Monday, February 28, 2011

How to Organize your Closet

It's not quite spring yet, but now's a great time to start some spring cleaning in our closets.

Check out this video for some really helpful tips on closet organization.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Blog Party Sunday --- Show Us Something You Made

What have you made recently that you would like to show off to our readers?

Share something from your shop, website or blog. It doesn't have to be for sale, just handmade by you.

The rules are simple:

1. Follow our blog

2. Handmade items only.

3. You may list up to 3 items.

4. Family friendly items only.

The   success of this link party depends on the participants so spread the   word to your friends, visit the shops, post about it on your blog, in a   forum or on your favorite social networking site, grab the button and   put it on your blog or website.

Just click on the Add Your Link button at the end of this post and add your items.

And if you would like to add a link to the party you can grab this button below.






Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Handmade Spotlight - Wearing Of The Green

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Get Organized: Finding the Motivation to Start

We have a guest writer today, Carmen of www.getorganizedtips.blogspot.com is going to help us find the motivation to start getting organized....


In my "former life," before becoming a professional organizer, I was in the military for about 6 years. Let's just say there are lots of things I remember about boot camp and most of them unpleasant.

Running in combat boots.

Getting yelled at.

Doing push-ups until I collapsed.

Getting yelled at.

Woken up in the middle of the night for inspections.

Getting yelled at.

30 second showers.

And, yup...you guessed it! Getting yelled at some more.

I recall thinking at one point, Why am I putting up with 6 weeks of this?

While all my friends were enjoying summer vacations, I was being subjected to unwanted rules, impossible orders, minimal sleep, nasty food, physical fitness ad nauseam - all topped off with copious amounts of shouting.

But then I remembered how much I wanted to be in the military and serve my country, and I realized that 6 weeks of training would only make me a stronger, better soldier. The end justifies the means, if you will.

And I could be miserable during the whole ordeal or I could make the most of it...it was totally up to me.

I realize that for some of you out there, getting organized may be just about as fun as boot camp. But in this day in age, when life keeps getting crazier and crazier, you can't afford not to be organized!

Dr. Wayne Dyer, the "father of motivation," once said, "Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice." Isn't that so true?

I could have been miserable through boot camp, but instead I tried to motivate myself as much as possible, keeping the end in sight. And the same goes for organizing...

If you know you have to get organized, you can choose to procrastinate, and your disorganization will just cause you more frustration. (Not to mention lost time, money, and resources!)

Or you can choose to get motivated, get organized, and truly know the freedom that comes with it. It's always your choice...

Carmen Coker is a professional organizer who helps individuals find the motivation and know-how to get organized and stay organized. To learn how to save money, create more space, and manage your time through organization, claim your "FREE Tip Kit: 10+ Pages of Tips and Tools to Help You Get Organized — Finally!" at www.OrganizeClutterbugs.com


Thank you for joining us today!
www.byyourhands.blogspot.com

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Blog Party Sunday --- Show Off Your New Handmades

 It's blog party time again.  It's your time to share your  handmades.  Are you making things for St. Patrick's Day?  Are you crafting for Easter?   We would love to see what you have so don't hesitate to  join us today.


The rules are simple:

1. Follow our blog

2. Handmade items only.

3. You may list up to 3 items.

4. Family friendly items only.

The   success of this link party depends on the participants so spread the   word to your friends, visit the shops, post about it on your blog, in a   forum or on your favorite social networking site, grab the button and   put it on your blog or website.

Just click on the Add Your Link button at the end of this post and add your items.

And if you would like to add a link to the party you can grab this button below.









Saturday, February 19, 2011

Time Saver Recipes -- Sweet Potato Vegetable Soup

 Here is an easy soup you can make on the weekend and enjoy all week.   It is not only delicious but very healthy for you.


Sweet Potato Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

1 C. diced onions
1/2 C. chopped celery
1/2 C. chopped carrots
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled
    and diced
3 C. chicken broth
1 C. chopped tomato
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
2 C. frozen peas, green beans
   broccoli, or spinach
1 C. frozen corn
Or 3 C. of vegetables of your choice
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in pot.

You can cook this on the stove for about an hour and a half, set it and forget it in a crock pot for about four hours,   or for my preferred way to cook it,  in your pressure cooker on the soup setting for five minutes.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Today's Featured Artist --- Mamaw's Creations

Today's featured artist is Marie  from Mamaw's Creations.

Tell us a little about you?
 I live in a small town North of Pittsburgh Pa. called Tarentum.   I got married at 17 and have been married for 41 years. We have three grown children. Carrie 41, Crissy 39, and Chad 33.
They have blessed us with 7 grandchildren. Carissa 13, and Cole 10, were the first two then we had Alexis 8, Zachary 8, and Sydney 8….Triplets! 4 days later, after they were born,  we had another grandchild Darian 8, We went from 2 grandchildren to 6  real fast! Our 7th grandchild is named Dominic 5. I babysat the triplets and Darian and Dominic all together and let me tell you at times it was challenging!

How long have you been in business?
 I opened my website in 2002.  I was making grubby candles and dolls for craft shows and I got the idea for opening a website. The best move I ever made.

How did you get started?
 I had no idea of how to go about making a website but saw a ad in the country marketplace (I miss that magazine) and went from there. I love having my online store and since I have been on the web, have met so many wonderful customers and friends.

What is involved in making your craft?
 I love to design my own dolls and there is always a piece of paper laying around that I doodle on! I have even been known to wake up at night and write an idea down so I don’t forget it in the morning. I have worked with a lot of mediums but sewing with fabric is my favorite.


