By Paper Crafts Contributor, Lauren Romano.

There are so many uses for clothes pins from displaying greeting cards and Valentines to hanging up clothes. The only problem is that they’re boring. Decorating them is a great way to bring a little more pizazz into the home and you can even make them themed depending on what you’re using them for. It only takes a few materials and a little time to make any type of themed clothes pins you wish.

What you’ll need:

• Clothes pins
• Decorative paper
• Mod Podge
• Scissors
• Embellishments

Step 1. Cut two strips of paper that are slightly larger than each side of the clothes pin.

Step 2. Put Mod Podge on one side of the clothes pin, then press it down to the paper. Do the same for the other side. Let it dry for at least a couple of hours before moving onto the next step.

Step 3. Use the scissors to carefully trim off the excess paper. Make sure not to cut the clothespin itself.

Step 4. Choose embellishments that match the paper you used. I chose red bows because I loved how it looked combined with the black and white polka dot paper.

Step 5. Use Mod Podge to attach each embellishment to one or both sides. Don’t attach it near the ends of the clothes pin; opt for the center. Press each embellishment down for a few seconds to ensure it sticks, then let it dry for a few hours without moving it.

By Paper Crafts Contributor, Lauren Romano.

Valentine’s Day turns out so many pretty decorations. If you’d like to create some of your own, make hanging heart garland to hang on your walls or in your windows. The great thing about them is that they add decor without taking up too much space or blocking your view if you’re hanging them in windows.

What you’ll need:

• Scissors
• Patterned paper
• Bows
• Mod Podge
• Ruler
• Ribbon
• Large heart punch

Step 1. Decide how long you want each strand of garland, then cut a ribbon for each strand you want to make.

Step 2. Punch out one large heart for every three inches of space on the ribbon.

Step 3. Place the heart about 3″ down from the top of the ribbon, place it over the ribbon, then use a dot of Mod Podge to attach the two together. Keep attaching hearts every three inches until you get to the end.

Step 4. Put one small bow in between each heart. Use a dot of Mod Podge to attach it to the ribbon, then press it down to ensure it sticks.

Step 5. Tie a loop at the very top of the ribbon so it can easily hang from a hook or tack.

Step 6. Continue to repeat Steps 1-5 until you have all the garland pieces you need.

By General Crafts Contributor Mina, from the blog Mina’s Journal.

Home is where the heart is! Why not make these Heart Houses this Valentine’s Day? All you need is paper or cardstock, scissors and glue. A quick, cute and funky project for Valentine cheer.

How to make the Heart House:

Trim around the outer lines of the house and the roof. Fold the roof in half widthwise to make the peak. Fold along the tab ends and sides of house as shown in the template.

Glue where indicated on the model. I found it better to glue the house together first, before putting on the roof. Line up the peak fold to match the top of the triangular top of the house.

Glue the roof to the tabs of one side of the Heart House. Glue the other side of the roof to the remaining side of the Heart House.

You’re done!

Ideas for Heart Houses

Make a few houses for a table centerpiece, or a shelf display.

Cut out windows, cover the inside window spaces with lunch paper. Pop the finished house over a LED light source, for night time illumination.

Download Blue Heart House

To use as a gift box glue the house onto a card base. Make it a little larger than the house and paint it green or use green card. Pop a gift inside the house before joining the roof.

Download Pink Heart House

To use the house to play with, cut along the top and bottom lines of the windows and down the middle. Fold open for shutter type windows.Cut along the top and down one side of the door. Fold door open and make paper dolls for your Heart House.

To make your own house, trace the template and design your own windows and doors, then make them up.

Have Fun! Happy Crafting!

*Design by Mina Keenan

 By Guest Blogger Stephine, from the Blog Geek with Glasses.

Tinker Bell has been quiet popular at our house lately and I’m sure our house isn’t the only one, so I thought a personalized jar of fairy dust would be a nice surprise.If you are looking for a great stocking stuffer this is s simple project with cute results.

I used a glass vial I had at the house, but these are available in different sizes at the craft stores.

I printed the childs name and “Fairy Dust” out on a plain white piece of paper. It could be on an cream or antiqued paper. Just use paper, cardstock will not bend around the glass as nice.

