You can create your own hand painted style buttons using just a few supplies and your doodle skills. Don’t tell me you can’t doodle… everyone can make a line or circle or little dab with the right marker. I recently received samples of Start-Up blank shapes from ButtonsGalore.com and a selection of Marvy Uchida’s new Le Plume Permanent markers. I love both products and am excited to show you how they can work together to create these neat faux hand painted buttons.

Faux Hand Painted buttons by Jen Goode

Sometimes drawing or doodling can be a much easier task than painting. So combing these products is a great option if you are looking for adding your own personal touch without having to be a brilliant painter – especially on such a tiny surface. The Start-Ups are simply blank plastic shapes with pre-made holes so once decorated you can stitch them on to your craft or sewing projects. These shapes are designed to be colored, stamped, painted and dyed. Marvy Uchida Le Plume alcohol based markers are a fantastic drawing tool for users of all skill level. The colors blend really well on a variety of materials and the ink, once dry, is permanent.

Creating a faux hand painted look is easy with the Le Plume Permanent markers, try them out on different surfaces and let me know what you think! The Start-Ups come a wide variety of shapes from standard rectangles to specialty holiday designs.

Faux painted buttons and bead embellished headband by Jen Goode

I created a button and bead embellished headband using these faux hand painted buttons. Read the tutorial to make your own pretty little headband.

Now, you can enter to win Start-ups to make your own fabulous creations by visiting Buttons Galore and More’s website and voting for your favorite Start-Ups project. Take a look at all the great project designs, leave a comment on the Buttons Galore and More post about the contest. Find out more…

Faux hand painted buttons is a post from: 100 Directions

A friend of mine just asked me how to make an image or a logo look like a sticker when used as part of a digital graphic. Here’s the steps I use to create the sticker effect using Photoshop (CS3).

Start with your logo, flatted into a single layer.

Go to Layer > style options >stroke
Add a stroke to the thickness you’d like to see the “die cut” of your sticker shape. The stroke color doesn’t matter, so make sure to use a color you can see for sizing.

Duplicate the layer, then merge the two layers together so you have a single layer with the stroke permanently incorporated. This will be the die cut shape of your sticker.

Click the checkbox for “preserve transparency” for this layer. Fill the layer with whatever background color you’d like. If you have holes in the inner area of the shape, fill them in as desired.

Now you can add a shadow or even a puffy sticker effect by playing with your layer options under the drop shadow or bevel choices. Remember You don’t want to add too much of a drop shadow or your sticker will float.

There ya go! Play with the layer options as well as your stroke thicknesses or even textures to create various effects and sticker looks.

Making logos look like digital stickers is a post from: 100 Directions

I know, for years I’ve been on and on about needing to organize… needing help getting it together and finding some sanity. I’ve ment it. I’ve tried to fix it. However, I can by myself anymore. It’s not just my brain that needs to unclutter, it’s my surrounding, especially my creative surroundings. They are either a result of my brain clutter, or my brain clutter is a direct result of my out of control craft stash. I think really it’s both, they feed each other.

Lately I’ve been watching various “hording” shows on TV. People with enormous problems keeping and never throwing away things. I can completely relate. I understand the need to keep, the anxiety of throwing something away. I can relate to the stress of trying to organize because the job is just too big. I can also relate to the thinking that memories are attached to tangible things, so by throwing something out, I may forget the memory. I’ve even considered applying for one of those shows.. or better yet one of those organizing shows. However, there are two problems with it…

1. If anyone threw something of mine away without making sure I was ok with it, I would no longer have a nice reputation.
2. I’m not as completely bad as the shows, you can see my carpet.

Really my entire house isn’t awful.. just where ever my creativity decides to plant itself. So the object is to contain the creativity into one place – yet it oozes out into other areas from time to time.

So more recently I have been trying really hard to teach myself that I don’t have to keep EVERYTHING and it’s ok to get rid of stuff. Since this time last year I think I have donated about 14 lawn bags full of clothing (the entire family, not just me). I’ve thrown out a ton of useless papers and broken things and I’ve slowly begun to organize. Again, I’m trying to teach myself that it’s ok to let it go.

