New Year Wishes to You!

I want to Thank All of you for visiting this blog and sending such sweet thoughts! You've made me feel very welcome in blogland. As the year comes to an end, I hope that you are all looking forward to a wonderful 2010. I was talking with Fridge and I want to share the advice he gave me for the New Year...

Take time to enjoy the moment, even when life is so busy...Breathe!

Enjoy Life and Have FUN!

Spend time with your Friends and Family!

Always be SAFE !

And this last piece of advice is from Kitty Kitty (real name) She says, "Sometimes, try to look at things from another point of view! It can open a whole new world for you!

From Me, Fridge, Kitty Kitty and the rest of my menagerie, Here's wishing you all a safe and
Happy New Year! Best of Everything in 2010!

E-vites going out Today!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Well, it's back to work today but it's a  really fun day for me! We're pulling the names for the guest list for the live audience taping of the Joy of Crafting show on Saturday, January 9th. So, if you entered our contest and you're made it on the list, you'll be getting an e-mail and/or a phone call today. So, check your messages!

Thank You to everyone who entered our contest to let me know what kinds of crafts you're interested in. I'm always keeping an eye out for inspiring crafters to invite them onto the show to share their creations.

Take care & enjoy the Holidays!

Oh, where is my Bear?

You all met Fridge on my very first post. He's my helpful polar bear that travels with me all over the world. Well, we're back from our trip and he's already hard at work...

So, don't forget Christmas Eve is the deadline to enter the contest to win one of the seats for the live audience taping on January 9th. It's going to be FUN and believe me, no one's going home empty handed!

Thanks for spending time with me and Fridge. We're wishing you Happiest of Holidays!

JOC Second December Show

Tonight, our second December JOC show premieres. We have some ideas for the upcoming New Year and a very special guest Hana Hou.

Our first guest is Gloria Arias from our Pearl City BFC. She shows us how to make a cute desktop calendar with the Bind-it All machine. You'll want to make a few these for your family and friends.

Then I'll help you get ready for the Year of the Tiger with this easy pop-up card.

I thought it would be fun to end the year with some laughs, so our Hana Hou features, Augie T.!

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you're enjoying the Holidays! Don't forget, you have until Christmas Eve to sign up for the contest for the Jan. 9th Live audienec taping!

2nd Annual JOC Live Audience Taping Contest

I'll be on a trip next week and I won't be able to blog. While I'm gone, you can enter my FAVORITE contest of the year! Read on...

Ben Franklin Craft Club members, start the New Year with the Joy of Crafting show!  Last year, we had so much fun taping our show with a live audience, we're doing it again!

We'll be taping two shows on Sat., Jan. 9, 2010 at the Mapunapuna Ben Franklin Crafts store. The fun starts at 9:30 am with lots of gifts for everyone and fabulous guests to entertain you with their creative projects!

This contest is for our Ben Franklin Craft Club Members who we appreciate for all of the support they give to our stores and the show all year long. Just click here to submit your entry and you may be selected as one of the VIP Guests.
You will be asked the following question: "What is your favorite craft that you like to see on the Joy of Crafting show?" I am looking for types of crafts not the actual people who do them. Is it beading? Painting? Card Making? I want to know what kind of projects you would like to see on the show.

BUT WAIT, there's more! For my Neighbor Island Craft Club Members who won't be on Oahu on Jan. 9th, I have something for you, too. When you answer the question, just add what island you're from and let me know you'll be home on Jan. 9th.

Enter by Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 2009. VIP Guest List will be randomly chosen.The Lucky Winners will be announced on Mon., Dec. 28, 2009. Good Luck to All and have a great Holiday!

Make ' n Takes around the City

Do you know a Senior Citizen (55 years & older) and want them to get crafty? The Ben Franklin Crafts at Market City S.C. will be doing two make 'n takes in the Market City lobby next to Duck Lee Chinese restaurant on Tuesday, Dec. 8 from 9 am to 10:30 am. They will be doing a Ribbon Angel for $2 and a Paper Tree for $1. Seating is limited , so sign your Senior up today at 734-0282.

In downtown Honolulu at Crafts in  the City, there will be make 'n takes by Cheryl M. and Jean Y. on Wednesday, Dec. 9 from 11 am - 1 pm. I'll be doing a make ' n take there on Thursday, Dec. 10 from 11 am - 1 pm, too.