Once printed out, tear the paper around the printing to give it an old feel. In this example I used an ink pad to create the look of a burnt edge. I like to use Distress Ink in Walnut Stain, but a black or brown ink pad would work too. I take the paper and lightly brush it against the ink pad.

NOTE: If you choose to try and burn the edge with a flame, do it outside or over the kitchen sink and make sure you leave a lot of space between the ripped edge and the printing – paper burns fast and crumbles when trying to glue it down.

To attach the label I used Mod Podge. I dab a little to the back and stick it to the vial where I want it, then I coat the whole label on the front with Mod Podge. This seals all the edges tight to the bottle.

While the Mod Podge is still wet I carefully go in and clean the bottle off. If the Mod Podge starts to dry, a damp paper towel can clean the glass. Let dry.

I didn’t fill the whole vial with glitter because it is big, so it’s about half full, which is fine. Remember a little goes a long way – at least that’s what I’m going to tell the tiny one. I made a custom blend of “Dust”. I started with the base of a pearl color, in a fine grade of glitter, then from the Martha Stewart Glitter Collection I added dashes and shakes of different colors. Shake, Shake, Shake and voila, custom dust color – hard to match, but the little one can’t find a match either, therefore it must be special.

Now to seal the vial. I used a pink candle. Sit the vial on a dinner plate – ceramic or metal pan, light the candle and hold it so it drips. The best thing to do is to just drip the wax into the top center. As the wax pool builds up it will run over the sides. IF THERE IS WAX ON THE LABEL JUST WAIT UNTIL IT IS COLD!! Don’t touch it yet. Finish up with sealing the jar.

Now that the wax is cold gently pick off the drips you don’t want. This is one of the reasons to use Mod Podge over the entire label, the wax will just flake off, if it is plain paper the wax will not flake off and might rip the label if picked at.

Quick and easy. Once it’s sealed it could be a shelf sitter, not to be used or it can be opened and a magical time can be had by all.

This fine glitter is fun to have around and I don’t mind my child playing with it. There is glitter all over the house 24/7. I used to work at a store that dusted each package that left the door so each customer could have a little fairy magic for their day. So I’ve been covered in glitter a lot. BUT it will get everywhere!!! Husband will go to work with it in his hair, the dogs will shimmer in the sun so beware and enjoy.

By Guest Bloggers Melissa + Kellie, from the blog Icing Designs.

We are in love with paper flowers of any sort. These crepe paper flowers are so perfectly lovely. They are so versatile and can be used in so many different ways, and the best part…they don’t wilt! These are so easy to make you won’t believe it! We can not wait to show you how we used them!

All you need is crepe paper and hot glue…we layered the crepe paper with two colors to add some depth. The length of crepe paper you need just depends on how big you want your flowers to be. After you have both colors of crepe paper cut and layered just accordion fold them.

Then just take your crepe paper and start to wrap it around and start forming your flower. Then just put a dab of hot glue at the bottom every couple of inches, just to hold the flower in place.You can start to pull the top back a little to open the flower up as you go as well. After you have completely wrapped with flower around you can form it to be as open or closed as you want it.

So simple and so pretty aren’t they! The color combinations are endless as are the possibilities of how you can use them!

By Cardmaking & Scrapbook Layout Contributor, Peg from the blog Peg’s Crafting Corner.

October is breast cancer awareness month and time to Think Pink! A great way to help is to remind your friends to get their check-ups and to spread the word or join in a local community event to help raise awareness. What better way to do this than to send a little note to your friends reminding them to set up those appointments to get checked and let them know that you are thinking of them. This is a simple card that says a lot and you can make them to share the message for the month to Think Pink!

Supplies used:

• EK Jolee’s Layered Doilies with Bows
• K & Co Spring Blossom Paper Pad
• Coredinations Whitewash Pie Safe Cardstock
• Sand It Gadget
• Dust Buddy
• Worn Lipstick Distress Ink
• Alphabet Stamps
• Pink Cardstock
• Thinking of You stamps or stickers
• Wavy Edge or Scallop Blade or Scissors
• Favorite Adhesive

