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Lovely Things to Make, Bake or Buy this Valentine’s Day!

Friday, February 3, 2012

Our little household gets all confused when Valentine’s Day rolls around. While Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14th in Canada, it works a little differently in Japan (where my husband and I met and married) as women give gifts to men on February 14th and the men reciprocate on White Day – March 14th. And in Brazil, where my husband is from, Dia dos Namarados (Lover’s Day) is sometime in June. So, we’ve never really worked out which Love day to celebrate. And, to be honest, I’m okay with that. I’m not really a wine-me-dine-me-buy-me-roses-or-else kind of girl. In fact, my ideal Valentine’s Day would probably include a mailbox full of handmade cards (feel free to send me one!) and a chocolate-covered marshmallow heart (or two). Oh, and a cupcake!

That being said, I can definitely appreciate the abundance of Bee Mine and I Choo-Choo-Choose you puns, and over-abundance of pink and red hearts on everything! It taps into my innate love for cute & lovely things.

Now, I can admit, I may have been guilty of being a Valentine’s Day grump in the past, (surely a result of giant bouquets of flowers and life-sized heart-wielding teddy bears flaunted around high school hallways every February 14th) but I have learnt that holidays like Valentine’s Day are only miserable if you let them be. (Kinda like how New Year’s Eve is always a let down?) So stop being a Valentine’s Day grinch! Instead use February 14th as an excuse to embrace over-the-top pink & red & hearts-all-over, to indulge in something decadent (preferably involving chocolate) and to treat yourself or someone you love to something special.

No special someone this Valentine’s Day? Breathe a sigh of relief (pressure to find that perfect gift/card is off) and eat that cupcake anyway, bake heart-shaped cookies to share with your workmates or craft up handmade cards to share with your single friends. I’ll bet they’ll love them!

Make Something Special

1. Valentine Popcorn Invitation – Eat Drink Chic / 2. Love Garland – This Is Glamorous

3. Sweet Straws – A Field Journal / 4. Giant Paper Rose – Green Wedding Shoes

5. Felt Heart Barrettes – The Purl Bee / 6. Je T’aime Coffee Cup Wrappers – Eat Drink Chic

7. Valentine Cards – Alisa Burke / 8. Love Tea Time – Rosaline

Bake Something Decadent

1. Cupid’s Arrow Cupcakes – Bakerella / 2. Conversation Heart Cookies – Martha Stewart

3. Valentine’s Day S’mores – Bird’s Party / 4. Gift Box Cake – Bakerella

5. Raspberry-Hazelnut Linzer Hearts – Babble / 6. Red Velvet Whoopie Pies – Annie’s Eats

7. Origami Heart Cupcake Toppers – Omiyage / 8. Valentine’s Sugar Cookies – Sweetapolita

Buy Something Lovely

1. Je T’aime Card – Popolo Press / 2. LOVE Print – Helen Dardik

3. Valentine Paper Dolls – Jordan Grace Owens / 4. Herkimer Diamond Ring – lumafina

5. You Are So Loved – Katie Daisy / 6. HELLO Print – Mengsel

7. Tiny Heart Studs – Rachel Pfeffer Designs / 8. For Like Ever – Super Rural

As for us, this Valentine’s Day is sure to be a quiet one. But there will be cupcakes!

How about you – Are you a Valentine’s Day lover or could you do without this holiday? Will you be doing anything special to celebrate this year?

Draw Your Heart Out With Inspired Doodles

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Editors note: I jumped on the chance to share the Inspired Doodles online workshop for our February theme and invited Stephanie to tell us about her story. She did a wonderful job sharing her journey from doodler to full time artist. This course looks like heaps of fun and I can’t think of a better way to show your inner artist some love then investing in it!

As an artist, I was a bit of a late bloomer. I had never taken an art class, although I was an avid notebook margin doodler. In 2003, when I was 24, a good friend of mine who noticed my propensity for doodles gave me a sketchbook, some pencils and a book on drawing cartoon characters. Although I was a bit shy at first, I blasted through that book in a short time and found that I was hooked on drawing. And even though I started out studying dance in college and ended up graduating with a BA in history, I found my true passion in life as I filled up that first sketchbook.

Many sketchbooks have been filled up since that first one, a whole big stack of them. I spent the three or four years following that first sketchbook reading art books, browsing through artists’ portfolios and searching for tutorials. I learned as much as I could about techniques and mediums and I got in the habit of drawing every day, trying to find my personal style as an artist.

