Quick Tip: Ink Blender Storage Solution

Hello friends! Today I have something a bit different for you. I'm sharing my new storage solution for my Mini Ink Blending Tools and Blending Foams for my Distress Oxide Inks.

This solution cost me a whopping $6 + tax, so it's super affordable too. I used a Jewelry Bead Organizer from Hobby Lobby, and labeled all the spots using my Brother P-touch Label Maker.

This is really something that is much easier to show you in a video format, so I hope you'll watch and enjoy! Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Made For You - Newton's Nook April Release Day 2

Good morning friends! I'm back again with day 2 of guest designing with Newton's Nook for their April release! Today we are introducing the Tag Sampler stamp set, which coordinates perfectly with their Tags Times Two Die Set.

I know many of us are crafters in other ways besides card making, whether it be knitting, crocheting, baking, etc, and this set is just perfect for all those handmade gifts! Christmas, birthdays, teacher gifts, whatever the occasion, the Tag Sampler has got you covered.

I stamped out my tag and sentiment in different colors and then die cut it out and layered it over an additional die cut tag for a pop of color and fun. I added some natural button twine, and tied it on to a cute container full of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, and viola! An instant, adorable gift that anyone would be crazy not to love!

Would you like to win the Tag Sampler Stamp Set?
This set will be given away to ONE lucky winner! 

Here's how to win: 

Comment on the NND blog and Design Team blogs (see list below)! The winner will be chosen at random from the collective blog release posts. Make sure to check out each of their blogs and comment for your chance to win. You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning! You have until Thursday, April 21st at 9pm CST to comment  -- winners will be announced on the blog post on Friday, April 22nd. Note: If you have already ordered this stamp set and you win, you may replace it with any in stock item of equal value. 

Check out all the awesome Design Team Blogs below to enter:

Newton's Nook Designs

Lydia Evans

Larissa Heskett

Samantha Mann

Crafty Math-Chick

Jess Gerstner

Stephanie Muzzulin

Danielle Pandeline

Nina-Marie Trapani

Kimberly Rendino

Yukari Yoshioka

Christiana Reuling- Guest Designer

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you enjoyed the Newton's Nook April release as much as I did!

Crafter's Companion Butterfly Mixed-Media Tutorial

Hey there, everybody!

I'm bringing something a little different to y'all today.

I've got a tutorial on Butterfly Mixed-Media Project

featuring stamps by Crafter's Companion.

The stamps I used on my project are:

Stamp-It Australia "Travel Script"

Sheena's A Little Bit Scenic "Flying Colors"

Sheena's A Little Bit Sketchy "Aging Beautifully"

but there are lots of awesome CC stamps 

that would work great for mixed-media.

I hope you'll check them out!

Enjoy the video!
And let me know if you'd like to see more projects like this!

Mixed-Media Canvas Share, Questions, and a Haul

Hey everyone!

I wanted to pop in and share my latest YouTube video.

In it I share a mixed-media canvas I've been working on,

ask a few questions about upcoming videos and projects,

and share a small haul from Crafter's Companion.

A look at the canvas:

And the video:

Thanks so much for visiting!

DIY Two-Tiered Serving Tray

Hey everybody!
I've got a fun, easy, and inexpensive
crafty project to share with you girls today.

I recently made this two-tiered serving tray
to store my Mister Huey's, Glimmer Mists,
Paint Daubers, Stickles, and such in my craft room.

This two-tiered tray is so versatile!

You could use it as a home decor piece and fill it

with leaves and mini pumpkins for fall,

and change it out with each season.

You could use it as a serving tray at a party --

just put the food in paper liners or little cups

as the spray paint might not be food safe.

You could use it to store all sorts of office supplies,

embellishments like vials of glitter or glass jars of buttons.

So many possibilities.

I filmed a how-to video so you can make your own!

If you do, be sure to let me know

so I can come check it out. :o)

Watch here or click the bottom right YouTube
icon to view in HD.

