August 2026 – Try It – Like It

Test out DIY Distress Glaze and DIY Resist

This week I’m putting DIY craft products to the test and using my favorite results to create a finished mixed-media tag.

I recently heard about Distress Glaze and was curious to see if I could make my own version. I asked ChatGPT for a DIY recipe and decided to give it a try. I started to get some interesting results, but then I wondered how it would compare to my DIY Resist recipe, which has given me great results in the past. So, of course, I had to put the two techniques to the test!

For the backgrounds, I used the same technique for each trial with Distress Oxide Ink. Since Distress Oxide is water-reactive, it was the perfect choice for this comparison. It would clearly show whether the glaze or resist actually protected the surface from additional applications of water or other wet mediums.

The recipe for the DIY Distress Glaze was surprisingly simple—just petroleum jelly combined with rubbing alcohol. With only two easy-to-find ingredients, I was curious to see how well this homemade version would work as a resist and how it would compare to my tried-and-true DIY Resist recipe.

Video Tutorial:

I ended up choosing the DIY Resist version for this week’s tag tutorial because I really liked the results it created. To finish off the tag, I layered on some ephemera and added a few rhinestones for a little extra sparkle and dimension.

While I did start to see some results with the DIY Glaze, I don’t think it worked as well as a resist. Instead, I think this mixture would be better suited as a protective finishing layer or a final buffing layer. For techniques where I really want to protect the surface while continuing to add wet mediums, my DIY Resist was definitely the better choice.

The DIY Resist recipe can be found here: https://youtu.be/zbdNmMM7doY?si=EeVqdaYSBtDzlIOT

Suggested Materials:

Links are Affiliates AZ – Amazon, SSS – Simon Says Stamps, SB – Scrapbook, O – Other

Art Glitter Glue Shop at: AZ	Craft Brushes Shop at: AZ	Distress Ink Bundle Shop at: AZ \| SB	Foam Tape Shop at: AZ
Glassboard Shop at: AZ \| O	Non-Stick Scissors Shop at: AZ	Ranger Heat Tool Shop at: AZ	rhinestones Shop at: AZ
Sizzix Intricate Craft Tool Shop at: AZ

Free Printable Scandinavian Folk Christmas Clip Art for Paper Crafts

Bring a touch of Scandinavian charm to your crafts with this free printable full of festive folk art!

Celebrate the charm of Scandinavian folk art with this free printable featuring beautifully illustrated Dala horses, cozy cottages, festive florals, a cheerful gnome, and other Nordic-inspired holiday elements. Whether you’re creating handmade cards, decorating gift tags, making scrapbook layouts, or adding seasonal touches to your junk journals, these colorful illustrations are perfect for a wide variety of paper crafting projects. Simply download, print, and let your creativity bring a little Nordic warmth to your holiday crafting.

Grab the free printable at the bottom of the page.

My go-to printer brand for years has been HP. I also use their ink supply service where I pay a monthly fee and they send me ink cartridges as needed. It comes out to be a lot less money this way and I don’t have to keep track because they do all the tracking for me. The HP Envy Inspire is a great-priced machine that will produce beautiful prints.

If you are looking for a great crafting-weight paper for printables, I have a new favorite. It is double sided matte photo paper by Koala. It is heavier than copier paper but not quite as heavy as cardstock. It is a great medium weight for layering, folding, and more! They have different weights, I have been using the 48lb double sided photo paper for printables. It is available on Amazon.

And I found a new sticker paper I really like. It is A-Sub. It comes in Glossy Sticker and Matte Photo Sticker, 25 or 55 sheets. You can find it at Amazon.

You can easily turn clip art images into magnets using Printable Magnets Sheets from Cricut.

Free Scandinavian printable: [scandinavian.pdf]

Create-it Link Party #459

The weekly link party is starting today at Create-it Link Party, come join the fun.

What a cute way to update or enhance a plain clay trinket dish. Steph Creates Things shared how she transformed hers with paint and mod podge.

Weekly Features are now being shared in the Pinterest Create-it Link Party Board. You can see them all here: [Create-it Link Party on Pinterest]

On to the Party

This is a great opportunity to showcase your latest blog post, recipe, craft tutorial, or any other creative project you’ve been working on! We love seeing the incredible ideas from our community.

To keep things fun and organized, we have a few simple rules to ensure the party runs smoothly. Happy sharing!

Here are a few simple rules:

Link to a specific post, not your homepage.
Link up something YOU made/wrote/created.
Giveaways, other link parties, or business links are not accepted.
Don’t link and run. Try to visit at least one link and show them some love. You may make a new friend.

Create Amazing Texture with Expanding Mousse

Add amazing texture and dimension to your paper crafts with expanding mousse—see how I used it to create this week’s Tag it Tuesday background!

This week’s tag shares how to create a fun, textured background using expanding mousse.

Once the background was complete, I added stickers, Diamond Dotz, a sentiment, and coordinating ribbons to finish off the tag and add even more color and dimension.

Free Sticker page:
https://tryit-likeit.com/free-moon-themed-ephemera/

DIY Ribbons:
https://youtu.be/2T-Vv9t–sc

DIY Glitter Spray:
https://youtu.be/IGvhzpBffN4

The close-up image shows the amazing depth and texture created by the expanding mousse, adding a dimensional effect that really makes the background stand out.

