Kitty Cats and Airplanes

Winter Wrap Up

2012-03-19T19:54:00.000-04:00

'Cause tomorrow spring is here!! I've been waiting ALL SEASON for this post. No lie.

Sorry for my absence. My cat is dying, we expect the worst when we take her to the vet tomorrow. Even if you don't know me personally, I think the title of my blog gives away that with the loss of my beloved 15-year-old cat I am just all to pieces. I haven't lost a pet since I was in second grade so I just have no idea how to deal with this. I feel silly with how strong the grief is, but it's overwhelming.

Jellybean and I, summer 2006. Hence the lack for wedding ring. Oh Jellybean...I don't know how I'm gonna live without you.

Any coping advice would be greatly appreciated. More than likely, I will go with her to the vet tomorrow to be put down. I can't bear the thought.

48 questions

2012-03-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Pi Day! All you math nerds make yourself and pie and eat your heart out. Personally, I love any reason for pie. I love pie. Anyway, since I'm on a mini vacation, enjoy a little randomness!

1. What time did you get up this morning? Early! Got lots of fun vacation-y things to do! :)

2. How do you like your steak? I used to be a well done kinda gal, until the hubs introduced me to medium well. Mmmm.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Um...I think it was Beauty and the Beast in 3D. Totally worth it to see the Tangled short.

4. What is your favorite TV show? HAHAHA. Favorite TV show. Well, there's Naruto, NCIS, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The Big Bang Theory, MLP:FIM, and so many dang others. Mostly kid shows, I refuse to grow up.

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? As much as I love living in my home state of Maryland, it would be nice to live somewhere with perpetual sunshine, like California.

6. What did you have for breakfast? I don't usually eat breakfast, I'm just not hungry when I wake up.

7. What is your favorite food? Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Spirals.

8. Foods you dislike? Raw onions, bell peppers, all mushrooms, tuna melts.

9. Favorite place to eat? David and I love to go to Mimi's Cafe for breakfast, I also love Red Robin and any steak house.

10. Favorite dressing? Italian or red wine vinegarette.

11. What kind of vehicle do you drive? I drive a 1998 Nissan Maxima and sometimes I drive my hubby's Chevy Malibu.

12. What are your favorite clothes? Skinny jeans + boots + cardi.

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? France. Or Fiji.

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? I do my best to see it half full.

15. Where would you want to retire? I just wanna retire!

16. Favorite time of day? Late evening, time to wind down and be with the hubs.

17. Where were you born? Maryland!

18. What is your favorite sport to watch? Blech. I watch the Superbowl and the Olympics. And occasionally BYU games.

19. What is your favorite fragrance? Oh it's always changing. Love fruity mixed with floral. I don't like either by themselves.

20. What is your favorite face cream? Clinique.

21. Favorite baby/kids products? None of those in this house.

22. People watcher? Absolutely.

23. Are you a morning or night person? I'm usually more productive in the morning, but I'm totally a night owl.

24. Do you have any pets? Three cats. Jellybean, Aeris, and Cleo.

25. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share? The hubs and I are moving in a few months!! :D

26. What did you want to be when you were little? An artist. I still do, actually.

27. What is your favorite memory? Are you serious? How in the world could I have one favorite memory?

28. Are you a cat or dog person? I think that's obvious.

29. Are you married? Yup. 12.19.08.

30. Always wear your seat belt? Absolutely.

31. Been in a car accident? Just a few fender benders.

32. Any pet peeves? Most any noise that comes from your mouth I hate.

33. Favorite pizza toppings? I LOVE white pizza with spinach and a million kinds of cheese. Or, pepperoni.

34. Favorite flower? Lilies.

35. Favorite ice cream? Chocolate chip cookie dough or mint chocolate chip. But, I don't eat ice cream much.

36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Chipotle.

37. How many times did you fail your driver’s test? Haha, twice. The first time because I was 13" away from the curb instead of 12" and the other because the lady HATED me and got on her hands and knees to measure that I was 1/4" over the white line when I stopped at a stop sign. I went back the next day and passed with flying colors. That jerk.

38. From whom did you get your last email? From my personal account, my dad. From my blog account, a deal of the day site.

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Esty. Does that count as a store?

40. Do anything spontaneous lately? Took a week off a work to drive down to NC for a mini vacation!

41. Like your job? Love it!! The best job I could have ever been blessed with.

42. Broccoli? OMG YES. I could eat a whole bowl for dinner. Raw or cooked, mmm I love broccoli.

43. What was your favorite vacation? Aside from my honeymoon in California, Disney World with my family. :)

44. Last person you went out to dinner with? My mother in law.

45. What are you listening to right now? The sweet sound of silence.

46. What is your favorite color? All shades of pink, turquoise, mustard yellow, slate gray.

47. How many tattoos do you have? None, never wanted one.

48. Coffee drinker? No, I do love coffee but I abstain from it for religious reasons. I drink herbal tea though, I love me some herbal chai!

I really miss this guy though. Really, really, reaaaaaally miss him and our Tuesday dates.

Rubies and More knockoff (a tutorial)

2012-03-13T09:00:00.002-04:00

This necklace was a special request by a friend who was gracious enough to take some pictures for my shop with her fancy camera. As compensation, I told her I'd make her anything she wanted, and she chose this beauty.

The {Rubies and More} necklace from {Sundance}. Sadly, it's no longer available, but I AM going to teach you how to make it so that should make up for it! I think it turned out really nicely.

I altered it a little bit according to what she wanted, like adding an extender chain. Want to make one yourself?

You will need:

Side drilled, tear drop shaped red beads. I needed two strands
Flat, coin shaped silver beads
Shiny faceted silver beads
Tiny little pearls
Extender chain
Lobster clasp
Thin cord. I used cotton cord but the original necklace uses leather.
Fray check (if using cotton cord)
E6000
Jump rings
Tiger tail or other stringing material
Crimp beads
Crimping tool

Yikes, that's a lot. Got it all?

Whenever I string beads, I always string directly onto the spool or tiger tail to make sure that I don't run out of material. String on about 15-20 red beads. Then alternate flat beads with pearls so that you end up with three silver beads and two pearls (I changed it after I took the pic.) Then strong on three more red beads.

Next, we need to finish this part of the necklace. String on a crimp bead and then a jump ring to the loose end of the tiger tail.

String the end back through the crimp bead, like so. Push the crimp bead up to close up that gap, you want the crimp bead to be close to the jump ring.

To use the crimp tool, line the crimp bead up into the second section of the crimp tool. Just look at the picture, because I know I didn't explain that well.

Squish it down.

Open it up again, and position the now squished crimp bead into the first section of the tool. See how it got smushed into a C shape? You want it to then be smashed on top of itself again. Think of it as a double knot.

Smush it. Now it's nice and secure.

This is what it should look like finished. Push all the beads up against the crimp bead (make sure to thread it through both strands of tiger tail). Now we'll do it to the other side.

Now you can cut off the strand of beads from the spool. Start off the same way as you did on the other side.

However, on this side, you need to thread that extra strand of tiger tail back through the beads. A little tricky!

Just pull it through the first bead or two, and keep pulling and adjusting until it's nice and tight. Then crimp it like you did on the other side. Does that make any sense at all? I'm no good with words. Thank you, pictures.

Now, the cord. Tie the cord around the jump ring.

I dabbed a drop of E6000 in the knot to make sure it didn't come undone. I also fray checked the ends when I cut it.

Divide those sparkly beads in half. String half of them onto one side, and half of them onto the other side. (After you've tied the cord on the other side, that is.)

It should look something like this. Tie a knot at the ends of the beads so that they don't slide around all over. Then, tie another loop at the end, just like you did with the jump ring.

Attach the lobster clasp to one side and the extender chain to the other. I added a silver bead to the end for decoration. If you were able to understand any of that, you should be done!!

Lay it out on some rocks in your backyard and take pictures of it. Or wear it, your choice. :)

Please let me know if you have any questions! I feel like this was more of a visual tutorial rather than a wordy one, so if you need more words, shoot me an email.

A little bit of spontaneity!

2012-03-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

My mother in law is a secret shopper, and she always has the COOLEST shops. She gets paid to watch movies, go to fancy restaurants, and even to go to Joann. This time, I think she hit the jackpot.

{source}

Seriously, how lucky can you be to get an all expenses paid vacation, and then get PAID. That like, never happens. Especially at a place like this. This is pretty much Mr. Darcy's house, and I get to visit for free! My sweet MIL invited me to go along with her on this mini vacation! I am so lucky. I took the week off of work and I am going to spend the week relaxing, touring and going to restaurants for free. Ahh.

I actually have some things lined up for the week! Go figure, after all of my slacky-ness lately. Look out for a shop review, a possible tutorial, a little randomness, and pictures! Yay!

See you Friday. :)

My Memories giveaway winner!

2012-03-11T21:12:00.000-04:00

Whoops, totally forgot to announce the winner on this one! My bad, I am the QUEEN of ball dropping lately! Good thing I don't play football for a living.

The winner is, lucky number 8! And who was lucky number 8?

Allison W who said:

+1 I follow KC&A on FB!

Congrats Allison! Good think you took the time to like my FB page! ;) Please email me at kittycatsandairplanes at gmail dot com within 72 hours to claim your prize. Otherwise, I will choose a new winner.

Thank you to everyone who participated! I have some more fun giveaways lined up for you in the upcoming weeks. :)

Oh hai!!

2012-03-08T21:40:00.000-05:00

Remember how I used to blog here? Nah, me either. I'm glad you missed me though (right? :[ )

I've been crafting a bunch, but I have come to find that when I finish the craft, I have NO energy to write about it. It wouldn't seem like blogging would be hard work, but it totally is. Anyway, wanna see one thing I've been up to that I'm writing a tutorial for?

I love knock offs! I hope to be done with this tutorial soon!

Also, did you enter the My Memories giveaway? End tonight!

My Memories Giveaway!

2012-03-01T09:00:00.001-05:00

If you have ever met my mother, you would know that she is an awesome scrapbooker. The kind that would sit down and churn out page after page after page of sheer awesomeness. She was a total hipster, scrapbooking WAY before it was cool. When I was around 10 years old, she let me take the reins on some of my own pages. I loved it, I wouldn't call myself a complete natural, but I loved creating my own pages and unleashing my imagination through paper punches and embellishments. Then I hit high school, college, and married life and I'm looking zero time in the face.

Helloooo digital scrapbooking!!

You've heard of My Memories, I'm sure. They are HUGE in the digital scrapbooking world. With {My Memories Suite} digital software, you can create a master piece in no time at all, in the comfort of your own home, behind your own computer! This software is super easy to use and allows you create beautiful scrapbook pages in minutes! (Yes minutes. You have two minutes right?) The program also lets you create scrapbook pages, cards, calendars, gifts and photo books with just the click of the mouse.

My Memories Suite digital software can be used on both a Mac and a PC. Once installed on your computer, the software helps you create pages from templates or from scratch, for those of you with a little more time:) I tried both! Want to see?

I made this one from scratch.

And this one came from an album template. Love the geometric designs on this one.

They even offer video tutorials on how to get started and what you can do with the My Memories Suite software! Perfect for visual learners like me. Click {HERE} to watch the video to see if this software is right for you.

When you purchase the suite, you receive 30 album templates, more than 1,500 papers and 1,000 embellishments. Enough to keep you busy for a long time! But, if you plow through things pretty fast, you can buy templates, papers and kits, which range from FREE-$9.99.

Easy to make in minutes, and easy to share. Perfect. You can even do videos too!

So do you want to win this amazing software too?

One winner will receive: {My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software} ($40 value)

To Enter: Head on over to {My Memories digital shop} and leave a comment telling me which digital paper pack you would like to use with your photos. mandatory

For Additional Entries:

Follow Kitty Cats and Airplanes through GFC, email, or RSS feed

Like {Kitty Cats and Airplanes} on facebook

Like {My Memories} on facebook

This giveaway is open to anyone and will end on Thursday, March 8th at midnight EST.

If you don't win or if you can't wait to use the software...

