What do you get when you're craving a PBJ and have no bread?  PBJ Quesadillas.  Pretty much our new favorite thing!   It's all hustle and bustle around here—teaching and more teaching with my residency in the Honeywell Center's Educational Outreach program.

Last night I taught the Crafty Book Club to make these…

25 ladies showed up to make them!  They turned out really great.   Memory jewelry never fails. Friend me on Facebook and you can see the album of everyones creations.  The more stuff you can hang off the ring, the better.  I guess sometimes more really is more.

Hello People!  Quick post here.  It's been a crazy week and it's only Tuesday afternoon.  This is a video that the folks at Plaid, Amy Anderson, and I filmed this Fall using Dimensional Magic.  I remember that day so well.  This was day four of straight crafty project filming and Amy and I were going to a different studio to shoot the Mod Podge videos.  We pulled into the parking lot and were immediately side-tracked with picking up these ginormously cool……….acorns.  Never-mind that we needed to get our clothes on and make-up done for the filming, we were busy collecting acorns.  We always have fun.  This is what Amy made with her acorns.  So clever!  Back to the Dimensional Magic though.  It's great stuff when you want that resin look without the 24 hour dry time.  DM only takes 3 hours to cure.  Yay!!  There are so many awesome frames to put your pictures, art and embellishments in.  OR! you can always make your own with recycled metal like bottle caps or cut tin with holes punched.  The Dimensional Magic won't oooze off the side so don't worry if you do not have an edge around your picture.  It's good stuff!

Who wants to make a potholder?!?  Everybody say "Heyyay!"  I couldn't wait to show you these as they were flying off the loom.   I was talking to a friend about making them at a concert Saturday night—actually more like yelling.  Nothing says die hard crafty like recollecting and discussing making potholders over a couple beers at a concert, does it?  We laughed because we both agreed as kids weaving potholders seemed somewhat difficult.  But now, I can crank 5 out in a couple of hours (maybe less time even).

Check out Pepperell Braiding Co.'s "Loom and Loopers" kit.  I saw it at Hobby Lobby this weekend also.  Everyone I've shown or mentioned the ol' woven potholders to grins and usually has a story to follow.  It's a tried and true craft.  My friend, Charley shared a great memory of making them as a kid over on my Facebook page.

At first I fussed and strategized over what loop to put next to the last.   For real?!?  It's a potholder, Candice.  Sometimes I take myself a little too seriously.  By the end I was, grabbing, pulling and stretching them across.

You've GOT to use the hook though.  I remember as a kid not using it (and this might be why it seemed more difficult then).  Over, under, over, under…..

Next thing you know you are finishing the ends!  There are really clear instructions on the back of the box which I needed.  For some reason, I just could not remember which direction to go.  I get lost….a lot.

And it shrinks and shrinks because all the loopers are stretchy.

Done!  Ready for some action!

Fruit loopers. 

And there you have it! I'm so hiding these instead of eggs this year for Easter.

…….StAY TuNeD! 😉

Oh. Mama.  I just whipped this thing up last night and it was awesome!  A couple years ago, I remember eating Paula Deen's Cornbread Salad (made by a friend) and it was so good!  Whoever thought of crumbling cornbread in a salad?!  Genius.  So I was trying to think of something that would have a little spice to help my sinus's drain and remembered this salad (which wasn't spicy at all now that I think about it, but does that really matter?). 

Super easy and cozy on a cold, wind-is-howling, winter's night….

Whip up a batch of Chi-Chi's Sweet Corn Cake mix (this package calls for a can of creamed corn–yum).  While that's baking, chop a half onion and throw it in a pan with your beef.  Finish the beef with taco seasoning.  While that's cooking, toss together a can of corn and rinsed black beans and then saute (you can add your own spices to this mix).  Once the corn is tender, add a can of (drained) diced tomatoes and toss. 

For serving…

Into a bowl put:  shredded lettuce and cilantro, crumbled cornbread, meat, veggies, and sour cream.  You could also add some cheese. Done.  Good!

Ehhhg.  I'm sick.  This is my Mod Podged stamp stool turned, night stand with all the must haves to get through the night.  I've got a sinus infection and it's drying me out,  but not in spirit!

You know it's bad when you have a make shift trash bag for all those dang tissues.  My bed needs it's bed skirt desperately, doesn't it?  I just picked one up at the second hand store, got it washed and now to iron it.  Being sick, I've been surfing around the net looking at things like this and these.   Random.  I've enjoyed looking through beautiful books like these too.

They're all fantastic!  I want to make a nest ring in Sonya's book…..bad.  I met Sonya at CHA and her warm eyes and smile alone will knock you off your feet.  She gave me both books and after peeking through them, I've determined EVERYTHING Sonya makes is so sweet and wonderfully from the heart.  I love it all!  I also met author of Chained, Rebeca Mojica, at CHA.  She was sitting just next to me at lunch and I had to ask her about her chain mail jewelry she was wearing.  She gave me her book on the spot!  All of these books ending up in my lap.  It was so generous and nice.  The close-ups in Chained are fantastic.  I'm fascinated with chain mail and the puzzle of it all.  More on all of these books later.

Greek leather wrapped with wire flowers!?!  You had me at hello, Brenda!  This is Brenda Schweder's new book, Steel Wire Jewelry.  It's hot, hot, hot.  I love it!  The layout of the book is great, the projects are very clear, interesting and playful.  If you like Calder's jewelry, then you're really going to love this book because it is especially whimsical and festive with all the loopy lines and such.  I believe you can make these projects out of almost any wire.  Colored, sterling, gold filled….let's play already!  Now, just to knock this sinus infection out of the way.

**Great interview and free project with Brenda here!

I loved getting this picture in my inbox yesterday.  It was from dear Yasuko (on far left).  I met Yasuko years ago at the Craft and Hobby show and quickly learned how everything she does is from the heart. I hadn't seen or talked to Yasuko in about two years and as I was setting up the jewelry area, I looked up and there she was!  I was so surprised and happy she found me—I remember my eyes got teary.  Yasuko works for Clover Needlecrafts in Osaka, Japan.  Someday I have this big dream to visit her in her home country.

Have you needle felted before?  I'll show you some images from December's Crafty Book Club project where I taught the folks how to make a little needle felted ornament.  I gave everyone a base of white acrylic felt and then they laid their wool on that and started punching away with the multi-needle felting tool.

Once you finish your piece you can lay it on top of an acrylic felt back ground (in this case blue) and punch some more to join the layers. Then you can stitch or glue your embellishments on top of your "scene."  I'm just going ot say it….Needlefelting is FUN!

And this is just one of my bags of wool scraps!  Fiber Festival season is coming up y'all!  This is a great way to get small quantities of special colors.  We had an assortment of needle felting books—shamelessly, including the one I co-authored with Terry Taylor,  Designer Needle Felting.  There are some great needle felting project books out now!  If you have a fav, drop it in the comments please.

I love this little stitched snowflake with flat back crystals!  On the other hand, we got hammered with real snow flakes yesterday.  Ugh.  I'm in denial about going out to shovel my steps.  I can think of a kagillion things I'd rather do right down from shoveling out the ash in the fire place to tweezing my eyebrows (and that's saying something because I absolutely hate tweezing my eyebrows).

My friends brought their 9 year old so I gave her a choice between a felt peace sign or a deer.    She did a great job making a background for it, didn't she?!?  She has come to a few CBCs and has a great, creative, energetic mind.

Blanket stitch!  Need I say more?

And some novelty yarn worked into this one.  Oooo.  Yes.  Anything for texture and layers!

Yasuko's phone.  Who wants one?  Yeah. Me too!