Crafts — Dear Creatives

#Craft Room Organization & Remodel – Design Ideas

20 Aug posted by Theresa Huse

We want to give our kitchen a face lift this fall, but at the same time add some craft room organization to the kitchen. Our kitchen the heart of the home & yet at this point hasn’t been updated. Being on a budget we are looking for ideas to incorporate how we live into the space. It gets the best lighting for photo shoots, is warm & our go to place. We love to bake & craft in the kitchen, but with limited counter space, a square design &having support walls we can’t take down to expand. (without huge labor & expense) Being on a budget we are going to have to get creative! I thought I would share things that are inspiring me for the day we start the task of combing our kitchen with craft room. Who knows you might find yourself using some of the ideas for new ways to store your items or re-design for yourself.

Traditional home decor
houzz.com

Nook organic
pinterest.com

Organic
pinterest.com

Modern decor
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Annette Tatum Collections office supply
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Red lipstick, all on the paper.
tumblr.com

sewing room
pinterest.com

I really love the idea of an island vs a table setting as we do have a dining room for when we have company. Having that extra storage, a space that has a surface which can work for baking & crafting would be a dream. A cart for holding my Cricut would be perfect for storing it along with the cartridges & tools for paper-crafting. Wall storage would be amazing as the cabinets although go to the ceiling don’t have the depth for storage needed to add in my craft items.

I thought I would share our design process & photos when we get to working various projects all things remodel. One of my favorite rooms was by Jamie at Raising up Rubies. You can see her craft room & article on BHG & her blog post about craft room.

kitchen / craft room

I would love to have shelving nearby for added space & storage. Do you have a post about kitchen remodeling, craft storage, kitchen/dining craft room combo or ideas. Please leave me a link. I’d love to see it! Don’t forget to link up your ideas & posts on Inspiration Spotlight parties right here on the site! I can’t wait to dive into sharing the design & process of the re do. Visit here if you would like to see my Craft Room Inspiration Board on Pinterest. You can also see my remodel board & follow along if you like.

Do you have any craft storage tips? Ideas? or Favorite places to see them? I’d love to know!

Great for Crafting! Treat Bags 4 Designs Great Price! $3.99 for 40!!

13 Aug posted by Theresa Huse

When it comes to fall there are plenty of opportunities to get crafting or baking & giving. These handy treat bags are one way to get started.They come from Pick Your Plum & are in 4 great designs & for a great price. I have seen these bags elsewhere for 10 for $3.99 but, Pick your Plums Offer is for 40 at a great price of $3.99!

What’s great about these bags is you can stamp them, tie them, embellish them, stuff them gift them or use them any way you like!

Simple. Classic. Unique.

Three words that describe these treat bags to a T!

There is something about a brown paper bag that is romantically simple reminding us to slow down and enjoy the life we are working so hard to fill full of wonderful things. Add on trend designs and we are in love! Thanks PICK YOUR PLUM

Each set comes with 40 kraft bags.

They are food safe and have a grease proof liner.
4 designs to choose from
At $3.99 for 40 bags

Saving you money? We LOVE that! Cookies & treats of all sorts protected by the food save & grease proof liner. But, don’t stop at the treat option! Oh no. We are entering the count-down-to-the-next-holiday season.

Need some more ideas check out my packaging board, but don’t forget to, grab your kraft bags! *Before they run out!!

These are fantastic for that! Crafting up some pretty packaging! From back to school to dressing them up with some Halloween or fall flair for your table settings. What about sending your kid to school? We bet that putting veggies in these bags will make them more fun to eat. What ever you decide to do with these cute bags you can’t beat the price! & cute designs!!

How much fun can come in a bag?

PICK YOUR PLUM OFFER 40 bags for $3.99

Inspiration Spotlight #LinkUp 51 #Crafting #DIY #Recipes & More

26 Jul posted by Theresa Huse

Dear Creatives, It’s that time again to link up & gather inspiration. Ready to link-up your posts? Its time to get inspired, get creative & get linking up! This week happy to have you & welcome any new comers to the link party & blog hop. I can’t wait to see all the crafts, decor, sewing, diy, recipes or helpful blogging tips & anything else your like to share to inspire us! You can still see all of last week’s entry’s to link party #50.

Now onto the featured entries & this week’s Inspiration Spotlight:

In the Spotlight

Carrot Sunflower Sandwich Cookies

These lovely cookies come not only with sunflowers, but a love painting that Ellya created. I love her natural style of water coloring. Ellya makes it look effortless, but I know different. They are not the easiest paints to master. Be sure to view her video & grab her lovely recipe.

