Coloring boxes, cases, bookmarks.....that's so FUN!!

OMG, how fun is making boxes, cases, and more pieces using coloring fabric! We have double fun! Making and then coloring them....or, giving as a gift for someone else to paint! So so fun......

When I saw this coloring fabric for the first time, I was so excited to try it! The first thing I made were some journal covers, but I did them as part of my daughter's birthday party! I gave the fabric for the girls to paint during the party, and then I made the covers.....but that took a while to finish and I just was able to deliver the covers to my daughter's friends some days after the party! 

Here is the picture of the finished covers, I love to see how different they look!

But now, with this idea things are much better!! We can first make the pieces and then give to people to paint on it!  They are not coloring pages, but they are even better..... coloring boxes, journal covers, notepad covers, bookmarks....or....what else your imagination wants to create with cartonnage!! 
The only thing, as they are made with fabric the recommendation is for coloring them with fabric markers!

Here some pictures during the process and the final pieces I made so far.....for sure, I will make many more! It's so fun!!

I really love reusing materials and cereal boxes, cracker boxes... even dishwasher soup boxes are great to make bookmarks and other simple pieces.... if you haven't try it yet, I have one online free course with lots of ideas for this, you can check it out here.

 And then, here are the final pieces!

I hope you have liked this idea! Look for the fabric and start having fun!! 
We gonna have some fun classes for these pieces very soon here in Grand Haven, MI. Stay tuned for more info!!
Or, learn online in my online cartonnage school here.
Or check for local classes in Michigan and Indiana here.

Also, my huge thank you to my friend Lynn Hodge and my friends from Quilt Expressions in Fishers, IN, for showing this fabric and ideas to me!! 

Have fun everyone!!!!

Claudia

Have fun making great Christmas gifts or decoration!

Hi everyone!

I am loving making the videos showing how to make simple, easy and beautiful Christmas gifts or decoration! 

Just a few simple materials, most of the time reusing cereal boxes and using scraps of fabric! Don't miss this!

Here are the pieces I am teaching in the videos:

Magnet boards and post it covers:

Christmas Advent Calendar:

Christmas trees decor:

Cup sleeves:

All these videos are available in my FREE course Joy of Cartonnage, click here to sign up and see them!

The video for making the Christmas tree is also available on my youtube channel, click here to see it!

I hope you like them and HAVE FUN!!

I will love hearing from you!!

Claudia

DIY Christmas projects free series of videos just started!

Hello everyone!

I love this time of the year! I am starting preparation for Christmas and decided to have a new series of videos to share simple projects that can be unique gifts or decoration for our houses! 

All simple projects, using a few materials, scraps of fabrics, paper (sometimes reusing cereal boxes), and glue!! 

For more details and to see the projects I will be sharing, take a look at this video:

I will be sharing one project each week of November in my FREE online course Joy of Cartonnage. If you are already part of this course, go there and see, the first video is already there! If you are not my student yet, it's simple, it's easy, it's free, just click here and sign up! (keep your password in mind, you will need it everytime you access the course)

As the videos will be in my online school, they will be there for a long time, so, you can see them over and over and make the projects in your free time!

So, the first video is already available and you will learn how to make unique magnet boards. Watch it now!     Next one will be available on November 10! See you there!!!

The workshop Basics to make fabric boxes just started!

Hello, the first video of the workshop where I will be showing how to design and make one fabric box is already available! More videos coming this week and they will be available untill next Monday, October 03!

If you have registered to be part of this workshop, then check your inbox, you have received one email letting you know how to access the workshop! If you have registered and didn't receive this email, please check your spam folder!

If you didn't registered yet and want to have fun learning how to make fabric boxes, it is still time to participate! Click here to have more information, register and be part of this workshop!

Let's have a great week! See you in the workshop!

Claudia

Repurposed shutters and my new studio is ready for the workshop!

Hello my friends!

You may or may not know, I just moved from Fishers, IN to Grand Haven, MI. Here in my new place I got one special space to have my studio. In this room, I will be creating and making my arts, taking the pictures of the pieces for the instructions and also making the videos for my online classes! I'm so excited about this! 

Everytime I have a new space I love to decorate it in a special way! And it was not different this time! I had one idea in mind for a long time, but wasn't sure if would work! Then.....well.... let me know what I did and......had so much fun making!!

All started when I saw some pictures of shelves in the internet, reusing old shutters, and I loved the idea! Here in West Michigan there are many antique shops and I went to several of them till I found what I felt could work!

Then, after settled in the new house, I decided to work with this project! So, following the directions I have found on internet, I painted all of them with latex painting. 