Order through Kitty Cats and Airplanes and you can save $10 on the {MyMemories Suite} V3 and a $10 coupon for the {MyMemories.com} store! Use this code: STMMMS60906

Good luck to everyone! Random.org will choose the winner and will be announced on Friday, March 9th.

RAKJ Patterns Winner!

2012-02-24T14:18:00.000-05:00

Sorry I'm a little late announcing the winner! Lots going on today! I also apologize for the lack of screen shots. Please see previous excuse.

The lucky winner of the RAKJ Patterns giveaway is...

kerrykatiecakeskeb43

Congrats Kerry! Please email me at kittycatsandairplanes{at}gmail{dot}com to claim your prize.

Thank you to everyone who entered! I am sorry to all the non facebookers on this one, RAKJ's only requirement was the facebook like. :( Next giveaway should be more non facebook friendly!

Color Trending: Mustard Yellow

2012-02-22T11:00:00.001-05:00

Oh, who am I fooling? I have no idea what's trending, all I know is that I LOVE mustard yellow right now. Love, love, LOVE. I started loving it as an autumn color, but it has smitten me through and through and I'm carrying it over into winter and spring no matter how hard it kicks and screams. I've rounded all kinds of mustard lovelies all across the crafting spectrum. Enjoy!

{mustard knit shrug. by karin sf. $124}

{mustard tote. by christystudio. $38}

{mustard doggy bow tie. by charlieheartsdiesel. $12}

{mustard rhinestone headband. by jesuisprettyful. $6.50}

{mustard yellow jewelry display. by hbernationrstoration. $82}

{mustard yellow heart button earrings. by kookoocraft. $9.75}

{mustard yellow ruffled pillow. by jillybeancraft. $40}

{mustard yellow bike infinity scarf. by shoprarebird. $36}

{i told you there was something for everyone. ;) kawaii ring. by fingerfooddelight. $12}

{handmade journal. by atelierdesign. $22.50}

{adorable t-rex print. by yellowheartart. $20}

{mustard yellow drying towel. by alittlefrayed. $22}

{gray and yellow chevron digital paper. by huetoo. $5}

{mustard abby cat t shirt. by rctees. $22}

I could go on for days.

Lol.

No but seriously. I could.

Chartreuse and Co, antique shopping

2012-02-20T10:00:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend, and I went Meg and her hubs to an antique store called {Chartreuse and Co.} Maybe you've heard of it! Do you read the blog {Primitive and Proper}? Yup. That's her. Amazing huh? The store was so packed full of gorgeous goodies we walked through the house AT LEAST twice just to make sure we didn't miss anything! Refinished furniture that was to die for, fun old trinkets, jewelry, ahh. The prettiness. They even had barnfulls of old furniture you could refinish yourself!

Being on a budget sucks. Not having a house sucks. Jus' saying

I took some pictures with my phone, and used the "vintage" filter to make it SEEM like they are actually good pictures. Enjoy.

This is all I walked out with. Two little numbers, an 87 for me, an 85 for the hubs. Our birth years. Now just to figure out what to do with them. :)

How was your weekend?

I'm crazy. I opened another shop.

2012-02-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

Yup! I've opened another shop! Brand-spanking new. Yay me?

So, you know how pretty much all crafters are hoarders right? Right. I am no exception. I have wayyy more supplies than I would ever be able to use. I could craft all day, all night, and I would still never use it all. And so...

...was born! (Do you like the banner? I actually did it myself! Clearly my designing skills are unmatched. Sarcasm.)

The title would be wayyy more funny if you were familiar with a certain meme...

{From the blog, Hyperbole and a Half. Please go to the link and read this hilarious comic. It's absolutely my life.}

Getting off topic...so. What can you find at All the Destash? For now, jewelry making kits and some regular old destash. I'll be adding way more as I get more organized.

Sunset inspired jewelry kit. Listing {here}

Filigree bobby pins kit. Listing {here}

Gold button destash. Listing {here}

Here's to hoping this little shop will help make a small dent in our major student loan debt. :)

Have a wonderful weekend friends.

Giveaway: RAKJpatterns

2012-02-16T10:28:00.000-05:00

Have I got a great giveaway for you! I know there are a TON of yarn obsessed ladies out there. Sadly, even though I have tried many times to join you knitting and crocheting folks, I have yet to. BUT, that does not mean that I can't pass on great deals and freebies onto you!

Have you ever heard of RAKJpatterns? They are an excellent site filled to bursting with darling crochet and knit patterns! Beanies, cowls, darling little animal hats, photography props, I could go on and on. And their patterns are very reasonably priced! Check out their store {here}. (They also have an Etsy shop! Found {here})

Oh, yeah, did I mention there was a *free* download section! Check all of them out {here}, but be sure to come back, don't get distracted my free goodies for TOO long! Because RAKJpatterns has graciously offered one of you lucky readers not one, but THREE patterns of your choice from their store! Want to win?

To enter (mandatory): Please visit RAKJpatterns on {facebook}. Leave a comment telling them that you came from this giveaway.

Optional:

Be a follower of Kitty Cats and Airplanes. After all, it will be hard to see if you've won if you don't stick around! (One entry)
Like KC&A on {facebook} (One entry)
Follow me on {twitter} even though I really only use it to enter giveaways myself. (One entry)
Blog, tweet, or facebook about this giveaway. (One entry for each, leave a link where applicable)

That's 7 possible entries. The giveaway will be open for one week, through February 23. I will announce the winner Friday, Feburary 24. Good luck!

Gigis Petals feature! Rings for only $3.50

2012-02-15T12:33:00.001-05:00

How's that for an informative title? In case you missed it, now until February 18, you can get one of my new bloomin' rose filigree rings for the rock bottom price of $3.50. Srsly.

These are rocking rings, my fave of all the rings I make. And the best part is, the ring base is SUPER sturdy. None of that flimsy-ness going on. Sturdy and still adjustable, a win/win situation.

Squeee, they are so pretty. There are a limited amount available so get them quick, they won't be this cheap on facebook or in my shop EVER.

{Get the deal here}

Shameless plug in, I know. But I DO have an extra incentive for you since you are my most favorite readers ever! Ready for it?

....this is annoying isn't it?

If you enter the word "earrings" into the comment box at checkout, I will include one pair of FREE rosebud earrings with your order. Just because I like you! :) (One pair of earrings per order. I wish I were rich enough to give everyone free earrings!)

Oh...speaking of free. All you knitting/crocheting folks better warm up your keyboards, because I've got a giveaway for you tomorrow! See you then.

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T10:00:00.012-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Since today is all about love, I thought I'd share a little bit about me and my love.

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?

We've been together for about 4 1/2 years.

(We had been dating only a few weeks at this point. Hence the lack of wedding ring.)

2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}

Heehee, we were both flying out to school and he stalked me in the airport and wouldn't leave me alone. Creepy, I know. The whole story is {here}.

3. If married, how long have you been married? If not, is this the guy you hope to marry? {do tell}

We just had our three year anniversary in December!

(We went to Dave and Busters this year!)

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding? If not, where would you like to get married? And will it be big or small?

We got married in the truly stunning Washington D.C. temple for time and all eternity! It was an average sized wedding. Since we got married six days before Christmas, we went for a non-traditional reception. Finger foods, no DJ or dancing, people could come and go as they pleased. It was wonderful.

(This is my favorite pic from the reception. :)

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share!

Um...we mostly just call each other honey. I call him honey bunches of oats when I'm feeling silly, and he returns the favor with honey bunny.

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.

He's very sweet to everyone, he tries to make everyone happy. He is smart and ambitious. He's ridiculously handsome.

7. Tell us how he proposed? Or your ideal proposal?

Haha, I had come back from a week away at my out of state nannying job. I had to came home to pack up my apartment because my lease ended the next day! It was about 11:30 (PM, that is) and he texted me and said "Hey can I come over?" When almost an hour had passed and he still wasn't there, I knew something was up. It's not like it takes an hour to walk two blocks to my apartment from his. When he finally showed up he had a blanket and his computer and told me we should take a break from packing and watch the stars. We went to our favorite spot and he opened his computer and played me a video he made of pictures of us set to our song. By this point I knew what was going on. He pulled out a shapeless mass and handed it to me. I unwrapped a toy airplane from one of his t shirts and inside the cockpit was a sweet poem he had written. Underneath that was the ring. :) He got on one knee and told me "we should get hitched."

It was well past 1am at this point, and I had to go back to my apartment and pack and clean my brains out before I got kicked out at noon. Good timing honey, good timing.

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?

He's a "let me play video games for a few hours without nagging me" kinda guy. Oh, wait, what would he get me? Flowers, my favorite, lilies and peach roses.

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?

Most of the time I like to pop in a movie and relax, but I love going out and doing something different on special occasions.

10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?

Hmm...I'd like to go to some exotic island and spend a week alone with him. He's never left the country before, so it would be fun to get our passports renewed and just escape. Or go on a cruise, I'd be ok with that. One day I'd like to start our family, that's something I look forward to.

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine's Day.

This year it happens to fall on a Tuesday, which just so happens to be our regular "date night." We got a really nice gift card for Christmas so we are going to use it to go to a special dinner or some kind. We might wait until later, since it'll probably be ridiculous tonight.

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day?

Nope, we are on a very tight budget (which is why we are so happy to have a gift card for dinner!) so I told him to make me something. I made him something, see the bottom of the post. :)

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.

Make sure you have lives without each other. Pursue your own interests, hang out with your own friends, keep your own identity. But that doesn't mean stop doing things together!

14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.

David took this with his phone the other day. Dumb cats, the basket is hardly big enough for one of them!

Wanna see what I made the hubs for Valentine's Day??

Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaains, means "I love you" in zombie.

I absolutely and completely, 100% stole the idea from {this} Etsy listing. I was thiiiis (imagine be pinching my thumb and pointer close together) close to buying it, but it just wasn't in the budget. So I improvised. I think it makes him look like he's sucking out my brains. :D

May your day be filled with chocolate.

A few things on clearance!

2012-02-13T00:40:00.000-05:00

Sooo I have a handful of listings that are going to expire on Etsy in the next few weeks. I don't want them to expire, because that's just more work for me to relist them and promote them again. So there is bad business woman #3917! What say you to 65% off of those few listings??

{here}

I've marked all of these 65% off their original price. Get them before they expire! (Or before someone else does :o) Thanks for keeping this lazy crafter lazy.

Button Initial

2012-02-11T19:55:00.000-05:00

You know what is awesome? Completing TWO pins on Pinterest in the last two weeks! Holla!!

This time it was Meg who pushed me to get this one done. She said "Hey, let's get together and do those cool button initials. I'll teach you how to cut vinyl with your Silhouette."

Sold. Plus my massive button collection is always looking to get dipped into.

I'm pretty sure she pinned something different, but I pinned {this one} on my {Crafty things I need to do} board a little while ago. Oh if I had a dollar for everything I pinned on there....I'd have $72. Not bad, anyone hiring?

I think it really perks up my crafting nook! It took a full week and a half to tear apart my nook, reorganize every bit of crafting crap I own, and then put it all in this fancy new IKEA shelf that I blew all my Christmas money on. Ahh. I love my new organized space.

A quick how to:

Get an empty 8x10, glassless frame. Cut out cute scrapbook paper to fit.
Cut out a vinyl letter and stick it on the paper. If you don't have a craft cutter, just cut one out of cardstock and trace it onto your paper.
Bust out the buttons and hot glue gun and glue, glue, glue! We did two layers of buttons so it would look really cohesive.
Let dry. Frame. Done.

Sorry about the weird angles of all the pictures, there's kind of a pillar in the way.

Linking up here!

Solid perfume (a tutorial)

2012-02-08T12:20:00.001-05:00

As promised, I present the tutorial for making solid perfume! I saw this on Pinterest a while ago and pinned it to my {Crafty things I need to do} board. And finally got around to trying it out!