DIY Wood Box

Ricki shared how to make your own wood box & then she went on to add jars of flowers. She’ll show you how easy it is to make your own. This would be a quick weekend project anyone could tackle. You can always ask for the boards cut to size at the lumber yard or other home improvement store.

Mason Jar Tote

Connie shares a diy for taking a found tote & transforming it with a new paint job & lettering. She shares a quick way to do the transfer. I love it don’t you?

Handmade Aloha Beach Bag

Liz shared her handmade & sewn handbag. She has made several styles of the same pattern & shares where to get the pattern & step by step tutorial. It’s always so much fun to see how different fabrics & ribbons can change the look of a pattern & the end results.

Hope you all are having a great summer & finding time to add a little cooking, creativity & crafting into your days. Remember you can see all last week’s great entries right from the link at top of post! If you’d like to share the link on your blog this week grab the code, it’s summer & a lot of people are out of town but, maybe some of your readers would enjoy linking up too. get the InLinkz code

Now it’s your turn to Join In & Button Up!

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Summer #Crafting, #Sewing…Online Classes for You & the Kids Plus 2 #Free!

10 Jul posted by Theresa Huse

Here’s another round-up so you don’t hear those kids say they are bored! Or maybe even grab a crafting class or two your yourself while your looking. Right now at Creaftsy: What is great is right now you’ll even find a class or two that are Free! Now you can’t beat free, right?! Or maybe you know someone having a summer birthday & are looking for the perfect gift for that creative person. I’m going to share a few favorites, two free classes & what I am currently taken from Craftsy. I hope this sparks some creative learning with the convenience of online classes!

Links for these two classes below if you want to brush up on your sewing skills or are helping teach a teen or tween to sew. Disclosure: Yes, I am an affiliate & that helps me share the best of what is being offered with you. When I mention taking a class or working on a project it is because I am & love sharing my honest opinions about my experiences. The nice thing as all the classes are 100% Guaranteed.

Summer Classes:
Craftsy Summer Course Gallery
A selection of Craftsy classes that are great for summertime! Work on your garden in the sunshine, or beat the heat by learning to knit inside.

Kids Classes:
Craftsy Kids Course Gallery
Looking for ways to entertain your kids and teens now that school is out? Check out these beginner craft classes that are great for kids of all ages. Classes are priced from $9.99 to $29.99, and three are even FREE! Your kids and teens can learn to knit, make a purse, cook a pizza, and more.

Free Classes:
Bag Making Basics- Reversible Tote & Zipper Pouch

Bag Making Basics-Drawstring Bag & Bucket Bag

I recently purchased the Shoot It Class & it’s on sale right now. To help with my photography& product shots for blogging. I am enjoying it so far & can’t wait to get back into it now that I have a bit of time set aside. This is where I left off at composition. That’s the nice thing if you pick up a class you’ve been looking at you can use it anytime. Sometimes you can catch those on sale. Just go to the course gallery link above & then look at the left side categories & you will find it on the SALE classes!! (if you don’t see it look toward the top hit sort by alphabetical)

Another thing that is great is I found out you can gift classes & they are sold by 1, 2 or 3 class increments when adding more the price goes down. So if there is someone you are looking to give a great gift to. Selecting a Craftsy Gift Any Class Card for them would make the best gift for anyone creative, someone looking to learn a new craft or sewing skills to food & cake decorating.

Features

Gifted classes never expire
Give one, two, or three Craftsy classes
Deliver on any date (up to three months in advance)

I hope you have the chance to check out some of the free classes & other classes being offered. Maybe you’ll find what your interested on sale!

Have you taken any Craftsy Classes? or What other online classes have you taken?

Bright Bold Fun! Infinity Permanent Markers for #Crafting #Illustration + #Giveaway !

9 Jul posted by Theresa Huse

Dear Creatives, I had the chance to try out some Infinity Permanent Markers from The Write Dudes. I was super excited as I am always looking for quality art & craft supplies that suit not only me but, that I can share with Sammie too. Especially as her interests in drawing & illustrating are growing. It’s always fun to get creative with quality permanent markers. You don’t have to be an artist to get great uses out of Infinity Permanent Markers either.Perfect for crafting & illustration the pens are bright bold & fun, but also great for marking containers…! They are also great for school projects. I will share some ideas & projects that we did with them. Then enter to win a package of pens for yourself.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored campaign from Sverve. These are all my honest opinions of the product s & results from using them that I am sharing. All images, tips & opinions are 100% my own.

