Magnet Makeover

Hi everyone!

Okay, I can't be the only one that has a collection on crappy corporate magnets on my refrigerator, can I? You know, the ones businesses hand out for free? Like these:

My fridge was tired of being purely functional so I decided to "Gauche" it up by snagging these magnets and giving them a Gauche Alchemy makeover! I was given a series of Japanese Hello Kitty stamps and decided to incorporate those with my Moshi Moshi Kit to revamp the magnets. The fabric and patterned paper in the kit was the perfect background for these babies.

I added various pieces from multiple Mixed Media Color Kits (by far my favorite thing in the shop!).

This last one was the most labor intensive thing I've ever done. I cut a flower from the patterned paper, then got the bright idea to individually cut teeny tiny pieces of the sewing book page and glue them in the outside of the petals. (The I ran over them with Distress Ink.) Luckily the time consuming cutting was worth it.

I still have more boring magnets I'm going to makeover. Look out magnets, I'm comin' for you!

Friday Night Fab Five and Winners!

Hi everyone!

First a funny story: So I've been going on and on about my 4 year blogging anniversary and one night I'm looking at Toot thinking what a sweet three year old I have and how I started blogging after she was born. My three year old. I started blogging after she was born. Three years old. After. It is NOT my 4 year blogging anniversary. It is my THREE year anniversary. *face palm* Good night mama, I must still be postpartum because I've obviously gone insane and have forgotten how to do elementary math. So join me next year when we'll celebrate 4 years of blogging all over again. LOL Oh brother...

Anyhoo, time for the winners of my Not-Really-Four-Years-It's-Only-Been-Three-Years Blogging Anniversary! Thanks to everyone that entered! Without further ado, the winners, picked by Random.org are:

Cupcake Hat: Julie!
Chipboard Mini Album Pack: Jacque!
Custom Cloche: Jocelyn!
Gauche Alchemy Pack: Theresa!
My Favorites: Emma!

Congrats to the winners! Please e-mail me your address: justaddglitter at gmail dot com :D *Jocelyn, please also let me know what color you would like your hat to be*

Now, on to this week's Friday Night Fab Five!

1. The Sketchbook Project





The Sketchbook Project is an amazing collective put on by the Art House Co op in Brooklyn, New York. Essentially, you sign up, they send you a blank sketchbook, you fill it up, send it back to them and it goes into their library for anyone to peruse at their leisure. They get sketchbooks in different mediums from artists all over the world. A few artists I heartily admire have participated in the past and I decided to join in their Limited Edition project for 2012. More on this as I get started!

2. International Delight Iced Coffee

(Image Credit)

I love me some Starbucks iced coffee but I really love having a big 'ol thing of iced coffee ready made in my fridge. Enter International Delight's premade iced coffee. Yum-o! It's a little pricey (about $4 for the carton) but when you figure it saving you trips to Starbucks, I told my husband it's already paid for itself. :P

3. On Agate Hill

(Image Credit)

This was a book I received for Christmas and it was a great read, although rather sad. Written by Lee Smith, it tells the story of Molly Petree and her orphaned life after the Civil War through the early 1900's. I also loved it because it takes place in North Carolina. If you like historical fiction, check this one out.

4. Chuck Close's Thoughts on Artistic Inspiration

Chuck Close is an artist and this is his response to having "no inspiration" to create. I love love love what he had to say and need to write this out and put it somewhere I'll see it when I start whining about the whole "no mojo" thing.

“The advice I like to give young artists, or really anybody who'll listen to me, is not to wait around for inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work. If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain, you are not going to make an awful lot of work. All the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself. Things occur to you. If you're sitting around trying to dream up a great art idea, you can sit there a long time before anything happens. But if you just get to work, something will occur to you and something else will occur to you and something else that you reject will push you in another direction. Inspiration is absolutely unnecessary and somehow deceptive. You feel like you need this great idea before you can get down to work, and I find that's almost never the case.”
― Chuck Close

5. Drunk Ron Swanson

Someone please tell me they watch and love Parks and Rec! The show is hilarious, I want to be Amy Poehler's BFF but Ron Swanson is The Man. Someone made an infinite loop of a dancing drunk Ron Swanson and I could watch it for hours. I won't, but I could. Experience the glory here: drunkronswanson.com.

