One of my favorite crafting supplies...

Piddix Collage Sheets and silver-plated pendant trays.

Simply attach your image to the glass and press into the tray. Presto!

Your glass tile jewelry is easier to make than ever before!

Have a favorite photo? Just look what you can do!

Click here for Square Pendant Trays.

Click here for Round Pendant Trays.

Click here for Piddix Collage Sheets Wizard of Oz.

Click here for Piddix Collage Sheet Hawaiian Floral Print.

Cement Stepping Stone Walk of Fame

You don't have to be a Hollywood Movie Star to be part of a memorable "Walk of Fame."

By leaving your hand or footprint in a wet cement stepping stone, you'll make an impression that will last forever in your own garden! This is a project I have done every summer with my children since they were quite young. It literally takes only 20 minutes to mix and form (plus overnight for cure time) and the memories last forever. My children enjoy strolling through their personal walk of fame again and again. They like checking to see how much they've grown. We always include the footprints of our pets - Gerbils, Guinea Pigs, and of course our precious dog!

You will need the following supplies, available at most craft stores such as Micheals or Joann Fabrics and Crafts

• One box of Portland Cement. I prefer Milestone brand.
  
• Plastic mold (available individually, or sold as part of a set with the cement mix)
  
• Measuring cup
  
• Bucket, or large mixing container for mixing cement
• Buck of clean water for washing feet, hands and tools
  
• Wooden paint stick for stirring
  
• Popsicle stick for writing names, or plastic letters for stamping onto wet cement
  
• Misc. charms, rocks, shells or mementos for added decoration
  

1) Set all supplies out ahead of time so that you aren't dashing around for them after you have started. The mix set's relatively quickly. You won't have time to collect what you need once you have started. I put my children on alert too - "get ready. I'm going to need you soon."

2) Following the directions on the box, pour the cement into your mixing container in a well ventilate space - preferably outside.

3) Pour 2 cups of water into the powder, then stir. If the mix is too dry, gradually add water, one tablespoon at a time. It is important to NOT to add too much water.

4) Mix the cement and water to a consistency that will hold its shape when you press your hand into it.

5) Pour the cement mix into the mold.

Shake the plastic tray until the cement has settled and leveled. Any roughness or cracks, can be smoothed with your fingers.

6) Call your children and help press their foot or hand into the wet cement. 

Be sure to push their toes into the mix by pressing down gently on each one. Lift their foot STRAIGHT UP as they step out for a clean impression. Don't you love that black nail polish?

If the impression isn't to your liking, smooth it out with a little water on your fingers and try it again. You'll have about 20 minutes to work with the cement before it starts to set.

7) Once the impressions have been made, completely wash hands and feet in a nearby bucket of water.

8) Using the tip of a Popsicle stick, or plastic letter stamps, press names and the date into the wet cement.

9) Place the tray on a flat surface where it can cure overnight undisturbed.

10) Completely wash all the tools you have used while the cement is still wet.

After your stone has cured overnight, turn the plastic mold and cement stone gently over onto the grass so that it is face down. The plastic mold should easily pull away and release itself from the cement stone.

How to Make Simple Button Pendants for Fresh and Colorful Accessories

I love to craft with buttons. The projects you can make are simply endless.

Recently I sat down for some crafty therapy and assembled several quick button pendants as samples to take with me on an upcoming get-away with some girlfriends. I thought button pendants would be a simple enough project to do at night in our hotel room.

You will need the following items:

1. E6000 glue, or other thick durable glue for attaching jewelry componants.
2. .5 mm Stretch Magic beading string, or thick thread.
3. 3 buttons ranging in size from small, medium and large.
4. Toothpick.
5. An assortment of glass beads.
6. Sterling plated jewelry bail. 

Starting from the bottom of the largest button, thread a 4" thread of string or Stretch Magic through one hole of each button. Work your way from largest to smallest.

 

Next, put a glass bead or two onto the string and thread back through the other holes of the buttons.

Tie the string into a simple square knot on the back of the largest button, and snip the ends short.

With the toothpick, put a small dollop of E600 glue into the depression of a jewelry bail.

Gently press the button onto the glued bail and let dry for at least one hour.

Attach the button pendant to a silver chain and your pendant is complete.

For a coordinated look, make two identical button sets. Attach one to a pendant bail and the other to a ring base with E6000 glue.

(the above photo is from the 2010 CHA tradeshow)

In a very short amount of time, you can have several fun pieces of jewelry to brighten up your wardrobe!  Easy enough for all skill levels, this would make a fantastic craft for a girl's birthday party to use as the favors.