First thing I decided to create some illustrations (images later in post) & just writing with the Infinity Permanent Markers just to get a feel for them. Which means, how the pen flows, grip – feel , does the pen bleed, types of paper its great for & then I also decided to try the pens on fabric. Yes, you heard me right, fabric. You can use permanent markers on fabrics you just have to test them out & then either use a heat gun or what I used is an iron & good old fashioned wax paper to heat set the ink. (washing anything with pens separate in cold water will be recommended)

Qualities of Infinity Markers:

Quick Drying
Odorless
Non Toxic
Fade Proof
Acid Free
Bright Colors
Great versatility for a variety of projects from labeling, to arts & crafts to school projects

Infinity Pens, Theresa Huse 2013

After I used the pens for illustrating on paper a bit I decided to try something different. I took a strip of muslin & using the pens sketched outline of feathers & colored them with the Infinity Permanent Markers.

Of course I wanted to try all the colors so I varied my designs. I also wanted to create small lines, bolder lines along with using the pens for filling in & creating dots.

Ok, so now I have this strip of fabric that I decided turned out too good to just leave it as is. I decided to make a pouch or clutch for holding our sketchbooks out of the fabric, using the strip all the way around the clutch.

Tip*if you try & make something out of the penned fabric make sure to let it try completely, then heat set it prior to making your items.

Then Sammie ( age 11) made me some of her illustrated characters she is working on. Summer is so much fun when you can sit down together on a hot day where it’s cool and have fun with pens!

Our results

Infinity Markers Performance results from our using them:

Feel great in your hands & aren’t over sized
Have great flow to the ink allowing you to drag lines without putting pressure
The pens have a lot of ink so high pressure for use is not required
Can easily make thick or thin lines
Can fill areas while blending well
Works well on several types of paper
*NOTE still bleeds through back with 90lb. paper or lighter ( we didn’t test illustration board or other papers)
Works well on my tested Muslin Fabric (will bleed to side if you hold pen down too long & not pulling on fabric)

Tips for working with permanent markers:

Note: with thinner papers the pens ink will bleed through the back (which is common with permanent markers)
Make sure to work on a surface that is protected if using lighter weight papers & fabrics!
Or lay down a protective paper, plastic mat …when working with permanent marker pens
Pens will bleed a little if you press to hard on fabric as fabric absorbs ink fast so work light handed

Enter any of the ways to win your own set via the RaffleCopter! (USA & Canadian Residents Only) Sorry International Fans

a Rafflecopter giveaway

MFSP: $9.79 Infinity NEON Fine Point Permanent Markers 12ct package (These pens come in various package sizes)

You might like to visit The Write Dudes online at their store where they carry a variety of products for home, office & lockers.

Want to know where to purchase Infinity Markers & connect with The Write Dudes:

The Write Dudes Facebook
@TheWriteDudes
Online Store: The Board Dudes
Grab .75 cents off your purchase

What is your favorite thing to do with Permanent Markers?

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Inspiration Spotlight #LinkUp 48 #Crafts, #Diy, #Recipes & More

5 Jul posted by Theresa Huse

Dear Creatives, I hope you had a great 4th of July & are ready for some weekend inspiration! Thank you to all who linked up last week! Stay tuned for a giveaway coming up soon! & before you go today, don’t miss yesterday’s post with a Flash Sale 50% off for online crafting classes! This week happy to have you & welcome any new comers to the link party & blog hop. I can’t wait to see all the crafts, decor, sewing, diy, recipes or helpful blogging tips & anything else your like to share to inspire us! You can still see all of last week’s entry’s to link party #47. But, now onto the featured entries & this week’s Inspiration Spotlight.

In the Spotlight

Concrete Planter Diy

You’ll love this step by step diy by Laurel at A Bubbly Life. You know planters can be so expensive. I can’t wait to ask the Mr. to bring home a bag of concrete for me so I can give her diy a go. With summer the set up time should be pretty quick.

Blog Planner Printable Freebie

Thanks to Judy of Pursuit of Functional Home you can print an entire blog planner & organizational sheets. You’ll love it if you missed it on the link up last week! When you pop by to grab the freebie planner pages you want or the whole shebang be sure to tell her you are stopping by from the party!

Pallet Table Diy

This Pallet Table Diy was shared by Selene of Restoration Beauty. You can see how easy it is to make your own. Perfect for summer outdoor entertaining!

