Friday Night Fab Five

Hi everyone and welcome to another Friday Night Fab Five where I list 5 things I'm loving this week. Sorry I've been a bit absent around your blogs, I've been dragging all week. Bleck. But these 5 things help me feel better, check it out:

1. It's Official



A sequel to Anchorman is coming...FINALLY!

2. Skyrim Hoarders



Okay, so you have to have watched "Hoarders" and played Skyrim (or any RPG where you can hoard all of your loot) to really get this but just trust me. It's funny.

3. New Dolls!

Listen, I wasn't into the whole "Monster High" thing but some on...she's PINK.

4. Toot

No special reason for this one. She's just cute. :P

5. Mad Men is Back!

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Woo hoo! Mad Men is back, Game of Thrones starts back up this Sunday, life is good...well, TV is good at least. :D

And there you have it, another Friday Night Fab Five for the ages! What were your favorites this week?

I Collect Dead People

Hi everyone!

I subscribed to People magazine for a while. Instead of throwing the issues away I kept them around because back in the day I loved cutting them up to create collages. One day I had finally had enough of the clutter (which doesn't happen as often as it should) and started tossing them out.

As I was going through them, I would see one and think, "Oh that's from when Bette Davis died, I should keep that one" or "Oh look, Gary Coleman. Better keep that one..." They went back on a shelf and I forgot about them. Down the road, sick of the clutter once again, I went back to them and discovered that I had inadvertently created a "dead People" collection.

So now of course, I HAVE to buy any People cover relating to someone's death. Morbid, yes and I can't explain why I feel the need to keep this stack of death any more than I can explain the need to add to it. Some things may be better left in the subconscious...

I always feel sorry for the celebs that pass on right around the same time other celebs leave this life. Sorry John Ritter and Farrah Fawcett. Johnny Cash and Michael Jackson beat you to the cover...

I'm also not sure why I would have wanted to keep the People issue profiling the death of Jeffrey Dahmer. Again, better left unanalyzed perhaps.

Wow, now that I'm blogging about this, it's super creepy. Seriously, what a weird collection...

Anyhoo, I thought you might get a kick of this. :D Do you collect anything odd or out of the ordinary?

I'm a Sucker for a Makeover

Hi everyone!

So as you know, I've been working on customizing a Blythe doll which so far has resulted in setting my microwave on fire and clogging my kitchen sink. Well, I discovered another Blythe I had to have that was already customized so I decided to "adopt" her and waited for her to arrive.

Unfortunately she needed a bit of a makeover so I put aside my other work in progress for this girl that needed some TLC.





She was definitely cute but I decided to change her lips, paint her eyelids and do some general fancy-ing. (Yes, that's a word.) Anyhoo, I'm all done and nothing caught on fire, clogged or otherwise got destroyed in the making of this doll! Go me!



Of course, I just had to add glitter to her eye chips and lashes...I have a thing for glitter, did you know that about me?



So, as they say in "Meet the Robinsons" I keep moving forward with new projects and crafty things. This whole Blythe experience (home and personal injury notwithstanding), has been amazing. I've discovered new tools to use with both my dolls and my creations like chalk pastels and watercolor pencils. Which is good because that's how I justify the extra spending to my husband, "But honey, I can use these on my dolls AND my projects...it's win-win!"

Friday Night Fab Five

Hi everyone! Welcome to another Friday Night Fab Five where I list 5 things I'm lovin' for the week. :D

1. Commentaries



If I love (read: become obsessed with) a TV show or movie, chances are I'll buy it on DVD/Blu-ray. And the first special feature I look for is the commentary. I love listening to creators, actors and other people working on a project to talk about how things came about or even better, how much they themselves love the show/movie. The Simpsons, Battlestar Galactica, Spartacus: Blood and Sand and Game of Thrones all get my vote for awesome commentary. Like this one from Game of Thrones were some of the kid actors sing along to the theme song.

2. Psych

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I'm sure I've mentioned Psych in a Fab Five before but it bears repeating. This is one of the freakin' funniest shows ever. A lot of the comedy reminds me of the Cary Grant/Katharine Hepburn movies where half the funniest lines were delivered under their breath. Plus, lots of geek nods going on, love it!

3. This Quote From Walt Disney

Image Credit: My TV :P

You know, I don't think Meet the Robinsons got half as much love as it should have when it came out. I LOVE this movie and it makes me cry every time I watch it. This quote pops up at the end of the movie and I get chills just blogging about it.

