Monday, August 29, 2011

It's A GIVEAWAY!!! sponsored by U Printing.com {CLOSED}

I know it doesn't happen often, but I have some super fun news for you today!
{Okay, hopefully the fun news happens often, it's the other part, that 's new and exciting...}

I'm hosting a giveaway, and not just any giveaway but one sponsored by the fantastic folks over at UPrinting.com

UPrinting is an online printing and marketing company specifically geared to help small business owners {like me!} get the word out about our businesses. 
But that's not all...
UPrinting.com offers letterhead options, envelope printing and other printing services that are great for not just small businesses but for any personalizing you could want-trust me, I asked!

 So if you've got the perfect holiday letter in mind...this giveaway is for you too!!!

Here's the goods:

500 pcs. Letterhead for One (1) winner
sized 5.5” x 8.5"
70lb Offset paper
Front Only Printing
4 Business Days Print Turnaround Time
*Free Shipping

Restrictions:
 *Limited to US residents
*18 years old and above only.
If you have won a Uprinting prize package in the past 6 months
you are not eligible to win this giveaway


Sounds pretty good, right? So how do you enter?
OH! SO EASY!!!
Just leave me a comment on this post telling me how you'd use the personalized letterhead.
Be sure to include a way to contact you in case you're the BIG WINNER!

Want an extra entry or three?
(Please leave a seperate comment for each entry)

**Become or let me know that you're a follower of Craft Goodies

**"LIKE" Uprinting on FACEBOOK

**Share this giveaway with your friends!

entries will be accepted until midnight CST on 9/4/11...
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON MONDAY, SEPT. 5, 2011 

I can't wait to get mine! Good luck to all of you...

This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, no monetary compensation was given and I will receive letterhead printing service by hosting. Letterhead design and envelope printing is also available. Please visit UPrinting.com for more details.



Thursday, August 25, 2011

T.G.I.F.-Thank GOODIES it's Friday Linky Party...#29!!!

I have to admit, I've been a little crazy this week. My hubby has been out of town all week, the girls all started school, I'm filling orders from the shop and getting ready for a few upcoming craft shows, and trying to stay on top of all the activities going on and where everyone is supposed to be, I get to teach in Young Women's this Sunday and my baby turns four on Monday so party plans are in the works...
 I'm tired!
Totally looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow, at least past 6:30. Still lots to get done but I'm ready to enjoy all the great things you gals are doing.
Last week's party had so many fun ideas, here's a few favorites...

This one was mine:

Yeah, I need 4 of these please. SO awesome.
Check out the whole collection over at

And this one (accoring to most views) was yours:

I too need one of these-my #3 daughter and I both oohed and awed over this-SO cute!
Find this over at

And there were so many great back to school/teacher gifts linked! I've book marked all of them to save for teacher appreciation, which for us is only a month away!

Thanks again to all of you that shared your talents-you truly make my life a little easier with your ideas.
So, thanks again! And too if you were featured...hope it makes you smile.
Grab a button and know I think you're super cool-

Craft Goodies
{Click HERE for the HTML code or just copy and paste the button above}

Let's get going on this weekend's goodness-
No rules, just fun. Be nice to others and keep it friendly-that's all I ask.
Please visit each other and comment where you can, we all need a pat on the back sometimes!
My favorite blog quote of late is "don't be a link-and-run blogger!"
Get the word out that this is the place to go and let's see this party grow, grow, grow!
Share whatcha got cause we want to see it...
By linking you allow me to feature your greatness at a later date giving all credit to you with a link back to your post of course.

Craft Goodies
Have fun, can't wait to see what you've been working on and...
Happy Crafting!!!


September Blockheads and Word...of the Month Kits!

So the start of school is clearly kicking my bootie!
 I've spent the last three days running to and from school, volleyball try-outs, play dates, dentist appointments, activity days, mutual, visiting teaching appointments....what happened to being back in school means peace for mom?
Maybe next week, right?

