Tag: bonnie kaye whitfield

Make This: Quick + Easy Matte Medium Transfer

Photos + Tutorial by Bonnie Kaye Whitfield

Here’s a quick and simple image transfer for using matte medium and a photocopy of an image. It’s a helpful trick for adding layers of imagery to mix media works of art. On the other hand, it can also be a beautiful way to create a piece for your home or a friend that encapsulates a memory or person.

You will need:

photocopy of image to transfer / copy in reverse if it matters to the image
thick paper, canvas, or wood to use as background
matte medium
foam brush or wide brush
old plastic card or brayer
container for water
sponge (optional)
hair dryer (optional)

Gather your materials. Make a photocopy or laser print of your image that you want to transfer. You need the toner in the paper, so an ink jet print will not work. I recommend starting with a small image the first time you try this process.

Depending on your design or what you want to make, if you want a background to your image then you’ll want to do that first. Go crazy, if you like, with painting a simple background using paint or ink washes. Let the background dry completely.

Cut out the image that you want to transfer, removing any excess paper. Using a foam brush, brush on matte medium on the frontside of the entire image, using a smooth and thick coat. Foam brushes are ideal since they don’t leave many streaks, but any brush can work.

Flip the image over onto your background. Use a brayer or old plastic card to smooth out the image and make sure that it has solid contact to the background. Any air bubbles may result in small areas of the image not being transferred. Let dry completely. Feel free to use a hairdryer to speed up the process.

Once the image dries (the paper will turn opaque again), grab your water container and sponge. Slowly use a damp sponge (or your finger) and work in a small circular motion to begin to remove the paper backing. This might take a while so put on a good podcast or your favorite Netflix show.

Try to work slowly, but if some of the transfer rubs off, it will just add to the rustic quality of the image. You’ll likely need to repeat this process a few times. As the image dries, any fibers that are not rubbed off will continue to cloud the image. Once you get the image to your satisfaction, give the image a top coat of matte medium to seal it.

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Bonnie Kaye Whitfield designs and screen prints home textiles + paper goods under the name, Bonnie Kaye Studio. Products are created to inspire memories at home and around the table. A donation is made with every purchase to help feed hungry Americans.

www.BonnieKayeStudio.com

June 26, 2015
MAKE THIS: 3D Geometric Wrapping Paper

Photos + Tutorial by Bonnie Kaye Whitfield

It takes just a few extra minutes to turn your gift into a conversation piece. Here’s a super simple tutorial to create fun 3D Geometric shapes on the top of your package for the next upcoming summer party you attend.

You will need:

box to wrap
colorful tissue paper
brown kraft paper
cardboard or chipboard
scissors
exacto knife
self-healing mat
tape
pencil

Gather your materials. Grab whatever tissue paper and solid wrapping paper you have on hand.

First, wrap your packages in the tissue paper.

Put your packages aside and begin to draw and cut out simple geometric shapes out of your cardboard or chipboard. Keep your shapes small, under 1” in any given direction.

Next, cut a sheet of your solid wrapping paper, large enough to wrap your package for a second time. Place your package in the middle of the sheet and trace around the edges of the box.

Grab your cut out shapes and begin to trace HALF of the shape within the outline of the box. For example, if you cut out a circle, only trace half of the circle. You want to make sure that half or at least one side of your shape stays connected to the wrapping sheet. Play around with patterns and arrangement with your shapes.

Using an exacto knife, carefully cut along the lines that you traced.

Place your box inside the outline that you originally traced and now wrap your package with the wrapping paper. Flip the box over and carefully fold back all your cut shapes. (Tip: I like to use the blade of my exacto knife to help get under the cut slits. Makes for easier grabbing and folding of the paper.)

Now you can go wow all your friends at your next birthday/babyshower/wedding!!

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Bonnie Kaye Whitfield designs and screen prints home textiles + paper goods under the name, Bonnie Kaye Studio. Products are created to inspire memories at home and around the table. A donation is made with every purchase to help feed hungry Americans.

www.BonnieKayeStudio.com

June 4, 2015
Make This: Striped Screen Printed Clipboards

Photos + Tutorial by Bonnie Kaye Whitfield

Sometimes things just needs a little sprucing up. This time of year, when many of us try to focus on spring cleaning and organizing, I find that I need a bit of motivation. Here’s a speedy screen printing method to jazz up old clipboards, but could also be used on other flat office supplies, such as binders, folders, box lids, etc.