Your Love Gives Us Wings Altered Art Canvas

Happy Friday, everyone!

Today is my dad's birthday, and in honor of that, 

I wanted to share a project I made for him a while back.

Actually, for Father's Day.

I never got a chance to share it before the burglary,

and after it, I lost all the pictures I had uploaded onto my MacBook.

For some reason, I thought I'd taken the photos of it

with my camera, which was also stolen, but I recently

found them on my iPhone. Yay! :o)

This was an altered art canvas I made using book text

(which happened to be about bees, so what shows through

all coincides with the project),

I also stamped, doodled, painted, stenciled, and just had

lots of crazy, messy fun with it.

The bees were made using the fingerprints of my

husband, children and I, and our names are handwritten

beneath them for an added touch of whimsy.

Also, scrawled all along the sides (not pictured) 

are words that remind each of us of my dad.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Hope you enjoyed it!

Papertrey Ink Haul

Hey girls!

Got a quick haul video for ya today.

I have been desperately needing some new

ink colors for MONTHS, and I kept going back

and forth between the Momento Dew Drops and the

Papertrey Ink Premium Dye Cubes and finally 

decided to go with Papertrey because they were cheaper. :o)

Plus I've heard good things about their inks.

I also had been NEEDING a German sentiment set 

for YEARS (seriously, YEARS! ;o) to use

when making cards for my husband's family back in Germany.

I picked up a few other things I'd been really wanting,

and also a little basket from Goodwill for storing my inks --

I altered it with spray paint -- stay tuned to the end 

of the video and I'll show you a couple after shots.

Enjoy!

Halloween Deco Mesh Designs

Hey everyone!

I've been making a lot more deco mesh designs

at work, and I thought I'd share a few of them here.

We're getting ready for Halloween, 

so here's a sweet witchy wreath I made

using tri-colored deco mesh, ribbons, spiders,

a plush witch, and sparkly black curly willow.

We ran out of orange deco mesh for a few days,

so I was trying to come up with something using the white.

I ended up with this cute mummy that got a LOT 

of compliments and how-to requests!

Since the mummy went over so well,

I came up with the idea to try a Frankenstein.

I'm still trying to come up with something to use

for the bolts in his neck, but I ran out of time,

so I'll have to finish him up on Saturday.

I know this isn't my typical type of project 

to share here, but I hope you enjoyed them anyway!

Have a great day!

Sour Cream Container Teacher Gifts

Good morning!

Today is my kids first day of school!

I'm just as excited as they are.

I loved having them home all summer,

but just like last year, I never got so much as an hour

to relax all by myself.

Back-to-school time brings with it a slightly different 

hectic schedule, but between school drop off times and work, 

I have about an hour to myself every morning.

I take a book to Tim Hortons, grab myself a mocha 

and a muffin, and have some ME TIME.

*happy sigh*

Can't wait.

Anyway, I thought I'd share a video tutorial

on how I made my teacher gifts this year. 

They're super quick, easy, and inexpensive --

I made the whole lot of six gifts for $5!

Plus, the sour cream containers are so easily customizable

for party favors, stocking stuffers, and any other kind

of holiday gift or treat you can think of.

I hope I inspire you to make some of your own.

Enjoy!

My First Deco Mesh Wreath

Hey there! 

I just wanted to pop in and share a fun story with you all.

I think you all know by now that I work as a

floral designer in a local craft store.

I've made hundreds of wreaths in the last two years, 

but Sunday night I decided to try making my first deco mesh wreath.

Before I was even halfway done, I got called away from my station

and while I was gone a lady passed by and saw it. 

She spotted my co-worker Melina and asked her who was making it.

Then she tracked me down at the other end of the store!

She said, "Don't you DARE sell that wreath!

It's so beautiful! I NEED it! It's exactly what I've been looking for!"

Talk about a confidence boost! :o)

But keep in mind that at that point, I only had the green deco mesh,

the pumpkin print ribbon, and the inner layer of gold ribbon on it.

So I was still pretty nervous, hoping she would still be so 

enthusiastic about it when it was all done.

I finished too near to closing time for her to pick it up that night,

so I worried about it all day Monday on my day off.

This morning, I made a beeline for the back of the store

where we keep the special orders that are waiting to be picked up,

and was so pleased and relieved to discover it was gone!

She had picked it up the night before!

Yay, me! :o)

Can't wait to make another!

Customized iPhone Case

Hey all!

I just wanted to share a video I filmed recently

on how to make and customize your own iPhone cases.

It's totally simple and you can do a million different looks.

It's being featured as a Fresh Cuts video tutorial

over at the Lawnscaping Challenge blog today as well.

Enjoy!

Lawnscaping Challenge #38 & Giveaway

Hey, there everybody!

Welcome to Lawnscaping Challenge #38!

Isn't that photo just a hodge podge of goodness?

There are just so many ways you could go with it!

Our challenge is sponsored by the wonderful,

delightful, whimsical Lawn Fawn who has generously

offered up the following prize:

And with TEN new sets releasing this week at CHA,

who wouldn't love that, am I right?

For my project, I decided to make a paper bag mini album.

Here's a look at the front:

The inside is pretty intereactive,

with pockets, tabs, and tags that slide out,

so rather than take a whole bunch of pictures that wouldn't

do it justice, I decided to film a video.

My iPhone was the only thing I had on me

when our house was broken into, so I was able to film

with that and upload directly to YouTube.

I hope you'll forgive the lack of an introduction or credits.

Please watch all the way to the end though,

I promise it's worth it. :o)

You can click on the YouTube icon at the bottom right

to watch it there in HD and please also subscribe to my channel.

I'm hoping to film lots more video tutorials

once I replace my camera and Macbook.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Please head over to the Lawnscaping Challenge blog

to see the other incredible design team's projects

and find out all the details on how to enter our challenge

Have a fantastic day!

Lawnscaping Challenge #36

Hello there! Welcome to Lawnscaping Challenge #36!

Our challenge is sponsored by the wonderful,

whimsical, and witty Lawn Fawn!

They have generously donated a FREE stamp set to our glorious winner.

And just in time for Inspiration Week over on their blog!

Be sure to check it out and enter for the chance to win even more prizes!

On to my project for the Color Splash challenge.

I decided to go with gray, white, and a bit of vintage text paper

for my neutrals, with robin's egg blue for my "splash."

I was doing my planting in my container garden,

and ran out of space for this little guy.

So I decided it would be fun to make him a pretty little

home of his own, and painted a terra cotta pot,

altered a clothespin, and stamped a tag with

Harold's ABCs and Blissful Botanicals

so I wouldn't forget his name. Lol.

I guess it should be a HER, since her name is Rosemary. ;o)

Anyway, I wouldn't forget -- she smells wonderful!

But all the same, now she has a happy little place of residence.

Hope you enjoyed it!

Please stop by the Lawnscaping Challenge blog

to see all the other amazing Designer creations,

and say hello to our three newest Design Team members

who were revealed on the blog yesterday.

I am so excited to work with these phenomenally talented ladies!

Have an amazing day, everybody!

Happy crafting!

Lawnscaping Challenge #35 (Video Tutorial)

Before I jump in with this week's Lawnscaping Challenge,
I just wanted to give you guys a quick update.
My last post was actually scheduled since I was out of town,
so the last time I actually spoke with you all "in person"
was THIS POST where I shared the six piece card set I'd made
for the writer's conference I was heading to later that day.

Well, I'm back, obviously, ;o) and I had THE BEST time!
It was everything I'd hoped it would be and more.
I got to hang out with fabulous people,
stay in a gorgeous hotel with an incredible shower,
I learned so much about the craft that I am so passionate about,
I freaking WON third place in the Short Story contest
which was judged by industry professionals,
I placed sixth in the contest with the other short story I entered,
I won a "great-opening-lines" game played with my peers,
and most importantly, I came home with the self-confidence
that I've always been sorely lacking.

