14 Days of Valentines - Day 4

Today, I'll share project 4 of the 14 Days of Valentines. We're going to play with one of my new favorite toys, the We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch Board!

Besides making envelopes for greeting cards, this tool helps you whip up Gift Card holders really fast. It's a really great project for scraps or those cute 6 x 6 paper pads.

Basic instructions are printed right on the board. So, for my gift card holders, I'll need a 5" x 5" paper.

I'm going to use some papers that aren't "Valentine's Day" but they have that feel in their designs.

The instructions say to line up the edge at the "2" mark.

I press down that big blue button which is the punch for the corners of the envelopes. Next, you score using the scorer that comes with the board.

You rotate the paper counter clockwise and line up the first scored line with the point protruding from the punch towards the left. Score the next side. Repeat until all sides are scored and punched.

It should look like this.

If you want to round the points, turn the board around and place your corner into the other side of the punch. Punch down to round the points.

Here's the rounded point.

Fold up at the scored lines. Fold in the sides and use tape or glue dots.  Fold up the bottom to make the envelope.

I used some Martha Stewart mini doilies and some metal "love" tags from the wedding department to embellish.

I slipped in a Ben Franklin Crafts gift card.

I decided to tie up the gift card holder with baker's twine and tied on the "love" tag.

I used Plarn to tie up this holder.

 

These mini gift card holders are also the perfect size for tiny love notes. You can also just fold them up an tie it closed,  that way they can open up completely and reveal your secret message!

Hope you're having fun with these simple heart felt projects. Thanks for stopping by on this rainy and soggy day!Happy Crafting!

14 days of Valentines - Day 3 Funny Little Valentine!

Welcome back! Today's project, the third in the 14 Days of Valentines, is for the fun at heart!

It's time to make some Happy feet!

Start with an inexpensive pair of rubber slippers.

Grab some balloons. I chose red, white and pink to match our Valentine's theme. I separated all of the balloons into two piles and laid them out in a color repeat pattern.

Then, I started from the middle and tied a balloon onto the strap.

Then, I continued to tie all of the balloons onto the strap. One pile of balloons per slipper.

Look how fun these pair of slippers are now! You need to be careful, because someone may leave your house with them because they are so crazy fun! I once made a pair using an assorted color pack of smaller water bomb balloons. It was a fun summer wearing those slippers around. This is an easy project for kids to do, too!

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope I spock some balloon slippers around town! LOL!

14 Days of Valentines - Day 2

Welcome Back! It's Super Bowl Sunday, which for me means a great time to craft. Occasionally, I watch the game and cheer for a team but usually I just like watching the commercials! LOL!

So, for Day 2, I'm sharing a project that Beth from Mapunapuna Ben Franklin Crafts will show you how to make on tonight's Joy of Crafting Show. I call it the Framed Scripted Heart.

Beth created her own heart cut out to use as a stencil. She placed it over the black cardstock and used a white ink pen to write words of love in the cutout area. When she removed the stencil, it left a wonderful scripted heart. For a special effect, she re-traced the words in Glossy Accents to make the heart standout even more.

What a great idea for anytime of the year, not just Valentine's day.

Thanks for stopping by today and scroll down to my earlier post to find out more about tonight's show. Happy Crafting!

February's first Joy of Crafting Show

Wow! It's already February! The weather sure has been making me feel like it's winter time! And the rain has been great for staying home and crafting. Well, on this show we have some very fun crafts that will surely brighten your day!

The show opens with two great guys! Milton Fujii, our show's Executive Producer teaches our special guest, Derek Kurisu of Big Island's KTA Super Stores and "Living in Paradise" TV show, how to make a Hearty Clay Rose!

Then, Derek shares a craft food project with me and Milton. He helps us make some Hot Cocoa Cones, perfect for this wintery weather we've been having.

Next, Beth Murphy of Mapunapuna Ben Franklin Crafts makes her "Joy of Crafting" debut with a super special project. Beth shows us how to create a personalized project, the Framed Scripted Heart.

Lastly, I get you back to basics with a simple origami box. It's perfect for using your scrapbook paper stash and it's just the right size for many gifts.

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you're enjoying the weekend!

14 Days of Valentine's - Day 1 Punch Art Card

Hello February! Last year, I did 14 Days of Valentine's projects and I decided to do it again this year! To refresh your memory, these are the projects I shared last year ...

