Make it: Carnelian & Citrine Earrings

Make it: Carnelian & Citrine Earrings

Supplies:
2 teardrop-shaped carnelian beads
14 small round citrine beads
2 gold ear wires
gold beading wire
2 spherical gold crimp beads
2 tubular gold crimp beads
2 gold crimp bead covers
round-nose pliers
jewelry wire-cutters
crimping tool



1. Thread three round citrine beads on a section of gold beading wire. Next, thread a carnelian teardrop bead and follow with three round citrine beads.

2. Bend the wire to form a loop, keeping both ends of the wire together at the top. Thread both ends of the wire through a gold crimp bead and thread one round citrine bead over both wire ends.

3. Gently pull one end of the wire down until it's shorter than the other end but still threaded through the spherical crimp bead and the citrine.


4. Thread one tubular crimp bead over both ends of the wire. Using needle-nose pliers, loop the longer end of the bead wire through the crimp bead to create a tiny loop.

5. Use the bottom groove of the crimping tool to crimp the tubular crimp bead; use the top groove of the crimping tool to flatten the crimp bead. Use jewelry wire-cutters to trim away any excess bead wire.


6. Position a crimp bead cover over the bead and gently press closed with the crimping tool. Repeat steps 1-9 for the second earring. The same technique can be used to create a necklace pendant.

Make it: Grown Up Paper Beads

Make it: Grown Up Paper Beads

Re-Craft tiny scraps of paper into pretty beads.

Materials:
Mod Podge - gloss
Colorful wrapping or scrapbook paper (glossy works best)
Scissors
Bamboo skewers

1. Cut paper into triangles approximately 1" or less across the bottom and approximately 2" long.

2. Apply Mod Podge to the back of the paper.

3. Starting at the wide end of the paper, roll it tightly around a bamboo skewer.

4. Apply glue to the last 1/2" of the paper (the pointed end) and roll into place. Once it dry, apply Mod Podge over the surface of the beads to create a glossy finish.

Make it: Paper Bead Necklace

Materials:
2 paper beads
clasp
chain (long enough to make necklace the desired length)
decorative beads (here, two beads were used, one large and one small rosy quartz)
2 jump rings
2 crimp beads
wire cutters
round-nose jewelry pliers
1 head pin

1. Cut a length of chain to use as the base of the necklace.

2. Slide rosy quartz beads onto a head pin. With the wire cutters, snip off the head pin excess, leaving enough to make a loop. Use round-nose pliers to form a loop at the end of the head pin.

3. Locate the middle point of the chain and attach the bead charm you just made to this point. Use pliers to open the loop of the head pin and attach it to the link in the middle of the chain.

4. Slide paper beads onto the chain, putting one on each side of the charm.

5. With round-nose pliers open up the jump rings and attach one to each end of the chain. Attach one half of the clasp to one of the jump rings and the other half of the clasp to the other jump ring. Close the jump rings with the pliers.

Make it: Artwork à la Warhol

Make it: Artwork à la Warhol

Materials:
4 12"x12" stretched, gessoed artist canvases
Folk Art craft paint in 4 colors (either bright or muted)
foam paintbrushes
Mod Podge
4 14"x17" color copies of a black-and-white image
10 yd. decorative trim (narrower than the edge of the canvas)
floating medium
picture-hanger piece
small picture-hanging nails
hot glue
scissors
ruler
waxed paper

Steps:
1. Choose an image and use photo-editing software to make the picture black and white, adjusting the brightness and contrast until the image is completely black and white with no gray.

2. Print the image, take it to a copy shop and enlarge it to fit the length and width of the canvas (ours was enlarged 140% to fit a 12"x12" canvas). Make 4 copies.

3. Cut the images to the exact dimensions of the canvases. Apply a liberal, even coat of mod podge medium to the canvas. Apply mod podge to the back (not the front) of the image and carefully apply the image to the canvas (don’t start pressing until the image is properly aligned). Smooth out any the air bubbles (you can use a flat-edged object to help flatten bubbles, but be careful not to gouge the paper with the edges) and let dry.