It was an amazing, amazing weekend, and I can't wait
for next year's conference!

So now, jumping right into the reason you're here:
Welcome to Lawnscaping Challenge #35!

Our challenge is generously sponsored by the

incredible Simon Says Stamp!

Since I've been home, I've been enjoying testing my wings,

trying new things, in particular, mixed-media.

I decided to alter a canvas for my design team project.

using Lawn Fawn's Critters Ever After and

papers from My Mind's Eye Lost & Found collection.

And, I even found time to film a tutorial,
which is a part of our new Lawnscaping Fresh Cuts video series.
I hope you enjoy it!
Watch here or on YouTube.
And please don't forget to rate and subscribe
and leave a comment if you enjoyed it. :o)

Thank you all so much for stopping by today.
Please head over to the Lawnscaping Challenge blog
to see the other amazing design team samples
and to get all the details on how to enter our challenge.

Have an awesome day!

Love Helps Us Grow Canvas

Happy Mother's Day!

I know you're all very busy eating breakfast in bed

and being completely pampered, right? ;o)

I hope so!

So I'll keep this short.

I wanted to share the gift I made for my step-mom.

I've been obsessively watching mixed-media on canvas

videos on YouTube for a few weeks now, 

and finally decided to take the plunge and try it myself.

Click on the photo to see all the details.

There's lots!

For this project I used a 10''x10'' deep-edge canvas

and added layers of book paper, acrylic paint, stamps in StazOn ink, 

Faber Castel markers, and black gel pen.

I had each member of my family finger paint a blossom

which I then turned into a flower.

Then we each thought of at least one word to describe 

my step-mother, and wrote those on the front, 

and along all four edges of the canvas.

I really hope she loves it!

And I hope each of you have a wonderful Mother's Day!

Thanks for stopping by.

Floral Designs

Hey everybody!

Thought I'd do something a little different today.

I think most of you know that I work as a

Floral Designer at my local A. C. Moore.

Last January when I got the position, 

I shared a few of my (sad) first attempts with you,

but I haven't shared any of my arrangements since then.

Last Saturday evening, after I punched out,

I walked around and took a some photos of a couple

of my designs that I could reach. ;o)

What can I say? I'm short. And a lot of them are high up.

Anyway, I thought maybe y'all would 

be interested to see them.

Prices are always reflected on the actual cost of product used.

A few of these are large "show piece" arrangements,

others are smaller and more reasonably priced. :o)

Enjoy!

I'll tell you what, it's a great feeling to get to go to work

and be creative every day.

I'd love any comments!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Lawnscaping Challenge #23 + bonus video

Hey there!

Welcome to Lawnscaping Challenge #23

This challenge is brought to you by the wonderful

Simon Says Stamp

who has generously offered up this fabulous prize:

This round our challenge is all about making

tags or treat bags, which are both perfect for the

holiday gift-giving season.

Here's mine:

I made this cute little mini treat bag

out of -- are you ready for it?

A regular standard-size card envelope!

And it was so easy to do,

I knew I had to share the process,

so I filmed a little how-to video for y'all.

Filled with candy or cookies, these mini treat bags

would be perfect to have on hand for all the little

goodies you need to hand out this holiday season --

teachers, the mailman, the babysitter, kid's classmates,

just about anyone on your gift list.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

(Click the far bottom right to watch in HD on YouTube)

Please also stop by the rest of the design team's 

blogs and leave them some comment love 

on their wonderful creations.

Laurel Beard

Melania Deasy

Lynnette Kauffman

Tamara Laan

Ayana Posadas

Christiana Reuling  (me!)

Britta Swiderski

Vera Yates

and our amazingly talented guest designers:

Samantha Mann and

Vicky Papaioannou!

And don't forget to hop over to the 

Lawnscaping Challenge Blog

for all the details on how to enter.

Have a great day, everybody!

Lawnscaping Challenge #10

Hello there!

Welcome to Lawnscaping Challenge #10!

Can you believe our 10th challenge is already here?

