Craft Test Dummies

The Thanksgiving holiday is just around the corner and I’m doing some last-minute crafting and decorating. I decided that this year each person would get their name on their plate along with a little treat. I used the Candy Box Punch Board by We R Memory Keepers to create my Holiday Place Setting Treat Boxes […]

After last years’ success with the Envelope Punch Board, it only made sense that We R Memory Keepers would up their game and come up with new versions of the punch board. At CHA last summer they debuted FOUR new ones- and today, we’ll take a closer look at two of them: Gift Box Punch […]

Earlier this summer, Carolina reviewed the new Mod Melts line from Plaid. Almost immediately, we got a comment asking what was the difference between Mod Melts and traditional hot glue sticks. I took it upon myself to do an extra round of testing- and I’m sharing my results with you today! Both are extruded from […]

Do you have a purse littered with stubs and bits that you mean to scrapbook one day? Do you have pics on your phone or photo-sharing stream (such as Instagram)? Lastly, do you have a stack of paper that you really don’t care for anymore? Well, you can make this Instagram-friendly “Smoosh” (Smash-style) book in […]

Halloween is one of my families favorite holidays…and this year it’s even a little more special because we have a foreign exchange student celebrating with us. (Did you know that Halloween and Trick-or-Treating has spread to Italy? Go figure.)   To get geared up, we put out some decorations and I whipped up this little […]

I mentioned that last week I went to the set of Scrapbook Soup to share some fun projects for the upcoming season. Wanna sneaky peek? Here’s one of them! This project is great for using up some of the craft supplies you probably have on hand- watercolor paints and Mod Podge! Here’s what you need: […]

As you may or may not remember, I’m using a lot of the crafty goodness sent to CTD WHQ to make cards for our troops via Operation Write Home. I figure I’m blessed with an abundance of craft supplies, so it’s good karma to pay it back with some charity work.  So today I want […]

So, rarely do I share scrapbook layouts here. First off, I’m not a big scrapbooker in the traditional sense, and secondly…well, I’m just not that good at it! But when I was asked to come back to Scrapbook Soup and tape some segments for next season, I thought I’d better dust off my scrapbooking skills […]

OK, I know  I have reviews stacking up to the ceiling. But before I buckle down and get a-testing, I needed to play a bit. You know what I mean? Of course you do.  Crafters are like that. We can *have* to make a gift or card, but really we might be itching to do […]

Hey, Crafty Friends! As you know, I LOVE a good resist. Since I’ve already shared crayon-rubbing resists and Mod Podge Resists, today I’m going with something more traditional: heat-embossed resist greeting cards! I love making these- they are so much fun to create the background patterns an then whip up into any kind of card […]

Need a last-minute Mother’s Day card? Or birthday or “Thank you” for that matter? I’ve got a quick card you can make in under 15 minutes with basic stamping supplies you probably have on hand. This card hinges on stamps. They can be from the same set or mixy-matchy…. but you need a t least […]

Are you like me when it comes to scrapbooking?  Over-obsessing over every embellishment, color choice and photo placement?  Does it take you two days to finish a page?  Do you sometimes NEVER finish a layout?  Well the fabulous May Flaum comes to our rescue with, “Fashionably Fast: Ten Strategies for stylish, speedy scrapbook pages.”  This […]

Yesterday I showed you how I transform paper scraps into paper beads that mimic glass lampwork beads- and today, I bring you more projects to use up, transform and recycle paper, newsprint, sheet music, and more! I’ve got some amazing projects for you to check you- and there’s a giveaway, too! Now, If you are […]

Some of you may remember back at Winter CHA 2013 I picked Basic Grey’s new chipboard albums as one of my top product picks.  (Go take a look!)  I even mentioned that Knee Highs & Bow Ties are two of my favorite paper lines that debuted.  Both collections are very similar but Knee Highs is […]

It’s that time of year again- when we all wear our hearts on our sleeve…or ears….or hands…. or lapel! Time to make and wear some really cut Valentine’s Day jewelry…this year, I’m integrating one of my favorite paper crafts: QUILLING! Never fear, friends! It’s easy and Mod Podge Dimensional Magic Silver Glitter Formula makes it […]

