You know what? I said today would be Dotee Dolls. I changed my mind. I don't want to really talk about then right now. Why? It's my blog and I'll blog how I want to. So yeah. Onto better subjects. If you really want me to talk about Dotee Dolls. Feel free to leave a comment telling me how i missed your favorite part.

   Moving on. The fun mess making parts! WOOTS! 

   Acrylic paint and gesso are my choice in poisons. You can't have too much or too many different kinds. Okay well you know what gesso is gesso. Whatever. 

   One fun way I like to make background for ATCs is taking some pretty white paper. Any kind of pretty white paper will do. Hell you can use any kind of paper really. It doesn't really matter. I don't care what kind of paper you use. Just make sure it can take a good beating.

   You take that whatever type of paper and cover it in a nice little coat of gesso. Get it all over it. You can let it dry if you want. I usually do. Or you can go and add some color to it. Either way you like to do it go ahead and have some fun. 

   Take some acrylic paint and add it on there. Swirl is here and there. Dab a little over there. Smooth it out over here. Whatever tickles your fancy. Let that dry. Then more gesso! Yes, more. It's all about layers here people. Then let that dry. 

   Got some cool looking rubber stamps? Get to stamping. However you like it. Make it all nice and random now. Have some fun with it. Got any kind of stencil you like? Use it. I like to take bubble wrap and run some color over it with a paint brush and use that to make some bubbles on my papers. Nice cheap homemade stamp. Couldn't ask for anything better. 

   Let that all dry. Add some more gesso. Now when you are adding gesso layers feel free to add as much as you like. However, I like to go thin. That way nothing get's too over covered but just enough to blend it altogether. 

   You can do that as much or as little as you like it. I do about maybe...6-8 layers. Depends on my mood or how fast I want to get this background done. Haha. 

   ^ That's abou what you could end up with when you are all done. Then you have some ready to go backgrounds custom made ready to be made into a nicely done ATC. I had much a bunch different colors. That way I had a little something for everything. I'll need to get to making some more though soon. 

   Another fun thing to do is take your acrylic paint and put it on some wax paper. Add some different colors. At least 2-3 colors. I wouldn't say any more or any less then that. You don't want too many because it'll just get to muddled. Too few and it wont look cool enough.

   Take your colors you've decided to add together. Put a decent amount on the wax paper. Then take something...I like using a finger and mix it together. Now not too much! Make it look like the colors are trying to mix but failing horribly. Haha. You want that swirled marble effect. 

  Take your pre-cut plain ATCs and put one right onto of the color. Lightly push on it so you get enough on it and then peel it up off the paint. If you've added enough paint you should be able to do this a few times. You don't need to cover the whole ATC. You wont get it wrong if you don't. More or less. Have some fun with it. See what you like. I prefer them either way honestly. 

   ^ There I just took red and blue and had some fun. Now once you are done if you'd like to add even better effect. Take some of you glimmer mist and spray it a few times. Then you've got some extra shimmer and shine to them. Let them dry and you've got another awesome premade ATC background. 

   Like I said it's all about the mess you make. Usually the bigger and messier the more fun you are having and the better your crafts will look in the end. Usually. Don't quote me on this. Haha. Is all part of the creative chaos theory.
   

 


  

   Well isn't today a great day. Sunday! Back to work tomorrow Yay!....WTH am I talking about? Monday's are the worst even if I don't work. Haha! 

   It's a Z kind of night. Zines and Zentangles! Zines are fun little things. Little paper books. You make them using 1 piece of paper. Anything you'd like and you can pout anything in them. Though it's best to keep them nice and flat. That way they close up all nice and neat. 

.

   ^ The zine I made for my GROUP: Kawaii Minizine Swap #3 *SUMMER EDITION*
 swap. My first one ever! It was so much fun too. The template was pre-made by the wonderful hollycopter who hosted the swap. Then we got to fill it all out for our partners. We had to make 3. So, I made 1 and photocopied the other 2. However, for the sticker flake part and things to do this summer part I did them all separately. I think I might have even done the glitter outline on my name part separately as well.

   If you looked at the zone carefully you can see the slit in the middle. Along with the fold. That slit allows the paper to fold up into a mini booklet. Thus making it a zine. I've seen all kinds of themes for zines. They are another endless craft to do. No you don't have to be an artist either. There were no rules stating you have to hand draw anything. I just thought it would have been more fun to do so. That's why I did. You can use images, stamps, rub ons, and whatever else. Crafting is meant to have fun so have fun. If you are not having fun then you aren't doing that right kind of crafts!

   Zentangles are addicting and calming. I can do zentangles all day and get lost in them. For lack of better terms they are just lines, curves, dots, circles, and everything else in between. Yeah there are a lot of zentangles that have names and what not and are done a certain way but it doesn't mean you can only do them. Heck no. Tangle Patterns.com is a great site to check out to get the gist of everything. I've found some really great zentangles on there I really like.

 

   ^ Zentangles! These were made for my GROUP: Zentangle ATC swap I was in. We had to make 2 zentangle ATCs. Send 1 to both of our 2 partners.  2 partners 1 ATC each. These were fun. I'd have to say my favorite is the left one! I love both of those zentangles. Now they have fancy names to them and everything but I can't remember them. You check out that website I linked above and you'll find the name for both of them. 

   Like I said before though. Just because it isn't on that website don't think it doesn't count as a zentangle. Think of how most kids learn to draw grass. They draw lines across the paper right? Not everyone is the same length. Some are longer and some are shorter. Though there is a "pattern" of lines going across the bottom of the paper. Zentangle! Now as an adult you can make those lines straight up and down then you have a true zentangle. Also make every other one the same length and TA DA! Also who said they have to be straight up and down? You can make them wavy, zig zag, look like stairs, and anything else. You are still making a zentangle. 

   Easy, fun, addicting, and very relaxing. You will lost track of time doing them. So make sure you don't have anything important you need to do anytime soon without setting an alarm. Haha. Take it from experience. I know! 

   Dotee Dolls tomorrow! The onto the fun parts! Making the mess to create the work of art!