You will need:

clipboards
screen printing frame
screen printing ink
spatula or plastic spoon
squeegee
packaging or blue tape
a friend to hold down your screen / or a hinge clamp board

Gather your materials. I had a few old clipboards lying around my studio that definitely needed a facelift, but you can always purchase plain ones at Staples or Target. The screen printing frame that I am using is from Blick. It’s pretty amazing what you can do without fancy screen printing equipment. With screen printing, you are masking, or blocking, parts of the open screen to create a stencil. Whatever is “open” will print, whatever is “blocked” – in our case with tape – won’t print. I find that you can create fun geometric designs by simply using tape. If you’re looking for something more complex, try cutting a stencil out of contact paper. Same idea.

When you screen print, the screen needs to be directly flush and in contact with whatever you are printing on, with the frame facing upwards. Place your clipboard underneath your screen, as you’ll be printing, to get a sense of size. Your screen should be larger than your clipboard, and needs at least a 2” border buffer, as printing too closely to the edge of the screen is tricky and just doesn’t print well.

Flip your screen over. You’ll now block parts of the screen using tape. Begin with the sides and bottom of the screen so that you get closer to the actual size of the clipboard. Then have fun with creating open stripes or geometric patterns with your tape. Just keep in mind that you’ll eventually have to flip your screen over again, so remember that your print will come out in reverse of what you are taping.

Before printing, flip your screen over to get a better sense as to what will print. I’m going to print off the edges of my clipboard, which is why the open area is larger than my clipboard, but feel free to keep the printing contained within the printing surface. It’s definitely less messy that way.

To print, you’ll need the frame to be held in place, either by a handy friend or in my case, a hinge-clamp board. Gather your ink + squeegee.

Position the clipboard directly under the screen where you want to print. Using a spatula or spoon, spread ink to the top of your screen in a line.

Before printing, you need to “flood” your screen. Using your squeegee, which should be a little wider than your design, in your dominant hand and holding the frame up in your other hand, pull the ink towards you at a 45 degree angle. This is filling the open screen with ink prior to printing. (Since I was taking a picture, I just rested my frame on my tape roll.)

Once the screen is full of ink, place the screen down directly on the clipboard. With the screen firmly in place, pull the squeegee down again at a 45 degree angle. Don’t be afraid of really applying some pressure here. In fact, you may want to do 2 or 3 pulls, as wood will absorb some of the ink.

Gently pull up the frame and you should have a new, fancy updated clipboard. If you are printing on various size clipboards, as I did, be sure to print in order from large to small. And with printing, the time is in the setup not the printing, so why not line up a pile of flat items to print on while you’re at it!

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Bonnie Kaye Whitfield designs and screen prints home textiles + paper goods under the name, Bonnie Kaye Studio. Products are created to inspire memories at home and around the table. A donation is made with every purchase to help feed hungry Americans.

www.BonnieKayeStudio.com

April 9, 2015
MAKE THIS: Printed Pinwheels for Spring!
Photos + Tutorial by Bonnie Kaye Whitfield

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved pinwheels. This printed version of pinwheels is a perfect way to lift your spirits after months and months of winter. Make as festive decor for your next party or create with your kiddo on a rainy day.

You will need:
- square cardstock, ideally different colors on each side
- scissors or x-acto
- ink for printing, either water-based block printing or stamp pads
- ink tray + brayer if using block printing ink
- circular tools for printing – pencil eraser, wine cork, empty cardboard tape ring
- dowel rods
- small tacks/pins
- scrap piece of cardboard
Gather your materials. Try to work with colored cardstock. You can test out other papers to see if they hold up to lots of blowing and twirling. If you have colored ink pads (I didn’t…) then I would use those before turning towards block printing ink, as the prints will take less time to dry.

If you can find paper that is different colors on each side, it will add to the colorful pop of the pinwheels. If not, no biggie. Just work with whatcha got.

Before you begin printing, go ahead and draw two lines of the backside of your printing side. Use a ruler and a pen to line up opposite corners and draw a line, making a big X across the paper.

