I am SO over winter!

Hi friends! You know what I could go for right now? Some more snow. Just kidding. We do have another 12″-16″ in the forecast tomorrow though. The cold I had has made the rounds and I am still not up to snuff yet. Being sick and cooped up is making me long for springtime and bright colors so I decided for my Papermart project this week to whip up some pastel party favors:

Supplies:

• Take out boxes *Also available in white and colors!
• 6″ round paper doilies
• Paper straws
• Washi Tape

Chalk paint tutorial

Directions:
Paint take out boxes with chalk paint (or use colored boxes also available at Papermart) and let dry. Fold a doily in half and cut out the center. Secure the doily ring around the box with washi tape. Make a washi tape flag by adhering it to half of a paper straw and insert into the side flap of the box.

That  project did put me in a better mood but I tell what, come Monday that groundhog better see his shadow! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

A Quick and Cute Halloween Favor & I was on TV!!!!

Hi friends! Yesterday I was on TV!!!! More on that in a minute, first here is a cute Halloween favor you can make with supplies you probably already have at home:

So the reason I wanted to share that tutorial today is because I also got to share it during my interview on the local ABC/FOX affiliate stations in Bangor, Maine. I could not manage to embed the video here but you can watch it here on the FOX22/ABC7 Website.

How cool is that?!? My apologies to my friends on Facebook who had to endure my excitement of this all day. I just can’t help it! Thanks so much for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Frank ‘n Friends Favor Boxes!

Howdy folks! I love this time of year! I have some gourds on display in my home and pretty soon I will be putting out the corn stalks and hay bales outside for decoration. We have pumpkins on the porch already that we are so excited to carve but we don’t want them to spoil! At least we can make up a bunch of these cute boxes to decorate with:

I really like this idea because I can enjoy these sweet Halloween boxes and then fill them with candy and give them away on Halloween night or drop them off on friends doorsteps for fun! That is called “booing” or “ghosting” and I live in a community with very sneaky peeps who deliver goodies all around each others houses in October. It is a lot of fun! Of course all of the parents know who the treats are from before we let out kids have them (but don’t tell the kids that!)These boxes are made from paper take out boxes from Papermart so you know they are just as affordable as they are cute. Watch the video to see how to make them:

Supplies:

• Small Kraft Take-Out Boxes 
• Chevron Paper Straws
• Acrylic Craft Paint
• Brushes (1″ foam and #6 round)
• Hot Glue Gun and Hot Glue

Directions:
1. Paint the box with the main color.
2. Paint the face details.
3. Cut two 1/2″ long pieces from a paper straw and hot glue to the side for bolts on Frankincense’s Monster.

TAKE THIS IDEA AND RUN WITH IT! Think of all of the fun things you can paint on these take out boxes for different holidays and events! Happy crafting!

Easy Easter Favor Boxes!

Howdy friends! Yesterday I showed you how to make an Easter Basket out of a cardboard box and today I’ll show you have to make carrot inspired treat box sliders using supplies from Papermart:

I used Macaroon Boxes, Tulle, Satin Ribbon, RicRac, Baker’s Twine,  Unstrung Merchandise Tags,  Corrugated Paper, and a Glue Gun and Glue Sticks. This was a fun project! You can really adapt it to any theme but I thought carrot colored Easter treats would be handy this time of year.

They will stand up on their own or you can place them in your snazzy handmade Easter basket!

Best of all the boxes come neatly stacked in a pack of 25 so you can have them always on hand for upcoming projects and packaging. I love versatile products, don’t you? Thanks so much for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Victorian Valentines!

Howdy friends! Well, I did clean my studio today after yesterdays scary desk photo and managed some much needed organization tasks. It feels good to have everything neat and tidy. One of the projects that got my desk to it’s unruly state was this fun project: A Valentine favor cone AKA Mussie Tussie:

I used supplies from Papermart for this affordable craft. I love how they are three dimensional but so easy to make, you can easily whip up a bunch of these for classroom valentines or even classy wedding favors. There are so many options depending on what paper, doilies, ribbon, tulle, raffia and flowers you choose.  And the generous amount of supplies in a  package and low prices at Papermart are perfect for making these lovey favors in bulk for any event. Thanks so much for stopping by, I’m sure you were expecting the latest Ask A Crafter but it is still uploading (in 2 parts) I’ll be back with that tomorrow or if you get impatient you can check my YouTube channel later tonight. Til next time happy crafting!

