Recycled Amazon Book Mailer with Sharon Harkness-Dobler

Hello friends! I’d like to share a fun recycling project with you.

I’ve ordered quite a few books from Amazon over the last few months. The books come packaged in a cardboard box that looks very much like a folder.

I decided to keep a few of these boxes with the intention of using them in an art project, and here it is.

You can use any mediums that you like to create your own functional folder.

Click on the video below to see my step by step process.  Enjoy and happy creating!

Thanks for visiting!

OOAK Artisan's Featured Product:Uni-ball ® Signo Broad Pen

fea·ture ˈfēCHər/ noun noun: feature; plural noun: features 1. a distinctive attribute or aspect of something. Each month we will feature a product, sharing supplies and materials that we think you would love to use in your creative time.  Whenever possible, we will offer them to you at discounted prices*. We hope you will both enjoy and benefit from these articles.

OOAK Artisan's Featured Product:Uni-ball Signo Broad Pen

This month's featured product is the Uni-ball® Signo Broad UM-153 Gel Pen, White Ink.

It is a Uni-ball® pen, a pen made by the Mitsubishi Pencil Co. of Japan. Signo is just one of their many lines of pens.

This pen is a gel pen but it's not your usual gel pen! It is described by the manufacturer in these terms, ·        Thick, vibrant lines always make a bold statement             ·         Smooth grip keeps writing comfortable while maximizing control             ·         Exclusive pigment-based ink forms an indelible bond in paper, for            intense coloration and document security               AND we have found this all to be TRUE!        They also boast of these features for pens made by Uni-ball® :                           ·           3 Way Protection Against Water, Fading and Fraud – Pigment-             based uni Super Ink contains particles that form an indelible bond in             paper.                 ·         Won’t Leak in Flight – Jet setters get it—these pens are designed to           compensate for changes in cabin pressure.                 ·         Comfort Grip – Ergonomic designs and unique grips keep hands free           of pressure.                 ·         Fade- and Water-resistant, Acid-free Ink – Perfect for archival               uses, these help words remain bold over time.                 ·         Quick-drying Ink – Great for fast writers and innovative lefties.

This pen has pure white ink, and it's opaque which means it will "POP" on darker colored backgrounds.

It will write smoothly on all types of surfaces - matte or glossy, smooth or textured - as shown in this video clip. I love how I can embellish my artwork. In the next video clip I used acrylic paint to stamp on shiny metallic paper.  Manhattan Positive & Negative The stamp I used is an ArtFoamies stamp designed by Nathalie Kalbach of n*Studio .

Many mixed media artists and paper crafters SWEAR by this pen. Created by Leah Tees "I love the Uni-ball® Signo pen! It is so smooth and writes even over slightly textured surfaces. I've always wanted an opaque white pen to use over acrylic paint and I'm so happy Shelley sent me this one!"    - Leah Tees, OOAK Artisans Design Team Member  There have been many reviews and comparisons done with other markers and pens, you can read some of them yourself - CLICK HERE

The nitty-gritty:   Uni-Ball® Signo Broad Pen, UM-153 model                             ·         1.00 mm BOLD tip                             ·         White, opaque pigment ink                             ·         Metal, conical tip                             ·         Clear barrel                             ·         Snap-on cap                             ·         Clippable

CLICK on star or email us at sales@ooakartisans.com

AVAILABLE through OOAK Artisan Showcase - " Remember, when you purchase your supplies through us you are saving a few coins AND more importantly, you are helping in our mission to help other artists through our free programs.1 We aren't a non-profit but we believe in encouraging others and giving back. MSRP $3.59     OOAK Artisan Price * $2.50  Interested? CLICK on the STAR!    Shipping to U.S. :  USPS 1st Class w/tracking is $2.77 for up to 4 pens                           USPS Priority w/tracking and insurance is $6.50 flat rate packaging International Shipping : Please inquire, based on weight and destination. * items will be available for pre-order, based on availability. An invoice will be sent out to you when the order is placed with our distributor(s). You will be notified via email with the expected delivery date and a tracking # upon shipment.  Any question contact sales@ooakartisans.com . 1 Free youth art programs servicing inner-city youth, tuition subsidy program, monetary and in-kind donations to local non-profits, participation in community art projects. Contributions made by OOAK Artisan Showcase are non tax-deductible.