{original pin here}

I searched and searched for a vintage pocket watch or locket to fill with perfume, but after a few weeks I became way too impatient and ended up picking one up for $5 from Michaels. Then I realized I had NONE of the ingredients I needed to make solid perfume. Argh. So I spent a few weeks researching and and comparing products and waiting for everything to come in the mail. Why I bought ingredients online and waited around for them to arrive escapes me. Wait, that's a lie. It's because it was much cheaper that way. Getting off topic...

Yay! If you follow me on {facebook} you're probably sick of seeing these, they are the newest addition to my shop! But they are so much fun (and addicting) to make, I thought I'd share the how-to as well!

To make solid perfume, you will need:

Beeswax
Carrier oil (I use a combo of sweet almond oil and coconut oil.)
Essential oils
Oral syringe (find it in the medicine aisle of the grocery store)
Locket
Old metal/glass bowl that you will never use for food again.
Plastic spoon

I didn't really follow the pinned tutorial very well. I researched several different recipes and sort of mashed them together and came up with my own. Through experimentation, I discovered that a 1:1 beeswax/carrier oil made the best perfume base. Not too solid, not too lip balmy. Since I decided to use a combo of two different carrier oils (sweet almond and coconut) it comes out to be a 2:1:1 beeswax:sweet almond:coconut oil ratio.

For this huge locket, I did a teaspoon of beeswax...

...and a half teaspoon of the oils. It ended up being way too much.

Bring a small amount of water to a boil in a pot small enough to NOT let metal/glass bowl fit in. We're making a double boiler here.

Combine all three into the bowl and place it on top of the boiling pot of water. The steam will quickly melt the three together. I mean in like less than a minute.

Stir with the plastic spoon to combine. Stir really well, otherwise you'll end up with pockets of oil in the beeswax. Not cool.

It really does melt fast! Stir, stir, stir, then turn the heat off.

Add your oils. For this particular locket I used a headache relief blend (since I am an almost daily sufferer...) a 50/50 peppermint/lavender. Mix really well again, but do this quickly because the perfume will harden pretty quickly. The amount of essential oils added was different everywhere I looked, so I just had to wing it. I added about 25-30 drops total.

Fill the oral syringe with your perfume. This makes it a lot easier to fill the locket.

....though it's not a perfect science.

Let the perfume harden for at least 15 minutes before disturbing it. (10 BFF points if you sang that.)

Then comes the fun part, turning it into something beautiful!

To apply solid perfume, rub your fingers on the perfume and smooth it onto your pressure points. Wrists, behind the ears, etc. Since I made this amazing headache relief batch, I massage it into my temples and at the nape of my neck to work in the magic.

Another added bonus: Your body acts like a candle warmer. The heat from your body will release the oils in the locket and you will smell gorgeous all day. I've now made three of these for myself (and another half dozen that I've sold) and the scent really sticks with you. All in all, a wonderful pin. I hope you enjoy it!

I'm linking this up to...

Because Becca inspired me to actually do one of my pins! And linking up to a few other fun {parties}

Pick Your Plum and a guest post!

2012-02-06T11:49:00.000-05:00

Soo you've heard of {Pick Your Plum} right?

If you haven't, I cannot be held responsible for any budget overages. You have been warned. {Pick Your Plum} is a fantastic deal of the day site that sells crafting supplies, finished boutique style products, and even clothes and jewelry!

Some of the deals that I've snapped up lately...

Wooden boards (I just got these this weekend, can't wait to show you what I'm going to do with them!)

Pom pom leg warmers

Personalized name stamps (I got TWO, one for me, one for my etsy shop!)

Scrapbook paper pads

Fold over elastic (I've gotten so many of these ones!)

Seriously, I cannot tell you how much money I've spent on this amazing site. And it was worth every penny! Every once in a while, on a Saturday morning, they sell a big ol' mystery box filled with goodies from previous deals. They are only 100 available and if you are lucky enough to score one, you're set with crafting supplies for a long time! Best $35 I've ever spent! The best part about {Pick Your Plum} is their 30 day guarantee, and they really mean it! I've come to them with a few problems before and they jump on it and more than make up for it. I couldn't be happier with their customer support.

Today's deal is about to run out:

Laser cut personalized wood signs! {Get it now!}

Break, change of subject.

My bloggy friend Courtney (who is also my blog designer!) is enjoying Harry Potter world down in Florida right now, so I'm filling in for her today.

{Pay her a visit} and see how how to make this adorable Valentine's Day treat bag!

So you wanna be a photographer?

2012-02-04T11:37:00.000-05:00

Well, actually *I* want to be a photographer. Not even a photographer, I just want to learn how to take pretty pictures and edit them in an epic fashion.

In case you missed it, I got this lovely baby for Christmas this year.

{via}

Ain't she pretty? The Nikon D5100. I've had a beast of a time trying to learn how to use it. (Did I just make up that phrase?) Switching from a point and shoot to a DSLR is challenging, there are so many new buttons and features and things that I never knew existed. Hooo man...it's been fun, but still completely overwhelming. I also got Photoshop Elements for Christmas to go along with my fancy new camera, but I told myself I would first learn the camera a little better and THEN try to learn the million, zillion new things I need to learn to use Photoshop. "I'll just use Picnik and Picasa, they work pretty well and I know them."

Crap.

Sooo now I NEED to learn to use Photoshop, and as I mentioned earlier, I am completely overwhelmed. There is just SO MUCH to learn between a DSLR and Photoshop, I don't even know where to start.

{icanhascheezburger}

How did you learn Photoshop? Watch tutorials online? Ebooks? Self taught? I've tried watching some videos on YouTube but they use too much Photoshop jargon that I don't understand. I also downloaded a few free actions but I don't even know how to install them. I am such a n00b, I feel like my grandmother. Actually, she's pretty internet savvy, so scratch that.

Any thoughtful tips and/or websites would be greatly appreciated. :)

Quilted Valentine's Day table runner (a mini tutorial)

2012-02-02T18:54:00.000-05:00

You know you've been away from blogging for a while when your dad calls you and says, "Hey, how come you haven't posted a tutorial in a while? I miss seeing your tutorials."

Yikes. I guess it's been longer than I thought since I really posted something crafty huh? I promise I'm being crafty, not nearly as much as I was, but I am! I've been crafting a ton with {Caroline} and {Meg} which means that tutorials are much less likely to happen. Who remembers to take pictures of every little step when you're busy laughing about the funny things your husband does?

I sure don't. In fact, I'm lucky if I remember to take a single picture at all! :) You know how it gets, right?

Sooo...wanna see my almost quilted Valentine's Day table runner?

Yay! I sewed something! Meg let me dip into her fat quarter stash to make this cute runner. Since I didn't take pictures, maybe a play by play will suffice? (Please nod in agreement.)

1) Cut fat quarters into strips. I cut some of them into 4 strips and some into 2 strips. Since they are already the same width everything will line up nicely! I think we used 8 or so fat quarters between the two of us.
2) Sew all the strips together with a 1/4" seam, right sides together. You'll end up with a really long runner, we both cut ours in half since neither of us had a table even close to long enough to hold the runner!
3) Even out your edges with a rotary cutter so everything is nice and straight.
4) Cut out a piece of thin batting and a piece for the backing.
5) Sandwich the batting in between the backing and the top.
6) Baste around the edges. Trim any excess fabric and make sure it's still nice and square.
7) Use decorative stitching (we used a fancy zig zag that makes it look like it's hand stitched) in between each strip.
8) Round your corners with a bowl (I only did this because I didn't have quite enough binding...it sort of give it the appearance of a changing pad so you might want to skip this step.)
9) Apply quilt binding around the unfinished edges.
10) Admire your work.

Um...tada?

We threw in some yellow so the runner could transition into spring nicely. Score one for the lazy crafter! :)

What have you been working on lately?

PS: I am having a facebook exclusive Valentine's Day sale on a whole bunch of jewelry. The sale ends tomorrow so get the deals while you can! {here}

When productivity becomes zero

2012-01-30T11:04:00.000-05:00

Tuesday.

Thursday.

Saturday.

Yup. Three big bites, three nonstop reading sessions and a big chunk of my week! Can't remember the last time I was so absorbed by a book. I mean, I like reading, I love reading! I guess after reading my eyes out in college reading for fun has been hard to get back into. Partially because of the crippling migraines I get when I read too much. Ah well, they were excellent, and now I can finally check that off my to do list.

Wanna know a secret? I wasn't completely unproductive this week! Check back later and I'll show you a Valentines Day table runner I made AND some wall art. :)

My husband is so smart!

2012-01-26T11:22:00.001-05:00

Found this on{pinterest}, very wise words!

(My husband's name is David Allen, in case this didn't make sense. :o)

Confession

2012-01-24T12:15:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I'm super crafty. And I take a whole bunch of really awesome pictures. Then spend a long time editing them. And by the time I sit down to blog about all of my rad accomplishments...

Am.

Done.

I've used up all my energy by that point! Does that ever happen to you? If someone would have told me how much work blogging actually was, I might not have started a blog! Ok, that's an exaggeration. But dang, blogging is a lot of work! Sometimes I wonder how all those big name bloggers post crazy things every single day, but then I remember that they probably don't have much of a life plus they have contributors. Then I feel better.

So, um, photo dump?

See? I do stuff! These are all from "trading posts" with Caroline and Meg. We made Christmas bunting, sewed bags, and spent and entire afternoon beading. (This is three separate occasions....ack, see how behind I am??)

Extra super confession: I didn't even take these pictures....thanks Caroline!

The craft fair post!

2012-01-18T20:25:00.000-05:00

You guys, you are so nice to me. :) Thanks for all of your appreciative, kind, and uplifting comments on my last post. Seriously, you are the best ever!

So....remember how I did a craft fair last month? I bet you forgot....I don't blame you. Life happens. But, as promised (albeit a month overdue) here is it.

In early December, my crafty friend {Meg} told me that her work was sponsoring a small craft fair and asked me if I wanted to share he table with her. Um. Yes. The catch? The fair was in a week and a half. Yikes!!

Initiate panic mode.

I had never done a craft fair before, and I had only thought about it in a "hm, yeah maybe someday" kind of way. And all of the sudden the opportunity falls in my lap, and I am completely unprepared. I researched and researched and spent some pretty pennies stocking up on supplies. Inventory? HA. Yeah, I didn't have one of those. I decided to only stick with my very simple cabochon jewelry because I knew I didn't have time to work on intricate pieces. So I glued and glued and glued and glued until I was slightly high on toxic fumes and had enough jewelry to call an inventory.

I won't go into detail about the company that decided to wait 4 days to ship my items even though I told her I needed them immediately. I didn't get them until the day before, and stayed up extremely late the night before finishing everything. I now have premature gray hair.

Did you know that sane people prepare MONTHS in advance for craft fairs? Sometimes even for the entire year? I completely understand why now, there is SO much to do! I thought I just had to create an inventory, hooo no! I had to make business cards, build creative displays, plan a layout of all the supplies, label, nail down reasonable pricing, organize, plan out how to transport everything safely, make change, and so many more tiny things that you would just never think of. The amount of time I put into preparing for this craft fair was triple the time I spent at the actual fair! It was nuts! Luckily if I ever do this in the future I will already have a lot of the prep work done, but man, physical, mental, and financial toll here!

I got really lucky and found EVERYTHING I wanted at the thrift store (in one trip too!) that I used for display. Of course I went with a gray/yellow theme, it's my obsession right now, and it also has the advantage of being pretty neutral. Not that men were going to be drawn to my table anyway....

I was really so blessed to have so many things work out in my favor preparing for this! There are still some things I would have changed, but for my first ever craft fair and only 10 days prep, I think everything turned out just fine. :) I went in with zero expectations, and I was blown away! I sold much more than I thought I would, I made enough to cover all the expenses from preparing and then some! But truly, even if I didn't sell a thing, the experience would have been totally worth it. Maybe I'll do a separate post on the specifics of what I learned, if you guys are interested.

And now, the breakdown of the display! That's really why you're reading, right? I got 90% of my display pieces from the thrift store. I used tons of small frames, a cork board, some vintage saucers on candlesticks, and a few unexpected goodies!

