Back to Crafting

I just returned from a trip to the mainland and so I'm trying to catch up on blog reading. Sorry I haven't been commenting much. At the tail-end of the trip I stopped by the Mapunapuna Ben Franklin Crafts and found some interesting items. I checked out the Bead Shoppe first because I wanted to get some of the new Swarovski two holed crystals so I could make the ring shown on the Ideas and Inspiration site (see my sidebar). I was also able to get a free instruction sheet. While getting the crystals I spied some plumeria flower bracelets. From the photo you can see that they come in numerous color schemes and that they are gorgeous. I understand that lots of customers bought them to give to graduates instead of leis. I think they will make great gifts for those Hawaii girls who are away from their island home or friends planning to visit our state.

Other goodies that I couldn't resist are the faux leather notebooks with pens by Sierra Pacific (which come in some lovely colors). I couldn't believe that they cost only $1 !!!!! They are perfect to decorate and have on hand for a hostess gift or make dozens for favors. There were more Studio 112 products that I picked up, too. These embellishment stickers will be beautiful on the notebooks with pens by Studio 112 or Sierra Pacific. Finally, I just couldn't resist the Hello Kitty puffy dessert stickers. I don't know what I'll do with them yet, but they were just too cute to pass up. If you are a HK fan, you know what I mean. Luckily, BFC always has an ample supply of Sanrio items in stock. Well, thanks for reading this post. I promise to get working on new projects to show you what caught my eye while shopping during the trip.

Father's Day Card with Pop-Up Surprise

I love pop-up cards! Don't you? They are however, somewhat tedious to make so I have a great tip for you. Get a Sizzix pop-up card die and you will soon be making dozens and dozens of cards....fast! (See last photo for the die I used to make this card.) I also love cards with a sense of humor. This card is of course for my DH who has to be the world's best father. He is a businessman so you'd expect him to be dashing and well-groomed at all times....heeheehee! That's why the front of the card shows a rather elegant man setting off for a long, hard day of work. The inside of the card shows the reality of his life. The little monkey inside represents not one of our boys, but ME!....the monkey at home who's always up to something and is the kid who will never grow up!

The clear stamps used on this card are from Stampendous except for the 'Happy Father's Day' one, which is a Dandelion Design stamp. I don't remember where I got it or who made the coffee cup stamp. The printed papers were from a package by Studio 45 and a thoughtful gift from Regina. Thanks again Regina! It's so hard to find paper designs for men. I'm hoping that one day we'll carry this line in Ben Franklin Crafts.

With Father's Day only a couple of weeks away (June 19th), it's time to start making a special card for that super Dad. It's fun to make a card that coordinates with a gift......shhh! I got him a coffee maker.....don't tell. Wishing a Happy Father's Day to all the great DADS out there in blogland!

Yummy Goodies from Studio 112

Hey, have you seen the notepads with pens by Studio 112? There are several designs (but I just bought one style) and they retail for $1.25! Also in the same line (from EK Success and K and Co.) are stickers which match the note pads and they are $1.25 too! (See bottom photo.) If you need some favors or mini-thank you gifts, these notepad booklets can be quickly decorated with the stickers (some are dimensional). I decided to fancy mine up even more by using a Stamping Bella image that I colored with Copic pens. I made this notepad for someone who loves tea and always seems to need a bubble bath to relax. I stuck one of the Studio 112 stickers on her high beehive hairdo in the hopes of minimizing it, LOL. I think the acrylic dots are the perfect touch to turn the tea cup into a bubble bath. Oh, the ribbon was on sale at BFC and there were lots of other colors too. If you decide to embellish one of these Studio 112 notepads (they are attractive plain, too) be sure to keep the decoration as flat as possible otherwise they will come off in the heavy traffic of a purse's interior. You know what I mean .....right ladies? Okay, so hurry on down to Ben Franklin Crafts and get your Studio 112 goodies before they disappear!

