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!

Fabulous Flowers: A Springtime Nursery Rhyme

Lynn, Lynn, just can’t win,
when getting her to garden grow.
But with paper flowers
that don't need showers.
She'll chase away the snow.

It seems like forever ago that I was fighting off the early spring blues with paper pups and twisted critters. Now, almost a month later, we’re still bouncing back and forth between spots of sun and the threat of snow. Gosh, will the warm weather ever be here for good?!

As the old saying goes, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” I’m still wearing a warm smile and finding little ways to let Mother Earth know I'm ready for spring. 

Paper flowers get a sophisticated twist with Klutz’s Fabulous Flowers. Bright colours, bold patterns and a little bit of sparkle make these faux florals hard to ignore! 

It's easy! Just punch out the pre-cut pieces and glue on the stems. Wrap, twist, or roll each colourful piece to give your flowers dimension. Then slide them on the stems and secure them in place with some glue. Before you know it, you'll have a beautiful bouquet that's sure to make Mom smile!

I've got another Mother's Day craft in mind for next week, so I've sprinkled my green garden with bright paper blooms. And, you know what? I think I can already feel the temperature rising!

Looking for more ways to make some fabulous flowers? Chicken Sock’s Paper Flowers is packed with bright, easy-to-assemble blooms for the ages four & up crowd. Or check out Fairies for an out-of-the-box way to use fake flowers to make tiny little petal people.

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...

Twirly Q-ties

Easter weekend has come and gone in a whirl of good food, family and lots and lots of chocolate. I was one busy gal all weekend, crafting up a storm of Easter goodies. With my Capsters all set to go, I was on the hunt for something sweet to deck our Easter table. Then I spotted that cute little bunny, on the right, in my fresh crop of Klutz books and knew I had found the answer.

Twirly Qs doesn’t come with much—just some corrugated cardboard strips, a shaping tool and super tacky glue—but that is all you need to make all sorts of colourful creations. Just roll the cardboard strips into tight little coils, give them some dimension with the handy shaping tool, then glue them all together for the most twirly, whirly, too-cute-to-resist cardboard creatures!

I chose these three little guys for their cute Easter colours, but with instructions for everything from a little brown mouse to some truly wacky little monsters, there is a Twirly Qtie for every occasion!

Capsters Egg Hunt

Pretty pastels, fluffy white bunnies, yummy chocolates and marshmallow peeps. Is there anything sweeter than Easter? I think not!

But there’s one Easter tradition on which I’m not so keen: dyeing eggs. Coloured eggs are cute and all, but the mess, oh, the mess! It’s too much for this clean-crafter to bear, so this year I’m giving my Easter eggs a modern, mess-free twist by making treasure-filled Capsters for the whole family!

It’s so simple! Just load up the Capsters with trinkets, stickers, beads and whatever else you’ve got on hand. Then set it in the special glaze, let it dry and you’re good to go!

Create personalized place cards for the dinner table, decorate cards and gift bags, and hide them around the house for a food-free Easter hunt, or set this Klutz book out on the big day and let everyone have a turn making their own bottle cap treasures.

Happy Easter crafting all!