There are over 400 blog posts on the TPK website right now — four hundred!! With a number like that, it’s impossible for some gems not to get lost in the mix. Here are my top ten favorite “throwback” (circa two years or older) tutorials that you may not have seen:
Continue reading…
Halloween has always been my favorite holiday because … candy. It also offers the opportunity to make some playfully macabre creative projects (while you eat the candy)! Today’s blog post outlines my five favorite Halloween paper projects on the TPK site. You can start making them now so the holiday doesn’t sneak up on you!
Continue reading…
I love this calligraphy birthday card tutorial because it requires very few supplies. You can make it with black cardstock and white ink — as I’ve done here — or you can switch it up with a lighter paper and a dark ink! No matter what color scheme you choose, the swirls and stars are key. The more you include, the more festive your card will be! Here are the steps:
Continue reading…
For the past year or so, I’ve noticed watercolor cactus artwork popping up on my Pinterest feed. I love the way that you can layer watercolors to make cacti with different tones, then finish up the artwork by painting delicate spines! In today’s tutorial, you’ll learn how to use a special watercolor technique to make a whimsical, eye-catching cactus wreath. Don’t hesitate to pick up your brush even if you’re new to painting with watercolors!
Continue reading…
In April, we traded in our apartment for a house, which translates to much more wall space. At first, I was intimidated by all the bare walls that I needed to fill up. Then, I discovered how to frame artwork on the cheap! Suddenly, artwork and photographs that I have wanted to frame for years are making their elegant debut. If you’re curious about how to frame artwork yourself, you can find the steps below!
Continue reading…
The inspiration for this “just because” card comes from Carolyn Gavin‘s botanical sketches in Issue 11 of Flow Magazine. It’s hard not to love the juxtaposition of clean black and white components with watercolor! If you like the look of this project, give it a try! Even if you don’t consider yourself to be an artist, you can make it — I promise. Here’s how:
Continue reading…
After years of apartment living, Hernán and I bought a house here in Boulder three months ago. We were lucky enough to find a home that has a separate apartment in the basement. For us, that’s perfect because both of our families live out of state, and they enjoy coming for long visits! When family members aren’t visiting, we plan on renting the basement apartment out on Airbnb. Since the day we moved in, we’ve been working on remodeling the basement. As you can see from Hernán’s paint-stained shirt, it has been quite an undertaking!
Continue reading…
I’m sure you’re wondering what on earth a “millennial birthday card” is! Well … it’s a card that reflects the millennial tendency to condense phrases into acronyms. This artistic, fun card says “Happy Birthday” with three letters — “HBD”. (Now that I think about it, it seems that “Happy Birthday” should be “HB”, but my fellow millennials always write “HBD”, so that’s what I’m going with!) If you like the concept, you can follow the instructions below to make your own “millennial” birthday card!
Continue reading…
Today’s printable birthday card encompasses two fantastic things: adult coloring and intricate hand-lettering. If you’ve got 15-20 minutes this weekend, it’s a very worthy project to spend time making! After you create it, you can tuck the card away somewhere until someone’s birthday comes up.
If you haven’t noticed, I’m big on handmade birthday cards. They combine two things that I love: being creative and making someone happy! This “Abstract Watercolor Bubbles” birthday card is no exception … it’s fun to make and will delight its new owner. You can learn how to make one just like it in the steps below!
Continue reading…