Why am I airing my dirty whatever? Because I need to be held accountable. I need to make time to make it better and I need to share how I deal with it – maybe someone else can relate and stop rationalizing that they do it too. I keep stuff because it could become useful. I keep stuff because it brings back memories. I keep stuff because I’ve been on the “I have nothing” side of life and don’t want to be there again. I keep stuff because I’m a smart girl with better things to do but clean (that’s the worst excuse). I keep stuff for all the wrong reasons and it’s teaching my children they need to keep stuff too… or they don’t have to organize, that’s not ok.

So before you gasp at my crazy chaos of a work space, just keep this in mind… it used to be twice as bad! over the last year I’ve come through and organized the space enough that I have a space to work and for the most part can find the supplies I need. Prior to that I wouldn’t work in the space at all. So it’s improved and I hope it will just get better.

Welcome to my space.

My main work studio is in our unfinished basement. I have about 250 square feet of real space to create whatever my heart desires. And this is what it looks like when you come down the stairs and turn the corner:

The “room” wraps around the stair case and ends by the basement back door, so if you had come in from the other side, this is my space:

That’s the big picture. There is methods to each angle of madness… let’s venture in.

The main work area in the space is an 8′ x 4′ table. It’s a board sitting on top  of two industrial shelf pieces where I store even more stuff. The table is split into 2 work areas so I can actively work on a few things at one time without having to put everything away. Neither of which is extraordinarily clean right now.

This side I don’t use as much because it’s slowly become the recycling center which makes it hard to move around to work. I’ve started saving cans, boxes and plastic to incorporate into my projects yet I didn’t plan ahead for a great way to store all these things.

On this side of the table I have a clear area where I usually do things that need to sit for a while like paint or glue. I also have a home made light box (which I will show a “how to make it” tutorial another day).

I recently bought a Circuit and plan on finding a dedicated work space on the table for that as well.

Onward…

This is my sewing space and as of today it is also my photo area. The sewing machine used to be my moms (I’ve sent Santa my wish list for something from the 21st century). To the left I have an ironing board, on top of unused filing cabinets) which I use for sewing and crafts. Just to the right of the ironing board I have a hutch that holds various sewing accessories, zippers, thread, etc. and a space for photographing my work (thus the lights).

If you look carefully towards the top of the photo, there is a set of drawers. They are filled with all kinds of supplies from scrapbook papers to chalk, hot glue, various tapes… my various fancy scissors etc. Each drawer containing only one kind of supply. This is organized nicely. (Some drawers are missing because I was working on a project but didn’t have space down here so I took the supplies upstairs — boo).

Next we have a “kids craft” space. The table is shorter and there is lots of room for kids to get creative – when it’s picked up. This is a 3′ x 6′ table… plenty big – can you imagine the painting and gluing and sticker fun we have here? ProjectsforPreschoolers.com come find out yourself (gotta plug myself, right?).

Here we have fabric, gift wrap and misc supplies. Fabric was purged and organized by color so I currently am stashing about 1/10 of what I used to have in the house. That was rough, but I’m happy I did it. In the dresser is various gift wrapping, one draw is tissue, one is bows, one is bags, etc.

On the far selves there are various supplies and “stuffs” from polymer clay or craft foam kits to plastic, fabric embellishments and card making papers.

Piles of computers. Now this isn’t really part of my studio. It is.. but I don’t craft with the computers. I seem to think that if I get rid of them, I will be getting rid of the history that goes along with them. If I break them down to create something new with them, I’m ruining their usefulness and “what if there is something on there I need?”. Bah humbug! I haven’t used any of them for at least 7 years. I don’t need them and I know it. Maybe I should sell some of it. I’ve got an old video camera, a fax machine, some zip drives, a printer and even a scanner… do you want to buy any of it??? No, you can’t have the old radio, it was my great grandmother’s and as soon as I have a set place for it, it will get used.