This cute earring display case? Used to be a cookie jar set.

This crappy phone pic pretty much has is down, it was NASTY. The person that donated it didn't even bother to rinse it out, it was still full of crumbs! Sticky with kitchen grease, stained and dented, but with some heavy duty cleaner, sandpaper, spray paint, and a LOT of love, it turned out beautifully! It's now proudly sitting on display in my craft nook filled with earrings waiting to be shipped off.

I loved this ring and bobby pin display! It kept everything organize and on different levels, perfect for picking through. Wanna know what it began life as?

Wooden bowls and a candlestick. Love it!

Each of my price displays started out as creepy pictures. I don't know how I did it, but I managed to score four scrolly, texturey pictures frames for all my price tags! A little sanding and spray paint and they turned out better than perfectness.

I made the price tags in Picnik, with my super awesome mad Picnik skills. (sarcasm font, in case you couldn't hear it.)

I had a larger frame to display my shop name and logo (it's all about branding right?) and the business card holder is a bamboo one from Staples. The little bracelet display?

Saucer + candlestick + E6000. I had one for bracelets and one for cab necklaces.

I would have liked a bigger corkboard for these necklaces, but anything bigger would have been too hard to hold up and keep balanced on a tiny little stand.

Did I mention I twisted the hubs' arm into coming with me? He didn't have school that day, and he was a huge help when I needed a potty/lunch break.

Let me know if you have any more questions! Thanks for letting me crash your fair Meg. :)

PS, I'm sponsoring a giveaway over at Mine for the Making celebrating her 2 year blogiversary! Check it out {here}

Why I will never be a good blogger

2012-01-11T18:31:00.001-05:00

1. I disappear without warning and come back with no explanation. My bad.

2. Blog scheduling? Blog planning? Blog calendar? Blog topics? What??

{free printable blog calendar from living locurto}

Try: fly by the seat of my pants and hope everything works out. I am NOT organized.

3. I'm terrible at promoting my blog. I sometimes link up to parties, I rarely get sponsorship spots on other blogs, I never blog hop. I really don't have the energy. I cross my fingers and see what happens.

4. I get very discouraged. I am a sensitive soul, and when I get mean comments or something I want to shut down and delete my blog.

5. Sometimes I'm just really, really lazy and don't feel like creating or posting. My {secret} doesn't help the situation in the slightest. I try not to blame everything on it but there is no escaping the truth that it is a huge part of my life and affects me in more ways I understand. Sometimes getting out of bed and showering is a productive day.

{I love Fluttershy! from Ponychan}

6. I don't really bare my soul every single post. (Sometimes I try, but I get shot down.) People like it when bloggers bare their souls. People like stalking people they don't know, it's a scientific fact! I'm sure I get boring because I'm not always dumping the dirty details of my life here.

7. I don't take awesome pictures that captivate and beg your eyes for more. No cool scenery pictures, not adorable baby pics, none of that.

8. I lose my mojo a lot. I'll be overflowing with ideas one week and the next it'll all be gone.

Oh wait, mojo. Not Mojojo.

8. I don't design rooms, and I really don't come up with fabulous, creative, ground breaking ideas. And I don't have a house to makeover and show off.

And that, my friends, is why I will never be a good blogger. I'm never gonna be one of those hot shots (not that I want to be...) but sometimes the green monster of jealousy creeps in. Sometimes it would be nice to be loved and wanted and oh so fabulous. I start thinking:

"Why can't I be popular?"

"Why can't I make a living off my blog? I work really hard on it!"

"Why did't I think of that!?"

"Why does she have so many more followers than me?"

"Why didn't anyone like this post?"

"It's not fair..."

But really, it's ok. I like my blog the way it is. I'm glad I don't have big box sponsors breathing down my neck for a post all the time. I'm glad I don't have hundreds of emails to answer every day. I love that when I just don't feel up to blogging, I don't have to blog! I feel relieved that there are not thousands of people waiting for me to come up with something brilliant. I need to stop putting pressure on myself and remember that I like my blog just the way it is. :)

By the way, I've missed you! I haven't felt up to blogging lately, but I have been keeping my {facebook} updated. So if you actually do miss me, keep up with me there!

Peace out peeps!

UPDATE: Saw this on Pinterest. Awesome!!

{five-tribe}

omigoshomigoshomigoshomigoshomigoshomigoshomigosh

2011-12-23T11:29:00.000-05:00

I have SO much to learn.

Best.Husband.EVER.

Happy 3 years

2011-12-19T10:00:00.007-05:00

Three years ago today, I married this gorgeous hunk of a man for time and all eternity in the Washington D.C. temple (more on that here)

Getting married 6 days before Christmas does have its disadvantages, but it's nice to have such a sweet spirit surrounding this special day for us.

Though it does involve working, doctors appointments, and studying.

It will also involve steak, shopping, and a night away from home.

I. Can't. Wait. :D Just gotta get through the work day.

Don't wait up for me! I'll be back on Wednesday. :) And I'll let you know what I got him for our leather anniversary! It was one of your suggestions. You guys rock.

The "cheating" post, jewelry with buttons

2011-12-18T10:00:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, the whole series was "Jewelry Making for the Non-Jewelry Maker" and it required no special tools or supplies. Well...these both have just a teensy bit of special supplies. But they were so easy to do I had to include them! You've still got a week left till Christmas! You can totally knock these out. Easy.

The main ingredient of the jewelry today? Buttons. Yes, buttons. You'd be amazed at the buttons you can find these days, some of them don't look like buttons at all! Like that pretty pink pendant. Yes, it's a button, and this is the easiest necklace ever! Less than a minute to make.

You will need:

Button
Jump ring
Premade necklace (you can find these at Hobby Lobby)

That's it! Wait for buttons to go on sale and you've got a majorly inexpensive present. To make one:

Take button off of paper. Open the jump ring, thread it through the button.

Attach it to the necklace. Close the jump ring. Told you it was easy!

And the results are lovely! Only hardcore Joann stalkers will ever know that you're wearing a button around your neck. Ready for some easy peasy earrings?

You will need:

Small buttons
Two earring posts
Button shank removers (Six bucks at Joann in the button aisle. Bring your coupon)
Hot glue gun (E6000 would be better)

This one is a teeny tiny itsy bitsy more tricky, but it'll still take you less than a minute to make!

Using the button shank removers, remove the shank of the button.

Bam. Now it has a flat back.

Do it again to another button so you can have a pair (unless you only have one pierced ear, in which case skip this step)

Bam. Pretty rose earrings on the cheap, no cabochons required. I'll spare you another picture of my face, you get the idea right?

I hope you enjoyed my little series! Remember, next month I am redoing "Jewelry Making 101" which should cover everything you ever wanted to know about making your own jewelry. Got a question? Shoot me an email and I'll cover it in the series.

Happy crafting!

Vintage style cuff

2011-12-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

First things first, this idea isn't originally my own. It was inspired by {this} tutorial over at I Heart Naptime.

Mine's a little different though. When I saw this pretty pleated ribbon at Hobby Lobby the very first thing I thought of was "Oh!! That would make an awesome cuff!" And here we are. You wanna make one?

Uh, don't mind the pic, I changed my mind a lot while I was making this. So, besides the glue gun, heat sealer, and scissors, you will need:

Pleated ribbon
Ruffled velvet ribbon
Buttons
Velcro
Satin ribbon

Just pretend everything is in the picture, mmkay?

Wrap the ribbon around your wrist and subtract an inch. Cut the smaller ribbon the same length, and glue the ruffled ribbon on the pleated ribbon right down the middle.

Ok...I cheated a teensy bit here. I used button shank removers to take the shanks off, but this isn't necessary. You could glue them down just fine or use your scissors to take the shanks off. Don't throw rocks at me!

Arrange your buttons on your cuff in a pleasing way, and glue them down.

To close the cuff, I cut two 2 inch lengths of matching satin ribbon and heat sealed the ends. I glued them on the back side of the cuff.

The Velcro part of it...it's really just measuring and guessing. I wrapped the cuff around my wrist and overlapped the ribbons, then a glued on the Velcro where the ribbons overlapped.

See? It didn't totally match up, but since I measured it against my wrist it worked out perfectly!

And I really love how it turned out! The gold buttons really gave it a more vintage-ish feel.

(Dude, my hair is cuh-raaaazy in this one!)

I seriously love it, I want to wear it with everything and I am typically not a bracelet person.

We still have one more day of the Jewelry Making for the Non-Jewelry Maker series! Though tomorrow...I cheat a little bit. :( There are a few easy to find jewelry supplies but I couldn't pass up the opportunity for some really simple jewelry.

I'll give you a hint. It's the necklace I'm wearing.

Ribbon and chain necklace

2011-12-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

I am still sticking to my "no fancy tools or supplies" rule here, promise! Today's tute comes from the trim departments of both Joann and Hobby Lobby. You would amazed

Yup, seriously. That's some metal trim from Joann. It's a bit pricey, so if you go looking for it make sure to bring some coupons. The whole thing ties together with ribbon (as do most of these creations.) Ready to make your own?

Aside from scissors, glue gun, and heat sealer, you will need:

Metal trim (or if you want to break the no supplies rule the jewelry section has some lovely chain)
Satin ribbon

These materials lists seem kind of pointless don't they?

First, cut your trim to about 12-14 inches long.

Heat seal the end of a 12 inch length of ribbon

Thread it through a link and glue it down. Repeat on the other side.

Don't worry, I'll keep your secret when you give away one of these to each of your friends and neighbors.

Oh wait, you have some chain leftover?

Same thing as the necklace. Measure the chain around your wrist and subtract an inch and use 7ish inch ribbon strands.

Weave some pretty trim through the links if you're feeling really fancy.

Use another length of ribbon to cover up raw edges. Better make two for good luck. NOW you're done.

I've been really into stacking bracelets lately! (See that ring? It's a button threaded through a thin hair tie using the same method from earlier this week. Holla!!)

Hope you're having fun with this little series! I have one more tomorrow and one "cheating" post.

Happy crafting!

Sparkly garland necklace

2011-12-15T10:00:00.000-05:00

Here I go again making necklaces out of garland. (In case you missed it the first time, check it out {here}) I can't help it though, garland can just be so pretty! Especially when it's sparkly...

May have looked better on the tree, but nope! A necklace it shall become.

A very pretty holiday necklace! I am thrilled with how it turned out! Wanna make one?

Aside from your glue gun, your scissors, and your heat sealer (remember that trifecta we use everyday?) You will need:

Sparkly garland, got mine at Hobby Lobby
Thick satin ribbon (think this is 1 3/4")

And that's it. Easy peasy 1-2-3sy.

Cut two lengths of garland, one should be two inches shorter than the other. I did a 14 inch strand and a 12 inch strand.

Cut and heat seal two 12 inch lengths of ribbon. I also folded over and glued down the ends so that it would be a little bit more sturdy for the garland.

Glue the longer strand of garland to the bottoms of the ends of the ribbon (as shown) and then glue the shorter strand just above that (as not show, because I spaced and didn't take a picture.)

And that's it. Seriously. I feel silly posting these tutes because all but one took me less than 10 minutes! But I couldn't pass up the opportunity to show you how to make inexpensive jewelry at home with no special tools.

I am now a sparkly, dress clad, ready-for-a-party happy camper. That's the last of the "formal" looking jewelry tomorrow we start casual, everyday jewelry! See you then my friends! :)

Vintage style ring

2011-12-14T10:00:00.001-05:00

As promised with your little teaser yesterday, the tutorial for the beautiful vintage style ring! It is so easy, you'll want to make a million of them. Not to mention they are adjustable, and take less than five minutes. Is that enough persuasion for you?

And they are so dang cute!! Eeps!! Ok, you will need:

Old hair tie
Vintage pin (or a regular pin, or a button)
Hot glue gun
Ribbon

Yeah, that's it. And you've probably already got all of it.

Measure it around your finger, you'll want it to be a teensy bit smaller than your finger so it will fit snugly.

Cut it (oops, forgot yo mention you needed scissors, sorry).