 

I know you only count 13 projects because on Valentine's Day, I asked what was everyone's favorite project?! A lot of people picked as their favorites the Message in a Bottle, the Origami Heart and the Wire Wrapped Heart ring. Then, I randomly chose 3 comments and gave those people a Ben Franklin Crafts gift card. I plan to do the same thing this year!

 

You can read more about last year's projects beginning from Day One here.

 

So, for this year's first project I have a punch art project, hope you like it!

 

Most of the punches used are Marvy Uchida Clever Lever punches unless specified. Start with the 2.5" Oval - Pink and punch out an oval in white cardstock  and one in black cardstock. Take the white oval and slip it back into the punch and punch out a section on each side, as shown.

 

Next, take EK Success 5/16" circle punch and punch two circles on a scrap piece of white cardstock.

Now, take the Clever Lever 1/2" circle punch - Orange, and position over the 5/16" holes as shown and punch out. These are your eyes.

Take the 2" Oval - Blue punch and punch out two ovals from black cardstock. Keep one on the side for the body.

Slip the other oval back into the punch as shown and punch a skinny oval. Cut this piece in half for the ears.

Take the 5/16" punch and punch out one circle from pink cardstock for the nose. Assemble all of the punched pieces and glue as shown. The black from the head will show through to create the eyes. Use the white Galaxy Marker to make a dot in the eyes for highlights.

Take the 2" Oval - Blue punch and punch out one oval from white cardstock. Use a scissors to trim off a section along the top. Glue onto the body for the "back stripe".

Slip the same white oval back into the punch as shown and punch out a slight teardrop shape for the chest. Glue in place.

Use the Small Oval - Orange punch and punch out four ovals from black cardstock for the paws. This is not shown, but use the 1.5" Heart - Yellow punch and punch one heart from red cardstock. Use a black marker to write "Be Mine" on the heart.

Use the 2.5" Oval - Pink punch and punch out one oval from white cardstock and one from black cardstock. Place the black oval back into the punch and punch out a skinny oval. Do the same with the white oval, but make it smaller. Layer the white onto the black and glue. This is the tail.

Assemble all the pieces together to make your skunk. I have two small black ovals at the bottom for the feet and the two other small ovals are the paws holding the heart. I placed the skunk on the front of a card and used stickers to write" UR so Stinkin' Cute!"

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you're enjoying the weekend! See you tomorrow for another heart-felt project!

Happy Year of the Horse!

Today is Chinese New Year and it's the Year of the Horse! My brother, his wife, my other brother's wife and my nephew's wife are just a few of the Horsies that I know. We're also expecting another Horsie in a few weeks! So, exciting!

So, here's my Chinese New Year story:
Me: Bryan, do you celebrate Chinese New Year?
Bryan: No, do you?
Me: No, I'm not Chinese.
Bryan: Uh...Neither am I.
Me: What? ...Oh, you're Korean!?
Bryan: Yeah, my Dad is Korean (grinning at me)

So, my wonderful friend who does the camerawork and produces our show is Bryan Lee. We're a great team because we balance each other. He's more on the quiet side, always smiling. Me, well, let's just say Bryan's gotten used to my craziness! Wow, and all this time I thought he was at least part Chinese. So, funny! So, goes to show you, you may be good friends with someone but there's always something new to learn! Anyway, he's not a Horse.

But for all of you who are Horses, here's my dandelion design Horse to wish you a great and Happy Year of the Horse! I added it to a checkbook cover, hoping for a prosperous year! Kung Hee Fat Choy!

Thanks for stopping by today! Tomorrow is February and I'll be starting my 14 Days of Valentine's projects again! Have a great weekend!

First Joy of Crafting show for 2014!

We head right into 2014 with a new show and some new crafts!

I start the show off with some ideas for your extra Project Life cards. If you're like me, you have more than one core kit and since each core kit's cards usually has at least two of the same designs, you probably have some extras.

Next, we continue our Small Business series with one of the perfect places to start, the Small Business Administration! Jane Sawyer, director of Hawaii's SBA, shares what services they have to offer to small businesses. We craft together to create a custom planner to keep track of appointments, meetings and ideas for your business. Throughout the year, we'll continue to have different guests for this series as we try to help you turn your hobby into a business!

You'll recognize our last guest from Celebrations, Joel Kutaka. With a new year, it's a great time to learn some new wrapping techniques to step up your gift giving in 2014!

Thanks for stopping by today and hope you get a chance to catch the show! Happy New Year and Happy Crafting!

We Love Crafts winners!

Last weekend was so crazy in our stores with the Thanksgiving  and Black Friday sales, I forgot to post our We Love Crafts photo winner! And it is awesome!

