Tutorials

How to Make Envelope Glue in Four Ingredients

January 21, 2013 by Lindsey Bugbee 50 Comments
Tutorials

When I first started making handmade envelopes, I noticed a problem: I had to glue all my creations shut using regular Elmer’s glue. Which, you know, aesthetically isn’t a problem … but as far as utility, well, I’m sure my letter recipients had to destroy their envelopes, tearing with all their might, to get them open. Enter envelope glue … lick-to-seal envelope glue, nonetheless! Made with four ingredients that I always have on hand (well, minus the gelatin). Needless to say, my letter-writing world has been rocked.

Once you’ve made some handmade envelopes using my tutorial, you’ll want to assemble your envelope glue ingredients to make this recipe:

3 TBSP white vinegar
1 envelope gelatin (unflavored)
1 TSP vanilla extract
1 TSP sugar

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How to Make Handmade Envelopes

January 21, 2013 by Lindsey Bugbee 12 Comments
Printable Goodies· Tutorials

Anyone can learn how to make handmade envelopes because it’s just cutting and gluing. Honestly. Easiest thing in the world. It’s perhaps a bit time-consuming, but if you’re going to put in the time to write a letter anyway, why not send it in style? Handmade envelopes add literal meaning to “the art of mail”. If you’re with me in preserving this art, let’s get started on creating custom handmade envelopes!

Today we’ll be making 5.1″ x 3.6″ envelopes. The first thing you are going to do is download my .pdf template by clicking on this link:
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Freebie – Valentine’s Day Cards/Gift Tags

January 18, 2013 by Lindsey Bugbee 1 Comment
Printable Goodies· Tutorials

I hear people say that Valentine’s Day is a holiday blown out of proportion by corporations to make you feel more compelled to buy their stuff. My boyfriend has been successfully thwarting these corporations throughout our years of togetherness by not getting me anything for Valentine’s Day. What a rebel, right? Yhup … really stickin’ it to the man.

Well, this year he — and the hundreds (I’m not going to be pessimistic and say “thousands”) — of other men like him have no excuse. These Valentine’s Day freebies are adorable and sophisticated. They’re not too cutesy, but they’re not Casanovia-level serious, either. Best of all, they are created from original watercolor artwork. Did I mention they’re free?
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Salted Ombre Watercolor Letters Tutorial

January 12, 2013 by Lindsey Bugbee 3 Comments
Tutorials· Wall Art

If you’re familiar with any of my work, you’ll know that I’m addicted to color. I also love art that looks spontaneous. These salted watercolor letters — perfect for adorning your home with you favorite short quotes — fill my color/spontaneity quota. When I make works like these, I am reminded of my college roommate, Sarah; she used to hang simple, inspirational quotes all over in her bedroom. I loved the feel of her room and the positive vibes coming from all the color and text on the walls.

The great thing about these salted watercolor letters is they are not too tough to make, and your material cost will be very low — perhaps $0 — provided you’ve got some watercolors on hand. So, without further ado, let’s get started:

First, you are going to make stencils for the letters you need. Since I am making “C’EST LA VIE”, I only need A,C,E,I,L,S,T,’. Your stencils don’t need to be anywhere near perfect — in fact, they shouldn’t be! Takes away from the spontaneity factor. Just freehand the letters onto cardstock or thick paper, like so:
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How to Create a Crayola Crayon Portrait

December 29, 2012 by Lindsey Bugbee 7 Comments
Tutorials· Wall Art

I had so much fun before the holidays creating Crayola crayon portraits for my friends and family, and they’re such an enjoyable project to make that I’d like to share how to create one. I think that with some patience it’s something that anyone could do, though they can be a little time-consuming (but nothing like oil/acrylic paint portraits)!

The first thing you need to do is dig up a good photo that you think would translate well into a piece of art using the medium. This means you need colors and contrast. I have chosen a Facebook photo of my friend Caitie with an armful of bottled water in a Philadelphia grocery store (she was stocking up before the big storm). I like the photo because it has plenty of contrast and interesting content.
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