The Secret to Creativity!

(Artist unknown)

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Crafty Blogger Blurbs

Carmi's Art/Life World 
This week I have a great rubber stamped project - that can be showcased as an ornament! 

Crafty Princess Diaries 
Tammy reports on a crochet (and knit) friendly local yarn store in Florida. 

Eileen - The Artful Crafter 
Make these cute clothespin Christmas ornaments. Eileen shows a skier, but you could also do a nutcracker or skinny Santa.

Mixed Media Artist 
Cyndi has decided to play around with marbling fabrics...come and find out how it went! 

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Last Min. Christmas Inspiration!

Looking for some last min Christmas inspiration

check out my collection of Christmas inspirations

on Pinterest HERE

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Mr Kevin with Santa

Mr Kevin with Santa

I can't believe he's already almost 8 months old! 

Time seems to fly even faster with a grandchild!

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Stained Glass Tropical Ornaments

  

Find out how I created these stained glass 

ornaments and bring a bit of the beach home.

Click HERE to view my 

Stained Glass ornament tutorial


**Please leave a comment over on the Sakura blog 
and let me know what you think of this tutorial
Thanks for looking!

Winter Dreams

Winter Dreams

Awhile back I posted about these Camel Snus tins my husband brings me home from work (one of his co-workers gives them to him).  I'm always looking for a new challenge on how to use them.  Above is a piece that I finally finished up which I had started this past summer.  It was one of those pieces where you start on it, but then get stuck because your not sure what to do next.  When that happens I've learned to set it aside knowing that eventually something will come to me, and it did this past week.  The middle base is a Camel Snus tin turned upside down and the back of it is a lid from a Camel Snus tin.

And the mini tree is one of my bleached trees (click HERE to view my tutorial) that I colored using watered down paint. I wanted the tree to match the aqua paint I had used on the tin.

Click HERE to view my previous 

posts using  Camel Snus tins.

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Crafty Blogger Blurbs

Carmi's Art/Life World 
Carmi enters the Friendship Bracelet world and learns a thing or two.

Craft Buds 
Turn that old wool sweater into a personalized keepsake. Learn how to make a monogram sweater ornament, embellished with jingle bells.

Craft. You. 
Meet Jenny Barnett-Rohrs of Craft Test Dummies this week on Craft. You.! 

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at our crafty world 
This week at Craftside there is a double giveaway featuring books and Styrofoam shapes along with tutorials and patterns for Christmas painting and knitting along with a recipe for vegan nut butter dip and some adorable photos of our newest Amineko.

Crafty Princess Diaries 
Tammy is able to spill the beans about a new jewelry business adventure she is exploring.

Eileen - The Artful Crafter 
"Santa Claus is coming to town." Are you ready for The Artful Crafter's annual Christmas Parade of Crafts? 

Lindsay Sews 
With the holiday ornament swap complete, you can check out photos of the lovely handmade ornaments--including bacon! 

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter 
Madge turns some styrofoam and sparkly things into a Retrofabulous Suzy Snowflake Snowlady! 

Mixed Media Artist 
Crochet a really nifty gift in just about two hours! 

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery 
How to make a yarn ball and dpn Christmas tree. 

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And The Winner Is....

I had my son pull a name from a bowl and the

Winner of the trio of trees and gem particles is....

Sharon Bennett

 

Click HERE to view my 

Crystal Lacquer tree tutorial

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2011 Starbuck's Christmas Card

2011 Starbuck's Christmas 

Coffee Sleeve Card

I almost didn't get this year's Starbuck's card made only 

because we haven't really been drinking Starbucks much 

this past year. A combination of  trying to save money 

and calories.But I was in Safeway on my way out, the
other day so I asked Starbucks for some coffee sleeves,
 but man was I disappointed in this year's holiday coffee
sleeves....they were a little too boring and plain for my
liking.  Good thing I was jazzing them up anyway.  

This is how it started out, pretty plain, eh?

I picked up a couple of packages

of tags this year at Micheals and 

they've been great for using as 

embellishments...they're glittery and 

dimensional with sticky squares on the 

backs that I've been able to remove  

and re stick them. Plus, I have the base of

the tag I can use as well. I'm all about 

quick and easy this year!

Here's the inside with some glittered cardstock added 

that I had already, and I added part of one of the tags 

inside (the reindeer).  I then punched a small hole and
added some silver stretching thread to tie it closed.

Click HERE to view my 

past Starbuck's coffee sleeve
and cup projects.