4. Paint the image using acrylic paint that has been mixed with floating medium (one part paint to slightly less than one part medium). Allow to dry. Use more than one coat of paint if the first coat looks streaky.

5. When the paint is dry, add embellishments to the artwork. Ribbon or trim can be used to enhance the border of the frame. Attach a picture hanger to the back of the canvas. Repeat for each canvas.

Make it: 1$ Store Candle Revamp

Make it: 1$ Store Candle Revamp

Cha-Cha-Cha Candles are so easy to whip up, all you need is a little Mod Podge and some images.

Materials:
Mod Podge - matte
tall glass candle
fun image
foam brush
glitter glue
ribbon
tacky glue
coil bracelet blanks
round-nose pliers
miscellaneous beads and baubles

1. Trim and/or resize the image to fit on the candle. Use a foam brush to coat the back of the image with Mod Podge. Apply the image to the candle, smoothing out air bubbles as you work.

2. Use glitter glue to highlight areas of interest on the image. Jewel glue can be used to apply sequins or rhinestones to a candle. Glue ribbon around the top and/or bottom of the candle with tacky glue.

3. Use round-nose pliers to create a small loop at one end of the bracelet coil; thread beads and baubles onto the coil, leaving enough space at the end to form another loop.

4. When the glue is dry, slip the beaded coil over the candle. The coil can be reused on other candles or worn as a bracelet.

make it: $1 Store Notebook Revamp

Make it: $1 Store Notebook Revamp

This project we designed for Plaid!

With a little Mod Podge and a few scraps of paper and ribbon, you can transform a plain $1 bin notebook into a cute and sassy place to store all you notes.


We used the NEW Hologram Gold Mod Podge. It has such a soft and pretty shimmer. I just saw the glitter and shimmer Mod Podge at Michaels.

Materials:
Mod Podge ® Glitter - Hologram Gold, 8 oz.
Hardcover spiral notebook
1 Sheet owl themed scrapbook paper
Foam paintbrush
Velvet ribbon scrap
Chipboard letter
Paper clamp
Ruler
Scissors
Tacky glue

Steps:
1. Trim the scrapbook paper to fit on the cover of the notebook.

2. Attach the paper to the notebook cover using a thin coat of Glitter Mod Podge. Apply a 2 top coats of glitter Mod Podge to the cover. Allow for drying in between coats.

3. Use tacky glue to attach a strip of velvet ribbon down the side of the notebook. Use the same glue to attach a chipboard letter to the lower front side. Clip a paper clamp to the top to attach notes to the inside of the notebook.

Make it: Refashioned Girls Jeans

Make it: Refashioned Girls Jeans
no sew project

Kids go through clothes so fast! This easy no-sew technique will stretch a pair of winter jeans into a spring fashion. Even if you don't sew, it is easy to recycle a pair of girls jeans into a cute pair of walking shorts.

For this design:
1. Cut the pant legs at the appropriate height for shorts using pinking sheers.

2. Trim around the appliqué (removing it from the lower portion of the jeans).

3. Attach the appliqué using fabric glue.

4. Add a little sparkle to the pants: attach a few rhinestones with gem glue.

Make it: Chalkboard Globe

Make it: Chalkboard Globe
This project we designed for Plaid!


Materials:
FolkArt ® Chalkboard Paint - Slate Gray, 8 oz.
1 Globe
Foam Paintbrush
Damp Rag
Soft Chalk
Letter Stickers

Steps:
1. Clean the globe with a damp rag and allow to dry. Add 3 coats of chalkboard paint. Allow 2 hours in between coats for dry time.

2. After 24 hours, rub the entire chalkboard surface with a piece of chalk to season the surface. Now you are ready to write on your chalkboard globe. Add personalization to the base with letter stickers.

Our NY trip for Laura's Wedding - first day.

On the Plane!


Check out the groovy graphics at the JFK airport!

We landed in NYC and we were immediately frozen.

We had a great bbq dinner at Wildwood BBQ just around the corner from Laura's house.


Eddie, Jason and Laura's Mom.