Congratulations to Stephanie Huff for this unique elephant sculpture made from Cherry Pepsi can and wire! How creative is that! Stephanie was our Black Friday winner.

This week, we congratulate Clarissa Del Rosario for her beautiful Deco Mesh Wreath! Perfect inspiration for the season!

So, crafty peeps! I know you're making stuff and posting them on Instagram, Facebook and Pintrest, so why not send in your photo and maybe you'll be next week's winner of a $20 Ben Franklin Crafts gift card. Here's more info

Thanks for stopping by today and have a Great weekend!

We Love Crafts! - Last Friday's Winner

Just in time for Thanksgiving, this beautiful wreath was shared by Betty Steljes of Honolulu. Wouldn't a wreath like this hanging on your door be an awesome welcome for greeting your guests this Thursday?

For sharing the craft she made, Betty won a $20 gift card. Send in your craft project photo and enter our We Love Crafts weekly contest and you just might win one, too! More info here.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, did you know we'll be open from 9am - 2pm and we're having a 20% off* BringYourOwn Bag sale? That's right, pop your turkey in the oven, come on down to the store and save!

Thanks for stopping by today and Have a Great Week!


NOTE: Our Kahului store will be open from 8pm - 12 midnight for Thanksgiving.
All HouseMart Ben Franklin Craft stores - 20% off sale includes regular priced merchandise some restrictions apply, check store for details.

Get Ready for Another Slice of FUN!

The rumour is true! Amy Tan of Amy Tangerine is coming back to Hawaii for TWO classes on Saturday, Dec. 7 at the Mapunapuna Ben Franklin Crafts!

Sign-ups start tomorrow, Sat., Nov. 23 at the Mapunapuna Ben Franklin Crafts. For more information, go to our website.

We had so much fun the last time Amy was here, hope you can join us! Have a great weekend!

November's second Joy of Crafting Show

We're right in the middle of the Holiday crafting season and we've got a show with some fun ideas!

Our first guest is Kari Foteff from Strathmore, the people who make all of those great artist paper pads. Here she shares a new item, Artist Tiles. Perfectly square paper pads for your favorite media.

Then, we have Deborah Irvin back from Market City BFC. Deborah dresses up a cute wreath for Santa's Helpers!

Lastly, I'll show you how to make a simple Santa favor box. You make it with mostly punches and it's perfect for parties or little co-worker thank yous. Here's the project sheet.

Thanks for stopping by today and have a great week!

Blankets of Aloha - Please Help if You Can!

Aloha Monday Crafters! I know crafters are the most thoughtful and caring people so I wanted to share what our HouseMart stores are doing to help the people of the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan.

Our HouseMart Ben Franklin Craft stores along with our HM Ace Hardware stores are collecting blanket donations for Tacloban, Philippines. We are trying to collect as many new blankets as we can before the November 30 deadline for the first shipment.

We will continue to collect and send blankets but we want to send as many as we can with this first critical shipment.

All of our stores are drop off locations, so please help if you can.

Another way to help will be during the Kokua for Philippines telethon concert on Sunday, December 15. I'll be answering phones during the telethon and would love for you to call in your pledges.

As in the tsunami that hit Japan, this tragic event in the Philippines touches everyone in Hawaii, we all know someone effected. Let's reach out across the ocean and send waves of Aloha.

Thanks You for stopping by today and may you and yours be safe this Holiday season!

We Love YOUR Crafts!

Happy Aloha Friday! We LOVE that you want to share your projects with us! Here's this week's winner of our We "Heart" Crafts photo contest!

Eva U. of Honolulu created a gorgeous calendar for next year using Sister Stamps! Don't you just love her Copic coloring!

Congratulations, Eva!

Want to win a $20 Ben Franklin Crafts gift card, too? Take a photo of a craft that you made, email it with a list of your supplies to joyofcrafting@gmail.com and check our website on Friday to see if you won for the week! Simple as that! (Official rules can be found here)

Thanks for stopping by today and have a great weekend!

Our first WE "heart" Crafts Winner!

Congratulations to Christina of Honolulu! Her enchanting project has won her a $20 Ben Franklin Crafts gift card!

You could win one, too, if you enter our We "heart" Crafts weekly contest. Just send in a photo of a craft project you made with a supply list. We pick one winner each week and post their photo on our website homepage on Friday at noon. Check our website every week to the winning project.

For more information on the contest, check out the official rules on our website.

Thanks for stopping by today and go take some photos to send in! Have a great weekend!