Wrap it Up With Klutz Stencil Art and Twirled Paper

There are a million things to love about Christmas: friends and family, gingerbread and eggnog, giving and getting gifts, and so much more! But as much as I love this holiday, there are a couple of things that just don't make sense.

My biggest beef? Gift wrapping! The crafter in me acknowledges the beauty of a perfectly wrapped present with pretty paper and big bows, but my thrifty side saddens a little at the thought of spending money on something that only has a few moments in the sun before heading straight to the landfill.

So, this year, I saved my wrapping budget and got a little creative— with Klutz, of course! 

I dug out my copies of Stencil Art and Twirled Paper and set to work creating my very own wrapping paper. With a dab of ink here and a curl of paper there, my wrapped gifts look so pretty that my friends will never know I only got down to wrapping on the eve of the big day!

Looking for more Klutz fun to get you through the winter break? In Christmases past, I made a pretty faux snow globe and Velvet Art Christmas cards, I planned my holiday wardrobe with Paper Fashions, and I decked out my tree three ways. There's tons of Klutz fun to be had before 2013 comes to an end, so get busy!

Wishing you the craftiest of Christmases and looking forward to another year of creating wonderful things, being good, and having fun!

Charm Your Tree with Klutz: Make Clay Charms

You might remember how I went kind of crazy for Make Clay Charms a while back. I brought it up to a cottage weekend and all hands got busy, molding, sculpting, and baking charms to put on pretty much everything we owned. It was a blast!

Well, it turns out that the Canadian Toy Testing Council agrees, because this cute little craft is a Children’s Choice winner for 2014! To celebrate this victory of one of my favourite Klutz kits, I decided it was time to indulge in my obsession again. I broke out Make Clay Charms and charmed up a tree in honour of two of my favourite things: Christmas and Catching Fire!

That’s right; I am feeling the Hunger Games fever with the latest and greatest movie adaptation. I’m trimming my tree with the Christmas classics, along with flames, nightlock berries, and cute mini-book covers, all made of clay!

Merry Christmas and a very happy Hunger Games to all!

Toolbox Jewels with Klutz Toolbox Jewelry

For this Christmas crafter, there is no better treat than a Klutz kit that will help you to create a ton of cool gifts!

Last year, I hit the jackpot with a bounty of Beaded Bands, so I couldn’t wait to see what my not-so-secret Santa had in store. As usual, Klutz did not disappoint.

All summer, I’d been Pinning and pining for those cool nut and washer bracelets that were popping up everywhere. So my holiday joy skyrocketed to find that they were now within my reach with Toolbox Jewelry. This pretty kit is a collision of Tiffany’s and my dad’s toolbox, and the finished product is as pretty and polished as all of these Pins.

I fixed up an armful of hot hardware with just nuts and washers, ribbons, and string! I’m wrapping up these precious toolbox jewels to deliver with love!

With just a month to go, the Christmas crafting is underway! Looking for more ideas? Check out what I’ve been up to in Christmases past, and stay tuned for Christmas crafts to come!

Stay Warm for Winter with Klutz Knitting

When I was younger, I used to hate getting bundled up to go outside. My parents would send me to school in a hat, scarf, mitts, and snow pants. I was safe from the chill, but feeling pretty darn uncool because the cool girls would strut around the playground unbundled, in  only a jacket and jeans. Even though they probably lived on the edge of catching pneumonia, all I saw were rosy cheeks and a streamlined silhouette, next to my snowman-like proportions.

So one day, I screwed up my courage and shed my winter wear for lunch. I was feeling pretty cool and free to move as we played around in the snow, but soon I felt a chill creeping in. I was officially over it by math class, doing multiplication with soggy jeans and wet hair.

Later that week, I paid the price even more dearly when I came down with a pretty wicked cold. Since then, I’ve stopped caring about looking cool, and I have embraced cold-weather accessories with style.

So, you can imagine my delight when I discovered that Klutz had a kit that would help me save my hard earned money by making my own winter wear. Knitting is the easiest how-to-knit kit ever and comes with everything you’ll need, from needles, yarn, and buttons to instructions for making scarves, hats, a sunglasses case, a cell phone sock, and more!

I've knit so much winter wear that I’ll never be cold again!

Nail Art Evolution with Nail Style Studio

When I was a girl of nine, I wanted nothing more than to be able to paint my nails. So, when I received my first bottle of nail polish as a birthday gift, it was all I could do to not shut the party down and get to it.

My parents weren’t so keen on their little girl painting her nails like a grown up, so before I was allowed to break into that bottle of polish, I had to prove my commitment to the cause by cleaning up our disastrously messy playroom, from top to bottom.

It seems like a strange task, but I set my little mind to it and spent an entire weekend sorting and organizing and, okay, sometimes hiding, every little toy in that giant room. On Sunday night, I finally emerged triumphant and was rewarded with permission to get painting. My little sis' was granted the privilege, too (ah, the joys of being the eldest sibling), but I couldn’t even find the time to care because I was finally allowed to paint my nails!

Since that fateful night, I don’t think more than a week has passed without some sort of polish on my fingernails. So, you can imagine my delight when Klutz Nail Style Studio arrived on the scene to shake up my nail art and take this long-standing relationship to the next level!

I mean, Klutz and I are no strangers to Nail Art. 