Start this card by cutting an 8 1 /2″ long by 5 ½” wide piece of pink cardstock and fold it in half. Unfold it and using your wavy or scallop blade or scissors cut across the bottom approximately 1″ from the bottom. Cut a piece of the Coredinations cardstock 4 ¼” x 5 ½”. Sand it and wipe off the dust using the Dust Buddy. Adhere it to the inside card being sure to line it up with the fold of the card. Make sure not to put any adhesive past the scalloped edge on the card front or it will show at the bottom of the card. Cut a 2 7/8″ x 5″ long piece of the rose patterned paper that’s in the Spring Blossom Paper Pad and adhere it to the card. Stick the Layered Doily with Bows sticker onto the patterned paper. Next, use the alphabet stamps and Worn Lipstick Ink stamp the words “Think Pink” around the sticker. On the inside of the card, stamp or spell out the words “Thinking of You”.

There’s still time! The month of October isn’t over yet so be sure to make a bunch of these cards and mail them out to remind your friends to get their check-ups and to let them know that you are thinking of them this month! While you are working on making some of these, be sure to check out all of the Think Pink items to craft with over at CreateForLess.

By Guest Bloggers Melissa + Kellie, from the blogIcing Designs.

We are really excited about “Fairy Week” all week on our blog! We have some really special DIY projects to share with you and a super sweet “Fairies Fairies Everywhere” party! Glittery fairy wings, perfect of course, for all of your little fairy party guests. These are super simple to make and look so adorable on.

Materials:

• Scissors
• Hot glue gun/glue
• 1 sheet of 12″x12″ glittered scrapbook paper
• Felt piece cut to approximately 3 1/4″ long x 2 1/4″ wide
• Tulle
• Silk flower clip or any decoration you would like
• Ribbon

1. Create the shape wing that you desire…draw and cut it out to create a pattern.

2. Fold paper in half…trace wing shape pattern onto paper and cut out. You will now have two wings.

3. With glittered side down, place wings about 1 1/2- 2 inches apart.

4. Glue felt piece in between wings to connect them together.

5. Using an X-acto knife, scissors or hole punch, place one slit just above the top edge of your felt piece and one slit just below the bottom edge of your felt piece.

6. Cut two pieces of ribbon about 24″ or long enough to tie into a bow over your little one’s shoulder .

7. Thread ribbon through the slits so ends come out on the non-glittered side of the paper.

8. Tie tulle into a bow and hot glue it onto the middle of your felt piece, glittered side up.

9. Clip or glue a flower or any other decoration you wish in the middle of your tulle bow and your wings are ready for your little fairy!

By Guest Bloggers Melissa + Kellie, from the blog “Icing Designs”.

We just love these tissue paper flower cupcake picks, they are so pretty and dainty and can be made in any color combination. We also love that they can be clustered on a cake or placed individually on cupcakes for a beautiful, festive presentation!

Materials:

• Tissue paper, any color you wish
• Scissors
• Flat top wooden picks
• Hot glue gun/glue
• 1/8″ wide ribbon

Layer 6-8 sheets of tissue paper. Cut out a 2×2″ square. Fold the squares into quarters. Hold the folded tissue at the folded point.

Starting on one side, cut around to make a petal shape, being careful not to cut too close to the point. You can make your petals pointed, rounded, or any shape you wish!

Unfold the tissue and layer the flower shapes on top of each other, staggering the petals.

Poke a hole in the middle of the stacked flower. I have this wonderful little punch that makes a tiny hole, but a pin or even the end of the pick will do just fine. Slide the pick into the hole, leaving room at the top of the pick.

Place a dot of hot glue onto the end of the pick and let it drip down a bit.

Squeeze all of the layers of the tissue flower from the bottom and hold for 10 seconds or so.

Fluff and carefully separate the layers.

Tie ribbon underneath the flower, to help keep it in place. If you choose you could even create a two toned flower by using two different colors of tissue paper.

By Guest Blogger, Brenda Dean from the blog “Stamping with Brenda”.

I love the Scallop Square Punch but sometimes I just want to give it a little pizzazz and I think that giving it a decorative edge is just the thing to take it from nice to WOW!

The decorative edge is quick and easy…and no, I did not freehand it! I cannot draw a staight line!

Just the thing to make this card something special. Try it on your cards and let me know if you agree!

By FloraCraft Designers from the Blog “Make It: Fun”.

Are you entertaining this Independence Day? Try these easy DIY centerpieces!