Eventually, I got brave and started selling some of my work, first on Ebay and then eventually on Etsy, and finally in 2008 I found myself so busy with illustration work that I was faced with the decision of either quitting my day job or possibly having an nervous breakdown. Obviously, I ditched my day job.

Since then my little art business has been growing and stretching constantly. I still haven’t taken an art class, but I’m always exploring and learning and I still draw every day. Sometimes my success seems a bit surreal, but then I remember that I’ve worked really hard these past few years so it only makes sense that my career would be thriving.

These days, between running my shop and keeping up with my freelance illustration projects, I’m often busy to the point of feeling overwhelmed, but even so I’ve developed a passion for sharing my experiences with others who also have big creative dreams.

I’ve spent the last few years teaching Flourish, which was an e-course dedicated to helping others get started with their creative businesses. I was so inspired by my Flourish students that I decided to share the other side of my creative business as well: the actual creative part of it! Enter Inspired Doodles.

I taught two sessions of Inspired Doodles last year and both were a big hit and they were both big fun too. This year’s session of Inspired Doodles will run from February 6 to March 2 and although it’s about *this* close to be full, I’ve opened up a few extra slots for Oh My! Handmade readers. Through the Inspired Doodles online workshop, I’ll be sharing my experience as a self-taught artist and more specifically, I’ll be sharing insight about how I improved my skills and developed my own personal style as an artist.

Keep in mind, this isn’t a how-to-draw-like-me workshop; instead, it’s about learning to draw like you!

The course is presented in the form of 3-4 written lessons each week, along with short creative assignments and daily sketch prompts. And as part of the course, you receive a lifetime membership to the Inspired Doodles Community Forum where you can ask questions, leave comments and interact with past and present Inspired Doodles students.

And did I mention that it’s a blast?

If you’d like to take part, you can read the details here and you can sign up here. To save 10% off your registration fee, use the code INSPIRED10 during checkout.

I’m looking forward to working with you,

Steph Fizer Coleman

Connect with Steph by visiting her:

<<WEBSITE>> <<PORTFOLIO>> <<TWITTER>> <<FACEBOOK>>

Miniature Lotus Books as Holiday Ornaments

Monday, December 12, 2011

I love the holidays, it means I get to create a new set of handmade book ornaments to don my Christmas tree. These are perfect for gift giving, too—my Mom hits me up every year for ones with shimmer papers and music sheets—and they are very easy to make. How easy? This was the first kind of book that I learned while studying Book Arts.

This binding technique has many names: Chinese Star, Lotus, Origami, and so on but I always took a liking to “Lotus Book” because when you adhere the folded pages together, all facing the same way, it will open up like a Lotus flower.

MATERIALS

I know most won’t have a bookbinding supply store near them so I made this tutorial using materials almost everyone will have in their home:

decorative, cover-weight papers for the covers
solid colored, text-weight papers for the inside pages
1/8″ thick bookboard
a roll of 1/16″ ribbon
permanent double-sided tape
bone folder
3″ wide clear acrylic ruler
exacto knife

CUTTING

To prepare your materials, the formula for figuring how large to cut your papers is simple. For the cover papers: the width you want the final book to be + 1″. For the inside pages: the width of the final book x 2. The bookboard should be cut to the exact size of the final book. The 2 ribbon ties should be cut to 8″ each. When you get started, you’ll see how much easier the 3″ clear acrylic ruler will make things for you and why I don’t bookbind without it.

FOLDING

To create your origami-like inside pages, take your bonefolder and crease a fold down the middle of the paper, both vertically and horizontally, so that the creases make what looks like a cross or plus sign. Then flip the paper over to crease opposing corners so you have a single diagonal crease. Fold 5 of these inside pages for each book you want to make. Your book won’t open up with less than 5 but I wouldn’t recommend making more than 7 pages for each book.

ADHERING THE PAGES

Take your folded pages and on the outer, smooth sides place 3 strips of double-sided tape that go as far to the edge as possible. My books are to be 2″ square so 3 strips of tape almost cover the whole surface. Then close the page to line up the following page to be on top of it. Soon you will have a set of pages that already want to lay open in a position like a lotus flower.

ADHERING THE COVERS + RIBBON TIES

Take your boards and place in the center of your cover papers. Add 3 strips to the board and flip over the board over onto the wrong side of the cover paper so it’s snug in place. You don’t want the covers to have bubbles so I adhere them before moving on to adhering the flaps of the cover paper. Once finished, add 3 more strips of double-sided tape to the other side of the bookboard, the side that is the “inside” of the covers, soon to be adhered to the pages. This is to get you ready for the next step of folding over the corners and side flaps of the paper so make sure that you are placing the tape close to the edges.

