New Etsy Treasury!

Vintage Glitz and Glam!
Get your sparkle on.....

Get Your Shopping On!

Black Friday....I've never been one for standing in line in the wee hours of the morning just to get a good deal on something. I'm more of a coupon person. There's times that I can get a good price on an item using a coupon than you could waiting in that long line in the freezing cold for the store to open. Don't fight the crowds this holiday season. Buy your friends and family something more one-of-a-kind.

Go shop for handmade jewelry at www.friskywink.etsy.com !

Right now everything at Friskywink is 15% off! Use the coupon code: Shop4Holidays

Sale is through Cyber Monday (11/26/12) Shop now and don't delay. Remember 11/24/12 is Small Business Saturday! Support Etsy shops like mine! Most of them are people who are trying to make a living selling their craft. (like me!)

These snowman earrings are just a peek at what I have to offer!

New Etsy Treasury

This Art Cray!

Day 18 was Cray! Crazy with crayons that is. I've been seeing a lot of the melted crayon art on Pinterest. It's very popular on Etsy as well. I wasn't really impressed by the ones that just hot glue the crayons to the top of the canvas melting them with the hairdryer causing a drippy mess. But this pin sparked my interest causing me to go running to get my blow dryer!

Source: jennaleighbrown.blogspot.com via B on Pinterest

I had a bad day yesterday. However, when I started splattering melted wax all over this canvas my spirits immediately lifted. Nothing like a little controlled chaos that looks beautiful.

I think this art was just the pop of color that my studio walls needed. It looks a little like rising flames to me. What do you think?

It's like a bright Rorschach inkblot test. Tell me what do you see?

Day 17- Feather Pen

After three days of craft flops I carefully selected the Pinterest project for August 17th. I'm very pleased to announce that my curse of selecting failure pins has finally been lifted!

"There is no failure except in no longer trying."  ~Elbert Hubbard

Good quote to remember. I'm over halfway through this pin-it-and-do-it challenge and not everything is going my way. But then again, if it did, it wouldn't be a challenge!

Yesterday, I made this feather pen. View the tutorial here. I truly love how it turned out! I've used embellished pens for years! The joy of them came from when my mother surprised me with a silk flower bouquet for my office one day. Except it wasn't just a bouquet. Those stems were really pens! Everyone in the office kept taking and using my floral writing instruments. I loved them so much that I made quill pens for guests to sign the wishing tree notes at my wedding. My mother and I only used floral wrapping tape to wrap our writing stems. This is the first time that I've used embroidery floss to knot around my pen.

I also did this differently from the tutorial. Instead of gluing the feather stem into the gel ink refill, I used the floral tape to hold it against the outside of the pen. I'm sure either way works (I just couldn't get that stupid cap off the pen to expose the top of the refill.)

Now, If I could only write this blog post with my pen instead... :o)

Pinterest Flops

Everything that I see on Pinterest seems so interesting and looks awesome in the photo. It's almost hard trying to select which craft I really want to try next. Things have been going well. Sure, I've made a few mistakes along the way. And maybe my finished product looks like there's room for improvement the next time I make it. I've been rather pleased with how each craft has been turning out.

I guess throughout this challenge I expected some epic fails. I just wasn't expecting three in a row!

Day 14- Dress made out of Men's Shirt

Sure this looked cute in the pin, and it was very popular on Pinterest.

Source: polyvore.com via Britney on Pinterest

I will spare you the photos from my dress disaster. Let me just say that no one would actually go into public wearing this ensemble. This look just screams "walk of shame" like you had to suddenly get dressed and couldn't find your own clothing. There's really no other reason someone would sanely wear this outfit. Ladies, there's a reason why clothing designers have created women's attire that mock the appearance of men's clothing. Save yourself the embarrassment and buy one of those outfits instead!

Day 15- The Fringed Scarf

This was another pin that looked better on the model. Perhaps it was the fact that the only t-shirt I had was a fitted size small or maybe that I chose the color white. But this fringe scarf looks like I need to put it back in the 1970's time vault.

Another failure.

Well on the positive side my cat, Halo just got a new toy. He loves those dangling strings!

