Be Merry Banner

I made a super cute holiday banner to hang on my fireplace this year... So much fun to make, and yet again... another project where I made a ginormous mess and covered myself with glitter!



To make this I used leftover cardstock from my paper chain project (so it would match!), white cardstock, glitter, 3-D dots, glue, ribbon, a sharpie, scallop edge scissors, and some sheets of scrapbooking paper (that I painstakingly took FOREVER picking out at the craft store, only to cut it up into little letters where you can't see the pattern anyway... HAHA yup! Go me!)

I traced circles of two different sizes, and used the shaped scissors to cut the larger circle. I covered the white paper with glue and glitter (in my "I need instant results" manner, I used a quick dry glue... Next time I would just suck it up and wait for the regular glue to dry. I wasn't quick enough with the glittering, so the paper is only half as sparkly as I hoped!!)



The letters I drew freehand, cut them out, and traced them with a black sharpie. The "spacer" in between the words is a tree covered with glitter. I used 3-D glue dots to make the letters and the white circles pop a bit.

My living room is kind of dark, so it was tough to get a good photo.. It looks so much better in person! Make one, and you'll see ;)



Stay Crafty! :)

Paper Snowflakes and Glittery Pinecones

I thought it might be fun to get a whole bunch of random art supplies and have my son craft some stuff with me. Glue, pom poms, pipe cleaners, tons of glitter, popsicle sticks... You name it! We ended up making a huge mess, and eventually he went off to play while I continued covering myself with white glue and glitter lol



It has been so many years since I made paper snowflakes, I didn't remember how to do it! (sad) This is reason #3482 that the internet is your friend... I found this great sight that teaches you how to make some cool snowflakes... Check it out!! http://highhopes.com/snowflakes.html

My son had a little trouble with the scissors, so I started making some and let him decorate them any way he wanted. Pom poms and glitter were the tools of choice ;) He had a blast doing this!
You may also notice that my snowflakes look in no way like the nice ones on the website... I didn't really get the hang of until later, when I started practicing after my son went to bed! haha!



We had also collected some pine cones from our yard (before we had all of this snow!), in the hopes of making some glittery pinecone ornaments to give as gifts. Although our yard has about fifty pine trees in it, they only seem to be the kind that produce tiny pinecones! Turns out, they look just as pretty as the big ones with ice flake, sparkling white, and lime green glitter on them! (They are still waiting to be turned into something giftable...)



What do you like to make with your kids? Any cute ideas for holiday gifts? Please share!
Stay Crafty!

Chocolate-Peppermint Sticks YUM! YUM!

Today I made some SUPER easy and DELICIOUS holiday treats!! I even enlisted the help of my husband, who admits he had fun making them! (Then, of course, we had more fun eating them!)


You need:
pretzel rods
chocolate chips (We used milk chocolate, but white or dark would be delicious!)
candy canes
wax paper
hammer, rolling pin, or back end of a maglite flashlight!(Guess which one we used!?)
plastic baggy
spoons and dish

This whole process went really fast and was so easy with two people. I got excited and started melting the chocolate before I had anything else set up (insert help from husband HERE!)... I'm sure it would go fine with one person if you set everything else up for yourself beforehand!

Lay out a sheet of wax paper on the table.
To crush the candy canes, put them in a sealed baggy (take alot of the air out) and put it on a hard surface. Break the candy canes with the rolling pin... Try not to pulverize the candy! It looks prettier (I think) when its in small chips. P.S: This step is extremely satisfying!!! haha
Put the crushed candies on a dish and set aside.

I melted the chocolate chips easily in the microwave... In a container, do one minute at a time... take it out and stir in between until completely melted.

Dip a pretzel rod in the chocolate and use a spoon to spread it out about halfway down the rod. Try not to make it too goopy, or too thin!

Bring the chocolatey pretzel over to the crushed candy dish, and (I used a spoon) sprinkle the candies all around the pretzel.


Lay the finished treat on the wax paper to harden. There's no need to refrigerate. They harden in just a few minutes (yay!).... This certainly isn't a new concept but it so fast and easy... and it looks like a gourmet treat! (especially if you use really GOOD chocolate!!) Try it with crushed nuts, dried fruit, jimmies/sprinkles, other crushed candies (butterfinger?? MMM! I'm trying that next!!)

We had some left over melted chocolate, so I spooned the rest in one-two inch circles on the wax paper. We sprinkled the rest of the crushed candy canes onto the circles and let them harden! Little choco-peppermint candies!! When they are hard, they peel right off the wax paper.

These would be great to put in pretty packaging and give as little gifts... I know I'm doing it this year! Yum! :)

DON'T FORGET TO LICK THE SPOON!!!


