The Crafty Crow!

If you've read my personal blog lately, then you know why I'm choosing this blog today. I am hoping a few of these projects can tame the beast in my son on those days like I had this past week. Even though she home schools, this blog comes just in time for Summer Vacation!

The Crafty Crow

Cassie dedicates her site to finding all things crafty for kids! Now I love my boy more than anything in the world and I can't wait til Summer when we can spend the whole day with each other........but you know we all have those days when our children are bouncing off the walls and driving us crazy.........or maybe it's us that's driving THEM crazy???? I don't know........but I am thrilled to click through this site to find a few projects to keep him busy.

While clicking away, I thought I would add a few photos from her personal site because it was equally cool.......Bella Dia......it sounded familiar........while looking at some of her photos, it starts looking really familiar.......DUH! I already featured her awhile ago! Now had she placed her featured blinkie on her site, I wouldn't have had my DUH moment........that's really why I have that blinkie......to keep me straight. Her personal blog is also full of so many crafty fun. It's worth another visit. And these cool little rock towers she did. I just love that photo. My friend Treva will be all over these.I love me some buttons. I doubt my son would be interested in making these cute button necklaces, but while I'm playing with buttons, maybe he could string together pieces of wood, shells.........dirt clods. She mentions where each craft is from.........you know what that means? MORE BLOGS TO VISIT!
Now this is definitely something I can see my son doing this summer! This looks fabulous! Then when they're done, I'm sure they'll take it apart and beat each other............but wait..........
then we can try this one. I like the idea of them having to stay in one spot.

She has so many great ideas.........lots of art ideas......all categorized! I love how organized it is. She's got it all broken down for you so you can find the perfect project in seconds.........because sometimes that's all we have before the kids go Rambo on us.

Kids are always ready for bubbles. Doesn't matter the age, especially if you jazz it up a bit with colored bubbles. After the fun, you have yourself some art..........or you could make cards or something from the paper. She's a true professional at tutorials.........she really is. She's writes them for publishing. Here's one below........it's going to be a heart.

Love this idea too.........Recycling = jewelry. Think of the possibilities.........I love the idea of using recycled products. I used to have a box called the Art Box. It was a large cardboard box we kept in the garage that we would fill with misc items that we would be done with, or misc items from junk mail. We will fill this box with old cds, card board, metal lids from drinks like snapple, plastic junk.......you name it. It went into the box. We would pull the box out to create something fantastic from junk. Talk about using your imagination.

You guys are awesome! You've so great at letting all the featured bloggers know how you found them. I never email a blogger ahead of time to let them know I'm featuring them.......I do email them and let them know that I have featured them, but it's always a surprise!

Just Treva

No new blog post today, but I did want to steer you back in the direction of my dear friend Treva. I featured her when I first started TCB. We used to have coffee almost every Friday. She used to take my classes and unknowingly put on her own show. We miss her. Treva is a probably the most non-judgemental, free spirit I have ever met. Treva is Treva, a true non-conformist.

She is known around the PDX area for her amazing jewelery, (I have that necklace above....the larger circle) but once you spend time with her, you quickly realize her artistic talent moves into many different mediums. She paints, she sews, she writes poetry, her artistic eye is all her own. Just living is art to her. She is the only one that can pull off having red and wine colored walls in the same room.

Treva and her family have decided to move from their amazing home. They are moving to Mexico. They are waiting for their home to be built and in the mean time, she is staying with her sister in Texas. She's going crazy. CRAZY! So, if you're looking for a fun blog to read daily, never knowing where she'll take you.......head over to Treva's.

inspire co.

Thank you! Seriously...... Thank you for all your support. It's nice to get back on track and focus on like minded people. People who are forgiving, people moving forward. Every comment and email brought a smile to my face. Amy.....the owner of the blog I'm featuring today was one of those emails. So thoughtful. Thank you.

During all this, I have solidified my belief that no matter where or what we come from, we can all find that warm spot with creating. My wicked sense of humor has toyed with the idea of having Felony Fridays. Creating is healing, creating is restoring..........so if you've got a criminal past.......let me know. :) Cathy sent me this quote. I love it! "Let the refining and improving of your own life keep you so busy that you have little time to criticize others."
inspire co.

I have had Amy's site, in my future feature file for a very long time. I would have featured her a long time ago, but frankly........she intimidates me. She's just so.........so........stylish and inspiring. Her site is ...........is.........stylish and inspiring from the get go. It's all about being stylish and inspiring from every angle. The simpleness of her site design draws you in. I was afraid I wouldn't do her site justice.........I kept waiting.......the waiting is over.Very easy to navigate with the illustrations along the side bar.......very cute and so many places to explore. You KNOW you're going to like it there the minute you arrive. And I have an idea it's like that if you were lucky enough to visit her in person. Her house looks like the type you can just plop your bottom down and really relax, get a few belly laughs in and feel like you've been her best friend forever. Don't sit in that chair........I've got dibs.Amy specializes in helping you find the perfect gift. Not just any gift. These are original, fun and perfect...........I'm sure she'll help you if you're stumped. She made this above. I always love that sugar look. She sells some of that sugar on her site. "Poor some sugar on me!".........I couldn't help it.