Day 16- Cheerios Treat Bar

I had some marshmallows left over from the Baked S'mores recipe that I made last week. This got me thinking of Rice Krispy treats. Then I realized, I haven't bought Rice Krispies in years! But I did have plenty of Cheerio's on hand. A quick look on Pinterest and I found this recipe.

Now I can't blame the recipe. I think this failure was more due to user error. It would be much easier if I could actually melt the butter & marshmallows in the microwave. (You see my landlord has yet to replace our broken above the stove microwave!) I had to melt it on the stove and it was just a difficult sticky blob to work with. Perhaps I should try this again someday instead of giving up on it completely. We'll see...or perhaps I'll just go buy some Rice Krispies!

Here's hoping that my three day stint of Pinterest failures is over.

--to be continued...

Made My Book & Ready to Smash

Thanks to my Zutter Bind-it-All I've made my own Smash Book!

When I first saw the Smash Product line at Michael's Craft Store I was instantly curious about the journaling opportunities. I tried my hand at the whole art journaling thing and really enjoyed it. But I couldn't keep up with it. Painting all the backgrounds and waiting for all the gesso, acrylic & gel medium to dry was a long process. The thing I like most about the Smash books are the colorful papers inside. The books come in themes (which I don't really care for), but they reminded me of all the colorful scrapbook papers I'm addicted to buying. So I thought I'd make my own!

This was the first project using my Zutter Bind-it-All. I think I might draw a tangle pattern on my journal cover. I've made a few die cuts using my Slice cutter machine for extra journaling tags, got my stamps, and now I'm ready to "smash" in my thoughts. I do like the Smash Pen (hubby bought me one of those)- Glue stick & pen all in one (genius!)

The next book I make I think I will add pockets like on this Pinterest Pin:

Source: wendolonia.com via Friskywink on Pinterest

Drawer knob Jewelry Holder

The supplies for this craft idea have been sitting on my studio table for a couple months now. I wanted to find a way to keep some of the necklaces I've made safe instead of twisting them up and keeping them in one of those jewelry folder things. So I thought about making a hanging jewelry holder to place on my studio wall.

The best part about this project is that it only cost me $3.00 to make! The knobs were on Clearance at Michael's Craft Store. The wooden board was only $1. I found a brand new, finished piece of baseboard molding that I got from the Habitat for Humanity Resale Store. The perk? No sanding, cutting or painting needed to be done. I actually went in the store looking for cabinet doors, and saw this beauty and remembered this project idea.

Now a word of advice to anyone that wants to try this project---measure it first! Don't laugh at my knobs for being a little uneven. I thought I could screw the first knob in and measure the next hole as I go. I complained to my husband about my knobs not being straight and he asked me why I didn't measure a straight line on the back and use a pencil to mark where I wanted all the holes to go. Hmm...that would have made more sense. But, I'm right-brained! I honestly don't think that way. (And I can't hold a ruler straight to save my life!)

I'm happy with my jewelry holder. I'm thinking of adding hooks to the bottom of the board to add more hanging room for necklaces. Always improving ideas.

Three Days of Fun

I'm behind in my postings but that doesn't mean that I was behind in my crafting!
Three days worth of goodies here.

Day 9- Another Embellished Friendship Bracelet.

Following the steps as I did in this post I chose not to add the rhinestone embellishment and button clasp. This time I wanted to try adding a brass chain to the friendship bracelet. I must admit that I like this look far better than my first rhinestone friendship bracelet. I think the rhinestone look would be better if my knotted friendship bracelet was a bit wider than it was.

The tricky part for me was getting the yarn long enough to sew the chain to the bracelet. I just can't seem to judge the length quite yet. Cut it too short to finish sewing the rest of the chain. Had to cut it and sew it on again.

Something I did differently than the tutorial was that I added a clasp to the chain. That way I'm not tying the bracelet to my arm, but clasping it like a regular bracelet.
Day 10- Baked S'mores!

The best thing about camping is pitching the tent, hiking, being outdoors, bugs definitely is sitting around the campfire and making s'mores. But with this recipe you no longer have to endure the wilderness to get this gooey treat. That's right folks, s'mores indoors. (and I don't mean roasted in your fireplace either).

When I saw this pin and read the recipe I think I instantly drooled.

 Yes they were tasty!

