Hi friends! I hope you are all having a safe and happy New Years Eve! @014 has been an awesome year for me and I can’t wait to see what 2015 brings! Thank you for sharing in the journey with me! Without further ado here is ask a crafter!
Happy new year everyone! Leave your comments and questions below and til 2015, happy crafting!
Hi friends! Now that Christmas is past I can share the gifts I made for some of my best girlfriends:
Glitter sparkle monogrammed necklaces! Watch the video to see how I made them!
You will need:
chain (the dollar packs at walmart have enough to make 4 necklaces)
(Pandahall)
beads (from stash)
headpins
tiny glitter bottles (Dollar Tree has them in the cosmetic aisle)
chandelier earring findings
(Pandahall)
This project can be put together with 2 pairs of 3-in-1 pliers (they have a wire cutter built-in) but you might also want flush cut pliers and a jump ring opener if you are making a lot. A bead board is handy too but you can also use a towel or piece of felt on your table as a work surface.
My friends loved their necklaces. I hope you give them a try! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Hi Friends! I hope you had a nice weekend! I have been getting a lot of R & R after the holiday! It is nice to have nothing on the agenda and to just relax with family. Today I want to share a wine bottle topper I painted in acrylics, watch the video:
You can paint this motif on canvas, wood or whatever you like using acrylics or oils. If you want to see how I painted the other side of the topper the free tutorial is here, and the wine glass tutorial is here. They are easy motifs to paint on anything. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Hi Friends! I have exciting news! In a few days I will be setting up shop in a local Antiques mall! I have rented space there before to sell my cards, jewelry and paintings with varying degrees of success. This is the 3rd time I will be renting in this shop and I have been on the waiting list for 9 months hoping for a spot to come available. This might be a good solution for others trying to make some money off their art. I will chat about this and other options for selling your work in today’s Art Marketing Vlog:
Everytime I do an art marketing video people ask me about ETSY and what I think about it as a place to sell crafts. I have to admit that I have never tried it but my friend Renae Christine from RichMomBusiness.com has a free webinar all about succeeding on Etsy called Why Your Etsy Shop is Failing. In her Etsy tutorial she will teach you how to run a successful Etsy shop and increase views to your page and most importantly boost sales. Renae is the leader in teaching about etsy and she loves to help mom businesses succeed. You can sign up for her free webinar here.
If you want to see my other tips for selling, packaging and displaying art please check out my Art Marketing Playlist.
I will share another video of my shop when it is open, I hope to set it up on January 1st or 2nd (I’m paying rest so I don’t want to waste a day LOL!) so stay tuned! If you have any questions on renting space in shops, Co-Ops, consigning your work or craft fairs leave them in the comments. If you have questions about ETSY sign up for Renae’s free Etsy Webinar because I really can’t help you there. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Hi friends! I love making projects from scraps! A few years ago I bought a bunch of stained glass scraps for $1 a pound at a local stained glass shop to use in my kiln. I though it would be cool to make some soldered pendants with them too:
Today I will show you how to solder pieces of glass together to make a pretty pendent.
If you like this project you might also enjoy the Stained Glass for Beginner course at curious.com and now (12/20/14) though 1/4/15 All courses are 50% off, be sure to check out all the classes they have to offer and sign up for curious.com for more specials and free classes.
Tool and Supplies for this project:
Scrap glass
solder
flux
copper tape
soldering iron
helping hands tool
pliers
ribbon
ribbon crimps, clasp, split/jump rings
silicone mat
Follow along with the video, please note this project will take 30 minutes to an hour depending on how much jewelry making experience you have. Thanks so much for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Hi Friends! I know it is still Christmas day but in one week it will be New Year’s Day! Today I will share a fun New Years Eve party hat you can make with your kids (maybe if they get bored home on vacation next week.)
These are pretty easy to make using supplies from Papermart. If you are working with kids I recommend you make a bunch of the cones ahead of time and give the kids tacky glue or glue dots instead of hot glue. Watch the video to see how it is done:
You will need:
Corrugated Paper
Glitter
Star Garland
Crepe Paper
Metallic Pipe Cleaners
Beading Elastic
Poster Board
Hot Glue and wet glue
The earring tutorial I mentioned in the video can be found here.
Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Hi Friends! Tonight we will have my hubby’s side of the family over for dinner and presents. Last year we had a power outage due to an ice storm for 3 days before Christmas, it kinda put you in the mindset of “I can only do what I can do” and really took the pressure off to be perfect. I have really been calm getting ready for the holidays this year and enjoying it more. Yesterday Kathy and I took the kids out to a movie (Night at The Museum 3, it was wonderful!) and to see the decorations at the mall. It wasn’t the least bit crazy, people were cheerful (even the salespeople who have been working around the clock) it was really nice. We went to a late supper and brought home really tired kids. Last year we never made it out to the mall (probably because of the ice storm) and the kids missed it and asked about it. I don’t know how long they will enjoy this, hopefully for a long time, who knows, maybe 40 years from now they will be taking their old and senile moms for a spree at the mall. I love the quote We’ll be friends Until we are Old and senile. Then we will be New Friends! Yep, sums us up pretty well I think! Please join Kathy, Lorraine and I for this weeks ask a crafter!
Have a Merry Christmas everyone! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Hi friends! Today I will show you how to make a stamp cleaning pad. It works as well as the stamp scrubbers you can pay $15+ for (better than some) and you might have all the supplies you need already! Check out the video!
You will need: A flat container like a travel baby wipes box, DVD or VHS case, 2 paint pads, foam tape and a sharpie. Simply adhere a paint pad to each side of the inside of the container and you are all set! I use simple green and water (9:1 ratio) for rubber stamps and 1 Tablespoon baby shampoo in a 4oz spray bottle of water for clear stamps but I must say if you clean them right when you use them water will probably do the trick. I hope this helps you save some cash and keep those stamps in tip-top shape! Happy crafting!
Hi Friends! Looking for a last minute ornament idea to decorate the tree with? Who are we kidding, we all have to-do lists a mile long right? Well, let me introduce you to the zen like relaxation that only comes from wrapping a balloon with string…
OK, there my be some stress when the string slides off or when your kids drip glue all over the place but I still reckon it is way less stressful than baking. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
The Frugal Crafter Blog 