Craft Test Dummies

This is a question I was asking myself when representatives at TopHatter.com approached me and asked me to take a look at their auction website. Unlike other auction sites, this one is LIVE- that means, you must be present and online to bid and win. It’s a fast-paced, fun way to bid on handmade items, [...]

 Today’s guest is Carla Macklin, co-owner and designer of Clever Charlotte, a company that designs and sells clothing patterns for “modern children.” She’s immensely talented and is the most talented sewist I’ve ever met. Oh, and she’s my cousin-in-law, too- which meas that when we have family get-togethers, Carla and I compare notes on blogging [...]

Every year our holiday cards change. Some years I make them all by hand, some years we sadly wait until the last minute and order quick photo cards at the last minute. This year we had some professional photos taken in Mexico, and I just KNEW that they would make fabulous holiday photo cards- and [...]

The last few times we were at CHA and I stopped by the dazzling booths of DCWV, (Die Cuts with A View),  I noticed that they were advertising a new digital scrapbooking app.  I hadn’t tried any yet so I decided to give this a go for on-the-go scrapbooking- the eScrap app!  Here is how [...]

So y’all know I am WAAAAAY into recycle crafting. In fact, if you take a look at my projects, over half of them are upcycled or recycled. So when my “internets friend” Johnnie Lanier reached out and let me know that she was partnering with Suzy Myers to create Totally Green crafts, I was all [...]

When I first saw Jenny at CHA in Chicago and we sat down to chat about what’s new and popular she asked me, “So how long did it take you to download the new Tim Holtz app?”  I said, “Minutes!”  And it’s true!  I went back and looked through my twitter feed and it took me [...]

While sitting at the Innovations presentation at CHA, I whipped out my iPad to take notes when a few people instantly asked around me, “What app is that?” “This?” I say, “This is Paper. I use this more than any other app.” And it’s true.  Paper by 53 is a streamlined drawing and sketch app.  [...]

I was up earlier than usual this Sunday AM and found a fun show for pre-kinders and early elementary grades while flipping around. It’s called Noodle and Doodle and airs on Sprout, or on NBC Kids in the early AM. I looked it up online, and here how it’s described on the Sprout website: Craft, [...]

I’ve notice that there is a trend for turning your photos into canvas prints lately- but I’ve always wondered if they work. I was approached by UPrinting.com to give it a go….for free…. so how could I turn that down? I’m always a skeptic, and I like to really see for myself if A) the [...]

Earlier this year I wrote an article called “ Pinterest and Why Crafters Love It!” Since then, Pinterests’ shiny image has gotten a little tarnished. Unclear and contradictory Terms of Service, the hijacking of affiliate marketing links, and the fear of intellectual property infringement are now causing artists and crafters to delete their pinboards and [...]

I’m a work at home mom with a spouse who travels- so as much as I’d love to take craft classes, often it just doesn’t fit into my calendar or lifestyle. I’ve seen a bunch of new online classes pop up, but I was wary. Truth be told, I signed up for an online class [...]

What is PINTEREST? When my hubby (who works in marketing and social media) asked me that, did a double-take. We crafters and craft bloggers have been hooked on Pinterest for a year or so, and I created my account and put the button on my blog over 6 months ago. So I realized that maybe [...]

A while ago I was sent an email invitation by the folks at CricutSearch.com to check out their site. It’s a handy-dandy site to search for images and fonts on Cricut cartridges- so if you’re looking for something specific, it can help you locate the cart that you need. Editor’s note: since this article was [...]

I love to take pictures. But with my hectic life, I rarely actually pack a camera. Instead, I use my handy-dandy iPhone to take  my everyday photos. With my Lo-Mob app for my iPhone, I alter them into cool, high-art snaps! The Lo-Mob app is easy to download via iTunes, and is only $1.99. This [...]

