How to be creative is my first blog post and video since June.

I'm sorry I haven't been here for so long but my 92 year old dad fell ill in the summer and

my time was taken up with looking after him right up until he passed away a few weeks ago.

So I have been very busy with family commitments and now, with taking care of my mum.

But I'm getting back into the swing of working now so here I am with another project. So if you want to know how to be creative - stick with me!

In my latest YouTube video, I reconstruct how I created this 'painting' and  made a very similar image. Click here to see it.

How To Be Creative With Milk and Pixels is the follow on post from How To Create Abstract Art VERY Easily.

You don't have to read that post or watch the associated video first but I would highly recommend you do so that this one makes more sense. You can find the blog post and video link by clicking here.

How to be creative is a question that so many people ponder and as I have said many times in my posts, being creative is not as hard as some people think it is.

I remember very clearly when I didn't know how to be creative but longed to be

Digital technology has made it so easy to explore our own creativity in ways we could never have dreamed of before the invention of computers and their pixels.

This project is a little different to my other - ‘how to be creative' - ones where I use scrap cardboard and paper etc to make physical objects such as jewelery.

In the previous project, I used an actual physical process that utilised milk and food colouring to create fun abstract images that I captured with my camera before tipping the coloured  milk down the sink.

I am taking things a step further with this follow up project, to show you how to develop those 'paintings' I created in the previous video, using digital technology and software which, I realise not everyone may have.

But don't let that put you off reading the post and watching the video. Especially if you are longing to know how to be creative.

Once you see the potential of your computer as a tool for developing the fun abstract art you have created outside of the computer, you may want to think seriously about getting some photo editing software and exploring how you can use it way beyond editing photos, to make art, in the most obscure ways.

You can see in the images above, I improved the photo I took while I was sloshing around with milk and food colouring.

With just a couple of clicks in Photoshop I had cropped out the edge of the dish and enhanced the colors leaving me with a 'painting' that no one would ever guess was milk!

The image on the right also began life as a milk 'painting' in a dish. 

I created the base image using food colouring in milk, took a photo of it, downloaded it to my computer  and then used Photoshop to enhance it and add other elements using brushes (think of brushes as digital craft stamps that you can create to add designs to your milk painting.)

Images like these will never make it into the Royal Academy but, that is not what we are aiming for here, we are aiming for having fun and exploring possibilities without being 'good' at making art - don't ever forget that! I have seen many really awful paintings in prestigious art galleries that are only there because the artist has made a name for themselves. It doesn't matter what they produce, their admirers will lap it up.

They could sneeze paint onto a canvas and it would be applauded. They learned how to be creative and so can you, in your way. So don't get caught up in that art snob mindset or judge yourself harshly - just enjoy the process and use whatever means you need in order to express yourself.

Don't let the name PHOTOshop fool you into thinking this image editing software is purely about editing photos.

I created this image from scratch in Photoshop using brushes I created very easily myself.

This whole image is made using the gradient tool and three custom made brushes.

I mainly use it for creating arty images from scratch.

And you can do the same with Gimp without forking out for Photoshop if you don't want the outlay.

As I said earlier, when I say I used 'brushes' to add designs to my images (such as the tree branches in the image at the start of this post), I could just as easily call them digital craft stamps, but Photoshop calls them brushes.

Take the praying monk in the image above - I didn't draw him, I am not capable - but did my inability to draw or paint stop me from expressing my artistic idea of having a praying monk in my painting?

No, because I used my creativity to overcome the 'can't draw or paint'  barrier.

I used my camera to take a picture of a concrete garden ornament (the monk) sideways on and then I turned it into a digital stamp (known as a brush in Photoshop terms) and I can put this monk into any painting I make.

Now that I have the stamp (brush) saved in my Photoshop brushes palette, I can make it any size or colour I want.

Have I cheated? No, Have I been creative? Yes. Because creativity is about finding creative ways to express yourself. Creativity is not limited to be 'able' to paint or draw 'properly'.

The stamps (brushes) you see on the right are all individual brushes I have created myself to use in Photoshop.

I have stamped them in various colors all on the same document so you can see what I am talking about. I can make these brushes whatever size, colour or opacity I want to and I can overlay them on any photo I have taken of abstract art created with milk and food coloring (or paintings created in any way).

The reason I make my own brushes is because of copyright. For example - the tree brushes I used in the top image are not my design. I got them either free with a Photoshop magazine or from a free clip art website.

