Anna Maria Horner Send a Box of Sunshine to brighten someone’s day Sometimes winter can seem really long when the skies are gray and its really cold. I know I can’t wait to enjoy some of that summer warmth again…I miss it! To show someone you are thinking of them or to brighten up their day consider giving them a Box of Sunshine! Basically you can take anything in the color yellow and add it to this box. The above picture is a box that my sister sent to me using items that she found at a specialty candy store, but I was thinking that it would be great to use items that I coupon shop for to make these boxes a little more thrifty priced! So each week when I am out couponing and saving money at the stores I remember to get items in yellow whenever possible. A Box of Sunshine would make a great neighbor gift, a birthday gift, or a gift for someone feeling a little blue. I have created a few FREE printables for you my dear readers. You Are My Sunshine printable download Sending you a little box of Sunshine printable download
The 21st century answer to the mix tape at Cool Mom Tech I love mix tapes. When I was younger, I owned one of those super cool boom boxes with two cassette decks for optimum recording prowess. I would painstakingly plan out each song based on theme, and then make sure that there was just enough time between songs. It took days. And then I would fill out the liner notes with a ball point pen. Who’s with me? Flash forward to 2012. The answer my friends, is blowing in the…never mind. The coolest part is that it comes packaged in an retro cassette “case,” ready made for your lovingly handwritten playlist–what an amazing gift. It shows you put a little more time and love into your creation than most people would assume, especially when your iTunes has a drop down menu that says “burn disc.” USB Compilation Tape is available at See Jane Work Share
Pebeo Porcelaine 150 Paint Markers Now it's easy to paint on ceramic, porcelain, glass, and metal with these markers from Pebeo. The round tips on Porcelaine 150 Paint Markers are perfect for writing, drawing, outlining, and highlighting, and they can be used in conjunction with Pebeo Porcelaine 150 Paints. Pebeo Porcelaine 150 Paint Markers work like other paint markers. Since many vitreous and ceramic materials cannot withstand sudden changes in temperature, Pebeo recommends placing your painted piece in a oven and allowing it to warm up as the oven warms up. Avoid the use of strong, abrasive cleaners such as steel scouring pads and sharp cutting implements such as stainless steel knives, which may leave scratches on the surface and make it more difficult to clean. Pebeo Porcelaine 150 Paint Marker colors are transparent.
Souled Objects Seeing photographs of Souled Objects creative process makes me giddy with anticipation to see their fully loaded website (COMING SOON! or so they claim!) How very badly do you want to curl up like a cat in the sun on one of those rugs? It can’t just be me. Pencil Drawing Tips - learn to draw lessons Learn to Draw Art Lessons Art Books Charcoal Oil Lessons Wetcanvas Drawing for Beginners The Fishermen by Jim Fogarty Most people who enjoy drawing will probably have their own tried and tested methods, ideas and techniques. Lets face it, there are only so many things that you can do with a graphite pencil - no matter how clever you are. Most of the limited information and techniques briefly outlined here are probably already used - in one form or another - by the majority of people working in pencil. Pencils Some pencil artist today prefer to work with mechanical draughtsmans style pencils. The arguments for using mechanical pencils make a lot of sense. I also sharpen my pencils with a scalpel as opposed to a pencil sharpener, it maybe takes slightly longer, but this way I find I can get exactly the profile of lead that I want - impossible with a pencil sharpener. Other Useful 'Bits' My fileboard - basically, just a bit of wood with with a piece of wet and dry paper glued onto it! Detail
Seven Tips on Better Picture-Taking: for your Blog and Etsy Shop 1. Use the best quality camera you can afford. Honestly, you don’t have to have a super-expensive camera to get some really great photos for your blog or Etsy shop. When I first opened my shop, I used a Kodak EasyShare point-and-shoot camera with great success. For a long time, I used a Fuji FinePix camera I bought at Walmart. With the proper lighting and settings, that camera took excellent pictures. 2. Lots of items sold on Etsy are small enough that using the ‘macro’ setting on your camera is the best option. 3. If possible, grab your items, background material(s), props and handmade items and head outside on a nice day. 4. Check out various Etsy shops and you’re sure to find that many times, sellers use props in their photos. 5. A great photo has a great background. 6. Taking photos from different angles will give your customers a better idea of what your item looks like. 7. Have a specific question? Tim here.. Like this: Like Loading...
Birdcage Ornament Hello Everyone! My name is Joy Kelley and I blog over at HowJoyful. I am a designer with a passion for things handmade, patterns, fabric and color. I love to blog and share the things I sew and craft. Two years a go I moved from my home Country Chile to the southern California mountains, were I now live with my husband and fur-baby Curly =] I am super excited to be included in Craft Snob’s Handmade ornament parade, today I am sharing a tutorial for making DIY birdcage ornaments, the best part is that once the holidays are over you can use this little birdcage to hold pens in your office or just to decorate your favorite space =] 16 gauge galvanized wireSoldering toolFlux core solderRosin soldering fluxPliersPermanent markerRuler (a cutting mat is perfect to measure)A glass cup1 toothpickSpray paint or primer (if you want it in color)A little piece of paper or cardboard for the bottomOptional ribbon for top I love to work with wire, but there are some things you should know. XO – Joy!
