My Fairweather Friend (with Friendship Bracelets from Klutz)

Whenever August rolls around, I always get a bit weepy for the end of my favourite friendship. See, for three sunny months a year, Summer and I are the best of friends. There is never a shortage of things to do when Summer is around! I want to run and jump, laugh and play, and just enjoy every moment we have together. Then when Summer is gone, all I want to do is hibernate under the covers till they day she comes back again.

So, while soaking up the sun (through a thick layer of SPF) one cottage weekend, I decided to celebrate our fleeting friendship, while it was still in full force. I grabbed a copy of Friendship Bracelets, the most classic of crafts, and knotted up an ode to my favourite friend. Three colourful anklets--my go-to summer accessory--one for each month we get to spend together!

All throughout August, those bracelets reminded me to enjoy each leap off the dock, dip in the pool and day in the park. And now, even though the cold weather feels like its already set in and I’m sporting long sleeves and pants, I've got three pretty little reminders to keep me going until my best friend is back again!

One of a Kind Father's Day Date (with Toolbox Jewelry)

My dad may not be the handiest on the block, but with that big brain of his, there’s not a project he won’t try. My skills, well they're less in tools than tape and glue, but I’ve got that same determination to take on any crafting adventure. Together, my papa and I have put our skills to use for all sorts of projects, from a bright pink bench to this cool book clock and the light box I use to photograph all my Klutz crafts!

He’s out of town again this Father’s Day, so we scheduled a Skype date to celebrate. To carry on our tradition of handy crafts, I grabbed my copy of Toolbox Jewelry and together I whipped up a stack of cool arm hardware as we chatted the day away. Even though we couldn't be together, we still found a great way to spend our early Father’s Day date!

The last time I made these cool cord bracelets, it was the dead of winter, so I wrapped them around my mini-Christmas tree. But, now that the warm weather is here, I can finally sport these neon-coloured beauties myself. And every time I look at them, I’ll remember my awesome dad and our one-of-a-kind Father’s Day date!

Summer of the Anklet (with Beaded Bands)

My favourite summer camp accessory is definitely the anklet. It’s low key, totally casual and, when you spend all summer in shorts and bathing suits, it really gets a chance to shine. So, every year, I whip up a fancy friendship bracelet to wear from the lake to the campfire to bunkhouse and back again, until it plum falls off from exhaustion somewhere along the way.

Now that I’m a little older, and ever so much more mature (ha!), I wanted to give my favourite summer accessory a sophisticated twist! So, I grabbed a copy of one of my favourite Klutz books, Beaded Bands, and whipped up one of those pretty little wrap-around bracelets that were such a hit at Christmas!

My beaded anklet was so pretty that a friend wanted one too, so I beaded up one for my summer-anklet-sister and we pranced around camp in our fancy new footwear! And, sure, I’ll be sad when this summer camp anklet expires but, just like summer, it’s short time here is what makes it so special! And, plus, that just gives me a chance to make up a fancy new one for next year!

Now and Then (with It's all about US, especially me!)

If you’ve been around here before, you’ve probably heard about my bestie, Lea. All throughout school, we were as close as close can be! We shared clothes, crushed on the same boys and finished each others sentences. But, like most best friends, for all the ways we were alike, we were complete opposites too.

Lea is a sunny kind of gal. You can put her in a room with anyone and she’ll instantly make friends. I prefer to hang out in the background and observe. Whether we were making our way on the playground or finding our place at parties, I usually left it to her to represent our little twosome to the outside world. It’s not a stretch to say that back then, it was all about her. And that suited me just fine!

But now I’m older and more sure of myself, so I’m sucking up my courage and offering Lea a break. Sure, I’ll always be a wallflower at heart, but after years of hanging in the back, it’s time for me to shine! So, last week, when we met up to catch up over hamburgers, I brought It’s All About Us (Especially Me) to show her just how far I’d come.

