Yes! The Telecrafting Teleseminar is next Wednesday, Dec. 16th  at 4pm. Whoa–time flies–Christmas is just around the corner! What does that mean for you?

It means that if you’d like to make a gift or two this year, and you’d like some support in the way of carving out a structured time to get it done, then you’ll need to order a Glitter Decoupage Ornament kit soon soon soon, now (ish), so I can assemble it, pack it and ship it out so you get it in time for our Dec. 16th rendezvous. I’m excited.

So, if you want to participate in the free conference call, you’ll need to order by this Saturday morning EST at the very very latest.

(Of course, you can always order the kits right up til Christmas day and make them whenever you’d like.)

Everything gets sent out priority mail, so if you live on the West Coast and you’d like to join in on the call, it might be better to order today, so I can get it out to you by Friday.

Testimonials

If you’re still on the fence, click here to read a couple-three testimonials from happy ornament kit crafters. I’ve gotten the nicest emails and Facebook & Twitter feedback–everyone seems to be having a really good time.

If you have any questions, btw, that you need answered before you can buy, feel free to contact me and I’ll get back to you asap.

Other Fun Stuff

Cool Drawing Warm Up/Loosening Up Exercise

I stumbled across this wonderful “artist warm up exercise” on Instructables.com and wanted to share. I think I’m going try this one out myself–it looks fun and is a great way to get jumpstarted. Click here to view.

“Creature Scarf” for a Kooky Kid in Your Life

The crazy scarf looked so fun and could be good for either girls or boys. If you’re not a super experienced sewer, it seems to me like you could use velcro instead of a button, but maybe all the crazy hairiness would get stuck on the velcro bit…I don’t know, check it out and see what you think. Cute and fun. Click here to view.

Sewing Tidbits in Your Future

When the weather gets cold, I always get in the mood to sew. And sewn items make great gifts.

If you’ve been thinking you’d like to sew up some zippered pouches for the holidays (to save money, reduce your stash and give something handmade and wonderful), I’m working on a good explanation for making them easily. There’s actually a very good explanation online that another sewer made that I want to share, but I’m trying to foolproof the technique a little bit to help everyone have maximum success. I hope to have that info up next week.

In the meantime, check out my pep talk and accompanying how-to video on threading your sewing machine.

In fact, if you love to sew, or would love to get better, consider joining the site/forum patternreview.com. I’m more of a “lurker” there rather than an active participant, but I love getting the discounts on patterns (with way more choices than the Big 3), have taken online classes with some great teachers (Shannon Gifford teaches there, and is an excellent sewing teacher–so generous with her time), and receive an email every day filled with pattern reviews from other sewers.

These reviews are a great way to learn about good/bad patterns, see how different people make the same pattern, and learn tons of nifty tips and tricks as people share great zipper insertion techniques, waistband workarounds, and more. It’s a big community of sewers ranging from raw beginners to seriously advanced experts. Check it out here:  http://patternreview.com

That’s It!

Have a great weekend and don’t forget to order up your Glitter Decoupage Ornament kits–Christmas is just around the corner!

Are you making any gifts this year? Please share in the comments–I’d love to hear!

But first I must say that I’m tickled about how many people who’ve already ordered have chosen the Buddy Kits–either to make together with a friend (creating + bonding = perfect) OR because they’ve gotten into gear and are creating lots of ornaments as special handmade gifties for friend and colleagues. So impressed!

Exciting Update

To celebrate, I thought I’d help my other creative friends out there in internet-land who also really want to make glitter decoupage ornaments but are afraid to order a kit because you’re worried you won’t find time to make them.

And then you’re worried if that happens, you”ll have to kick yourself about buying more supplies that you didn’t use, and/or on not following through on a commitment you made to yourself.

Since we definitely don’t want either of those things to happen, I’ve got a cunning plan.

(And for those of you who are feeling bad about owning too many art or craft supplies, you should read my blog post called, unsurprisingly,  “Too Many Supplies?” to find out what’s secretly very good about it, and why it actually shows a real commitment to yourself, even while you’re busy berating yourself for a lack of that very thing. So stop kicking yourself, you’re trying!)

The Cunning Plan

On December 16th, at 4pm EST, I’m offering a Glitter Decoupage Telecrafting  Teleseminar for anyone who has bought a Glitter Decoupage Ornament kit, and we will make an ornament together at that time!

You’ve never heard of a Telecrafting Teleseminar? Where have you been? That’s because I just made it up!

Okay, you say, But how will it work?

How it Will Work

During the one hour call, anyone who has ordered a kit can call in and we’ll walk through the process of making a Glitter Decoupage Ornament together.

