Creativity Stirs The Soul

Easily Storable Christmas Napkin Rings

2011-12-13T03:17:00.000-06:00

Make some Quick and Easy

Christmas Napkin Rings

that are easily storable...

because they come apart and

can lay flat until next year....

SUPPLIES:

VELCRO® Brand Sticky Back Adhesive

1/8 yard Christmas Fabric

1/8 yard Heat and Bond

Mini Christmas Bows

Iron

Scissor, Pencil & Ruler

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cut fabric in half and apply

Heat and Bond to wrong side of one of the pieces of fabric;

place wrong side of 2^nd piece of fabric on top

(following manufacturer’s instructions).

2. For each napkin ring cut fabric 6 ¾” x 1 ½”.

3. Place Velcro Brand Sticky Back Adhesive

onto short ends of fabric.

4. Place Velcro Brand Sticky Back Adhesive

onto back of bow, place in center of napkin ring.

Velcro Advent Calendar,,,,

2011-12-12T00:01:00.003-06:00

Make an Advent Calendar

quickly and easily

with Velcro Brand Adhesives

I used a Velcro Memo Board

as the base and the hook side

Velcro Brand Sticky Back Adhesive

to form the tree...

applied glitter on the sticky side....

and number 25 wooden stars....

I used bows to replace the stars

as they are taken off each day....

When Christmas arrives

you will be left with a beautiful

tree filled with bows!

Fleece Flowers Video

2011-12-09T02:06:00.000-06:00

I wanted to share these

Fleece Flowers

I made last year and

demoed on Cool2Craft....

they are easy to make and

perfect to put onto

pre-made knit headbands....

they would make great little gifts

and stocking stuffers!

Above is the video of the demo

ENJOY!

FaveCrafts Radio Link....

2011-12-08T00:01:00.003-06:00

I wanted to share the link

for the December

FaveCrafts Radio Program

which aired yesterday....

It was a delight to be on the show with

Pat Sloan and share creativity...

Also on the show were:

Author Mark Montano,

Sarah Moore of Craft Critique

Sarah Hodsdon of Sarahndipitous Designs and

Simone Collins, Social Media Director of FaveCrafts.com.

It was an inspiring hour and you can

listen anytime by clicking here.

ENJOY!

I'll be on FaveCrafts Radio Today....

2011-12-07T01:35:00.000-06:00

I am delighted to be a guest on

FaveCraftsRadio this afternoon

with Pat Sloan

favecrafts Radio - Show Time 3:00pm EST

LIVE at BlogTalk Radio http://www.favecraftsradio.com

Here is the line-up for the show...

Ann Butler www.creativitystirsthesoul.com/

Sarah Hodsdon www.sarahndipitousdesigns.com

Sarah Moore www.craftcritique.com/

Simone Collins www.favecrafts.com

Mark Montano www.markmontano.com

Sometimes you just have to Improvise....

2011-12-06T01:57:00.003-06:00

Last month when

I was doing a photo shoot

for a Manufacturer

of a Christmas Mantle....

I was in need of something

to go up on the wall

on either side of my wreath....

There was no time to shop as the

photos were needed ASAP....

so taking on the challenge

as a true crafter

I went into my studio

make something....

I really wanted to put candles on either side

so I created Candle holders

out of several layers of Mat Board and

Eileen Hull's Caddy Die

I used Beacon's Fast Finish Decoupage

and mulberry paper to cover

the candle holders....

Then I mixed ESF Black Perfect Paint

with ESF Pearl Metallic Powder

to paint them.

I used Velcro Brand Poster Hangers

so that I would not have to put holes in my walls...

They turned out great and worked

perfectly for the Photo Shoot....

(Caution: While these are made from Mat Board I would not actually use them to burn candles on; they are for decorative purposes only!)

Designer Craft Connection featuring Sock Monkey's

2011-12-05T02:46:00.001-06:00

Sock Monkey's

have been around forever....

I remember my grandmother had one

at her house that I played with as a child...

When the opportunity came from

When Creativity Knock's

to do a Sock Monkey Blog Hop

for the Designers Craft Connection

I knew I wanted to be a part of it....

