I LOVE when people SHARE!

One of the recent projects on the Joy of Crafting show was my Kokeshi Doll Lollipop covers. They were easy to make using paper punches and we even have a project sheet  for them. You can cut the hair so that it looks like a boy for Boy's Day!

One Happy Crafter decided to make some to give away. Jane Nishiguchi did a fabulous job and sent me some photos of her kokeshi dolls. Jane is also very funny, sending  me the photo with their heads unattached and commenting that sometimes that's just how she feels, LOL! I think I can relate to that, for sure!Sometimes, I walk backwards to "rewind" my brain in hopes that I will rememebr what I was about to do!

Look how cute Jane's dolls came out! I just love when people share what they make especially if they used one of my projects. That way I know my instructions were okay!

So, please share your finished projects with me, I'd love to share them with everyone, too!

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you have a great weekend!

March's second Joy of Crafting Show

It's the middle of National Craft Month and we have another Joy of Crafting Show for you! In this show, we make some new friends and learn some new crafts...

First, we meet Erica from the new Celebrations store that's located next to Ben Franklin Crafts Mapunapuna.Erica shows us how to wrap "Japanese" style, creating folds in the paper to give it super cool look.

Then, Gloria from Pearl City Ben Franklin Crafts is back to share another lei from the brand new "Handcrafted Lei and Flowers Book Vol. 10". Gloria shows us how to make a Kumihimo lei with specialty yarn and rattail. Perfect for making in your graduate's school colors.

Lastly, I  show you a super quick and easy project for your Graduation parties. Using the Accu cut take-out box die, I'll show you how to make a grad cap favor box. The instructions can also be found in the new lei book.

Thank you for stopping by today and I hope you're having a great weekend! Happy Crafting!!!

Honey Pop and More!

I was in Napa Valley last week for work and no, I didn't go on any wine tours. I preferred to go visit Craft stores instead. It's interesting to see what other parts of the country like to create.Now that I'm back, I'm so excited to see the new stuff ordered at CHA arriving in the stores!

Like the Honey Pop Collection from Inky Antics! These are fun honeycomb papers that you can match up with different stamp sets.

I made a card following their layout, not too creative for me, but I just wanted to make something! I used the Turtle set and here's how to do it.

The honeycomb part of the design has arrows on the stamp. Stamp the design onto the honeycomb paper, the arrows should go in the same direction as the lines on the honey comb paper for the design to come out right. Cut the piece out. The dotted line justs indicates the center of the honeycomb.

To make room for the bulk of the honeycomb on your card, you will need to make a mini spine in the center of your card. I made a regular 5.5" x 4.25" card. Place the cardstock onto the score board and use a pencil to mark the center point, in this case 4.25".

Then, slightly scoot the cardstock over so that the mark is in the center of an 1/8" section. Score along both sides to create the 1/8" spine. I didn't fold the scored lines yet, I wanted to keep the card flat for stamping.

Place the cut out honeycomb piece alongside one of the scored edges and use a pencil to trace a few outline marks.

Stamp the head and feet of the turtle using the traced marks for placement. MY tip, I cut the stamp of the feet apart so that I could space the feet apart more and stamp them separately.

Add the bird and sentiment. Color in the designs with copics. Now, fold on the scored lines to get the creases for the middle spine.

Use an adhesive, I used double-stick tape, to adhere the honeycomb piece to the card. First, adhere one side.

Then, fold the card over to match up the other side. I used the additional stamps in the set for the design on the front of the card.

The other new thing in the stores is the Authentique line of papers and embellishments. I actually used one of the papers from the line for the outside of this Honey Pop card.I love both sides of these papers, here's just a few designs.

And here's their flip sides, love the woodgrain!The papers are nice and thick and will be great for a lot of projects.

Well, that's all for today! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you're enjoying your weekend!

IT's GONNA BEad a BLAST!