Roller Derby & Wedding Favors!

Hello friends! Last night I took my family to watch a bout of roller derby. I really wanted my kids to see strong female athletes giving their all on the track. The girls of Bangor Roller Derby did not disappoint and they won the match against the Poison Pixies of Dover New Hampshire! It was so much fun to watch and cheer for the home team. Even my son thought it was cool and I really wanted my girls to see that there are other “female” sports other than softball and cheer-leading to be involved in.  Don’t get me wrong, I love that my girls play softball and I have nothing against cheering, my girls have done that as well but roller derby is freaking cool, I wish it was around when I was in my twenties!

OK I know you visit my blog for the crafty goodness and not the sports report so today I am going to share the latest addition to my shop. It is a set of SVG die cutting templates to make boxes and paper bows! Don’t worry there are printable PDF versions too. 😉

You get a tall box sized to fit 12″x12″ paper, a shorter box sized to fit 8.5″x11″ paper and 2 bows plus labels for the boxes.  6 SVG cutting files in all. When re-sizing in your software be sure to check the “keep proportions” box so the box does not get skewed. The printables are arranged on two 8.5″x11″ sheets. The box can be made larger by cutting the template in half on the alteration line and taping a piece of paper between the two halves. You can make it taller to fit your needs. These boxes would be cute as party favors, wedding table decorations or gift boxes, you can find the kit here.

Oh and speaking of roller derby, or skating in general you might like this skate card template set as well:

another cool thing about derby is that they skate on quad (old fashioned) low top skakes, i used to work at a roller rink and I still wear my low top speed skates whenever I take the kids out to skate. My kids like the “blades” but hopefully they see the coolness of their mom’s ways…well, maybe not. I hope you are having a great weekend! Til next time happy crafting!

Decorating Kraft Boxes for Favors!

Hello friends! Yesterday I was playing in the studio with Macaroon boxes from Papermart. They are cute, inexpensive and sturdy enough to paint on!

These boxes only take 3 minutes each to paint! Watch the video to learn how!

I love the little beaded drawer pulls, just be careful not to poke yourself putting them in! The boxes I used can be purchased at Papermart in quantities of 25 or by the case of 100.

I hope you liked this quick and easy, anyone can paint, project! Til next time happy crafting!

Take Out Box Favors!

Here is a fun quick idea you can make for a wedding OR change up the colors for a birthday party or bridal shower. I used 1 pint Carry Out boxes (50 boxes for $5.59) from Papermart as well as unstrung merchandise tags (I got a box of 1000 months ago and I find so many uses for them!) and don’t forget the ribbons! Have a look at this video to see how easy it is to make a truly custom favor box.

I love how you can get a custom look for pennies! Each box cost less than a quarter to make and you can make a huge batch in an afternoon and have supplies left over for other projects! Check out our sponsor Papermart for all of your packaging needs. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

I’m Having a Lawrence Welk Moment…DIY Bubble Wand Necklace Tutorial!

Happy Monday folks! Have you ever had so much fun making a project that you make, say 20? That’s what happened to me Friday when I decided to make a wire and bead bubble wand:

These really work too! I got the idea from the Jewelry Making Journal but I made mine longer and instead of pricier copper wire I used 18 gauge aluminum from the Hardware store (because it won’t rust) and acrylic (That’s a fancy word for plastic) beads because I love the sparkle and they are lightweight. They can also handle being dipped in bubble liquid over and over again!

Watch this video to see how I made them:

Wouldn’t they be awesome party favors or even wedding favors (way better than the tiny plastic bubble bottles!) You could even put a bowl of bubble solution in the center of each table at a party and folks can blow bubbles whenever the mood strikes!

One thing I will mention about the hardware store aluminum wire is that there is a thin film of oil or something on it. It’s not a big deal but after making 20 of these suckers my fingertips were black with the grease. It washed off and I could not see it on the wands because it was such a small amount but if you are thinking of making jewelry out of this stuff I would wipe it down with rubbing alcohol to remove any grease first.

I hope you give this project a try, it was a lot of fun and a great way to practice your wire wrapping skills. I’ll leave you with a few more photos of these whimsical wands. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!