I know that I have been a terrible blogger – what can I say. Sometimes life just gets the best of you. But rather than wrestle with my guilt.. lets party!  Guess who is teaching for TrueScrap3…?

There are some amazing classes and teacher, and of course the best part is you can attend this amazing weekend from the comfort of you home. Hope you will check it out! You won’t be disappointed.

The good folks at the Paperclipping Roundtable are celebrating 99 episodes – and they invited me!

Swing by, download the latest episode and have a good laugh. Here’s to 99 more!

Dont you just love the new year? I know I do. It’s the time I year that try to reignite my creativity… and this year – finally do a purge and redesign of my creative work space.

Along with my creative goals, is a goal to be a much better blogger. And TODAY is that day. I don’t have a ton of blog followers, but my “regulars” are pretty awesome. And I thank you for always being supportive. With that, lets kick off Pinterest Monday. Every Monday I will be sharing my favorite Pinterest finds. Then later in the week, I will be sharing what I create based on the inspiration I find!

Of course this is a blog, so there will be plenty of other posts and goodies along the way, but I figure. This will be a good start! Enjoy this week’s finds on my Valentine’s board. I’m adding more to it every day and can hardly wait to get cracking at the some fun Valentines day decor!

Arts and crafts has always been an interest of mine, but it isn’t for everyone. The likelihood is, you probably did something artistic when you were a child, but not everyone maintains that interest, and they only re-discover it when they fancy steering their life in another direction.

For those who have no prior experience, or you have spent more time playing Foxy Bingo, or updating your status on Facebook than creating, making things can seem a daunting task. What if you aren’t good at it? Why does my decoration not look the same as the one in the craft book?

Don’t worry. Practise makes perfect, as the saying goes. If you are sceptical, here are a few reasons why you should keep at it.

Hobby – You don’t even have to leave the house to make something. OK, so you might need to go to the store to buy some supplies, but you can try things at home.

Cheap – It doesn’t cost a lot. If it is a large art project then it might cost more but, overall creating a project such as a picture frame and decorating it to your liking, is cheaper than buying a generic one.

Bonding – It is a great way to spend quality time with your children, friends, and family. It will bring the children out of their shell and sets the creative juices flowing. You might also find that through watching their creativity, you are inspired yourself.

Creativity – Getting creative can help you in other areas of your life. By using your imagination, you help stimulate creative thinking, which is helpful when the boss asks you to ‘think outside of the box’ at work.

Variation – You can use old memorabilia that are scattered across your house, in draws, behind the sofa, up in the attic. Anything can be turned into a project if you set your mind to it.

Hope your holiday is as bright as mine has been. I will be back later this week with some end of the year crafty goodness – and my (crafty) New Years resolution!

Until then, I am going to go hang out with the kids and do a whole lot of nothing!

WOAH… down for the count sick was how I spent the past few days. So I am sorry the winners circle is late! But super doses of Vitamin C, Zinc, and some much needed rest and I am back in the holiday swing of things.

aka: Fun with Fumes. Ok, I know what you are thinking. There is a part of you that wants to say… “you are nuts. there is no way I am spray painting my Christmas tags and decor.” But hold off on your judgement. These tags were a bit of a happy accident. While cutting out snowflakes (to later be glittered) I thought it would be fun to use the negative space for something. And what I discovered is a fun, easy, and FAST way to create a whole bunch of tags and cards. I hope you will give it a try.

you will need

• cardstock (I used KRAFT and WHITE)
• spray paint – preferably for paper. (I use Krylon Paper Finishes in Silver)
• stick on jewels (I usually am totally opposed to acrylic jewels, but for tags, they are perfect and inexpensive)
• ribbon – (I am using 1.5″ double faced satin and 3/4″ sheer organza)

For each shape, start by cutting your cardstock to the desired shape. For “tag” shape, I simple handcut. Notice on the “S” tag how I left one side uncut. The ornament shape was cut using my Silhouette. Of course, you could just cut one by hand or using another die cut system. What ever you prefer.

In a well ventilated area, use easy release painters tape to adhere the negative stencil to the paper. Personally I like to use a very large stencil for just a partial shape. Of course, this is your own preference. If you do not have negative stencils that you have made – there are lots of commercial stencils available for very cheap at most craft stores.

Spray the project. Paper paints dry almost immediately, so you can peel the tape away right away and just wait a few moments for it to dry.

Adhere the jewels and tie with ribbon. (experiment with different knots and ties)

The best part, the stencil is reusable, and it is easy to line up several tags or shapes to spray at once.

Be sure to leave a comment below for another entry to win those very cool glitter markers by Copic. (I am still working on getting a good photo of the project. A challenge since I am terrible photog…lol)

GIVEAWAY:

Leave a comment below for a chance to win a set of Krylon paper paints to play with! (Because they have to be shipped ground – they wont make it for Christmas. BUT I promise to share some fun New Years and Spring projects using these fun paints.)

