Last Show for 2014!

Yes, it's our second December show and we have more fun ideas for you!

Derek Kurisu is back with some yummy treats!

Using the famous Big Island Candies cookies to make ice cream sandwiches! Perfect for parties or just a fun at home treat!

Coty from Mapunapuna helps you celebrate the New year in style with some beautiful earrings! You have to watch her technique for using the briolette style crystals.

Then, I'll get you start looking at your crafts differently to see how you can get more from your supplies!

Thanks for stopping by today and Much Mahalo for all of your support all year long! Happy Crafting and Happy New Year!

Yes, It's December's first show!

We have fun guests for December with some amazing project ideas!

So happy we have Derek Kurisu from KTA Super stores on the Big Island back to share his fun culinary talent! He always supports local food companies. This time, he helps us with our holiday parties with some tofu salad!

And a poi, kalua pork and lomi lomi salmon "parfait".

Next, we have Coty Chandler from the Mapunapuna Bead Shoppe with a cute angel charm. These are perfect for hanging on your bag or to slip onto your planner! Makes a really great gift, too!

Lastly, I'll show how to make a basic slider card. You can use it to make a fun Christmas card this year!

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you're enjoying the holidays!

November's Second Show

Wow! The holidays are just sneaking up so fast! Currently on the show, we have some wonderful holidays projects!

Celebrate with Timeless Traditions! Diane from Mapunapuna Ben Franklin Crafts puts together a colorful festive wreath in bright reds and greens. She's always so amazing!

 

It wouldn't be the holidays without Joel from Celebrations. This time he and special guest, Bryan Odo, show us how to use the origami kusudama flower to make an ornament! So, cool!

Then, Jenny Floro gets us ready for the Holidays with beautiful tablescaping ideas!

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you're enjoying the holiday season!

November's First Show!

Yes, there are some states that are already experiencing their first snow, unbelievable! But here, it is our first Joy of Crafting show for November and we are getting ready for the Holidays!

First, we are lucky to have Diane Morinaka from our Mapunapuna Ben Franklin Crafts store. She is a master at floral arranging and has created something very special in our Frosty Pastels theme. It's not a wreath but a Swag Wreath! Great idea and so beautiful!

Next, we welcome Esme Infante back to the show! Esme tells us all about the history behind her Mom's Islandwide Craft fairs and that cute little clown mascot. We also do a little crafting and make some Countdown Your Goal Frames, perfect for gifts!

I wrap up the show with an "old school" project, Pom Pom Bear Ornaments. It's back to basic crafting!

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you get a chance to see the show! Happy Crafting!

The main thing, stay safe!

As we prepare for Iselle and Julio to hit our Hawaiian Islands, we are thankful for all of the prayers and good thoughts being sent out from our mainland friends and fellow crafters.

For the safety of our customers and employees, our Hilo Ben Franklin Crafts store has already closed and our Kahului store will be closing at 3pm in preparation for Iselle. Our Big Island Ace stores should all be closed by 2pm today as well.

Here's hoping that we all get through this okay. Stay safe everyone!

Forty and Fabulous!

A famous Kitty from Japan is turning 40 this year! Isn't that awesome? I tell you, she looks so good, she just doesn't seem to age at all!

Well, to help  her celebrate "The Joy of Crafting Show" would like to find a Hawaii crafter that LOVES making crafts that have this famous Kitty as part of the design to come on our November show.

Do you know someone who fits this description? Is it your office co-worker? Is it your best friend? Is it YOU?

Here's a few things to consider while you are helping me find that kitty crafter. The crafts need to be made by hand and not using pre-made kitty items. But using official  rubber stamps or die cuts is okay because they still have to be put together by the crafter. In other words, we're not looking for pre-made kitty charms just glued to something or hung on earrings.

Help me find that special crafter by August 25, 2014 at 5pm HST. If you help me find someone, there's a finder's prize for you, too! We'll be taping the show in September. Send your nominee info to joyofcrafting@gmail.com, put "Kitty Contest" on the subject line.

Thanks for stopping by today and start thinking about your kitty friends!

It's August Already!

Summer is going by so fast! The kids have already headed back to school and we have a new Joy of Crafting show to share!

Our first guest is not about crafting, it's about caring! My good friend John Cummings III shares with all of us tips on how to be prepared for hurricanes and other disasters. We want everyone, especially our crafters, to be safe!

 

Then, Gloria from Pearl City BFC, gives us a sneak peek of a project they will be doing for their "Endless Summer" Craft Party on Saturday, August 23. It's a beautiful shell macramé bracelet!

And for the show finale, we have Joel from Celebrations with an adorable Panda Gift Box!

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you've been enjoying your Summer! Happy Crafting!

Second Joy of Crafting for July!

Here's what's on the second Joy of Crafting show for July! We had fun with our guests and their crafts!

Joel from Celebrations is back with a really creative and useful project, washi decorated notebooks! BTW, Celebrations will be having a "Washi Bombing" event the weekend of Aug 9 and 10. A fun day of washi madness, come and help "bomb" their wall with washi! Check Celebrations for more details.

Then, we have Jamie from Pearl City BFC teach us how to get ready for Back to School with one of the hottest trends, Rah Rah Ribbon Bows! It's not just for cheerleaders!

 

Lastly, I do some re-purposing by making origami baskets from old magazine pages! These are great for snacks or using at parties to put boiled peanut shells. We even have a project sheet, too!

Summer seems to be going by so fast! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you get a chance to see this episode! Have a great week!

What's going on in there?!

Have you checked out our Paper Arts aisles recently? We've been moving a lot of things around, out and in! I'm mostly excited about the IN part! Yes, I'm talking about NEW Products!

Here's a peek at just a couple of new items! Spellbinders flower making dies! Can't wait to try these out, I love making paper flowers!

And these fun dies from Little B's. I got to see our friend Shane, formerly of EK Success, show me how cool these are at CHA. With these die sets, you get a lot of value because each set is jam packed with dies AND they come already on a magnetic sheet for storage. Now, how smart is that?!

So, as they say "please pardon our dust" as we re-do and up-do, but come and check it out!

Thanks for stopping by today and maybe I'll see you wandering the aisles, too!

MYO Aloha

Yes, Make Your Own Aloha! We have the RTD wood and paper mache alphabets that are perfect for painting on and embellishing.

Look at this beautiful ALOHA sample at the Mapunapuna Ben Franklin Crafts!

It reminds me to walk through different aisles in the stores because you never know what treasure you'll find!

Thank you for stopping by today and Happy ALOHA Monday!

Summer Keiki Craft Program

Young Crafters LOVE coming to our Summer Keiki Craft Program! It's great for the keiki to learn basic craft skills and fun new techniques while making 10 projects! By popular demand, we have a second session coming up the week of July 21 to July 25. Seats are limited, so hurry and sign up today!

 

 

Thanks for stopping by today and have a great crafty weekend!

Cool Crafts tomorrow!

Don't forget to join us at our "Snow Much Fun" event tomorrow at  all 6 HouseMart Ben Franklin Craft stores from 10 - 2!

You can make one of these cuties, a Snowman fan!For more details on the event, check here.

 

Thanks for stopping by on this Aloha Friday! Have a great weekend!



WeR Envelope Punch Board Mini File Book

"BTW, did I tell you that I LOVE my WeR Envelope Punch Board? What? You love yours, too? Of course you do! It's so cool, I'm making all kinds of stuff!" That's a very normal conversation between papercrafters lately. Then, there's the other conversation...

"Oh, I have one of those! But I haven't used it yet!"...silence. Those of us who have used it are usually in shock. Then, we snap out of it and proceed to help this poor soul get started using this wonderful tool. Especially since they have one sitting at home and it's just begging to break out of the packaging!

So, here's a fun and simple project we did this summer. First , you learn how to make mini file folders, all three third cut styles (left, middle and right tab). Then, you put it together into a fun mini book. Here's a project sheet with step-by-step photos.

Thanks for stopping by today! And please, go and check to see what crafting tool you need to set free! Happy Crafting!

"If I could save time in a bottle..."

Do you remember that song by Jim Croce? I was a little kid back then, probably didn't understand the whole meaning of the song but I could sing it from hearing it on the radio all the time.

When I see dioramas, fairy gardens or little dollhouses, it takes me to another place and I begin to imagine I am in that scene. I also like capturing my own thoughts and memories, too.

Using these tiny bottles is just perfect for that! For this one, I'm capturing the fun of summer memories with the sand and shells. Adding the loop on top so that it can hang, makes it into a sweet necklace or a tiny tree ornament.

Want to make your own? Check out the easy project sheet.

Thanks for stopping by today and hope you're having a Fun summer!

My favorite thing to make...for now!

My favorite project from this current ad is the Pom Pom Panda! I love pandas and I love this technique for making these cute pom poms!

I'm definitely going to stock up on some Red Heart Super Saver yarn (Yeah! They're on sale!) so I can make a whole menagerie! I think I'll tie them on my luggage, too! If you haven't had time to watch the free demos in the stores, here's the project sheet.

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you're having an awesome week!

You Wood be Unique!

Really loving the new RTD wood pieces that have arrived in the HouseMart Ben Franklin Crafts stores!

Great as is, all on their own. But they could be decorated up, too! Use them for organizing and décor! Endless possibilities! Go check it out!

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

July's first JOC Show!

Fun Crafts and Fun Guests on this Joy of Crafting show! We start the show with one of favorite Guy Crafters, Joel Kutaka!

Joel from Celebrations shares a great project using washi tape. He shares some new techniques that I just gotta try!

Then, we get a preview for our upcoming store event, Snow Much Fun! Beth from Mapunapuna BFC shares one of the "Frozen" themed project you can make on July 12.

Our third guest, I was so excited to meet! Remember how I said I've been spending a lot of time on Instagram? Well, here's why! Through IG friends I got to meet JOY! She's on IG and loves Project Life.So, she shares some tips on how she puts together her layouts.

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you're having a blast this weekend! Hope you can catch the show!Happy Crafting!

Cool Crafts! Hot Ideas!

Join us one week from today at all of our 6 HouseMart Ben Franklin Crafts stores for a snow flurry of Craftivity!

Come to "Snow Much Fun", a craft event themed on one of the hottest movies around! There'll be demos and make and takes from 10 am - 2pm Saturday, July 12. Check out our fun and whimsical displays to get ideas for your next party and more!

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you're having a really great holiday weekend!

Welcome back...to me!

Hello Blogland, yes, it's been a while since I've been here. Instagram has been so addicting and this poor blog has suffered. But not anymore!

Last Saturday, I was at the Mapunapuna BFC store event, the Mustache Party. I didn't really have a mustache theme project so mine was just called "My Paper 'stache" So, I did a free make and take of a cute little box using my paper 'stache and the WeR envelope Punch Board. I Instagrammed quick how-tos, and shared it on Facebook and Twitter. But then I thought about it....

Blogging is the best way to show how-tos if it's not in a video. So, here goes...

Start with a 6"x6" card stock. Great! That means you can make 4 boxes from a 12"x12" Very economical and you can use your paper 'stache.

Place the left edge of the card stock on the WeR Envelope Punch Board at the 2 and punch and score.

Slide it over to the 4.

Punch and score.

Now , repeat on all 4 sides. Repeat after me "Punch and score at the 2 and 4!" That was my mantra all day last Saturday.

Turn the punch board around and insert each corner point into the punch to round each of the 4 points.

 

Take a 1/4" hole punch and punch near the tip of each point

Fold along each of the creased lines. Snip at four corners to the first creased line to make tabs.

 Place double stick tape on all 4 tabs.

 

Fold up into the box shape and tape the tabs in place.Place your treats inside. It can actually fit a nice size treat or a handful of candy.

Take some ribbon and feed through the holes as shown: Start from the hole on the right, thread the ribbon from the outside to the inside.Come back out and thread the ribbon through the top hole from the outside to the inside. Come back out and thread the ribbon through the bottom hole from the outside to the inside. Now, thread the ribbon through the last hole on the left, from the inside to the outside. The ends of the ribbons should be coming out from opposite ends, right and left. When you pull the ribbon ends, the top/bottom flaps should fold in and the side flaps with the ribbons coming out can be cinched up.

Tie into a bow to finish.

So, thank you for stopping by and Happy 4th of July!