Now that your boards are in place, I like to use what we call “library corners” to wrap the flaps of the cover papers up and over the edges of my bookboard. Library corners are the most sturdy and will never show the board beneath, so they naturally became my favorite method. To start, take the corners of the cover papers, one at a time, and fold over the point of the corner. You’ll make a 45 degree motion when you do, allowing all the points of the paper to be pointing towards the center area of the board. Next, wrap up and over the side flaps.

Take the end of your ribbon tie and place it down on a corner. Adhere the ribbon in place with tape, making sure that 1″ of the ribbon is at least being anchored down so it won’t come back out. Repeat for the other cover. If you place the ribbon in the middle of a side edge, you will not be able to open and tie back your book properly, it must be on a corner.

CASING YOUR PAGES INTO THE COVERS

Take your set of inside pages and place 3 more strips on either end for casing into the covers. I keep one cover on its back while I stack the pages on top so I can be sure to line it all up nicely. Then I will open it up so I can smooth out the side that was just adhered to the cover, getting rid of any bubbles and making sure it’s firmly adhered. Then with the other cover on its back, I take my stack and place down on top of it again, making sure I’m lining it all up evenly.

USING YOUR ORNAMENT

Once it’s all together, I open the book up all the way until the two covers are back-to-back with each other and the pages open up like a 5-pointed start. Next, I make a simple knot over the two corners to keep the book open then I will make a know near the two ends of the ribbon so a loop is formed for hanging on the tree. When you’re done using your book ornament, simply untie the loop and close the book so the pages won’t be crushed or crinkled for next year.

The World’s Smallest Post Service + Teeny Tiny Advent

Thursday, December 8, 2011

I love small things, handwritten letters, creativity and magic. So when Chronicle Books wrote to ask if I was interested in jumping on board the blog tour for the World’s Smallest Post Service kit by Lea Redmond I was on it! I am a fan of Lea’s work and all things Chronicle Books and had been planning a mini advent calendar for my oldest daughter. I immediately thought how cute it would be to have mini-mail from Santa’s elves as an advent…and the World’s Smallest Advent was born!

Using Lea’s kit I made teensie little packages and letters from Santa’s elves for each of the days leading up to Christmas. The packages have activity ideas (ornament making, snowflake cutting, watching The Polar Express), little treats, and wee needle felted creatures. I don’t know where the mouse mail idea came from but I decided it would be fun to have Ila’s Mouse Mail delivered by reindeer mice-all the elves are using them these days. Plus it was an excuse to put antlers on mini-mice-how I love Christmas!

Lea’s kit is perfectly suited to this type of whimsical sweetness, imagine getting tiny love letters for Valentines day or miniature birthday wishes. I’m smitten with the whole idea! I was inspired by how the kit began, Lea would set up shop in public spaces with a little roll top desk and transcribe tiny letters that were sealed with a real wax stamp. Of course the little letters go into a “real world” envelope so they can navigate the post but inside is a little bit of magic.

The kit comes with everything you need to create the world’s smallest mail (or advent!) including fine-tipped pen, paper, envelopes, stamps, little seals, boxes, twine + an itty bitty mailbox. It would also make a brilliant stocking stuffer for family fun on Christmas morning. You can get your own copy of the kit by visiting Leafcutter Designs. While you are there poke around and check out Lea’s inspiring blog and other creative projects.

Be sure to join in the holiday blog tour for the World’s Smallest Post Service, next stop is Black Eiffel tomorrow. You can visit the past posts and enter to win a copy of the kit on, Simple Lovely, Refinery 29 and Fete a Fete.

Cheers to more magic + whimsy + teeny tiny awesomeness in the world!

DIY Monogrammed Christmas Stockings

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

My favourite part of Christmas has always been stockings. Perhaps it’s because we always were allowed to open our stockings first growing up – waiting until after breakfast to tackle the bigger gifts under the tree.

There’s simply nothing better than falling asleep while the stockings hang empty and waking up to the magic of those same stockings overflowing. So much excitement found in the little treasures are stuffed inside. And, of course, you can’t forget the orange stuffed in the toe!

So, considering the love I have for this tradition, it is a little remiss of me to have not crafted up stockings for my husband and myself far sooner. I’ve been promising him a new set of handmade stockings for, I don’t know, probably 5 years now. Of course, I have a handmade one I’ve been using since childhood, but he’s been making do with one we drummed up from somewhere for his first Canadian Christmas four years ago. So, this, this was the year!