My Heart Cries an Ocean Without You

Last Christmas my sister gave me a lovely strand of sea glass green chalcedony top-drilled beads. I have finally made her a piece of jewelry using three of the gemstone beads. My sister and I have been separated by the Pacific Ocean for about 15 years with only a few visits in all those years, so I thought this pendant I designed for her will be a sentimental gift that will remind her of me. I hope she likes it and can see the symbolism of the open heart and ocean-colored tears. Maybe I will have to tell her the title of the piece. I used 18 gauge soft round gold-filled wire (about 6") and shaped the pendant with pliers/fingers. Using a jewelry hammer and anvil I flattened the wire making sure not to hammer where the wires crossed (causing too much stress). The teardrop beads were wired on with 24 gauge round HH gold-filled wire. All of the materials and tools for this piece are available at Ben Franklin Crafts except perhaps for the chalcedony teardrops from my sister. If you are interested in getting started in making wire-worked jewelry, a piece like this is a good place to begin. Brass or copper wire is probably more economical to practice with and there are some new plated and silver-filled wire which can be a good money-saving substitute for sterling silver. Well, thanks for reading this blog and perhaps it's given you an interest in wire-work jewelry making. Learn something new everyday and keep your mind young!

Shopping for Summer

Of course, this is not all the shopping I will be doing for summer, (LOL!) but I did have a great time at the Mapunapuna Ben Franklin Crafts. The staff there are so helpful and friendly. First, I found a new line of papers (new to me at least) from Best Creation Inc. The Safari Girl and Safari Boy papers really caught my eye. These double-sided pastel/brown cardstock 12x12 sheets are adorable and have just the right amount of sparkle for baby cards, scrapbook pages, and other baby-related paper crafts.
The warmer summer weather has made me think of creating summer jewelry with cool colors and ocean themes. When I saw the sea glass bracelet and necklace pieces that Lynn from the Mapunapuna Ben Franklin Crafts posted on the Inspiration and Ideas blog(http://ideasandinspirationsfrombfchawaii.blogspot.com/), I knew that I wanted to create something similar. If you visit the Mapunapuna BFC store you can see Lynn's jewelry in the glass case and then you'll really want to make some sea glass jewelry, too. Anyway, I found the Blue Moon line of Sea Life metal and some resin components ideal for what I want to make this summer. I plan to make lots of jewelry to give away to faraway friends and family I see this summer.....sort of a gift of aloha to remind them to come and visit us in Hawaii.

Please forgive me for not commenting on your blog.....still getting stuck in a Blogger glitch. :(

Quilled Cherry Blossom Card

I'm still trying out quilling techniques and projects learned from various kits and books. I used origami paper to cover the front of the cherry blossom card and line the envelope. Although the quilled components of the card took a bit of time, it was what I call 'TV crafting' (repetitive and easily done while watch TV). Please note: If you want your card to look impressive, a lined envelope usually does the trick and it takes only a minute to make one. Even though you might be older than dirt (like me), you are never too old to try something new like quilling....you could discover a new hobby or add to your general crafting skills. Oh, in case you didn't understand my previous post, the quilling supplies are being sold ONLY at the HILO Ben Franklin Crafts store. Hopefully, this product test will conclude that we should sell these quilling items in our other BFC stores, too. We'd love to know whether you have an interest in quilling. Thanks for visiting this blog. I hope you'll leave a comment. I love hearing from you. Hopefully, you are not having trouble leaving comments like I am. When is Blogger going to correct the situation.....so frustrating.

Quilled Baby Card

The Hilo Ben Franklin Crafts store is now selling quilling supplies and kits. Have you seen them? Don't you want them at your local BFC store? Here is a sample card that I made to put up in the store. The windowed card blank is sold in a pack at the Hilo BFC store. Simple ribbon, flower, and shankless button heart were used as embellishments. Oh, the little baby is a clear stamp image from a Hero Arts stamp set. The image was colored with Copic pens (now available at Ben Franklin Crafts). If you love working with paper, I'm sure that you'll love the art of quilling. I love the fact that the supplies are inexpensive so I can practice without fear of wasting. Almost any thing you can imagine can be quilled. Give it a try!