Stay crafty! Enjoy ;)

Paper Chain Garland

It took me about thirty minutes to decide on the perfect package of cardstock for this project!! The paper crafting supplies at Michael's are sooo much cooler than when I worked there, what seems like ages ago.... I would have spent my paycheck on paper!!!
Making this chain took no time at all! I cut the sheets into strips (three sheets at a time), and glued them with a glue stick! That's it!!




It looks so cute! I LOVE IT!!! :)

Holiday prints are here! Yippee!

I finally finished my prints and they are now available IN MY ETSY SHOP! They are all "choose your own sets" in quantities of 4, 6, 10, and 20! Pick the ones you like and send them to your friends! Yay! :)


p.s. The set of 20 has free shipping to the U.S. and Canada! Sweet Treat!

Christmas Prints!

Coming VERY soon to my online shop... Printed Christmas and Holiday card sets! Yippee!! Here's a little sample:

(How cute are these?! I love 'em!) :)

Sneak Peak...

Work in progress on some really cute elfy holiday cards... yay!

Blog Feature! (Vote for me!)

I found out today I am one of a few Etsy artists to be featured on the blog of Fantazya! She also has a cute Etsy shop which you should check out.. I see a journal on her site that I'd love to have right now!!!

Anyway, visit her blog and choose your favorite holiday card! She has a little survey going... (I hope you pick me!) :)

CHECK IT OUT HERE!

Ornaments!

I had fun painting some glass ornaments for the last fair. I'd love to be able to make them and sell them online, but I'm not too confident about shipping them out! I'm sure people ship glass every day, but it would make me incredibly nervous! I made about twenty, but here's a small sample... They really make me happy, and I wouldn't mind all that much if they don't sell and I get to keep them all! haha

Be Merry! :)

I hope all your Christmas wishes come true! Happy Holidays!

P.S. We still have no Internet, phone, or cable here but we're hopeful it will be soon. There are lots of new ideas for cards, art, and other fun stuff coming in the new year! Be on the lookout ;)

stART at the Station - 12.07.08

stART at the Station was at the renovated Union Station, in downtown Worcester. It is truly one of my favorite buildings.. Its so beautiful! The show was a blast, and my dad and I had a great time! Thanks to everyone who stopped by! :)

Yummy!

I just entered the "Lollishops and Gingerbread" challenge put on by Lollishops.com Those who entered were asked to create a gingerbread house using any medium... There will be voting and a winner too! I think I was too late on my entry, but there might be a second round *keeping fingers crossed*



SEE THE OTHER FABULOUS ENTRIES HERE!!! (On Flickr)

I also just opened my NEW STORE ON LOLLISHOPS this week! I haven't had a chance to see how all the details work, but I have a few new items listed there. I actually created a whole new line of cards for my lollishop... Very detailed with patterns and layers of colors... and of course.. Cuteness! ;)

Win! Win! Win! (and an interview)

I've been featured in a mini-interview on the blog of Cinnamon Sticks Boutique! Canela, of Cinnamon Sticks is having a SUPER HUGE giveaway on her blog... You should check it out to see the 12 days of prizes you can win.. along with smaller giveaways every day for the next few days! Totally amazing, and beautiful handmade stuff!!

You can't win if you don't enter!! Go visit her blog.. I hope you win! ;D

Mission Soldier Support - holiday edition

I am participating for the second time in a wonderful project started by Rachel Wright of Captured Time Books. In Mission Soldier Support, blank handmade cards will be sent to troops overseas. The soldiers will write in the cards and send them back home to loved ones.



I am so proud to participate in this project! All you have to do is go to any participating MSS shop, now through Nov. 7 (so the cards have time to get to the troops and back home to the families). Purchase a card, and put "MSS" in the "message to seller" box at checkout! To see the participating shops search MSS on etsy.com, or CLICK HERE.



The cards will be sent to Rachel of Captured Time Books, and she will mail them to military units stationed in Iraq.

***I will be matching donations from anyone who purchases a card from my shop for this event! Visit Rachel's blog to learn more about this fantastic event, and to see the cards that have been donated: http://capturedtimebooks.blogspot.com/***

Getting Ready for Lollishops!

If you haven't heard, there is a new online marketplace opening up for all things handmade and cute! Its called Lollishops and it will be opening soon! Check out their website for more information, and sign up to be notified of the grand opening! (hooray!)

I'm creating a whole new line of cards and fun stuff to put in my shop there... Very cutesy and sweet! Here's a sneak peek of some things I've been working on.
Enjoy!

The Process...

HAPPY 2008!!!

Its been a while since I've had time to post! Its been a really busy holiday season... I am looking forward to the new year. Full of possibilities, and new discoveries... bettering myself and my work... and enjoying life.

What will you wish for in the new year?

Handmade for the Holidays

I hope you all took the handmade pledge this year, and got some great handmade gifts to give for the holidays!


I peeked into Santa's bag and saw these.... Who's name will be on them??!