If you too are longing for a matching set of Christmas stockings, here’s how you go about making felt stockings. It’s really so simple and you don’t need to be a whiz with a sewing machine – in fact, you could stitch the whole thing by hand. And if you’re not into simple, don’t do simple. Add a monogram as we did or go wild with whatever you fancy. Take these bare bones and add flowers and sequins and fur trim and all the bells and whistles!

The fact is, as long as you have a stocking shape you love and some good quality felt, you’ll be able to whip up beautiful handcrafted stockings.

Speaking of felt, I used lovely merino wool blend felt from Benzies Bazaar. But if you’re looking for pure wool felt, I’ve also heard wonderful things about Felt on the Fly. Either way, you want some lovely thick felt – not the flimsy stuff you find at the big box craft stores.

So, without further ado, let’s get making!

You will need:

Felt in 2 or more colours (you’ll need a piece approximately 18″ x 18″ to make one stocking)
Scissors
Spray adhesive
Needle & thread / Sewing machine

Let’s get started:

1. Create a pattern or template for your stocking. I drew mine based on my ideal stocking shape and then cut it out of chipboard. Not sure how to start? Use an old Christmas stocking as a pattern, or find a template online.

2. Using your template, trace and cut 2 stocking shapes out of felt. Set aside.

3. To make the monogram, choose a font which you like and print off the desired letter in a large font size. For these stockings, I used Georgia in size 300 pt.

4. Carefully cut the letter out of the paper. I allowed a thin border all around the printed letter as I cut.

5. Spray the front of the paper letter with spray adhesive. Place face down on the back of the piece of felt you’ll be using as the main letter colour.

6. Carefully cut around the paper letter. I again allowed a thin border around the printed letter as I cut. Peel off the paper letter and trim any rough or jagged edges seen on the felt letter.

7. Pin the felt letter (white)to a piece of felt in the desired background / outline colour (red). Sew the letter to the background. I prefer to do this step by hand – but feel free to machine stitch if you prefer / feel confident with all those twists and turns!

8. Cut around the letter you’ve just sewn to the background, ensuring you leave the desired width of border / outline. I left a very narrow red outline – but you could definitely go thicker.

9. Pin the finished letter to the front piece of the stocking. Stitch around. I attached my letters by hand – but, again, this step could be done by machine.

10. Once the letter is attached to the front of the stocking, it’s time to sew! Pin the two sides of the stocking together, right sides out.

11. Stitch around the outside of the stocking, keeping an even seam allowance. Make sure you leave the top edge open – otherwise how will you get all those delicious goodies inside? Try using a piece of washi tape in a bright colour to mark your desired seam allowance if you have trouble following the marks on your machine. I find the bright colour really helps me stitch straight!

12. To make the hanging loop, cut a strip of felt in the desired colour. Firmly attach to the top corner of your stocking. If you’re worried about the loop stretching, make a reinforced loop by doubling the felt or use a piece of ribbon instead.

And that’s it! Your very own handcrafted felt stockings, ready to be hung & filled with all sorts of goodies come Christmas morn!

Are stockings a part of your holiday traditions? What do you hope to find in yours this year?

Looking for fun goodies to stuff in those stockings? Why not fill them with washi tape, origami paper & cute stationery? Omiyage is offering Oh My! Handmade Goodness readers 20% off until December 15th. Simply enter code OMHG20 during checkout.

Holiday with Matthew Mead: Interview + DIY + Giveaway!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

In this online world, there are people you may cross paths with who will inspire you… to create, to dream, to be passionate, to enjoy the simplicity of everyday tasks and to love what you do.

Matthew Mead is one of these people. He is the Founder, Creative Director, and Editor-in-Chief of Holiday with Matthew Mead magazine. He’s also just a really great guy.

I caught up with him last week to chat about his love of handmade, how to approach a magazine editor, product styling tips, and of course his magazine. Enjoy the interview, his words will inspire you, be inspired to create with some wonderful images from his magazine (and a fun holiday D.I.Y.) and enter the giveaway to win something lovely from his new home décor collection.

Paper Wall Tree D.I.Y.

Add some festive holiday décor to your home with a colorful paper wall tree. Try this fun and simple D.I.Y. from Holiday with Matthew Mead magazine.

To make this wall tree, cut 80 circles out of patterned scrapbook paper using a 2-inch circle punch. Arrange the circles and adhere using temporary glue dots (Zots^TM). Set a cylindrical vase filled with tiny Christmas ornaments below the tree and add a candy wreath as a topper.