And that it's for this week's Friday Night Fab Five! What are your favorites this week?

Sewing Box

Hi everyone!

So yeah, I bought a little box frame at the thrift store for like, 60 cents or something. It sat in my craft room for the longest time but once I got the Moshi Moshi Mixed Media Paper Craft Kit from Gauche Alchemy, I noticed that it had these cool vintage sewing book pages and this thread card of well...thread. That gave me the spark I needed to dig out that little frame from under piles and piles of who knows what in my aforementioned Craft Room of Perpetual Chaos.

I first created the background using some of the sewing paper and then stamped onto that using the included PVC punchinella and blue and bronze paints. The rest came together when I decided that instead of using some of the thread off the card, I'd just glue the whole thing in there. lol I cut the woman out of another piece of sewing paper, drew lines on her dress and attached her using pop dots for some added depth.

I thought the thread card looked a little bare so I added the button from the kit and some crystal pins that I had saved from my wedding bouquet. See, hoarding does have its advantages! A little piece of PVC punchinella and the beaded string that comes with the kit and I was finished! A quick and easy project that's found the perfect home in my craft room. :)

Hey! Don't forget about my blogoversary giveaways: Day 1: Cupcake Hat and Day 2: Mini Albums and Chipboard and Day 3: Custom Cloche and Day 4: Gauche Alchemy and Day 5: Fab Five.

The Gauche Woman

Hi everyone!

Thank you so much for the blogoversary good wishes and for the happy get well thoughts. I'm still feeling pretty gross but I'm sure it'll blow over soon. :D

A little project to show you today! I got a chance to play with the Knick Knack Paddy Whack Project Kit from the Gauche Alchemy store and this kit it so cool, I just love little shadowboxes! This kit comes with a naked shadowbox and some Gauche Alchemy whatnots, perfect for a one shot project. Here's what I made:

I started by painting the box, including the inside, with brown and gold paints, then added a couple layers of Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint (I'm addicted to the stuff!) Then on top of that I rubbed on some Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

I'm proud to say that with the exception of the little vintage photo in the middle square, everything came from the kit. Y'all know I gotta have my glitter so the butterfly in the bottom left got a dose of Stickles. (Which, by the way, I had to do multiple times as my three year old kept sticking her finger in it. D'oh!)

There are so many great components that come with this kit like rusty keys, game cards, cool fabric remnants and of course a piece of Punchinella which I used as a stencil and stamp on some of the backgrounds for my squares. And the little bit of bling that comes with the kit was the perfect finishing touch for part of the outside frame.

I felt pretty good after getting this one finished as I "got stuck" for a while on where I was going. I've found that when I'm getting blocked on a project, I'll do a little bit, take a break, rinse and repeat. Usually the finished product is worth the extra time!

Don't forget about my blogoversary giveaways: Day 1: Cupcake Hat and Day 2: Mini Albums and Chipboard and Day 3: Custom Cloche and Day 4: Gauche Alchemy and Day 5: Fab Five.

Friday Night Fab Five: Giveaway

Hi everyone!

Okay, so I have to admit that I'm pretty sick at the moment. The girls were fighting it and then gave it all to us feeble adults in the house. I was the last one to fall. Blech. Anyhoo, all that to say that I love you so much that I'm dragging myself from the depths of disease and illness to bring you the last giveaway.*

*Sorry for the drama, I'm going for the Oscar this year.

Anyway, to the prize!

I've got a small collection of some of my favorite things, most of which have been featured in a Fab Five at some time or another. A box of Flipsides crackers, a box of Crystal Light Wild Strawberry Energy drink packets, a Charlie & Lola DVD, a jar of Martha Stewart glitter and a cutesy-poo ornament that's all crafty and cute and stuff.