I love to make cards! So easy, so fun, and so many opportunities to play with different themes, techniques and embellishments. I hauled out my Valentine’s/Love themed papercrafting box and started to play. I keep my themed/holiday paper, tools, stamps, and embellishments in the same box so that I can easily find them when I […]

Do you ever feel guilty on Christmas morning when you see all of that pretty gift wrap torn and strewn all over the place? Ever feel the need to compulsively save it?? Well, I do. And I did. So last year I salvaged some of the “good” bits of wrapping paper, ribbons, and greeting cards, […]

Kits seem to be really hot these days. (Or have I just been living under a rock?) Scrapbook Update did a series on Kits, PaperCrafters Corner just did a WEEK on kits…and well, I’m obviously kit-deficient. So Nicole from Home and Garden Welcome offered to send me a kit  and despite being a little nervous […]

I’ve been on a card-making kick ever since I learned about Operation Write Home. And the other day I was playing with my new Mini Lucky 8 Punch and came up with this card, which has a “secret message” flap on the front.     (PS- this is another instance where I was working in […]

You guys…  HEY, YOU GUYS!  Did I get your attention?  Good because I wanted to.  This product review has me excited.  Like, REALLY EXCITED. I’M CAPS LOCK EXCITED.  When I took the little Loomi light kit out of the box I admit, I was completely baffled. “It’s just paper,” I thought.  And no directions?  What?!  […]

Every now and then my studio gets absolutely chaotic- usually when I have too many reviews in too short of a time frame and my kids are home so I’m easily distracted with mommy duties. These past few weeks- really since we got home from our family reunion at the end of June- the kids […]

Today I’m participating in a blog hop for one of our CTD sponsors, Susana’s Custom Art and Card Design- SCACD. Here’s a little intro from her, before I show you the stamp I got and the project I made! Today SCACD releases fun and fresh stamps from the Susana Loves Stamps Collections!!! We start off […]

I’m still cranking out cards for Operation Write Home- and I was drawn to the lovely washi tapes that they sent me! So I challenged myself to make three different styles of cards featuring Washi Tape! #2 Washi Tape as a background. In this card, I covered the entire background with diagonal stripes of washi […]

What happens when two amazing companies join forces and resources?  You get an awesome product, of course!  Enter in Hero Arts and Sizzix Stamp and Die Cuts!  Hero Arts is one of the leading manufacturers of quality and trend-setting stamps while Sizzix is one of the most well-known names in the crafting industry and leader […]

Mother’s Day is looming- and after making the Mini-Clipboard for my gift idea, of course I needed a card to match. Luckily, I have my Elmer’s adhesives and X-Acto tools on hand to make crafting my card a snap. First, I’ll show you the finished card: Inside: Making this card is easy! Just cut your […]

Well, the title of this post says it all! Not only can you make your own Washi/Paper tape using the Xyron (that post is my how-to WITH video) but you can also take it a step further- make it scented, as well! So here’s the story- I was walking through Marshall’s and saw this pretty […]

If you know me, you know I love a challenge! So when the folks at ScribbleShop.com offered me a box o’ goodies and the challenge to use as many as I could in ONE PROJECT…well, I was all like “It’s ON!” Wanna see what they sent me? And friends, I am happy to report that […]

Despite my Irish heritage, we don’t go all-out for Saint Patirick’s Day at my house. Yes, there will be green yogurt for breakfast and gold coins at snacktime, but really it’s pretty low-key. However, I do like to make little cards for my kids telling them how lucky I feel to be their mom.  This […]

Happy Leap Day! What better way to celebrate then with some great froggy art? So many crafty froggies….. have fun with it!

I like a challenge. And every now and then, I mark off some time in my schedule to participate in some swaps that get my creative juices flowing. I’ve taken to making tags, and when video went up on Joggles.com about making tag BOOKS, well….. I was in. I used a bunch of my mixed-media […]