You will find loads of festive décor, fun crafts, delicious recipes and handmade goodness in Holiday with Matthew Mead magazine which you can order here.

I’ve been a fan of your work for many years, going back to your early days as an Editor at Country Home magazine. Tell us a little bit about the projects you are working on right now, including your beautiful magazine Holiday with Matthew Mead.

We have so much going on… we started our own magazine a year ago and have worked every aspect of it from conception to unloading the truck of magazines. It has been fun and exciting for me to be at the helm of all of it and share my ideas and dreams directly with readers. This year TIME INC. picked up our HOLIDAY issue and so it has mass distribution in the US and Canada… so we have been able to connect with even more people who knew me from my Country Home days. We are also working on how-to videos for our own YOUTUBE channel and have launched our own product line called matthewmeadcollection.com… oh, and I shoot the food for the Associated Press… so I am really very crazy busy. We are now working on a special spring issue called FLEA MARKET FINDS with Matthew Mead and it is totally different then what you might expect.

Matthew, your love of handmade is inspiring. Your blog and magazines are always filled with simple and beautiful ideas. How do you come up with so many fresh decorating and entertaining ideas?

My mind is running at 110% power… sometimes too much. I have such respect and reverence for hand-made items be they contemporary or vintage. There is real spirit in handmade and what I love is that it endures generations… its like holding a thought process in your hands, the feeling that someone has come before you but that you are so intricately linked to the past through handmade items. It’s precious, and important and I am a real supporter of all handmade crafts.

Many of our readers are small business owners trying to navigate the world of publicity for their product. Can you share some tips on how to best approach a magazine? How can small makers catch the eye of editors and stylists?

Take some time to tell your story. Look for the originality in your work and do your best to promote that. Great images always catch my eye and some way to organize your bio, your style and your craft into a mini booklet is what helps me to pick from so many talented people. I am visual so someone leading me through their own story is so valuable.

Here are some things that grab me.

Send directly to the editor you think would be most interested.
Share your passion through pictures and words.
Let me know what you hope to do with your talent in the next five years and where you think you are headed.
Immerse me in your lifestyle… I am curious so I like to know as much about your craft as I do “what you had for dinner last night.
And colors… show me an organized color way and I am eating out of your hands.

We would love it if you would share some tips on styling product for a photo shoot.

Keep it simple… everything has beauty so don’t hide your craft with dominating props.
Show me textures and colors in beautiful light… I am drawn to what is familiar to me and my images are a real road map to how to catch my attention.
Make it seasonal… I am drawn to the things that define the seasons and if you are trying to market your product for a holiday it is best to give hints to the seasons when it would be front and center.
Lifestyle… it is important to have a hint of how an item is going to be used so readers or buyers can imagine it in their lives.

Matthew, you live in a small town in beautiful New Hampshire, what do you find inspiring about your surroundings?

The seasons are what I find most inspiring. That is what leads me in so many of the things that I do. And NH has all the seasons and that makes my work rich and ever changing.

I wonder if you would tell us about who fostered your creativity growing up? Do you come from a family of makers?

We always did things as children with my grandparents and they certainly had a hand in making their lives… sewing, cooking, farming, etc. I remember picking potato bugs in the summer and enjoying gigantic potatoes all winter long, and gathering flowers to dry in the fall to weave into beautiful wreaths and arrangements. We made things with evergreen at holiday time, wrapped and delivered gifts and decorated cookies. I learned a love for doing things that others could appreciate. Special dishes for special occasions, traditions, etc. and part of all that was making things by hand.

What advice do you have for those of us who are following our dreams and aspiring to live what we love?

You must always find the time to do the things you love… and you must do them over and over again in every free moment until those moments dominate your time and you are living your dream… it’s about endurance, never giving up and believing in yourself like there is no tomorrow. And when you have made it there… when you can actually taste that which you have so longed for… help someone else out… help them reach their dreams and you will always find what you have created to be precious and special.

Why do you feel it is important to support emerging designers, bloggers and creators of handmade?

It’s about tradition and hope and keeping the worthwhile things about life in motion. Art and handcraft is not finite. It continues to grow and unfurl and bridge our time here to the past and the future… What we create are our cave drawings, our paths and journeys to share what and how we have loved, laughed and lived… it as important as water… we cannot live without it…

GIVEAWAY

Now that you’ve been inspired by Matthew’s wise words enter to win a set of Matthew’s Favorite Jelly Jars from Matthew’s new home décor collection!

To enter, visit the Matthew Mead Collection , then leave a comment here letting us know how you would use these vintage-inspired jelly jars and please Like Holiday with Matthew Mead on Facebook. Bonus: You’ll love the great projects, entertaining and décor ideas you will get.

