So happy to share with you today a special video interview I did with one of our Creative JumpStart 2020 teachers: Jodi Ohl. Jodi has done CJS with us before and we are very happy to welcome her back this year! I have known Jodi for many years through online and in person workshops and I have always admired her artwork, so this interview was a lot of fun to do!
A little about Jodi: Jodi is a full time artist, author, and creative instructor who is well known for her whimsical and abstract artmaking styles. In this interview she discusses how her path led her to creating art and how at transitional moments in her journey, her art making played a huge role. She talks about overcoming rejection when submitting art and seeking out opportunities, and the rewards of taking risks in the creative process. I think you’ll also enjoy hearing how she uses color and brushwork to express what is going on in her life, and how powerful that can be.
Please enjoy this Jumping with… Jodi Ohl Interview!
Thank you Jodi!
You can learn more about Jodi Ohl here on her website and also here on Facebook.
And now it is your turn to go after a fun and inspiring challenge beginning this January: Sign up TODAY for Creative JumpStart 2020 and get 31 different mixed media lessons from 31 Super Hero Artists like Jodi Ohl. Hope to see you in the CJS classroom soon :)
So happy to share today another great interview with one of our Creative JumpStart 2020 teachers: Cheiron Brandon. I have known Cheiron now for a while and she was also a wonderful addition to my Creative Squad a few years back.
A little about Cheiron: Cheiron works by day in the world of finance but returns to her studio at night to refocus, rejuvenate, and explore another important aspect of her life – creating! She is an extremely talented card maker and mixed media artist and both teaches classes monthly in NYC and enjoys taking classes to expand her artsy skills. In this interview she speaks about balancing her career and her art, and she talks about how creative activities improve all aspects of her life – from ways of dealing with problems at the office, having the courage to try new things, and even realizing the power of artmaking to bring joy into your life and surrounding relationships. Wow. Yup there’s a lot of great stuff in this interview :)
Please enjoy this Jumping with… Cheiron Brandon Interview!
Thank you Cheiron!
You can learn more about Cheiron on her website or on her Instagram feed.
Are you ready to get artsy in January and experience all those benefits of being creative? Sign up TODAY for Creative JumpStart 2020 and get 31 fun and inspiring lessons from 31 different Super Hero Artists like Cheiron Brandon. See you soon in the CJS classroom :)
“Oh, how she loved to be home!” – that’s me in the window ;)
For this spread I used acrylic paints and collage paper, but for the architectural elements I created hand carved stamps. I also filled in with some of my Fanfare stamps.
I’m so in love with our new home that it definitely inspired this page. So I put my Millie stamp in the window because every home needs some homebodies :)
So happy to share with you today a special video interview I did with one of our Creative JumpStart 2020 teachers: Tonia Jenny. This is Tonia’s first year with CJS and because I have known her a few years already, I am very excited that she is joining our awesome lineup this year.
A little about Tonia: Tonia was an editor for many years for North Light craft and art books where I met her, before she started her own editorial, writing, and life coaching biz. And of course she is also a super talented and versatile mixed media artist, who is very attuned to self exploration and also seeing the potential in everyday materials and items. I think you will love seeing her talk about her creative philosophy and also you may find it inspiring to hear how she approaches tackling new tools, media, and artistic challenges, because hey, Creative JumpStart is all about having fun while trying some new things :) And… she talks about the most creative job application I have probably ever heard about. You don’t want to miss it LOL
Please enjoy this Jumping with… Tonia Jenny Interview!
Thank you Tonia!
You can learn more about Tonia Jenny here on her website and also here on Facebook and Instagram.
Are you ready to Jump into something new in January? Sign up TODAY for Creative JumpStart 2020 and get 31 lessons from 31 Super Hero Artists like Tonia Jenny. Learn, have fun, and challenge yourself in the New Year! Hope to see you in the CJS classroom soon :)
Hello everyone and welcome to a Happy Holidays post from our Creative Squad. Today we have a group of super cool looking cards from Jennifer Gallagher that you can make with the whole family! Jennifer is using my Kassel, Park Blvd 4×4, and Flower Maze stencils and this month’s theme: Happy Holidays – It is a time of year where we are celebrating and coming together and enjoying some merriment. Create something holiday related (whatever holiday you may be celebrating) and enjoy the season!
This month we are celebrating the holiday season and what better way than to create some fun holiday cards. You’re going to love this tutorial because it’s fun, easy, and family friendly. So break out your favorite n*Studio stencils and let’s get started.