(the above photo is from the Micheal's booth at the 2010 CHA tradeshow)

Click here for button resources.

How to Make Balloon Embellished Flip Flops

When the heat is on, and the kids are outside for the summer, here is a simple and fun craft to do. Embellish Flip Flops with water balloons!

This craft takes about one hour and you will need the following items:

- One or two bags of small water balloons (per person).
- An inexpensive pair of flip flops - often available at craft stores, Target, or Walmart for a few dollars.

1) Begin by stretching and wrapping a single balloon around the rubber foot straps. Pulling the balloon tightly, tie it into a simple square knot.

2) Continue the process until the entire straps are completely covered with knotted balloons. Push the balloons close to each other for a fully covered strap.

This is an easy craft that would be the perfect activity for kids at a pool party or for a birthday party activity...right before a huge water balloon fight!

While trolling the various stores on Etsy (a past time I enjoy) I came across these amazing

flower brooches made from vintage zippers by "Zippining"  click here

They sell for about $30.00 - $40.00 each.

I also discovered these little darling heart pins which would be a great beginner project to sew.

Zipper Earrings for sale at Littles Gift Shop Etsy Click here

After a little more research, I found several tutorials that illustrate how to create these zipper creations. See below for the complete round-up.

Martha Stewart pointed corner Zipper flowers. Click here.

Simplicity black zipper brooch inspired by Project Runway. Click here.

Craftaholics Anonymous zipper flower cool bracelet. Click Here.

 Quirky and Co., The Musings of a Teenage Girl on Style and Pop Culture: Click here.

Modern Marie blogspot hot glues a black and gold zipper flower. Click Here

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Creating a logo

Sometimes it's really fun to see the creative process behind a logo design.

I was cleaning out files on my computer the other day, and found these images showing the evolution of my little Craft Junkie Bug. Before tossing them out, I thought it would be fun to share them with you. 

It started like this:

I had just returned from a summer camping trip with my family, where we saw all sorts of dragon flies. One even landed on my daughter's nose while she was floating in our rubber raft! The dragonflies were so pretty - I got to thinking it would be fun to have a cute little "bug" that represented me on all my crafting collateral pieces (business cards, letterhead, class handouts, invoices, hang tags, blog, and Etsy stores).  I wanted an image that could stand alone and would become recognizable - would become my brand. 

I started by making several sketches of bugs holding various crafting tools - scissors, paint brushes, glue bottles. 

I'm a frilly girl, so creating a bug that was wearing a skirt seemed a good choice.

After several initial sketches, I picked one to scan into the computer, and began redrawing it in Adobe Illustrator. 

I experimented with various brush strokes versus simple lines, and explored questions such as: Should the leggings be striped or plain. 

Should there be 3 toes or 4?

What kind of tail swirl should I use to show movement?

A Dashed line, or solid continuous line?

What shape will I use for the mouth? A toothy grin? Big plump lips?

 Each part of the design requires time consuming exploration. 

Attention to minute details are necessary to making a strong logo.  It can make the difference between good design and mediocre work and is something the general public is often unaware of.

For corporate logos, hundreds of design options will be explored. I remember working for Nordstrom Adverstising many years ago. At the time, The Nordstrom family wanted to change the lettering that was used in their logo identity. Hundreds of different type styles were explored before settling on a customized, hand lettered design that was unique to their stores. You would never know how many hours were spent on that final identity. But...it's necessary to get things exactly right and unique, and is also why a customized logo can cost a lot of money.

My mantra is, "God is in the details."

I decided on crisp clean lines for the drawing style of my final bug.

I simplified the mouth, crown and details of the legs.

I also enlarged the eyes for more prominance. 

Next, color and shadows were added for dimension.

At this point, I was pretty happy with the bug, but decided to explore one more variation before settling on a final design. 

This dragonfly was cute enough, and maybe could work as a visiting friend, but I decided to stick with the previous bug wearing a skirt to represent "Me." 

Along the way, I side tracked a bit and experimented with how my bug might look with words.

And there was the question of how I would spell the words: Junkie, Junkee?

The below version is what I finally settled on. A crisp clean line bug, contrasting with irregular messy type. This is quite representive of who I am in life and in my working style. I'm constantly striking a balance between my formal training as a Graphic Designer, my desire for cleanliness and order, to the reality of my life with husband, children, dog, and my intense passions as a messy addicted crafter!