This is for anyone who’d like some company or the comfort of a date/deadline/agreeement for making sure you make your ornaments.

Yes, yes, you say, Go on.

Okay. Picture this: it’s 3:55 on December 16th, you jump up and suddenly think, “Egad, my Telecrafting Telesminar starts in 5 minutes!”(I know, I know, how did I know that you always say, “Egad!”? Because I’m psychic, that’s how.)

You knock over a lamp as you rush over to the computer to open up your email and find that phone number I sent you after you ordered.

You grab your kit from that spot on the stairs by the door and you unceremoniously whoosh everything else off the kitchen table as the cat retreats hastily to the other room.

Fumbling for the number, you dial in to the call, press speaker phone so your hands are free, wipe your brow and chime in a shy happy hello and then just as suddenly sit back, smile and relax as you realize that Sarah’s just gonna walk you through a carefree glitter decoupage ornament class on the phone and you’re going to GET ‘ER DONE!

Cool.

(This is a good spot to remind you that the telecrafting teleseminar is completely voluntary, and of course you can just order a kit and make your ornaments at your leisure/whenever you’d like. This is just a nice, extra FREE thing for anyone who’d like a little extra support.)

The Details

At the beginning of the call, I’ll chat a bit about the project which will give you time to rummage around for a plastic take-out container for your water, a pair of scissors, a couple of sheets of scrap paper to keep track of the glitter and maybe yesterday’s newspaper to work on top of so you don’t ruin your table top.

After that, I’ll mute the call so you don’t have to hear everyone else’s dog barking or child complaining and I’ll actually make an ornament during the call, describing each step as I go, and that will give you time to create as well.

And even though the call will be muted, you’ll be able to unmute yourself anytime if you want to ask a question, clarify something, lavish me with compliments, or just comment in general.

Simple, right? And fun. And, I hope, a relief for folks who need a little structure to get themselves going.

Because basically, it’s like we’re making a date to make your kit. Because even if it’s all totally obvious to you how to do it from my super clear video, sometimes it’s nice to have a little structure to support your desire to create something.

Needing a little structure is not a character flaw, it’s perfectly natural. You’re busy and overextended. And if you’re trying to get back into the swing of creating, it can be especially difficult to break that inertia on your own.

So why should you? You shouldn’t.

Especially since participating in the call is totally FREE for anyone who has bought a Glitter Decoupage Ornament kit.

So order yourself up a kit or two and I’ll send you an email with the info for signing up for the call (Again, totally voluntary!).

Hey, wouldn’t it be fun if you did this with a friend as well? Another kindred spirit who is also wanting to make a few gifts this season?

Give her a call right now or forward her this email. Split a kit, sign up for the call, and you can catch up as you craft together (with me on speaker phone in the center of the table making sure it’s all easy and fun) and we’ll have ourselves a Glitter Ornament Decoupage Party.

Sounds like a lovely idea.

Let’s do it!

Have any questions, thoughts, musings about this idea? Just leave a comment below or use our contact form and ask away! I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

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Please watch the how-to video at the end of this blog post, because it lets you see if it’s something you’d like to try before buying. No risk!

A Perfect Holiday Project for a Creative Woman with NO TIME to Make!

If you’d really like to make a few gifts this holiday season, but are now worried you’re too crunched for time–take heart! This project is the perfect solution. Fast, fun and super easy, you can make these in an afternoon.

This is another great small gift idea like the bookmarks I wrote about the other day. They don’t take long to make, they look super pretty, and they’re something the recipient will enjoy every year when they decorate their tree.

This is actually even easier than the bookmarks idea, because the kit has everything you need to get started–no thinking or planning required!

Perfect as a special little something for co-workers, great as teacher gifts because your kids can make them with you, and so nice as  that extra surprise tied to a gift bag or bow that makes a gift so much more touching, because you made it.

I’ve taught a lot of different techniques in my day, and glitter decoupage is one of the most popular, I think because it’s easy, relaxing and meditative, and there’s really no way to screw it up. You’re pretty much guaranteed an attractive result without having to work hard for it. That’s a nice change.

This kit is also a great way to give yourself a creative treat as well, because making things feels good. When we’re pressed for time, it’s hard to give ourselves that feel-good making time without a “good reason.” Making something as a gift is that good reason.

It’s also a really nice way to have a creative experience with someone else:
invite your best friend over (who you practically never get to see) drink a glass of wine together, make ornaments and talk–all the while getting some holiday shopping making taken care of at the same time!  You can’t ask for more than that!