You’ll need:

STYROFOAM Brand Foam:

• Three – Cubes: 3″
• One – Sheets: 1″x12″x36″

Other Materials:

• Three – Silk Hydrangeas: Blue
• Fifteen – Silk Roses: White
• Red/White Ribbon: 1.5″ (approximately 3 yards)
• Blue Ribbon: 5/8″ (approximately 3 yards)
• Acrylic Paints: Red, white, blue and silver
• Straight pins

Tools:

• Design It: Foam Cutter or Serrated Knife
• Low-Temp Glue Gun
• Scissors
• Black Marker
• Paint Brushes
• Cardstock Paper

Instructions:

1. Cut six 13″ lengths of the wide red/white ribbon.

2. Glue two pieces of ribbon around the sides of each cube to cover. One piece at the top and one at the bottom, slightly overlapping where they meet. The top and bottom will be left bare.

3. Pull the hydrangea blossoms from the stems and glue a blossom into the top of each cube. Cut the small roses from the stems and glue four or five roses into each hydrangea blossom.

4. Make three small bows using the blue ribbon and glue one to the front of each cube.

5. To make the stars: Draw assorted sizes of stars onto cardstock paper and cut out. Pin the cardstock stars onto the foam sheet and cut out using the serrated knife. Use the scrap pieces of foam as sanding blocks to sand the edges of the stars smooth. Paint the stars with the acrylic paints and let dry. Pin blue ribbon around the outside edge of three larger stars and use as the base for the cubes.

By Recycled Crafts Contributor, Anitra from the blog “Coffee Pot People”.

Ribbon is a staple material in many crafts, and it’s easy to accumulate spools and spools of it when it goes on sale so often and comes in so many luscious colors and patterns. I like to think it also comes wrapped around its own craft project—the cardboard spool it’s wound on.

Here’s how to turn an empty ribbon spool into a lovely little cache box, handy as a decorative stash for little odds and ends, or as a box for a small gift.

You’ll need:

• An empty ribbon spool
• Pretty papers
• Paint in a color to coordinate with your papers
• A bit of narrow lace trim and a few inches of ribbon
• Buttons, beads, or other embellishments to use for a knob, and a bit of wire
• Glue, scissors, etc.—the usual paper craft suspects

Carefully separate one end of the ribbon spool from the sides and other end:

Paint the inside of the spool, and the rim showing around what is now the bottom of the box. Now use the lid to trace three circles of coordinating paper and cut them out.

Cut a strip of paper as wide as the side of the spool is tall, and long enough to go all the way around and overlap just a bit. You can use just one color paper for the sides of your box, or do as I did and cut two, punching a design through one strip (in my case, little birds).

Glue one circle to the underside of the ribbon spool, and one to the top side of the lid, reserving the third disk for just a bit. Glue the strip of paper to the sides of the spool, overlapping the ends. (If you cut two strips, glue both, layering the punched strip over the unpunched one.)

Now cut a piece of ribbon long enough to go about halfway across the inside of the lid, and down the inside of the spool/box. Glue it to the lid, leaving the end that will go inside the box free, and then glue the third paper disk to the underside of the lid, covering the ribbon:

The ribbon will connect the lid to the box, and serve as the hinge. Glue the free end to the inside of the box. Note: Since the lid is slightly larger than the box, you’ll want to double the ribbon back from the edge of the lid and glue it so it drops down inside the box right where the side hits the top.

The next step is to glue the lace trim right to the edge of the lid, all the way around, beginning and ending at the back of the box, to hide the edges of the circles. (This is a good job for your glue gun!)

Last step is to create the knob for your box. Experiment. You may find a single button is perfect, or a bit of broken jewely.

Once you’ve decided, glue your knob to the top, or, if it’s a button or bead, punch a small hole through the center of the lid and wire it on, twisting the ends of the wire and flattening them against the inside of the lid. Glue a circle of paper or punched shape over the wire to secure. If you like, you can bend the wire ends into spirals and let them show, as I did:

That’s it! Enjoy your ribbon spool box!

By Guest Blogger, Brianna Davis.

We love a good party favor, but there’s no doubt that they can get pricey, especially if you have a hefty list of party guests. Luckily, bloggers are coming up with new ways to gift party-goers with trinkets and tasty treats for weddings, birthday parties and other get-togethers on your social calendar.

