Nov 27, 2012 |
KLUTZ Review
“Mom. We haven’t watched TV at all tonight.”
How great a statement is that?
Dot and I spent the evening crafting with our Klutz books. Earlier, she and her friend Megan reviewed MINI CAPSTERS JEWELRY for me.
Mini Capsters Jewelry
We’re a crafty bunch.
KLUTZ donated four of their craft books for our review; and they’re just waiting for one lucky reader to win a set all their own!
KLUTZ Assortment
MINI CAPSTERS JEWELRY, FASHION FORMS, WICKED COOL FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS, and BEADED BANDS.
Here’s what we loved about the KLUTZ books:
- They’re fun. Not in an oh-what-a-nice-way-to-spend-a-few-minutes way. But in an oh-my-gosh-this-is-so-much-interactive-fun-look-how-creative-we-are way.
- The guidebooks are just that: Guides. You can totally change up the colors and mix designs. Whichever book you’re working with, your project is Your Own.
- They’re all inclusive. Nearly everything you need (except scissors and maybe a little extra glue) is included. The products store neatly within the covers.
- The variety of projects is astonishing. We’ve had KLUTZ books for making Fairy Dolls, Nail Art, and an assortment of jewelry making.
- The directions for each project and book are detailed, illustrated, and very easy to follow. There’s no confusion as to what this means or how that reads. It’s very easy, which makes for a much more enjoyable crafting experience.
- If you run out of supplies, you can either visit your local craft store or order extra supplies from Klutz online.
Here’s what we didn’t like:
- The included products don’t always come in our favorite colors. The Beaded Bands that I worked with was limited to blues, browns, and oranges. I’ve never been a big fan of blue but I have to admit, I’m quite happy with the finished product.
- With Fashion Forms, the paper was double-sided. Which means you have to decide which pattern or color you’d like to use. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s both and there’s not enough to make two complete outfits with one sheet of paper.
- Some of the books and projects are more suited to smaller, pre-teen fingers. My adult fingers didn’t always cooperate when threading tiny beads.
- With some projects, the work seemed a bit tedious. Dot wasn’t thrilled with all the tracing and cutting she needed to do in order to complete one Fashion Form. But once she got the hang of it and saw her first finished project, it was worth the effort.
Having said all that, the Fun definitely wins out, no matter which KLUTZ book you’re crafting with. And since a picture’s worth a thousand words, here’s our Statement for KLUTZ:
MINI CAPSTERS: Choosing a Size
MINI CAPSTERS: Pages of Designs
MINI CAPSTERS: Finished Projects
WICKED COOL FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS: Unique Techniques
WICKED COOL FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS: Baubles and Beads and Charms; Oh My!
FASHION FORMS: Templates
FASHION FORMS: First Project
FASHION FORMS: Pretty Papers
FASHION FORMS: Final Runway
BEADED BANDS: Small Beads. Big Effect.
BEADED BANDS: Finished Project
We each had our own favorite KLUTZ book. Mine was the Beaded Bands. I’m already thinking of different color combinations and bracelet styles to keep making these for Dot and myself. Dot’s always been interested in fashion, so the FASHION FORMS is her pick. With a little bit of scrapbook paper and craft-store embellishments, she’ll have plenty of runway-ready projects.
Want to share the fun with some girls on your Christmas list? Or maybe you need a little creative vacation of your own. Puh-leese. Would I even post this if there wasn’t a way for you to win it? You can always count on me!
Just follow the links in the Rafflecopter entry form below. Just like KLUTZ, it’s just that easy!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Nov 25, 2012 |
Take a look at these creative hand-made greeting cards and gift tags.
Winnie’s Inky Fingers
My camera doesn’t do justice to these beautiful originals from Winnie’s Inky Fingers.
When I first imagined my inaugural Holiday Gift Basket Giveaway, I immediately contacted Winnie. She eagerly created these one-of-a-kind sets to give to one lucky reader.
Look at this sample of her wonderful work:
Merry Christmas
Christmas Charm
Merry Little Christmas
Each card and tag is stamped, inked, colored, and embellished by Winnie. She’s been making them for family and friends and posting her work on her Blog, which is how I found her. She’s inspired me to try my own hand at card making. But hers are much, much nicer.
Let It Snow!
Snow Tag
Peace on Earth
Peace Tree
Joy
Joy Tag
Peas on Earth
Peas
I love the stories she has behind each card she makes with someone special in mind. Her cards are not only skillfully crafted, but done so with a backstory, with character and plot and memories and hopes.
One lucky reader will win all five sets: Merry Christmas, Let It Snow, Peace on Earth, Joy, and her humorous Peas on Earth. Each card and tag are individually sealed in a protective sleeve. Not only is she creative, she’s cautious!
This quality collection is perfect for mailing or hand carrying. You can use the matching tag on a gift or as an ornament. Winnie’s Inky Fingers Cards and Tags will be a delightful delivery to whomever you choose!