Hot glue the ends together. Cut a small piece of ribbon and heat seal it.

And glue the ribbon around the raw edge of your ring.

Pin that little pin on over the ribbon. The thickness of the band and the ribbon should keep everything nicely in place. If you have a button sew or glue it on.

And slap the sucker on! Five minute cocktail ring anyone?

This is my serious model face. Obviously I've perfected it over the years!

But in all honesty, pay attention to that ring. That blingy little sucker deserves the attention. Not my lack of eyebrows. It's one of the major downfalls of being naturally blonde...your eyebrows are naturally blonde and they kind of disappear into your face. One time, when I was a wee youngin, I was in the grocery store with my mom and suddenly shouted:

True story. No, it really is a true story. And to think they've actually gotten a teensy bit darker since then.

Come back tomorrow for the last bit of "formal" jewelry! Hope you are liking the series so far. :)

Velvet choker

2011-12-13T10:00:00.001-05:00

Squee!! Welcome to the first installment of "Jewelry Making for the Non-Jewelry Maker" series! I have been wanting to this series for some time now, I've had so many ideas swimming in my head and I am dang glad to be getting them posted!

Soo... what is "Jewelry Making for the Non-Jewelry Maker?" Well, it started out as a little challenge to myself. I do that a lot. "Amie, can you make this sewing item no-sew?" "What can you accomplish with your glue gun today?" "Hmm...can you make some jewelry without using any of your fancy tools?"

Shazam. Why yes I can. I played around with ribbon, trim, glue, buttons, and a bunch of other things in the craft store and came up with some jewelry pieces that can be made without any special tools, techniques, or supplies. Almost everything I used you should be able to find around your house, or in your craft stash. And just in time to stuff some stockings and keep your wallet at bay. Everything in the series costs pennies to make!

The first few tutes will be more "formal" jewelry, as formal as glue gunning can get that is. But my intention was more "Christmas party" jewelry. The others will be more casual, everyday jewelry. First item on the list, a velvet choker. For some reason, velvet chokers just seem so Christmasy to me, so festive!

Overkill? Yeah sorry. Picnik is way too fun.

As I was saying, I love velvet chokers around Christmas time. They are delicate, soft, and simple. I had one when I was younger (I almost typed "a little girl" until I remember that I am still in fact, little.) that I absolutely adored. So when Joann was having a great sale on trim, I snatched up the last yard of velvet ribbon to make this lovely choker.

All items in the series will need a glue gun, scissors and something to heat seal ribbon, so make sure you always have that on hand. In addition, you will need:

Velvet ribbon
Blingy trim
Blingy button
Velcro (oops, forgot to put that in the pic.)

Wrap the ribbon around your neck comfortably, and add an inch. Cut.

Glue velcro on the ends so that you can securely clasp the choker around your neck.

Glue your blingy trim around the velvet ribbon. At this point, I looked at my creation and realized that it looked like a black version of my cat's collars. Fail Amie. So I added some bling.

You could certainly glue your button/embellishment on, but this button is from my Mugga and I didn't want to ruin it with hot glue, sew I sewed it on. (Intentional pun)

Oh, it might be helpful to make some room for it. Jus' saying.

I put that choker on and BAM, I felt like a kid again. Actually, I felt more like Alice.

Ok, ok mine is totally different I know.

But I still like it. :)

What's that on my finger, you ask? That's tomorrow's tutorial. :) See you then my friends!

Christmas Wishes

2011-12-12T12:16:00.000-05:00

I always look forward to the Christmas season because there is such a special spirit in the air. A spirit of giving, of love, and special Christmas wishes.

You might remember from earlier this year, a tragic shooting of an elementary school principal, Sam LaCara. He left behind a wife and a family of daughters. His loving niece, my friend Annie, has compiled some original short stories into a lovely book, Christmas Wishes.

This touching video tells it all.

Christmas Wishes is available on {Amazon}, and proceeds of the book go towards the daughters' college funds. It is also available as an eBook for your Kindle! Should you feel inclined to purchase this book, I can personally tell you that the family will be extremely grateful. If not, consider spreading the word to your friends and neighbors.

Click {here} to purchase the book.
Click {here} for the facebook page.
Click {here} for the YouTube video.
And click {here} for Annie's website.

Have a blessed Monday! Stick around, because tomorrow I launch my "Jewelry Making for the Non-Jewelry Maker" series.

I'm not here...

2011-12-11T12:00:00.000-05:00

Today I am over at Sumo's Sweet Stuff giving away a $40 credit to my etsy shop! Woohoo! Have you been following all the awesomeness going on over at SSS? There are so many fun tutorials, guest posts, and giveaways!

See you there! :)

Just a quick post

2011-12-09T15:14:00.001-05:00

<p>Checking in from the last hour of the fair! Running on less than three hours of sleep I'm pretty beat, but it's been a fun experience! I came with expectations to sell nothing and I actually sold things so it was a great day! :) more to come later.

I'm still here!

2011-12-08T13:55:00.000-05:00

I promise I didn't fall off the face of the earth. I have just been so ridiculously busy! I've had tons of prep for the craft fair tomorrow, making Christmas presents, working, and soo many other things. I haven't even been reading my blogs, my reader won't even tell me how many I have to read because the number is so high. Ack. But I promise I've been doing stuff! I've made a handful of Christmas crafts, I've been redoing a lot of thrift store finds for the craft fair and I've made jewelry out the wazoo!! I know, I know, pics or it didn't happen. I'll get some....a little later. And I haven't forgotten about that series, this craft fair is just really kicking me in the butt and I haven't had time for much else.

Wanna hear a funny story though? On Cyber Monday I ordered a ton of crap from {VistaPrint} (which is awesome, by the way.) They had a ton of free promos going on and I took full advantage! I got business cards, note pads, sticky notes, a pen, a t shirt, a tote, an address stamp...yeah I went nuts. Since I ordered so much stuff I chose the extra super slow shipping so I wouldn't break the bank. But I wasn't worried, I didn't NEED them right away.

Yeah, no. My friend Meg told me about the craft fair just a few days later. Greaaat...so now I've got a business card dilemma. These fancy ones from VistaPrint wouldn't get here in time! I thought about getting them printed somewhere local but I got so overwhelmed ordering more supplies I just didn't get around to it. So last night I spent many hours designing and printing and cutting them out myself. Quite the labor of love, and I think they turned out quite nicely!

Yay for Microsoft Word.

Guess what came in the mail today?

"Congratulations! Your order has shipped early!" Oh the irony. At least I have that awesome t shirt to slap on the hubs so he can be a walking advertisement. The craft fair is tomorrow, so hopefully you'll see more of me next week. Unless you haven't missed me...in which case: "Sorry, I'll probably be back next week."

XOXO,
Amie

(and there's my name again! V <--- that's an arrow pointing down btw)

Non-traditional Christmas colors round up

2011-12-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

For some reason I am obsessed with non-traditional Christmas colors this year! Ok, not this year, more like the past two days. Walking through craft stores and browsing Etsy and playing with my craft supplies I am seeing all these fantastic colors! Ivory, purple, black and white, and so many other cool colors besides red, green, and white. So I rounded up some fantastic examples, enjoy!

Black and White

{Christmas wreath, from 3Mimis}

{Ornament from PearlesPainting}

{Decor from VosegeParis}

Ivory/Cream

{Tree skirt from Garnett Hill via Roost Home}

{Stockings from rikrak}

{Candle from Emporium}

Purple

{Felted ornaments from CityCrochet}

{Decor from RoomEnvy}

{Card from NicoleHeady}

Robin's Egg Blue

{Wreath from morebrightideas}

{Card from thebigharump}

{Gift tags from creativegrace}

So many fun colors! What's your favorite Christmas color?

Coupon Winners!

2011-12-01T08:27:00.000-05:00

Thanks to everyone who participated! The winners are: (sorry, I'm in a rush this morning and didn't have time to do screen shots, forgive me!)

My Momma Made it

Cynthia

Heather Burns

Congrats ladies!! I have emailed Heather but MMMI and Cynthia did not have email addresses attached to their profiles. Ladies, please email me within 48 hours to claim your prize, otherwise new winners will be chosen.

{click here to visit the shop}

Craft Fair advice please!

2011-11-30T19:26:00.000-05:00

I am doing my first craft fair next Friday! Well...sorta kinda. My friend Meg's work is having a craft fair and she graciously offered to spend her lunch break selling some of my jewelry! Isn't she awesome?? (Answer: yes, very awesome)

So I need your advice! I've never done a craft fair before, let alone a proxy craft fair! She's really only going to have an hour or two to sell things, so I need ideas to maximize sales in such a short period of time without me being there! I need display ideas (I have NOTHING), selling ideas, and ESPECIALLY pricing advice. Without the cost of shipping, shipping materials, packaging, etsy/paypal fees, advertising and all that I can sell my items for less, but HOW MUCH less? There is too much to think about and not enough time to think about it, so I would greatly appreciate any advice!

I have been searching some display options and I like a lot of these ones!

{Sunshine and Carousels}

{Vintage Indie}

{It's a Scrappy Life}

{Vintage Wanna Bee}

{My Blonde Ambitions}

I'm ridiculously excited about this, though I have no expectations to sell a thing. That way no matter what happens, I'll either be right on or pleasantly surprised. :)

50% off coupon giveaway!

2011-11-29T10:09:00.000-05:00

Wahooooo!!! Yesterday I made my 50th sale in {my shop} I feel like this is a huge accomplishment, so I am celebrating!

To celebrate 50 sales, I am giving away 50% off coupons! I am giving away not one, but THREE 50% off coupons to my shop!

There is only one requirement. Just head on over to my shop, come back here, and tell me what your favorite thing is (in the shop now or already sold). That's it! One entry per person, nice and easy. I'll leave it open through tomorrow and pick the winners Thursday morning. The coupon will be good for one week.

{click here is visit my shop}

Good luck!! :)

Epic Cyber Monday Sale!

2011-11-27T00:01:00.002-05:00

Good morning my friends!! It's morning right? ...why yes. It's 12:01, so good morning! Are you ready for some Cyber Monday deals?? I know your wallets hurt from way too much Black Friday shopping but don't worry, these deals won't hurt a bit! I know it's technically Sunday but some of these awesome deals are going on right now and I don't want you to miss out! My friend Julie from {Vibrant Designs} and I were able to corral up a bunch of awesome shops for you! She got most of them, she's so awesome!

First up is me! Hopefully you know me...since you're here and all. So you've already found my blog, good. Now my shop, {Kitty Cats and Airplanes}, I have lots of stuff in it! See picture. And I also have a {facebook page}, those of you who like it already know I'm always having Facebook friend only sales and promos!

Speaking of promos, you ready for mine? 30% off everything in the store using code CYBERMONDAY (original huh?) But wait, there's more! (announcer voice) All orders over $20 (before shipping) will get free shipping! I will refund the shipping cost to you. There is one more promo too! You know those cute little rosebud earrings? For every $30 you spend, you get a free pair in any color you'd like! And I have a lot to choose from. :)

Happy shopping my loves! Scroll down to check out all the tons of deals happening! Keep in mind that the volume of sales might push back shipping dates a little bit so be patient if it takes a week or two to get shipped. But don't worry, everything will make it in time for Christmas!

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Vibrant Designs is a small shop that carries jewelry, accessories, and bags. I am so excited for the upcoming Christmas holidays, so I've decided to have a great sale on all ready to ship listings! On Cyber Monday, you will enjoy 30% off our clearance items and 20% off the rest of the items in my shop. To top it off, I'm extending FREE SHIPPING for one day only! Come follow my blog and watch for a unique Vibrant Designs Christmas Giveway!

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a girl and a glue gun
shop is a place where i sell all my extra crap leftover from my blog! I've got

levi aprons, rings, keychains, handwarmers, animal scarfs, and all sorts of other random crap!

Everything in the shop is 15% off for CYBER MONDAY only! come by and say hi!