Art Journaling with Jenn Engle

Hey everyone, Jenn Engle here with you today! What an honor to be here on the OOAK Artisan Showcase Blog. I’m a big fan of Shelley and the work she’s doing in the artistic community.

For my post today, I have an art journal page to share. I recently got the new Dina Wakley Scribble Sticks and I am smitten!  They are the perfect portable medium.You could really make a whole page using just them and a waterbrush. This page is pretty simple, just a lot of texture and the scribble sticks.

To see exactly how I made my art journal spread, you can watch the process video. I would love to hear if you guys have tried the Scribble Sticks and how you feel about them!

Thanks so much, Jenn Engle PLACES TO FIND ME: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jenniferengle22 Instagram @mixedmediajenn Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MixMediaJenn/ Blog: https://www.mixedmediajenn.blogspot.com Gmail: jenniferengle22@gmail.com

OOAK Guest Blogger Maura Hibbitts

Hello everyone! I am excited and honored to be here with you today! I’m Maura Hibbitts and I live in upstate New York near the Adirondack Mountains, and I’ve been creating since I was a little girl sitting out under the tree in the backyard, drawing and coloring with crayons. I’m retired from teaching science, and have turned to my art passion full time, especially mixed media.

When I asked Shelley what she wanted me to do, and she said do something colorful, well that gave me free rein to use my imagination and lots and lots of color. We share a love of all things green, so of course that fit into my plan! Our local motel, The Blue Moon, always puts up great seasonal quotes on their sign, and recently since we are all waiting and waiting for spring here, this is what they have on the sign - “Live Life in Full Bloom.”

I decided to create a canvas using this idea for a friend who is retiring from teaching, and I thought this was a great quote for her next life adventure.

I built up layer upon layer of color, texture and design by using modeling paste, opaque and transparent paints, stencils and stamps. Maybe you are like me and don’t know when to stop, but I’ve learned paint can cover a multitude of things, and you can redo a layer if you need to! I change my mind a lot as I work too, and while painting the girls, I thought - hey this could be my friend and I, so I’ll make her hair pink (her fave) and mine green (my fave).

Isn’t it funny how we think we have our idea all figured out, but somewhere in our brain ideas are still working away and pop out…well, at least that seems to be how mine works, LOL!

If you would like to see the tutorial of this project, please visit me at TwoCraftingSisters.

Thanks for being our guest Maura, I love your COLORFUL design! ~Shelley

The Happy Fox with Roberta Laliberte

Hello artsy friends, you are in for a real treat if you love cute wildlife and mixing art media! If you are all in then I would like to introduce you to The Happy Fox!

Yes, he really was happy, no joke. If you would like to see the source photo I used for inspiration you can find it on Pinterest right HERE.   I also chose a colour palette from my COLOR PALETTE BOARD  on Pinterest.  Another great place to find awesome reference photos is on PEXELS.  It's a great resource for free stock photography which is something you have to watch out for if you were to ever sell your work. The copyright owner may have issue with you using their photos.

Without further ado, click the play button and sit back and see how I created ‘The Happy Fox’.

Well I sure hope you enjoyed my video lesson as much as I love creating it for you!

Thanks for stopping by!  Come back again next week to see more of our fabulous design team creations!

Hey guys! Shelley here. I wanted to tell you that Roberta was also teaching this summer in the online class EVER AFTER hosted by Tamara Laporte from willowing.org. If you love fairy tales, magic and mixed media art then this online class is for you! Each teacher is also offering lessons on style development as well. Registration opens May 17th and if you click on THIS LINK , you can sign up for the email newsletter and get priority access to early bird prices when registration opens.

Splashy Shoes with Jean!

Welcome all, I want to show you all my new shoes!! Just like a kid when they get new shoes! Only now I am older and designed my own shoes.

These started as a plain white pair of tennies, add in some Dye-na-flow paints, Fantastix brush tips, and Pentel Gel Roller for Fabric. This project was a blast to make and using the Fantastix as markers made coloring the random sections very easy and fast. The hardest part was allowing the colors to dry to avoid color mixing. I then just doodled all over them. Doodling goes way back for me it took me a long time to believe my doodling could be art! Now I doodle on everything and anywhere. I even took them to the coffee shop where a few of us meet to draw! Oh, and they were a big hit!

I dabble in a lot of medias and strive to do different! Yes I will wear these shoes, right along with my 3 year old granddaughter who has a close to matching pair!

Life is too short to stay in the lines! so I draw my own lines!!