DIY Party Favors for Weddings

DIY weddings party favors have taken over the world of wedding blogs. That vintage touch is easy to achieve when you have the right materials, so read on for DIY ideas for wedding party favors.

1. Charlotte’s Fancy – Creative Party Favors If your wedding will go into the wee hours of the night, this goodbye package of doughnuts and milk will be the perfect thing to hit the spot of guests who’ve danced the night away. It’s a fairly inexpensive project you can DIY with the help of a few friends and family members and takes minimal skill, so if you aren’ that crafty there’s no need to fret.

2. Giver’s Log – DIY Hot Chocolate on a Stick Wedding Favors Keep your guests energized with a sugar fix. These DIY hot chocolate on a stick project is simple for those who know their way around the kitchen and can be made in large batches. It’s also a very cheap project that you can knock out within a few hours and then move on to other wedding plans.

3. My DIY Wedding Favors – Tea Party Favors Give your wedding guests a few tea sachets to help them unwind after the big day. The tea bags can be bunched in a tulle sachet or simply tied together with a ribbon that coincides with the colors for the wedding.

4. Do It Yourself Weddings – DIY Candles Wedding Favors If you’re looking for a DIY bonding experience for your family and bridesmaids, whipping up DIY candles will do the trick. Making your own candles is a lot easier than it sounds. You can choose the colors and scents and create DIY stick-on labels emblazoned with the bride and groom’s names or a love quote or quote from one of the couple’s favorite songs.

5. DIY Wedding Planning – Sweets in a Jar If you need a simple, fast DIY party favor, look to these jars with sweets inside. You can fill jars with candy or baked goods and you instantly have a sleek, attractive DIY wedding favor that can be adorned a custom label and ribbons that coordinate with the wedding’s colors.

6. Ruffled Blog – DIY Ribbon Wands Wedding Sendoff If you’re over the rice or bubbles for the sendoff at the end of a wedding, consider these DIY ribbon wands. This is a simple project that can be done months in advance so you aren’t scrambling to finish up at the last minute. A mix of colors works well for festive pictures.

7. Whimsy Girl – Oreo Truffles Wedding guests will say yum to these delicious truffles. Making candy is very simple and when you have a lot of hands involved, the work goes by in a flash. The icing looks classic in white, but feel free to incorporate icing in the color of your wedding too. Truffles can be bundled in bags or put into small jars in conjunction with the DIY project mentioned in this article.

8. My Cakies – DIY Cupcake in a Jar Guests will adore these jars of layered cakes and frosting. You can choose trendy flavors like red velvet or dark forest chocolate or go classic with vanilla. This is an easy project that anyone can do since it takes basic baking skills and no one says you have to make the cupcakes from scratch. If you aren’t good at baking, boxed baked goods are your friend and no one will mind once they’re digging in to these cute party favors.

9. DIY Wedding Planning Guide – Glitterati of Cupcakes If you’re comfortable in the kitchen and looking for a major wow factor, these cupcakes are the perfect way to add bling to your wedding. These glitzy cupcakes can be handed out to guests as they leave or made available for noshing after the cake has been cut and folks are looking for something to munch on. They’re different from basic cupcakes because it’s all in the decorating details. The majority of the work comes in when decorating the cupcake wrapper.

10. Green Wedding Shoes – DIY Cupcake Topping Bar What better way to get your guests in the DIY action than with a cupcake topping bar? You and your wedding party do the dirty work and create a slue of cupcakes with very little frosting on top. Then set out an array of fresh berries and syrups for guests to top their cupcakes with.

DieCuts with a View have some great paper crafting tutorials. I think this is my new favorite! DCWV have provided a template and a video to make these paper flowers. This tutorial is brought to you by DCWV Diary.

I really thought these paper flowers would have had more steps because the roses were so full and had so many petals. But once I saw the genius template by DCWV, I got excited because they looked easy to make! Look at the photo of the template below, and you can get an idea how they made them. You can also download the template HERE.

DCWV had these roses at the Craft & Hobby Association Conference, and they receive so many requests on how to make these that they made a video!
 

Once you made your flowers you can add them to scrapbook pages, hair clips, magnets and so many other craft projects!