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Bumblebee and Sophie is a children’s clothing and accessory company that provides unique designs in playful fabrics for baby girls ages three months to three years. We have branched out into boy clothes with a tunic style shirt, vests, and pants, sizes newborn(vests) to three years. We offer custom sewing machine covers and would love to create custom nursery bedding for your new little one.

We are excited for Cyber Monday and will offer 20% off and free shipping for all in stock items. (sorry not on custom orders)

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Fun, colorful gifts and stocking stuffers! Posies In My Pocket specializes in unique accessories for the girly girl in all of us! I hope you enjoy my items as much as I do making them!

On Cyber Monday, all orders placed will receive 15% off the entire shop!! Use code CYBERMONDAY at checkout.

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Happy Holidays from Posie Hill Farm! Treat Stands, Cake Plates and Pie Plates make lovely holiday gifts and are the perfect way to display your special holiday treats. Take a look around and enjoy my little shop filled with handmade, recycled, vintage and vintage inspired items for the home. On Cyber Monday, enjoy 15% off all purchases using the code CYBERMONDAY!

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The Paper Stork specializes in custom handmade, original and unique nursery and children's artwork. Each piece is one of a kind. My nursery prints are whimsical and primarily made from different patterns and textures to create a paper collage. Receive 10% off any piece of nursery art with the code CYBERMONDAY. Enjoy!

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The Country Chic Cottage etsy shop has a mixture of vintage and handmade goods for your home. Custom barnwood signs can be ordered with your choice of quote, name, or word. Take 25% off anything in the store with code TAKE25 -- free shipping in the US everyday. Be sure to also follow along on The Country Chic Cottage blog for further updates.

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Beez Kneez is a true mom and pop shop with all of our products being made by us in our studio in California. All of our supplies are from suppliers here in the USA. We specialize in personalized and customized apparel and accessories for children. Customers can save an extra 20% off our already great sale when using the coupon code CYBERMONDAY.

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A Bit of String carries handknit and crocheted accessories and photo props for little ones. Each item is handmade with special attention to detail, and the shop is a favorite among moms and photographers. Many items will be discounted through the Thanksgiving weekend, so be sure to check the shop. Also, check out their Facebook page to be notified of new listings. Use coupon code FREESHIP10 for free shipping from Black Friday through Cyber Monday!
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Whimsical and fun, yet vintage and classic. I love to accessorize with color and it shows by what I sell. Wear something surprising and shop vixenMade. Get 20% off all items in shop on Cyber Monday. Use the coupon code CYBERMONDAY to get your discount and have fun shopping! In the meantime, come visit my blog for more crafting fun!__________________________________________________________________________________

1499 Vintage is a Vintage shop with lots of carefully selected home decor, house wares and accessories.
We are a husband and wife team of vintage lovers and are always on the hunt for that oh so special item to add to our shop next.
Visit our shop for a great assortment of special finds that will add some unique character to your home.
On Cyber Monday we will be offering a 10% discount on everything in the shop :)
Follow the blog for updates on new arrivals and other special offers.

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Babes&Sages is a handmade shop selling mostly boho style headbands in many different colors and styles. I use gorgeous lace headbands and different new and vintage fabrics and buttons to create a truly special look.
You will also find some felt headbands as well as jewelry. Please stop by frequently as stock changes.
On Cyber Monday you can save 20% on all items and on top of that all headbands are always free shipping!!!
Follow the blog or facebook page for updates on new arrivals and other special offers.
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Unique, hand cut designs made for fashionable kids.

ZLilly Accessories carries a variety of applique shirts and onesies to suit your child's personality and interests-and be easy on your wallet! We also create one-of-a-kind designs for custom orders (great for Christmas gifts, wedding parties, baby showers, family pictures).

Receive 25% off ZLilly purchases (does not include shipping or custom orders) with code CYBERMONVD.

Happy Holidays! Want more information? Please follow us at How Do U Like Them Apples? for crafty goodness and other product information.

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Come and get some Christmas shopping done at The Kiki Comin Shoppe! The Kiki Comin Shoppe is filled with fun and funky prints for your home, your friend's home and anyone else you can dream up! On Cyber Monday ONLY you can recieve 25% off all of your print orders by entering the code CYBERMONDAY. A customer favorite "I love you because" print would be a perfect gift for your home, for your child or even grandchild! You can see how I have decorated with this print in my home HERE. There is everything from Family Trees to You Are My Sunshine prints. Head on over and see us HERE..and drop by my blog, Kiki Creates, for special deals going on all week!

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My name is June & my Etsy shop is CreationsByJune. I have pre made scrapbooks, upcycle necklaces and scarves, a few purse and lots of vintage patterns. In honor of cyber Monday, for November 28 through December 2, ALL shipping is FREE and all purchases over $50 will get 10% off! Coupon code for free shipping is 2011CYBER, and then convo before paying for the 10% off! You can also find me in blog land at Creations By June.

I look forward to seeing you!

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CJ's Craft Corner is a mother-daughter team. Our shop specializes in "fabric creations to brighten your life". We love making affordable, quality, colorful items like tea wallets, car trash bags, mug rugs, and more. Our Cyber Monday sale will run from Friday, November 25 through Monday, November 28. Use code CYBER15 to save 15% off any purchase (not including shipping). Check out our facebook and twitter too!

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Hi there! My name is Kara and I am the owner of Mine for the Making {shop} and the blogger behind the Mine for the Making {blog}. I love to make whimsical, vintage inspired jewelry and hair accessories for girls of all ages. Being a girly-girl and having a daughter fuels my passion to create handmade pretties! Besides making things for my shop, I love to be a mommy, craft, paint, cook, bake, teach, learn new things, laugh, work on our home, and blog :) Check out and Facebook page and follow me on Pinterest!

Get 30% off EVERYTHING in the shop with coupon code CYBERMONDAY30
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Welcome to Shop Bugaboo! Here you’ll find fine art, stationary, jewelry, accessories, baby and toddler items, home goods and apparel at a reasonable price. Many of our creations are upcycled, recycled or thrifted and all are brought to you on a dime; our goal is to provide everyone with beautiful, quality handmade and unique items - whatever your budget. Our Cyber Monday sale gives you a whopping 40% off everything in the shop! It begins at midnight on Sunday and runs until midnight on Monday, and will include many new listings of stationary, jewelry, wreaths and more! Be sure to stop over for your Christmas shopping and decor needs!

Fields of Gold wrapped washer necklace

Sunshine Wreath

Season's End - Watercolor and Ink

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What are you waiting for?? Get shopping! And help spread the word! The more the merrier. :)

Can you tell me more about iPads?

2011-11-25T23:28:00.000-05:00

No I'm not giving one away or anything. I just want some info from some of my most trusted friends, you!

The hubs REALLY wants an iPad for Christmas. I'm pretty much against it, he has an iPhone and a laptop, so why get an iPad? Plus it's quite the investment, and I really, really, REALLY want a house.

Really.

Really.

REALLY want a house. I saved up a nice little chunk for his Christmas/anniversary presents, but it isn't enough to cover an iPad. Plus I already bought him a few things, so now I'm only halfway to an iPad. He keeps talking about how much he wants one and I'm half tempted to just cave in and put it on the credit card. But I do not want to do that. I've tried to push him in the direction of a droid tablet or a Kindle or a Nook but he will hear no such thing.

Help a sista out? Are iPads really THAT great? I now Apple like NEVER goes on sale so I'm really just stumped. Does anyone have one? Do you love it? Should I even bother with this one?

Thanks! :D I do have things I'm working on for all of you, so I won't be dead for too much longer. :)

Our Thanksgiving and a Black Friday deal!

2011-11-25T00:10:00.000-05:00

And that wasn't even everything. Talk about a loaded table! We couldn't even pass anything. I was in charge of all things potatoes. Twice baked and mashed. I think I used an entire bag of potatoes from Costco! Though it was just me and David's family, six people. Mmmm....potatoes....

I love Thanksgiving, it really is a wonderful time to reflect on all the blessings that Lord has given you for the past year. I know you're totally sick of thankfulness posts by now, but I really am so thankful for everything I have. I have a loving husband, wonderful family that lives so close, a roof over my head, food to eat, a small business that is earning me enough money for Christmas presents, two cute kitties, a college degree, spoons...ok now I'm getting a little winded.

Did I mention I completely flooded that bathroom and it leaked down into our storage? Ugh, so humiliating. I don't know what happened, it just erupted!

Black Friday. Yeah, that's right now. Apparently I'm about to go shopping...I did not plan this. I am afraid of mobs. Are you going Black Friday shopping? If it involves Etsy-ing, use code BLACKFRIDAY for 20% off your entire order today!

That is all. I need to go get dressed and put shoes on....

Why I do what I do and a few items of business

2011-11-21T12:09:00.000-05:00

You know how I mentioned that I practically scoured the entire state + the internet to find more of those reindeer charms? It was mostly for one of my students. She actually reads my blog (unlike my husband) and was so disappointed that I sold the reindeer necklace I had. That triggered my massive search and I searched until I found them. The look on her face was priceless. If that wasn't reward enough, I found this in my mailbox this morning.

Kids are so sweet. I love my job. :)

Ok, onto items of business. I have decided to break down the Jewelry Making 101 remix into once/twice a week lessons. I have way too much content and it will be completely overwhelming to try and squeeze it all in back to back, especially with all the holidays approaching. It will cover tools, materials, several different techniques, a Q&A session aaand a lot more. I will start the series after Christmas, since these next few weeks are going to be cuh-ray-zee!

{Find the original series here}

But do not despair, my dear friends. I have come up with a different jewelry making mini series that will hopefully get you through your handmade Christmas. I call it "Jewelry Making for the Non-Jewelry Maker." If you have a better title please share it with me! It will consist of several different jewelry designs that require absolutely no special tools or skills to make. Mostly glue. :D I am working on it right now and plan to launch it next week! Huzzah! Warm up those glue guns and get your hands on some ribbon and E6000, this is gonna be fun!

If you really can't wait though (I know, I know, you're just dying for all these new tutorials. sarcasm font) I have a few others in my list of tutorials.

{paper beads}

{zipper flower cuff}

{garland necklace}

None of these pieces require any kind of special tools, so try your hand at these to get yourself warmed up. See you next week!

PS! Cyber Monday is ONE WEEK AWAY!! Crazy! If you are a shop owner and would like to join our (as in me and my friend Julie from Vibrant Designs) little Cyber Monday deal, email me and I'll get you squared away!

I've got ONE more reindeer necklace!

2011-11-19T23:14:00.000-05:00

Hi, I'm Amie and I take unexpected blogging breaks for no good reason at all.

Anyway. Soo you know how I had a reindeer necklace during my little Monday sale?

I was totally once the fence about these little charms. I thought they were cute, but I wasn't sure anyone else would! But I bought them anyway and made two necklaces, one for me, one for you!

And then you totally threw me off my groove! I had no idea you guys would like these necklaces so much! I sold the only one very quickly and I was so sad that there were some of you that wanted one but didn't get one! So I went on a search, I looked EV.ER.Y.WHERE for these charms! I searched for hours, days! Online, in stores, no luck. I was about to give up, and then I FINALLY found a few in a store 30 miles away....at more than QUADRUPLE the price than I had bought them before. Honestly.

But I bought them anyway. (ALL of them.) I sold a few to everyone I knew that wanted one, and I now have only ONE more for you! Since the price of materials was drastically increased, I have to sell them at a higher price. Sorry about that. :( But if you missed your chance at getting one of these reindeer necklaces before, now's your chance!

I am selling it for $25 free shipping. If it's not sold, I will put it in the shop for $28+shipping. Get it now, because there are NO MORE. I guess everyone is gearing up for Christmas. :)

If you want it, leave your paypal email address in a comment. First come, first serve.

Decorating with edible ink!

2011-11-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

I've got another fun cake decorating guest post today! With the holidays coming up it's a great time to fine tune your skills and learn new techniques, hope you enjoy today's post!

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Cakes may be one of the things that have not seemed to change much in all the centuries humans

have been eating them, but they have. Most recently, companies have developed edible ink, which
makes it possible to decorate a cake with a favourite image or drawing. These can be created with
edible ink cartridges and printers or with edible ink pens, respectively, and it is not as difficult to
decorate a cake with edible inks as it might seem.

