It's FUN to craft!: April 2010

Fun Giveaway and Look at Me Party!!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

**Winner of the Little Washies (My Bella Baby Giveaway) is Kelli @ Whimsi Kel. Congrats!!**

Some of you may have noticed this darling new sponsor, Laken & Lila. I am not kidding you, this gal has talent. She has some darling items in her shop and uses some darn cute fabric too! I was THRILLED when she offered to do a giveaway here for all of you! She is giving away one of her darling skirts (valued at $21). You choose....but let me tell you that will be the hardest part. They are all TOO cute! Here are just a couple of the cuties to choose from:

Now how to enter??!!

1. Check out Laken & Lila and tell me what your fave item is

2. Become a Facebook fan of Laken & Lila

3. Be a follower of Fun to Craft

4. Purchase something from Laken & Lila (get 2 entries)

Leave a separate comment for each entry or they won't count for more than one. Giveaway closes May 6th at 6pm CST. The winner will be announced Friday May 7th. GOOD LUCK!!!

By the way, just let her know when you purchase something that you are a FB fan of hers, and she will even offer you FREE SHIPPING!!

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NOW, onto the PaRtY!!!

Link up any creative post and link up to the post (NOT your main blog URL). Snag a button and get the word out about 'Look at me, I'm so Crafty!' at Fun to Craft by putting it in your post or on the side of your blog. That way people know where you are partying!

Just for fun this week, why don't you visit the blog linked up before yours and comment. That way everyone is shown some love and it may even introduce you to some new blogs. You can always check out any other ideas too!! Thanks for linking up! I can't wait to see what inspiration is out there!

Host unlimited photos at slide.com for FREE!

Packing Tip

Have you seen my latest sponsor, Royal Rabbit Designs? She has some delectable items in her shop. They look good enough to eat! Be sure to check them out.

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Here is my first packing tip. Have I started yet? Um, no. But I still have a tip for you! (I am sure there might be more to come too.)

Check out Craigslist in your area for free boxes. There might just be someone who has recently moved who wants to get rid of theirs...better yet, list yours if you have just moved to share the wealth! A good friend of mine just gave me some great boxes she snatched off of Craigslist for FREE. I am SO thankful she shared with me!

And, if you are still looking for boxes or your Craigslist is a dud, I have heard that Walmart's meat department has some great sturdy ones that you could try to get. Just make sure you don't get any that are nasty. Just sayin.'

Oh, and I apologize for the lack of creative inspiration on my part lately. I am gearing up for the move, my hubby is gearing up for his last final and life has been crazy. I hope to get back to all regular craftiness soon though so don't give up on me!!

As far as Hostage Week, it is going to be AWESOME!! I will fill you in with more very soon.

Blog Swappin' with Created by Diane

I am so excited to have Diane from Created By Diane here today. She is SUPER talented, especially with food. Everything she makes looks so good. I will be showing a fun kitchen craft over on her blog today, so come check it out.

I'm Diane

from Created by Diane

Blog swapping sure sounded like fun to me,

and there really couldn't have been a better time for me to blog swap with Stacey.

I love to craft but haven't completed projects I set out to do,

lately I've been creating items like these

I had a project in mind and am so glad I finally did it.

Recently I took some photos of my kids and really wanted to have a canvas made of the best one.

Well it was hard to decide, which photo once I began uploading.

Then I had an idea,

instead I planned on making my own photo canvas with all of them,

I even brought my husband to the same spot so my son could get a couple photos of us to add to my project.

I had the photos printed, I did not print them myself for fear they would bleed with this project.

I began with a 16x20 canvas.

I selected 16 (4x6) photos, then trimmed off one inch from each photo to make them 4x5.

I applied mod podge all over the canvas and then placed each photo onto the wet mod podge and slightly over lapped the edges so when they dried it would be easy to brush over the tops without lifting and edges.

I used the Matte finish and I love how it came out.

I had started with a brush and wished that I had used a sponge brush. You can see the brush
marks on the top row here, but only when the light hits it in a certain direction.

Otherwise it really is quite invisible.

Now to find a happy home for it.

Thanks Stacey for helping me get my project done. Sometimes we all need a little inspiration.

Now I just need to dust off my sewing machine and make one of those

camera straps I saw your tutorial on.

Thanks again to Diane for this great project! I am loving it. As soon as you throw pictures into a craft, I am SOLD!! She did a great job on it. I am so glad she shared it with us! Don't forget to check out Created by Diane for all of her yummy creations!

'Look at Me' Features

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Thank you to everyone for linking up to this last week's party. It was AWESOME!! There were some amazing crafts. I had such a hard time narrowing down my favorites. Here are a few I picked:

House of Hepworth's spring tray is such a fun green. I love that font too.Holy Craft's PB Cork Board knockoff is too cute. I can't believe what a steal she got too!At Second Street's pins are so fun. I love the drawings and all of the designs.Get Craftin's decor blocks are such a nice touch to decor. I love the size of them and that she used leftover styrofoam to make them with.Keen Inpsiration's alphabet art had me at the first shot. I love that stuff. It makes me swoon!If you were featured, snag a button and display it with pride!

