Sunday, July 11, 2010

Blog Party Sunday, Show Something for Halloween

Welcome to another Blog Party Sunday. Crafters seem to be gearing up for Halloween already. Do you have something in your shops already for this popular occasion?

I will start it off by showing one of my Etsy shop listings.  Handmade By Bette


This is a feedsack pillow I made from an image from Ewe N Me Printables.

So now it is your turn. What do you have in your shop or on your website for Halloween shopping?


Our guidelines:



1. Just click on the Add Your Link button below, and add your Etsy, Artfire, Blog, or website url for the link.


2. Add a picture of your item.


3. If you are a blogger, please add our button to your blog and invite your readers back to join the party.


4. Family friendly items only, please.







Friday, July 9, 2010

Step Out Of Your Comfort Zone - Try Something New Today

Are you stuck in a rut of making the same things over and over again?

Maybe you have always wanted to try something new but didn't know where to begin?

It can be challenging and enervating to learn a new craft.   You might not want to go into the business of making these crafts but it can be fun to make them for your own personal use or as gifts.

Everything you need to know to make soap can be found on Miller's Homemade Soap Pages.



A great resource for all types of candle making can be found at   Grandmas Handmade Crafts.
Ever wanted to try making a purse.  Here is an easy one to start with on Arts Crafts N Hobbies blog.


Lots of Crochet information can be found here at Beginner Crocheting.



Learn how to knit with these free knitting videos on Knitting Help.



These are just a few of the crafting arts.    There are so many more things you can learn.   Don't be afraid to try something new.  

Thanks for visiting today.
Bette Shaw
www. byyourhands.com

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Handmade Spotlight - Altered Clothespins

I just love altered clothespins. I have seen them done in so many different ways.

Today, I want to share a few that I found on etsy and artfire.

  
LEFT: caelum


   


   
LEFT: allie9632
RIGHT: PoppyLanie


   
LEFT: kotibeth
RIGHT:  sassyNpunk



   
LEFT: tscrapper
Enjoy!
Deena Davis

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Trend Spotting ----Turquoise

Did you know turquoise was the color trend for 2010?   I have been seeing it everywhere the past few months.   

It is the wall color for this year.





 It is on shoes.

Earrings.



 Purses.


And here is a really nice tutorial for an apron that would be perfect for those of you that do craftshows or markets.

This is the Market craft apron from  Sew 4 Home.




Thanks for visiting today.
Bette Shaw
www.byyourhands.com

Monday, July 5, 2010

Coupon Organization

Living in today's tough economic environment, we all need to find ways to cut corners to save money. One way to do that, that seems to be getting more and more popular is clipping coupons.

Once you have all those coupons clipped out, how do you keep them organized? That's a question I ask all the time. It seems like whenever I have coupons, I always forget where I put them and can't seem to find them in the check-out line.

I found some great ideas at www.tipnut.com. You'll find all kinds of ideas there, including one for using and alphabetized index file.


Another idea I ran across at www.tipnut.com was a sewing tutorial for a coupon clutch. This is really cute and looks easy to make.


Lisa at www.ahappylittlefamily.blogspot.com has a neat free pattern for a Coupon organizer, too. It looks like it would be really handy with the dividers for different categories.


I also found instructions for this Build-It-Yourself Coupon Organizer at www.momsaves.com using a three ring binder and clear page protectors. I think that would be a quick way to see what you have at a glance.


Money saving Mom has a good idea using a plastic storage box. Check it out.
www.moneysavingmom.com



This has given me some ideas to get started, maybe some of them will help you too.

Thanks for joining us.
Deena Davis
www.byyourhands.com