This giveaway is now closed! Congratulations to connie @ daydream in color with comment #7

Handmade Parties: Crafting a Butterfly Birthday

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Our theme this month has been so packed full of brilliant ideas for your business and your creativity! I had a hard time fitting in this post about my oldest daughter’s 7th (ACK!) birthday party. It is a wet dreary weekend here in Halifax and I know many people out here are snowed or rained in. So I thought today we should step back in time just a few weeks. Ila’s party was on October 8th- it was unseasonably warm and gloriously sunny, she had chosen a butterfly birthday as her theme (to go with her new room, she is so my kid) and it seemed like even the weather conspired to make it a perfect day.

I go a little crazy for birthdays and this year was no different! I had spent the weeks up until the party making butterfly wands, little wooden butterfly girl dolls, the glittery birthday banner and cutting out hundreds (or maybe thousands!) of paper butterflies as decorations and confetti for the pinata. I also printed out Bridgett’s handy party planning checklist and started ordering goodies. For the full list of sources and tutorials see the bottom of this post.

Two days before I made a crazy amount of butterfly sugar cookies and since I had never decorated them before I read a gazillion tutorials on how to ice them. We jazzed up some biodegradable cups with washi tape triangle bunting and paper straws from Pippi & Scout.

We transformed the back deck into a play space by clearing everything off and setting up stations for face painting, butterfly art, a low budget photo booth, a flower beanbag toss and musical instruments. We used a roll of floor sheathing which is basically heavy kraft paper available at building supply stores to create a mural backdrop with frames of washi tape. The art the kids made is my favourite part:

“I love you everyone” is a note from Ila to her friends-it just melted my heart! I also couldn’t resist getting a picture of my littlest Sela looking so sweet. After the party we cut out around our frames and Ila put them up in her room.

Speaking of frames who knew a quickly painted frame could become the hit of the party? My dad was visiting from BC and I enlisted him to help photograph the kids in our makeshift photo booth and do before/afters of their painted faces. I love the quirky/candid results! We printed them up to send out as thank you’s to all our guests.

For the treat bags I bought muslin butterfly bags from Perideau Designs to match our theme and filled them with treats in paper bags sealed up with some washi tape all from the lovely Marisa of Omiyage. Ila had a grand time handing out the butterfly wands and dolls to each guest at the end of the party.

As you can see all the goodies were well received. And were worth staying up until unspeakable hours and getting so far behind on all my “real” work.

But wait, there’s MORE!

Let’s not forget that I had this last minute crazy idea to make beanbags from a tupperware full of flax and lavender I had sitting around. So I sewed & filled (with more help from the family) 20 beanbags that didn’t have any beans in them at all but smelled glorious! 4am the night before the party found the man and I gluing tissue paper petals onto a painted piece of foam core to throw the beanbags into. It held up surprisingly well and got extra use when the kids wanted to take pictures in it. So cute!

The party ended with a bang and a pinata filled with butterfly confetti and organic natural juice lollipops (an apology to the parents for packing their kids full of sugar). After each kid had 3 turns whacking it with no end in sight I took a turn…let us just say that hitting a pinata is the best way to end three weeks of party preparations-butterflies flew!

Want to plan your own butterfly extravaganza? Here is what I ordered and the tutorials I used (for anything not listed I just winged it & challenged my own creativity):

Butterfly muslin goodie bags from Perideau Designs

Washi tape, bakers twine + paper treat bags from Omiyage

Washi tape was used for the mural, party cups and to seal up the paper treat bags.
Divine Twine was used for the birthday banner

For the Happy Birthday banner I used this tutorial and printed out my letters using this font at 300pt onto heavy cardstock. I then made them all glittery with two colours of fine glitter and sprayed them with a fixative (okay, I only used hairspray…because that’s what I had).

Purple striped paper straws and flower fairy cupcake liners/toppers from Pippi & Scout

Felt (for the butterflies & doll wings) from Felt on The Fly and Mercurius

To make the butterfly wands I painted wooden doweling with umpteen coats of fine glitter mixed with modge podge and made/traced this template onto wool felt. A few strands of super skinny ribbon and we were good to go.

Wooden dolls from Goose Grease Undone I primed the dolls with white latex and then painted the faces/hair with acrylics. The glittery dresses are the same glue/glitter mixture as the wands + some teeny tiny felt wings.

2 sizes of Martha Stewart butterfly punches for butterfly confetti, art table and random throwing at the birthday girl.