What? Not enough for you???? Well how about this:

The winner of this pack will also receive a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com. Amazon is a HUGE favorite of mine!

So there you have it, the last giveaway for my 4 year blogoversary! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment telling me you want to be entered by Midnight on Thursday, January 26th. I'll announce the winner next Friday.

Also, don't forget about my other giveaways: Day 1: Cupcake Hat and Day 2: Mini Albums and Chipboard and Day 3: Custom Cloche and Day 4: Gauche Alchemy.

Good luck and thanks again for being a part of the madness here at Just Add Glitter and Stir!

Blogoversary Giveaway 4: Gauche Alchemy

Hi everyone!

Today is my *official* anniversary of 4 years of blogging! Thank you all so much for being here with me!

Today's giveaway is so gauche I can't even stand myself. Gauche Alchemy that is. :D I've got a collection up for grabs and is a little bit of just about everything we offer in the store.

I mean we're talking HEAPS of GA awesomeness here. There's pieces from our color kits, Ouchless Cardboard, napkins, wallpaper, foreign text. Not to mention stuff from various theme kits and our ACME kit.

I also threw in a roll of variety Punchinella and some lace. If you've always want to give mixed media a try or are have already been bitten by the ephemera bug, leave a comment on this post by Midnight on Thursday, January 26th for a chance to win this package bustin' with Gauche Alchemy goodness.

Good luck and don't forget about entering my other giveaways, Day 1: Cupcake Hat and Day 2: Mini Albums and Chipboard and Day 3: Custom Cloche.

Blogoversary Giveaway 3: Custom Hat

Hi everyone!

My Blogoversary Giveaway week continues with this prize up for grabs:

Well okay, the prize is not me nor the hat...not this particular hat anyway. I've decided that the winner of this giveaway will receive a custom Charleston Cloche made by yours truly in whatever color they desire.

I had so much fun making this hat for myself and have already wore it about a dozen times. I'd love to hook it again for someone who will enjoy it as much as I have. :)

So leave a comment on this post by midnight on Thursday, January 26th and I'll announce the winner on Friday the 27th. Good luck and don't forget about entering my other giveaways, Day 1: Cupcake Hat and Day 2: Mini Albums and Chipboard.

Blogoversary Giveaway 2: Naked Stuff to Make Stuff With

Hi everyone!

Here's Day 2 of my Blogoversary Giveaways, make sure to leave your comment on Day One's post for a chance to win my cupcake hat.

Today I'm giving away some things I think the scrappers (or altered artists) in the audience might like...Behold! Naked mini albums and stuff to make stuff with!

Ta da!

Win me!

These are from my personal stash but I'm had them for a while and think one of you will be able to be of better service to them. :D I've got a Bo Bunny word album (it says, "I <3 You"), a flower shaped chipboard album, a set of white oversize tags, another chipboard album in the shape of a purse and an unopened pack of Tattered Angels white chipboard pieces, Glimmer Chips in Frosty Memories from the Vintage Seasons Collection.

All you have to do to win is leave a comment on this post **telling me you want them** by midnight on Thursday, January 26th.

Good luck and thanks again for hanging out with me here at Just Add Glitter and Stir. Here's to another four years! :D

Blogoversary Giveaway 1: Cupcake Hat

Hi everyone!

Well this week (and Thursday specifically) marks my FOUR year blogging anniversary, can you believe it???

I really wanted to do a couple of giveaways, each marking something that I love or love to do, something that's "me" so for my first giveaway this week, I'd like to offer my recent hookery: The Cupcake Hat:

Crocheted on New Year's Eve from a pattern by the ever delightful Twinkie Chan, it can be yours if the Price Is Right! Actually, that's not true, you just have to leave a comment.

Would you like to win this delicious* hat? ALL you have to do to be entered is leave a comment telling me that you want to be entered. I'd like this to go to someone that would really love it so if it's not your thing, no worries! So to be entered you HAVE to tell me you want it, "Enter me!" "Please enter me!" "I will wash your dishes if I win!" Things of that nature.