My dear little Sock Monkey

Dreamed.....

of being a designer....

so she created a

Sock Monkey Book

of Designs using
her creativity and a
Sock Monkey Stamp....

She cut up

her very own

Fox River Socks

She got out her sewing machine...

She dyed parts of her

Fox River Socks

Cherry Red with

Rit Dye

She created a skirt for herself...

one with a hand made flower and

sock waistband....

Then she thought it would be fun to make

a headband out of her socks....

but when she began designing

she thought it would be more

fun to have have a.....

Changeable Headband....so she got out

her Velcro Brand Sticky Back Adhesive

and made a red bow from her

dyed socks....

which would go on the headband

and then easily....

could be changed to a sock flower.....

changed again to a felt flower....

Changed again to a layered

sock bow.....

and another sock bow....

the possibilities would be endless....

my little Sock Monkey was on her way

to being a designer....

Now to follow the adventures

of other Sock Monkeys.....

click on the

Designer Crafts Connection icon

on the left side of my blog.....

If you would like to find out how you can

make a Sock Monkey

When Creativity Knocks has

a wonderful video that you can order

There is also a great contest that you can enter,

the deadline is December 19th!

You could win the whole Sock Monkey Kit

worth over $40.00 which includes:

the Videobook "Sock Monkeys Go BanAnas",

One Sewn Sock Monkey Ready to be Stuffed,

One Pair of the Original Rockford Red Heeled Socks,

Button Eyes, Needle, Floss and Stuffing!

To enter:

-Go to http://www.whencreativityknocks.com/ website

-In the Member Log in box click: Create An Account

-Entry Code: Sock Monkey

Beautiful Christmas Centerpice by Eileen Hull

2011-12-02T10:33:00.000-06:00

I wanted to share this

Beautiful Christmas Centerpiece

that was created by my friend

designer Eileen Hull....

Eileen shares complete instructions

to make this on her

blog so click here!

Christmas Green with Aleene's Tacky Glue

2011-12-01T00:01:00.002-06:00

The above ornament is a GREEN project...

to find out what it was made of and

how it was made click

HERE to go to the Hive.

eBarn Sale just in time for the Holidays

2011-11-30T00:39:00.003-06:00

Just a reminder that
my friend Eileen Hull has a fabulous
Barn Sale each November
where there are HAND CRAFTED items
for sale just in time for the Holidays....

This year Eileen is doing it a bit differently
by having an e-Barn Sale....
which is great for everyone....
because if you were never able
to make it in person to her
Barn Sale in Virginia....
now you can check out some of the
HAND CRAFTED items
and have them shipped right to you.....

So far Eileen has sent out
three newsletters featuring products
created by some of the vendors!
Each week you can view what is available
and order from a selection of
specially designed products.

To sign up for for Eileen's newsletter
go to her blog and there is a link
on the sidebar.

Here is what has been featured for this week:

Handmade Bookmark
These Bead & Wire Book Markers were one of the first designs I sold as a project to a magazine over 12 years ago and I have been making and selling them ever since. Each one is One of a Kind and Hand Crafted by Designer Ann Butler (www.creativitystirsthesoul.com) and come on a Hand Crafted Tag that says Merry Christmas (unless requested otherwise then it will be a tag with flourishes only). Beads may vary from those shown in picture; you may select the main color of beads desired from: Green, Red, Black, Blue, Pink. These make great teacher gifts, secret Santa gifts and stocking stuffers.

Price: $8.95 each or 2 for $15.00
Optional Shipping and Handling: $2.25

Dog Paw Print Stocking

Your favorite pooch will love having a stocking of his own.

Made of cotton paw prints and bones printed fabrics, and fully lined.

Stocking measures approximately 7 1/2" wide x 16" tall.

Another fun creation by Connie Cook.

$15

Melted Glass Bottles

Aren't these melted bottles cool? Great for serving wine and cheese complete with a unique glass grape cluster. A fun gift for the wine lovers in your life. See more unique products by Jeanne at the

December 10th event in the Barn.