Great for Ornament Parties

Speaking of socializing, these kits are also great for ornament parties. If you buy three “Buddy Packs” (6 ornaments per kit), I’ll send you the fourth one FREE. That’s 24 ornaments at 4.50 an ornament. What a steal deal.

Could be a cool different thing to do with your book club, or to offer at your holiday party, or to suggest for an office party, so everyone doesn’t just sit with the same people that they work with everyday and talk shop, but instead mingle with folks from other departments as they make an ornament.

Nothing breaks the ice better than making something together.

Okay, so you can tell I’m excited, but I’ll stop now. Here’s the how-to video, I’d love it if you’d take a look. (If you’re reading this in an email, click here to get to the site.)

Click here to learn more about buying a kit.

Happy viewing and please leave a comment and let me know what you think!

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My first set of holiday  kits–Patchwork Glitter Decoupage Ornaments are almost done–and I’m so excited. (When I start to see glitter on my husband’s face, I know things are reaching critical mass.)

On the left is a little glimpse of what’s in store, although it’s difficult to see the glistening crystal glitter finish on top that adds the special touch–I’m hoping the effect shows up more clearly in the upcoming how-to video as I demonstrate the before and after.

It’s basically a super high quality grown up glitter that works like magic fairy dust–transforming the decoupage from “nice” to “wow” in the final step. I think you’re going to love it.

I’ve also created 4 brand new papers to choose from, designed specifically for this technique:

• Classic Christmas (red and green);
• Winter Wonderland (blue and white–in the photo);
• Fun & Funky Holidays (multi colored brights) and
• Vintage Memories (tans, pale blues and pinks).

This technique is truly all ages and all abilities–the end result is fresh and pretty, and the technique is easy and relaxing. I’ve taught it to a lot of people, so I know it works like a charm and the fact that it’s easy, pretty and affordable has always made it super popular. This is the first time I’ve ever offered it online, so I’m interested to see what papers people like the most.

It’s also a great project for a holiday party. Decorate your own tree, give as office gifts or teacher gifts, tie them onto presents, the list is endless!

This week is video making week, so stay tuned!

Overview at the End of the Evening

My Show

Many people have asked how the opening of my latest digital collage work went at Bishop’s Stock Gallery, and I realize that I never got back! So here I am, getting back.

The Eastern Shore of Maryland is pretty rural, but they have a tight knit art scene and lots of folks showed up to take a look and support the gallery. Very nice.

I answered many questions about my process and technique, and I even met a few folks who read the Make Great Stuff blog, so that was neat surprise! (Hi there!)

Ann Coates, the gallery owner, has asked me to come back in the Spring and give a workshop on something fun to get people’s creative juices flowing. I’m cooking up some ideas so if you live in the Del-Mar-Va area and are interested, please keep your eye out!

If you’d like to see more of my digital collages, click here: http://sarahbushartworks.com/

David Dunlop: Great PBS Painting Teacher

Today, as I was eating lunch, I decided to watch a little TV to accompany my tuna salad. This is quite a rare event for me to watch TV in the afternoon, but I ended up learning a lot–not what we generally expect to say after watching TV.

I tuned into a cooking show about antipasti and learned how to make a wonderful tuna and chickpea salad (I even wrote it down), and was about to skip back down to the studio when I got hooked by the show that followed–one I’d never seen called Landscapes Through Time with David Dunlop.

It just won an emmy and I have to say, if you’ve never seen it and you’re interesting in learning more about how to paint, you should give it a look-see. He’s an excellent teacher and gives a spirited art history lesson at the same time as he explains a particular landscape painting technique.

I studied a great deal of Art History back in the day, but I learned a lot in his half hour lesson on the Hudson River School and the Luminists, and I was completely engaged by his stories and explanations. I love the way he weaves the art history into his technique demonstrations because it really deepens the experience to learn the why behind the what. It’s not cheesy like a lot of TV painting shows, and he really knows his stuff. Check out his website here.

I always love to hear from you, so leave a comment and let me know what you’re thinking about or working on.

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Tips for choosing handmade or rice paper that will work for my Fast & Easy Rice Paper Decoupage Project:

~Choose a paper with an all-over repeat pattern because that will definitely work well when it’s torn up.

~A paper with a very large motif might be beautiful as a whole paper, but will probably be tough to use in this project because once you tear it up, the image might not have the same impact.

~Avoid papers where the motif is small and very spread out for the same reason as above–if you have too much negative space, you’ll have a lot of wasted paper when you tear it up.