By Crafts-a lot Contributor, Mable who is an avid reader of craft blogs & magazines and has aspirations to improve her crafting skills. Join Mable on Facebook to socialize and share with other crafters!

Headbands are one of those accessories that are practical as well as pretty! A win-win as a craft project if you ask me. Simplicity’s line of headband décor has over 65 different decorations to add to your headband. From flowers, bows, feathers, and rhinestones in every color, you will have a custom headpiece to match your outfit!

Start by picking out a headband. They come in a variety of sizes and each one is covered with colorful satins.

Next you select which accents you like. Some are interchangeable so you can slide them on and off, or add as many as you’d like. The other accents can be glued or sewn on. Also you can decide where on your headband you want your décor, lower or higher, top or bottom. 

To add the slide-on accents, you just weave your headband through the back. The photo below shows the front and back of my headband accents.

These headbands are my favorite!

What are your favorite things?

By Guest Blogger Diane, from the blog Charmingly Creative.

I recently purchased both of the Martha Stewart’s Hydrangea punches, which create crisp and clean flower shapes. You can trim the flower edges and create a different flower shape, glue them together or use them separately. You can combine them with other flower punches to create unique flower combinations.

Finished Size: 5″ X 8″
Completion Time: 25 minutes

What you’ll need:

• Darice Amber Rhinestones round, two
• Bazzill Cardstock 8.5″x 11 - Daisy color
• Bazzill Cardstock 8.5″x 11″ – White color (2 pieces)
• Bazzill Cardstock 8.5″x 11″ – Wisteria color
• Bazzill Cardstock 8.5″x 11″ – Dark Yellow color
• Bazzill Cardstock 8.5″x 11″ – Green color
• Zots Therm O Web clear adhesive dots large, medium & small

Tools & Supplies:

• Martha Stewart Punch – Medium Hydrangea
• Martha Stewart Punch – Medium Hydrangea 3 in 1
• Martha Stewart Sticker – Fern Leaf
• Martha Stewart Punch – Medium Classic Butterfly
• Martha Stewart Punch – Punch around the page
• Art Institute Glitter – .5 oz Ultrafine Transparent Angel Dust
• Fiskars Hand Punch – 1/8″ Circle
• Fiskars Hand Punch – 1/4″ Circle
• Martha Stewart Bone folder
• Martha Stewart Paper Trimmer

Instructions:

1. Trim one piece of white cardstock with paper cutter to 8″x10″.
2. Use bone folder to score the cardstock in the middle at the 5″ line and to crease the edge of cardstock to form the card.
3. Using paper trimmer, trim Daisy cardstock to 5″x8″.
4. Trim second piece of white cardstock to 5″ X 5″. Punch all corners with a corner punch. Use edge punch to connect the pattern from corner to corner using the guides printed on the tool’s wings.

Punch out the following:

• Two dark yellow Butterflies use a little glue and glitter on them
• Three green Fern Leafs
• Seven wisteria medium single Hydrangeas
• 25 wisteria Hydrangeas 3 in 1. Depends on size of flower spray you are making.
• 23 dark yellow 1/8″ circles
• 5 dark yellow ¼” circles

Assembly:

1. Attach Daisy cardstock to front of card and then attach white topiary shape in the center.
2. Glue Amber Rhinestones on opposite corners.
3. Glue the three tiny hydrangea blossoms onto each other starting with the biggest one on the bottom. Then glue the 1/8″ dark yellow dot in the center and add a drop of glue and sprinkle glitter on dot.
4. Glue 5 dark yellow ¼” circles onto larger single Hydrangea pieces.
5. Take the remaining two large single Hydrangea flowers and 3 in 1 pieces and glue together and add a drop of glue in the center of flower and glitter for the corner pieces, attach to corners of card.
6. I started at one corner of Topiary design and attached the three green Fern leafs. Use the 5 larger flowers to form a base, placing two side by side at the bottom and the remaining three lined up towards the top. (You won’t see three of them on completed flower) Make sure the flower base is wider than the top of flower. I then overlapped the smaller flowers tapering the pieces towards the top of flower.
7. Attach butterflies.

Hi! My name is Jennifer, but you can call me Jen.

I love to do anything creative.

I like trying new things.

I love making something beautiful out of nothing.

I love remaking things into something better.