Me & the Bride!

Fun times!

Next, we headed back to Laura and Jason to work on the wedding list!!! Here is Laura practicing walking down the aisle.


Today we have lots of running around to do for tonight's Bachelorette party. We are only 4 blocks from Trader Joes and 6 blocks from Party City.

Party: Oscar Night

Learn all about the Oscars here!

As a TV producer and host, I have huge respect the Emmys Awards and I am proud to be two time Emmy Nominated & Presenter. But come Oscar night, I am still a film girl! I love the Oscars so much!!! The dresses, the shoes, the opening act - ALL OF IT! I am an Oscar junkie.

Lots of peeps know me from my crafty work on TV - creative juice and witch crafts. What most people don't know is that I actually started on my creative journey in film. For 10 years I worked as a Costumer creating costumes and looks for films and a few TV shows. You can check out my IMDB page here and see the films I worked on.


Here are a few ideas if you are planning an Oscar party! They are quick and easy so you still have time before Sunday night to get ready.

Black and Gold Decorations:
Begin at the front door by placing a red carpet at the entrance. Look for inexpensive low pile bath mats at Target, etc.

Go with a gold and black “star” color theme. Look for jumbo stars at party stores or create your own with recycled cardboard and gold folk art craft paint. Add some sparkles to the stars by adding gold or black glitter. Hang the stars from the ceiling.

The TV will be the center of the party, so be sure to add a little decoration by the TV. You could drape the top and sides of the TV with red velvet fabric, tape stars to the corners of the TV or add the prizes/winning trophies around the base of the TV.

Use gold and black table linens and paper plates. Sprinkle tiny stars on the table and add a floral centerpiece to the table.

Paparazzi Your Pals:
Take “paparazzi” photos of all your guests. Have funny boas & chunky rhinestone jewelry for the ladies to wear and have Jack Nicholson style glasses for the men.

Have selection of props for the photos: the national enquirer, champagne bottle, small stuffed chihuahua, shopping bags, starbucks coffee cups, over sized hats.

Print the photos for each guest if you have a mini printer or email them to guests after the party.

Games:
Download or create your own Oscar night scorecards/pool sheets. Have the guests play along all night and tally the scores at the end. Offer prizes for the most answered correctly as we as the least. Download Oscar ballots here!

Have prizes like, fake Oscar statues or gourmet popcorn for the winner. Party stores generally have fake awards and I have also seen some funny trophies at thrift shops. Use a p-touch labeler or stickers to doctor up an award to fit your Oscar theme.

Have games or activities for commercial breaks. Create a quick game of Oscar trivia on note cards. Create questions based on previous winners, hosts and speeches. Whoever answers first, wins a candy or popcorn prize.

Nips and Nibblers:
Be sure to have food that is made in advance and easy to eat from the sofa or around a coffee table. I like to serve small nibblers that can be eaten with toothpicks instead of utensils. To add extra pop to toothpicks place two star stickers back-to-back on one end or the toothpick. For a heartier dish try making crock-pot chili. By using a crock pot you can begin the meal hours before guests arrive.

For sweets and snacks, create a platter with “movie snacks.” Snowcaps, peanut m&ms, raisinets, and dots. Serve them in small bowls with little scoops so guest can mix and match sweets.

Serve sparkling water with lemon, sodas, beer, wine and a signature cocktail.

Pitches.....

pitched lots of new shows today.......meeting with 3 networks :) details soon.

Bake it: Banana Rum Pie

Bake it: Banana Rum Pie

Don't let the addition of curry powder to the crust scare you! This is delicious - yummy.

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 cup chilled heavy cream
4 teaspoons dark rum
4 firm-ripe bananas

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
Stir together crumbs, butter, curry powder, cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons brown sugar in a bowl with a fork until combined well. Reserve 1 tablespoon crumb mixture for garnish and press remaining crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and up side of pie plate. Bake crust 10 minutes, then cool completely in pie plate on a rack, about 20 minutes.

Zest a lemon.

Beat together cream cheese, zest, and remaining 6 tablespoons brown sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.

