If you decoupage with napkins, then you probably have pulled quite a few part only to have the excess thrown away. Well, don't.

Use that napkin backing to soak up extra ink or watercolor or whatever colorful mess you have.

THEN, you can decoupage with that piece of beautiful mess. It will probably be a very thin piece so you'll have to be delicate in how you use it.

It also works well with paper towels, baby wipes, tissue paper, wrapping paper- whatever you have!

If you don't have those scraps laying around, then keep some napkins or tissue paper near by to use. Or even some scratch paper! Any thing that will soak up some ink!

Don't let all that color go to waste!

For my messy artists out there, we're always cleaning up messes whether it be leftover paint, ink, water, alcohol... coffee. It happens.

Keep at least 2 rags beside your messy area. One for the super messy things like paint, ink and glue and the other one for lighter messes like drying paint brushes, hand cleaning or soaking up water.

I keep mine on binder rings looped on a sticky hook stuck to the edge of my work table.

This helps cut down the use of paper towels and baby wipes. 

**If your cleaning up anything of color, use a scrap piece or several pieces of paper first to absorb all that you can so you can then use that piece for something else. I keep a use it up journal made out of cheap scrap watercolor paper for leftover paint and ink- it's an easy peasy way to get a background done.

My most used item in my craft room would have to be my Tonic Studios Tim Holtz Glass Media Mat. It has taken a ton of well loved use from all sorts of materials and mediums.

They recommend cleaning the glass mat with regular alcohol and hand sanitizer for stickier messes.

It's also a good idea to clean it once in a  while with some Expo Dry Erase Surface Cleaner, after you've degunked it with regular cleaning. Yes, it has alcohol in it to clean but it also has a conditioner in it to help the protect the glass.
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Over time, white boards can get dried out with over use. I used to have one in my classroom that could only be cleaned with a Comet style bathroom cleaner. Not good.

They also have other Expo Whiteboard Care like a 3 step process for white boards if you really want to pamper your glass mat.

Try it once and you'll be sure to notice the difference.

Other than watercolor, which I hardly ever use, my brushes get pretty grungy. I'm not the greatest at taking care of my brushes so when I have to clean them- I really have to clean them.

I found a silicone oven grip at a yard sale last year that I've been using to clean my brushes (works great for makeup brushes too). It's just soft enough, yet textured enough that I can really scrub my brushes against. 

It's reusable, easy to clean and dries quickly.

Use a mild dish soap or even a facial cleanser for your brushes. If your bristles get too dry, scrub them in some hair conditioner to retain softness.

The textured grips also make great stamping platforms (: