Craft Your Stash at my local library

So fun to see my book on the shelf at my local library...it got checked out right away!

Way to craft your stash, Suzi Blu!

Artist Suzi Blu has a wonderful line of stamps that feature her sweet drawings that you can color and embellish. Inspired by my calling cards project, she dug into her stash of stamps and cardstock and created these fabulous RAK cards!

"Instead of business cards, I propose the idea of Random Acts of Kindness Cards, using Suzi Stamps, of course. The idea is to stamp my figures onto cardstock, add loving and happy statements to them, and then leave them for someone to find and keep. I like to add them to a tip when I am out of town. I like to make small art when I am on the road, and I believe waitresses work harder than anyone and need cheering up."

Way to craft your stash, Suzi!

My video interview with Craft Test Dummies

Craft Test Dummies has a regular blog feature called Craft Countdown, where crafters and designers answer fun questions in a 5-4-3-2-1 format. Thanks so much to Jenny for the opportunity to chat and for supporting Craft Your Stash!

The "Craft Your Stash" Book Tour & Giveaway!

I'm beyond excited about this book tour!

Dozens of your favorite craft designers are coming together over the next week to share their reviews and project inspiration from my new book, Craft Your Stash.

This is just about the most amazingly talented line-up I have ever seen under one virtual roof! Follow #craftyourstash on social media.

Visit each blog between Saturday, September 27th and Sunday, October 5th to enter to win an amazing prize that includes a signed copy of my book, as well as several other craft books from Fox Chapel Publishing, plus a big box of craft supplies to add to your stash.

10/6/14 UPDATE:  Congrats to Ruth from Colorado who won the prize!


Here's the schedule - have fun on the tour!

Saturday 9/27

Suzi Blu

Altered Pages 

Lorraine Rigby

Craft Gossip    

           

Sunday 9/28        

Eileen Hull     

Rebekah Meier           

Monday 9/29

Mark Montano 

Fabrizio Martellucci   

Margot Potter

LeslieRahye    

           

Tuesday 9/30    

Carmi Cimicata 
Jaye Lapachet
FaveCrafts       

           

Wednesday 10/1

Laura Bray      

Cyn Gagen     

Jonathan Fong           

Thursday 10/2

Vicki O'Dell     

Jennifer Priest 

Craft Critique

Jen Cushman

           

Friday 10/3

See How We Sew    

Kristi Parker Van Doren           

Ken Oliver

           

Saturday 10/4

The Crafty Chica      

Julie McGuffee           

Marisa Pawelko           

Cindi Bisson    

                       

Sunday 10/5

Cool2Craft      

Ann Butler
Cathie & Steve
Tanner Bell

   

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Photo cube ornament

CHA (the Craft & Hobby Association) has their Mega Show for the trade every January in Anaheim, California. If you work in the craft industry like I do, you probably have attended or exhibited, or you enjoy watching all the sneak peeks about it on social media.

It's an amazing show, attended by people all over the world - manufacturers, distributors, retailers, designers, teachers and other creative professionals come together to celebrate new craft products and exciting trends in crafting. It's five days of buying, selling, demonstrating, networking, creating and feeling totally connected to your tribe...it's both exhilarating and exhausting! Click here to see some of my posts about past shows.

My CHA 2015 dance card is already starting to fill - I'll be doing some demos and book signings, and I'll be teaching a fun class where we'll be making photo cube ornaments like the one featured in Craft Your Stash. If you're attending CHA, click here for details!

In addition to my publisher providing copies of my book - Smoothfoam, DecoArt and Rowlux are providing materials for the class - yay!

What I love about making photo cubes is their versatility - you can make hang as an ornament or sit on a coffee table. All the sides can be cute and matchy-matchy with your favorite papers and embellishments, or you can make each side different.

A photo cube is like a mini dimensional scrapbook - each side tells the story of a vacation, a holiday or any special day. They're especially nice displayed in groups, they always look a little different depending on which side is facing up or out. They can be super fancy and embellished, or bold and simple.

It's really fun to play with the details and give each photo a little extra personality - but because you're working with a small surface area, you can finish a photo cube fairly quickly.

Upcycle old CDs or records into a wallhanging

My friend Sheila's mom got inspired by one of the projects in my book - she created this super cute wallhanging from some of her old 45s to commemorate the good times they spend scrapbooking together. Love it - way to craft your stash!

If you have old records or CDs sitting around that aren't going to fetch a nice price from a collector, why not use them as an art surface, photo frames, or an alternative to traditional scrapbook layouts?

This wallhanging is perfect for those narrow spaces on hallway walls or on a bedroom door. You could even make it long enough to hang like a mobile from a hook on the ceiling - then you can embellish both sides.

Signed books are shipping now!

My personal inventory of books has arrived - yippeee! So exciting to see a big huge box full of 'em.

I am selling signed copies for just $16.00 (plus tax/shipping) right here, right now! Just click the "buy now" button from the sidebar on the left to purchase via PayPal or credit card. 

Thought I'd share a couple page spreads from the book - there's a chapter on organizing and storage, basic design concepts, and my favorite tools and techniques. Then I have 19 project tutorials to inspire you to dig in to your stash and make something awesome!