So if, for example, I wanted to make a greeting card to sell, even though these brushes were free, it doesn't mean I can use them on stuff I am selling.

So I like to create my own brushes to be safe from violating anyone's copyright.

Answering the question of how to be creative is about how you use all the tools at your disposal to overcome any barriers you may have to expressing yourself artistically.

And for many people, the biggest barrier is that feeling of not being able to paint or draw 'properly'. It's the same with any creative field. Take music for example, I can't play an instrument because I have never learned.

But with today's technology, I can make music by using software such as Garage Band. Ok, I may never be a Beethoven or a John Lennon but I can still dabble around and explore my musical creativity and learn how to make some very catchy digital music.

I may even get inspired to learn an actual instrument!

What I am saying is, if you want to create artistically but feel stuck at that stage of wanting but never doing, then you need to overcome that 'not good enough' mindset.

You need to just do something with some kind of medium to get yourself started on that journey of discovery.

And food colouring in milk is one of the best ways to get going because it is cheap to do and it is fun. But do read my previous blog post and watch the video to find out what else you need because there is a very simple 'secret' ingredient that you need to add for the real magic to happen.

Use these (in milk)...

...to create this.

In my how to be creative video, you see me using Adobe Photoshop to develop my milk paintings further on the computer but, there is another, much less expensive option and even a free/very low cost option to consider.

If you don't have Adobe Photoshop and you don't want to pay for it (it is expensive) there are other options that you might like to explore.

There is the free, open source design software called Gimp. I have used this but don't currently have it on my Mac. I had it on an older Mac years ago and it was brilliant.

I had trouble downloading it this time so I  just ordered a Gimp DVD from Amazon for just over £7 and it arrived today. I will be able to keep you updated about using Gimp to create art from your milk paintings once I have installed it on my computer.

With Gimp you can create custom brushes to use in the way I have in my tree branch image.

And Gimp works pretty much the way Photoshop does.

You just need to experiment with it and learn by trial and error just how creative you can get.

You can find out about Gimp on their website 

There are  DVD copies of Gimp for Windows and Mac in my US and UK Amazon shops, but not sure how long they will be there or how good they are.

I'll let you know when I've tried mine out.

Amazon.co.uk shop - click here.

Amazon.com shop  - click here

A less expensive alternative to the full version of Adobe Photoshop is Photoshop Elements which I also have in my shops.

But please bear in mind I have not used the newer versions of Elements and so I cannot say what they are like - do your research before you buy!

UK readers, please bear with me as I am only just now stocking my UK shop with the  products I have had in my US shop for some time - but it won't be long before you too can buy most of the products I use in my videos.

Hopefully, if you are a person who wants to be creative but does not know where to begin - you will be looking at what I have done and be thinking - I can do better than that!

I hope I have given you some idea of how to be creative when you think you're not.

Using milk and food colouring is a very inexpensive way to play with colour, as opposed to buying paints and canvases. It's very non-threatening too because when are creating swirls and cells, if you see images you love developing in the dish, you can take pictures to capture the designs forever.

But, whatever happens when you play, you will be tipping your art down the sink eventually and no one will ever see it unless you show them the pictures.

Of course, working on the images on computer, as I outline in the video, is a more expensive way making art and it won't be for everyone but if 'how to be creative' is something that burns away at your soul, then you'll probably be keen to explore all options - have fun and don't forget to watch the video!

How to create abstract art maybe a question you have asked yourself - especially if you have zero experience and no confidence to try.

But it's really easy to create images like the one below even if you are not an artist, cannot afford to buy paint and are afraid of failing.

If that sounds unbelieveable to you, just watch my video here on my YouTube channel, Rainbow Lane.

Watch the whole video and by the end, you will see how you can spend hours dabbling around with a few cheap items you can buy from the grocery store.

How to create abstract art is not some amazing mystery known only to people with artistic ability.

There is so much snobbery in the art world - click here to read a previous post about THAT! - and I believe it prevents us ordinary people from getting lost in creativity because we are afraid of getting it 'wrong'.

Guess what? There is no 'wrong' way of making art.

There is only the fun of creating - and the fear of getting it 'wrong' absolutely kills that creativity.

Don't let that be YOU!

You have as much right to explore your creativity as anyone who has been to art school or is so highly acclaimed, their stuff is exhibited in the best galleries across the world.

