Full Moon Rug IKEA Hack

Hey friends, Katrina from Rhapsody Letterpress here with a project for you sky watchers and DIYers. My family loves astronomy. I shopped for a moon rug before my son was born but never found one quite right, so we decided to stretch our creative muscles and make one ourselves this week. I put together a short video showing how we did it below using a 51" IKEA ÅDUM rug, a bottle of black liquid Rit dye, bleach, a squirt bottle, and a cloth rag.

We are so pumped about the upcoming eclipse on the 21st, my five year old especially. I hope you fellow moon lovers enjoy!​

Creativity Camp: Faux Watercolor Painting

Hello! Welcome back to our Creativity Camp. I hope you are enjoying this series, and that you and your kiddos are feeling inspired! Today, we are beating the rainy day blues with some colorful faux watercolor paintings. All you need is some watercolor paper (or heavy paper), tissue paper, tape, washable markers, and a water spritzer. Follow along!

Wrap your watercolor paper with the tissue paper, and tape on the back. 

Use the markers and tape to draw circles in all different colors around the paper. Leave a little bit of white space for a more interesting composition.

Once you have finished, it is time for some color theory magic! Use the water spritzer to lightly spray the colored tissue paper.  Watch the colors merge and change!

Try not to over-wet the paper, or it will muddy the vibrancy of the colors. Tap it down, and allow your piece to dry. 

Once the water has dried, you get to unwrap your painting like a present.

Surprise! Check out your abstract watercolor painting! The areas where the tissue paper was lifting off the paper remained white. 

This is an easy technique for such sophisticated results. You can frame it as is, use it as a background for drawing, or use shaped punches to make scrapbooking or card making elements. I decided to frame mine, after she signed of course. Pretty good for a five year old!

If you give this project a try, be sure to share with us @etsydallas #EDCreativityCamp. See you next week!  

Cheater Quilt Tutorial with Katrina

Today, I'm going to share a post from my own blog with you. I am no talented seamstress, but this still came out beautifully, and would make a fantastic handmade gift for those new babies in your life. The whole project took me about 2 hours. Be sure to tag us @etsydallas with #etsydallascrafts, if you try it! 

I have slowly been finishing the baby's nursery one handmade project at a time.  I had very good intentions of completing everything before he arrived, but I didn't even manage to have his crib assembled.  It's funny how different everything is with the second baby.

I finally made some time to work on his cheater baby quilt, so I took some pics to share with you all how easy it is to do something custom and special.  This fabric actually inspired the color palette for the whole space. I bought two yards of the Kona Cotton from Spoonflower (search cheater quilt for different designs), and one package of crib sized batting from amazon. This process is very simple, and the results look much more impressive than it actually was to create.

First, fold your fabric in half, and lay it with the print side face to face, matching the printed areas.

Next, roll out your batting, lay the fabric on top, match the corners, and pin all the way around to hold everything together. Trim the excess.

Roll up the stack to make it more manageable, and sew one side at a time, almost all the way around. Use the printed area as a guide. Leave a hole large enough to turn the quilt right-side-out.

Trim the excess in a margin around the seam, and cut the corners at an angle so you can make a nice point.

Turn the piece right side out.

Use a hidden stitch to close the hole. Knot your thread, and begin your stitch from the inside. Go through the other side and back out again, and repeat until you've reached the end, occasionally pulling it tightly to bring the sides together smoothly.  Be consistent with the size of your stitches.

Using the pattern as a guide again, carefully sew straight lines all the way across the quilt. Repeat for the other two sides of the triangles. Roll the quilt as needed to feed it through the machine.

Trim any threads, and there you have it!

2016 Jingle Bash: Photo Backdrop

It takes a lot of team and individual effort to make our shows a success! I'm sharing a post from my personal blog today to show you what goes into painting the one of a kind photo backdrop. We hire a professional photographer and create a scene so you can have a free keepsake from this time of year, and our event. When all the photos have been uploaded to our Flickr we will make an announcement, so you can download, print, and share freely!  Check it out!

Another show, and another challenge accepted! These 8x10 foot paintings have become quite an event in my house! I grow so much as an artist just by saying "yes" and going for it. I should broaden that statement to person instead.  

I put my husband's GoPro to good use on a time lapse this time too! Enjoy, I hope we see you tomorrow from 11-5 at Gilley's Dallas for the big show! 

A video posted by Katrina Huffman (@rhapsodyletterpress) on Nov 17, 2016 at 6:06am PST

Book Review: The War of Art

Hi guys!  I'm sharing a post from my personal blog today to introduce you all to a concept known as resistance.  I hope you enjoy, and find it to be inspiring!

I always find myself with a creative block after a big show or project.  It is like I have run out of creative fuel, and my idea bus is stranded on the side of the road at night in the middle of nowhere.  Often, I take this as an opportunity to enjoy the stars, or clean the windows until my tow truck comes along.  This could take days.  Or weeks.  A few times it has taken months.  After my daughter was born, it took years.  My tow truck driver is Steven Pressfield, and he's coming in The War of Art. 

Personally, I listen to this short "jump start" of a novel on Audible because I need busy hands while listening to non-fiction.  But, however you best receive information, I encourage you to imbibe this knowledge.  I would have never considered this book, in favor instead of something more recent, or maybe with prettier cover art (shameful admission).  Regardless of a few dated references and some really out there topics, the heart of this novel is timeless and imperative for creatives, or anyone who believes in a higher purpose.  If I were a professor, my semesters would begin with this book specifically to introduce everyone to the formerly unnamed phenomenon he calls "resistance."

If you haven't already taken the link above, and claimed your copy (new perspective on life) of The War of Art (clever name, I know. I revel in word play), allow me to further convince you.  Resistance is a broad term to define that which distracts you or repels you from doing your work.  Not just any work, I am referring to the significant work of your life.  What is your purpose, your genius, the thing that defines you and separates you as a person?  What is your God given gift or talent that you can share?  Well dang, heavy questions for this early in the morning, right?  Drink your coffee and think.

My life's work is art.  Whatever medium I can get my hands on that will communicate with the world (or even just one lost individual) a message of hope or encouragement.  I want to move people in a way that brings them to action or resolution.  I aim to inspire people to believe or have faith in themselves.  So, it is no wonder that the concept of resistance resonates with me.  If my message in life is to encourage others to try again, resistance isn't just my personal enemy, keeping me from doing my own work.  Resistance is my enemy in you, also.

Did I lose you?  Hold tight, I am going to break it down.  Resistance is the sensation that arrives when you are just about to embark on a spiritual/physical/artistic calling for growth, and suddenly have the overwhelming need to do the dishes.  Or play a video game.  Or begin a different unrelated project.  Whatever excuse that keeps you from not following your revolutionary path at class/church/gym/practice is resistance.  Resistance loves addiction, and insecurity- he has you right where he wants you.  "The more important a call or action is to our souls evolution, the more resistance we will feel toward pursuing it."  Resistance arrives wherever courage is required; it is fueled by fear.

Do you know what I am talking about?  Can you relate?  Seems impossible, right?  Now, imagine if you could learn to use that sensation as a compass to navigate where your best efforts should be spent.  Progress.  Transformation.  Fulfillment.  This book can reprogram your mindset about procrastination and reinvigorate your passion.  I have not even touched any concepts beyond the second chapter.  So, #treatyoself to something different this weekend, I can't wait to hear your thoughts!