For the sugar cookies I referenced this tutorial (among others) and this recipe.

I hope you enjoyed reading about our handmade butterfly birthday! Nothing makes me more broody and crafty then one of my little girls growing older-it is so bittersweet. I want each birthday to be a celebration of the year that came and the one just unfolding, Ila said it was the very bestest day of her entire life-which is the very bestest thing I can imagine.

How do you celebrate birthdays in your family? I would love to know!

Get your creative side on with this stop motion film tutorial

Thursday, October 13, 2011

As a kid, I was a very enthusiastic flip book fan; I could play with those small illustrated books for hours, trying to figure out the sequence. I think I have the same feeling when I watch modern flip books now, the same awe and desire to understand how the process is done. Allow me to present to you the stop-motion or stop-animation process. Here is the latest one I have done:

You may have seen them in big video productions or witty ads. It is, seriously, one of the easiest and creative ways to make a short film. You will need a camera, a tripod if you want your frame fixed, an idea and loads of patience!

So for those of you who have always wondered how to do one of those witty animations, here is a simple guide.

1. Brainstorm your idea.

Trust me, you’ll want to have your idea before actually doing a photo shoot. It will save you some time in the end! Go for a simple idea, something easily understood. If you can explain it in one or two sentences, then it’s a keeper! Try going for a second degree idea, you know, how do you illustrate something without actually plainly saying it?

One of the many brainstorming techniques I use is that I will do an association diagram with words. So you start with a word, then think of 10 words related to it, then 10 words related to each ten words, then you go on until you are hungry or in need of a dictionary. This can be done with a friend; two heads are definitely better than one in this case!

2. Scenario

Once you have your idea, you’ll want to trace out the scenario of your masterpiece. You can illustrate it or just put it in a story or in a list. Don’t fuss too much about it though, this is a tool to keep your head clear once you start, not the actual work.

3. Prepare your shooting space

In my film, I use my chalkboard wall and my son’s chalk, my camera on a tripod and Chéri’s finger on the release. There was a table and a lamp here which I removed. I waited for the light to be just right in the afternoon (ambient sunlight is really nice). Be prepared with the technical things so your energy will be used for creativity, which leads me to…

4. Sometimes accidents make things interesting!

So even if you are prepared, maybe the camera will slip and the angle will be weird, or you will forget a chalk and leave the framed angle to go get it.

5. That being said…

All you have to do, or make someone do, is to hold the release button for as long as you want. Have your camera mode on the Sports / Action Mode for a quick shoot. And experiement! Try out different lighting, try different modes, with or without automatic zooming, with or without your flash. Creativity is finding out stuff, so be adventurous, and don’t be scared to mess it up! If you are like me, aka VERY shy in front of the camera, then you will find this technique very forgiving on your self esteem ;)

6. Now you’ll need your patience.

When you are done shooting then the editing begins. Download all of your photos on your computer. I edit and resize the pics in Photoshop, Now, I know that you have a gazillions of pictures taken, and editing every one of them manually seems very daunting. Let me introduce you to the world of Actions and Batch Processing.

Actions
In Photoshop, actions are pre-saved steps to doing something. It could be recropping, it could be a fancy cross-process technique, it could be anything, and the very good part is that if you do a quick google search (ie: free Photoshop actions) you’ll find plenty for your taste. Here is a link with the how-to install a photoshop action.

Batch processing
Once you figured out what style you wanted visually, then you will want to have all of your pics in that style. To use your action in batch mode, go to File -> Automate -> Batch.

Choose a set
Choose an action in that set
Choose which folder the pics are coming from
Choose a folder where the pics will be saved. I recommend that you create a new folder here so that you always have your original pictures if you ever change your mind :)*if you have recorded an Open or Save as in the steps of your action, then click on the Override Action «open» Command and Override Action «save as» Command.

7. Your images are pretty, now you need to actually do the editing.

I use iMovie, but you could also use Flash, or even Photoshop. I’m sure that there is plenty of software for you PC users as well (StopMotion Pro , there is a trial version I think). But for this DIY, let’s look at how it’s done in iMovie:

So basically, you need to load all your pictures into your project. Hit the camera button and find your images on your IPhoto (or any folder). Then select them and drag and drop them in the project zone.