I mean GOOD for them! Really, GOOD for them - BUT what about good for YOU?

If you can't sing like Barbara Streisand or Beyonce - does that mean you shouldn't sing?

So if you can't paint like Michael Angelo, does that mean you should never, ever try to paint like you? No. Of course it doesn't.

I doubt if anyone is ever going to ask you to paint the ceiling of a fancy church anyway.

We don't need to compare ourselves with Michaelangelo, or anyone else for that matter!

If how to create abstract art is something you just can't get a handle on, then the technique I demonstrate in my video  will be perfect for you!

There is nothing so daunting as sitting there with some expensive paints you have just bought, and a canvas you don't want to mess up.

In the video you will learm how to use the cheapest, most basic items from the grocery store - milk, food coloring and a secret ingredient that really makes the magic happen.

You will need a camera that can do close-ups - you can probably use the camera in your iPhone - I haven't tried that myself but I'm sure it would work.

And if you live in a place where you would have trouble getting food coloring, visit my amazon.com supplies page where you will find links to products you can order.

But most people should be able to get EVERYTHING they need for this project very cheaply from the grocery store.

All these paintings were done using the very simple, method I outline in my video using very inexpensive items from the grocery store.

I know how to create abstract art even though I am not an 'artist' - and so will you - it's easy!

How to create abstract art really isn't such a difficult thing if you know where to start...

so watch the video and get creating today!

If you have learnt how to create abstract art by watching the video - leave a comment on YouTube and let me know how you got on.

How to make charms out of cardboard was a subject I covered a few years back when I did tutorials for a US based craft website.

Back then, I was one of the makers getting paid to supply step by step guides for subscribers.

Eventually, the website got bought out by someone bigger and the guides that all us makers had supplied (for very little pay!) were put onto YouTube and are still being shown on there to this day, including my original ideas for how to make charms out of cardboard.

Since I first created these charms,  I have seen lots of people adopting this method and it seems to be quite popular.

So for those people who have not seen my original step by step tutorial on how to make charms out of cardboard, I decided to make a video showing what I did.

You can see the video on my YouTube channel Rainbow Lane by clicking here.

And click here to see a previous post about using scrap card to make jewelry.

The original charms I made for the tutorial back in 2015 - watch the new video for an updated look at how to do this.

If you have ever wondered how to make charms out of cardboard, you will love the video!

Whenever I want to learn something, nothing frustrates me more than long drawn out videos that take ages to show the crucial information.

I usually click off and find another video that is shorter and more to the point.

So I keep this in mind when I make my videos. I try to show you what you need to know, quickly and easily as I know your time is precious.

That's why my video on how to make charms out of cardboard is fairly short and as easy to follow as possible, without me actually being right there with you.

I also try to help busy crafters who don't have easy access to craft shops, or have time to spend online sourcing the supplies I use in my videos, by sourcing the products and putting links to them on my Amazon Craft Supplies page.

Having problems finding a tool to make a tiny hole in your charms so you can fit...

...a jump ring really easily and neatly, like this?

Don't worry - I put everything you need on my Amazon Craft Supplies page!

But what about the images I used in How To Make Charms Out Of Cardboard? Can you get them too?

Yes you can! Those images are my own designs and are available in my Etsy shop.

Making these  gorgeous little charms really is so easy!

Whether you use my images or your own, it's so easy to make some really impressive little charms by using cereal box cardboard for the main material. And if you were going to throw the box away, that means your supplies for this project are partially free - right?

And what could be better than craft supplies that are virtually free and at the same time, save even a teeny bit of rubbish from landfill!

So why not rescue some cereal box cardboard or card from some other packaging and have a go at this project?

Let me know how you get on learning how to make charms out of cardboard and leave me a comment below the video on YouTube.

Alcohol ink is one of my favorite mediums to work with.

It's versatile - you can do so much with alcohol ink from all the standard craft applications  to practically anything you can dream up.

But alcohol ink can be messy - so wear gloves unless you want heavily stained fingers!

This project is one of my latest ideas for using alcohol ink with aluminium foil. I have explored this before and my videos showing how to make my 'Moon Glow' pendants have been some of my most watched, most popular videos on YouTube.

To see my previous posts using alcohol ink, click on the links below.

Alcohol Ink Pendants - Faux Dichroic Glass

Alcohol Ink - Oh My Word!

Alcohol Ink On Aluminium Can - Beautiful pendants.

