What Makes Christmas Great (with Clay Charms from Klutz)

Christmas is full of wonderful things, like food, family, and lots of holiday cheer! But in the lead up to this amazing time of year, trying to find gifts for everyone on your list can be a bit stressful...

Crafting and shopping for my top people is no problem, but I’m always struggling for a way to cover the people in between: friends I don’t see often; distant family members; and any last minute people who may pop up. This year, I decided to break out one of my perennial Klutz faves, Make Clay Charms, to create some quick, handmade gifts for occasions such as these.

I baked up some super-sized Clay Charms in all sorts of Christmas shapes, and then twisted on wire hooks. Then I popped my homemade ornaments onto some simple sketched backgrounds to make cute, handmade cards that can be stockpiled and handed out on demand. Now I can spread holiday cheer to everyone I encounter! And when it all comes down to it, isn't that what makes Christmas so great?

Thumbs Up for Summer (With Fingerprint Fabulous & Splat Art)

 

My summer vacation started early this year, when I took some time off to enjoy last week’s beautiful weather. I went to the beach, drank pink lemonade, hung out with friends, and picnicked outside. It was perfect! But no week is complete without some Klutz, so when the sun got too hot to handle, I snuck in to the cool of the AC for a little crafting. 

But even inside, I just couldn’t put away my summer spirit! And so I made these cute postcards to send to friends. Because after the summer vacation goodbyes are all said and done, there are still stories to share and secrets to tell. So, I’m going retro and sending out my thoughts snail-mail style. And the best part? These postcards are truly one of a kind because they were made with my own fingerprints!

 

Fingerprint Fabulous turns your prints into art with tons of fun examples and backgrounds for you to choose from. Stamp some finger flowers for your shop, make a garden full of creepy crawly thumb bugs, or whip up some sweet treats with just your pinky! As soon as I found these postcards at the back of the book, I got busy printing up a storm!

 

Then, just when I thought my thumb doodling was all done, I mixed it up and moved my prints to another Klutz doodling favourite. Remember when I played with Splat Art a while back? Well, I had some pages that remained untouched after my first adventure, so I dressed up those drips and dribbles with colourful thumbprints to make even more finger art!

 

Sunshine, summer postcards, and a little cross-Klutzing? That gets two (very inky) thumbs up from me!

Mother's Day Hooray! (with Stencil Art & Mini Capsters Jewelry)

 

Have you ever heard the expression "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree"? 

Well, that just couldn't be truer for my mama and me!

We're both absent-minded, artsy types with big hearts and our heads up in the clouds. It is why we love each other so fiercely (and why we can sometimes get so frustrated with each other too). When I think of where I got my penchant for arts and crafts, it’s easy to know who to thank. This Mother's Day, I’m celebrating my marvelous mama with a few of her favourite things to thank her for her love, hugs, unwavering support, and the aptitude for craftiness that has made me who I am today.

There’s nothing my mom loves more than looking at old photos. Whether pictures from her childhood, our baby years, or our family vacations, set her in front of a photo album or a slideshow and she’ll be busy for hours. I wanted to find a way to give her some pictures that she can take around with her whenever she’s feeling nostalgic. I first thought of the idea while making my cool Easter Capsters, but it wasn’t until I came across Mini Capsters Jewellery that the idea really formed. I dug into my baby picture archives, printed out my favourites (and some letters too), and set it all in place with a layer of glaze. Then I strung together these sweet photo necklaces and made myself a matching bracelet too, so that everybody will know just how much my mom rocks!

 

No Mother’s Day is complete without a card, so I pulled out Stencil Art to make my gift complete. With four pages of stencils in all shapes and sizes and a rainbow of ink to choose from, I blotted and dabbed out this pretty floral pattern to create the perfect card for my garden-maven mama. Then I glued it on some colourful cardstock, wrote a special message, and my Mother’s Day preparations were complete.

If you’ve got a mama as magical as mine, you’ll want to show her just how special she is! Find a Klutz kit that matches the things your mom loves, and show her how much you care with a thoughtful homemade gift that she won’t be able to resist!

Stamp Collector

I fell in love with Stamp Art a while back when I used it to make place cards for my big birthday party. When it came time for me to make valentines for my class -- or the grown-up girl’s equivalent, her coworkers -- I knew that stamp-art cards would be a huge hit. And since I had already thrown down the challenge to banish the box, it was time to put my money where my mouth was!