I began by drawing a simple tree shape onto craft card stock and cutting it out with a craft knife. I kept both pieces, one we will use as a stencil and the other as a mask.
Using the tree mask and Nat’s Park Blvd 4×4 stencil, I placed the designs down using a low tack washi tape. The mask allows me to protect the area where I don’t want to apply color.
Next, I applied distress ink in blueprint sketch to the Park Blvd. stencil. This creates a lovely halo around the tree.
I placed the tree stencil in the spot where the mask was and applied mowed lawn distress ink. Next, I laid Nat’s Kassel and Flower Maze stencils down and applied lucky clover distress ink over that.
Now is the time to pull out all of your favorite washi tapes. I chose one of my favorites and used a small piece to create the tree trunk. Then, using a Sakura Gelly Roll in black, I outlined my tree and halo.
Now it’s time for the remix! Change up your ink colors, stencil designs, and washi tapes to create different designs. I suggest trading out the Kassel stencil for Nat’s Flower Maze stencil in your trees. Some additional ink colors I used are picked raspberry, wild honey, and shaded lilac. Check out these variations:
I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. This would be a great craft to make with your kids and grandkids. There is nothing better than receiving a handmade card around the holidays. If you try out any of this month’s tutorials, be sure to share with us. Happy Holidays!
Thank you Jennifer for this kick off to our December Creative Squad posts – love how doable the cards are and the very fun results – great design!
Give it a try: you can find all my Stencils in my Online Shop and here are some of the other supplies Jennifer used:
Feel inspired? Working on something yourself that you’d like to share? I love to see how you interpret our monthly themes. Email me how you used my stencils and stamps with the theme and email me an image – I would love to share your projects in my next “n*Spiration From Around the Globe“.
I’m excited today to announce Creative JumpStart (CJS) 2020! What is CJS? It’s a one-of-a-kind online mixed media workshop, now in it’s 9th year, designed to kick your creativity into high gear throughout January 2020. And it goes on sale TODAY!!!
With the Creative JumpStart workshop you will learn techniques, discover new materials, and connect with other artists and crafters. Learn more HERE.
I’m proud to be the founder of Creative JumpStart and one of those artists, called “JumpStarters.” See for yourself what it’s all about:
How does it work? Throughout January participants get access to 31 downloadable videos from 31 featured artists. With easy-to-digest 10 minute lessons, you get over 5 hours of video content. You can also participate in our online classroom with the other “Jumpers” and even share your creations in our classroom gallery. There will be product giveaways from our sponsors too. So much fun!
And today only, you can get CJS20 for just $40USD. You better hurry though, this Cyber Monday Sale ends tonight, December 2 at 11:59pmEST. Sign up HERE.
The Theme this year is “Super Power”. There is no doubt about it: art can be beautiful, personal, and really fun to make. It can capture a once-in-a-lifetime moment, feeling, or idea. And artists can influence everything from the walls of a home to world events. If you think about it, creativity really is a Super Power! Whether you are creating simply for the joy it brings you or creating to share your ideas with others, that is a pretty awesome pursuit.
So we asked our artists: What is your artistic Super Power? Is it a tool or technique that helps you achieve your unique style? Is it a way of thinking, organizing, or planning that leads up to a finished piece? Is it something else entirely? What Super Power do you use to create?
They have created video lessons that explain and show their artistic Super Power in action. They take us step-by-step through their creative process and signature art making style. Creative JumpStart 2020 is this collection of mixed media lessons to help us learn about different artistic Super Powers and how to use them in our own artmaking.
You get 31 videos – over 5 hours worth of video content – for just $40 (USD) if you sign up by December 2nd, 11:59 pm EST. Afterwards it will be $45USD until December 6th 11:59pmEST, and $50USD until December 31 11:59pmEST, before it goes to its normal sale price of $60USD.
So can this Cyber Monday get any better???? YES IT CAN!!!
My Five Day Frenzy SALE in my Online Shop ends TODAY at 11:59pm EST. This is the BIGGEST sale of the season. Just use the coupon code FRENZYFIVE when you check out for a 25% discount on all physical products: stamps, stencils, books, mugs, original paintings, prints, cards and more. This is your last chance to get 25% off and buy for everyone on your list – maybe even yourself ;) – the sale ends at 11:59pm EST TONIGHT December 2nd, 2019.
