In the Aug/Sept issue of MaryJanesFarm, “The Experiment” (on newsstands July 14), we led you here to my daily journal for a chance to win a free sample of our ChillOver Powder. Over the years, we’ve given you lots of ideas for yummy concoctions using ChillOver Powder, my gelatin alternative. Looks like gelatin. Tastes like gelatin. It isn’t. It’s better! My innovative ChillOver Powder is for all the people who grew up loving gelatin desserts but gave up on them, knowing their animal origin.
But recently, Megan discovered a new craft using ChillOver Powder: gel-plate printing. “After purchasing a commercial gel plate and spending some time ‘printing’ with it,” Megan says, “I quickly understood what folks-in-the-know were raving about. But I couldn’t stop thinking how easy these plates might be to make myself, so I took my newfound craft to another level: the kitchen. With a sense of adventure, I tied on my apron and experimented with MaryJane’s ChillOver Powder, our gelatin substitute. The result? Well, let’s just say the proof was in the printing.”
Find step-by-step instructions for gel-plate printing in the “Farm Life” section of the Aug/Sept issue. And for a chance to win a pouch of ChillOver Powder, tell me about a new craft you’ve discovered in the comments below. We’ll toss your name in a hat and draw one lucky winner in mid-September, when the Aug/Sept issue expires on newsstands. Stay tuned for more magazine-related giveaways!
If you’re not yet a subscriber to MaryJanesFarm, subscribe here for only $19.95/year.
Since I already have some ChillOver powder, I can’t wait to get my new issue and try this out. Your prints turned out beautiful!
Thank you for the post and opportunity Mary Jane 🙂 Not a new craft, but new to me is quilting. I am on my third project right now and love it! Thank you for your encouragement and inspiration!
~Sharon
This sounds like an intriguing new craft and I certainly want to give it a shot. However, I somehow think this is not what you want to hear about. The craft that I discovered is not actually a new one. Found a group of women who do the old-fashioned style of rug hooking. We learned how to cut our own strips of wool fabric (after finding suitable used pieces of clothing at local consignment shops, Goodwill and Salvation Army stores) after properly cleaning and preparing said fabric. A true gentleman made the frames for us, so we did not have to buy one, and we all have one for ourselves. I was all ready to do latch hook and boy did I get a surprise. Slow and steady is the rule and it is fantastic to learn this old, true way to do things. It is a ‘new’ craft to me. When we leave from a lesson, our instructor tells us “Happy hooking, ladies!”
I’d love to try gel-plate printing.
My new-to-me craft is making paper-like cards from flora — mainly leaves, and using the dried flowers for decoration.
I have been enjoying learning to knit. There are so many new things to learn about this craft.
Since moving near an ocean I’ve discovered beach crafts, such as collecting sea glass and making mosaics.
This gel-plate printing is definitely a new craft I can’t wait to try!! Recently, I have become fascinated by the old art of linoleum carving and printing — especially on fabric. Carving the stamp itself is most definitely half the fun….and then using it on fabric or paper — SO many creative ways to use it!
My new craft is making quilts. I love learning this old craft, and love all kinds of fabric, want to make each one of my grandchildren a quilt. I think this gel-paint craft will be a lot of fun to learn, can’t wait to get started on it.
My newest thing to do is making pickle relish. It’s an old recipe but I love it as it tastes far better than store bought and I use for homemade tartar sauce by mixing some with lite mayo. I also make dip by mixing a half cut relish with an 8 ounce package of cream cheese. It is to die for. Good with crackers or fritos
Newest craft I’ve indulged in is 3d paper art for our big vacant wall @ nursing home where I work. Pinterest provides many inspirations for seasonal ideas.
Another fun idea! I’ll try it.
Sandy
Marbling on silk, and batiking are new favorites. I have never gel-plate printed but I would LOVE to try it! If it goes well, I will try it with my 4th and 5th grade students.
Both of my grandmothers quilted and one of them made me a Holly Hobby quilt. I recently found a pattern and I am going to make on after I finish the garden mural I am working on.
Crafts were what my sister always did best! Whether candle making, dress making, macrame, you name, she did it. MaryJanesFarm inspires me now to try those things I never knew I could do! The gel-plate prints will definitely be on my list as well as the mosaic using old dishes to make beautiful tables. I had quite a fun time making pillow cases for Christmas last year! Thanks for the inspiration!
I like to take inspirational sayings, or quotes, and draw them on art paper using coloring pencils, charcoal, magic markers, whatever strikes my fancy! Thank you, Mary Jane, for all that do for us!
My new found craft is chalk Painting! I’ve finished several pieces of furniture in our bedroom and I had a blast and loved the end result!!
I began a new craft in preparation for my wedding last year. Instead of floral centerpieces at the reception, my husband and I made paper flowers out of maps, attached a wire stem, and offered them as keepsakes for the guests to take home! They were fun to make and the guests loved them too!
I’ve recently gotten into card making. It’s more personal than store bought and certainly much more affordable given all the birthdays, parties anniversaries, showers and wedding and births we seem to need cards for every year
The newest craft I’ve discovered (though not new) is chalk art. I love drawing with chalk, it’s forgiving and temporary thus always changing. Looking forward to a workshop I’ll be attending in Sept on chalk art!
With my first grandson on the way I took a knitting class. I started making squares to join together into knitted building blocks. My knitted squares were turning up in different sizes, so a crafty friend suggested I join them together into a blanket using crochet to allow give and take between the different sizes. She showed me how to crochet, and it worked! My grandson is now old enough to use his blanket made by his grandma.