Beat cream with rum in another bowl with cleaned beaters at medium speed until it holds soft peaks. Gently stir one third of whipped cream into cream cheese mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whipped cream gently but thoroughly.



Thinly slice bananas and arrange evenly over bottom of crust.


Spread all of cream filling over bananas, then sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over top. Chill pie, loosely covered, 20 minutes.

Crafty Blogger Roundup

The Impatient Crafter
Madge's new book Beyond the Bead has hit the shelves! Check out this sneak peek free project and leave a comment to win a free copy and a special prize!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
The four letter words are flying this week with a fun altered glove project using Wrights Iron-ons.

Naughty Secretary Club
This week Jen is wishing Abraham Lincoln a sparkly birthday with 10 tips on creating wearable glitter portraits from Hot Pink Pistol.

Layers Upon Layers
Cyndi explores making small quilts from rusted fabric.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Do you ever find yourself in a stitching slump? Vote in the poll and read (and discuss in) the comments on Connie's blog

Crafty Princess Diaries
The Crafty Princess has caught up on a little Etsy work, which means more star charms and a few finished piece.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside is sharing the love with free knitted and crocheted flower patterns from Margaret Hubert's new book, Rejuvenated Jewels from the new book by the same name by Amy Hanna, a Valentine heart envelope how-to and an ATC from a box of Goldfish.

Cathie Filian
Baby slings are all the rage and can cost a fortune in retail stores. Cathie Filian has a simple pattern that only requires 2.5 yards of fabric.

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Make sand heart Valentines or mix it up with a variation on the idea. Swelldesigner shows you how!

Aileen's Musings
Aileen gives a magnetic twist to her paper towel background technique!

About Family Crafts
Find out how you can get your creatie ideas, tips, reviews, and photos published!

make it: Spiced Up Gloves

Make it: Spiced Up Gloves
This project we designed for Plaid using Folkart Fabric Paint.

Supplies:
FolkArt ® Fabric™ Paint - Dimensional - Glitter Night Star
Spiced Up Gloves Material
1 Pair gloves - black
2 Pearl beads
6 Velvet hydrangea petals – red
Hand sewing needle & threads

Steps:
1. Add a drop of paint to each petal. Flatten/spread the paint with your finger or a toothpick. Allow to dry.

2. Layer 3 petals on top of each other and hand sew a pearl in the center. Repeat for remaining petals and pearl.

3. Hand sew to the corners of the gloves.

Make it: Magazine Organizer

Make it: Magazine Organizer
This project we designed for Plaid using Mod Podge.

Supplies:
Mod Podge ® Matte, 8 oz.
Wood Magazine holder
Craft Knife and cutting mat
Hot Glue Gun
Pencil
Rhinestones – coordinating assortment
Scrapbooking Paper – minimum of 3 coordinating sheets

Steps:
1. Use the pencil to trace the shapes of the sides of the magazine holder onto the back of your scrapbooking paper sheets.

2. Use the craft knife to cut the shapes out of the scrapbooking paper sheets.

3. Apply Mod Podge Matte to the back of the papers and affix to the magazine holder. Allow to dry for at least two hours and then coat entire project surface with Mod Podge. You may allow to dry for 15 minutes and apply another coat if desired.

4. Use hot glue gun to apply rhinestones to your project where desired.

Make it: Pattern Storage Boxes

Make it: Pattern Storage Boxes
from the Crafters Caddies episode of Creative Juice

Using bits of old patterns and a little mod podge you can create some cute and functional storage boxes for sewing patterns. This technique could be used on a number of different boxes for other craft room storage needs. You can mix and match the ribbons to coordinate with your space.

Materials:
cardboard or wooden photo storage box
old sewing patterns
scissors
mod podge
foam paintbrush
ribbon
glue gun and glue
paper strips that fit into the box's label frame
rubber letter stamps
embossing pad
embossing powder
embossing or heat gun
bamboo skewer
file folders


1. Unfold the old sewing patterns and cut into pieces that are several inches wide and long.


2. Use the foam paintbrush to coat the top of the photo storage box with découpage medium.


3. Make a collage of pattern pieces on top. Repeat on the sides of the box. Allow the box to dry. Apply another coat of pattern pieces. Apply a topcoat of découpage medium. Smooth the box with the foam paintbrush so any brush lines go in the same direction. Allow the box to dry.