If you’d like to win this set of five matching greeting cards and gift tags, just follow the directions below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Jun 28, 2012 |
I cry. You know this. I’ve talked about my crying in my writings. I’ve cried while writing. I’ve cried while reading. I’ve cried while watching TV. I’ve cried when listening to music.
I cry when I’m sad, stressed, angry, confused, and happy.
I cry when I see other people cry. I cry when I see other people who should cry but can’t.
Now there’s a time and a place for everything. I don’t cry every day. There are times when I need to suck it up. And there are times I have to let go. I can hold it together until the moment presents itself. Most of the time. But, as a general rule of thumb, I’m a crier.
I cry.
And I’m okay with that.
But some people aren’t. Some people see my tears as a sign of weakness or anger or giving up. Some people see me as less than strong, as unmanageable, as someone who doesn’t “have it together”.
And to you, I say: That’s okay that you think that.
My tears mean I’m in touch with my emotions. My crying means they free-flow out of me. It’s part of what makes me a great writer. To be able to grasp the innermost workings of a person’s soul and spill them onto paper in a way that others can’t.
My crying means I see potential. I see how things could be, sometimes should be. I see how things were. I’m aware of change. I’m aware of all the What If’s and Used To Be’s. And I’m constantly fighting with myself to come to terms with What Is.
Yes, I’m embarrassed that a simple hug from a friend can start the waterworks. Yes, I’m frustrated that my heart rate elevates in proportion to my saline discharge. Yes, Yes, Yes! It’s uncomfortable. It’s awkward. It’s a bit stifling.
But it’s also a freedom. It’s how I work out what’s in my head and in my heart. I can drive through tears. I can still function. I can still cook, clean, write, sing, and dance while crying. I can, I have, I will continue to do so.
And I can process. I can process my thoughts, my feelings, my plans, the world at large. And I can come up with wonderful ideas and suggestions and characters and dialogue and settings and environments and stories.
I don’t mind that I’m a crier. Because I don’t do it all the time. And when I do, it’s authentic. And when I do, it doesn’t mean I’m only sad or angry or overwhelmed. Sometimes it means I’m all of these at once, plus happy and elated. And confused.
And when I cry, I can talk. I can say, “I’m crying because…” I’ve never said, “I don’t know why I’m crying.”
I feel more. I think deeper. I love stronger. I relive memories. Every bit of me is an electrified emotional experience. And so, on occasion, I cry. It’s just one more way I express myself.
And I don’t think expressing myself makes me weak.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Nov 29, 2011
My writing partner and I got together today. It’s always a hoot when we do. Thankfully, today was a day filled with more real-writing and less let’s-talk-about-everything-but-writing.
I love it when we get together. We have the same ideas for our characters and the plots. She finds inspiration in pictures and drawings; I find mine in nature and poetry. We get together, talk out the themes and ideas and what if’s…
And after three hours together today, what has been planned as a three-book epic story has now grown into (at least) five. (Just to give you an idea of how colossal that growth is, we started this project a year ago as one novel. Within the first week we knew it would be a trilogy. Now we’re planning to retire on this series.)
We’ve pretty much signed an oath in blood to not reveal any details; but I can tell you that writing with Megan has been the highlight of my life. We balance each other out wonderfully. She brings great dialogue to the table, and let’s me hammer out the descriptive details.
There’s been some wonderful moments, some stories behind the stories that are hilarious to only the two of us. But I can honestly say, no one gets my humor like she does (and no one holds onto these jokes longer, either!). Our first edits resulted in some bad writing, but great moments. [“Wait! Why do *I* get to be *her*?”] [And my personal favorite to date: “She had an affinity for his masculinity.” “We are not trying to be Gilbert & Sullivan, here!”]
In all my other writing endeavors, I’ve flown solo. This is my first attempt at collaborating. And I really love it. I love how Megan and I had the same story idea before we even got together. I love how our sub-themes and characters and visions for the details are the same. They relate to each other, feed off each other, grow with each other.
It’s true when they say characters are like your children. We have given birth to some amazing characters: good, dark, helpful, mischievous. Prince and Pauper. Significant and insignificant. And as we grow them, they have a life of their own. So often have we sat around our laptops or Denny’s and said, “He would never say that!” or “She would so-o-o act that way, it’s perfect!” So many little inside jokes that will never make it into the books, but we’ll hold on to forever.
I wish I could share the story with you so far. I really do. Because it’s an amazing story. There’s action and romance and fantasy and suspense and good and evil and Darkness and Light and so much more.
We’ve got the first five books written out. Well, planned out, at least. We’ve got the sketches and napkin notes to prove it. But now it’s time to really sit down and type it out in detail. Not skipping a beat or missing a breath. Now it’s time to Write.
Good thing I have The Best Writing Partner Ever … and bonus for me, she’s a Barista at the Starbuck’s just two miles away. How awesome is she? That’s what I’m sayin’…
Now it you’ll excuse me, I have some dragons to slay.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