Anyway, I'm super excited to be sharing a few new blockheads and a new Word...of the Month Kit. I've had a kit done in my head for every month this year, summer just didn't give me the time to actually finished them so this is a bit of a mini victory for me!
 (I even have all of October's done too!)

I mentioned a few weeks back that I am SOOOO ready for Fall. I am just aching for cool nights, crisp mornings, and a color other than dead grass! But I fear with all this Texas heat and no end in sight, there will be no fall-so I'm making my own!

This set is cut from 1/2 inch MDF and vary in height from 5 to 6 inches tall.
Set contains four pieces: letters F, L, and L, and an acorn cutout for the "A".
Comes unfinished so you can your choice of color and embellishments.
This set will be in my shop HERE! later today.


The first September Blockhead kit is an autumn must have!
You can't have fall without a little brown owl nested in the trees.
I am loving that this little guy can hang out on my shelf from now all the way through October.

The kit contains the base block, beak, wings, and feet cutouts, as well as paper patterns for the tummy insert and eyes, feathers, and finishing instructions.
Whoo wants one?
Look for the tutorial soon or find the kit in my shop...

And Blockhead #2...

Fall is all about the harvest, and every harvest needs a friend.
This little scarecrow was so fun (and easy) to make and looks so cute nestled in with a bunch of sunflowers and pumpkins.

Kit contains base block, hat, and nose cutouts, raffia bundle, and flower for hat!
As well as paper patterns and finishing instructions. Again, in the shop.

Tutorial will be coming soon...

And speaking of the great fall harvest, I've put this word kit from last year back in my shop (it's still one of my very favorites!!!)...

It's looking a bit more Fall-like already!
Hope you like them, I sure had fun putting them together, along with 8, yes EIGHT, blockheads for October-I'm so excited to share them but am going to sit on them for a bit longer.
Happy Crafting-



Monday, August 22, 2011

Back-to-School for the Craft Goodies Gal...

Hello and happy Monday! Hope your weekend was fantastic.

We had a great time enjoying the very warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico at Galveston Island.
{A much needed energizer before the school bell rings!}
Just a little side note...Texas beaches are ridiculously warmer that Washington beaches!!!!
 It was like swimming in a huge bath tub.


Speaking of that school bell...we're up and getting ready for the first day of pre-school, kindergarten, 2nd, 3rd, and 7th grades, and another semester of pre-masters course work.  Yes...ALL my babies are heading class today, not sure if I should jump for joy or sit and cry. Truth be told, I'll probably do a little of both.

But in the spirit of school and all that comes with it, I want to share this FANTASTIC post over at the
 Happy Home Fairy!
{I recently discovered this blog and LOVE it!}
It's all about that dreaded "H" word...homework!!!
 And how to make it a happier experience for everyone.

 If you've got little ones heading off to school (and maybe even a few big ones) and homework time needs some happiness this is worth a read...enjoy it!



Thursday, August 18, 2011

T.G.I.F.-Thank GOODIES it's Friday!!! Linky Party...


Friday already?
The week has flown by, this is our last weekend of summer cause school starts bright and early on Monday morning! (UGH!!!)
Before I have to return to setting the alarm clock we're taking the girls and heading to the beach for one last summer hurrah, or one last sunburn as the case may be...

But first a few highlights from last week's FANTASTIC party-you ladies are super amazing, thanks so much for sharing!
Do you still have time for a summer camp out before school?
Why not give this a go then...
I LOVE this! In all my years of making smores I've never thought to try flavored marshmallows or peanut butter cups! What have I been missing?
Check out this fun a idea for a "Sweet" party at


This one just makes me smile!
Can't decide though if I like the legwarmers more or the little baby tooshie
peeking out of the top of the picture!


Seriously-so cute!
Check out Ashley's entire post to see some super cute photo props-and wish her luck in the finals of So You Think You're Crafty!
Find this goodie at Cherished Bliss

She calls this a fail, I call it a fantastic idea and can't wait to try it!

A pallet garden! So fun- read the do's {and don'ts}

Thanks again to all of you that shared a link last week. First time in so long that I actually got to check them all out. I too would have loved to leave you a comment thanking you for your talent but for some reason blogger doesn't want to recognize me as an author to my own blog and won't let me leave a comment!
Anyone out there know how to fix that? I'd love you forever...
So, thanks again! And too if you were featured...SURPRISE!!!
Hope it makes you happy.
Grab a button and know I think you're super cool-

Craft Goodies

{Click HERE for the HTML code or just copy and paste the button above}

Let's get going on this weekend's goodness-

No rules, just fun. Be nice to others and keep it friendly-that's all I ask.
Please visit each other and comment where you can, we all need a pat on the back sometimes!
 
My favorite blog quote of late is "don't be a link-and-run blogger!"
 
Get the word out that this is the place to go and let's see this party grow, grow, grow!
Share whatcha got cause we want to see it...
By linking you allow me to feature your greatness at a later date giving all credit to you with a link back to your post of course.

Craft Goodies
Have fun, can't wait to see what you've been working on and...
Happy Crafting!!!






 

(Re-Run #3!!!) Guest Post from Belle's Bazaar!

Last of the re-runs! Hope you enjoyed them, and I'll see you tomorrow for our
 TGIF {thank GOODIES it's friday} linky party...

Hello to you all! It's Wendy from Craft Goodies here-
Craft Goodies
 (to say thank you to Heather for helping me out with my blog while on vacation last month!)
I have been revisiting a few of my older posts over the last little while and ran across this one.
Since writing this, my girls have added quite a few drawings to their collections and I'm in need of this post so I thought it would be perfect to share with Heather and her readers.
Hope you enjoy it, and hey, stop by and visit me anytime!
Enjoy...
 
 I have challenged myself to bring color into my house. This is an extension of that challenge. My girls rooms are very white-walled and in need of decor.
I want to add a photo frame collage onto the main wall of my 7 yr old's room, but wasn't sure how to fill the frames until she brought me a few of her drawings.
She has plans to be an astronaut and own her own spaceship when she's older. This is what it's going to look like...




This is very important to her and so I wanted a way to make sure the picture lasted for as long as possible.
I had her color the picture with regular crayons and then I ironed the image onto a piece of cotton muslin.




The image transfers easily onto the fabric and leaves a reverse print of the original picture.
I then backed the fabric with a thin piece of felt and using black embroidery floss, back stitched around the entire image, being sure to follow her lines and details.




The result is a permanent work of her art that we framed and will add to her room.
She loves it, and it so proud that her picture is on the wall. I love that I don't have to hang on to every piece of paper that she colors on.
And here's the sappy mommy moment:
when my little girl is one day off, soaring through the stars to Jupiter, I'll be able to look at her picture and still have a piece of her close by...
No budding artist in your home, or are they dead set on having Dora on the wall and you don't draw?
Problem solved!
I ran across a fantastic tutorial earlier.
Nora from over at Handmade and Heavenly
shares how she got some of her son's favorite cartoon characters onto their pillows.
A similar process to what I did, but a lot more details and pictures!
Check out her tutorial here...
 
Happy Crafting!




 

(Re-Run #2!!!) Guest Post from The CSI Project...{Beach Vignettes}

Hey there!
It’s Wendy from Craft Goodies here for another fun stop at CSI.
 I’m excited to be back and even more so to be sharing my little beach vignette with you.

I’m currently working on decorating our back patio and this week’s theme fit in perfectly with my plans (and gave me a kick start to get it finished!) I had an odd little corner that needed some attention. A Beach-ey vignette was a great solution, here’s what I did:

I started by moving in an already painted blue-chippy and aged storage chest to serve as a base.  From there I draped an old twine net across the top of it to work as a table runner. My idea of a “beach” look is more soft colors, chipped and faded paints and natural woods, aged by the sun and water so when I ran across an old crate I couldn’t pass it up. Onto the chest it went.
The patio is also home to our swimming pool and I wanted to incorporate that idea, thus this “Lifeguard on Duty” sign. I made it with six paint sticks. 5 of them cut to 8 inches in length and the other cut into two 5 inch pieces. I painted them, glued them together, white washed the entire piece and then sanded it a bit. I hand painted on the lettering and then nailed it to a quickly constructed post. My post came from a piece of 2x2 nailed to a chunk of 2x4.

The candles were super fast and easy.  I simply tore a strip of map long enough to wrap around the base of the candle and mod podged it onto the candle.

The glass floats are actually plastic holiday ornaments-the ones that split in half. I spray painted the insides with a light coat of blue followed by a heavier coat of brushed nickel and then snapped them back together.

You can’t have a beach without a little sand, right? But where to put it? On my letters of course! I cut out the letters from ½ inch MDF and then slapped on a layer of mod podge and dipped them into some decorator’s sand. Once they dried, I repeated it all again to really cover them well.

With all the pieces done we just had to figure out where to put them! I rearranged three or four times, added in some sea shells, a few drifty looking pieces of wood, and a punch of color, sat back and LOVED IT!

Perfect colors, fun textures, cool ambiance…I’m a happy girl and the patio is looking so much better!

CSI Gals-thanks for letting me stop by again; it’s always a blast and such an honor.
Jump on over to Craft Goodies anytime! I’d love to have you there!
Craft Goodies
Happy Crafting.



Guest Post Clean Out...

I am needing to publish a few of my recent guest posts to get them out of "draft" state on my posting page. Thanks for enduring the re-runs...
(Fireflies and Jellybeans/Christmas in July Series)
As a die hard lover of all things Christmas, there was no way I was passing up the opportunity to start celebrating it in July! If Fawnda says it's okay, I'm totally believing her.
Hi! my name is Wendy and I am here today from my blog

Craft Goodies
My blog is my escape from my real life of running 5 little girls around town and trying to keep up with my husbands crazy busy work/school schedule. On it you'll find everything I love-recipes to try and share, sewing projects and quick fixes, remakes and re-dos, and TONS of wood related craftiness! 
You see, I'm a bit of a power tool junkie.
They make me happy, very happy.
 
I started my blog last fall, just in time for all the change of season, holiday fun. I spent the month of November highlighting one of my favorite Christmas holiday treasures...Handmade Ornaments!!!
In fact, I shared a different handmade ornament everyday that month as well as hosted an amazing ornament exchange.
(And I'm itching to do it again this year.)
 
Handmade ornaments just scream LOVE and the memories they produce are irreplaceable. So, on that note, let me share one of mine and my girls favorites with you...
 
Polymer Clay Teddy Bear Ornament!!!
I LOVE play-dough! Everything about it makes me happy, the colors, the smell, the texture, and the oh so many things you can make with it. It is indeed a wonderful thing-unless it gets stuck in your carpet but that's a whole other issue.

I truly believe polymer clay is a grown up version of play dough and it too makes me happy. So today, I'm breaking out my secret stash {yep, my girls love it to, I have to hide it!} to show you how to make this little guy.

Here's what you'll need:
Polymer Clay
1 pkg of the color you want to use for the body
1 pkg red (hat and scarf)
1 pkg white (hat band and puff)
1 pkg black (nose)
Small black seed beads
floral wire or a small paper clip
Ribbon to hang

Tools Needed:
Scissors
Straight Pin-the kind with the colored ball on the end
pencil
wire cutters

**Just a few things to note when working with clay. It's very forgiving, if you don't like it, roll it back up and try again. It picks up EVERYTHING! Be sure your work space is super clean-hands
too! The red clay has a tendency to bleed onto your hands more than the others, use it first, or last-either way wash your hands before you move on to another color especially the white! And last clay is very therapeutic, relax and make a dozen of these, think how amazing you'll feel when you're done!
Here we go...


First, you're going to break up the body color clay. You will need a total of 5 pieces to form the body. The head, tummy, 2 arms and 2 legs. Roll your pieces into balls to check the sizing. The body should be about an 1 1/2" round ball, the head and legs about 1" round, and the arms should be just a bit smaller.
Lay out the pieces like the picture to your right to help check your sizing. It should all look proportional.
*You should have some clay left over, it doesn't take the entire package*
Next, you're going to shape the pieces. They're all going to be rolled into a "tear drop" shape- smaller on one end than the other. To do this place your hand on one end of the rolled ball and roll it back and forth, applying slight pressure so that it elongates. Keep in mind that the arms should match each other in size and length, legs too, and that the arms should be a bit longer and thinner than the legs.
The overall dimensions should be:{about}
Body height: just over 2"
Arm length: 1 1/2"
Leg length: 1 1/4"
Get the arms and legs to the length you like, then push the larger tip down onto your work surface to create a flat edge.
To shape the head I hold the clay in the finger tips of my left hand and pinch and pull gently with my right. You don't want the head to "grow" so much as just take shape.
The good news is, if you don't like it-roll it back up and start over! Play with the shape until you get it where you like it.

Once you like the shape of your parts, start building the whole! Set the body piece upright and sandwich it between the two leg pieces. Blend the clay at the back of the legs into the body piece until there are no seams and the 3 pieces are now 1 across the back.


Place the arm pieces on next. Because they are a bit longer, curve them in so they wrap around the belly a bit. Then repeat the same blending process for the arms. Again it should be one solid piece across the back.

The head piece goes on next. Center it on top of the body piece with the smaller end pointing directly front. This is where his nose and eyes will go. Gently blend the back of the neck into the body.

You then want to create a flat spot on the head piece where the bridge of the nose would be. Gently press on the clay with your thumb to create this area.
The base of your teddy is done! Now we move on the accessories!
You will need to roll out another 1 1/2" red ball for the hat.
Roll out a "snake" of red about 4-5" long for the scarf.
Another snake about 3-4" long of white for the hat band and a small white ball for the puff on the hat.
And 2 small balls {1/4"} of body color for the ears.
To make the hat, roll out a ball of red clay about 1 1/2" round. Press it against your work surface to flatten one end, then pull at the other end and flip the tip down to make a Hershey's kiss shape. Place the hat on
top of the bear's head. Very gently press the edges of the hat into the head piece.
Press the white ball onto the tip of the hat. Be sure it rests on the base of the hat as well. Place the white snake onto the brim of the hat, gently pressing it as you go. Be sure the seam of the band is on the back of the hat. Blend to join the seam.
Press one of the round brown balls on each side of the hat for ears.


Using the pencil, flatten out the red snake until it's not quite half an inch wide. Wrap the scarf around the bear's neck to your liking. Pinch the scarf together where it touches in front. Roll a small ball of red clay and press it over the pinch to make the knot. Using your scissors cut the clay so your tails are as long/short as you want and then cut the ends into fringe.

Last are the details. Using the ball end of the straight pin create the indents in the ears and on the paws. Press the straight end of the pin into the face clay to make the mouth line. Roll a small ball of black clay for the nose, press it into place.

Place one seed bead-these are the eyes, onto the end of your straight pin and press it into place on the face. Be sure the bead goes into the clay. Your pin will leave a small mark on the clay, add another one just above it to form eyelashes. Repeat for the second eye. If you want, you can add powdered blush at this point. Use a q-tip and apply it to the cheeks, ears, and paws.

Make your hanger next. If you have floral wire twist it into a loop with a 1 1/2" long tail. If your using a paper clip, open it up so it forms and "S" and cut off the smaller end so you end up with a 1 inch "U". Slide the tail ends into the back of the hat piece until only the loop or 1/4 " of paper clip are showing. Press the clay back around the hanger to seal it in.
Follow the directions on the packaging for baking instructions. Once your little guy has cooled, thread a piece of ribbon through the hanger and add him to your tree!


Happy Crafting!
Just for fun, here's a few more of my favorites from last year...
   
(Click the photo for the link)
Memory Block *** Paint Stick Toy Soldier *** I Spy Ornament

Thanks so much Fawnda, for letting me be here and for letting me start my celebrating!
Please, stop by for a visit anytime and be sure to join me again this November for round 2 of
An Ornament a Day at Craft Goodies.

Merry Christmas and Happy (upcoming) Holidays to you all!!!