamp pad or a foam-rubber pad that is fine grained.  To make the stamp pad you will need foam rubber and a small plastic box with lid (such as a travel soap box). Cut the foam rubber to fit inside the plastic box. Spread the ink evenly with a brush or a tongue depressor. FYI: Use small sponges as ink pads. If you buy the compressed sponges… you can cut them into thin strips prior to wetting and they will become a nice thin ink pad! – Barbie Boop <barbieboop1@JUNO.COM>

	Shadow Stamps - Make Your Own! Contributed By: Sandy Wisnewski This sample uses a stamp from Rubber Riot. Shadow stamps can be created by cutting a piece of fun foam to whatever shape you want. Use the various decorative scissors to create edges. These can be mounted on HALOS or on wood blocks.

Mesh - Make Your Own! Contributed By: Janet Ciaramitaro Making your own homemade magic mesh! To make your own mesh, use wall repair tape (get it at the hardware store).  It's sticky on one side, and you can use that stickiness to attach embossing powder or glitter.  Here, I used embossing powder on the non-sticky side, then embossed to get a full, rich color. It makes a GREAT new and interesting background for your stamps - especially the "stitched" and/or rustic types of stamps.

Stamp Artist - Janet Ciaramitaro

After a little trial and error, I have developed a technique to make your own 'wax' seals.  It's incredibly easy and less expensive then using real wax seals. This technique uses plain glue sticks (low temperature) and Pearl-Ex Powders. 1). First, ink up a stamp with your embossing pad or baby       oil. Be generous! Get the entire underside of the stamp       covered. If you don't, the stamp may stick to the hot       glue! 2). Squeeze a small amount of melted glue onto a glass       plate.  Depending upon the size of stamp I'm using,       the amount of glue varies from the size of a dime to the       size of a quarter. 3). Gently press your stamp into the soft glue. I find that the        touch is more like laying the stamp onto the glue. 4). Wait a couple of seconds for the glue to set, then       remove your stamp.

Stamp Artist - Debbie Shugerts "No Wax" - Wax Seal examples Contributed by: Debbie Shugerts

5). You should now have an impression of your stamp in the glue.      Now the fun part ! 6). Brush Pearl-Ex directly onto your 'glue seal'. You'll see your stamped image 'pop' into view. 7). Pop the glue seal off the glass plate and spray with a little acrylic sealer. The result is exactly like a wax seal. The glue is more durable, and unlike wax, will not break.  Your color choices are unlimited - I love using Russet Red and then a little interference Blue on my seals. The glue seals can be attached to cards and envelopes with just a touch of glue.  I've also used a variation of this technique to make 'honey' for my bee-theme cards. Looks great!

I have a favorite technique using tissue paper, cardstock and cheap plasticwrap.

Heat your dry iron on the cotton setting.

1. Lay the cardstock on a flat service covered with a brown grocery bag or newsprint.
2. Next, place a layer of plastic wrap on top.
3. Place a single ply tissue paper, cocktail napkin, or dinner-size napkin on top.
Make sure the napkin is single ply.
4. Iron the whole thing being sure to iron near the edges of the cardstock. The plastic will melt causing the
cardstock and napkin to become one. If the tissue paper/napkin tries to come off the cardstock, apply a
little glue and let dry.

This can be folded, cut into pieces for collage work, etc. I usually make a notecard out of most of it and then use the scraps for collage.

You will get melted plastic wrap on your iron. If you can, it may be best to devote your iron to your craft area! Who irons clothes anyway?!!!!

Make a cup of strong instant coffee and let cool. Paint your paper with the cooled coffee. Depending on how diluted your coffee is will depend on how deep of a stain you achieve.