Next, I applied chalk paint in different colors.....but I was still unsure how all of this would end up.....

After this, I was ready to distress, wiping away the paint with a wet cloth! Wow! That was awesome, it was the first time I did something like that!

And then, my garage floor was full of new looking shutters! 

The next step I couldn't be done if wasn't my husband's help!! Thank you so much my dear!!!

So, after figuring out what would be the best way to put the pieces together, we decided to make the way we did!! 

With all pieces together, we figured out, the best place to add the shelves...... and he fixed them to me! 

I ending up not using all the shelves I was thinking, but I loved the final result ....it is much better than I had figured out!!

Then we fixed in the wall of my new studio and ........ I have a great place to work now!!!

I really loved it! How about you??

Then, I have already started making the videos for my first FREE Online Workshop about Cartonnage, the basics to make fabric boxes. The workshop will be from September 26 to October 03. Have you already registered for that? Don't miss this! It will be great!! I'm looking forward to see you there!!

REGISTER FOR THE WORKSHOP about making fabric boxes HERE! It's FREE!

You are invited for a FREE online Cartonnage workshop!

I am so excited to share with you that I have started registration for my FREE online Cartonnage Workshop that will be happening from September 26 to October 03!

The workshop will be a serie of online videos where I will be sharing the basic about the technique, as well as I will be making one  fabric box and also will teach you how to design and make your own box with the dimensions you want! 

The fabric boxes are great handmade gifts and we can have so much fun making them!

To be part of this workshop you have to register. To do that, click on the link below to have more information, register and also get one eBook to start practicing now!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THIS FREE WORKSHOP

I'm preparing everything with so much care! I'm looking forward for this event!

Any question, suggestions, comments? I will be very glad to hear from you! 

Claudia

New DIY cartonnage kits! Now also available in selected stores!

I am so glad  to let you know that I have updated my DIY cartonnage kits! That was in my mind for a long time and finally I made them much more functional, not just to use in my classes, but also for everyone that wants to make fabric boxes or other pieces using Cartonnage technique.

Each DIY kit now has 2 options: 

*  STARTER kit with instructions, that comes with all pieces of paper board, poster board and kraft paper precut to make the project and a CD with instructions that contains lots of pictures showing the whole process, step by step! 

*  THE KIT ONLY, so, if you already know how to make the piece then you can buy just the kit itself, with all pieces of paper ready to add your favorite fabric and make the project!

As an example, here are the options for the Small fabric box - DIY kit 102 (and the box instructions are brand new! Much more details now):

With the same instruction you can make more than one size of box, so, with the instruction that come with the Small Fabric box (DIY kit 102) you can also make the Medium fabric box (DIY kit 131) and the Square fabric box (DIY kit 106). 

Another kind of kit is for boxes with dividers! They are great to hold tea bags, K-cups and other coffe cups.... With the instruction that come in these boxes is possible to make the Fabric box with 4 divisions (Tea box) (DIY kit 108) and the Fabric box with 6 divisions (for tea bags, dog treats, or k-cup without dividers) (DIY kit 143).

Another way to learn how to make the linged lid fabric boxes (without or with dividers), it is learning online. You can buy the DIY kit only and learn with videos in my FABRIC COVERED BOX online course, this course also include the instructions with pictures step by step.

A fabric pencil box with magnet closure is a great idea! The students are so happy with this box!

And the project that was my first piece when learning cartonnage: the journal cover!

For the journal cover, you can also buy the DIY kit only and learn online in my JOURNAL COVER online course.

Here are all the CD with instructions I have made so far, soon I will have DIY kits also for other projects:

Here are the pieces you can find the DIY kits available now:

The instructions are very clear and complete. Plus, complementary basic information and videos for all cartonnage projects are always available in my FREE online course: Joy of Cartonnage.

Also to make the boxes and cases we have some special tools (very simple and inexpensive), that facilitate the process so much! They are now available with printed instructions:

Do you want to know where you can find these kits?

*Local quilt stores in Indiana that will carry them very soon are:

      Always in Stitches - Noblesville (317 - 776 4227)

      Quilt Expressions - Fishers (317 - 913 1816)

* ColorWay Arts online shop  (due my moving process, in August the shipping time can be 1-2 weeks - sorry!!) 

I am planning to have kits like that for other projects I already had classes and for the future projects. 

I have prepared these kits, the instructions with so much care! They are part of a project that has started in  2014 when I taught my first Cartonnage class! My huge thank you to all students that have joined me in the classes till now, you are an essential part of this process! I am looking forward to the classes that will be coming in the next months!

If you have any question, suggestions, I will be very glad to hear from you!!

Thanks,

Claudia