What is your favorite thing to make?
Primitive Raggedy Dolls is my favorite! It must be the kid in me that loves it so much. Seeing each doll come to life with their own personality pleases me

Do you have set hours to work?
I work on something every day! I guess I am addicted to crafting. I have been known to be in my craft room late at night especially when I have craft shows coming up and need the inventory.

What are your future plans for your business?
My plans are to keep designing patterns and sewing and to keep advertising all of my sites. 

What does handcrafting mean to you?
Handcrafting means to me “Made from the Heart”
I love what I do and I love it when customers come back and tell me they can see I put a lot of love in what I have made.

Where do you sell your crafts at?
website--- www.MamawsCreations.com
etsy --- www.MamawCreations.etsy.com 
I do craft shows all year round and I also own a beauty salon where I display my crafts.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Handmade Spotlight - Hoppin Down The Bunny Trail


Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Tuesday Tutorial ---- Tussie Mussies

We have a guest poster today with a darling tutorial for you.    Thanks so much to Sally Swift from All Things Homey blog for sharing this tutorial for her Tussie Mussies with us.

Historically a tussie-mussie was a small Victorian bridal bouquet. In the decades that followed, this term also became synonymous with a small cone-shaped vessel to hold a single flower or some other type of treat. Tussie Mussies were popular during May Day celebrations.
Last month I gave instructions on how to make a paper ruffle for a Tussie Mussie I was making. This month I am giving instructions on how to make the Tussie Mussie.

The four Tussie Mussies above are 5" high not including ruffle and the ribbon for hanging.

The following instructions are for this size.

1. Use a 10" diameter plate to draw a circle a 12" x 12" piece of paper or cardstock.

2. Find the center point of your circle and divide into 4 equal parts. Cut apart.

3. Fold 1/4" on one long side, cutting off the bottom corner.

4. Decorate

5. Glue long edges

To Decorate:

Tip: always decorate before joining the sides into a cone shape.

Decorations could include:
Lace ruffle, ric rac, gold trim, metallic pipe cleaners, ribbon. Wired ribbon is great because you just pull the wire and it gathers the ribbon.

Embellishments can be glued to the center front. I've used vintage lace, printed Victorian images, glitter shamrock, flowers, vintage buttons, ribbon, rhinestone, gold trim and ribbon flowers. The hanging ribbon can be glued on the cone before or after gluing on the ruffle. If attached to the outside of the cone, cover the ends with a little ribbon bow or button. I have used both tacky white glue and glue gun.

To glue the cone, use tacky white glue along the folded edge. Roll the cone so the two long edges glue, one edge on top of the glued edge. This can be tricky and frustrating but hold in place until dry.

Ideas on how to use your Tussie Mussies:
Give as a hostess gift, give as favors at a birthday party, to welcome a new neighbor, to welcome a baby, holds an invitation to a party or use as a container for a present.

Visit: http://www.allthingshomey.etsy.com for other Tussie Mussies and more handmade,original items!
Visit my blog http://www.allthingshomey.blogspot.com

Thanks for stopping by - comments are welcome!

Creatively yours,

Sally S. Swift

Monday, February 14, 2011

Organizing - Great Organizational Blogs

Today I'd like to share a list of some great organizational blogs. All have some pretty amazing tips and ideas.

1. Your Life Organized... Speaker, author, organizing expert Monica Ricci shares thoughts on how to declutter, de-stress, organize and simplify your life at home and at work.



2. Get Organized... A blog about all things organized.

3. Creative Organizing... Organizing & creativity go hand-in-hand. Organizing creates space for creativity & creativity makes organizing more fun! 


4. Organize the Whole Shebang... Organized Women...this is for you! Hey Girlfriend! I'm glad you found my fabulous little organizing + lifestyle blog~ I believe the key to being organized is integrating who I am... a bit function, a bit fabulous, with a WHOLE LOT OF SASS thrown in for good measure.


5. The Lazy Organizer... My attempts to organize life, the universe and everything in it.


Hope you enjoy these and become inspired by some of the ideas.
Thanks for joining us!
Deena Davis
www.byyourhands.blogspot.com

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Blog Party Sunday --- Show Off Your New Handmades

 It's blog party time again.  It's your time to share your handmades.  We would love to see what you have so don't hesitate to join us today.


The rules are simple:

1. Follow our blog

2. Handmade items only.

3. You may list up to 3 items.

4. Family friendly items only.

The success of this link party depends on the participants so spread the word to your friends, visit the shops, post about it on your blog, in a forum or on your favorite social networking site, grab the button and put it on your blog or website.

Just click on the Add Your Link button at the end of this post and add your items.

And if you would like to add a link to the party you can grab this button below.









Friday, February 11, 2011

We Have The Winners For the Topsite Ad Giveaways

Congratulations to our winners of the free 3 month topsite ad. Since we had entries for four of our topsites, we are giving away four ads today.

Etsy Topsite Winner -- Lorraine of Pie Cake Primitives.

Artfire Topsite Winner ---- Dakota Crafts

Pattern Topsite ---- Debra of Pilgrims and Pioneers Stitches

Handcrafter Blog Topsite --- Natalie of Tins and Treasures

The winners were picked using the true random number generator on Random.org. We want to thank ALL of you who took the time to enter and for all the wonderful comments.


Would you like to be a sponsor for one of the giveaways on our blog? It is a great way to get your craft business noticed. For information email us at byyourhandsblog@gmail.com

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Handmade Spotlight - All Things Altered

I love altered items. Whether it be books, cards, collages I don't think I could choose a favorite. Take a peek at these gorgeous altered items I found on ArtFire.com



Thanks again for joining us!
Deena Davis
www.byyourhands.blogspot.com