Last year, we celebrated Valentine’s Day with some seriously cute painted tips, but those designs have got nothing on the pretty patterns and bold prints of Nail Art’s big sis'. With the super-precise dotting tool and tons of fun sticker stencils, my nails are getting some serious style evolution. Better yet, since this kit comes complete with six cool colours of peel-off practice polish, here’s to hoping you won’t have to clean any rooms to show your love of nails, too!

Halloween Havoc with Stencil Art

Klutz and I always get up to some good stuff on Halloween! We’ve painted pumpkin faces, made shrunken heads and mini-mummies, and found the perfect way to top off our store-bought costumes. So as soon as I felt a chill in the air, I started to brainstorm what great way we would celebrate this year.

My favourite part of this spookiest of holidays is the dressing up, but I’m guessing for a lot of you, it’s all about the candy. I get it, I do! I used to work my tired little feet to the bone hauling around a giant pillowcase, till I was sure I had enough to last me the year, or at least longer than my sister's.

We had one house on our street that handed out regular-sized candy bars and it was my favourite stop on our route each year! I remember bouding up the driveway in absolute excitement for what massive amount of chocolate I was about to receive. And though I never knew the names of the lovely couple who provided them, I made sure to smile at them whenever I saw them, in the hopes that my cute kid smile would keep the giant-sized treats coming.

Well, I can’t quite break the bank and buy full-sized bars, but that doesn’t mean I can't earn myself some neighborly goodwill by sweetening up my holiday treats! I grabbed a copy of Stencil Art and stamped out some spooky gift tags, packed up some little bags with double the chocolate fun, and finished it off with a ribbon!  Twice the chocolate and some pretty packaging? It’ll be all treats and no tricks at my house this year!

My Stencil Art fun still wasn’t done, and my next victim was our pumpkin. It was a little trickier to use the stencils on a round and bumpy surface, but I persevered and I’m pleased as punch with my polka dot pumpkin! And the best part of this super cool stenciled pumpkin? With 12 days left till Halloween, I can swipe it with a wet paper towel and start all over again!

Happy Halloween!

Celebrate Star Wars™ Reads Day with Star Wars™ Folded Flyers!

If there is one thing I love as much as crafting, it’s reading! On any given day, especially as the chillier months approach, you can find me squirreled away with my nose in a book or a glue stick in hand.

Now, I know not everyone takes to devouring books the same way that I do, but if ever there was a time to get reading, it’s today!

That’s right guys, Saturday, October 5th is Star Wars™ Reads Day! It’s time to pick up a book and join the celestial celebration! And with the bounty of Star Wars™ themed books to choose from, you’re sure to find a format that works for you.

I’m breaking out my copy of Star Wars™ Folded Flyers to get the party started. This sleek little book might not look like your typical Klutz kit, but between those glossy pages you'll find all the tools you need for an intergalactic adventure! And my little Klutz adventure totally counts as reading, because if you think you can build the Millennium Falcon without stopping to look at directions, my friend, you are mistaken!

So grab a book and get reading, pick up a pencil and get drawing, or even make your own Thumb Doodle comic book to celebrate this doubly great day!

Happy Star Wars™ Reads Day!

The Captain Underpants Super-Silly Sticker Studio Gif-O-Rama!

What do you get when you combine one idle crafter

with a super-silly, colour-it-yourself sticker book?

An awesome afternoon of underpants-themed mischief, of course!

My Style Profile (with Fashionably Me)

It’s official… 

Fall has arrived and, with it, the first week of school!

My first week of Dot Jewelry was such a hit that I’m ready to build on my back-to-school fashion and create a style profile that will take me though the rest of the school year.

So, I grabbed Fashionably Me, Klutz’s latest and greatest fill-it-yourself journal packed with style prompts, fabric swatches, and lots of space for imagination!

I filled it with patterns, prints, jewels and a all my style idols! Now, whenever I’m not sure what to wear, I just have to open this little black book and be inspired to be fashionably me!
 

Pom Pom Puppies: Big Day Out

It's no secret that I'm just not a pet person. While you may see a cute little creature that you want to cuddle, all I see is slobber and mess and picking up poo. No thanks, not for me, sorry!

But even my animal-averse heart couldn’t help but melt when I spotted Klutz's latest kit, Pom Pom Puppies.

These adorable little balls of fur are made with yarn, scissors and the super-easy pom pom maker and can be snipped, crimped and styled up any way you like. 

Pretty little puppies that don’t shed, drool or go to the bathroom? Yes please!

So, I made five furry friends in all different colours and brought them along on a weekend trip. We visited my favourite new little one, Reaney, and -- from the pool to the playground and frequent hug breaks -- we sure gave those puppies a grand day out!

Back-to-School Dot Jewelry

If you are a warm weather lover like me, as soon as the August long weekend hits, you are already dreading the end of summer. Ahhh, only four more weeks of fun in the sun, and then it’s time to head back to the halls of your educational institution and hit the books.

I know my panic is a little premature, but it certainly doesn’t help that all my favourite stores are already setting out their fall finest! It’s kind of like the day after Halloween, when the world suddenly explodes into Christmas... only then at least you have fun presents and family to look forward to. With back to school, not so much…

One thing that always gets me through my end-of-summer dread is planning my back-to-school wardrobe. Those first five outfits that really set the tone for a new me for the year head.

With this wonky weather we’re having, who knows what I'll be wearing when September rolls around. But one thing I can always count on is jewelry. So, I’m styling up some Dot Jewelry to beat my back-to-school blues and kickstart my first-week wardrobe!