Once I clear out this space I can better use it for something I do need.

Here’s a sad little space – 4 big drawers full of things I keep forgetting I have. Yarn and knitting/crochetting stuffs as well as a whole pile of various ribbons and I don’t even know what’s in the other 2. Idea – a 4 draw setup like this will be great to hold my recycled pieces and parts.

The second half of the photo is another view of that misc shelf I already mentioned.

The following is the magical stuff.

This is the mother load of supplies. I have paints for crafts and glass and fabric. I have stamps and shape cutters and crimpers and a whole shelf of ribbon. Jars of beads and sparkles and buttons. 8 little organizers of jewelry and more beads… along with a heat gun, embossing supplies, and various other really cool fun stuff. I love what’s on this shelf… I hate this shelf. However, I’m grateful I have this shelf or I wouldn’t find any of this stuff.

And finally, this is where the magic happens.

Right now, I’m actually sitting in that chair typing this post. Usually I’m in the kitchen but I wanted to try my hand at secluding myself in the space so I could really get a better feel for what I need to do to make this a place I want to work every day. Usually I do all my projects right where my computer is sitting.

And these are my most used tools… my creative mind in a tangible thing…

Now here’s the thing. You can say I need to get rid of things. Fine. I’m not sharing all this to brag about what I have nor to show off all I’m wasting. I’m looking for ideas and brainstorming to make this the most magical studio ever. I have the space and the stuff… I don’t have the vision. Odd, a creative person without vision – it happens.

I also don’t have the time. Rather than come down here and organize, I come down here, find a new treasure and end up creating something fabulous. I can’t say the space isn’t inspiring – I’m constantly rediscovering cool things to make.

I want this to be my favorite place in the house – right now it has the potential but it’s not a magnificent place to work. I love what I do, I want my work space to show that – I think if you look hard right now, it does show it, after it makes you want to get a broom and a trash bin.. ha!

I’d love your insight.. your story sharing or just your thoughts. Because I’ve now put this “out there” I will keep up my end of the deal… I will work to improve this and I will share that journey with you.

So until I have some progress to report – Happy creativity to you!

I’m a creative horder and I need help is a post from: 100 Directions

Over the last few months i have been able to find my inner craft geek again. I’ve started talking to more people that spend their days inhaling glue and paint fumes as an occupation. I’ve also started exploring areas where I can expand my career in new creative directions. Part of this expansion includes crafting as a profession.

Can you believe it? There are people in the world that get to make crafts and earn a living doing it. That’s almost as cool as drawing penguins all day… almost!

So here’s the scoop, I’ve gotten involved in a craft blog hop. I had to make a project  from die cuts of a soon-to-be released Sizzix die shape and share what I’ve created. Here it is, a Princess purse party favor (inspired by my youngest.. Princess Goode).

In turn I am asking you to vote for me and my fancy creation (scroll to the bottom and leave a comment to vote). If I get the most votes, I’ll win the actual die that made this fun shape. You could also be picked at random to win!

So check out my project – Make your own princess purse party favor and then vote for me on Eileen’s blog by leaving a comment saying “I like Jen Goode’s princess purse” (or sometime similar). Please and Thank YOU!

While you’re there, check out more great projects using the Scalloped Box die from the Sizzix Scoreboards collection by other designers.

There will definitely be one more happy penguin if I win!

Finding my craft geek – please vote for me is a post from: 100 Directions

If you’re wondering what the Kreativ Blogger award is… so was I. I’d never heard of it until a few days ago when my friend, Tara Reed, send me a message letting me know she had nominated me for it. Wow! It’s an honor when someone compliments what we are doing. I’m thankful for the opportunity to share with all of you.

I started to do a little digging to find out what exactly this award is all about, but then stopped… why dig, Tara already dug around before me – so I’m not ashamed to admit I’m going to ride her coat tails for that task. (That’s a key to accomplishing so much in day, don’t do work you don’t have to).