Melted Bottles- $10 each

Grape Clusters (5) are sold as a set $24.95

Christmas Ruffle Joy Skirt

A Bridget & Lucy pattern makes up this fun festive Christmas Ruffle Joy Skirt. Funky Christmas trees in red & green, swirls of holly, sparkle stripes ,and cute mittens will delight any little girl. Green ribbon & green & red tulle & red flower button accents. One of a kind! Pattern size 4 ~ waist 18" ~ length 13.5' with elastic waist.

$28

Christmas Charms

Christmas Cheer Stocking Necklace: Double sided stocking design between two pieces of glass, made with unleaded solder. Finished with holiday beads. Your choice of red & green or hot pink & lime green.
(1" x 2")
Festive Red and Green Mirrored Glass Pendants, finished with holiday beads. Your choice of round red (1.5" x 1.5") or green square.
(1.25" x 1.25")

More fun creations by Charms & Flourish
$18

Handmade for You
Email your order to EileenHull@aol.com
Pick-up in the Barn on 12/10

Decorating the outside with Velcro®

2011-11-29T00:01:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I shared how easy it is

to decorate a banister with

Velcro Holiday Garland Ties....

Now I want to show you

how easy it is to

decorate the outside

of your house with

Velcro Brand Holiday Multi Light Clips

These clips are so cool

because you can have....

A place for rope lights

and a place for mini lights....

putting both up easily....

Now for the Curtain Lights

you can use the single

Velcro Brand Holiday Light Clips

which work great...

Here is a picture of my son's

house after using

Velcro Brand Holiday Fasteners....

Christmas Decorating Made Easy with VELCRO®

2011-11-28T01:47:00.000-06:00

It's time to start decorating for

the Holidays and I found a

great way to put my Garland up

this year with the help of

Velcro Holiday Garland Tie....

Velcro Garland Tie wraps onto itself

for a quick and easy

secure hold....

I wrapped it around the banister,

the garland and lights

which made it so quick and easy

to decorate for the Holidays....

Beaded Book Markers

2011-11-25T02:50:00.000-06:00

Beaded Book Markers

make a great GIFT

for anyone.....

Pictured below is what I will

have for sale at

Eileen Hull's e-Barn Sale

Be sure to sign up for

Eileen e-Barn News Letter

to see what other

items will be on sale!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T00:01:00.002-06:00

Wishing everyone a

"Happy

Thanksgiving"

filled with

Family,

Friends &

Thankfulness!

"Stash and Smash" Book by Cindy Shepard

2011-11-23T00:01:00.003-06:00

Today in the mail arrived my copy

(or should I say my copies....) of

"Stash and Smash"

a NEW Book by

Designer Friend Cindy Shepard

It is a book filled with over

120 of Cindy's Ideas for ART Journals....

Plus.....

An ART Journal by me....

using some of my favorite products....

Earth Safe Finishes

Expo International Trims

VELCRO® Brand Fasteners

Beacon Adhesives

Beautiful "Thanksgiving Table Setting"

2011-11-22T06:12:00.001-06:00

Pictured below is a

Beautiful"Thanksgiving Table Setting"

Created by my dear friend

and fellow Designer Lisa Rojas

Check out Lisa's blog to get all of the

details on how to create!

Check out the e-Barn Sale

2011-11-21T01:19:00.000-06:00

My friend Eileen Hull has a fabulous

Barn Sale each November

where there are HAND CRAFTED items

for sale just in time for the Holidays....

This year Eileen is doing it a bit differently

by having an e-Barn Sale....

which is great for everyone....

because if you were never able

to make it in person to her

Barn Sale in Virginia....

now you can check out some of the

HAND CRAFTED items

and have them shipped right to you.....

So far Eileen has sent out

two newsletters featuring products

created by some of the vendors!

Each week you can view what is available

and order from a selection of

specially designed products.

To sign up for for Eileen's newsletter

go to her blog and there is a link

on the sidebar.

Here is what has been featured for sale so far:

Doorway Ornament by Lorine Mason- $18

Can be personalized with your address!

Snowflake Ornament by Connie Cook $10 or 3 for $25

Soy Candles handmade by Teresa Balkin $12

available in 12 scents

God Bless America ornaments- $20

Hand soldered and designed by Charms & Flourish

Angelworks Mixed Media Collages by Ann Krier- small $20, large $25

Proceeds donated to charity for kinds

Kid's Apron by Angie Colwell- $15

Handpainted Santa Slate $30 only one left!

Christmas Dish Towels by Merry Stitches $8.50

Assorted Magnets by Eileen Hull $4 each 3/$10

If you would like to order anything,

please email Eileen

at EileenHull@aol.com.

If you are unable to come and

pick up your order in person,

shipping charges will apply.

If you live in the Virginia Area

Please join us in the Barn

1127 Devon Street, Herndon, VA

on Dec. 10th

from 10 AM till 2 PM

to celebrate the

10th Anniversary of the Barn Sale!

There will also be lots of additional items for sale

in our Cash and Carry area.

Please take a few minutes out of your busy holiday schedule

to enjoy the company of your fellow shoppers

while you snack on yummy treats and hot cider

in the relaxing atmosphere of the barn.

A NEW list of what will be available is coming soon!

Make some great "TAGS"

2011-11-18T19:57:00.001-06:00

with the

"Fineline Applicator"

a Unique non-clogging air tight

Cap/Wire system....

Check out how I made this

by clicking here.

Your chance to WIN a Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner

2011-11-16T03:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday the Designer Crafts Connection

shared ideas for using the

Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner

and the makers of the

Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner

have a challenge for you....

How would you use a Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner?

Share your creative ideas and

you could win a Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner!!!!!

http://bit.ly/vFLWv0

To submit your “Scan & Share” ideas, click here.

The blog hop follower who comes up with the most creative and

productive ideas using a Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner

will WIN their very own Flip-Pal™.

The winner will be announced on December 15th.

My project is posted below (dated November 15)

if you want to check it out....then

click on the Designer Crafts Connection button

on the left of my blog

to see what others have done or would do with the

Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner

Designer Craft Connection featuring Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner

2011-11-15T00:00:00.003-06:00

The Designer Craft Connection Blog Hop

is showcasing the

Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner

When the Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner

arrived I was impressed by the

small sleek size and how

lightweight it was.

If you have not heard of the

Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner

check out their web site to learn more....

you will be amazed!

Also if you hop round the Designer Crafts Connection,

you'll see there are a number of projects that were created using the

Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner

and ideas for even more projects.

So here's a challenge for you -

How would you use a Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner?

Share your creative ideas and you could win a Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner!!!!!

http://bit.ly/vFLWv0

To submit your “Scan & Share” ideas, click here.

The blog hop follower who comes up with the most creative and

productive ideas using a Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner

will WIN their very own Flip-Pal™.

The winner will be announced on December 15th.

Now for my project....
I wanted to see how easily

the Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner would

scan directly from an album

and knew I wanted to do something

with a picture of my sister as a child....

she passed away a few years ago and I

wanted to do a Mixed Media Canvas

so this was a great time to try it...

I took the cover off the scanner and placed

it upside down directly on the photo album

over the picture I wanted to scan....the

Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner

comes with an SD Memory Card

so I was able to take it out and download

the photo right to my computer...

where I re-sized it and printed it out

onto muslin (that I had ironed onto

freezer paper to feed through my printer).

I covered a 12 x 12 canvas with decorative tissue paper

which I crumpled up before applying to give it extra texture.

I then used Earth Safe Finishes Shimmer Translucents

to give depth and get a color I liked.

I used Gel Medium to adhere the

muslin photo to the canvas.

I knew I wanted the piece to say:

"Remember TIME waits for No One"

and that I wanted it to be a clock....

so I die cut "Remember",

"ime" for Time and the number "4"

I used a wood "T" for Time,

metal letters for "waits" and

plastic letters for "No One"

I gathered my letters and words,

got Walnut Hollow Clock Parts,

found some beautiful lace to use and

paper charms for photo corners....

I arranged everything before gluing anything

down to be sure of placement....

I used Beacon Tacky Glue

to put it all together.

I love how it turned out and that it was

so easy to get the image with the

Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner,

Be sure click the Designer Crafts Connection button

on the left of my blog

to see other projects have been created using the

Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner.

Veteran's Day

2011-11-11T19:50:00.000-06:00

A time to say

"Thank You to all who Serve and

to those who have Served"

to make our country a safer place....

On a personal note:

My youngest son is currently serving

in the Air Force and we are

so proud of him...

My dear friend Lorine Mason

was able to donate her time today

to help our military by sewing

Adaptive Clothing for wounded servicemen

at a Vertern's Day Sewing Workshop

with Sew Much Comfort

Picture here is Lorine (wearing the yellow ribbon)

with three members from her local

American Sewing Guild

that went with her to Fairfax, Virginia

for the workshop.

An instructor and coordinator for Sew Much Comfort

explained the process to adapt simple boxer shorts

to fit over the bulky medical equipment necessary

for the proper healing of broken or missing limbs.

Velcro is an amazing product and

is used for Adapting the clothing

making it easy to get clothing on and off.

Velcro Brand Fasteners

donated three boxes of product

for use in this work shop!

Texture Magic...see how easy it is!

2011-11-09T22:22:00.000-06:00

Texture Magic is Amazing....

you can check out the project pictured below

along with instructions at

"The Hive"

to see how truly easy it is to use....

Designer Craft Connection Facebook Page

2011-11-08T00:37:00.000-06:00

Do you like Prizes, Giveaways and Craft Projects?

LIKE our NEW Designer Craft Connection Page on Facebook

where you will learn about our

challenges, giveaways, and announcements.

Be sure to share our Designer Craft Connection Page

with your Facebook friends so that they can join in the fun too!

Here is our NEW Facebook Page address:

https://www.facebook.com/DesignerCraftsConnection

Check it out!

Designer Craft Connection Blog Hop Fall Holiday Project

2011-11-07T11:00:00.002-06:00

It is the First Monday of the month and time for

the Designer's Connection Blog Hop...

the theme is Holiday project

and since Thanksgiving is coming up

I wanted to share something simple

that I made....

I wanted to use the glittered pumpkin

I made a couple weeks ago

to decorate for Thanksgiving....

So one day while shopping at

Crafts Direct

(one of my favorite craft stores;

an hour away but worth the drive....)

I saw these cool jars used for candles...

they had them displayed with three jars on a tray

with vinyl words added

and I thought it would be perfect for two jars,

my glittered pumpkin and

some fall leaves....

I love how it turned out....

just quick and easy!

Be sure click the Designer Crafts Connection button

on the left of my blog

to see the rest of the

Designer Crafts Connection bloghop

which features autumn-inspired projects.

Alsobe sure to go to Julie McGuffee's blog

to get details on how you can win a

Sizzix Sidekick two sets of Sizzlets alphabet dies!

Sizzix Fresh Vintage Blog Hop: Flower Petal Power

2011-11-02T23:00:00.002-05:00

Welcome to the Sizzix Fresh Vintage blog hop

this is the 12th hop of 12.

We have been showcasing Eileen Hull's

new collection of

Sizzix Dies Fresh Vintage

every Tuesday and Thursday for the last 6 weeks!

If you missed any of the hops go to

Eileen Hull's blog and you can find them there.

It has been an honor to help showcase

these new Sizzix dies for Eileen.....

but wait the fun will continue monthly

Eileen will have more information on

her blog shortly about that....

Now onto the Flower Petal Power Die....

there are a lot of possibilities with this one

and I choose to make a Christmas Tree....

I die cut the petals out of several prints of
DCWV Tis the Season Paper
then I used
Earth Safe Finishes Eco Epoxy
to give them shine
(in this picture you can see where
I have the Eco Epoxy on a couple petals)

When the petals were dry I
used ESF Eco Epoxy
to glue wrong sides together
so they were double sided;
then I used a paint handle to
roll them and give them shape.

Then I pinned them to a Styrofoam Brand Cone
to get the spacing right...
then I glued them to the cone
with the Eco Epoxy

I placed it in a ceramic pot....
and there you go....
quick and easy!

To view the hop you can click on the

Fresh Vintage blinkie on the left of my sidebar.

This will take you around to all of the designers on the hop.

Be sure to stop by and visit the
Oh MY Craft blog

and leave a comment for a chance to win a die!