At the moment, I’m learning how to make woven buttons from Dorset, England. They are fascinating
A new-to-me craft is making headbands! Also, I’m still fairly new to quilting, and am enjoying that. 🙂
I love your Magazine, I want to try everything. My passion is Quiltinng’, I love making quilts. My mother and grandmother was quilters, so it is in my blood too!! Can’t wait for your next magazine.
I have always loved crafting. My newest endeavor is making homemade laundry detergent and other household cleaning products..
It’s not really a craft, but using EO’s to make homemade cleaning products.
I am teaching myself spinning… I Adore yarn and made myself a blending board and drop spindle. Once I master the drop… on to my new spinning wheel once it’s sanded and oiled.
My newest craft is teaching a friend a very old craft, popular in Victorian times – china painting. My friend Sandy wanted to learn china painting when she was a girl, but was undble to take the lessons. Now we sit together on Thursday afternoons and I share what I learned from classes with her. I always like her paintings best, and she always likes mine better. When I fire the plates, we both have lovely pieces and happy memories.
My newest craft discovery is papercrafting. I have always loved office supplies, art supplies, etc. Now, I have found a way to make creative gifts for loved ones without breaking the bank. I get so many compliments on taking the time to create something from the heart.
I can’t wait to discover gel printing!
My newest craft is tatting. My grandmother left me her tatting shuttles and I have been learning this lost art. I would love to try the gel printing as well. Looks intriguing!
I’ve recently decided to continue a craft/art that my mother used to do when I was a young girl…Ukranian Easter Eggs. I have very fond memories of watching in amazement as she transformed them into something so unique and beautiful, and then sit with her at the art shows where she sold them.
I have made jam and jelly for years paying my entry fees to be able to barrel race and fuel to travel to barrel races. I love the idea of using less sugar and having a more natural fruit taste. I recently moved to Montana I have Buffalo Berries in the yard I would like to try making jam with using the Chill Over Powder.
Oh my….I’m always trying something new. I always have numerous projects going at once. My newest craft is paper making. I have a card ministry. I, as well as, my three daughters like to send cards to the shut-ins that are members of our church. We also like to send cards to ailing people that are on our prayer chain, whether they are in our church or not. Making homemade paper adds a nice touch to the cards.
My newest projects all involve taking found objects and turning them into something new!
My newest craft, that I started working with last year, was ATCs (Artistic Trading Cards). I joined several MJF swaps last year for ATCs for the Fall/Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays and an ATC monster was created. Most of the farmgirls work with decorative/scrapbook paper products to create their ATCs, but since I am a quilter/fabric crafter, and have a huge stash of fabrics, I chose to use fabrics. For the first layer on the ATC design I used iron-on interfacing and added embellishments with glue. I am always seeing a new craft or project that piques my interest in MaryJanesFarm magazine. I would really like to try my hand at Canning, next. Thank you for all the inspiration.
I haven’t done any new crafts in a while but I’d like to try printing on fabric, and gel printing sounds interesting.
my new craft is paper piecing quilt blocks. It is very addicting!
As a graphic designer and illustrator, I LOVE all things paper and ink! I learned in a college course how to make handmade paper out of waste paper (I still collect pieces of junk mail that are made of a good fiber, to recycle into handmade paper). I have so much fun looking for “add-ins” when I’m whipping up a batch of paper pulp, whether it’s dried flower petals, dried herbs from my garden, or even milkweed fluff! I’ve also experimented with paper sizing (unflavored gelatin dissolved in water) so I can do calligraphy on my hand-made paper. I had the opportunity to teach paper-making, at a previous place of employment, to the other artists, so we could use scanned images of our finished hand-made paper in our designs (we designed greeting cards). I don’t think I’d ever heard about gel-plate printing before, and would be intrigued to know what this gelatin alternative is made from! I would sure love to give it a try!
the newest thing i have done is soap making. but i’ve done card making for a few years and gel plate printing is something i would like to try on that.
Now I definitely NEED chillover powder — peach jam time at my house, then I can gel-plate print gift cards when I give some to friends! Love it!
New craft I’ve just learned and mastered is crocheting….was given a book and hook for a Christmas gift and off I went! Love the infinite possibilities i can create.
Needle felting! It’s a lot of fun.
I just discovered how fun it is to make paper. I’d like to try this too! The note cards are beautiful
My new craft that I’m trying is sun-bleaching with paper and fern. So far, it looks fantastic and I”m going to try it on black material next.
It’s an oldie, but a goodie…New to me perhaps? I am trying to do full sewing projects with hand stitches. I’ve done plenty of mending and cross-stitching and the like, but I am working on my son’s Halloween costume by hand.
I am now into needle felting. I sculpt 3 dimensional characters and animals. I have used found wool that I had made into roving and I have also used dog hair esp. when I sculpt dogs. Even hair from horse’s tail can be used! I love it.
My newest interest is making soap. I have always wanted to try it and just never seemed to take the time, but I finally did and I have made three batches of goats milk soap. I can’t wait to try it out, but it has to cure for 24 days…
I want to take an upcoming class on how to make a Mossy Wall Pocket, using chicken wire. It looks like a moss purse with a flowers in it. As a farm girl I have scrap chicken wire around and really like the rustic look.
Pingback: WINNER!!! Giveaway: “Gel-plate Printing, The Experiment” | Raising Jane Journal
i STUMbled on a copy of your magazine after the gel contest came around, but I have seen demonstrations on this process. Will you offer a discount? say for teachers who want to do a workshop on gel printing?
I have an interest in trying your gel substitute to conduct a workshop in my community?
If this request isn’t possible: How much glycerine would be used anyway?
{I just retired as an art teacher for 15 years, but can’t quit making art, and this process has me making alist of all the possibilities I could experiments with}