Please join in the next party Friday here at Fun to Craft!! I anxiously await all of your inspiring crafts!! I swear I will have more to share next week too...as long as I don't have any more paint issues!

Oh, and don't forget to enter the My Bella Baby Giveaway here. It ends tomorrow night.

Help!!

Okay, so first things first...what do you think of the new blog look??

Now for your help. I was going to share a lovely craft with you today. One I have been dying to finish for a few weeks. But I noticed paint got chipped off so I went to respray that small section. (I think my rambunctious 3 year old was the culprit!) But as I sprayed, it started bubbling and it spread. So I sanded it down a bit (probably not as good as I should have because I was also working on another craft at the same time.) But then when I sprayed it again, it bubbled even further. Now it is a large spot that needs to be recovered. But I am afraid it will just keep bubbling! I know this happened before but I can't remember what I did to get it to stop. So I put it to you....What do you do when this happens to you? Puh-lease tell me I am not the only one!!

Check this...

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

This is a really cool site, We All Sew. They featured Fun to Craft recently as one of their favorite sewing blogs. I was WAY excited!! They have the cutest site and have some really fun tutorials and freebies. If you haven't been there before, go check it out!

Crazy messed up....

Monday, April 26, 2010

Sorry for the crazy look on my blog. It is undergoing a change. So bear with me....

OBG {Sunday Bag}

Have you seen my latest sponsor Adorabelle Couture? She has the most darling pettiskirts I have seen. A girl could feel like a real princess in one of those. Oh, and that black polka dot one, you just have to see it for yourself. Go check them out here.

Also, head here to enter in the My Bella Baby Giveaway.

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One thing I can't stand is to be late for things. It is a pet peeve of mine. Especially if people are waiting for me, it makes me feel like I am saying their time is not as important as mine. Which I definitely don't believe so yeah, being late just bugs me. I have noticed with two kiddos....it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to get places early like I like. And sometimes, even on time. I feel like my brain especially lately is just frazzled. Maybe after this first move, my life will return to 'normal' whatever that really means.

One thing that helps me speed things along is having a bag prepacked. You know the drill, toys, snacks, diapers/wipes, whatever might help avoid a meltdown in public. Those kinds of things. I also have a bag that I keep solely for Sundays. We go to church and need something to help entertain the kiddos while we are there. It is full of toys, books, treats, etc that are set aside just to be played with on Sundays at church. It has been a lifesaver. It is so nice to have the bag already ready to go....especially when we are running late, which seems to be every week these days. Going at 11:30 is just killing me. Two meals before church is just too much along with getting everyone ready. But anyway, the bag is saving me.

(Sorry that photo is a tiny bit blurry.) The bags are just real simple. My mom and I whipped these suckers out without a pattern. We made them with tapered sides, a rectangle bottom, and two box front/backs. The whole thing is lined.

It has a cute pocket with a fun flower on it to jazz it up a bit.

And it has pockets inside to help stuff all of those much needed bribe treats in. It also has a magnetic snap for closure and long straps. It was a fun bag to make and so easy too. Talking about it makes me want to make another one. I am addicted to bags though. Seriously. I think it is a problem. I have a TON of bags. And even more patterns on my computer to make more. Don't worry. When I make more, I will definitely share them on here.

Giveaway and Look at Me Party!!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

**WINNER of CSN Giveaway is Larsons. I emailed you so please contact me.**

Some of you may have caught the incredible craftiness by My Bella Baby that I mentioned here a couple of days ago. But if not, go check it out! AND because Fun to Craft readers are just OH, SO AMAZING....Kayla has been gracious enough to offer up one set of Little Washies to one of YOU!!! You even get to choose which one you want!! (Oh, and even if you don't have kids, these work perfect to wash your face with at night, so enter anyway!!)
So how do you get in on this??

There are 3 easy ways to enter.

This entry is mandatory.
1. Go over to My Bella Baby and come back here to tell me which item of hers is your fave.

Additional Optional entries:
2. Sign up for her monthly newsletter to be in on the latest about sales, promos, contests, etc. Do this by sending your email address to mybellababy.etsy@gmail.com Then come back here and tell me you did in a comment.

3. Follow her on twitter at mybellababyshop. Tell me you did in a comment.

Leave a separate comment for each entry or else it won't count. The giveaway will be open until Thursday, April 29th at 7pm CST. The winner will be announced Friday. GOOD LUCK!!

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NOW, onto the PaRtY!!!

You can share your fabulous ideas with others all over the web and go check out some other fabulous bloggers and get some great ideas yourself! Oh, and be sure to come back here the next week to see if your idea has been featured!