Today I am recapping the final days of my Deck of Cards Challenge that has run all month long on Instagram. I hope you played along with us and created your own deck of greeting cards for all sorts of occasions. These are the last few prompts, one from the funny friendship cards/words genre and two that deal with boosting yourself. Enjoy this card making fun.
Here is a recap of Prompts 28, 29 and 30:
Day 28 – You Sparkle
Let someone in your life know how brilliantly they shine with this card.
I used my Millie stamp with embossing and then to really amp up the sparkle I added in my Star Fish stamp with gold embossing powder. Nice empowering card.
Day 29 – Note to Self – Get Over It
For these last two days of the challenge we are focusing on some personal pep talks.
I used my Chicago stencil and blending tool with Distress Inks, taping off one part of the pattern for one color and then moving on to another area and color.
Next I went in with a fine liner to emphasize the pattern and add my Note to Self!
Day 30 – Note to Self – Relax
With how busy life is, who doesn’t need a little reminder to relax? And I think a great way to do it is to create!
So today I grabbed my Far Out and Funky foam stamps and some archival ink. I stamped and rotated a couple times and ta-da!
An easy and fun card that now I guess I can put under my pillow or something. Ha!
Here are some of the supplies that I used in these cards:
I hope you enjoyed the challenge and tried some of the different card making ideas I shared :)
One last thing: Don’t forget about my Five Day Frenzy Sale that is happening through tomorrow – December 2. You can save 25% off ALL physical products (even sale items) by using the coupon code FRENZYFIVE when you check out. Enjoy the savings!!!
Last week Kim and I got together to make some holiday cards based on this snowflake card I made for my Deck of Cards Challenge – Kim was really excited about playing with the process. It is so simple and easy and wow does it make some gorgeous cards. We made a stack of layered stencil cards – snowflake inspired designs, patterns that reminded us of stars, and just festive layers of color and shape that would bring joy to the season.
All you need is: blank cards, stencils with a radial pattern, Distress Inks, ink blending tools, masking tape, and some pens or markers to finish them off.
We began applying the Distress ink through a stencil, held in place with masking tape, onto the front of a blank card. Here is my Valley Road stencil.
This one we blended out the color – the inks work really well for blending – and kept the design a single layer. I would later add a top to the design as if it were a tree ornament.
But the real magic happens when you start building up layers of color and pattern. Here is my Toledo stencil as a first layer in blue.
Then we rotated the stencil and added another layer in green. Be sure to have several different ink blending pads for different colors – so you do not contaminate the colors.
The resulting layers of color and pattern have a softness that is quite lovely. Here I added in some extra sparkle and lettering with a fine point pen.
In this way, layering up different stencils with different colors, we created some beautiful holiday cards.
Sometimes we used larger stencils like my Manhattan stencil here, and only stenciled a small part of them.
Here we taped off a part of my Star Struck stencil.
We found that about 3 layers of pattern and color gave us the most successful designs. We also played with the color wheel – the above cards use all warm colors, just perfect for a star.
We hope you give this technique a try – get some stencils and ink and try layering up some designs. You will love the results!
Here are some of the supplies we used for these cards:
Have you stopped by my shop yet for my Five Day Frenzy Sale? You can save 25% off ALL physical products – my biggest sale of the year! It’s a great way to take part in Small Business Saturday – we appreciate your support :) Just use the coupon code FRENZYFIVE at checkout to save. Enjoy!
I want to take a moment today and just wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving! I know I have tons to be thankful for and one thing that I always think about this time of year is all my readers :) Thank you for tuning in each day and hopefully you are enjoying what I share and learning and finding lots of creative inspiration. Thank you!!!
For those of you who are beginning your shopping today or maybe just need a little break from eating (haha), I am starting my BIG sale today. You can save 25% off all physical products in my online shop now through Cyber Monday, December 2nd.
Rubber stamps, stencils, foam stamps, original artwork, mugs, giclee prints, destash and much more is all 25% off – just use the coupon code FRENZYFIVE when you check out. Even sale items are eligible so yup those Fan-tastic rubber stamp sets are in it while supplies last. Woohoo!
And for those of you who like to wait until Friday to shop – no worries. This sale goes through 11:59pm EST on December 2, so you can return to your Thanksgiving festivities and please enjoy!!!
Hi Nat,
Hi Nat, So looking forward to CJS 2020 – it is always so well done and the artists you select are all inspiring. My January is made. Thanks. JoAnn
Reply