A while ago I was browsing on the Elmer’s website and found a cool little tool to help you figure out what kind of Elmer’s adhesive to use. The first thing I thought was: “There oughtta be an App for that!” and lo and behold, 4 months later, here it is- the Elmer’s Glue Guide! [...]

Remember last January when I told you the big, new trend was jewelry? (Read that post here.) Well, honey, I hate to say I told you so….but….guess what I saw at Target last week?? Yup! There it is! I noticed waaaaay fewer rubber stamps things of that nature, and this display was about 6 ft. [...]

So if you read my post yesterday, you know that I’m the owner of a brand-spanking new iPad; so today I’m going to review the as-of-yet- only craft application for the iPad, the FamilyFun Craft Finder by Disney. The good news is that if you are an early adopter, this clever app is free for [...]

I’m not sure if I consider myself a gadget geek, but I do try and keep up with technology. After all, I espouse the joy of hand-made and community, but do so via social media. Consequently, I felt it was necessary to take one for the team (ahem) and be an early adopter of the [...]

I received not ONE but TWO different issues of “Artful Blogging” by Somerset Studios over the holidays. I LOVE art/craft magazines, and my thoughtful family and friends know that I’m an artist/crafter/maker and a blogger. They figured that this magazine would be right up my alley. WRONG. I am usually very open-minded and try to [...]

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

So, the first thing you might be asking is, “what the heck is a Swap-Bot?”, so let me clue to you in! Swap-Bot is this nitfty site where crafters can…um…swap. Let me try again. That is, some one says, “Hey, I’m having a ball making these wintery ATC’s. I would love to trade with another [...]

If you are here, than you know that my mission and passion is to bring the joy of hand-crafting to everyone. BUT… if time has gotten away from you, or you have extra, last-minute gifts to GIVE and no more time to MAKE, I have an excellent solution for you. Visit WorldofGood.Ebay.com, and you find [...]

Cindy Lietz is a polymer clay artist and Craftista who has put together a series of polymer clay tutorials available by subscription. Since the PC world is smallish and fairly interconnected, she offered me the chance to view her tutorials (for free, for full disclosure) and write a review of what I saw. If you [...]

Those of you have read this blog or my other, CraftTherapy, know that I belong to a number of Yahoo Groups. If you haven’t ever checked them out, you may want to consider seeking out some crafty sites that meet your interests. So here’s Yahoo Groups 101: visit their home page, and then type in [...]

Ok, so I know this is my 3rd post today, but I was playing around with a picture that I took of Baby Girl… and I had to share it. Isn’t she gorgeous? And isn’t Flock fun?

Once again, TipNut rocks! They’ve compiled a gi-normous list of baby crafts, including diaper covers, wipe cases, diaper stackers, burpclothes and bibs, blankies and booties too! If you’ve got a new baby or are getting ready for baby showers, this post will point you in the right direction. I especially liked the burp cloth ideas…they [...]

It’s just not fair- Easter is so freaking early this year! I barely had time to enjoy St. Patrick’s Day yesterday, my birthday is the day after tomorrow, and Easter is this weekend. Ick. Hardly enough time to pull it together to make any crafts and cards. Good thing I just ran across Tipnut‘s site. [...]

Ok, so I’m sure that there are a bunch of blog directories out there. I’m just not aware of them!! But I ran across Blog Flux quite by accident today, and found a whole directory of crafting blogs! Hooray! Something to do the next time I’m up at 3 AM with a migraine! If you’d [...]

I’ve been on a jones lately, looking for – and buying – craft supplies on Ebay. Purchasing your supplies this way can either be great savings or a huge rip-off. Here’s how to know the difference. First of all, take into consideration what kind of products your looking for, and whether or not “new” or [...]

I spent the AM posting things on Etsy, listing some craft samples I had lying around. What? You’ve never heard of Etsy? Well! Let me school ya… Etsy is a site for artist/crafters to sell their creations… and for folks to love to buy unique, hand-made or one of a kind (OOAK to the uninitiated) [...]