Fun little "grab bags" she has. I want one just for the packaging. This is NO ordinary suitcase that you might see moving along the conveyor belt.......Isn't that darling? It's in her online store. Who hasn't seen these in a thrift store? Now you know what to do with them. Decorate, get crafty.

Now onto the really fun stuff.

Snooping.

Doors to her office.........her creating space..........her studio.I'm gonna sit here.........and watch the magic happen.I gotta go back and read up more. I wasn't sure if this was in her HOME studio, or a shop. But regardless........isn't it stunning? This has got to be the most perfect cabinets for craft spaces. Now you know why I was intimidated. And now you know why I'm just gonna sit in the chair.Inspire co. is another blog full of lots of great photos! Her site gives off a nostalgic feeling, the feeling of good times, simple times, safe times.

Go and visit her.......please let her know how you found her.........and then come back and let me know how much you enjoyed yourself.

Our Green Globe

Our Green Globe is written by a friend of mine. I actually know her...........in real life, not just blog life.

Funny how we have our blog friends and our IRL friends.......wouldn't it be great to have a big Today's Creative Blog conference? But it could be a Vintage Flea Market........OH YEA!

Teri, the blog owner of Our Green Globe is a beautiful girl. Of course she lives in Oregon... I met her years ago when our boys were babies. She used to take my classes pretty regularly, but life happens and schedules change, so I hadn't seen her for awhile. When I did run into her, she was telling me about this jewelry designer she is working with and marketing......Ananya Studio......fair trade jewelry helping women around the globe. She has big dreams and follows through. She's always up to something. The jewelry is pretty nice too. We also both discovered that we are bloggers! So of course I have to feature hers. She has a wonderful blog that is all about being green. She features several other green blogs with creative ideas, clothing, products. She really does think globally and it makes me think that I really should be doing more.

Her blog is full of a variety of things, you never know where she'll take you. This above photo is from a site that will take part of your old favorite t-shirt and re-purpose it for......say.......a baby t-shirt. Cute! What a great idea. This has me thinking about all the other items you could make with your older clothing.......notice I said think.......because we all know I don't sew. But I can think.

We've been admiring stones since.........well the stone age........but I haven't seen anything like this before. Teri found the artist and featured her on her site. You'll have to visit to see more.And who can resist these baby booties? Are these not the cutest little shoes you have ever seen? I am thinking they would come complete with that great crackle sound that babies would like too.

I told Teri I have the best blog readers EVER, so go prove it to her and visit ......you may as well leave a comment too. Oh, the best part........she has a link for you to click if you're interested in being featured. Wouldn't that be great if I did that? She's much more organized than me.

Lost Button Studio

I've spent my whole day organizing my closet. I was thrilled to get rid of 3 large bags of clothing. I can't believe I had that many articles of clothing that I no longer need.......actually that's not true.......I just can't really wear them any longer. Stains......along my bust line..........but hey, I should look on the bright side. At least they weren't along the stomach area.

So after being consumed by a mess, I was instantly drawn to this beautiful site.

Lost Button Studio. Love that name..........LOST BUTTON STUDIO.........I love her banner header even more. Simple but such a statement.

Jessica's site is clean, pure has several different labels of topics to keep you entertained for awhile. I get the hint she is a very organized person....... but it works for me because it just means more great ideas to come on her blog. I bet her closet isn't messy and I doubt she has stains on her shirts.

Speaking of ideas....... How cute! Who doesn't have a pile of photos that needs organizing? Even if you are a CM guru, I'm sure you've had a stray stack of photos that need some attention. Love the tabs. Very cute. She shows a tutorial on this.......CUTE! Makes me want to do this project just for the tabs........who cares about getting organized........but it would be nice wouldn't it?

Jessica is a jewelry designer. She sells her treasures on Etsy. Some of her jewelery reminds my another feature I had awhile ago.........my dear friend Treva's stuff.

I'm not much of a jewelry wearer, but that doesn't stop me from admiring it. But after seeing this below.......this makes me want several pieces of my own so I can display it like that. Isn't that cool?

This little number caught my eye. You know how I love armoires and I love them even more when they're distressed. This one is stunning! This one was made by her husband! WHAT?! I would die if my husband could make furniture! That poor man would never have a day off.To return the favor she..........she bakes! Get your mind out of the gutter people.....we all know to keep a man happy you must feed him. She has lots of baked yummies on her blog and lots of other yummies. I think I'll try this gooey popcorn recipe, but I doubt it's going to get me handmade furniture. But my husband did make me a leaf insert for Katherine, my table. I guess that kind of qualifies.Then I may need to take a bath. She's got a recipe for homemade bath salts. Very cool, and what a great gift idea.

I hope you enjoy her site. Make sure to let her know how you found her. Don't be shy.

Craft & Found

Quick post today, but it's a BIG one full of all kinds of stimulus to keep you busy. It's off to baseball, basketball and maybe even a dinner out.........

Robyn's site, Craft & Found is like Today's Creative Blog on steroids! She has a lot of great crafty ideas and sites. You'll be there for hours...........I was. We must be cut from a portion of the same cloth.........or at least we have a lot of the same taste's............I noticed that we featured several of the same people. Great minds think alike!

If you enjoy Today's Creative Blog, then you'll find a friend at Craft & Found!

Craft Gossip

Life is happening in fast mode at the Today's Creative Blog homestead. You know how that is........all things crafty get put on hold. It's finally a quiet morning, and I'm gearing up to do a little bit of organizing around here. Not sure about you, but I can't feel creative if areas of my home are trashed. My craft room is trashed.......what's new...........my planters are craving something springy for the porch and I desperately need to go through my son's closet and bedroom. Sadly, I'm looking forward to getting these tasks done. I set my sites on looking for an Organizing blog to give me inspiration. But, I found this one. Very interesting and so many things to find there.

Craft Gossip has just about everything under the sun about anything crafty. Reviews, tutorials, sales............you name it.

When I first came across Craft Gossip, I was afraid it was going to be like a few of those sites out there that trash a product or a "craft celebrity" and I didn't want anything to do with that. I quickly realized this site wasn't like that at all and it was full of really helpful stuff. They have a team of editors that do all the leg work for you.

Thank GOD I don't host our Easter dinner, but if I did I would totally make these napkin shapes. Think how impressed my guests would be.

I don't know about you, but I went through a serious paperbag album phase. These are great for quick mini albums. Here is a quick tutorial if you've never made one. You haven't lived until you make one of these. I used a paper hole punch, a few bags at a time........much easier.

Another great idea I found is this paper storage. Using the 12x12 storage containers from any craft store and a garment hanger, you can have a quick storage solution.

Loving this idea with the cubes. Cubes / blocks seem to be one of those "new" things to do with our scrapbooking goods. Combine that with your need to buy old things and you've got yourself a pretty original decorative piece. Wouldn't this be cool to use as a type of family tree? Or an Advent Calendar? You could have a variety of uses.

They have a whole section on recycling items for crafty purposes. You know I loved that. Here's a very simple one you could do today.

I have been meaning to get one of these stamps. I love these. All of them. Think of all you could do with this!

They have something for everyone. Even this below..................

What? You don't know what that is? Why they are the ever popular Tampon string lights.

I hope you all have a productive Sunday.

Junk 2 Jewels Boutique

I had to get on here and get a post out to you all. In between my classes, early school release, making salad rolls and on to basketball photos later.....I have decided to hide from life for a moment to grab a cup of inspiration.
I get almost giddy when I can make something beautiful from something someone discarded........Could I have said SOME any more in that sentence?

Junk 2 Jewels is the site I decided to feature today. So much inspiration before you even get off the first page. But you must snoop deeper. So much to see.

Tracy is oozing the glam. She has taken our discarded bottles, found vintage anything and created a whole new world. Very artsy stuff. She and her soldering thingy are a force to be reckoned with. Anything from jewelery or charms.........or bottles...........and now adding photography to her resume. She has it all. I could learn a bit from her I'm sure.

Love this charm......It's one of those things you can stare at for a very long time.

Look at this! I love me a banner.......but this one is in glass and soldered. She has sold them in the past in her Etsy shop.........but sadly she has none right now. She bought a bunch of vintage buttons and decided to make this necklace one day. Style! She's got style. Someone without style wouldn't have placed the perfect paper underneath. All of her photos are very well done, very pleasing to the eye. Relaxing.This she can't take credit for. It's from her girlfriends home. But she has sense enough to take the photo..........you know what they say? Birds of a feather, flock together. This she can take credit for. This is in her home. Another naked frame..........I LOVE NAKED FRAMES! And it's all chippy.........I'm getting goosebumps. And when you're done swooning over the naked frame.........what about that other large frame? Cool isn't it?Just before you think you want to hate her...........you can't. She's nice. She makes pumpkin face mask for gifts. I have always been interested in home remedies.........never heard of using pumpkin. Gonna have to look that up and remember it for next October.

Before I forget.......she also has a few tutorials. WE LOVE TUTORIALS!

Ok, so after you leave ME a comment, head over to Tracy's site and tell her how much we love her over here.

I'm off to make my salad rolls. Have you ever made those? So annoying, but so good........so I suffer to make my family happy.