Now for printing fun! Roll out some ink in a tray. Dip your pencil eraser in the ink and go to town. Pencil erasers make the perfect tiny dot.

Feel free to just use a pencil eraser for all your printing, or grab some other circular items to print with. Here, I’m using a wine cork for a larger circle blob.

I also had an empty tape roll on hand. I recommended scouting out other circular items in your recycling bin, like a toilet paper roll or yogurt container.

After the prints have thoroughly dried, grab your scissors and begin to cut on the lines that you drew at the beginning. Cut on each line until you get about an inch away from the center point – then stop!

Now for the only tricky part … pinning them all together. First, unless these are going to be purely decorative and you don’t want them to spin, you’re going to want to cut out a few dime-sized circles out of cardboard. This will help the pinwheels spin. Set the cardboard circles aside.

Begin by folding down every other corner of the pinwheel and hold in one hand. Grab the pin with your other hand and push through the center, making sure you are going through all 4 corners that you are holding down. Grab one of your cardboard circles and press it in between the paper pinwheel and the wooden dowel rod. I find that a couple long presses in the dowel does the trick for me, but then again, I don’t have a 4-year-old that’s going to run around with it. So if you do, you might want to add a dab of glue before jamming into the dowel.

Lastly, if you really want some good spin action, you’ll need to play around with moving the paper around so that it it doesn’t hit the dowel rod when you try to spin it.

So there you have it – springtime pinwheels + insta mood lifter!

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Bonnie Kaye Whitfield designs and screen prints home textiles + paper goods under the name, Bonnie Kaye Studio. Products are created to inspire memories at home and around the table. A donation is made with every purchase to help feed hungry Americans.

www.BonnieKayeStudio.com
March 26, 2015
Bonnie’s Two Piece Tote Bag

Photos + Tutorial by Bonnie Kaye Whitfield

You are not going to believe how quick and easy this tote bag is to make. I first discovered this tote bag design after getting one with a purchase from a major retailer. It is simply constructed of two pieces of fabric. Brilliant.

You will need:
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❖ 2 rectangular pieces of fabric

❖ scissors or rotary cutter to customize fabric sizes

❖ pins

❖ serger and/or sewing machine

❖ iron (optional)

Your two pieces of fabric will determine your overall shape and size of the tote. One piece will serve as the body of the tote and should be wider and shorter. The second piece of fabric will serve as the sides and the strap of the tote and should be thinner (depends on the depth you wish your tote to have) and much longer. For the body of my tote, I’m using some scrap fabric from my studio and you can see that I sewed them together in order to have a large enough piece – so feel free to hinge pieces of fabric together if needed.

Take the two short ends of your fabric piece that will serve as the body of the tote. Iron and pin a 1⁄2” hem and sew. This will create a more finished look for the top edges of your tote.

Grab a bunch of pins and your two pieces of fabric and take a seat. Fold the body of the tote, so that the nice sides are facing each other on the inside. You’ll be pinning your tote together from the inside.

Start by pinning the long piece of fabric to the bottom of the body piece, matching the center/bottoms. Keep pinning as you go around the corner edge of the long piece of fabric. Stop when you get to the top edge of the tote. Repeat on the other side of the tote, starting at the bottom/center of the bag again.

Once the two pieces have been completely pinned together, you are ready to sew. You should also be able to get a pretty good idea of the overall size and shape of your tote at this point.

I’m using a serger, but you can also simply use a sewing machine. First, begin by sewing the two bottom edges of the two sides. The length of the stitch will depend on the width of your strap.

Next, you’ll do two long stitches and that’s it! Begin at one end of the tote and sew over the strap, until you get to the other side of the bag. Repeat on the other side.

Turn the bag inside out and you’ll now have a splendid new tote, perfect for all your toting needs.

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Bonnie Kaye Whitfield designs and screen prints home textiles + paper goods under the name, Bonnie Kaye Studio. Products are created to inspire memories at home and around the table. A donation is made with every purchase to help feed hungry Americans. www.BonnieKayeStudio.com

March 5, 2015
Bonnie’s Inspirational Wall Hanging
Photos + Tutorial by Bonnie Kaye Whitfield

Sometimes everyone needs a little pick-me-up, especially in the studio or office, where it’s easy to get overwhelmed with projects and deadlines. These simple inspirational wall hangings combine the magic of masking fluid and watercolor to create your own, personalized message that will keep your chin up and head high.

