Spring Pails

Today was so gloomy with all of the rain. Then, my day brightened as I came across these cute project samples that Sherri and Angela made at Mapunapuna BFC. Those clear quart pails are the perfect thing for party centerpieces and gift giving. You can decorate them in so many different ways with paper, stickers and ribbon.

They look so cheerful with the Springy colors, they would be great for holding Easter treats. And wouldn't this apple one be cute for your child's teacher?

Now's a good time to stock up for your different projects at a great price because the clear quart pails are the March Item of the Month at the Ben Franklin Crafts stores. Come to think of it, I think I need to get some for my Easter gifts!

Well, it's the start to a new week, Spring Break for some! Thanks for stopping by today and hope you have a Crafty week!

Chillaxing with some Crafting

A Big Mahalo to Brenda for doing my homework for me. I loved the card that Joni H. had sent me so she let me know that she had posted the directions on her sweetasagumdrop blog on Feb. 18th. If you haven't visited before, you gotta check out Brenda's creations, they are so cool!

So, I tried making one of those cards today. It was raining off and on throughout the day, so I chose some cheery orange colors to shoo the clouds away.These are some of  the new DPs that arrived in the stores.This is how it looks when the card is closed.

And this is how it looks when it's opened up.It isn't really for anyone because I just wanted to try the design of the card, that's why there's no sentiment. Yet.

I worked on this card between loads of laundry. Which I know Cheryl probably finds amusing. You see, I used to tease Cheryl that she seemed to always be doing the laundry when she posted her projects! But you know, it makes sense to multi task in a fun way!

Thanks for taking time out of your weekend to stop by. Hope next week brings a lot of smiles and Happy Crafting!

Quick Links Bracelet

Again, I must say we are so blessed with talented people here at Ben Franklin Crafts. Lynn Hashino from our Mapunapuna BFC, created this beautiful bracelet using the Beadalon Quick Links. Isn't it so pretty and perfect for Spring!?

And just to let you know, Quick Links are on sale at the Bead Shoppes in Kahului, Hilo and Mapunapuna until next Friday. There are a lot more shapes, too, in both gold and silver tones.

Well, I think I might have to go pick some up today. What are you doing today? Whatever it is, Have Fun and enjoy your weekend!

Another Milk Carton

Just a quick post today...I'm still having fun with the Letterbox Collection and I made another little milk carton.They are just so quick to whip up!Followed Darling's idea and used the "sincerely" design paper from the collection and cut out a label to add to it.

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

A beautiful Thank You!

Spent the last two days in Kona with our company's Hawaii store managers. It's always fun talking crafts with our Ace Hardware guys. They're actually a really creative bunch! Our Kona Ace store manager Kurt M., is our lastest crafty convert as his store now carries a craft dept. with beads, art supplies, basics crafts, seasonal items and paper crafting! So, even though the vog makes for some beautiful sunsets, it can also make you want to stay indoors. Now, you know where to go in West Hawaii to get your craft project supplies!

Came back to my office and received the sweetest piece of mail. It's a Thank You card from Joni H., aka the Pink Bag Lady!Isn't it just beautifully done!I love the design paper she chose and Joni's coloring is definetly something to envy!

I only recently made a tri-shutter card for my sister's birthday, now I really want to try making one of these, too!

Since there's a lot of sections for that card design, a score board would be useful. And although I have a Score-pal, I've been using my MS Score Board a lot lately. Our Ben Franklin Craft stores just received a bunch and everyone's so excited!With the MS Score Board, there are score lines every 1/8".

There's a little storage compartment to store your scoring/bone folder tool and it has some cheat sheets for some basic measurements.

It also comes with an extra tool to help you make envelopes. I still have to try doing that.

The envelope tool slips in a slot at the bottom for storage.

This is how it looks on the bottom.

So, Thank You Joni for the beautiful card which has inspired me for another project!Hope the rest of you have an inspiring day, too. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Crafting!

So, What's Cookin'?

If you watched the JOC show, you would know that I confessed I don't really cook. But, I did contribute a recipe for our company's recipe book which was a fundraiser for Aloha United Way. I am happy to announce that we were able to raise over $26, 000 for the different United Way chapters. On Oahu alone, we raised over $7,000!

On behalf of all of our employees, we want to Thank You for purchasing these cookbooks and supporting such a worthy cause.100% of your purchase went to a United Way chapter on your island or state (Vegas, Washington and Oregon)

If you want to see me prepare my "More Than 7 Layers Nacho Dip", you can view Show 43 on OC16's  Hawaiian Grown Kitchen (there's 4 separate segments). Chef Grant and Ikaika invited me to try my hand at being a cooking show guest, so I did my thing with Grant's help and humor.Well, let's just say, it was crazy! So, for some laughs, check it out!

Thank You again for taking time out of your busy day to stop by for a while.Your sweet comments and thoughts really make my days great! Until the next time, Happy Crafting!

Letterbox Collection

I had some samples of the new LetterBox Collection by American Crafts that I shared with Darling. It's a fun collection with lots of birds and flowers and some sparkles and embossing here and there.

Well, Darling came up with a few cards and favors that are really cute! Here's the cards.

Darling Loves punches, too, as you can see. Aren't these butterflies just the perfect touch!?

These favors were made using Sixxix dies.

There is one paper design that is actully like a bunch of tags. Darling cut these out and stamped them for her projects.

Thanks for stopping by today and I also want to send out a BIG MAHALO! to Darling for letting me share her wonderful creations. Take care and hope you're enjoying your week!

Darling's Garden Girls

I am very fortunate to work with some very talented people. One of them is Darling Dumlao, my favorite graphic artist and crafter. I was talking to her about some papers I had and from there she agreed to see what she could come up with and Wow, just look at what she made!

These cards are her "Flower Garden Girls" collection. Recognize the Hero Arts girl stamp? She's from the clear mini set You're the Best, same one Cheryl used on the show and all the guest got as a gift.
Darling did a beautiful job coloring, too. (We've both been trying to practice more.)
Here's Garden Girl 1 - Aloha Garden

Here's Garden Girl 2 - Violet Garden

Here's Garden Girl 3 - Pink Heart Garden

Here's Garden Girl 4 - Springtime Garden

Here's Garden Girl 5 - Daisy Love Garden

And Here's Garden Girl 6 - Retro Bloom Garden

Isn't it always amazing how you can get so many different looks from one stamp?
Thanks for stopping by today and please stop by tomorrow, I'll have more to share of Darling's creations!

March JOC Show #1- It's National Craft Month!

Filmed in January with a great audience of Craft Club members, this is THE show everyone's been waiting for. We're celebrating National Craft Month and we have your favorite artists crafting for you all month long. In this first show of the month, we start by getting ready for Graduation. Mellie Enos, our famous faux lei designer shares a new lei creation which she asked the audience's help to name. So, watch and learn how to make the beautiful, Sunburst Lokelani lei.

Here's a closer look at the lei. The audience was thinking of different things they could use the crocheted rings for, too!

Our next guest is one of everyone's favorite stampers, Cheryl Miyashiro. Cheryl uses some new Hero Arts stamps to decorate her "Wiper" card. It's a really fun card design that's actually not too hard to make with Cheryl's help.

Here's a closer look at the card. Youj ust gotta see it in action, really cool!

Lastly, the audience was getting hungry so I showed them what I would enter in the Island-wide Burger Wars! Move over The Counter and Burgers on the Edge, my Sweet Mini Cheeseburgers and fries are Oh, so ONO!

So, don't forget to tune in 6:30 pm tonight on OC16. It'll be a great way to end the weekend and I bet you'll see a lot of familiar faces! Happy Crafting!!!

Enjoy the Party!

Our Oahu Ben Franklin Crafts stores and Crafts in the City will be offering a new service for their customers. It's a Party Package that includes 30 invitations with envelopes, a 2' x 5' banner, a large gift tote and a medium gift bag with tissue paper.

There's 9 design themes to choose from, something for everyone. Just look for this Party Girl at the store for more information and to fill out the order form.

Now, that's the way to plan a party! Especially, when you're short on time. That way, you can have more time to make your party favors!

Thanks for stopping by this weekend and checking out the blog. Are you partying this weekend? Well, have a good one!

Does Spring mean Cleaning?!

Although in Hawaii, most people have already done their "spring cleaning" in late December in preparation for New Year's, March is when you see a lot of articles and tips on how to clean. On a lot blogs, people are always commenting on how to organize their craft areas so they can have more time and room to craft. For instance, Teri  shared a tour of her craft room and how she keeps her different supplies organized. That was great, TFS, Teri!

Last year , I came across this blog, Organize Your Stuff Challenge. It's 29 weeks of organizing your craft room, one topic per week.Check it out, it has some great ideas.

I know the people in my office must be laughing at the irony of me advising people to clean because my office is a total mess right now. It's a Mom's worst nightmare! I have stacks of boxes of samples, papers, reports and because I'm on a mad crafting craze, there... is... stuff... everywhere! The weird thing is, it doesn't prevent people from squeezing in to talk to me. I have a little path to the door for them to stand in.And, I'm crafting out of a suitcase, literally!

Well there, I shared. I do have some cleaning dates on my calendar in the near future. But for now, just want to Thank all of you for stopping by today and Have a Great weekend!

Tweet! Tweet! A little birdie told me...

that I should start tweeting. So, if you want to get a tweet when the blog has a new post, a new contest or just to see what we're up to, just sign-up to follow me. It's really easy, just click on the Twitter button to the right.

Twitter, owls, penguins, doves...birds are everywhere! So, I think this project is perfect for Spring.It's a milk carton box I found on SCS that I turned into a birdhouse.

Here's a closer look.I used a circle Nestie to cut out the hole. I cut out two Label 1 Nesties for the roof from core'dinations cardstock, embossed and sanded it.

The bird is sitting on a little dowel piece that I snipped off. The vine and paper flowers are in the stores now. Some people might miss seeing the flowers because of the packaging but I think they are great for a lot of other projects.

Thanks for taking time out of your busy day and stopping by!Tweet ! Tweet!

Honey-Do? Honey Does!

I really like all of the new paper designs that have been coming into the Ben Franklin stores. They all have their own look yet they can go with some of the older designs as well, great for people like me who have stashes! A lot of the new paper has glitter, too.Seeing all the new stuff just makes you want to make something!

Which I did! Do you like it? I used the cute Honey Bee paper from American Crafts, some core'dinations cardstock and I found these cute honey bee stickers for the magnets.I have a tin sheet behind so that I can also use magnets as well as dry erase. In fact, a clip magnet is holding the Bistro Chalk Marker in the corner.

Here's a closer look. I embossed the core'dinations, sanded it and then I punched the edge with MS Drippy Goo to make it look like honey. I finally used my Cricut for the lettering!(Penny would be so proud!)

Actually, a Honey-Do list is really a joke because my Honey does a lot for me and always wants to do more. I, on the other hand, like to do things for myself, Miss Independance and all. But, he still does a lot for me and I always want to help, too. Which means I'm always saying "Can't we wash my car next week? It's gonna rain anyway!" If you've seen my car, you'll know who usually gets her way, LOL!

I know most of you are like me and would rather be scrappin' a page on washing a car than actually washing your car, but I guess it has to be done one day! Oh, well. Thanks for stopping by today and hope you're having a creative week, too!Happy Girls' Day, too!

Cute as a Button!

I keep seeing a lot of button crafts everywhere so I'm glad that Ben Franklin has these cute button collections in the stores.The bags have more buttons in them but I like the jars, well, just because the jars are so darn cute!

And look at this cute frame covered in buttons, so easy and so cute! Sherri at our Paa BFC made it with one of the unfinished wood frames. The photo features Jamie from our Pearl City store with her niece, Sydney.

Projects like these are great for all crafters, especially the keiki. Maybe it an be something to do over Spring Break and it makes a great gift for Easter or Mom's Day.

Thank You for stopping by today. Hope you're enjoying the cool weather, I guess Pooh would say, It's a blustery day! Take care, stay safe and always Happy Crafting!

Craft Alert! Expect a Tsunami of Ideas!

It's been fun reading about how crafty everyone was during the hours of the tsunami warning this past Saturday. As for me, I was at the Scrappers' Jam at Koolau Golf Course. As one scrapper put it, need some shirts that say "A Tsunami can't stop Scrappers!" Quite a few ladies showed up bright and early(6:30 am), ready to scrap. At our booth, we had some make and takes going on as we waited for tsunami updates via phone calls from the "outside" world.

One of the make and takes was this Girl's Day card that Crafts in the City came up with using the new "Good Fortune" clear stamp set from Hero Arts. The body was stamped over washi paper and the little doll is from dandelion designs kokeshi doll trio stamp. Isn't it so cute?

CITC also had a cute card using HK Kathy Bunny Sizzix in a basket made from the Accu Cut Cup Cake card die.Hope they post it on their blog since I forgot to get a pic.

On Saturday, I also met some great ladies from Hilo. They had flown in on Thursday before news of the tsunami. Here is what Loie Engle gave me, a fold out card in a box. Isn't it a great idea?

And the ever so crafty Brenda Freitas-Obregon, gave me a cute Girl's Day treat holder. It had a candy bar in it, too, but I let Gloria have it since I gave up caffeine for Lent (that's another story).

Well, because March is National Craft Month, I predict a bunch of craft ideas throughout the month on this blog as well as on the whole blogging network. So, be prepared! Get your essential craft stuff ready! A wave of inspiration is coming your way!

I am Happy that everyone in Hawaii is OK after Saturday's tsunami warning and our prayers do go out to the people of Chile. Thank You for stopping by today and wishing you all a good and safe week!