Shout outs:

Homemade baby food via Beauty Through Imperfection
Three great burger recipes via A Pinch of Chocolate here’s her pork burger with slaw recipe
A flavorful & yummy looking Turkey burger Recipe via Life After Empty Nest
A Cupcake Tower Diy via My Love to Create

Last week’s party you can find more all right here at Link Up #47

Now it’s your turn to Join in! & Button Up!

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Happy 4th of July #diy Round Up & 50% off Flash Sale at Craftsy!

4 Jul posted by Theresa Huse

Dear Creatives, I hope you all have a safe & happy 4th of July, possibly with extended weekend. It’s never too late to have some summer fun & put some ideas away for next year while your at it. If your in town & hurry you can take advantage of Craftsy’s flash sale find out more below! But, first the diy round up.

Fruity Ice Drinks via Mom.me
Pledge of Allegiance Sign via Infarrantly Creative
Diy 4th of July Bunting via LollyJane
Diy Pinata Cone via blog.evite
Free Happy Summer Printable via Eat Drink Chic
All other image credits here
Disclosure: I am a Craftsy affiliate & will receive a small commission for sharing the information with you. If you decide to purchase a class which allows me to help run the site
You may preview classes & read reviews prior to purchase

Craftsy Flash Sale 50% off!

Now I wanted to share a Flash Sale that is going on at Craftsy! 5o % off !! ( more of the details listed below) But, this class that caught my eye it is from Craftsy flash sale it’s Quilt As You Go Patchwork Bags. It looks super fun! I love that you can mix & match up your fabrics scraps & come up with a great finished product! Not to mention I would love to continue to expand my sewing skills.

Craftsy’s flash sale on their 5 Star Classes until July 5th until Midnight MDT! 50% off classes! Yes, 50% off!!

Some of the 50% off 5 Star Classes include:

Cake Decorating
Quilting & Embroidery
Sewing
Knitting
Crocheting & Jewelry

To see more of Craftsy’s flash sale & class offerings visit here: general page where the 50% Star Classes are listed & categories are left on the side. At 50% off the average price for the classes are $19.99! There are only one or two that are a bit more. If you are a class junkie like me & love to learn, you’ll love them! What you will like about them is once paid for you can take them at your pace at anytime!

Hope you all have a great 4th of July & holiday weekend!!

If you were to take a class what category would you like to learn something from?

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Filed Under: Crafts, discounts

Hot New Summer #Crafting EClasses-Video Classes for Kids & Adults

3 Jul posted by Theresa Huse

Dear Creatives, I had to share that I was excited to find some new summer classes at CreativeBug! I think there are quite a few new video classes & some classes on sale for as low as $9.99 for a single class or you can purchase a monthly subscription to take as many as you like. One class that caught my eye was a class for how to build the cutest puppet doorway theater. Since it’s summer maybe your interested in some of the kids offerings too. There are classes on how to make Shrinky Dink Jewelry, Nature Pals, Felt Puppets & more. How fun to get kids creative this summer & doing their own projects.

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of CreativeBug if a class is purchased I will earn a small commission. These are my honest opinions.

Puppet Theater Video eClass

Of course there are plenty of classes I am seeing to take with their wide selection! From sewing, to making rice paper lanterns (which look so pretty), home decor, ceramics to my favorites I am considering printmaking & book binding. This next class is one I have taken, but elsewhere it’s Beeswax Collage.

Molly (Student) Beeswax Collage, Image Transfer and paint

When I saw they offered Beeswax Collage Video Class I had to share it! If you have never worked with beeswax it is super cool & creates the dreamiest effects on what you collage. I have taken it else where but, at CreativeBug with the price is a mere $14.99 for the class that is a deal!! In my area someone taught a similar class & it was over $350. for two days! If you have never tried collage this is a great way to learn how fun it can be, but with the added elements of beeswax! You can use images, paper elements, paints, pens & then you add beeswax. Once you learn the technique the results are limitless.

Beeswax Collage Courtney Cerruti ( Teacher)

Learn how to turn simple blocks of wood, photocopies and beeswax into personal works of art. With their lived-in patina, these storyblocks offer endless options to personalize. Courtney will teach you specific techniques, along with how to best select images, and tips for composition and decoration.

So if you are looking for creative fun, kids crafts classes for the kids who are saying, “I am bored.” or Just ready to get into a new craft yourself drop by CreativeBug to see their new eclass / video offerings & get started on something that interests you! You’ll find their class list quite extensive & in categories that make it simple for shopping for what your interests are!