(scroll down the page once 

you click to view projects)

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Stained Glass Christmas Tag

 

SUPPLIES

3D Crystal Lacquer	Shipping Tag
3D Colored Glitter  Crystal Lacquer	Extra Fine Glitter Dust Rhinestone
SparkKraft Stickers	DecoArt Snow-Tex
Stamp (PaperArtsy)	Chunky Glitter Mixture*
StazOn Ink (Cherry Pink)	Ribbons

Step 1:  Start with a colored or previously painted shipping tag. Then load your stamp with StazOn Cherry Pink ink.	Step 2: Place tag onto the stamp and press evenly to stamp image.
Step 3:  Add your sticker to the tag and burnish it lightly.	Step 4:  Begin filling in outlined areas using 3D Crystal Lacquer. *Pop any bubbles with a straight pen
Step 5: Next give some dimension by adding some darker green 3D Crystal Lacquer.  *Don't worry that it seems uneven it will self level out.	Step 4:  Sprinkle extra fine glitter dust over the wet 3D Crystal Lacquer, shake off any excess glitter.
Step 5:  Evenly apply some Snow-Tex using a throw away brush or stick.	Step 6: While the faux snow is still wet sprinkle it with your *chunky glitter mixture over a bowl, and shake off any excess. *I made my own glitter mixture by mixing several different sizes of glitter along with fine crystal seed beads together
Step 7: Once the colored 3D Crystal Lacquer is dry apply a dot at the top for your colored rhinestone and then apply 1 to 2 more coats of 3D Crystal Lacquer* over the entire tree and allow to dry in a level dust free area. *This will give the tree a more smooth glass look	Step 8:  Once your tag is dry add some complimentary ribbons to finish it off!

Santa's Helpers!

I just had to share this newest picture 

of Mr Kevin with his friend Cadence.

She was born a week after Mr Kevin.

I just LOVE this picture it's priceless to me!

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Crafty Blogger Blurbs

About Family Crafts 
Play along with the current craft challenge and submit an angel craft or two.

Carmi's Art/Life World 
A post about remembering the December birthdays!

Craft Buds 
Create H.O.P.E. Designs is making a world of difference through sewing patterns, and Mary stitches up the A+ Art Portfolio. 

Craft. You. 
This week on Craft. You.: Heather Mann of Dollar Store Crafts 

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at our crafty world 
This week at Craftside there is a fun new video on how to tint gesso with pastels by Traci Bunkers, tutorials on how to draw Christmas trees and poinsettias, tips on cleaning glassware and a yummy recipe for vegan maple bacon doughnuts. 

Crafty Princess Diaries 
Tammy takes a look at a craft book packed full of projects. 

Eileen - The Artful Crafter 
Do you know about yarn bombing? Whimsical hand knit and crocheted art is circling the globe! 

Lindsay Sews 
He's cute and cuddly, and you can sew him with just one yard of fabric. Take a peek at Hugh Manatee from the new book, Fabric-by-Fabric: One-Yard Wonders. 

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter 
It's a video! It's two craft projects with instructions! It's RETROFABULOUS! Yay! 

Mixed Media Artist 
If you've still got any autumn leaves available, here's a pretty idea for using them up! 

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery 
How to make a recycled sweater wreath with a candy style bow.

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Quicky Christmas Cards

Here's a couple of this year's Christmas cards I've made.  I started with pack of pre made

cards I got at Michaels for a $1.00 and embellished them.  The first one I made a paper rosette like I showed    (HERE), buttons and baker's twine.  The second one I used a Christmas stockings from a Christmas collage sheet (HERE). To give the stockings a 3D look I used Sakura's 3D Crystal Lacquer , pop dots, baker's twine and buttons.

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Advent Matchboxes

Awhile back I had several posts about an altered matchbox swap I was in for Christmas (Click HERE and scroll down to see previous posts).  This was an 25 day advent swap.  We began opening our matchboxes on Dec. 1st and each day there's a delightful hand made goodies inside each day's matchbox.  Above I posted a picture of some of my boxes opened that I have hanging on a dress form.  I had wanted to make a tree from a tree limb but didn't get around to it so decided to use the dress form. I love seeing how it's filling up with all the beautiful boxes and goodies in side.

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Spoonful of Christmas

Spoonful of Christmas

can be purchased on  Etsy

I told you I'm addicted to bleaching and coloring
these sisal Christmas trees!! Here's my newest Artist Chubby 

Block I created. I used a tea cup ornament

 (from www.outsidethemargins.com) then added 

faux snow and of course another bedazzled tree!

Click HERE to view my 

Glitzy Tree Tutorial

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Glitzy Crystal Lacquer Christmas Trees

Etsy

Find out how I created these Glitzy

3D Crystal Lacquer Christmas Trees

by checking out my tutorial

over at Sakura Hobby Craft's

Blog by clicking

HERE

GIVEAWAY

To enter to win this trio of mini bleached trees 

along with a mini package of Sakura's Gem Particles, 

do the following: become a follower on the Sakura 

Hobby Crafts' Blog (HERE), LIKE Sakura Hobby 

Crafts' on Facebook page (HERE) and leave a comment 

on the Sakura's blog letting me know you did this (don't 

forget to include your EMAIL with your comment).  

If you are already a follower and have liked Sakura's 

facebook page, just leave me a comment letting me 

know you are.