5. Apply ribbon around the edge of the box top with hot glue.


6. Use the letter stamps and embossing pad to stamp out the contents of the pattern box. Working on top of an open file folder, pour embossing powder over the stamped letters and tap off any excess. Funnel excess embossing powder back into the container using the file folder fold as a funnel.

7. Heat and set the embossing powder using the embossing or heat gun. Hold the label still with a bamboo skewer and use the same skewer to help slide the finished label into the photo box label frame.

Make it: Baby Sling - easy pattern

Make it: Baby Sling
From the Charming Babies episode of Creative Juice

Baby slings can be a big-ticket item in stores; you can save a ton of money and add a personal touch by designing them yourself. They only require 2.5 yards of fabric and this pattern is so simple to stitch up.

Baby Sling Materials:
2-1/2 yds. tightly woven cotton fabric, 44" to 48" wide
sewing machine
thread
heavy-duty needle
2 - 4" rings made specifically for baby slings

Fabric pattern tips: Both sides of the fabric will show when you use a sling; you may want to choose a fabric that does not have a "wrong" side.

1. Turn under and press one of the short edges of the fabric; turn under an additional inch and press to create a clean edge. Stitch in place. Repeat for the selvage (long) edges. Leave one of the short edges raw.

2. Line up the raw, short edge of the fabric against a ruler or self-healing mat with measured grid marks. Fold in a deep (3" or so) pleat. The pleat should be oriented with the fold line parallel to the long edges of the fabric. Pin the pleat 1" from the raw edge and 9" from the raw edge.

3. Continue pleating the fabric with smaller 1" pleats. Pin each pleat 1" and 9" from the raw edge.

4. Stitch across the 1" and 9" pins through all thicknesses of fabric to secure the pleats.

5. Zigzag the remaining raw end through all thicknesses of the folded fabric.

6. Pull the pleated end of the fabric through both of the rings, folding through the rings to line up the 1" stitch line lines with the 9" stitch line. Pin in place.

7. Stitch through all thicknesses using a smaller stitch length to add strength to the seam. This seam will take a lot of stress; it is important to have a strong seam that it is backstitched on both ends. Sew an additional seam along the zigzag line for extra security.

8. To wear the sling, one end should extend from the back over the shoulder to the front torso. The other end wraps around the waist to the front torso. Thread the loose end through both of the rings and then back through one ring. Pull the loose end to tighten or loosen.

RESOURCES :
Baby Sling Rings: slingrings.com

Make it: Slumber Party Crafts: Gumball Slippers

Make it: Gumball Slippers
This is from the Teen Time episode of Creative Juice

This project is perfect for a girls slumber party. The pompons can be purchased in jumbo bags at craft and fabric stores. The poms can be hand sewn, hot glued or fabric glued to the slippers.

Materials:
open-toe slide, crisscross or flip-flop style slippers
large package of 1" craft pompons (bright colors)
sewing needle
thread, approximately the same color as the slippers


1. Sort the pompons, choosing your favorite colors.

2. Thread a needle and pull through from the back to the front of one slipper. Thread on a pompon and thread the needle back through to attach it to the slipper.

3. Repeat with different colored pompons until both slippers are covered. If the slipper is a crisscross style, do not apply pompons to areas where the slipper straps cross.

Make it: Crochet Charm Necklaces

Make it: Crochet Charm Necklaces
from the Teen Time episode of Creative Juice

This is a great beginner crochet project. When I was growing up, my grandmother made me hundreds of chain stitch necklaces for me. She would dangle peace sign charms and trinkets from her travels from the yarn chain. I still have many of them in my jewelry drawer.

