Lots of free craft supplies!

Today, we have TWO giveaways for you!

First, we have today's edition of What's in the Box? Every day this month I am adding something else to a big box of craft supplies, and at the end of the month someone will walk away with the whole thing!

Today we have... Chains! Three 18-inch dog tag style ball chains, brand new in their packages.

Click here to see what else is in the box, and click here to learn how to enter to win!

And for our second giveaway, we have a Pay It Forward tree. The first five people to complete their entries will win a flat-rate shipping box crammed with goodies alot like the ones going into the big box! As of typing this entry, three people have replied, which leaves two boxes up for grabs. Click here to learn how to claim your loot!

I love Picnik.com

I just got done using Picnik.com to edit a couple of photos into buttons for my page. (Which I will be installing shortly!

I love Picnik! For anyone who has never tried it out, it is a great website that is easy to use. I haven't been able to afford PhotoShop for a while now, but this website works just fine for what I need! Bookmark it! :)

I have a brilliant idea!

I found this awesome tree stamp at Addicted to Rubber Stamps. I was searching for a good tree stamp to use for a brilliant project idea for a magnetic picture frame I found on sale at Walgreens today.

My idea is brilliant. BRILLIANT, I tell you!

Now I just have to budget in and order the rubber stamp. On the bright side, it will work wonderfully as a birthday gift for my card-making mother, whose birthday is in April!

PIF Tree - first five get free stuff!

Today I wrote an article at Examiner about Etsy PIF listings. PIF stands for "Pay It Forward." These listings are nearly free, with the stipulation that you do something nice for someone else. (The article also includes a slideshow of some of the coolest PIF listings I found!)

That got me thinking... How awesome would it be to start a PIF tree? Kind of like a chain letter, but way better! So... I am!!

The first five people to do the following will get a grab bag full of random craft supplies - as much as I can fit into a flat rate shipping box, and I am good at packing things!

1. Choose five items of your own to give away. It can be handmade items, craft supplies, knick-knacks from around the house, whatever you want to give away.
2. Write a post on your own blog offering those five items to people who do the same.
3. Come back here and leave a comment with your e-mail address and a link to your PIF blog post.

The FIRST FIVE COMMENTS get the grab bags, so hurry!

Win free craft supplies!

Every day this month, I am adding different assorted craft supplies to a big box, and at the end of the month I am giving it away to one lucky reader. (And the box is starting to fill up quite nicely!)

Today I am adding: Red Lace!

I'm in a Valentine-y mood, so this red lace is perfect! There are actually 4 different types of red lace in this bag. I'm not sure exactly how much there is - so much that I don't want to measure! Yard upon yard of fabulous red lace!

Want to see what else is in the box?

Want to know how to enter to win?

DIY Valentine Candy Box Tutorial

It's finally up - my tutorial for making a box for giving handmade Valentine chocolates!

The decorated box can also be reused as decorative storage, so it's like two gifts in one!

Check out the tutorial!

Win Tinkerbell stickers and more!

Every day in February I am adding various craft supplies to a big box, and at the end of the month, one winner will snag the whole lot!

Today we have... Tinkerbell stickers!

Two booklets containing over 800 stickers perfect for princess birthday party invitations and many other girlie applications.

Want to see what else is in the box?

Want to know how to enter to win?

Distracted!

Okay, I know I said I was going to post that candy box tutorial today. I got partway through working on it when I took a little surfing break and came across an adorable Blogger template with two cats on it. Which got me thinking, I should be a totally huge dork and start a blog about my cats!

And so, somehow, the rest of my evening has kind of funneled its way into the project. I still have a couple of things I want to add and tweak as far as the layout and images go, but it's up and running: The Adventures of Merlin & Abracadabra!

They are always doing amusing and adorable things, so this will be a place to collect all of my cute photos and videos of them, plus some cats that belong to friends and family making guest appearances. If you are a cat lover, check it out, and bookmark/follow/subscribe for lots of cuteness yet to come!

Free Fashion Crochet Patterns

Since I recently learned how to read crochet patterns, I have been bookmarking dozens of free patterns for various projects, including quite a few really spiffy wearable items. I thought you all might enjoy them as well, so I am sharing some of my favorites!


I came across this cute crocheted bracelet pattern at The Purl Bee. They are incredibly simple to make and would be a great way to use up odds and ends of scrap yarn.


I've been working on unraveling a cashmere sweater I bought at The Salvation Army for $2. It is yielding a large amount of deep purple, finger-weight yarn, which I think would look amazing used for this lace fingerless gloves crochet pattern from Crochet Insider. Hmmm...


Finally, I am in love with this Mary Jane crocheted slipper pattern I found at a blog called The Little House by the Sea. It's been a REALLY cold winter and my toes have been quite chilly, so I think I might jump on making a pair of these soon for around the house!

Show me your favorite wearable crochet patterns!

Win these skull and dice beads, plus much, much more!

Every day this month, I am adding more craft supplies to a huge box, which one lucky reader will win!

Today we have... skull and dice beads!

They are all plastic beads, with a assortment of pony-size skull beads and diagonally drilled dice beads in two size and three colors. Just imagine the things you could do with them!

Want to see what else is in the box?

Want to know how to enter to win?