You don't have to follow me (although you're welcome to, of course), no Tweeting, no checking out something and then coming back here to tell me you love something else. Just leave a comment and I'll announce the winner on Friday, January 27th during my Friday Night Fab Five. Easy, yes? Good luck and thank you for hanging out with me here at Just Add Glitter and Stir for the past 4 years!

*Not a real cupcake, please do not eat hat.

Friday Night Fab Five

Hi everyone and welcome to another Friday Night Fab Five where I list 5 things I adore, am obsessed with or maybe just sort of like for the week. :D This week is a random sampling so let's get started!

1. Crystal Light Energy Wild Strawberry

(Image from Amazon)

I kid you not, this stuff is like my liquid crack. I got some in a swap once, tried it and was instantly addicted. Have I added this to a Fab Five before? Well, whatever. It's too good not to share again.

2. Jewel Tone Yarn

I've got this wool yarn that I decided to use for a tapestry (still a work in progress) and part of the reason I picked these gorgeous colors was how well they complemented each other. There's something about a jewel tone that makes me feel fancy.

3. Hot Summer Days

(Image from Wikipedia)

Hot Summer Days is a 2010 romantic comedy from Hong Kong. I thought it was similar to Love Actually in that you've got a few different love stories running around which intersect each other at different points. It was too cute and pretty darn funny. If you enjoy comedy and are looking for a good foreign film (it does have English subtitles) check this one out!

4. Granny Squares

Some hookers will tell you that granny squares are everything that's wrong with crochet. They're too easy, too kitschy and too ugly. Well, those hookers are crazy. The simplicity of a granny square, its retro look and infinite amount of color possibilities are exactly why I like it. There's something about hooking on autopilot that I find very soothing.

5. Game of Thrones Season 2!



ohboyohboyohboyohboyohboyohboyohboy It's coming back y'all! YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!

And there you have it, another Friday Night Fab Five. FINALLY.

What are your favorites this week?

I Felt Like It Part 2

Hi everyone!

So remember last week when I posted I Felt Like It Part 1 where I showed you the super cute hat I was working on?

(Image from Crochet Today)

I talked about how my initial run through my Wonder Wash went well (alliteration, snap!) and my hat was looking dandy:

Flush from my awesome success, I quickly washed it again in hopes of smoothing out the seeable stitches even more and then...

I don't want to talk about it.

The Post About Nothing

Hi everyone.

Ah yes, I used a . after "everyone" instead of my usual ! Ever have a case of the Mondays on a Tuesday? Bah. I try to keep things bright and cheery here because well, I like it that way. Not that I don't have days that suck and/or try to hide them but I like to focus on the good things instead of the crap. I'm just having a day where I feel unusually lost and figured I'd post about it since hey, it's my blog and stuff.

It's not that I don't have projects to work on or ideas simmering in the old brain because Lord knows I've got enough things started that need to get finished. I've actually finished a bunch of mixed media projects recently but since they're all for Gauche Alchemy I can't show any of them yet.

Speaking of which, I am now part owner of Gauche Alchemy so go buy everything in the store right now! Go on, I'll wait...

.....

Are you back? Found lots of good things, did you? Awesome!

My 4 year blogging anniversary is coming up on the 19th. 4 years, can you believe it??? I had a week of giveaways last year so I have NO clue how to top that. Maybe I should give myself away and go clean the winner's house or something.

Hey, here's something cool. Zippy turned 8 (?!) months old yesterday:

Here's a new blanket I'm working on:

I've only got one square done of like, 1,000 but don't worry. I'll get there.

Can you believe I haven't done a Friday Night Fab Five since October 2011? Holy smokes, that bites. I'll get back into that hardcore this year but I wanted to share one of my favorite Fab Fives entitled, "Friday Night Fab One With Four What The...?!" Definitely one of my funnier ones so go read it because chances are I'll never be that funny again. And that one was almost exactly 2 years ago so what the heck has happened since then?! Sheesh.