Once they are all there, you need to tell iMovie how long the pictures are supposed to appear. In order to have a fast paced film, the pictures will appear only a fraction of a second (else you will have a slide-show, not a stop motion film!). In my video, my pictures are set to 0:05, so that’s 5 frame per photo (Time in iMovie appears in “0:00″ format. The number before the colon is the number of seconds and the number after the colon is the number of frames. FYI, iMovie usually plays at 30 frames-per-second). Still with me? Good! Now select all your pictures, and click “Show Photo Settings” and type in “0:05″ for your duration in the floating window that appears. Click the Apply button. Once it’s done, click the Play button.

Amazing huh?

8. Fine-tune, Publish and Share

So once your movie is done, you may want to add music (click the music note button to search trough iTunes, or create something with GarageBand), and maybe slow some frames, or even add your illustrations (I added my illustrations on my photos in Photoshop. Remember me telling you you needed patience?). You can also add text and fancy credits at the ending.

Then once you are done, Share>Export the film

I like to export my film in the Large option, and upload it to YouTube or Vimeo, it’s easier to share them in social medias afterwards. Then share with everybody you know and celebrate your creativity. You made a short film! That is something!

9. Questions?

Got any questions for me? I will gladly answer them in the comments below! If you have made a stop motion yourself, I would LOVE to see it! Please share with us!

Pin & Win! The Pinterest Challenge Redux

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Since October is all about challenging your creativity, Jessika and I thought it was time to bring back the Pinterest Challenge!

Back in June, I issued myself a challenge – A Pinterest Challenge – and invited you to join me. It’s a challenge to try new things and to actually do something with all those pins you’re collecting on your Pinterest boards. To actually get inspired by the inspiration boards you’re curating. As Pinterest gains popularity, and the handmade community grapples with the ethics of it all, we thought it was a perfect time to ask you again to try using Pinterest in a different, more proactive way.

I’ve been keeping track of my projects on the Oh My! Pinspiration board. It’s been a little slower going that I’d originally planned, but it’s definitely encouraged me to try some projects that I probably wouldn’t have – and to share things which are less than perfect. There’s definitely a moment of “is this good enough to send out there into the world?” whenever I hit “pin” on one of these projects, but at the core of this challenge isn’t a goal of trying to make the best art/craft, it’s a challenge to work with the things that inspire me and to give myself the freedom to play. Here’s a few of the projects I’ve taken on in the last few months:

Combining two images I love and playing around with different versions. See pin for sources.

My interpretation of the t-shirt necklace. Longer, looser and with a braid. See pin for source.

Came across a Dala Horse softie tutorial and whipped up a couple of my own. See pin for source.

An envelope clutch made of obi fabric. See pin for sources.

Want to play along? It’s easy! Take a look at your pins and listen to what they’re telling you. Is there a common colour story? A particular type of project you pin over and over (and over) again? A tutorial that you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t made time for? And then just do – make time for a little me-time in your busy schedule and sew, draw, paint, knit, create.

When your pinspired work is complete, take a picture and upload it to Pinterest, making sure you tag either Oh My! Handmade or me in your description. We’ll make sure your pin gets repinned to the Oh My! Pinspiration Board. Sounds too complicated? Simply tweet your image with the hashtag #PinspirationChallenge and I’ll make sure it gets pinned to the board. Be sure to include a link to the original pin(s) which inspired you!

And to sweeten the deal – and help get those creative juices flowing, I’m going to throw in an Omiyage Creativity Pack as a proverbial carrot.

Here’s how to pin & win:

Each project you pin will be worth one entry – and yes, you can pin multiple images of one project, but no, you can’t have extra entries for extra images of the same project!

At the end of October, I’ll put the names of each contributor and their project(s) into a hat and pull out a winner.

The winner will be sent a a surprise pack of Omiyage goodies - inside you might find mt washi tape, Divine Twine, gorgeous chiyogami paper, fun stickers, cute stamps… perfect for inspiring you to create more handmade goodness!

International pinners & winners welcome!

Do It For Yourself – 4 Projects Just For You!

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Chances are you began your journey into your creative business by creating things for yourself (and loved ones). Are you still making time to make outside of your business? As we become wrapped up in our own businesses, often the first thing to go is this kind of “me-time”. Don’t forget to be kind to yourself – give yourself free time and reward yourself every now and then!

Here are four DIY projects which don’t take a lot of time or materials. As the seasons change, who doesn’t want a few new special things? Go on then, do it FOR yourself!

T-Shirt Necklace – Whole Living (This would be great as a Fall Scarf too!)
Envelope Clutch – SwellMayde
Glittery Brooch / Belt – Tatertots & Jello
Sparkly Shoes – Modernly Wed

Have you spotted any great DIY projects lately? Please share them in the comments.

What are you doing for yourself in your me-time? We’d love to hear about it!