So, drop on in and come craft with us! Hope to see you all there!

JOC December '09 Show #1

Sunday night is the premiere of the first December Joy of Crafting show. We're featuring a few ideas for the Holidays.

The first guest is Gloria Arias from our Pearl City BFC. She shows you how to take a single 12 x 12 sheet of printed CS and turn it into a great gift bag.She also shares some of the designs that can be crocheted from the Big Book of Dishcloths, Potholders and Scrubbies.

Then I show how to make the Ho Ho Holiday Santa favor that I shared on the Mon., Nov. 23rd post.

Lastly, Gloria comes back to show us a gift idea that's easy and great to give to anyone, Gifts in a Jar. (She also promises to make me some of her popovers one day!)

Hope you're able to catch the show and learn a few new things. Thanks for stopping by today and hope you have a great week!

A Good Read

I love to read. I read books. I read the newspaper. I read magazines. The only thing I probably don't read are instructions, until I HAVE to!LOL!

Well, on Thanksgiving weekend, amidst all the craziness, I found time to relax with the latest copy of O, Oprah's magazine. There I found myself reading a really great story that I think relates to all of us crafters out there.

"A Stitch in Time" author, Meribah Knight, talks about her love for sewing which she credits to her grandmother. The love for crafts had skipped a generation because her mother was not into it at all. But she was inspired by her grandma's lovingly handcrafted pieces that she made. (There's a  lot more to the story and I don't want to spoil it for you when you read it.)
I connected with her when she says "Like everyone else's, my life often is dominated by the computer.At a certain point my eyes glaze over...this is when I must touch something besides a mouse." Sewing she says "immerses me in the pleasure of actually making something and reminds me that not everything is made up of pixels."
And I think you can all relate to that. Yes, we're grateful for computers which enable us to share. But in the end, it's the things made with our own hands that reach out and touch people.
Thank You to all of you who share your wonderful creations and take the time to teach others. Bless you and have a wonderful Holiday season!

Quick Gift Idea

Here's something that you can make for all ages, girls or boys, friends and family. It's a Magnet Board. This sample is from our Market City BFC.

Magnet Boards are easy to make. Just take our 12 x 12 tin sheet. Adhere some printed paper. Take your Crop-a-Dile and punch two holes on the top. Tie some ribbon through the holes for a hanger. Make your own marble magnets to match. All pau!

Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to stop by today. Hope you're all enjoying the Holidays!

Good Food for the Body & Soul

One of my favorite topics besides crafting is good food. I like to hear about places to try and I love it when co-workers share their special recipes when we have lunch meetings. So, I was really happy when our company decided to make a cook book to raise funds for Aloha United Way.

There are over 150 recipes in the cookbook and they were all contributed by our employees. Each of our 31 stores and two offices are represented ( my recipe is on pg. 17!)The best part is it only costs $10 and that WHOLE $10 will be donated to the United Way in each of the different islands or regions that it was sold in.

We even did a little commercial for it so I got to sample some of the food and believe me, it was ONO-licious!So, pick up a copy or two today at your local Ben Franklin Crafts, neighbor island Ace Hardware store (Vegas and Seattle area, too) and even Crafts in the City. It's a great gift and you'll be helping your comunity, too.

Thansk for stopping by today and I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

A FUN way to start a busy week

OK, this is the second post for the day, so please scroll down and read the first one, it's got some good advice! :)

On Sunday, I got up at early and headed to the airport to catch a plane to go to Kahului for the Ben Franklin Craft Fair.Well, I was ready to go but the plane wasn't. Anyway, got there over an hour late, my favorite pecan tarts sold out already (sigh!) but I was still happy to be there. I had brought some make and takes to do and I was ready to craft!

We did the Ho Ho Santa favor. It's really easy, take two 3" red CS circles. Just add a black 1/2" CS strip for the belt and a  silver mirror paper belt buckle to one of the 3" red CS circles.

For the box gusset, you need a 1.5" x 5.5" CS strip. Going lengthwise, score both horinzintal edges 1/4" in. Then going vertically, score both edges 1 1/4" in, leaving a 2" section in the middle. Put some 3/16" double stick tape along the 1/4" horizontal sections. Snip at the scored points to create the flaps. Remove the paper fromt he tape on the center sections and fold up the side sections, forming a "U". Attach the 1/4" flaps to the two circles. Forms a little pocket box for the treats.