How To Make alcohol ink Moon Glow pendants

Black alcohol ink has never really shaken my world but oh my goodness, it came into its own in this project!

If you want to see the video tutorial I made for this project, you can see it by clicking here. You can see how I got the beautiful results for the paper bead tile bracelet using black ink.

All I had was the idea (while running on my treadmill which is my ideas machine!) but I didn't really know how it would react on the aluminium foil.

You can see that although I only used black alcohol ink, the tones that developed when I used the alcohol ink blending solution on the aluminium foil are absolutely gorgeous.

These tiles were colored entirely with black alchohol ink and alcohol ink blending solution.

The aluminum foil on the right shows what effect you get when you use alcohol ink to color it.

I made two different sheets for this project but the sky is the limit really, you could blend whatever colors you want in as many combinations as you want to get all sorts of colorful effects.

If you think you would like to have a go at this project...

...but don't know where to get supplies, you can visit my craft supplies page on Amazon.

Click here to go to my page.

I try to link you to the same products I use or, the closest I can find.

This project has probably been one of my all time favourites.

Once you have made yourself a selction of colored foils, you can experiment with making card tile beads in different colors to contrast with your hand-inked foils.

If you want to make really gorgeous hand-crafted items from card, inks, and aluminium foil, (like the necklace below) watch my video to learn the basics of how to get started.

It's really easy and a relatively inexpensive way to craft, once you have invested in the alcohol inks.

You can experiment with using junk card from food packaging if you don't want to buy craft materials. Aluminum foil is really inexpensive to use because you get so much on one roll!.

The main investment is in the inks, the blending solution and the Glossy Accents glaze.

I hope this post and my YouTube video have inspired you to make some beautiful, fun jewelry!

If you do have a go at this project, don't forget the take care of yourself and the surfaces you work on. Alcohol ink is strong smelling, it stains skin and work surfaces so be sure to use rubber gloves, a face mask and plastic table cover.

Paper Bead Templates speed up the paper bead making process if you are a crafter who likes to create your own bead strips.

If you are fed up with measuring and drawing out triangles - the paper bead templates in this kit will be perfect for you. And the two paper bead rolling tools that come with the kit save you even more time because they are easy to use; when used properly, the tools will result in paper beads that are firmly wound and come off the shaft of the tool with ease.

If you have landed here and you haven't see my video over on YouTube where I use the paper bead templates in a project, click here to go see the video. But don't forget to come back to see where to get the kit.

And if you have landed here from YouTube and want to know where to get the paper bead templates and paper bead tools, click here to go to my Etsy shop.

For links to the individual products, see the Etsy links at the end of this post.

When I first started making paper beads, many years ago, I didn't have anything like these paper bead templates to help me along.

Looking back, I can't believe how I used to spend hours measuring out dots along the top and bottom of sheet of paper and then go through the boring job of making the lines. So I started making my own paper guides to copy but it was still time consuming.

Then I thought how brilliant it would be if I had a sheet containing all the template sizes I use regularly - but all I did was dream about it.

Eventually, because I needed to speed up the part of my paper bead making workshops where people create their own strips to hand color, I spent ages trying to make a sheet of four paper bead templates that I could reproduce without massive expense. I wanted my students to be able to use the paper bead templates in the class and then take them home.

And that was how my paper bead templates were born.

My paper bead templates are so easy to use - and once you have cut your strips, you can use either of the two paper bead rolling tools to roll your beads.

The four templates on the single sheet have base sizes of 1inch, 3/4inch, 1/2inch and 1/4 inch.

To use the them, you simply turn the sheet over, run some strips of removable sticky tape down in between the templates and then gently stick the sheet to whatever paper you are using for your paper beads.

 Whatever your chosen bead strip size, you simply lightly draw inside the relevant triangle template with a very sharp pencil (and it must be lazer sharp) in a color that will be easy to see for cutting.

You can repeat this across your paper, carefully positioning the sheet to maximise the use of the paper's surface area.

The two paper bead rolling tools that come with the paper bead templates make core holes of either 3mm or 5mm.

The 3mm tool is used to make beads with a smaller hole that will take finer threading materials such as beading elastic or cord. The 5mm tool is used to make beads with a larger core hole to take a thicker threading material such as the bracelets used to make European Style jewelry. The 5mm tool is ideal for people wanting to make beads that have the same shape and look as beads seen on Pandora bracelets but with a teeny fraction of the cost!