You will need:
- white or cream cardstock or smooth watercolor paper
- pencil
- art masking fluid
- old, thin brush (one that you don’t mind tossing in the trash after use)
- watercolor
- watercolor brushes
- container of water
- wooden dowel (optional)
- heavy duty tape or hot glue gun (optional)
- rope or twine (optional)
As you gather your materials, make sure you have thick, smooth paper to work with; any paper that is “soft” or textured will not work well with the masking fluid. Also, note that the last three materials are optional and needed only if you want to hang your message as pictured. Otherwise, you could simply cut your wall hanging to size for a frame or pin directly onto your wall.

If you want to hang using a dowel rod, you’ll first want to cut your paper so that the width of the paper is about 2” shorter than your dowel rod. Next, go ahead and fold down the top edge of the wall hanging (approx, 2”). This will serve as your loop for inserting your dowel rod. Wait to tape down the flap until the very end.

Flip your wall hanging over, so that you are now working on the front side of the paper. Decide your message, font, and layout, and lightly sketch out the words on your paper using a pencil.

Next, grab your old brush. Working quickly, apply the masking fluid over your penciled-in letters. The masking fluid is basically liquid rubber. It will be blocking, or masking, the watercolor. It does dry fairly quickly, so you’ll want to work quickly and then immediately clean your brush after using the masking fluid, otherwise, you might have to throw away your brush.

Let the masking fluid letters dry thoroughly. It should dry darker, and you can test if it’s dry just by gently touching it.

Once the masking fluid has dried, you can add watercolor to your wall hanging. In order for the letters to show up, you’ll need to apply watercolor on top of and around all the letters.

Now for the hardest part … waiting! The watercolor and paper must dry completely before peeling off the masking fluid. Trust me, I have learned this lesson the hard way. If it’s not dry, the paper will start to pull off with the masking fluid. When you think it’s dry, you can begin to rub/pull the masking fluid off gently. When all the dried letters are removed, you can erase any pencil lines showing.

Lastly, flip the hanging over and tape down the flap. Insert the dowel rod. Cut your rope or twine to desired length and tie to the ends of the rod.

Hang in a visible area, get back to work, and stay inspired.

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Bonnie Kaye Whitfield designs and screen prints home textiles + paper goods under the name, Bonnie Kaye Studio. Products are created to inspire memories at home and around the table. A donation is made with every purchase to help feed hungry Americans.

www.BonnieKayeStudio.com
February 20, 2015
Bonnie’s Insta-Notebook Tutorial
Photos + Tutorial by Bonnie Kaye Whitfield

If you’re like me, you can never have too many notebooks. Small notebooks are especially helpful for on-the-go notetaking or making quick grocery lists. Here’s a quick Japanese-stab binding technique that will get you jotting inside in lickety split.

You will need:
- decorative cover paper (I’m using my screen-printed wrapping sheets, available for sale at Art Star)
- filler paper for the inside (I’m using kraft paper sheets, but simple copy paper is fine, just nothing too thick)
- bonefolder (optional)
- needle
- thread, ideally for bookbinding
- awl, a tool used for piercing holes (could probably also use an ice pick or ceramic needle tool)
- piece of cardboard
- scissors
- pen or pencil to mark holes
Once you’ve gathered your materials, you’ll need to cut your papers to the size that you want the notebook. I cut mine to 6×9”, with the filler paper cut ⅛ shorter on both sides so that they don’t poke outside of the cover once folded. If you cut your paper to 6×9”, you’ll end up with a 6×4.5” notebook.

Fold both your cover and filler sheets of paper in half. Use a bonefolder if you have one to firmly crease the fold. You can also just use the back of your fingernail or another smooth, blunt tool. Next, you’ll mark three dots for your holes along the spine/folded edge of the book. Mark the holes in a line at least a ½ an inch from the spine and tops and bottoms of the book.

Using your awl, you’ll next pierce the holes, prior to sewing. This is going to make sewing a lot easier. I like to use a piece of cardboard or old magazine underneath the book while making the holes. You can also use a small hole punch. Next, measure your thread at least 3 to 4 times the length of your spine and cut. Thread the needle, but do not make any knots.

This Japanese stab-binding stitch might look complicated at first, but trust me, it’s quite easy! You really flow through the stitches starting at the top of the book and working your way down.
1. Start sewing from the backside of the book, in the top hole.
2. Leave about a 2” tail of thread and hold it with your thumb. You’ll be able to let go after the next stitch or two. (The only knot you make for this book is done at the very end.)
3. Thread over and around the top of the book and back through the top hole from the back.
4. Thread over and around the side of the book and back through the top hole from the back of the book.
5. Thread down to the second hole. The needle will now be on the backside of the book.
6. Thread over and around the side of the book, going through the second hole again from the front. Your needle will then still be on the backside of the book.
7. From the back, you’ll thread through the third hole at the bottom. You’ll now be back on the frontside of the book.

8. Thread over and around the bottom edge of the book, going back through the bottom hole from the backside.

9. Thread over and around the side edge of the book, going back through the bottom hole from the backside.

10. Thread back up to the middle hole. Your needle and thread will now be on the backside of the book.

11. Flip your book over. It should look like this.

12. Lastly, remove the needle and tie the two loose ends together. Cut threads, leaving about an ½” tail. Voila!

Once you’ve tied your knot, you may want to crease or score the inside pages at the binding so that the book opens more fully. Up to you. Also, variations include making your holes larger and sewing with a thicker thread-like material, such as cord (pictured with the pink notebook), ribbon or yarn.

You now have a notebook that you can take and use anywhere.

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Bonnie Kaye Whitfield designs and screen prints home textiles + paper goods under the name, Bonnie Kaye Studio. www.BonnieKayeStudio.com
February 5, 2015
Bonnie’s Pop Up Valentine Tutorial
Photos + Tutorial by Bonnie Kaye Whitfield

With Valentine’s Day just a couple weeks away, you might be itching to design some handmade cards for your special valentine(s). This tutorial will show you how to create a pop-up text card with your favorite little word or message.

You will need:
- paper – both a variety of solid and patterned papers, cardstock is ideal
- envelopes – if you plan on mailing your cards
- self-healing mat or an old magazine
- ruler
- pencil
- eraser
- x-acto knife
- glue stick (not pictured)
First, take a solid-colored piece of paper and cut + fold to a card size so that it fits in your envelope. If you are not mailing it or don’t have an envelop, then simply fold your paper and you can cut the card down to size later.

With your card open, measure 2” from the fold on each side of the fold crease and on each end of the card, and mark with your pencil.

You will connect your two marks on each side of the fold crease. Feel free to make this line very light, as you will later erase it. This will serve as the guideline for the top and bottom of your text. You can also make the measurements closer or further away from the fold depending on how tall you want your letters, but make sure that the fold crease is always in the center of your two pencil guidelines.

Next, begin to draw your text in block letter form, making sure that there is space between all letters and the edges of the card. Draw your letters so that they touch both the top and bottom pencil line, with the center of the letter falling on the fold crease. If you are using any rounded letters, make sure that they still have a solid connection to the top and bottom pencil guideline (see my “O”).

Once you have drawn out your text, grab your self-healing mat and x-acto blade and begin to carefully cut on all the text lines except the bottom and top lines. You are not cutting out the letters, just the edges. If you letter has an enclosed space (like my “O”) then the center will cut out entirely.

After cutting, you will refold your card. One letter at time, you will slowly “pop-out” the letters by reversing the center fold crease and gently folding along the top and bottom line of each letter.

Lastly, when you have finished adjusting all your letters, feel free to erase any pencil lines still showing. Take a patterned piece of paper or a contrasting solid paper and play around with folding it and adding it to the backside. At this point you can adjust the overall size of your card if you like, allowing more or less of the second paper to show. Feel free to glue the two pieces together – just make sure that you don’t glue down any of your letters.

Now you can go wow your sweetheart with your new pop-up skills! Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone.

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Bonnie Kaye Whitfield designs and screen prints home textiles + paper goods under the name, Bonnie Kaye Studio. www.BonnieKayeStudio.com
January 22, 2015