Materials:
ball of yarn
size-K crochet hook
needle-nose jewelry pliers
jump rings
charms
optional: necklace clasp


1. Begin by making a slipknot: lay the tail of the yarn over your palm, open your fingers and loop the yarn under and back over your first two fingers, creating an X .

2. Pull the lower piece of yarn, forming an X through the top piece of the X. This loop will create the slipknot.

3. Place the hook end of a crochet hook through the loop and pull the loop tight onto the hook.

4. Loop the loose yarn end around your pinkie and up around your index finger. This step lets you to control the yarn tension.

5. To start a stitch, loop the yarn from the back side to the front around the hook and pull the loop over the hook.

6. Repeat making loops and pulling over the hook to create a 14" chain.

7. Cut the yarn approximately 6"-8" from the end of the chain and gently remove the chain from the crochet hook.

8. Loop the loose end of yarn through the last chain loop, and loop again through the resulting knot. Gently pull the knot tight at the end of the chain.

9. Optional: attach a necklace clasp piece to either side of the necklace.

10. Using round-nose jewelry pliers, open a jump ring and thread on a charm.

11. Fold a crochet chain in half and use as a guide to find the center of the necklace. Thread a jump ring through the crochet link and close the ring with needle-nose pliers.

12. Continue threading charms with jump rings. Ensure the charms are distributed evenly along the necklace by counting the necklace links.

Write Your Senators: CPSIA Delay

I received this from CHA this morning...we must act now!

Please Contact Your Two U.S. Senators Immediately and Voice Your SUPPORT for Senator DeMint's CPSIA "Delay" Amendment.

You must write or call today!!!!

Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) is expected to offer an amendment to the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 that will provide needed relief to the CPSIA requirements.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved its version of The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 last week. The Senate will be taking action this week on their version of this legislation.

"The DeMint Delay" would amend the stimulus package by postponing for six months implementation requirements of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) that are now scheduled to go into effect next Tuesday, February 10.

In 5 easy steps, you can accomplish much for our industry:

http://capwiz.com/toyassociation/dbq/officials/?lvl=C&zbrandid=4083&zidType=

CH&zid=799639&zsubscriberId=1001416513

1) Click on or paste the above link. Please note that this link will take you to the Capwiz site courtesy of TIA (Toy Industry Association).

2) Please enter your zip code. 5+4 is best if you know your +4.

3 ) The site will direct you to a new web page. Identify the section on the web page called "write your elected officials." Click on the link "Federal." It will take you to a new page called "Compose Message."

4) On the compose message page:

a) Choose email for all officials listed

b) For "Subject" write CPSIA Delay

c) For "Issue Area" choose "Commerce"

d) For "Editable Text" please cut and paste the message at the end of this post. Please edit it for accuracy and pertinence to you and your company.

e) Fill out "Sender Information" which is very important and then click "Send"

CHA and I ask that you support this because:

- On February 10th the current CPSIA deadline could force millions of safe products off retail shelves, thousands of small businesses to close their doors and countless jobs lost.

- As the law now stands, there are too many ambiguities . . . and those ambiguities cannot be clarified by next Tuesday. No one knows how to implement the law as it is written. The guesswork needs to be removed from our product safety laws.

- Senator DeMint's amendment will give the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) the time it needs to provide necessary compliance information and guidance...and prevents the loss of thousands of companies and jobs.

- Support this amendment and you will save jobs in your state.

Thanks for the support.

Steve Berger

CEO, Craft and Hobby Association.

THE LETTER:

URGENT!

Please support the DeMint consumer product safety amendment
(The DeMint Delay) to the stimulus bill!

Dear Senator:

I am writing to you to urgently request your support of the amendment Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) will be proposing to The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus bill this week.

His amendment will provide relief from the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) requirements scheduled to take effect on February 10.

Without this amendment and the relief that it provides, businesses such as mine will be harmed and many more jobs will very likely be lost.

Here are the facts on why you should support the DeMint Amendment:

• The Amendment calls for a reasonable delay in implementing a part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) that goes into effect next Tuesday, Feb 10.
• Without the DeMint delay, many businesses and jobs will be lost because the information and guidance needed by the business community to meet the Feb 10 requirements has not been provided and it will not be provided by Feb 10. The Amendment will save jobs in our State.
• When compliance is practically impossible because government–required information and guidance is lacking, it is unfair to let an arbitrary deadline remain in place, especially when it will cause a further loss of jobs in this severely damaged economy.