Youtube Tutorial:

Suggested Materials:

Links are Affiliates AZ – Amazon, SSS – Simon Says Stamps, SB – Scrapbook, O – Other

Art Glitter Glue Shop at: AZ	Cut Cardstock Shop at: O	Diamond Dotz Shop at: AZ	Expanding Mousse Shop at: AZ
Glassboard Shop at: AZ \| O	Printable Sticker Paper Shop at: AZ	Ranger Heat Tool Shop at: AZ	Scrapbook Scissors Shop at: SB
Sizzix Intricate Craft Tool Shop at: AZ	Solar Spray Shop at: AZ	Spectrum Noir Markers Shop at: AZ \| SSS \| SB

Free Paris Cafe Printable

Bring a touch of Paris to your next project with this free printable Paris Cafe printable.

Create your own charming Parisian scene with this free printable Paris Café ephemera page. Filled with vintage-inspired café elements, it’s perfect for junk journals, handmade cards, scrapbook layouts, mixed media projects, tags, and other paper crafts. Simply print, cut, and start adding a touch of French café style to your next creative project.

Grab the free printable at the bottom of the page.

And I found a new sticker paper I really like. It is A-Sub. It comes in Glossy Sticker and Matte Photo Sticker, 25 or 55 sheets. You can find it at Amazon.

You can easily turn clip art images into magnets using Printable Magnets Sheets from Cricut.

Free summer Paris Cafe printable: [pariscafe.pdf]

Create-it Link Party #458

New link party started today, come share with us at Create-it Link Party.

Last week Stitch Wisper shared this beautiful scarf. I was drawn to the colors and then the amazing Bias Cables pattern.

Weekly Features are now being shared in the Pinterest Create-it Link Party Board. You can see them all here: [Create-it Link Party on Pinterest]

On to the Party

To keep things fun and organized, we have a few simple rules to ensure the party runs smoothly. Happy sharing!

Here are a few simple rules:

Link to a specific post, not your homepage.
Link up something YOU made/wrote/created.
Giveaways, other link parties, or business links are not accepted.
Don’t link and run. Try to visit at least one link and show them some love. You may make a new friend.

DIY Vampire Earrings with Shrink Plastic Tutorial

DIY Vampire Earrings for Summerween and Halloween.

I am joining a group of my crafty friends to share tutorials for Summerween. Have you not heard of Summerween? No worries. Summerween is a fun, unofficial celebration that blends summer vibes with Halloween. It has become especially popular on social media, Etsy, YouTube, and among crafters who enjoy spooky themes year-round.

Ritzy Parties will start us off on August 4th
Me on August 5
Sassy Eyed Susan on August 6
Juanita’s Casita on August 7
You can find them all on Instagram.

I created these cute vampires to transfer to Shrink Film in order to make a pair of festive earrings. If you would like the image you can grab the free PDF file below.

Download the PDF [vampires]

The image above shows the difference between the original design on the right and the finished piece after shrinking on the left. As the Shrink Film is heated, it typically shrinks to about half its original size while becoming thicker and more durable.

After the pieces had fully shrunk and cooled, I adhered coordinating paper to the backs for a finished look. I then sealed both sides with a coat of Mod Podge to protect the design and add durability. Finally, I attached the jewelry findings and black glass beads, creating a pair of lightweight earrings that are ready to wear.

Video Tutorial:

Suggested Materials:

Links are Affiliates AZ – Amazon, SSS – Simon Says Stamps, SB – Scrapbook, O – Other #REF! #REF!

Findings Kit Shop at: O	Glassboard Shop at: AZ \| O	Jewelry Tool Kit Shop at: AZ
Mod Podge – matte Shop at: AZ \| SB \| O	Ranger Heat Tool Shop at: AZ	Scrapbook Scissors Shop at: SB	Sharpie Markers Shop at: AZ
Spectrum Noir Markers Shop at: AZ \| SSS \| SB

Moon Stickers for Tag Making

Turn your favorite printables into beautiful handmade stickers and craft with them!

I was inspired by a free printable I shared a while back and decided to give it a new purpose by turning the images into stickers for this week’s tag tutorial. It’s a fun way to get even more use from your digital printables while adding unique, handmade embellishments to your projects.

Video Tutorial:

Free Sticker page:
https://tryit-likeit.com/free-moon-themed-ephemera/

DIY Plastic Paint:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3z8g6xF_Q4

DIY Ribbons:
https://youtu.be/2T-Vv9t–sc

To finish the tag, I added a coordinating moonlight sentiment, inked the edges for extra definition, and tied on hand-dyed fabric strips in shades of blue and lavender. The result is a whimsical tag that would be perfect for a gift, journal, bookmark, or mixed media project.

Suggested Materials:

Links are Affiliates AZ – Amazon, SSS – Simon Says Stamps, SB – Scrapbook, O – Other

Corner Rounder Shop at: AZ	Distress Ink Bundle Shop at: AZ \| SB	Glassboard Shop at: AZ \| O	Printable Sticker Paper Shop at: AZ
Ranger Heat Tool Shop at: AZ