I love looking at something and seeing the possibilities.

I love my family — thanks to them I am able to work on tatertots & jello!

I love meeting new friends.

I started tatertots & jello as a place to keep my creative ideas and projects. I love encouraging other people to develop their creative side. Anyone can be creative! I love the positive side of blogging and I want this site to help encourage people to be creative and be supportive of each other.

Interested in being a “Featured Crafter”? We want to hear from our crafty friends about what they like to create. Share with us what you put your energy into, whether it is your passion, your business, or simply something you enjoy doing. Do you have your own blog, Etsy store or craft products? Tell us about it!

Click here to submit a “Featured Crafter”!

By Paper Crafts Contributor, Lauren Romano.

I like keeping paper and a pen on the fridge, but I’m not a fan of the paper just hanging there by a magnet. I wanted something that would hold the paper and not take up a lot of space. The plastic packaging from recently finished Tic Tac’s provided the perfect size container considering I like writing notes on small pieces of paper instead of large pieces. It’s an easy project that takes less than half an hour to complete.

What I used:

• Plastic Tic Tac Container with the white top removed
• Pencil and Scissors
• Patterned scrapbook paper
• Mod Podge for paper
• EK Jolee’s Boutique Vellum Cupcake
• Self-Adhesive Rhinestones
• Self-Adhesive Business card sized magnet

Start by tracing the front, back and sides of the Tic Tac container onto the back of the scrapbook paper. While you’re tracing the front of the container, stand it up to trace the bottom as well.

Cut the shape out, then use Mod Podge for paper to attach patterned paper to the container – the open part should face up. Apply the glue one side at a time and smooth down along the way to make sure it lines up correctly and doesn’t wrinkle. If the bottom piece doesn’t fit exactly, cut it off and glue on an extra piece of the paper, then wait until it dries to trim the excess.

Choose one adorable vellum cupcake for the front of the container, peel it off and stick it on. I have a fondness for cupcakes, but you can always opt for another food related embellishment as well.

Place one self-adhesive rhinestone on each front corner.

Trim the magnet to fit most of the back, then peel off and stick on.

Trim note paper to fit into the container and include a pen for quick use.

By Crafts-a lot Contributor, Mable who is an avid reader of craft blogs & magazines and has aspirations to improve her crafting skills.

Last month I went to the second round of the Portland Fashion Feud. This was the first time I’ve heard of Fashion Feuds, but they are so much fun that I’d recommend going to (or starting!) an event like this. On the Fashion Feud website it shows there are currently events in San Francisco, Seattle and Portland. The next feuds for Portland are April 14th and May 12th at the Bossonova Ballroom. Mark your calendars!

Fashion Feud is similar to Top Chef, where 2 competitors are trying to outshine the other while using the same materials. Two local designers are each given a mystery bag of fabric, a model and a hair and make-up team. For this round there was a veteran seamstress and a young, new designer. Each designer came armed with their sewing machine, scissors, and their expertise – while we got to enjoy watching them cut, pin, sew and design their garments. The designers only have one hour to make and style their outfit. While they sweat it out on the stage, we enjoyed watching and sipping on lemon drops!

Which one is your favorite?

I have to say I kept changing my mind on who I was rooting for. One dress is something I would actually wear, and the other was constructed very nicely. I especially liked the one shoulder look on the dress on the left, and the belted empire waist on the dress on the right.

Lamontario Kent

Nelli Millard

In the end Nelli was awarded the winner of this round. Her stylish evening wear was constructed nicely, with a stylish flair. Can’t wait to see how the next one goes!

By Recycled Crafts Contributor, Anitra from the blog “Coffee Pot People”.

What’s your excuse for creating? What do you do with what you create? These two questions have been in my head for some months now, as I contemplate retiring from doing in-person art/craft shows. I know that making art is not optional for many of us, whatever form it takes. It’s an inborn drive that makes us say to ourselves, “Okay. I have to make something now!”

So then, how do you satisfy that drive? A quick list would include:

• Gifts
• Decorations for the home and garden
• Scrapbooking our memories
• Writing materials for traditional mail
• Items that are easily shipped, to be sold on websites such as Etsy, or Artfire.
• Art and craft to swap with others

Those are some pretty broad categories, and the first five are familiar to most of us, I’m sure. It’s that last item on the list that was new to me, and may be to you, too.