Anyway, back to this blog anniversary thing. Last year, a couple of good friends graciously gave away some of their beautiful creations during my giveaway week and I crocheted the rest. What do y'all want this year? More crocheted stuff? No crocheted stuff? Eternal youth? Debbie Gibson's Electric Youth? What? :D

Okay, think I'll stop rambling...for now. Funny enough, I actually feel better. To those of you that read this far, you have my thanks. To those of you that join me here on a regular basis, you have my love. And to those of you that take time to leave a comment, watch it cause I'll probably want to make out with you later.

In Your Face Nana!

Hi everyone!

My husband is obsessed (okay fine, everyone in this house is obsessed) with the game Skylanders. Toot loves it especially as she can pick up the figures and put them on the "Portal of Power" for Daddy while he plays. My mom made a *snarky* comment tonight that Toot is going to know all the names of the Skylanders before she can say her ABCs.

So I cut the camera on, asked Toot if she could sing her ABCs and then this happened:



In your face, Nana!

I Felt Like It Part 1

Hi everyone!

For Christmas I asked for a Wonder Wash portable washing machine to felt some of my crochet. I have a front loading washing machine which SUCKS when you're trying to felt. I've been wanting to felt for so long and did a jig when I discovered this portable washer.

BTW: "Felting" is when you crochet or knit with animal fibers (like wool) and then wash them in super hot water to agitate the fibers and create a fabric. Here's the technical definition from Wikipedia:

"Felt is made by a process called wet felting where the natural wool fibers, stimulated by friction and lubricated by moisture (usually soapy water), move at a 90 degree angle towards the friction source and then away again, in effect making little "tacking" stitches. While at any given moment only 5% of the fibers are active, the process is continual, so different 'sets' of fibers become activated and then deactivated, thereby building up the cloth."

Wow, that was boring. LOL But luckily this process creates a neato fabric and makes you look awesome. So anyhoo, I've been drooling over the Fine Feathered Cap pattern from the March/April 2010 issue of Crochet Today magazine. Isn't it fabulous?

"Maggi is so jealous of my hat..." (Image from Crochet Today)

And since Santa is such a nice fellow and feeds into my crafty obsessions, he was kind enough to bring my Wonder Wash and I was off to the hook! One thing about crocheting to felt is that you have to crochet BIG because the hot water will shrink the piece. Here's my hat pre-felt:

My hat all crocheted and ready to felt!

Moshi Moshi Hooker-Chan

Hi everyone!

We've got a new kit over in the Gauche Alchemy store! It's called Moshi Moshi and it is AWESOME. I got a chance to get my glue covered hands on it before it hit the virtual shelves and will be showing those projects off later this month. :)

Moshi Moshi!

In hooker news, I've been bitten by the hat bug in the new year and have made these two so far and am working on a third, my first wool hat which I'm looking forward to felting.  New techniques FTW!  But first, here's a cloche I crocheted as part of a "crochet-a-long" (or CAL) in the Citizens of Stitch Nation by Debbie Stoller group on Ravelry.

Super cute and very fast to hook up!

Y'all know I love me some Twinkie Chan so on New Year's Eve I pulled out my *autographed* copy of Twinkie Chan's book and made her cupcake hat:

Yep, this is what I have to show for New Year's Eve. I was sitting on the couch, crocheting this hat and catching up on Doctor Who. I looked up at 12:05 and said, "Oh crap, happy new year!" to my husband. :D

So far 2012 has started off with a creative bang on my end. Wait, I mean the figurative "my end", not literal. :D

Hooking Up Some Strawberry Shortcake

Hi everyone! As I'm sure you know already, Toot is obsessed with Strawberry Shortcake, in particular the updated version of the character:

(Picture from The Hub)

So for Christmas 2011, I crocheted her this hat using the Girl's Newsboy Hat pattern from the November 2009 issue of Crochet! magazine. I, of course, added some Strawberry Shortcake flavor to it: