Sidewalk Carnival! (With Chalk the Block & Balloon Twisting)

What's a crafty girl to do on a scorching hot long weekend at home?
 

Grab some Klutz kits and throw a carnival, of course!
 

That’s right folks, step right up to the amazing Sidewalk Carnival, where we're Chalking the Block and Balloon Twisting till the day is done!

Colourful cotton candy, Canada Day flags, balloon animals, games, even a roller coaster! Our cool little carnival had it all.
 

What did you get up to this wonderful long weekend? Any fun crafts to share?

(Paper) Stained Glass Summer

The last time I tested out Paper Stained Glass, it was the dead of winter. So my options for dressing big, bright and sunny windows were rather limited and I had to get a little creative. But now it’s finally summer, and a scorcher to boot, so I’m going stained glass crazy!

These pretty little creations are a great way to add some colour to your house, just in time for Canada day. With tons of intricate designs, vibrant markers, and a couldn’t-be-easier, colour-by numbers format there’s no reason not to let the sun shine in!

Daddy-Daughter Day (with Foam Rockets & Coin Blaster Arcade)

For all the ways that I’m just like my momma, I am just as much my father’s daughter, too. Yes, this crafty gal has always looked up to her brainy dad, so when Father’s Day rolls around every year, I want it to be great!

My dad is out of town this weekend, but I’m not going to let a little thing like a continent get in my way. Before he left, I snuck a secret package into my dad’s suitcase with instructions to meet up for a video chat on the big day.

Since we’re celebrating from far away, and because my dad is a bit of an astronomy nut, I broke out Foam Rockets for some Father’s Day fun. They’re so easy to assemble; just punch out the paper rocket pieces, attach them to the foam body, pop it all on the air bulb launcher and 3… 2… 1… blast off! I gave my dad a one-of-a-kind card by attaching my Father’s Day message to these high flyers and putting on an out-of-this-world air show just for him.

Next, it was time for presents! My dad has it all, so I figured the best gift I could give him was an afternoon of fun. Inside his secret package, he found a copy of Coin Blasters—the latest, greatest, kookiest Klutz contraption yet—with more than ten tabletop games you play with a coin. We flipped from colourful, pop-out page to page playing Hot Shot Hoops, Skee Coin and Penny Putt Golf with the cool Coin Blaster—a finger-powered mini-cannon that really sends your coins flying! 

And, okay, maybe another thing my dad and I have in common is our complete lack of hand-eye co-ordination, but we sure did have a blast!

Wanna see what the Coin Blaster masters can do? Check out this video below.

 

Paper Fashions Fix

Summer is my favourite season for fashion. Bright colours, flowy dresses, cute accessories; I love them all! It's the time of no muss, no fuss, throw it on and go casual, and I couldn’t be more pleased that this season has finally rolled around. 

And while my budget may not be as big as my ambitions, I found a way to get my summer style fix with Paper Fashions by Klutz. 

There are so many colours, patterns and stylish stencil silhouettes to choose from, so you can create any outfit with the simple snip of your scissors. I filled my fantasy closet with tons of trendy summer pieces!

 Printed Peplum and Cool Colourblock

White Hot Pants and a Marvelous Lace Maxi

The best thing about this cool little kit is, if you can’t find the pattern you’re looking for, any scrap of paper can serve as inspiration. 

Now, if only real clothes were this easy to create!

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!

A Sweet Summer Send-Off (with Safety Pin Bracelets)

Ah, the start of summer!

Those lazy last days of class, watching movies and mulling over summer plans, signing yearbooks and saying goodbyes.

As a girl who would spend most of her summers at sleep-away camp and the cottage, it was always a bittersweet moment for me. Summer was a time to say goodbye to all my friends till the new school year began. Between sorrowful farewells and promises to keep in touch, we always made sure to exchange small tokens to remember each other by, through (what seemed like) our eternal separation.

Well, I may not say "so long" to school friends anymore, but summer has still brought about some big goodbyes. Goodbye to my parents who are leaving on a six-month vacation; goodbye to a friend who I know I won’t see for a while; and goodbye to another friend, off to travel to far-off places and start a new life. I’m looking for a gift that will suit all three goodbyes!

Safety pins were a hot accessory a little while back, but those of us with a softer sense of style were happy to let that trend pass us by. Now, this edgy accessory gets a sweeter side with Safety Pin Bracelets. These simple pins are back in a big way, with colourful beaded bracelets that are fun for anyone!

For something that looks so intricate, these bracelets are surprising simple to make. Pop beads on the safety pins, then string them together to create all sorts of patterns and designs. I was having so much fun that I decided to branch out into other accessories. Bright fireworks earrings, a pretty peace sign pendant, and a colour block bracelet are the perfect accessories to send my friends off in style!

  

Whether you’re saying goodbye to old friends, trading tokens for summer separation, or just looking for a fun afternoon craft, these polished bracelets are pretty much perfect!

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!