Make sure you visit some of the other great crafters too and give them some comment love. I check out every idea and leave a comment. (I hope I haven't missed anyone!) There are so many wonderful ideas out there! Try to check out some other blogs, because what is a party if you are talking to yourself! Plus, it always makes it worth your blogging efforts when people stop by and tell you how much they love you!!

Blog Swappin' with Greentiques

I am really excited to have Rory from The Greentiques Solution showing us some amazing stuff today. I don't know how many of you are familiar with this blog but there are so many impressive things on there! Go check it out today to see a few of my projects while I take it over for the day!

Hi there. My name is Rory and I am The Greentiques Solution Guy. About 35 years ago, Mom and Dad couldn't afford to buy new furniture, so we started going to auctions, garage sales and second hand stores to find furniture we could fix up, that was either cheap or free. It wasn't a trendy thing to do back then, but it was what had to be done if our family was going to all sit down for dinner at the same time. There was a period in my life when we were so poor that I only had 3 socks. Mom had to wash 1 sock at a time, while I wore the other 2. I guess all things happen for a reason and now here I am, making my living as a woodworker and craftsman with over 3 decades of experience. To be honest, I wouldn't have had it any other way. To me there is no better feeling than to pick up an old window shutter like this one ......

and turn it into a crystal wine glass rack like the one I did here.

Or maybe take some scrap wood out of the trash like this ....

and handcarving it into an heirloom quality, Welsh Love Spoon.

I also take on the challenge of larger pieces. Sometimes when I see an old tired piece of furniture, it seems to scream my name like this old wardrobe did....I swear it was yelling "Rory!, Help Me!", as loudly as it could.

Here is the after.....

It now sits in my dining room and we use it for our crystal decanters and table linens.

The Greentiques Solution is about saving things from landfills and making them useful again. It is my way of not only doing my part to save the planet, but also to stimulate local economies. Why buy new furniture made in China, if I can buy it locally from someone that needs the extra money?

'Look at Me' Features

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Thanks again to everyone who linked up to 'Look at me, I'm SO Crafty!' Party. It was a lot of fun and a BIG success because of all of you!! I appreciate it and I love to see what you come up with each week.

These ideas were a few of my faves this week:
This birthday countdown by Super Saturday Vinyl Crafts is just adorable. What a great way to countdown to that special day.
Cap Creations has an adorable baseball party. I guess I must have birthdays on the mind...but baseball is big in our house and I know I will be taking some ideas from this for another year.
Lemon Tree Creations turned this cute frame into a darling tray. I am loving the handles, the fabric...basically just the whole ensemble. Oopsey Daisy has this ruffly number that I am really loving. What a great way to pair denim and fabric into this table runner.
All Thingz Related has this great rusted clock made out of some very surprising items. I am loving the look and think hers is even better than her inspiration!

Anyone who was featured, please go ahead and grab one of my featured buttons below and put it on your blog.

Please join in the next party Friday here at Fun to Craft!! I anxiously await all of your fun crafts!!

Don't forget the CSN giveaway ends tomorrow at Thursday April 22nd at 6pm CST. Go here and enter if you haven't yet!!

My Bella Baby

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Kayla is the 'oh so creative' owner of My Bella Baby. She is also a new sponsor here at Fun to Craft. She has some adorable items in her shop. Check these Little Washies out:I first saw them and thought, "Genius!!" She really is a genius and so are these. She sent me a package to try out. I am telling you, these really are as good as they look and sound.They are these darling washies that are so perfect for bath time. They are just the right size to squirt some bath soap onto and scrub a cute baby down. It lathers up well and is such an easy way to give a bath.She also makes them with a minky fabric, the Soft Little Washies. Those look very soft and comfy. You can slip your hand in the strap and scrub as needed. It stays on well and is so nice. My husband was singing his praises of them too. I say if he is sold, then that is an added bonus!! Plus, they are really well made and are VERY inexpensive. Less than a pack of washcloths and WAY cuter!! She has them in a TON of different darling fabrics that you can check out here. She also has other great items in her shop too. She has these cute contoured burpcloths.These Little Miss Hair Clips are so fun too. I can just see them in a little princess's hair. Check out all of the hair clips she has here.She also has this great travel changing pad. One side is a knit black and white funky flower fabric and the other is super soft black minky fabric. There is a layer of batting in between for extra thickness. It would be super soft to change your favorite baby's bum. Go see it here.What can this girl not do? She also has these darling Bella Booties in her shop. I love these pink ones.

She has even more cuteness in her shop than I showed you. She is amazing!! Oh, and to sweeten the deal...She is offering 15% off your total purchase (before shipping) until the end of May. Just remember to use discount code "funtocraft" at checkout in the notes to seller section and the 15% will be reimbursed after the sale is complete. Go see all of her creative goodness at her shop My Bella Baby.