I'm the Featured Crafter on the Crafty Hands Club

I was tickled to no end (and a bit intimidated) when Carriece of The Crafty Hands Club Magazine contacted me several weeks ago about doing an interview for an article on her site. And, today, that article goes live! 

In the feature, you'll get to learn a little more about me as a crafter as well as about my journey to where I am today. 

Make sure you head over to The Crafty Hands Club to read all about me!

Big thanks go to Carriece for this honor and pleasure!

Peek at My Weeks (Feb 14-27)

Once again, I'm catching up on my weekly peek. I had the time last week to write this post, but not the motivation. And, my mood was not conducive for it at all. I'm sure you've had days like that too. So, I gave myself a break and decided I would wait. Now, I've got loads to share with you. 

We kept Valentine's Day very low-key. I mostly worked in the craft room and was able to let an idea come to fruition. I'm loving that little box and very likely make some more. 

I also ran out to the store for a bit of a treat.

Since Mardi Gras was that Tuesday, I felt like we NEEDED at least one King Cake. I went with one cream cheese and one raspberry for plenty of options. 

Monday was a little crazy as the plumbers were at the house most of the afternoon struggling to fix our drain issue. I stayed out of their way and in the craft room.

I focused on working on my piece for the Honey Do List and stressed about friends and family trapped in the snow in Texas.

Tuesday was Mardi Gras. And, it was unlike any I've ever celebrated. It was bitterly cold. My sinuses were aching. I grocery shopped. But, there was King Cake.

I'm not even sure what happened on Wednesday. It was a tad bit warmer, but overcast all day. I'm sure that influenced my mood.

But, I pushed forward and created.

Again on Thursday, I suffered through sinus issues and that had me moving slow. But, in addition to working on some jewelry, I was able to channel some of my creative focus into an art journal page.

 Apparently, on Friday, I found all my lost energy from the week because I was all over the place. 

I probably got a little pumped because my "valentine gift" from Pat came in. He bought me a super-fancy microphone for recording voiceovers for my videos. I really thought I could just get something small that would plug into a USB port, but should have known better since he's an audio expert. oops!

Though there was that happy in the day, while I worked away on loads of jewelry, I somehow broke my nice chain-nose pliers. Eek!! I've got an e-mail into the company though to see if there's anything I can do to fix them. But at least, I got some jewelry made, and the break could have been worse. 

Dinner was photo-worthy.

On Saturday, I realized how tight I was up to a couple of challenge deadlines. So, I started working away on those and experimented with a few techniques and supplies.

In the midst of that, I also set out a bucket of materials for a rust dye.

On Sunday, I laid out everything to dry while finishing up my contribution for the You, Me, Same 3 video reveal. 

With my page completed for the challenge, I spent almost all of Monday getting my video ready for the reveal. Artemis even joined me in the craft room.

Tuesday started off with a bit of excitement when a neighbor's dog followed Pat home from his morning walk and we had to call them to find out where she belonged. After I did the grocery shopping, I had to run back out for a single item from the craft store. Of course, I discovered an amazing load of clearance items that had to come home with me. 

Fortunately, I also picked up the mold-making kit I needed.

It had been a few weeks since I had checked in with my mom, so after busting out a quick jewelry task, I headed out to visit with her in the afternoon. My niece's cat didn't want me to leave and climbed up on my shoulder as I was about to walk out the door after my visit. 

On Thursday, I made up for my afternoon away from the house and completed a few tasks I had been putting off. I organized some of my tin scraps as I prepped to work on earring pairs. 

Once the midday sun had passed, I was out on the porch to get product pictures taken.

I was back porch again Friday morning to welcome in the day. The fog kept my attention focused close in and had me looking for beauty not far from where I sat.

That really fueled my day as I hopped from one activity to another, even working on making Grungy Opals based on the tutorial from Fanciful Devices. 

In the evening, Pat and I met a friend for a beer outside the Brewery in Fairhope. On our way there, I couldn't help but snap a few shots of this amazing sunset from the truck. 

Saturday was a big video day for me as I had two reveals: The Red Riding Hood Hop and You, Me, Same 3. I spent much of the day watching the other videos and responding to comments. When I hopped outside to snap a few shots of one of the pieces, I was distracted for a moment by the dew in the weeds.

When I did get a break from videos, I was happy to discover that some of our mini daffodils have begun blooming. They feel like a promise of the spring to come. 

Whew! That was basically my last two weeks in pictures.

Now, here's some inspiration for your week ahead. 