And, gosh, it's a fun one!

I mean, who doesn't love polka dots, right?

Check it out:

And we have a very special sponsor for you.

Mold Muse has generously donated a $25 gift certificate

to their fantastic Etsy shop for the winner.

If you aren't familiar with Mold Muse, they make

 silicone molds for use with polymer clay and resin.

Kelly Marie Alvarez has two video tutorials here and here,

and Laurel Beard has two here and here.

The molds are fun and easy to use, so be sure to check those out.

Also, the winner of Lawnscaping Challenge #10

will receive a guest designer spot on a future challenge!

Okay, so for my card,

I decided to turn my molded clay flowers into earrings,

and then use them to embellish the front of the card.

This was a super simple project,

and it turned out adorable, don't you think?

To make room for the earring studs behind the panel,

I added 3 layers of dimensional adhesive squares to the 4 corners.

I also wanted to mention that my sentiment came from

Lawn Fawn's Bows & Holly set.

That's what I love so much about Lawn Fawn stamps.

They're so versatile, that even a Christmas set

works perfectly for every day use.

Did you know that Lawn Fawn is also sneak peeking

NINE new sets at their blog this week? Yay!

Speaking of things you don't want to miss,

how about the other design team member's fabulous samples!

Laurel Beard

Lynnette Kauffman

Ashley N. Newell

Ayana Postadas

Christiana Reuling (me!)

Britta Swiderski

and our lovely guest designer

Winter Sims

And of course, you'll want to visit the

Lawnscaping Challenge blog for all the details on how to enter.

Have a fantastic week, everybody!

Supplies:

cardstock: Bazzill

patterned paper: My Mind's Eye, DCWV

stamps: Lawn Fawn "Bannerific", and "Bows & Holly"

molds: Mold Muse

clay: Sculpey

ribbon: Pure Color

twine: My Mind's Eye

Branching Out -- New Job Title

So two weeks ago I had some exciting news

to share when I was chosen to be one of the

Lawnscaping Design Team members.

This week I have some more exciting news

to share -- this time pertaining to my job.

I think most of you know that I work at

an arts and crafts chain store.

Well, awhile back (long story) we found

ourselves without a floral designer.

Then just before Christmas

a lady came in with a special order.

There was no one who was qualified to do it,

but I guess since I have a reputation

for being crafty they asked me to try.

So with fear and trepidation,

and zero training or experience

I put together my first floral arrangement.

And to my surprise, the lady LOVED it.

Raved about it.

So the next week when another customer

came in wanting another arrangement,

I was again assigned the task.

And the lady LOVED it.

One of my bosses called me especially

on her day off, just to tell me how thrilled

the customer was.

So when I came back from Germany,

my bosses met with me and gave me a new job title:

Floral Designer.

They know I'm new at this.

They know I'm learning on the fly here.

But they're willing to let me test my wings.

It's scary and exciting and I couldn't be more thrilled.

I remembered to bring my camera

this week, to snap a pic to share

of one of my first-week-as-floral-designer

floral arrangements.

And a close up.

A lot of what I used here, I recycled.

The white hydrangeas were from the Christmas tree

we decorated, the peach roses were from

a broken pot of flowers.

Then I just added a few stems that I thought

looked pretty.

I know I have so much to learn.

But isn't it exciting? :o)

Altered Mini Composition

Good morning!

I wanted to pop in real quick before work

and share with you an altered mini composition

notebook I made the other night for my step-mom.

They're travelling to Israel in March

so I thought a pocket-sized notebook like this

might make a good travel journal.

These are really easy to whip up.

And at $.97 plus paper and ribbon scraps

they're really inexpensive, too.

I make them for my kids all the time.

If anyone's interested, maybe I can do

a how-to post. Let me know if that's something

you would like. :o)

Have a great day!

Supplies:

mini composition notebook (purchased at WalMart for $.97)

patterned paper: October Afternoon, Cosmo Cricket

ribbon: Offray

alpha stickers: Nostalgique