(Image Credit)

First, get the supplies

(Image Credit)

Edible ink cartridges are commercially available, and many suppliers can be found online. Some
suppliers offer sets of edible ink sets with special printers, but in fact, you can use new inkjet or
bubble printers. The important thing to remember is that a printer that uses edible ink cannot ever
use regular ink. This is because regular printer ink can be harmful if ingested. So make sure that the
printer you get has never been used before and will never be used for anything other than edible ink
prints.

Once you have bought the printer and ink, you should get the edible paper. This paper is printed
on paper made of rice or icing and dissolves when in contact with a cake’s icing, making the image
appear to be part of the icing rather than a photograph sitting on top of the cake.

Then select an image.

The most common photograph used in photo cakes is the portrait of the person who is receiving
the cake, though any image can be used. You should also use an image editing program to crop the
image, touch it up or create a fun border or background for the image.

Print the image.

This is as easy as printing off anything. Load the paper into the printer, insert the ink cartridges and

print. Allow the image to dry a bit before applying it to the cake.

Here are a few helpful hints to make sure you don’t waste any edible paper or ink, as they are both
quite expensive:
• Print preview. Check over the image in your computer’s print preview option.
• Print the image on a ‘normal’ printer first. Double-check on regular paper that your print
options and settings are exactly what you want.
• If you do make a mistake on the edible paper, try to keep the paper somewhere. You can cut
it into piece for a photomosaic cake.

Bake the cake or cookies.

Follow your favourite recipe for sponge cake or cookies. As the paper and ink usually do not have
much flavour, you do not need to adjust the recipe or take into account any additional flavours to
the cake or cookies. There are some flavoured inks and papers, however, if you do want to add a
new flavour into a cake.

Applying the photo

This is not a hard process, but it should be done very carefully, and it is better to take your time than
to rush the work.

First, pipe a normal border just a little smaller than the image, fill the border with icing and allow it
to dry. This will act like glue for the image.

Next, cut out the image, if you need to. Apply corn syrup or sugar syrup to the back of the paper to
moisten the paper. Stick the image to the cake, syrup side down, and smooth out the air bubbles
lightly with your clean, dry fingertips. It is important to make sure your fingers are clean and dry to
prevent the image from sticking to your hands. Leave it to dry.

Finally, pipe a scalloped edge of icing to finish off the cake (and cover the messy borders).

You can also use the printer, ink and paper to help with drawn decorations. Simply print off the
image that you would like to draw, and apply it to the cake as directed above but without the
scalloped edge. Once the paper dissolves, the ink will make a template that you can trace with icing
or an edible ink pen.

With that, you should have a photo cake or a “free-handed” drawing decorating your cake. It is one
of the easiest ways to create a memorable, impressive cake for your special occassions.

Author Bio: This post is provided by Clickinks, an online distributor of {printer cartridges} and other
printing supplies, primarily ink and toner. They offer a huge selection of cartridges for all the top
printer brands at discount prices, such as {HP ink} and {Brother Toner}. Search by printer model or even
cartridge number to find exactly what you need!

I should be blogging, but I feel like crap

2011-11-15T22:43:00.000-05:00

Sorry about the lack of real blogging lately, I haven't been feeling myself and my energy is next to none. Had to take off work today, ugh. So instead of real blogging, I turned myself into a pony.

Complete with a Kitty Cats and Airplanes cutie mark. I make a cute pony huh?

Did I also mention I've had a headache for three straight days? And it's raining? I'm already in bed....and I have been since three. Yikes, I'm being a whiny pants.

There blog friends sale is still going on until tomorrow afternoon! Check it out if you haven't already.

And tomorrow I have another fun cake decorating guest post. Huzzah!

Christmas came early, and it's Monday

2011-11-14T13:42:00.003-05:00

Here in Maryland, it is THE most gorgeous day. Not too warm, not too cold, slightly cloudy, light breeze. I was very inspired this morning and I made a TON of jewelry. Like, way too much. So now it's scattered all over my table, and I thought "Oh! Blog friends only sale!" I'm a really good mood, can you tell?

Everything I'm listing has FREE shipping! You can fill a lot of stockings with this loot! If you'd like anything, leave a comment with the name of the set you'd like and your paypal email address (you can email me too at kittycatsandairplanes at gmail dot com). Happy Monday loves!

Seahorse necklace. Swarovski crystal eyes. Reg. $15 you get it for $11.

Turquoise Burst, earring and necklace set. Will list it in the shop for $19 if not sold, you get it for $15.

Ocean Avenue. Three pairs of earrings, one filigree ring. Reg $21, you get it for $17.

The Royal Treatment. Two pairs of earrings, one necklace, one filigree ring. Reg $25, yours for $20

Date Night, two pairs of earrings, one filigree ring. Reg $18, yours for $15.

Sunshine on a Cloudy Day, one necklace, two pairs of earrings. Reg $18 yours for $15.

Grayscale, three pairs of earrings. Reg $13, yours for $10

Green with Envy, three pairs of earrings, one ring, one necklace. Reg. $26, yours for $20

Ice, Ice Baby, three pairs of earrings one ring. Reg $19, yours for $15

SOLD!!!! ~~Diamonds~~ pearls and Guns, will list for $17 if not sold, yours for $13.

SOLD!!!! Rhinestone deer necklace, will list for $18 in the shop if not sold yours for $15.

Once things are sold I will update the post. I will leave this sale open for 48 hours (sooo...Wednesday at 2 I will close it!) Everything that is not sold will go into the shop at a higher price + shipping! Get it while you can!

Edited to add: Don't hesitate to offer a trade, I LOVE trading. If you're a little strapped for cash and have a shop of your own and would like to trade items, I am totally down with that!

So epic

2011-11-11T23:11:00.002-05:00

11.11.11 at 11:11 bowling lane 11. Love it.

Jewelry Making 101, remix!

2011-11-11T11:11:00.000-05:00

Happy 11.11.11 at 11:11! Did you make an epic wish? Maybe wish for the safety of those brave men and women away from their families right now, and for those who have honorably come home. Happy Veterans Day.

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At this time last year, I was just starting to get really into jewelry making. I was obsessed (ok I still kind of am...). I ran a little series called "Jewelry Making 101" {find it all here} where I went over supplies, basic skills, and how to make a couple pieces of jewelry. I had a lot of fun, and the button bracelet I made gets the most hits out of all my tutorials!

{button bracelet, holla!}

But here's the thing. It's been over a year now. I've been making jewelry a lot over the past year, and I have not only improved, I have also expanded my skills and I can do A LOT more now than I could do last year. Plus my photography has gotten a little better. A little....

A few days ago I asked my friends on my {facebook page} if I should redo the series. The general consensus was yes, I should redo it. Yay! I am so excited to redo the series and show you everything I've learned. It will probably be a 7 or 8 part series instead of a 4 part because I've seriously learned sooo much in the last year.

So, this is where you come in, you can help tell me what to do! Since you're going to be reading it, you should get a say in what you will see. I will likely cover the same topics from last year, as well as crimping, beading, wire techniques, cabochon techniques, and getting started making your own jewelry. What else would you like to see? Any techniques you've seen and would like to learn? Anything you'd like to learn how to make? Should I make this a "once a week for a few months" series or a "cram it all into a week" series? Let me know in the comments! Or email. Or text. Whatever really.

Sushi (a tutorial)

2011-11-09T14:37:00.000-05:00

I hearby forbid anyone to say "I hate sushi."

No! Don't say it, don't THINK it!!

......you did that on purpose didn't you. Rude.

I am thoroughly convinced that unless you are allergic to rice there is a sushi out there that ANYONE can enjoy. Sushi is one of the most customizable foods I can think of, it can fit anyone! Vegetarian, gluten free, raw fish scaredy cats, seaweed haters, religious food restrictions. SER.I.OUS.LY you guys. Sushi can be amazing, you can do anything you want with it!! Just give it a chance! It is in my top five favorite foods, I was so upset that I waited 18 years of my life to try it. And I waited 6 more years to try to make it myself! It is way too easy, all you have to do is cook the rice and the stove does most of that for you.

Hubs and I tried our hand at making sushi a few months ago and it was one of the best days of my life. Honestly! I just happened to document the whole thing so you can try it yourself.

To make sushi, you will need:

Sushi rice (I subbed jasmine rice with amazing results)
Rice vinegar
Sesame oil
Nori (aka, roasted seaweed sheets)
Filling: veggies, meats, cheeses, seriously, whatever you want
Sushi rolling mat
Wax paper

I know it seems like a lot of new, scary things, but just trust me on this one. Check your local Asian market and you can get the vinegar, oil, nori, and mat for CHEAP! Less than 10 bucks, and it will last you foreverr. (Intentional spelling error, it was for emphasis.)

First thing's first, you gotta make the rice. I use a rice cooker, best wedding present ever. You'll need to cook the rice with a 1:1 ratio. Yes, I am serious. One cup rice, one cup water. Two cups rice, two cups water. I was totally skeptical, would the rice even be cooked? Yes in fact, it cooks just fine. Cook it as you normally would but using that 1:1 ratio. When it's done and still warm, drizzle it with rice vinegar and mix it in well until it's shiny. This could be anywhere from a tablespoon to a quarter cup, just drizzle, stir, drizzle, stir, until the rice is a little shiny. Then, drizzle a little bit of sesame oil on and mix well. Set it aside and let it cool completely.

While the rice is cooling, prepare your fillings. You can seriously put an.y.thing you want in your sushi. Get creative! From top left, we used: avocado, cream cheese, cucumber, carrot, imitation crab, smoked salmon, tuna salad. Cut or shred everything into very long, thin pieces.

Next, cut a large strip of wax paper and lay it on top of your sushi mat. Lay out your nori sheet. I carefully tore mine in half so we could try several mini rolls of different combinations of fillers instead. Spread a layer of cooled rice right on top of the nori. You can use a rice paddle or your fingers, just make sure whatever you use is moistened with water, that rice is very sticky!

Fillings! Lay your fillings out on one side. This roll looks like smoked salmon, avocado, and cucumber. Mmm. Try not to lay out too much, otherwise your sushi roll will be too fat and it'll be hard to work with.

This is probably the trickiest part, but after a time or two it'll feel much more natural. As tightly as you can manage, roll that sushi up. The wax paper will get caught up in the roll, so just move it out of the way as you roll.

I squeezed mine tightly when I was done rolling it but I have no idea of that's how you're supposed to do it.

Tadah!!!! Sushi! I may have either over stuffed or squeezed it a little too tightly, that's why it's overflowing. Oops.

Use a VERY sharp knife to cut the roll into 3/4 to 1 inch thick slices. It will not stay together if you try to cut them any smaller, trust me. It will fall apart into a heaping mess of rice. Still yummy, but not pretty. Did you notice that there are "inside out" rolls on our plates too?

To make an inside out roll, all you do is put the rice down before the nori. Make a neat little rectangle of rice.

Lay down the nori.

Fill it up! David stuffed this one a little too much. Cucumber, carrot, imitation crab. Mmmmmm.....

Roll it up in the same way you did before. That wax paper is sooo helpful, the mess the rice makes on the sushi mat is horrendous because it is so sticky. Slice it up into one inch thick slices.

Take a flirtatious picture with your husband.

And devour your mounds of delicious sushi. I think my favorite combo during this round was smoked salmon and cream cheese. Though the crab, cuke, and avocado was amazing too. Gahh, sushi is so gosh dang delicious! For us, three regular sized rolls is PLENTY for a meal. It only adds up to about a dozen little pieces , but sushi is very filling.

If you've never made sushi before, you should really give it a try. This is a great meal that you can make with your kids, there is next to no cooking and each child can choose what they want in their roll! You don't HAVE to put raw fish in it! Fill it full of chicken nuggets and garnish it with ketchup if you want.

.......ok no. Don't do that. Gross.

Happy cooking!

Is there more to life than being really, really, really, ridiculously good looking?