• Learn about 20 common embroidery mistakes and how to fix them. 
• My Modern Met has some great information about creating collage art. 
• I love Heather of HumbleBeads' style. Here, she shares the pattern for her X's & O's Necklace along with the supplies to make it yourself. 
• I'm not sure what language this post is in, but it's a quick tutorial showing how to use Lego as a photo-holder and you'll quickly get the idea from the pictures. 
• I have to admit that I'm not sold on the knotted configuration of this yarn-wrapped wall-hanging. But, I think some of the instructions contained in the tutorial are useful for other projects. 
• At the Beading Gem, you'll find some instructions to make easy riveted stampings jewelry. 
• I've never heard of a colonial knot in embroidery terms, but this tutorial will teach you how to make them. 
• Learn about leatherworking projects and tools at My Modern Met. 
• Find out some fun facts about birthstones. 
• At the Artists Network, learn 5 Keys to Creating Art that's all your own. 
• Since Easter is quickly approaching, here are 20 Crafts with plastic Easter eggs. Some of these are more kid-centered, but there are adult ideas as well. 
• At HumbleBeads, Heather shares how to make her Springtime Dream Bracelet. 
• As knots often trip me up, I haven't quite gotten on the macrame train yet, but this Macrame braid necklace tutorial at Make & Fable does catch my attention. 
• I really love these mixed media portraits from Nelson Makamo. 
• Since I'm all about upcycling, there's no question that a wreath made from scraps would pique my interest. 
• I had no idea there were so many ways to press flowers and use them. 
• You may not think snails are cute, but these photos may change your mind. 
• I know several of you already make bead embroidery, but I haven't jumped on that train yet. Maybe one day!!
• Here's a lucky clover embroidery pattern. 
• I may not be able to make macrame, but this massive installation is so impressive!
• It took me a few days to finally get around to reading this long article on Keys to Creative Productivity, but I'm so glad I did!
• Roben-Marie shares some ideas for overcoming those moments of creative self-doubt. 
• I can't even imagine creating these tiny embroidery landscapes. I have a hard enough time working at a normal scale. 
• This playful street art is sure to make you smile. 
• I love so much of what Sadie Seasongoods makes and shares. In this post, she has a roundup of recycled paper crafts. 
• So, I have a serious love of crayons. Their smell is almost euphoric for me. So, these crayon sculptures just make me giddy!
• Check out this adorable DIY Book Pendant. There's so much to love about it. 
• I've totally got this playing card house tutorial saved for later. 
• Y'ALL! This is art that combines beads and embroidery. I'm SWOONING!
• I've only ever seen dichroic glass used in jewelry. These art installations are glorious. 
• To finish out this list is a picture of a dormouse that will absolutely make you giggle. 

Geez, that was a long list! Hopefully, there's something in there that will inspire you and keep you going this week I hope you go out there and make it a good one!

DIY Christmas Gift Tags

Since we've only got a week until Christmas (HOW in the world is it almost Christmas!?), I want to go ahead and share another fun craft with you. With all the time at home and a plethora of craft supplies, I decided it would be fun to add a little handmade pizazz to my gifts and make gift tags with my mixed media paper supplies.

I simply used some gelli-printed papers and other scraps that were in the red and green color scheme of most of my wrapping paper and collaged them onto thicker plain white paper. I added a few hand-carved stamps and some sprays for texture before using a paper trimmer to cut them down. From there, I rounded the corners and inked the edges. Gesso (or white paint pen or even correction fluid) was used to create a white space on which to write. Then, came the best part - decorating the tags with doodles using a variety of markers and pens. 

I used adhesive glue dots to stick them onto my wrapped gifts. Some double-sided tape would work well too. For bagged gifts, I punched a hole in the tags and hung them with ribbon.

Here's my video on the whole process of making these DIY Gift Tags. 

This project kept me busy and added a personal touch to the presents I'm giving this year. I think my next project will be baking up a batch of my favorite chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. How are you staying busy this holiday season?

10 Crafty Christmas Garland Ideas

You have to admit that decorating for each holiday really helps get in the spirit for it. This time of the year, there's nothing quite like a decked-out Christmas tree to make spirits bright. Unfortunately, I had to make the decision to go without a tree this year. We've had to bring in and move around so many things from outside and elsewhere that there's just no place to put a tree right now. I still scattered a few ornaments and merry embellishments around the house but knew I needed a little more to make the season feel festive. A garland that could hang ANYWHERE seemed like the perfect idea. And, one that had me using a variety of my mixed media art supplies was a bonus.

 I have a thing for those little 3D paper balls and have several other crafts that I've used them in, but never a garland. So, I created this Mixed Media Christmas Garland with cardstock, paints, sprays, inks, and stamps. 

Before this idea hit me, I did a little internet search for inspiration and found plenty of other crafty Christmas garlands that helped spark my creativity. Here are a few of them, along with a couple other ideas I have brewing.

I've been on a tassel kick since sometime last year so this beautiful Tassel Garland from Francois et Moi definitely caught my attention. 

I can't seem to share a picture of the sweet Pom Pom Garland at Postcards from the Ridge. But, it had me buying some red yarn the other day. I actually thought I had a pom-pom-maker but can't seem to lay my hands on it. And, that has me wondering if I actually bought the thing or just thought real hard about it. 

How glorious is this Paper Leaf Garland from The House that Lars Built? I can actually see having it up all through the year!

Using paper made me think about the old construction paper chains that we used to make in elementary school. That sent me down a whole rabbit hole of ideas that included possibly using Gelli prints and/or fabric to make a chain.