Please do not allow more jobs to be lost in our state. I urge you to vote for the DeMint Amendment as part of the American Recovery and Reimbursement Act of 2009.

Thank you,

Join the Recycle Caps with Aveda campaign!

Recycle your bottle caps with Aveda

Aveda found that a majority of plastic bottle caps do not get recycled today. You can be part of the solution by joining Recycle Caps with Aveda.

What type of caps do they collect?

The program accepts caps that are rigid polypropylene plastic, sometimes noted with a 5 in the chasing arrows recycling symbol. This includes caps that twist on with a threaded neck such as caps on shampoo, water, soda, milk and other beverage bottles, flip top caps on tubes and food product bottles (such as ketchup and mayonnaise), laundry detergents and some jar lids such as peanut butter.

Excluded from collection are pharmaceutical lids and non rigid lids such as yogurt lids, tub lids (margarine, cottage cheese), and screw on lids that are not rigid. If you can bend or break the lid with your bare hands, then it does not meet the rigid plastic definition. Please do not include any metal lids or plastic pumps or sprayers. Unfortunately, too much of the wrong types of materials can contaminate the recycling process. We appreciate your efforts in keeping it clean!

Join the Recycle Caps with Aveda campaign. Bring your plastic caps into an Aveda Store and feel great knowing that they will be repurposed into new Aveda packaging and kept from entering our waterways and harming wildlife.

Etsy: New Photography

Etsy Buy Handmade cathiefilian

Crafty Blogger Roundup

About Family Crafts
Whether you are an avid crafter or just want to be a crafter, a well stocked craft cupboard is a must.

Aileen's Musings
This week Aileen offers another quicky background technique using a newsletter flier that she received in the mail.

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Swelldesigner shows you how to make your own really "trashy" Valentine's!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
This week at Craftside my heart is melting with a wicked cool free motion and melted Kunin felt valentine, a way to spiff up a plain envelope with a design from Paper Puppet Palooza and some tips for eating right to fight off Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Crafty Princess Diaries
The Crafty Princess is toasty warm with her new crocheted scarf and fingerless gloves, which are super easy to whip up.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Learn new stitches as you complete one of two Patterns for Pherenice (traditionally know as the first woman to see an Olympics).

Cathie Filian
Cathie Filian has a yummy recipe for browine muffin bites. One batch will have your friends and family begging for more.

The Impatient Crafter
Madge is back from CHA and sharing the 411 before she heads off to Tucson!

Layers Upon Layers
Cyndi is looking at snow-themed art this month. Got any you want to share?

Naughty Secretary Club
Just say no to boring baby shower games, gather up your crafty friends and have a onesie making party instead.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Stefanie shares photos from CHA 2009 of herself with fellow Crafty Bloggers and more stars of the craft world!

The Crochet Dude
Read Drew's review of the new book by Susan Wasinger called "Eco Craft" - and find out why he's saving all his milk jugs from now on!

Make It: Felted Necklace

Make It: Felted Necklace

With just a small amount of wool roving you can make this simple felted necklace. After you learn the basic technique of making the balls you can make lots of different jewelry and accessories.

Materials:

felting wool roving in different colors
hot water
dish soap (hypoallergenic is preferred)
2 large glass bowls
large needle or safety pin
silk cord and needle
Aleene’s Stop Fraying
2 clamshell jewelry findings
magnetic jewelry clasp

Steps:

Fill a bowl with 6 c. hot water and one Tbsp. dish soap. Working over a towel, form a wad of wool into a ball twice the size the finished ball will be.

Dip the wad into the hot soapy water, squeeze out some of the excess water and begin rolling the ball in your hands. Don’t use too much pressure at this point; keep rolling for approximately 4-5 minutes, dipping back into the soapy water if the ball cools or dries out.