Zim's Wildflower Tie-Dyed Shirt! It's easy, it's cool, & it's so Zim! - Make Your Own! From Carolyn Crowder - ZimPrints
Supplies Wildflower - 169-P, Hollow Leaf - 152-D ZimPaint Yellow Green Light Green Black Foam Brushes Felt Scraps Wood Skewer or Tooth-Picks Stamp Positioner\ 2 Spray Bottles
Make a rainbow pad with yellow & orange ZimPaint. Stamp the wildflower randomly following basic fabric stamping instructions. Let stamped images dry to the touch & heat set by ironing. Easy Spray Tie Dye with ZimPaint - Make Your Own! Pinch a piece of fabric and tightly wrap a rubber band around it. Bundle areas of the fabric that have wildflowers stamped on them. Then make other rubber banded bundles randomly all over your fabric. The pinched fabric will remain un-dyed, so a small amount of bundled fabric will yield a smaller undyed area. A large fabric bundle will produce a larger un-dyed area. Spray a yellow ZimPaint solution over the entire piece of fabric. Let the fabric drip dry for a while (it doesn't have to get completely dry at this point)*. Remove the rubber bands. Repeat the process, bundling different areas of fabric, and use orange spray ZimPaint. Each successive dyeing reduces the amount of remaining white, un-dyed fabric. When you're finished tie dyeing, let the fabric dry completely. Then, iron the dried item. Stamp the hollow leaves as usual with full strength ZimPaint. When it's time to launder the garment, wash it with like colors. Tie Dye ZimPaint Solution - In a plastic spray bottle, mix approximately 1/4 jar of ZimPaint with about 4-6 ounces of warm water. Shake or stir well. Embellishments When you have achieved the look you want, you can branches. Sometimes these help to break up a design & make it a little bit less rigid or structured. Practice this first on scrap fabric: Dip a toothpick or skewer into green ZimPaint. Holding the skewer almost parallel to the fabric, drag it across the fabric. Begin the dragged line in a stamped area and drag the toothpick or skewer out of the design. Remember, you want an irregular, ragged branch. When the entire garment is dry, heat-set by ironing on the wrong side or with a pressing cloth. You're done! This is a fantastic technique to use on napkins, place mats, & table cloths!

To make tissue paper envelopes you will need Reynolds Freezer Paper, large blue carton in with the Saran wraps, wax papers, etc. in your grocery store. Take a sheet of tissue paper and wad the thing up, wrinkle the daylights out of it. Now smooth it out nicely, but you do want these wrinkles so don't get too carried away. Next, take a same size piece of Reynolds Freezer wrap and place it wax side to the back of the tissue paper. Iron, on the freezer paper, no steam, medium high setting. Remember the waxy side of the freezer paper goes against the wrong side of the tissue. The paper when heated fuses to the tissue. Then you have one nice sheet of paper. You can make envys from it, or use it for wrapping paper, backing on cards, etc. Napkins, paper tablecloths, fabric, text weight paper, specialty papers, and all work well
with this technique.

Tissue Paper Envelopes Tissue paper Freezer paper Iron Scissors Envelope templates Step

1: Crumple up the tissue paper as tight as you can in a ball. (Fancy napkins will work too)

2: Open up the tissue paper without flattening it too much.

3: Cut a piece of freezer paper the size of the tissue paper.

4: Place the shiny side of the freezer paper on the tissue paper and paper clip the edges together (one at each corner and one half way between on each side should be enough)

5: Iron on low to medium setting. The papers will stick together. If an area doesn't stick well, heat again.

6: Cut to the desired size and shape. You can use our envelope templates from our catalog. Or steam open an envelope at the seams, and trace it on the freezer paper after ironing.

As a variation, use as a full sheet, as wrapping paper .Use freezer paper or heat-n-bond to fuse crumpled tissue paper that has been stamped on colored card stock. The color will show through the stamped tissue paper to make a nice textured card stock surface.

You're done!

Store excess glue in a sealed container and melt again for future use by putting in a pan of warm water.

Hope this helps. If anybody else uses Simple Green, or tries this, I'd love to hear what you think.

For 1 ounce bottle fill
1/3 Glycerin
2/3 Distilled water
1/4 teaspoon alcohol

There are 6 teaspoons to a fluid oz. So to make the ink you will use the following:
2 teaspoons of glycerin, 4 teaspoons of distilled water and 1/4 teaspoon of alcohlol.

Place above ingredients in a dropper bottle.

Wall paper, Card Stock, Computer paper, Fancy Papers, Brown paper bag, Sturdy Gift wrap are just some ideas of paper that can be used to make these bags!

Stamp on paper, use wall paper or other pretty paper.
Lay the paper down on the table.
Lay a book or box or even a rubber stamp! on the paper.
Now start to wrap it like a present! You know how....(pull the paper
around the sides of the book/box. tape or glue! fold up the bottom (just
like a present)tape or glue!)
Remove the book/box
LOOKS LIKE A BAG!
Crease the sides and bottom!
trim the top of the bag with fancy scissors
Fill bag with goodies
Fold top of bag over
Use whole punch to punch 2 wholes
Tie Bag shut with ribbon bow

Or... you can make a stamped folded card topper instead of tying a bow! oh! imagine making them with vellum paper! oh my. what an idea! I made one using a wood mounted stamp!

Make your gift bag a "for keeps" gift! Stuff it with a small stuffed animal, dried flowers, silk flowers.
Make them into a bridal or baby shower centerpiece! Or a party favor!