WINNERS CIRCLE:

I have been working on some ginormous deco pieces that even Elf himself would be proud of! Here is the first in that series. These giant snowflakes are really simple to make. The whole project only took about 20 min. from start to finish.  And don’t miss the details of the latest GIVEAWAY at the end of this post!

supplies

• foam core (got mine at Walmart for under $3)
• pattern
• sharp craft knife
• spray adhesive/ liquid glue
• glitter* [for this project I used German glass glitter since I know that I will be keeping it from year to year]

1. begin by printing out the pattern. I sized this to fit on a standard letter sheet of paper. If you want it larger, you can bring it to a copy center and enlarge accordingly, but I figured… who really wants to do that?

you may notice that the pattern has rounded edges. I intended to cut my snowflake with round edges, but once I got going realized straight was WAY easier. this is of course, up to you. if you have a tip for cutting rounded edges into foam core, please share!

2. cut out the pattern and transfer to the foam board, tracing lightly with pencil. the pattern is 1/4th of the snowflake. so flip it around lining up the center until you have the whole thing outlined.

3. CAREFULLY cut out the snowflake. this does not take nearly as long as you might think… but cutting is the most time consuming portion of the project. please take care not to cut yourself.

tip: when cutting foam core, cut each line twice. the first cut should be shallow, just cutting through the first paper layer. cut through the remaining layers with the second pass. if you craft knife is really sharp, it should be pretty easy. a dull knife will cause jagged edges as the foam tears.

4. spray one side of the foam core very generously with the adhesive. if you prefer to use a brush on adhesive, you can, but work in sections. note.. the spray adhesive is HIGHLY recommended.

5. working in sections, sprinkle the glitter and gently press to ensure it is well adhered. let dry, then brush off any stray glitter.

note: I do not mind the white edges that are left. if this bothers you, spray paint the snowflake and allow to dry before glittering. once you are done with this project, seek help, cause really… white edges are no biggie. ITS A SNOWFLAKE! lol Also – if using glass glitter – take care when pressing the glitter into the project – it will cut you.

GIVEAWAY

Leave a comment for a chance to win a prize package of REAL German glass glitter worth over $50. You will get an assortment of my very favorite colors. This prize will take your crafts to a new level… and the colors will be perfect for Christmas and beyond. Winners for this past week’s giveaways will be announced tonight! The German glass glitter prize will be announced one week from today. So leave a comment and spread the word.

Today I thought I would share my Christmas tree. I love it… as you can see I am a little obsessed with PINK. The tree has both out of the box ornaments and balls, along with some customized glittered and foiled balls. What I love about this tree is how it a clear reflection of my family and our personality. Hopefully your tree does the same.

Be sure to scroll down and leave a comment on on any Christmas Craftification post for your chance to win that days prize. First Round Winners announced this Friday!

Have a picture of your tree up on your blog? Leave a link in the comments section and share the festivities.

So.. I had this fantastic idea to create some banners and tack them onto an old window and hang it up on my wall. Step one.. banners accomplished. NOW – getting the thing on the wall in a manner that the window won’t come crashing down on someone’s head – still working on that. But here it is. Of course, you could make the banners sans window and just hang them  up anywhere you please! {which happens to be my plan B}

Here is the finished project. {excuse the terrible photography}

Start by cutting out your letters. I cut “MERRY” using my eClips – setting the letters to about 3″. The paper is American Crafts POW glitter paper. {this paper has changed my life}

Punch two small holes at the top of each letter and string onto some bakers twine.

Next, I cut out more letters for my sign – but this time mounted them onto Hambly Screen prints printed overlays. With very thin die cuts

Finally.. I added some trim to the top of each letter.

The whole project only took about an hour! I hope you will try this with your own color scheme. And… I will post a picture of this on my wall once I find a way to get it up there without killing my loved ones.

Don’t forget to leave a comment to win a fun prize! Today’s prize is an ECHO PARK holiday kit of your choosing! Winner announced this Friday.

So my family and I have decided to try do something creative each day this holiday season. It’s a chance to just have a little fun and connect in the midst of the holiday hustle and bustle. I created this little ornament that is super quick and easy to put together.  My little one loves to paint on the glue and glitter each piece. And I finish them off with a little embellishment.

And here are some variations.

Materials: Die Cut (Sizzix round ornament 3D), flake glitter (Martha Stewart Crafts - available at Michael’s), German Glass Glitter (Meyer Imports), button and crepe paper (Jenni Bowlin).

Begin by cutting out the ornament. I used my Sizzix and cut the blanks from mat board for extra sturdiness. You could also cut cardstock by hand and adhere a few layers together for added stiffness.

Working on one side, brush adhesive on the surface of the ornament. While still wet, sprinkle with the glitter flakes. Shake off the excess glitter and repeat with the other side.

Gather the crepe paper into a small rosette and staple to secure. Remove the foam adhesive from the back of the button (if using Jenni Bowlin) and glue the button to the center of the rosette with hot glue.  Glue the rosette to the top of the ornament.

Tips:

• Whenever I make ornaments and other home decor items, I try to use matboard or chipboard so that the shape is really stiff.
• Use colored mat board and you won’t have to paint, saving on time.. and clean up.

GIVEAWAY

Leave a comment for a chance to win an ORNAMENT kit of your very own! It will include everything you need to create a set of ornaments of your very own. You can even choose your color palette. Winners announced every Friday starting December 9.