Are you all looking forward to the weekend? I am! Since, it is softly raining here in L.A, the city feels quiet. The air is fresher today and I am hoping to tackle a few new projects this weekend. We have been designing a new wooden piece in our workshop. I am codesigning it with my husband and using our new Shapeoko machine. We are filming the process and I look forward to sharing with you how design a new product from start to finish. 

Also, before the weekend begins, I wanted to share with you a link to an artist that I have been admiring. Aleksandra Zee is a woodworker that makes beautifully geomtric wall hangings and even barn doors. I first noticed her wooden artwork on Instagram. I like the motifs within her pieces and the way that they feel tribal, natural and modern all at once. I hope you will head on over to explore her work if you are inspired. 

Thanks to all of you have enjoyed playing along my giveaway to win the marbled art print that is pictured below.

Today is the very last day to enter with entries extended and closing at Midnight PST tonight. To find out how to win, please see the details on how to enter in my previous post. 

I hope you all have a fun and warm weekend! I will announce the giveaway winner this Monday, January 2nd. Wishing you a safe, happy, and joyful New Year celebration. 

We are looking forward to the New Year and all that it has in store. I would like to wish you and your loved ones the happiest of holidays. Below is a photocard that we designed from photos of our recent visit to the Los Angeles Arboretum. We spent a beautiful late afternoon there and plan to go back. You can find out more about how we made our cards here.  

In light of the holidays, I decided to extend our framed art giveaway until Friday, December 30th. ​You can enter to win the orange and blue marbled art print in the picture below by participating in our giveaway. You can enter one time by subscribing to my blog at the top of this page. I promise to send you monthly email updates including free DIYs. If you are already a subscriber, please leave a comment below to be entered to win. This print is an original marbled art print hand-pulled that is unique, matted and framed. The frame is new polished rose gold by West Elm, which I love. The frame is valued at $49 and the original print is $50. 

Once again, Happy Holidays and I cant wait to see you, celebrate with you, and create with you in the New Year!

This week I have been working on a small collection of fine art marbled papers. If you want to know more about the nuances to creating beautiful marbled paper along with one surprising type of paper that works well for marbling, then read on down to the bottom of this post. ***Giveaway is currently closed.***

I set up my tray, inks and envelopes after putting some white paper down to catch drips.

I chose 3 pearlescent acrylic inks b/c I wanted to experiment with a broader palette. They were heavier and would not float on the water as the Suminagashi ink kit did, so I had to mix them with an oil base to allow them to float.  I ended up mixing them vigorously with cooking oil until the color was suspended throughout the oil. You can see the pink acrylic and oil in the round jar above.

While using the acrylic paints for marbling paper is unconventional, it made me think of the creative ways that Frankenthaler and Pollock used a variety of paints, along with their love for dripping the paints struck me as similar to marbling.

Below you can see the acrylic pink paint floating alongside the orange and yellow Suminagashi inks.

Next watching them float on the water and swirling the inks with a flick of a long paintbrush handle or stick.

Over time, as I added additional colors, the surface of water became oily. Below, you can see the oil soak through the watercolor paper as the tiny oily dots appear through the white. In an abstract way, this reminded me of a modern paisley.

After pulling a few prints using all of the acrylic inks and Sumi inks combinedon the surface, I noticed the marbled specks and bubbles create a rock-like texture, which I enjoed.

Later, I decided to switch gears and make prints by using the Suminagashi set of inks alone. 

A surprising surface that I discovered works well for a print is photo paper! Apparently, the smooth texture that is receptive to ink holds the color with little bubbling or smudging once it dries. Below on the right is the print that I made on in blue and red Suminagashi inks. 

Here are the some of best prints below. It felt so good to make these old envelopes into something more attractive and useful. I hope enjoyed this post as a handmade inspo before the holidays.

I feel like a marbled envelope set makes a great gift or could even be used for business holiday cards too! 

Overall these prints came out the best of all the papers that I made. 

Now for the giveaway! One lucky reader will the framed print prictured below. To be entered into the giveaway, simply join my mailing list at the top of this page. You wil receive short monthly digest with a DIY and shop updates. I would love to share them with you. If you already subscribe you can still win, simply leave a comment below so that I count you in! 

Lastly, I would love to hear from you. Have you tried marbling? What type of inks did you use and ultimately what did you decide to make?

The winner of this framed marbled print will be announced on Friday, December 23rd!