Feature Book: Country Primitives #16 by Maxine Thomas

Maxine Thomas' book Country Primitives #16 is full of classic homespun designs that are sure to capture your heart. Whether you choose to paint the entire design or a single charming element, each will be a treasured piece for years to come. Find this book and more of Maxine Thomas' books at www.stockade.ca.

The signs above are painted on tin ornaments but we think they would great painted on a Rounded Square Wood Frame Kit. Many of the designs in this book can be adapted to fit flat wood shapes, browse www.stockade.ca for ideas.

Zentangle a pair of Shoes!

Zentangling is fun and fashionable! Turn the inexpensive plastic shoe on the right into something wild like the one on the left through the art of Zentangle. Using only a black Identi-Pen and inspirations, a one-of-a-kind fashion statement was made. You can easily make your own unique pair too! 

These plastic shoes were tangled with an Identi-Pen (we tried many and found this pen was the best) and then heat set with hair dryer. Let them sit for a few days and then burnish by rubbing the entire design with a paper towel. Results may vary depending on the materials in the shoes. 

Canvas shoes are also a great surface for Zentangles. The Identi-Pen was used for these shoes. Although there is no need to heat set, they should be left for a few days before wearing. The owner of these sneakers is an eleven year old who wears them every single day and is the envy of all her friends. 

Enjoy making your own shoes with an Identi-Pen and designs from Suzanne McNeill's Zentangle books.

Design a name tags using wooden shapes (wood cutouts)

Personalized name tags can be designed with any small flat wooden shapes. Cindy made this beautiful nature inspired tag three dimensional. She designed it using the following shapes: 1 1/2" Pin Back, 3" Oval Leaf, 1 1/2" flower and 2" flower. Browse Stockade to find other wood cutouts to design your own name tags or gift tags.

Quilling 101 Tutorial and Sampler

This step-by-step tutorial is a great introduction to quilling. Sandy has posted this sampler design on her blog, The Sweet Spot. It includes all you need to know (with detailed instructions and photos) to make 16 common quilling shapes. Browse her site to see some of her beautiful designs including this one:

For all your quilling supplies visit Stockade.

Free Bunny Design from DecoArt & Lydia Steeves

Paint this sweet little bunny following Lydia Steeves' detailed instructions. Lydia has designed this free downloadable pattern for you through DecoArt's "Helping Artists Program". It includes detailed painting instructions, a full list of DecoArt supplies and a downloadable line drawing. We suggest painting on a 4" Rounded Corner Square (or alter the size for a 3 1/2" Plywood Square). View more free designs on DecoArt's site.

View other designs by Lydia Steeves in her books available at www.stockade.ca.

Feature Book: Special Moments by Chris Haughey

Special Moments by Chris Haughey is full of fun designs for a variety of special occasions! You'll find sock monkeys having a birthday party, wedding bells, sleepy teddy bears, and lots more.

The Bear Jack-in-the Box Ornaments can easily be made using Stockade parts: one #CF352 Ornament, three #WH125 wheels and one #WC150 cube. The ears are made with Sculpey clay.

Featured Video: Doll joint tutorial for puppet making

Have you ever thought of making a puppet? Tom from Puppeteers Unite has a fantastic "Beginner Puppet Building" series of video tutorials demonstrating how to make a basic puppet. Video #10 (shown here) teaches how to attach arms to a puppet using doll joints. Browse his blog for a wealth of puppet information.

Stockade has many supplies for doll and puppet making. Choose from five sizes of joints and a selection of eyes.

Wedding Couple Kissing Clothespin Design & Tutorial

Brittany from The House that Lars Built designed this cute kissing couple using a jumbo clothespin, a bit of paint and a small piece of tulle. It can be used as a wedding topper, favour or as a table decoration (paint a few for holding table numbers). Her tutorial is featured on Brooklyn Bride linked here. Find mini 1" clothes pins to jumbo 15" clothespins on Stockade's website.

Free Mother's Day Design from Delta Creative

This beautiful set of gardening items would make a great gift for Mother's Day. The design is by the very talented Chris Thornton-Deason and is available as a free PDF download from Delta Creative.

Ceramcoat paints used are Bamboo, Black Cherry, Poppy Orange, White, Pop Pink, OJ, Think Pink, Black and Maroon. Delta mediums are Metal Primer and Satin Exterior/Interior Varnish. Many other free project ideas can be found on Delta's website.

Find all of your Delta Ceramcoat colours and mediums at www.stockade.ca.