The amount of color packed into this Felt Garland at Tell Love and Party gives me little heart eyes. And, how easy it looks to make too!

A similar idea was employed to make this Lighted Burlap Garland from Create Craft Love. She really gave me a lightbulb moment in her use of the string of lights incorporated into her garland. I'm still trying to work out if I want to try something similar just to have some lights up in the house. I do love that glow.

Speaking of Christmas lights, how cute is this Paper Christmas Light Garland from Stubbornly Crafty? And, my goodness, it looks fairly easy too!

That one had me thinking about just adding something interesting to twine and stringing it up. In particular, I thought about painting some small wood spools, covering their centers with book or music paper, and then hanging them on yarn or twine.

Finally, this Merry Christmas Banner Garland from Vicky Barone really says it all. I love the simple statement of it and minimal supplies. It could be made pretty quickly and up in no time. 

In the end, I've only made my mixed media one, but am toying with the idea of another. Here's my video of the one I've made so far. 

I know, I'm running out of time to make more, but I HAVE finished my Christmas shopping and that leaves more time to craft! So, tell me, have you made or seen some inspiring garlands too?

Peek at My Week (Dec 6-12)

 It was quite a full week around here. Take a peek. 

To use up a couple of packs of bakery bread in the house, I made French Toast to fuel us up for Sunday's day ahead. 

Pat wanted to get the shed cleaned up so he could move more of the items from the damaged barn over before he began tearing it down. This is what we were working with inside the shed.

With a little teamwork and focus, we had the place picked up and swept before lunchtime! From there, we delivered our donation of gifts for the Giving Tree and picked up lunch. The afternoon was spent on our own endeavors as Pat tackled more in the yard, and I worked in the house. 

Monday was all about the errands: groceries and picking up gifts.

I didn't leave the house at all on Tuesday as I worked on chores and began a Christmas craft that I hope to share soon. I did make a pretty yummy Mexican lunch of bean burritoes.

And, I admitted that my love of Mexican food is really all about the toppings!

I spent the bulk of Wednesday at my mom's house. We ran a couple of errands before my niece came home from school. In the evening, she and I dove into a cookie-decorating kit.

I learned that decorating cookies isn't really one of my strengths. Ha.

I woke to a foggy Thursday morning that gave a beautiful haze to everything as the sun rose.

Pat and his sister's partner worked much of the day on dismantling the roof of the barn at the bottom of that picture. Me? I began another Christmas craft.

Again, I'll share it soon.

The evening was just as hazy as the morning. When I went out to close the chicken coops, the flashlight's beam highlighted the water vapor in the air.

Crazy, right?

I finished the rest of my Christmas shopping on Friday, which is a new record for me! We also met a friend at the Fairhope Brewing Co. for a couple of beers outside.  

This was only the second time in nine months that we've consumed something out in public. It felt so weird and like we were breaking some rules.

On Saturday, the Japanese Maple was glorious!

Pat continued to work on tearing down the pole barn while I did some cleaning in the house. The Bama game was on early, but we decided to wait and watch it recorded later in the afternoon so we could tackle those chores first. 

While Pat removed the plywood walls in the barn, he found this gem and called me out to there to admire it. 

It's a snakeskin from one of the Oak Snakes we've seen near the barn. I think the texture is so cool.

I kept on track for #CarveDecember this week.

Day 6 was swirls

I just kept envisioning big leaves for Day 7's "Jungle" prompt. 

"Stripes" was the prompt for Day 8. This might have been my favorite carve of the week, and so easy!!

The prompt of "together" made me think of this shape that I've been doodling for a few months now. It's similar to the shape I did for the "float" prompt last week. 

At first, I was pretty stumped by "five" for day 10. Then, I decided to carve a five-pointed star.

Shortly thereafter, I had an epiphany.

I carved five gold rings as a bonus stamp!

"Fan" on the 11th just didn't excite me, but I carved this one that could also be a flower.

The "busy" prompt on the 12th just had me making a stamp that was...well, busy.

Like last week, I only found a few snippets of inspiration to share with you. What can I say...I've been busy!

• The tutorial for these Dipa Earrings on Halcraft Collection caught my eye. What a neat design.
• I have to admit that these sculptures from Alessandro Gallo are a tad disturbing but so well done!
• Here are 10 DIY Christmas Ornaments from Crafty Little Gnome. 
• Speaking of Christmas ornaments, this Easy Ornament from a Dollar Tree Gumball Machine really speaks to me for some reason. 
• I've been saving this Fun & Funky DIY Christmas Tree tutorial since last year. It's so fun! And Michelle Mach pointed out on Twitter that it would make a great earring display too. 
• Nunn Designs also shared this Holiday Ornament tutorial last year that I thought was worth saving to show you.
• I thought I ought to share this fabulous British show with you. Pat and I have been binging on Taskmaster for a week or two now. You can find it on YouTube. It's a good laugh and so much fun to watch. 

And, that was my week. Now that my shopping is done, I feel like I have a world of options in front of me. So, I need to focus on what it is I want to accomplish before this year is out. How are occupying these last few weeks?