March 4, 2011

Obsession & Inspiration...

Hi friends!!

I wanted to share this fabulous new site with you! Some of you may already of heard of it.. and could already be a pin addict like myself! It is called Pinterest! It is still in the Beta testing.. so it hasn't gone totally public yet. In order to get in you have to either request membership.. or get invited by someone that is already a member. It is a mecca of images all taken from great places on the internet. Blogs, companies, ads.. etc. People "pin" them and then they are all there on Pinterest for us to create visual boards with. Each image links back to where it originally came from.. so it is a wealth of inspiration for crafters, cooks, bakers, designers etc.. It is really fun, and extremely addictive!

These are few (..and only a few as there are hundreds I have saved now).. of my favourite things I have found there, and ways to make them work for ideas and inspiration for you!



Isn't this great!! You can take this idea and create it into a fabulous piece of art for your home. Check garage sales and flea markets for old spools of thread. Preferably ones that still have the stickers with details on the bottoms and tops. Get some heavy duty glue, and a painters canvas, or a small bulletin board. Glue the spools down in a shape of a heart like above. Voila! Unique, fun art for your walls.... A great conversation piece!



Tea time!! This idea excites me! I would like to make one with mismatching tea cups. Pinks and golds and maybe turquoise blues! All you need is a candelabra.. found from a thrift store or maybe Target or WalMart even. Some spraypaint to paint it with. (give it a few coats making sure to dry fully in between). And then some really strong epoxy or cement type glue to glue on your teacups with. Tea cups can be found at garage and yard sales, thrift stores and recycling centers for just a couple dollars each. Then after you have created your masterpiece you can fill your cups with whatever your heart desires! I personally can picture this out in the backyard on a table in the summer with candles in each of the cups. Wouldn't that look pretty at night with friends over! I sure think so... ;)



How about these incredible paper fortune cookies!! I just adore these. They would be so much fun at your next dinner party.. or at a wedding, or a party of any kind! Imagine all the possibilities with all the pretty paper that all of us crafters keep stacks and stacks of!! And really super easy to make. Follow this link to find out the instructions.

Do you have picky eaters at home?? Little toddlers that will only eat the same 3 foods day in and day out..? I know what that's like! I love these ideas for FUN finger foods that will make snack time a whole lot more interesting. I pinned these from Pinterest as well!







Super fun hey!! Kids would just love these fun foods.. I am sure of it! You can find these and a few more ideas at ideas at Jill Dubiens blog..


Aren't these beautiful! Paper butterflies...  so easy with a butterfly paper punch and a bit of tape or removable glue. If you don't have a punch or want bigger butterflies.. just simply draw a few onto cardboard and then cut them out. Use them to trace many onto your paper. Then set them free on your wall.. a really easy fun design. Image found on Pinterest.




 Scrapbooking, journaling, card making.. book ideas! All found on Pinterest.. So much inspiration you won't know what to create first!


It took me about a week and a half to get accepted to the Pinterest group after I requested an invite through their website. You can also get in if you know people that are already members. Each member is given some invites when they first get in.. to give to their friends. Good luck! Have fun! And Happy Pinning!! 

Have a great day!

Ashley....


February 25, 2011

Rockin Rosettes..

Hi friends!

I wanted to share my recent addiction to paper rosettes with you! They are totally fabulous!! .. and can be used in SO many different ways. Scrapbooking, card making, weddings, home decor, party banners, cupcake toppers.. etc. You can make them bold and bright.. or light and romantic. And the best part of all.. is that anyone can make them. They are super easy and take no time at all!

A few pictures for inspiration and ideas...

 
 You can have a bowl full of these beauties with your business card or logo on the top at your next party or gathering.. a really cute way to spread your companies name ~ photo source


 Hang many bright and bold rosettes from the ceiling for a beautiful work of art at your wedding or just a party at your home. Even in your child's bedroom! ~ photo source


You can make paper rosettes to journal on or add elements and design to your scrapbooking pages..


Full step by step details on how to make these ones above, and photo source can be found here 


You can create big or small cupcake rosettes! These will dress up any party for adults or kids ~ photo source


.... more juicy party ideas!! photo source

You can add jewels and buttons and ribbon and twine.. the possibilities are endless! ~ photo source


Paper rosettes are SUPER easy to make. All you will need is some paper, glue and a scoreboard or scoring tool. Here are a couple detailed videos from YouTube on how to get them done..

 From Creations with Christina..


From tsherjpans...


Are you totally inspired to go off and make some rosettes now?? Maybe? ;) I am!! Would love to read your comments on if you've made these before and if so what you used them for!

Keep creating..

Luv Ashley



February 23, 2011

Do you Cricut??

I do! I just recently (about 4 months ago).. got myself a Cricut. I had wanted one over the past few years quite badly but couldn't justify the cost when I knew I could create just fine without one.. However, I finally got one. Now I'm a happy little bug! I have 4 or 5 cartridges.. building my stash slowly. My Hello Kitty cartridge is probably my fave so far.. everything on it is just so adorable.

Well.. Provocraft has come out with a new machine to celebrate their anniversary! It is called the E2. Which is abbreviated for Expression 2. This new machine is planned to be released in April of this year and has a lot of great new features. Basically they have combined the Cricut Imagine and the Cricut Expression into one machine for a limited time only.


The new features include an LCD touch screen, wifi capability, a cutting light to enhance the view of the mat whilst cutting.. and mat preview to see and arrange the set up of your cuts! It has a pause button so you can stop halfway through cutting for whatever reason.. and the green plates on the sides are interchangeable! It is also compatible with the Gypsy and uses all of the Cricut cartridges including the Imagine carts. This machine will cut the Imagine cartridge images.. but not print like the Imagine does. (so if you are wanting to print and cut, it's still a better idea to purchase the Cricut Imagine).

ProvoCraft has also announced the new Cricut CraftRoom, which will be a free web based program, compatible with any Cricut machine, as well as with PC and Mac computers. The program will allow you to use on screen editing for any cartridge you own, and allows you to preview all of the other cartridges.

I myself, prefer not to print.. so this machine has me very excited! I am hoping they will have it in different colors eventually. Like P!NK of course ;)  This is a great machine for the Cricut user that hasn't invested a ton of money in their machines yet. Just starting out.. or wanting to upgrade without jumping right up to the Imagine. Here is a quick video from YouTube that was taken at the recent CHA event by Twinsmoms..



I'm excited! Provocraft is constantly coming out with great equipment. If you haven't gotten yourself a cutting machine yet and you are into scrapbooking or card making.. I highly recommend purchasing a Cricut. Perhaps an E2..

I will be posting many of my projects made with my Cricut in the very near future!

Ashley... 
Related Posts with Thumbnails