Between gossip sessions, we passed this pretty-in-pink book back and forth, filling in questions and queries of “total randomosity,” and giggling wildly over all our crazy answers! I mean, how else would we have remembered cutting off my favourite doll’s hair or how fun it was to screech the Pepper Ann theme song at the top of our lungs?

And since the book includes three different coloured copies of each page, we have room for one more! I’m embracing my new outgoing role and am on the hunt to find us a friend to share these silly surveys with. Any takers? 

Six Bands a-Beaded

On the first day of Christmas, Klutz gave to me…

 Beaded Bands under my tree!

Okay, so Christmas is still a couple of days away, but this is one present I'm sure glad I opened early! Beautiful, Beaded Bands has everything you need to make super chic and totally on-trend bracelets that look too good to be homemade. This year, I'm spreading Christmas cheer with these pretty little stocking stuffers.

On the sixth day of Christmas, I'll give six bands a-beaded to some very lucky friends!

And you can win your very own copy of Beaded Bands from Scholastic Canada.
Click here to enter! 

The countdown is on, only three more days to go...

Merry Christmas fellow crafters! See you in the New Year!

Paper Flying Dragons Photo Diary

I must admit, when Paper Flying Dragons first landed (no pun intended) on my Klutz radar, I couldn’t really get into it. I mean, I love fantasy as much as the next nerd girl; I just wasn’t sure that would translate to paper-dragon play.

On a weekend trip to the cottage with all of my family around, it seemed like the best time to break out the book and rope some cousins into playing with me. My aunt and her two boys seemed totally on board, so we set up at the coffee table and got started. As we flipped through the pages of paper pop-out dragons, I started to feel some excitement. I picked out a purple hatchling, folded her up, then headed outside to put her in flight.

We hopped up on the deck to give us some height, then launched our dragons clear across the beach. These little beauties flew like a dream! As we watched our jewel-toned dragons soar through the sky, I started to feel a chill, so I popped inside to grab a sweater. And what did I find but a few more players at the coffee table, whipping up some paper dragons of their own.

Turns out our whirling, swirling spectacle had sparked some serious interest, and it wasn’t long before the whole family was outside, playing paper dragon battles, target practice, and racing up and down the beach. I wondered to myself how I ever doubted the power of flying paper dragons!

Disney Princes Purses - Handmade for Halloween

Halloween can be a great time to get crafty, from carving pumpkins to making decorations and baking spooky treats! But when it comes to costumes, especially when you're young and this Halloween business is serious stuff, sometimes a homemade costume just won’t cut it. I remember the horror on a school friend's face when she walked in to class in a mom-made Raggedy Ann, only to find herself in a sea of store bought fairies, pirates, and princesses. I thought her costume was the coolest, but I could tell that she was silently wishing her mom had hit up the store instead of the sewing machine.

When I heard that super-cute little Miss Emilia was going as Cinderella this Halloween, I jumped at the chance to add a little craftiness to her costume. I shared my copy of the brand new and boxy Make Your Own Disney Princess Paper Purses and we gave this little princess some accessories worthy of her namesake!

Little Cinder-Emilia got down to business, donning her royal gown and breaking out her fabulous zebra print scissors to cut out accessories.  She decked out her royal purse in pom poms, sequins, and stickers, and laced the purses up all by herself! She was even kind enough to make two more purses to share with her friends!

If you need more ideas for Klutz-made Halloween fun, check out what I got up to last year! Stop by my One-Stop Halloween Shop for tons of fun, 100% Klutz decorating and costume ideas, or check out how I made my pumpkins pop!

And We're Back (with Fancy Friendship Bracelets and Glossy Bands)

It’s back-to-school and time for new beginnings... A new grade, new things to learn, and a new outlook on life! Time to wind down from the whims of summer and get into the swing of the new season.

And then there’s back to school fashion... 

Oh, the anticipation of that first week of outfits, every day a new opportunity to paint the picture of your fashion self. Will you make a statement with some bold prints or linger in summer's neons and florals? Me, I'm just excited to finally break out the knits!