~If you want to use several papers together in one project, you might want to avoid papers that are too high contrast in relation to each other–the combination could work out really well, but because you are patching together lots of  varied pieces of torn paper, it could end up looking a little choppy, leaving your eyes nowhere to land.

~Make sure the background color you see on the front of the paper is the color of the paper itself (same color on back)–if the paper is white on the back, you might be a little disappointed when you tear it up because you’ll have white torn edges which will have a big impact on the final design. (This can actually work for some projects, and I’ve got a few coming up that do just that, but it might be tough here on a large piece.)

~Don’t be afraid to keep it simple–just because you’re not suffering doesn’t mean you’re cheating!

A Few Online Handmade Paper Resources

If you want to try the Fast & Easy Rice Paper Decoupage technique, and need to buy your handmade paper online, it’s not so easy to find.  To help out, I’ve listed a few links here, including where I bought my paper for this project.

New York Central Art Supply
This site is kind of confusing, because the pictures and the text don’t line up that well, but I buy from them in person and there are a lot of papers on these pages that I’ve used and know work well for this project:

http://www.nycentralartsupply.com/asiaii/thailand3.html

http://www.nycentralartsupply.com/asiaii/thailand.html

Specifically:

• All the Marbled Momi papers: Earthquake, Tsunami, Firestorm, Forest, etc.
• All the solid color Unryu and Unryu Momi papers–I’ll be using some in the video where I combine Stamping and Embossing with the Decoupage
• The three Tribal Papers–I used them on the round vase in the picture on the first video…
• And the Climbing Vines also work well and come in a of of colors….
• I don’t think they have the tie-dye papers I used in the video online yet, but I’m sure you can call and still order it. It comes in several colors.

You can order a catalog and/or a whole swatch book or just order individual swatches (up to 5 are free of charge). I definitely recommend that, as their catalog is black and white.

Creative Papers Online
http://handmade-paper.us/ : I’ve never shopped here but it looks promising. They let you buy samples, which is key when you’re buying online so you don’t waste your money. Remember if the paper is a little stiff, it has to be very thin, and if it’s thick, it has to be very soft.

A Couple Suggestions:

• The pattern on this paper would work really well, you just need to check if it’s soft enough: http://handmade-paper.us/page/CPO/PROD/CP-71
• The pattern on this one would also work: http://handmade-paper.us/page/CPO/PROD/blf/29-20-03

If you know any other places to order great handmade paper online, please let us know in the Comments section below.
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Enjoy the video, and don’t forget to read the rest of the post below for other great tips that I couldn’t include in the video.

Extra Tips for Decoupage Success

>In the video, I suggest you tear about half your sheet before you get started gluing. The reason I don’t tear the whole sheet of handmade paper into pieces right at the beginning of the project is because once I start gluing, I realize that I want to tear the design a little differently than I might have thought before getting started.

For instance, with the black and white tie-dye paper in the video, I realized after I started  gluing that I wanted to tear out one or two whole tie-dye sunburst shapes so I could make them make a focal point on the sides of the vase. Such mini-revelations basically happen to me every time I do this project, so by not tearing up the whole sheet in advance, I keep my options open.

>The wonderful thing about this project is that it’s endlessly editable—you can keep layering the paper until you’re satisfied with the design–in fact, it’s kind of rare to be satisfied with the design in the first go. Just keep turning your vase and work on each section–tearing and gluing more pieces (balancing the pattern, evening out the color, etc.) until you love it.

>Rice Paper Decoupage is very low risk–as long as you use a waterbased sealer, you can actually soak the paper off the vase and start over anytime you want. It takes a while, because the glue is really strong and effective, and you do have to leave it sitting in a tub of water–maybe even overnight. But if you change your mind or change your decor and don’t want your vase covered in that paper anymore, you can recycle your project and start again.

>Finding a vase (or any object) to decoupage on is half the fun–this is a great chance to find a killer deal at a yard sale or a big discounter like TJ Maxx, Tuesday Morning, or Home Goods. Because as long as you like the shape of your vase, it doesn’t matter what the surface looks like, because you’re going to transform it with your wonderful handmade paper! So while everyone else walks by that crazy-ugly-thing on the bottom shelf marked down 6 times–your mind’s eye sees a brand new future for that castoff, and you scoop it up for next to nothing!

There are a lot of different decoupage techniques out there, and I’ve got a bunch of great ideas for more videos and technique posts in the future. My next Rice Paper Decoupage technique will involve using stamping and embossing as part of the process. Combining techniques opens up the possibilities of what you can make and adds an interesting level of complexity, so give this simple process a try so you’re ready!

Please leave me a note in the comments and let me know what you think of the video. I’d also love to answer any questions!
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