What is the last creative class you have taken?

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Filed Under: Crafts, DIY, Sewing

10 Easy Summer #Diys

1 Jul posted by Theresa Huse

Dear Creatives, I was looking for easy diy’s & craft projects to share with you that were perfect for the person that is getting busier with all the hustle & bustle of summer & summer activities. I have so much going on myself I was looking for easy diy’s that might fit into my day & not take a lot of time or supplies. I hope you enjoy this round up of tutorials for the easy summer diy’s as much as I did & add a few onto your diy summer to do list!

Image & Tutorial Credits as follows

Summer Wedding / Party Diy’s

When I saw the Lace Earring diy I just had to share I have plenty of vintage lace all sizes that just might be perfect for this diy project. Not to mention they are perfect to wear at a wedding, party or other summer event. I found the diy at GreenWeddingShoes. Then there was the easy diy for dip dyed favor / treat bags, they were made for Valentines but, I can see changing them up with colors for wedding or birthdays or even with the colors as they are. I found this diy via Designmom shared by Jordon of PolkadotPrints.

Summer Travel Diy’s

All of these diy’s are easy. Summer is full of traveling so why not spruce up your passport by covering it with an easy diy you can find the tutorial thanks to Ohnorachio. I hate dragging my chargers everywhere & getting them mixed up so I loved the idea of glittering the phone charger! I can color code my plugs & keep myself sane as we all have the same charges. No mixing up whose is whose & what goes to what. This is the perfect summer project for a tween or teen too, thanks to Lovefeasttable.

Summer Garden Diy’s

I love herbs but, our summer weather can get so hot & dry it can kill them if not tended to daily & planted in the shade. The perfect solution & great for easy access was this diy for an easy Herb Indoor Garden diy from DesignSponge. I don’t drink a lot of soda, but all it takes is one party & collecting a lot of tops then you can create this easy Plant Garden Marker I love how they look & that its a material that is re-purpose & going to withstand the elements this was from GreyLusterGirl.

Here are a couple more easy summer diy’s just to round up your diy project to do list!

You’ll love this easy sew, oh so pretty Sunglasses Pouch diy: sunglasses pouch sewing diy
Does your dad or Mr. have or you have some wood shop tools? You’ll love this simple wood working diy for wood jewelry: simple wood rings diy
Maybe your looking to spruce up your summer decor? Here is the perfect wood slat board – flower diy: dahlia flower diy
You might just love Katie’s idea to have create a diy headboard terrarium. You can make one & put it anywhere you like with this easy headboard terrarium diy

& if that’s not enough be sure to subscribe or follow along as I will be sharing how you can make a simple, easy diy that will be great for parties, weddings or your summer fun gatherings!

What summer diy’s are you looking forward to trying?

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Inspiration Spotlight #LinkUp 47 #Crafts, #Diy, #Recipes & More

28 Jun posted by Theresa Huse

Dear Creatives, It’s time again for our weekly link-up & weekend inspiration! Thank you to all who linked up last week! This week happy to have you & welcome any new comers to the link party & blog hop. I can’t wait to see all the crafts, decor, sewing, diy, recipes or helpful blogging tips & anything else your like to share to inspire us! You can still see all of last week’s entry’s to link party #46. But, now onto the featured entries & this week’s Inspiration Spotlight.

In The Spotlight

Ruffled Curtains Diy

How gorgeous are these ruffled curtains?Rachel of Maisondepax shared this diy. Well, thanks to Rachel you can make some yourself as she shares how with a tutorial that will have you wanting to make some yourself or Pin it until your ready too! Rachel shares more diy’s & adventures as she helps restore their 1940′s Colonial home while chasing two boys.

Painted Flag Tee Shirt Diy

This was easy diy was shared by Susan of Organized 31. Its quick & easy, you can use this technique for other designs too. Susan has been everything from an Air Force officer, to a Parent Educator, to a stay-at-home mom, with many other experiences along the way. She believe that life is better when organized. You might like Susan’s outdoor summer kit diy perfect for having for travel & play!

4th of July Bandanna Flag

This easy diy idea was shared by Cathy of Lemon Tree Dwelling. Cathy is a stay at home mom to three who loves to create!

Shout outs:

Kids or Family Room Wall Decor

This lovely & bright wall decor was submitted by Sarah of Creative Ramblings.

Faux Watercolor Diy

Linda from PaperSeedlings shared how to create this faux watercolor with a step by step & supply list.

Now it’s your turn! Button Up! & Link-Up!

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