But there's nothing better for this crafty girl, than getting to wear one of her creations. As a part-time crafter, full-time wallflower, it's nice to be able to tell the world a bit about me without having to speak. So show everyone what makes you you this school year and rock some 100% Klutz accessories made just by you.

 Squeeze and swirl, peel and stick these Glossy Bands for a one-of-a-kind accessory. Bright colours and groovy patterns add a pop of colour to your autumn neutrals. Switch these sticky bands from wrist to Ribbon Bangles and Headbands (and Hairstyles) for all your fall moods.

Braid and knot Fancy Friendship Bracelets into all sorts of shapes and patterns. Choose from five colours of cord and all sorts of beads and charms to really finish them off. So pretty and polished that no one will guess that you made it yourself. Be sure to make a bunch, because these beaded beauties are perfect for stacking!

Whatever you wore for your first week back-to-school, hope it was fashion fabulous and 100% you!

Summer Sisters (with Me and My Friends: The Book of Us)

Oh summer... parting is such sweet sorrow!

It’s almost time to say goodbye to still-light nights, eating popsicles and riding bikes. Pool parties, BBQs, and the odd too-hot-to-bear crafternoon indoors, I will miss you dearly during the glum winter days ahead. But most of all, I will miss my summer friends, those special people who come around when the sun is shining and make each school-free day extra fun!

My cousin Carolyne is my favourite summer friend. There is almost no one that I’ve known longer; we’ve been friends since birth (hers, of course, since by that time I was already a mature six months). We’ve done it all; playing in laundry baskets, staging stairwell productions of The Sound of Music, and indulging our embarrassing love of a certain dance movie franchise. But then she had to go and move away for school. So now our friend-fest is summer only… Sigh!

Before we said goodbye for yet another school year, she and I had a little fun with Me and My Friends! We gabbed and giggled about food, friends, and being carefree for one more week, as we filled out pop quizzes, compatibility tests, and more to commemorate our awesome friendship. So now, on those days when her absence is particularly stinging, I can look up all the reasons that she’s totally worth the wait!

 

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!

My Write in White Doodle Journal Education

I won’t lie: doodling saved me from seventh grade history. (Just don’t tell my parents, okay?)

It’s not that I didn’t listen; I tried, I really did! But as my fingers traced the textbook to the tune of Mr C’s rumbly, monotone voice, my eyelids started to droop and my head began to nod, and I just didn’t think I would make it through.

Then one day, my friend Britney and I were commiserating about Mr. C’s class and discovered that we sat in the same seat, but two periods apart. So, we devised a plan to keep ourselves alert, and that’s how my doodle education began.

It started out simple enough, with little pictures or special messages in bubble letters, elaborately bordered pages or entire sheets of flowers. It didn’t matter what we drew, only that we kept our pencils busy. Then we’d slip them under the chair for the other person to find and answer back with an even more elaborate masterpiece. To this day, my eyes swim with pencil sketches when anyone mentions the War of 1812.

Basically, when it comes to doodles, I’ve seen it all. Or so I thought…

When Klutz came out with Write in White Doodle Journal, it changed everything! This book has got pretty patterns, swirling designs and inspiring quotes, all on a backdrop of dark and moody colours, so that when you put your white pen to page, your pictures really pop! 

Now I'm starting my degree in Write in White Doodling and hope to graduate with honours. But, boy do I have big shoes to fill, because check out what the masters at Klutz can do...

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!

Pretty Painted Tips

Roses are red

Violets are blue

Here's a Valentine's treat

That's just for you!

Valentine's Day is all about giving, but that doesn't mean you can't treat yourself too! Why not celebrate with some funky Nail Art? This book is packed with tons of tips and techniques, patterns and designs, plus a rainbow of non-toxic, peel-off polish, so you can change your tips to match your mood. This month, I'm full of sweet kisses, swoon-y daydreams and little love notes. Next month, who knows?

Unless you're ambidextrously blessed you might need some help to make a matching set, so grab a friend and get busy. Valentine's Day is only a week away!