You can also roll the ball on a towel with the palm of your hand. If the ball becomes too wet and/or soapy, roll it on a towel to remove excess moisture. If the ball needs to be smaller, apply more pressure to lock the fibers closer together.

When the ball is the desired size, rinse it in the bowl of water, squeezing out the soap. Continue felting until there are enough balls for a necklace.

Poke a toothpick or sharp needle through each ball before they harden. Allow beads to dry overnight (a cookie cooling rack works well for drying). Once the beads are dry, lay out the design of the necklace.

Using a small "clamshell" jewelry finding, thread beading cord through the loop of the finding and tie a knot.

Thread a needle to the other end of the beading cord and thread the felt beads onto the cord. Place small beads or charms between each felt bead for added effect. At the end of the necklace, unthread the needle and tie a clamshell jewelry finding to the end of the beading cord. Clip away extra cording and apply a small amount of fabric glue to the knots in the cord to prevent possible fraying. Close clamshells using a pair of round-nose pliers.

Attach a necklace or magnetic clasp to the necklace by threading each piece of the clasp onto a clamshell finding at each end of the necklace.

Bake it: Brownie Muffin Bites

Bake it: Brownie Muffin Bites

There is nothing better than baking a fresh batch of brownie muffins to warm up on a winter day. The warm oven, aroma of baking brownies, the rich chocolate flavor and hint of zesty orange in each bite sized brownie will have your friends and family begging for more.

Kids will love helping out in the kitchen making this simple and delicious recipe. Toddler cooks can help with stirring the melted butter and chocolate together, sprinkling the chocolate chips and topping the baked muffins with orange whipped cream.

Older kids can work on their measuring skills by measuring the wet and dry ingredients, practice using a mixer by blending the chocolate, eggs and sugar and test for doneness by inserting a toothpick near the center of the brownie muffins until it comes out clean.

For a variation on this sweet treat, you could add a caramel to the top of each brownie muffin for the last 5 minutes of baking or sprinkle the top of baked muffins with confectioners sugar.

In my home, it does not matter if it is winter, spring, summer or fall, this family favorite dessert is always a hit and I hope you and your family will enjoy them as much as we do.

Brownie Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, cubed
4 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon orange extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Mousse and Orange Cream Ingredients:
4 ounces high quality bittersweet chocolate
½ stick butter
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. fresh orange zest, chopped
orange peel curls for garnishing

Steps:
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt butter and chocolate; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar. Stir in chocolate mixture. Beat in extract. Gradually add flour to chocolate mixture.

Pour into a greased mini muffin pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

While still in the pan, use a large spoon to indent the center of each brownie muffin to form a small cup. Remove the muffins from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, cut the mousse chocolate and butter in small pieces. Melt the butter and chocolate together in the microwave on low for one-minute intervals, whisking between each.

In a chilled metal bowl, whip together the whipping cream and powdered sugar with a hand mixer. Fold orange zest into ¼ of the mixture. Fold the chocolate mixture into the other ¾ of the whipped cream by hand.

Spoon or pipe the mousse into the brownie muffin cups. Top each with the remaining whipped cream and an orange peel twist. Serve immediately.

Crafty Links

About Family Crafts
You can make your own cards, party invitations, favors bags, place cards, napkin rings, gift tags, and much more using these free templates.

Layers Upon Layers
Wrapping up a month of focus on art education, Cyndi posts links to all the tutorials available on her own blog!

Cross Stitch at About.com
Check out a new free pattern from Connie based on a vintage Valentine postcard.

Aileen's Musings
Aileen's posted an easy peasy funky bottle cap pin/pendant tutorial you won't want to miss!

Cathie Filian
It is time to paper and protect! Check out Cathie Filian's ideas for homemade lip balm, sugar and salt scrubs and easy melt and pour soaps.

Crafty Princess Diaries
What do you do with all that left over yarn from your yarn crafting? How about making some young animals safe and secure?

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
This week at Craftside there is a cool perspective drawing how-to and tons of photos from CHA of the Quayside authors, their designs oh, and Paris Hilton!