Apparently “Kreativ Blogger originated in May 2
08 in a post by Huldas Verden as noted by Clay Garden author in this April 2009 post: ‘Finally I found that it was started in Norway by a blogger named Huldas Verden.’”.

I’d love to tell you more, but I’m ignorant in that I only speak and read English… I couldn’t even guess what any of the posts about or by Huldas say.

Regardless, this all sounds pretty neat to me. It feels a little like an artist circle of “6 degrees from…”. Each of us blogging about another in thanks and recognition of each other’s skills and talents. I like it… I’ll play.

So here’s the deal, as part of this “award” I need to:

1. Thank the person who has given me the award.

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
See upper right, that pretty lil’ rose is the copied logo – I keep thinking there should be a URL to go with it, but I don’t know what that would be.

3. Link back to the person who has nominated you for the award.
(see #1)

4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.

1. 1. The penguins found me first
   2. Peanut butter is an inspiration for me
   3. I decided I would have a career in art when I won a coloring contest at age 6
   4. I started my first art business at age 11 (hand painted invites for friends and family)
   5. Leonardo Da Vinci, Ty Wilson and M.C. Escher are my top 3 favorite artists
   6. I think it’s important to learn something new every day
   7. I’m a packrat in all facets of my life, including learning – if I see something neat, I want to learn how to do it myself.. I store all kinds of miscelaneous tid-bits, tangible and not.

5. Nominate 7 other Kreativ Bloggers.

1. Karyn Lewis A truly talented gem
2. Niki Meiners Where inspiring and crafting is truly fun
3. Joan Beiriger – Sharing for the love of the art
4. Debra Quartermain – the “Creative Eternal Optimist”
5. Beatrice Trezevant Full of spunk and whimsy
6. Cherish Flieder Encouraging artists to succeed
7. Nemo The man who draws perfect freehand circles

I know so many people in so many different circles, I thought I would focus on art people with this one since I was nominated by an artist. So, every one of the people I’ve nominated are in the business of art – oh how I love the world we live in… to be able to color and cut and paste AND provide for ourselves, how cool is that!?

6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
See above

7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs to let them know they have been nominated.
I don’t like leaving random unrelated comments on people’s blogs if I can avoid it, so instead I am posting to twitter and Facebook if possible.

Thanks agan Tara – I appreciate your continual encouragement and motivation. You’re fabulous!

Spread the love of art – Kreativ Blogger Award nominated by Tara Reed is a post from: 100 Directions

I just got a call yesterday afternoon from Rings and Things, wholesale beads and findings, to invite me to their Denver Bead Tour event. Oh, craft-happiness, I like the sound of that!

I make handmade gifts and such to sell at local retail shops. I dabble in a variety of crafty creations, but jewelry is one of the newest for me.  In my research to find some great vendors for supplies, Rings and Things consistently popped up, so last fall I made an order. I don’t actually do any kind of beaded art, I buy findings – the pieces and parts that make jewelry attachable (earring backs, clasps, ring blanks, etc.). I LOVE Rings and Things, and not just because they add a tootsie roll to every order.

I Love Rings and Things because there is no doubt in my mind that this is a real company run by real people who really love their business.

Back to the point – they called me to let me know they are coming to Denver on March 24th to host a bead show as part of their bead tour. Cool! How many companies call you to let you know they’re going to be in YOUR town? Most send an email or a post card. These people took the time to say hi on the phone… a long lost art of communication. I thought that was pretty cool. Maybe I’m mostly flattered because it’s crafty supplies which to me is more fun than work.

If you want to go, it’s free and sounds like fun!

Denver, CO, – Wednesday, 03/24 2010
Noon – 4 pm
Holiday Inn Denver Cherry Creek

Holler in my direction and let me know you’ll be there and I’ll make sure to look for you in the midst of all the bead happiness!

Rings and Things is coming to Denver want to go with me? is a post from: 100 Directions