Source: theaprongal.com via Friskywink on Pinterest

Day 11- Fun Nail Art!

Watermelon Toes!

Nail art is all over Pinterest. I see people all the time pinning their dazzling nails. What I don't understand is how they can paint their right hand without it looking like a 4 year-old doing it? Now that's talent.

I've seen some pretty cute nail pins. Leopard print, stripes, fish, hearts, and even watermelon. This reminded me of when I had a nail art book once and my sister and I used to paint our toes. It was fun being toe creative!

Now I'm a horrible fingernail biter. So this  art design has to be done on the toes. At least it's still sandal season!

Wrangle Those Shopping Bags

We all understand that plastic shopping bags are not best for the environment. Purchasing a reusable bag is always ideal. I try my best to use those bags when grocery shopping. The bad thing is, I end of forgetting to put them back in my car. When I decide to go grocery shopping on a whim, I never have them with me! So I collect the plastic bags (returning some to the recycling bin at the store) and try to think of ways to reuse them around the house. Perfect for small trash can liners, lunch bags, dog waste collectors, etc.
The thing I hate the most is how I end up with these bags all over the house! I needed to find a way to organize my bag mess. My hubby took a small box, cut a hole in the front & stuffed the bags inside. That was perfect for our laundry closet. But what happens is, I use the bags in other rooms of the house and end up with mini collections of these things everywhere!

Day 8 of my craft challenge is another way to store this obsessive bag collection.

This craft also gave me another way to reuse those empty plastic Clorox wipes containers! How genius! Visit this site for the way to roll those plastic bags to pull up through the bottle lid just like wipes did.

I cut out a strip of zebra printed scrapbook paper and glued around the bottle for more stylish decor. The website shows how to put fabric around the bottle, but since I have a huge scrapbook collection, I used that instead.

I was impressed that this really works! You can see how the bags pull through the top.

If you have to use those plastic bags, recycle what you can and reuse the rest...but do it organized and fashionable!  :o)

Dog Jar Candy Dish

Day 7 of my "Pin it and do it" challenge is by far my favorite!
I've always loved the idea of an apothecary jar filled full of brightly colored candy as a tasty decoration in a jar. But let's face it- I'm not that fancy! But when I found this craft tutorial I was excited to bring this idea to life!

What a simple and creative way to reuse an empty jar! This would be a great addition to any children's room. (or a craft studio- in my case!) I had an empty pickle jar, and all I needed was a plastic toy animal. I chose a German Shepherd puppy and a pretty blue acrylic paint. I've seen several of these jars on Pinterest that they easily use spray paint instead of acrylic.

I put a coat of gesso on first to cover the writing that was on the jar lid and the original paint of the toy dog. Two coats of acrylic paint and gluing the dog to the lid later, and I'm all done! I'm loving my jar! Filled it full of my favorite candy, and I have a colorful (and delicious) decor for my craft table.

iPhone case (Day 6)

I've been anxiously waiting to get my new iPhone in the mail. About a month ago I sadly murdered it in an accidental washing machine drowning. You see I had a white phone and a frosted clear case. Had it on my WHITE bedspread, which I randomly thought I'd go ahead and wash. Long story short, it ended up in the washer!

So instead of buying a new cover (since I already had to buy a new phone) I thought I'd try out this craft which takes scrapbook paper to make a custom iPhone cover!

Click here for the step-by-step.
My plain, boring cover gets a new life!

How to Embellish a Plain T-Shirt (no sewing required)

I've had so much fun doing all the craft tutorials I've found on Pinterest lately that I was inspired to create one myself. This is my first ever tutorial and it's perfect for back-to-school time!

Are you tired of all the plain t-shirts in your wardrobe? If so, I'm going to show you a quick and easy way to take that tee from drab to fab! This simple trick uses fabric scrapbook embellishments. And the best part is there's no sewing required!

Here's the look:

The supplies: T-shirt, fabric scrapbook dimensional stickers (I found these on clearance at Michael's for only $2), permanent fabric glue (I used Aleene's Super Fabric adhesive) and cardboard.

Step 1- Place cardboard inside the t-shirt where you want to glue the flowers. The cardboard prevents the glue from seeping to the back of the shirt.

Step 2- Peel the foam sticker off the back of the flower embellishment. You won't be using those.

Step 3- Add the fabric glue to the felt part of the embellishment. It is important to use a permanent fabric glue. This ensures that the glue will not come off during washing.

Step 4- Press down firmly to set the flower where you want to adhere it to the t-shirt.

Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the remaining flower embellishments.

Let the glue completely dry for 24 hours before wearing.

Wasn't that so simple? Yet so stylish!

Day 3 & 4

I should have known that the hardest part of this challenge would be taking the photos and posting it!
I recently killed my iphone in a horrible washing machine accident. It had a killer camera that I haven't even used my old digital camera in ages! I remembered why I quite using it. It's horrible! I apologize for these latest pictures. Since I'm behind in the posting, day 3 and 4 are combined.

Day 3- Embellished Friendship Bracelet.
This has been popular on Pinterest with some people pinning it over a year ago! I haven't thought about friendship bracelets for ages until my niece got a kit for her birthday. I remember sitting in my room as a kid making these bracelets all the time. But since that was over 20 years ago, I had to find a way to rock this trend, but make it more adult like. I like this idea of adding rhinestones to the yarn bracelet. Follow the DIY Embellished Friendship Bracelet instructions and have fun enjoying your childhood again!

I added a rhinestone button for more bling!

Day 4- Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

I recently ordered a slice of pink lemonade cake at a bakery here in town and was sadly disappointed. Since then, I haven't been able to get it out of my mind. I was on a mission to find a recipe that didn't involve adding instant lemonade drink mix! I found this one on Pinterest and was pleasantly surprised by the ingredient listing of fresh lemons & raspberries!
It is simple to make, but don't make the error I did and frost them too soon. Let completely cool before frosting. You can tell mine melted a little. Gooey but still really tasty! If you like pink lemonade then you're going to love these cupcakes.

The Pin:

Source: rtroncampus.com via Friskywink on Pinterest

These are mine!

Day 2- Gift Bows

Day two was another simple craft. We've all had this scenario- you've wrapped a present only to find you either didn't have the right sized gift bow or the wrong color. I never thought that I could make my own gift bow. Sure, I have been creative with the wrapping paper itself. I've used everything from newspaper, fabric & brown packaging paper to wrap my presents. My sister uses plain white paper and has her children finger paint designs on it. Talk about another really creative idea.

But this post is all about the bow.

Here's the Pinterest link with the tutorial. (Click the picture for the how-to instructions)

Source: wholeliving.com via Friskywink on Pinterest

I'm always trying to figure out creative ways to recycle my old magazines (since I have so many subscriptions!) This one just made me excited to give it a shot.

Here's my gift bow:

No more paying money for pretty gift bows! Now I can just get creative with what type of paper I use to make the bows. I'm thinking of all the scrapbook paper scraps I have left over. The possibilities are endless!

"Pin it and Do it" Day one

Craft made on August 1, 2012.

It's the first day of my Pinterest challenge. I started with something simple, but yet one of those, "I-can't-believe-I-didn't-think-of-that-myself" crafts.

The first project was making a custom post-it holder out of a cheap plastic 4x6 frame. This would make the perfect back-to-school teacher's gift! I will have to share this idea with my sister for all her kids' teachers. It was so simple to make. The best part about it? I didn't have to spend a dime to make it! I had the frame, a pack of post-its and a ton of scrapbook paper already. What I like even more about this project is that you can change the colors whenever you want! Just slide out the scrapbook paper and replace to change with your room decor!

The pin:

Source: jkkarges.blogspot.com via Friskywink on Pinterest

And now for my version:

I wrote the words, "Notes" on with a dry erase marker. The perk of it being on a plastic frame. It can be a dry erase board as well!

"Pin it and Do it" Creativity Challenge

I'll admit, I'm probably the last person to jump on the whole Pinterest phase. I recently started pinning and was overwhelmed with all the DIY tutorials out there. I'm addicted just looking at all the creative crafts, holiday gift ideas, recipes & decor ideas!

I've been repinning and pinning on some of my craft ideas that I really want to do someday. I've been in an artistic hault lately. Between caring for my animals, keeping my house clean, etc. I haven't been spending the time doing what I enjoy the most...crafting! So then it hit me... I was looking at the Pinterest boards and thought, "Stop viewing and start doing!"

I challenge myself to one month of creativity.

The Challenge:

Make/Do something each day that I found posted on Pinterest or pinned on my boards myself for the entire month of August.

This can be a new craft, DIY idea, decor, recipe, etc. but it has to be done each day and posted on my blog the next.

This is a challenge to kick me back into my creative spirit! Challenge yourself to a month of "Pin it and do it!"

Letting Go

I came across this quote, and seeing it made me freeze in my tracks:

"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." ~ Joseph Campbell"

Wow. Isn't that something? Just yesterday, I was sitting at a restaurant with my husband talking about my days in college. Yes, I fell into the "I'm-21-let's-party" phase. I used to look back at the opportunity that I wasted with regret. It wasn't until my senior year that I finally snapped back into reality, started going to class, and worked my behind off to pull up my GPA. I was proud of my graduation, but then I was disappointed in everything I wasted. However, I learned so much from those mistakes. I learned what was important to me, developed responsibility, and a determination to succeed.

Flashing forward 7 years later, and I fell off the career path again. I didn't even work in the field of my degree, and wasted my college education on an office management job, not the big Public Relations Director I so desperately wanted to be. That was another way I looked back with regret. However, it was while working in my corporate job that I realized this "office setting" wasn't me. I wanted to work in art, be creative, and express myself beyond letter writing. I wasn't going to find this creative expression in PR either.

It's interesting how you sit at graduation time and predict what the future will hold for you. I always looked back at myself in that moment as, "I really messed up my career/life plan." But I didn't. I'm learning to let go at what I expected my life to be, and looking forward to what my life will be.
I have so much opportunity in front of me...

I'm letting go.

Cason's Duck Cupcakes

It was my nephew Cason's first birthday! Splish splash fun pool party for all the older kids and rubber duckies for Cason!

My sister goes all out in parties. I mean seriously the girl should be a professional party planner. I remember when children birthday parties was a homemade sheet cake and a few crepe paper streamers. Well, not for my sis! I've never seen so many rubber ducks in one room! The attention to detail for this ducky theme was insane. We had handmade (purchased on ETSY) birthday banners, cut out duck confetti, a duck pinata, and a kid swag bag full of duck theme toys (duck whistles, handmade duck shape chocolate candy, she even found duck shaped crayons!) 

Birthday sign- custom made on ETSY

So I decided to jump on board with the duck theme mania. I volunteered to make the cupcakes. But I know that not just any ordinary plainly decorated cupcakes would do for this party. I had to bring out the big guns (or ducks in this case!)

My fondant ducks all in a row

So I made 30 chocolate chip and 30 vanilla cupcakes. I used a cookie cutter and cut ducks out of rolled fondant. Blue nonpareils for the eyes, and I tinted my icing blue. I made the icing choppy to look like little waves, and topped it off with white nonpareils for the "bubble" look.

I was pretty proud how they turned out. And they were just the icing on the cake (pun intended) for my nephew's rubber duck themed extravaganza!

Would You Quit?

I'm sure this happens to everyone- you have something you're extremely excited about. When you tell someone about it, you're surprised that they don't give you the reaction you were anticipating. After the initial shock wears off, you can be really hurt by this. How quickly do you bounce back from the disappointment, or do you just roll over and cry?

Recently, I've been working on a new business venture. When thinking of ways to expand my business, I shared a crazy idea with my family. I guess I was truly taken by surprise when the sudden support & encouragement from my business idea that they previously had came to a screeching halt when I mentioned the idea of storefront. It's not like I was running out the next day and signing a store lease and opening doors that second. It was an idea in planning. When suddenly I'm told that my idea of a business isn't that great after all. I wasn't expecting the conversation of, "No one will come to the store," "you're not smart enough," "too many stores are closing down."

If a perfect stranger told me this opinion then I would have just called them crazy and set out to prove them wrong. But I mean c'mom..this is family. Isn't your family supposed to be supportive and let you live your dream & just be there to catch you if you fall? I felt like I was back in that corporate office at my old job during the moment I was being laid off. Feeling that you're not good enough. Am I just insane? Have I been spending the time & money on this business to be told that it has no future? Should this just be fuel to my fire to seek out to prove them wrong?

Does it make a difference if the people you love hurt you? Is it tough love? Would you quit or work harder?

How many successful people have been called crazy...

Drawer Pull for Jewelry

I love going to antique stores! Some of my favorite finds are actually pieces that belong to something else. I've taken crystals for chandeliers, locks, keyholes, keys, and drawer pulls to redesign into some great jewelry.

One of my favorite jewelry creations is this antique drawer pull that I found at Mary's Antiques downtown Greensboro. I like to call this store "Wonderland." I can get lost into the possibilities of old items. There's a whole section of printing press equipment that I could just buy up the entire store! I found this great drawer pull that I think literally asked me to take it home! Call it a dragon's face or a lion, but it's big, bold and beautiful! You can buy it here in my Etsy Shop! More antique finds & hardware pieces will be coming to my shop soon.

Lessons in Omelet Disaster

I have several signs that hang in my studio. My favorite states, "Chase Your Dreams." I really need to remember that. I have such high expectations for myself. A problem of being a perfectionist. I pretty much look at tons of things I do and complain that the finished product was not what I envisioned. Yesterday, I tried to make an omelet for my husband. I'd seen the cooking segment on the "Martha Stewart Show." I figured easy smeazy. Well...it turned out a total flop! I was so disheartened. I wanted to really impress my husband, but instead he ended up having to come in the kitchen and turn my culinary disaster into scrambled eggs.

This shook me. I had this wonderful image in my mind of a bacon & cheese omelet that would make hubby feel like he was at a 5 star bed & breakfast. (I have an elaborate imagination) Well my failure sent me on this rant about how I build things up in my mind only to have the reality turn out to be a disaster! I mean it was my first time trying to make an omelet. Why was I getting upset about this?

Now let's look back at where I actually went wrong... First of all, I don't even own a pan small enough to fit an omelet. I'm using this huge skillet where the egg runs all over it to about the size of a pizza. Mistake #2- Instead of a spatula, I have a wooden spoon. Of course my omelet would fail.

In reflection, I learned something from my kitchen mess. I need to understand that my mistakes are lessons into making something better. I don't turn my dreams into constant failure. If I look at things I like to do play the violin, art, making jewelry, and baking nothing was natural the first time. I'm dreaming of my baking career. I need to keep the dream in sight, don't get frustrated by the mishaps, and continuously try to correct the mistakes until my final product becomes my perfection.

There will be another omelet adventure...

I will succeed.

Finding myself

I thought I'd take a new direction on this blog and tell you the struggles I'm overcoming as I seek to "find myself in a creative world."

When I started out in college I always thought I'd be the one to quickly climb the corporate ladder. My sister was the family driven one, and since I decided not to have children, I always thought I'd be the "career one." I started off in a job and in less than two years I worked myself up through two promotions. I was a manager of two departments. I wasn't really happy, but at least I was driven.

Suddenly in November 2011 I found out that I was being laid off!

All my hard work and dedication  to that corporation for seven years was a waste. I never took vacations and developed a bad migraine condition from what I know was  due to living in a constant stressful environment.  Being laid off is bad for anyone, but for someone who thought her job was the only thing she was good at, was even worse.

I've always had hobbies. Crafty and artsy ambitions. I started making jewelry as a stress reliever. I piddled with a struggling Etsy store. I love baking and art journaling. I have all these "artistic ideas" and used to say "if I only had the time..." Well, now I have the time. Everything happens for a reason. Perhaps my reason was so I could discover what will make me happy.

So for now, I'm trying to "Find myself." Moving from the corporate attitude and personality I had to be- and soul searching to become the person I WANT TO BE.  

March Madness!

Another reason why March is the best time of the year is "bracket season!" I love March madness. Even though I'm born & raised in NC, I don't truly follow the ACC tournament. Call me a traitor to my state but I'm not a UNC fan (great job Florida State!) I love the SEC tournament (even though I was sad to see Kentucky lose). The real fun comes when the NCAA tournament is here!
If you don't like to watch the games, you can still get into the basketball spirit!
These cookies from Eleni's Cookies will help charge your madness mood!

Get inspired. Grab a cookie cutter and make some great cookies while you watch the big game!