I also had a snowman version made the same way. In fact, this technique is great for all kinds of shapes like the Sizix Hello Kitty Head or the Turtle. so many possibilities to make things into favor boxes.

A favorite was the owl french fry boxes I had from Halloween. Here are some friends that crafted with me that day. Dominick Macauley, Vanessa Deanta and Mom Sarada Macauley, all from Maui.

Speaking of friends, I finally got to meet Kris (K-Lusive Kreations) and her adorable family. In fact, I was so excited, I forgot to take a picture with them! DUH! Kicked myself later for that. Kris is so sweet, as many of you know, and she gave me some wonderful goodies, too!She gave me some treats, now how did she know Chocolate Chip with Mac nuts are my favorite Maui CookKwees flavor? And the personalized note pad is so great, I can't believe she stamped every page! WOW!

And look at  this Cute Angel Anya Ornament she made for me. Look at all of the details she added. I know where I'm going to hang it already!

So, even though the plane was broken, my day on Maui was just No Ka Oi! This Thanksgiving, I am especially thankful for all of the new frineds I am making and all of the wonderful people out there who are so kind and thoughtful. Thank you for visiting today and I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving week!

Are You Ready?

That's what everyone seems to be asking...are you ready for the Holidays? Well, I know I'm ready for Thanksgiving so I can have a nice dinner with my family. Push the pause button, relax and enjoy. 'Cause after that, it's Holiday Frenzy! I just LOVE it! So, here's my tips to enjoy the season:

Smile, and the world will smile with you.It'll brighten someone's day and make you feel good
Eat right (as in right before you get too hungry so you don't overeat)
Share your goodies with your co-workers!
Make your list of things to make for gifts, there's still lots of time
Get plenty of rest
Don't stress about the "perfect" gifts, if it's from you...it IS perfect because you thought of them
Have the kids help make gift tags, keeps them busy and everyone will love their designs!
TRY to get  some rest
Don't forget, there's always gift cards
Give of yourself, spending time with each other is always more memorable than spending money
Say "Thank You" when your co-worker gives you a cookie, then go back to the top and repeat

Wishing you all a safe and Happy Holiday Season!

JOC November 09 Show #2

Since I'll be busy at the Ben Franklin Kahului Craft fair tomorrow, thought I'd post this today...
The Holidays are definitely here! On our second November show, we brought back our favorite One Stroke Certified Instructor, Frank Dumlao. He showed us his technique for painting beautiful poinsettias on a charger plate.

Charger plates are great for tablescaping or even just hanging on the wall, especially when they are painted so beautifully. I'm always amazed at how easy Frank makes it look. I'm a OSCI, too, but I just can't wiggle like Frank!

Next, we have Diane Morinaka, our favorite floral designer. She creates a fun wreath in our "Ho Ho Holiday" theme.

Notice how there isn't a bow on the wreath? Instead the "Ho Ho Ho" sign and colorful ball ornaments create the focal interest.

Our last guest is always FIRST on our minds when we think of great stamping ideas. Cheryl Miyashiro created an easy gift card holder, perfect for this season of giving!

Cheryl used Hero Arts Christmas Clear Designs for her project. She even shares some of her tips on how to add color to your stamped designs faster.

Hope that you are all enjoying the Holidays as I know you're all busy making so many handmade and heartfelt gifts and cards for your families and friends. Take care and remember to take time out for yourself!Happy Holidays and Happy Crafting!

Paper Forest

Making samples has left me with a bunch of scraps, seems I just can't throw anything away! So, I thought I'd get ready for Christmas with some little tree ornaments. All you need are three circles of printed CS, preferably double-sided. I made my circles 4", 3.5" and  3".

Now, for the next part, you can be precise by scoring, but I just folded mine up to get the crease. First, I folded them in half. Then, I opened them up and folded them in half the other way. I marked the crease lines with a pen so you can see it better.

Then, I matched up the folds diagonally and folded them in half. Do this in both diagonal directions. You should end up with 8 sections.

Next, you need to fold each "piece of the pie" in the middle, but this time you do a valley fold (dotted lines).

Then, I snipped each of these sections to a make short points between each section. Repeat these steps for all three circles.