Come on down to the Mapunapuna Ben Franklin Crafts this Saturday for their first Bead Blast! There'll be different beading demos and make 'n takes going on from 10am - 2pm.

I'll be doing a make 'n take from 10 am - 11 am. For $3.00, you can make this bird's nest charm. You can add it to a bracelet, use it as a cell phone charm or just hang it from a simple ball chain necklace as shown here. The best part is, you do not need to know any wire wrapping skills! It's a fun and easy project, perfect for Spring! Please come early since seating will be limited!

And while you're at the store, check out the opportunities to be a part of the Ben Franklin team! We'll be holding a Job Fair at the store from 10am - 2 pm. The different stores are looking for people to fill a variety of positions and we also have some openings in our administrative departments.I can honestly say that I love working for this company! I started as a sales associate/cashier at our Enchanted Lake store and now I'm in my 21st year!

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope to see you tomorrow! Have a great weekend!

March's first Joy of Crafting Show

We celebrate National Craft Month on this first Joy of Crafting show for March with some fun projects!

We start the show off with Gloria Arias from our Pearl City BFC.

Gloria teaches us how to make the Glorious Lei, a winning design from the new Handcrafted Lei and Flowers Book Vol. 10!

Then, we have Penny Teruya from our Mapunapuna BFC who shares her lei creation from the new Lei book as well!

Her lei is the Star for McKenna lei.

Lastly, I help get you ready for Easter with some fun Bunny Lollipop Covers. They are made mostly with Clever Lever punches, which just happen to be on sale all March long at 25% off! The projects sheet is in the stores and should also be on our website soon.

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you get a chance to catch the show! Have a great week!

So, what are you doing tomorrow?

So, excited! I got a sneak peek of a great new store opening tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 25 at 10 am! Wanna see?

Look for this sign a few doors down from Mapunapuna Ben Franklin Crafts

Celebrations is an exciting new store located a few doors down from Ben Franklin Crafts in Mapunapuna. They are a specialty store with unique gift wrapping ideas and lots of FUN and COOL novelties from Japan!

 Do you work in an office, maybe even a small little cubicle? Well, why not add some whimsy to your day with these cute post-it note type pads!

Or how about these Fun eraser sets. Makes me extra careful so I don't have to erase!

I love the assortment of packages, clear bags and boxes galore! As a crafter, I'm always looking for nice boxes that I can embellish. Look at the double-wall side of these boxes, and the color is not your regular brown box, too!

There are really pretty clear boxes with colorful designs, perfect for all kinds of gifts!

See how they fold up!

I love all the Cherry Blossom designs on these bags. There's so many different sizes, too!

And you know how I love making FAST cards with stickers? Now, I can go more elegant with these pre-made mizuhiki pieces!

But my favorite stuff is for the...Bento Making!!! Yes, it's always about the food!LOL!Cute Bento and musubi boxes!

Lots of cutters and molds to make really cute lunches and snacks.

Cute ways to keep your food separated.

Lots of picks that you can even use for cardmaking and cupcakes!Yes, really makes me want to bring home lunch everyday!

There's really a lot more to see! So, come and check out Celebrations from 10 am - 6 pm, Mondays through Saturdays, starting tomorrow!

You don't have to wait for a holiday or birthday, make everyday a special occassion by giving someone a cute little RAK or wrapping up that handmade gift with some flair! At Celebrations...there's always a reason!

Thanks for stopping by today and hope you all have a great weekend!Well, you know where I'm planning to go!

Cawaii? K, what happened?

I don't have a craft project today, just something new I learned.

Did you know that in Japan the craze is to label cute things Cawaii instead of Kawaii? In fact, I hear that there are lots of people changing the spelling of other stuff with K into C...like Kevin would be Cevin. What do you think about that?

Well, today is Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. I usually give something up like Coke or Rice but maybe I should give up asking so many questions!Hmmm....

Thanks for stopping by today and helping me ponder...Have a great week!