Create - wall art printable template Some months a go I shared the Love wall art template, along with that one I made this one, but unlike the previous one I wanted to make this word different and special, so no cardboard. Instead I used a piece of Styrofoam from a box we received last week. When I saw it a knew it was perfect for this project =] And instead of painting or covering it with fabric (my first idea) I decided to just go the Decoupage route with hot pink tissue paper. It ends up being so light! **The download is a PDF format file, so you will need to have Abobe Reader installed on your PC or MAC. THE MATERIALS - 23×8 inches piece of Styrofoam (I just used one from a box but you can buy a piece at Michaels) - Tacky glue - 2 sheets of tissue Paper ripped unevenly with your hands - Sand paper - X-acto knife - Download the template below - Marker to trace template - Sponge brush [ Click on Images to enlarge] I hope you all enjoy and CREATE =] ps.
How To Crochet: Introduction to this Fabulous Craft Welcome to the new How To Crochet series on Tip Junkie. Today we are covering the very basics for those of you who want to learn how to crochet. This is a beginners guide to crochet with an introduction to the look, the yarn, the hooks, gauge, and a new yarn called the Sashay from Red Heart Yarn. Youve probably noticed that crochet has made a comeback. Likely because of the increased interest in DIY and all things handmade. Crochet continues to crop up in womens apparel, cute baby sets, market bags, childrens toys, and home accessories (beyond the ratty afghans you may have inherited from your grandma-- I have them too). Crochet is back because it is versatile, beautiful, always handmade (unlike knitting, crochet cant be reproduced by a machine), and is a great way to incorporate some modern vintage or bohemian style. Crochet is relatively easy to do because The Look While you might have to look closely at times, crochet has a very characteristic look. The Yarns The Hooks Gauge
How to tie various knots The sheet bend is used to tie two lines together. It is perhaps the most generally useful knot of all. When used to tie a line to itself, making a loop, it is called a bowline. The strain is taken on the ropes in the middle - not the one coming out the side. How the knot is made is not critical - it is the final shape that is important. The two images show front and back views of the same knot Advantages:Easy to makeEasy to undo when tension is removedDoes not easily capsize Disadvantages:Hard to make under loadDangerous to make under heavy load Uses:Joining two equally-sized ropesExtending a towline or stern line Method 1: the same as a bowline Method 2: starting with the flat loop
DIY Washi Tape Laptop Keyboard Look whose little old MacBook got a facelift this weekend! I spotted this idea from minifanfan on Making It Lovely last week and just had to give it my own spin. I purchased my Japanese washi tape from Le Box Boutique on Etsy. There are hundreds of washi tape sellers but I chose Le Box because they allow you to purchase tape by the foot rather than having to purchase the entire roll. I chose these ten patterns but only ended up using eight of them on my keyboard. I first thoroughly cleaned my keyboard with rubbing alcohol to remove any dirt or oil that might keep the tape from sticking. I originally wanted to do all the keys, including the small keys in the top row, but the tape seemed to have a harder time sticking to the small keys. This project was a bit tedious but simple – perfect for a few hours in front of the tv. What do you think? Tagged as: craft, diy, tutorial
Jewlery Resin Looking for a quick and easy gift for Valentine’s Day? This project fits the bill. Remember this post on patriotic resin jewelry? The process is the same, except I used Valentine’s Day sprinkles instead of red, white and blue. I also used heart shape bezels which I found with the polymer clay at Hobby Lobby. Supplies: Magic GlosPendant and earring bezels and desired jewelry findingsA sunny day, or UV curing lamp; I use Lisa Pavelka’s and it works like a charmToothpicksTile small enough to fit into lamp to cure your pieces onSprinklessmall mixing cup Instructions: Pour some sprinkles into the cup, along with a few drops of Magic Glos and using toothpick, mix resin and sprinkles so that sprinkles are coated. Use toothpick to pick up a clump of sprinkles/resin and spread into bezel. Once cured, add another layer of resin to get the dome effect and cure again. TIP: Use toothpick to “pull” resin from middle of piece out to the edges I just love this UV resin.
Make an Orange Candle When I first read about using an orange to make a candle it was said to be a great solution when the power goes out and you find you have no candles in the house. Of course I had to try it. Pixie Boy was rather perplexed as to why I chopped his breakfast orange differently this morning but I needed it cut in half for this experiment. He forgave me, happily slobbering juice all over the place while I scooped out the flesh, making sure the middle stalk of pith stayed intact. I happened to have some vegetable oil left in the pantry that I didnt actually like using for food (had a weird taste), so using it for this was perfect. You can apparently use any type of oil – olive, sunflower, whatever. Muttering that maybe the photos I saw online had been doctored I nevertheless perservered and after a few moments of the lighter drying/cooking the stalk it took light and has been burning ever since. My observations It works! Oh, I forgot to mention that this works with any citrus fruit.