To string them together, I threaded a thin metallic cording on a large eye needle.Tied a small facet bead to one end of the cording. Going from the bottom up, I poked a hole through the tip of the largest tree. The tree is held in place by the bead. Left a litle cording above the tree,  then strung and tied another bead on. Strung the middle tree on. Continued the same with the smallest tree. Strung a star bead on top and tied the cord into a loop for hanging.Finished it with with some Stickles accents around the tree. Fast and easy, soon you'll have a whole forest!

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you're having a great week!

Glass Eggs, Oh Deer!

Sometimes, you just want to have fun and that's egg-xactly what I did a little while ago. I had bought some clear glass eggs and I decided to make a herd of reindeer. So here's my first one, Ume aka Rudolph's cousin.

I call her Ume because I like to use those red pom poms for ume on my musubi ornaments. The supplies are basic and the decorations are what ever you want.

I used Spice Brown Ceramcoat acrylic paint inside of the egg, swirled it around. Cover the hole with some  folded up paper towel to protect youself from cuts or paint. Don't forget to place the egg upside down in a cup to drain out the excess paint. Then I cut some ears out of felt. Twisted some chenille stems into antlers. Gave her 12mm moving eyes and that 1/2" red pom pom for her nose. All Pau!

So, this season while you're bustling around, take time to have some fun! Thanks for stopping by today and have a GREAT weekend!

Favorite Project

When we were at the Wedding Expo, a lot of brides-to-be mentioned that they had picked brown and pink for their colors with a cherry blossom theme. Here is one project that a lot of the guys were interested in making.

It's a version of the Vellum Lantern using  the Sizzix Cherry Blossom branch die to decorate the side panels.
Inside of the lantern, we use battery operated T-lites to create that romantic candlelight mood. In this pic, it looks more Halloween-ish but IRL it looks good with the candle flickering inside.

If you're curious as to how it was made, here's the instructions. In the past, we've used printed vellum or plain vellum with stamped images. This also makes a one-of-kind gift if you print out photos or favorite sayings onto the vellum and use that for the panels.

Thanks for taking time out of your day to stop by! Happy Crafting!

JOC First November show

Wow! November is already here and we have two new shows this month. On this first show we have some of our favorite crafty people on. We started out with Diane Morinaka, our floral designer at the Mapunapuna BFC. She did a beautiful Holiday wreath with lots of glittery golds.She always makes it look so easy!

Next, we have our favorite Paper Crafter, Cheryl Miyashiro. This time she did her own version of a Waterfall card and made it into a cute Mini Album featuring her and hubby.

She used Hero Arts Christmas Clear Designs to embellish her pages and cover. Really cute!

 Our last guest is known all over the world for his One Stroke and faux finish painting. Frank Dumlao is not only talented but he is also a very giving person, always sharing his skills and ideas. We just LOVE him!

On this show, he showed us how to use gesso, gold leaf sizing and glitter to create your own glitzy ornaments. Just in time for your Holiday Tree decorating!

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope the show gets you into the Holiday Crafting spirit!

Love was in the Air

Last Friday night and Saturday, we were at the World Class Wedding expo. We had so much fun meeting the brides and grooms-to-be. And we got a lot of the GUYS to do our simple cake slice box make and take. In fact, we did over 300 make and takes. It was really interesting to see the different colors combinations people reached for.
We also had a lot of light bulbs turn on in people's heads when they realized everything in our booth could be made by them or their friends and families (we suggested favor making parties!)

Just wanted to say Congratulations to all that are planning their weddings and wishing them a happy and loving future together!

JOC October 2nd show's premiere

At first, I thought I wasn't going to make it, I was having some problems posting but I finally got it to work!Tonight is the premiere of the 2nd Joy of Crafting show for the month of October. Yes, this is the one you've all been waiting for!

First, we have Dusty Behner, a costume designer from the Manoa Valley Theatre. She will show you how to use posterboard to make an Optimus Prime mask, just in time for the video release of Transformers!

Next, we have two very special ladies. Michelle Ueligitone and Jen Young share some of their blog projects and the stories behind them. I really enjoyed meeting them and it was a really fun show to shoot. I hope they can come on again!(hint, hint)

Aren't these projects so cute?

Then we finish with a great project with Lynn Hashino from our Mapunapuna BFC.She is an expert at jewelry making and shows us how to make some easy wire wrap bookmark clips. These would be great to clip onto cards, too.

Thanks for stopping by today and hope you had a great weekend!