My first experience with swapping came through an online Yahoo! group, Decorative Envies, made up of a small group of people who trade decorated envelopes (known as “envies”) and postcards. I tried several swaps there, and was soon addicted to what I call “Happy Mail”—fun things arriving in my mailbox, things that weren’t bills or junk mail.

There are many groups on Yahoo!, I’ve since discovered that are dedicated to exchanging all sorts of things. To find one dedicated to your favorite craft(s), just go to Yahoo Groups and search using the terms “swap” and “art” or whatever type art you want to trade. Other terms you might use are “exchange” and “trade”.   ”Swap + art” resulted in a list of over 18,000 groups!

Once I realized how enjoyable creating decorated envelopes to trade was, I was eager to find more ways to exchange art. It also occurred to me that it might be a good way to experiment with new (to me) forms of art. I especially wanted to try my hand at ATC’s (Artist Trading Cards), one-of-a-kind works of art with just one parameter: they are all 2 ½” x 3 ½”.

A friend told me about Swap-bot, and since then, there’s been no going back. Join that website (for free!), and you will soon be trading ATC’s, handmade postcards, garlands, surprise crafts, chunky books, altered puzzle pieces, dolls, matchbox shrines—there is apparently no end of fun to be had there!

Another website with a similar purpose is ATCs For All. Join this one, and you will soon be trading all sorts of things, not just ATC’s, but many of the things I listed for Swap-bot, plus quilt blocks, inchies (1″ x 1″ artworks), and something called “rolo’s”. I only just joined ATCs for All, and haven’t thoroughly explored it yet, but it definitely has my attention.

How about you? Are there swap sites you know of and would share? What’s your fall-back creative outlet?

By Craft Trends Contributor, Trent Jaxon.

Hello Again!

It’s time for CHA Sneak Peek Round 2. This time I will be sharing with you all of the hottest products coming out for Scrapbooking and Paper Crafting. It gets its own separate post because there was an abundance of great new products at this show. It’s going to be an awesome year for Paper and Scrap!

Lets start from the “bottom and work our way up” shall we? PAPER!

We saw some great new collections from K&Co, Bo Bunny, and Imaginesce. Die Cuts With a View had a couple of new lines outs. The one that got the most buzz at the show was their “Immortal Love” collection. That’s right crafters vampire themed paper. Sure to have the inner tween girl in you just aflutter. The only questions I have is whose team are you on? Team Notion or Team Belle (my two puppies)?

DCWV Immortal Love coming soon to CreateForLess!

Paper Accents has some great new products that debuted at the show. Their new One Sheet Wonder and Detail blending papers are perfect for your inks and Copic Markers and their felted Chalkable cardstock was great. I also really liked their new Denim and Stonewash jeans textured papers. Their most popular new line is Glitz. This is a superior line of glitter cardstock. It is low odor, low rub-off and it can easily be used with most hand punches and die-cut machines. It is available in 18 fantastic colors in both 12×12 and 8.5×11. Get some today!

Working our way up lets talk about inks and other liquid mediums. Ranger has released a new line of Distressed Stains by Tim Holtz. This line offers a fast and easy way to cover a large area with distress color and they are fully compatible with all of your regular distress inking products.

Tattered Angels is a new addition for CreateForLess. Their Glimmer Mist, Glimmer Glam and Glimmer Glaze are all great products. This versatile line makes it easy to add just a hint of sparkle up to a rich dimensional bling on all of your projects.

We also saw some great new line additions from Colorbox Inks, ClearSnap Smooch and Glitter Shakers.

Now lets get some embellishments on those pages and cards! EK Success has a plethora of great new stickers. The most popular line at the show was their line of Cabochon Dimensional Stickers. They look great and are an easy way to add depth.

Tim Holtz Ideaology brings us some awesome new metal, glass and acrylic embellishments. Great for all projects these will especially appeal to those of you that enjoy steam punk themes.

Jenni Bowlin brings us a great slice of vintage Americana. Her chipboard shapes were amazing as were all her embellishments and kits.

We also saw some amazing new lines from Bo Bunny, Imaginisce, K&Co, and Stampendous. The best part is you can find all of these wonderful products at CreateForLess!