2011-11-08T10:24:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. I just love that quote.

Did you know my mom minored in photography? True story. She always took our Christmas card pictures and all of our senior pictures and even makes fabulous scrapbook pages.

My senior picture. How is this seven years ago yet I still look the same? Ok, maybe I've aged A LITTLE. A teensy little bit....my hair is longer, that's for sure, by like three whole inches. And I part it on the side now instead of the middle. Oooooo we're living on the edge now.

Moving on. Mom takes good pictures. I dress up and bring my camera to her house and bug Mom nonstop until she spends 10 minutes taking pictures of the hubs and I. (Right as the sun is setting...procrastinator much?) She finally caves in. (squeaky wheel gets the oil right?) These are the results.

Disclaimer: Husband and I don't pose together very well. Haven't quite got that down yet.

Half black and white is cool right now right?

This one is my fave. It actually looks like we like each other.

My right side is not my good side. My left side is. But David is uber cute, all tender looking.

This is the really awkward one that I had to include for you to laugh at. David's eyes half closed and drunk-looking. Awkward hands on hips. Awkward arms at sides. Awkward smiles. Awkward is my middle name. Amie Awkward Allen. I'm also a car insurance company on the side.

Outfit breakdown:

Headband: made it {my own tutorial here}

Top: made it {Tea Rose Home, tutorial here}

Lace Tank: Kohl's

Cardigan: Target

Jeans: Kohl's or something

Boots: Payless

I'm a big spender.

If you haven't taken the survey on Cyber Monday, I would love it if you did!

Click here to take survey

If you have an Etsy shop feel free to email me if you'd like to be a part of our Cyber Monday deal! Free advertising, free exposure, lots of awesome freeness.

Cyber Monday survey

2011-11-07T14:31:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday my friends! If you've got two minutes on this seriously gorgeous day (at least, I hope it's gorgeous for you!) I would REAAAAAALLY appreciate it if you took this very quick Cyber Monday survey. I am trying to gather information on what YOU like in a Cyber Monday sale, because it's YOU that will be buying!

Click here to take survey

Mini photoshoot with my mom teaser.

....did you take the survey yet?

Leather

2011-11-06T11:30:00.000-05:00

So. You know how I'm married right? To this really super incredibly gorgeous man?

How did I get so lucky?? Yeah this picture is a few years old but trust me he is still gorgeous. Anyway, so we like each other. Enough that we somehow managed to make it to our third anniversary without killing each other. Woohoo! Well, we haven't made it YET, it's not until December. Premature celebration.

Moving on. Do you know what the "gift" for the third anniversary is? Leather. For cereal? I am totally stumped by leather! First I was all like "Hmm, yes a nice leather bound journal."

Wait. Hubs is very electronic based and I can't remember the last time he picked up a pen. Scratch that. Then I thought "Oh yes, perhaps a nice leather jacket." .....hubs HAS able leather jacket. Crap.

Leather bound photo book of memories? Nooo I got him that for our first anniversary! (Which was paper.)

Leather church shoes? Doesn't really need them yet.

Leather iPhone case! ....has one. Leather briefcase. Has one.

Watch with a leather band? Ugh...already has a nice watch.

Leather couches? (He actually would really want that but c'mon, there is no way I can afford that right now.)

I am stumped. Utterly stumped by this one. So I am reaching out to you, my dear friends. Do you have any ideas for a leather anniversary gift? I know I don't HAVE to go with the "themed" gift but I'm sure as heck gonna try!

You might be awesome if...

2011-11-04T09:00:00.000-04:00

You have sent me something made of yarn in the past few weeks. Someone like Mindy from {In the Loop}, someone like Chelsea from {KnitCookies}, or someone like Joy from {whoopdwhoop}

I am awkwardly holding my fist on my chest because I am trying to show off two things at once. First, the fingerless gloves from {whoopdwhoop} Love swapping things instead of buying! The second is the totally awesome headband from Mindy over at In the Loop!! Mindy is the sweetest. Back during {headband week} I featured her awesome crochet flower headbands. I mentioned that they were just the kind that I meant to buy last winter. Well, being fabulously generous, Mindy sent me one! Thanks Mindy! Actually, she didn't send me one, she sent me TWO!!

(Awkward fist!) Seriously! I was tickled pink! (Notice I changed headbands) I LOVE these headbands. I have already worn them several times and they have done their job at keeping my ears warm. Not only that, they are ridiculously adorable. It's the kind of thing you put on just because it makes you feel fabulous. And man oh man can this women do a thing or two with yarn! Seriously, read her {blog} and be in awe of everything she does.

PS, they are even warmer worn together. ;)

Next up, some lovely knitted legwarmers from {KnitCookies} As soon as Chelsea listed this I knew I had to have them. I saved up a little and as soon as I had enough I ordered them.

Love them!! They are so warm and comfy and I love the yoga style sock. Keeps everything in place and isn't bulky inside my boots.

(Photoshoot goofs)

Has the mail lady brought you anything fun lately? (Mine's a mail lady, I guess if you have a mailman you can tell me if he brought you something too. :)

Makeover!

2011-11-03T14:29:00.000-04:00

If you are in a Google Reader, an email, or otherwise not on my page, I very strongly urge you to click over!! In fact, I insist! Because I got a blog makeover. :) And it's "fully, awesome!" (Rhino voice) I orginally just wanted a few "tweaks," buuuut I got carried away and it went from "facelift" to full on makeover. Oops, sorry Courtney.

Oh, do you know Courtney? She blogs over at {Not So Homemade} She. Is. AWESOME! She did my last blog design too, and I contacted her again for this one. She really is amazing! I shall now tell you why in bullet format:

She is very patient.
She took my crazy, whacko, doesn't-make-sense idea and turned it into exactly what I wanted.
She's a mind reader. Not really but sometimes if feels like it when she shows me the designs she came up with!
She's good! EVERYTHING I wanted done I got done.
She's fun to talk to.
She is super affordable!

And I really mean super affordable. It's not like when those "big" bloggers are like "oh so affordable!" then you click the link and it's like "New blog design, only $550!"

Yeah no.

Courtney is actually affordable, and you can't find a better designer. {Click here} for more information on her custom blog designs.

Now we are at the point where I walk you though everything and point out/explain all the changes!

The most obvious change is the new header. I actually didn't plan on getting a new one because I liked my old one but like I mentioned I got a little carried away. Isn't the little kitty sooooo cuuuuuute?? I love my new header, I think it's much more clean and professional looking. Less "blog" and more "website." She changed all the fonts and we added turquoise to my old gray and yellow color scheme.

Next, social media links! You can now connect with me through facebook, twitter, and pinterest as well as email me directly AND subscribe. ALL IN ONE PLACE! Just click the icon and it takes you right to where you need! So handy, I LOVE this new feature. Now take a peek in the top left corner...

I have a favicon!! EEE!! I feel SO cool now.

Ok, back up to the header. Did you notice my new tab??? I now have an Etsy tab to showcase my little shop! When you click on it....

An Etsy mini! I used to have one in my sidebar but I think it's much cleaner this way. All my Etsy is in one place. If you see something you like in that tab, just click on it and it brings you right to the item. Click on my shop name at the very bottom and...

It takes you right to the shop! Did you notice she also made me a new Etsy banner (AND button) to go along with the new look? This woman is so amazing and thorough!

Ok, back to the blog. She also widened my posting area and converted the layout to a one sidebar layout. I think it's much cleaner this way, I am so pleased with the change! (Also note the cute new advertising button!)

And all the other buttons are new too. Even my craft contest button! (Which didn't disappear, btw. I'm working on gathering sponsors right now. :)

So whaddya think?? You dig the new look as much as me? Thank you so much Courtney! You really are the bomb diggity!

From a girl with a computer in between Trick or Treaters

2011-10-31T19:43:00.000-04:00

Rapunzel and Flynn {our Halloween costumes}

2011-10-30T19:52:00.001-04:00

You know when you see previews for a movie, and the previews are SO AWESOME that you just can't wait to see the movie? But then when you see it you realize that the previews had all the good stuff and there was nothing left in the movie?

I hope that is not this post. I feel like I've hyped up these costumes a lot and I really hope it doesn't dissapoint! Especially because the pictures aren't too great. In case you don't like my {facebook page}, it's been snowing here on the east coast. It NEVER snows this early here. Soooo my plans for a fun outdoor photoshoot were squashed. I had to search the house and find one blank wall near a window and that was next to impossible. I hope to do another photoshoot in the next few days when it warms up a little and it isn't drenched outside.

Until then, please enjoy the pictures I have. Even though the costumes aren't perfect I still had fun sewing them. :) And wearing them, I love Halloween!

It was so so so so so cold. I had to wear pink Under Armor under my dress so I wouldn't freeze my tush off. It worked out since she has pink sleeves but it doesn't quiiiiiiite work in the neckline area.

{source}

He couldn't quite master this face....

{source}

Overall the costumes were a huge hit. I loved all the kids coming up to us and pointing and saying "You're Rapunzel and Flyn!!" Personally I think the hubs looks WAY WAY WAY better than I do. That miiiiight be because I think he is unimaginably handsome, but really there is no way to tell. ;) I think I'll do a post in a few days with the patterns involved and a few other behind the scenes funness.

What about you? What were you for Halloween?

Sewing with cats, a picture montage

2011-10-29T01:00:00.001-04:00

Aeris

Cleo

Jellybean

Is this what sewing with kids is like?

I really need your help!

2011-10-27T22:23:00.000-04:00

Soo...I don't do this too often, but I reaaaaaally need your help today!

......I know this is super tacky, but I'm trying to win a facebook landing page for my the KC&A shop's facebook. I think it would really help promote my shop and make my facebook page more professional and more appealing to potential customers. Could you help me win by liking something for me?

Search facebook for "byAimee.com" and like that page.

Oh her wall, three or four posts down or so, you'll see a status updated with "Kitty Cats and Airplanes" tagged in it (that's my shop's facebook page).

Like that specific post.

Aaaand that's it. I would reaaaaally super appreciate it if you could help! A million thanks to you.

Pleaaaase please pleaaaaaaaaase will you do this for me? I might be really annoying and remind you all the time until you do.

Kitty Cats and Airplanes

Winter Wrap Up

48 questions

Rubies and More knockoff (a tutorial)

A little bit of spontaneity!

My Memories giveaway winner!

Oh hai!!

My Memories Giveaway!

RAKJ Patterns Winner!

Color Trending: Mustard Yellow

Chartreuse and Co, antique shopping

I'm crazy. I opened another shop.

Giveaway: RAKJpatterns

Gigis Petals feature! Rings for only $3.50

Happy Valentine's Day

A few things on clearance!

Button Initial

Solid perfume (a tutorial)

Pick Your Plum and a guest post!

So you wanna be a photographer?

Quilted Valentine's Day table runner (a mini tutorial)

When productivity becomes zero

My husband is so smart!

Confession

The craft fair post!

Why I will never be a good blogger

Top 10 posts of 2011

omigoshomigoshomigoshomigoshomigoshomigoshomigosh

Happy 3 years

The "cheating" post, jewelry with buttons

Vintage style cuff

Ribbon and chain necklace

Sparkly garland necklace

Vintage style ring

Velvet choker

Christmas Wishes

I'm not here...

Just a quick post

I'm still here!

Non-traditional Christmas colors round up

Coupon Winners!

Craft Fair advice please!

50% off coupon giveaway!

Epic Cyber Monday Sale!

Can you tell me more about iPads?

Our Thanksgiving and a Black Friday deal!

Why I do what I do and a few items of business

I've got ONE more reindeer necklace!

Decorating with edible ink!

I should be blogging, but I feel like crap

Christmas came early, and it's Monday

So epic

Jewelry Making 101, remix!

Sushi (a tutorial)

Is there more to life than being really, really, really, ridiculously good looking?

Cyber Monday survey

Leather

You might be awesome if...

Makeover!

From a girl with a computer in between Trick or Treaters

Rapunzel and Flynn {our Halloween costumes}

Sewing with cats, a picture montage

I really need your help!