Please note - you will need a separate paper template to make European Style beads like these.

You can download the template from my Etsy shop.

The bead rolling tools and the paper bead stencil templates can all be bought separately or, they can all be bought togther in a kit for a massive saving of £5.99 (that's the bead tool stencil free!)

The prices for the items are:

3mm Easy Beady paper bead tool - £7.00 plus p&p

5mm Easy Beady paper bead tool - £8.00 plus p&p

Paper bead templates - four size sheet - £5.99 plus p&p

Easy Beady paper bead making kit containing all three items above - £15 plus p&p

If you want to make beautiful, creative paper jewelry, these tools are ideal for anyone just starting out.

And once you get going, you can really let your creativity run wild dreaming up ways of making junk mail look really pretty! You can make gorgeous handmade gifts that people will love and wear, instead of putting them in a cupboard feeling annoyed that you gave them some second rate homemade tat!

You can even make beautiful pieces to sell at craft fairs or online. Once you have bought these tools, the costs of making beads is reasonably low because you can use throwaway magazines, brochures, booklets, even books to make your paper beads.

Have a look at these previous posts to see what sort of jewelery you can make.

How to add cores to European style paper beads.

How to make a paper bead charm bracelet.

If you go over to my YouTube channel, don't forget to subscribe and hit the bell icon to get regular updates when new videos are posted.

And remember to visit my craft supplies page on Amazon to get many of the products I use in my projects plus lots of other crafting supplies.

Have fun making beads - the Easy Beady tools and paper bead templates really do make your crafting life much easier - I know, that's why I designed them - happy crafting!

Craft with toilet paper rolls seems to be one of the most popular craft activity searches online.

And a quick look at what is already online throws up a ton of cute characters, from dogs to cats to spiders, all made with toilet roll tubes.

But that isn't what I wanted to do - I wanted something different.

Metal recycling is so exciting because if you think about it, what it actually means is free craft materials! Yipee! We all love free stuff! Yes?

Well I do if I can make recycled materials the centre of my project.

I suppose technically they aren't free because we pay for the food packaging but, I class anything that would normally get thrown out as being free.

Metal recycling in my crafts is one of my favourite things at the moment and so I produced this project for YouTube to show you what I'm doing.

Click here to see the tutorial on YouTube.

(There may be a delay between publishing the video and this blog post - please try again in 15 minutes if the video link isn't working yet.)

You can use the holder with the reflector...

...or without.

Metal recycling or upcycling?

First of all, I'm not sure if what I do with food cans is strictly metal recycling.

Metal recycling, according to all the research I have done, is about taking your cans and tins to a recycling point to be collected and turned back into other steel or aluminium products.

Apparently there is no limit on the number of times steel or aluminium can be recycled and it can take as little as six weeks for a can you take to a metal recycling point, to be back on the supermarket shelf.

Metal recycling saves the earths resources and cuts down on Co2 emmissions. If you are very eco minded, you can read some interesting facts about metal recycling here.

So I'm kind of thinking what I am doing is upcycling. I'm turning a tuna can into a candle holder without any melting down processes being involved - that has to be good... right?

Aluminium...

...steel.

Is your metal recycling (or upcycling!) project steel or aluminium?

If you want to know what material you are using, try the magnet test. The tuna can I used in this project stuck to the magnet so I'm guessing it's steel.

But the tin can I used was not drawn to the magnet which probably means it's aluminium.

Either way, I saved two tins from the recycling process and made myself a beautiful candle holder that I am already using.

What made this project fun for me was adding the bead and brad detail and to do that, I used my very useful I.8mm punch pliers (see below).

People are always asking me where they can get this brilliant little tool and readers of this blog will know I do try to help readers source materials and tools.

For readers living in any country serviced by Amazon.com, I have an Amazon storefront where you will find some of the key items I use, such as this tool.

You can find the tool and many other craft products and books by visiting https://www.amazon.com/shop/rainbowlane

The punch tool I used in the video is on there if you want to get one.

I have also put a direct link to the tool on this page.

You can read my Amazon Affiliate Statement here.

If you like this project - please do watch the video and have a go!

You can experiment with different ideas once you have seen what I have done. The tutorials I do are designed to get your creative juices flowing so that you can come up with your own ideas.

Metal recycling (or upcycling if you'd rather) is great fun - so have a go and see what functional, gorgeous  little crafty things you can make with empty food tins.