I got to work, peeling, sticking, stamping and colouring to create a set of too-cute handmade valentines. Flowers, hearts, cupcakes and ice cream sundaes materialized out of the basic rubber stamp shapes, and with just a little touch of colour they were ready for gifting!

Tomorrow, I’m looking forward to a day filled with creative cards, good friends, sugary sweets and lots of love. I hope your day is just as special!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

An Ode to My Bestie

I wouldn’t have survived school if it weren’t for my BFF, Lea. She was my rock, my cheer squad and my very best friend. From the moment met in junior kindergarten, we were inseparable. We were Lemon and Lime, Skittles and Chupa Chups, Josée Chouinard and Kristi Yamaguchi, and oh-so-much more, and we had a blast!

Back then, we’d find any excuse to trade tokens of our awesome friendship, from split-heart necklaces and friendship bracelets to our shoelaces! Once, we even broke a pink school eraser in half and swore our everlasting bond on the crumbling pieces. Five days later, mine was lost, but to this day I still think about it and smile.

So I’m celebrating my Best Friend Forever this February, the month of love, with a throwback to our younger days and a modern take on Friendship Bracelets from Klutz. I paired them with our favourite photos to make these super sweet and completely personalized valentines. There were so many fun bracelet designs to choose from, I had to make more than one. Now I can’t decide which one I like best, so I’m giving her all four. Anything for my best gal, because she’s totally worth it!

This Valentine’s Day, banish boxed cards and get creative! Show your loved ones just how much you care with handmade valentines that are sure to make them smile.

Handmade for the Holidays: Warm and Fuzzy Holiday Wishes

We've officially had our first snow of the season and as I watched those fluffy flakes swirl about, I was transported back to Christmases spent reading a book and eating sugar cookies under a blanket by the window as the snow blustered by outside. And though this snowfall only lasted a couple of hours, it's been in my mind all day. It's official, I'm in the Christmas spirit!

So, I'm spreading my cheer with cute Christmas Velvet Art cards. This fun little book is bursting with seasonal spirit, with tons of pop-out cards, gift tags, ornaments and art in fun patterns for you to colour. And the best part? They are all topped off with a touch of velvet!

Bright colours, festive designs and a fancy, velvet finish; what could be better? I made my cards with plain white paper and some red ribbon. Warm, fuzzy holiday wishes sure to melt the hearts of my most near and dear. Isn't that what Christmas is all about?

Check back throughout the month because the Christmas craftiness continues with Velvet Art ornaments, a DIY snow globe, my Window Art masterpiece, and some more great gifts to give your family and friends.

Let the holidays begin!

It’s My Party and I’ll Klutz If I Want To!

It’s finally November, my favourite month of the year!

Why, you ask? 

Because it’s my birthday month!

Yes, one cold mid-November morning I burst forth into the world, butt first and a month earlier than expected, and began a journey that has taken me all sorts of places. It hasn’t always been easy, but just look at me now! All grown up and blogging like a big girl (but still crafting like a little one, to be sure!). Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.

To celebrate the awesome year gone by, and another one just ahead, it’s time to get busy planning my party!

First stop, stationery! I had a pack of standard blank cards on hand, so I decided to have some fun with Stamp Art. Can we talk Stamp Art for a second? Because it is, like, the coolest thing ever! Basically, it’s a clear acrylic block and a ton of cool gel decals that you can peel and stick to your heart’s content. Mix and match and layer them, then start all over again. It’s amazing! I transformed those blank cards into too-cute cupcake invites, then used the envelopes to make these pretty little place cards (both below).

As for décor, I’m shouting out to my younger self with some good old-fashioned Cootie Catchers. Remember them? These folded fortune tellers were the height of elementary school fun! A bowl full of colourful cootie catchers (below) ought to spark some fun table conversation. The little ones are perfect for candle cupcake toppers (as seen below). And the blank cootie catchers do double duty as loot bags and thank you cards, with kind words and fun fortunes written inside.

Alright, I am officially excited! Only 15 days left and I’ve still got a lot of planning to do. Have you got a great Klutz birthday idea? Share it in the comments. To make this birthday bash top notch, I’m gonna need all the help I can get!