4. This Vodka Commercial



I have no clue what the heck is going on in this commercial (this is the long as all get out version BTW)...but I do want a drink now. It's like Tron meets Polaroid meets who the heck knows what. Drink up!

5. Best Proposal Ever



Twinkie Chan posted this on her blog a while back of a friend proposing to his girlfriend. It's really awesome. It's a longer video but so worth watching!

And there you have it, another Friday Night Fab Five for the ages! Done and done. What were your favorites this week?

How to Clog Your Kitchen Sink

Hi everyone and welcome to Maggi's Creative Craft Fail Corner where I provide the best tips, tricks and tutorials for failing spectacularly at any craft. Previously I taught you how to set your microwave on fire. In today's lesson, I'm going to show you how to clog your kitchen sink. This is a simple technique that's sure to be a hit with your family and make your smarter friends green with envy.

Step 1

You know, the old adage goes, "If at first you don't succeed, try try again". Well here at Just Add Glitter and Stir, we subscribe to the wisdom of Homer Simpson who said, "Trying is the first step towards failure". So for your first step, learn from your mistake of almost setting your house on fire and try to dye your mohair again, this time follow the instructions and dye it successfully. It's pretty, no?

Step 2

Now we're ready to clog the sink! It's best to start this project right after dinner but before you wash dishes. This way you'll have a failed project AND dirty dishes staring at you in judgment. (To make the most of this step, make sure you live in a house without a dishwasher.)

Rinse your mohair in the sink without anything underneath it to catch stray fibers. That's all you have to do for this step. The fibers will then collect in your drain without you noticing it because they are almost invisible in single strands. Optional: Pat yourself on the back for your successful dye job while rinsing your newly dyed mohair. While this step is optional, it will be the last bit of joy you'll feel for the next couple of days so I highly suggest taking advantage of this part of the process.

Step 4

Ask yourself, "Why isn't the water going down?"

Step 5

After realizing what has happened and why it happened, start by shaking your fist at the mohair while whispering profanity to yourself and end by hanging your head in shame.

Step 6

Repeat step 5

Step 7

Ask your husband or significant other for a snake. After seeing the light in his eyes die upon your explanation that you meant a drain snake and not the metaphorical snake, watch helplessly as he walks away in disgust.

Step 8

Go to the store and purchase drain cleaner. After looking over your options, make sure to choose organic drain cleaner. It's made by people who want to make sure your family and pipes are safely taken care of. This cleaner will not work but you can be safe in the knowledge that although you have no usable sink in your kitchen, at least you didn't kill your family.

Step 9

Go back to the store and by the real drain cleaner, the kind filled with chemicals that will kill anything within a 5 mile radius of your sink.  After a few days of torturing your pipes, they will eventually cough it up and things will get back to normal.

Ta da! 9 easy steps to clogging your kitchen sink! It really couldn't be any easier. Thank you for joining me today on Maggi's Creative Craft Fail Corner! Please join me again next week when I will have stapled my hand to the craft table.

This Was My Morning

So we've been planning on having some fairly significant work done on our house. I bought the house I grew up in years ago and quite frankly, it needs some TLC in a major way. I've been in talks with a company about coming out to do some things and was just waiting to get on the schedule.

Cut to last Wednesday morning, I'm playing with Toot and Zippy when I hear a knock at the door. Lo and behold, the workers are here! And I had no idea they were coming! Hurray? Luckily, I had made time to get dress that morning (complete with bra, thank you very much). So with dogs barking and babies all over the place, I greet my workers and they get down to business outside after plugging in some stuff inside the house.

I get down to business as well, heading off to the bathroom and leaving the door open like I do whenever I'm home alone with the girls. I finish up, wash my hands, head out of the bathroom to discover one of the workers standing in my kitchen unplugging a battery. Yep, pretty sure he heard me pee.

Now at this point, I had given up and laid Zippy down for a nap. In all of the chaos, I vaguely remembered Toot on my heels asking me to let her take a picture (she's really into taking pictures at the moment.) I kept telling her, "Mommy's busy...I'm talking to the nice man...No Toot, put down Mommy's camera....Just a minute, Toot!"

When I finally was able to get settled again and pay attention to my kid, she did indeed have my camera. Only it was set to "video" and she had taken about 20+ videos in a 10 minute time period. And they are good, people.

Like this sure-to-be classic of her play tunnel:



Or this one where she tried to take a picture of herself:



And this one, where I finally figure out what's she has been up to:



Thankfully, not all mornings are like this. If they were, you'd see a Maggi-shaped hole in my front door...

Friday Night Fab Five

Hi everyone and welcome to this week's Friday Night Fab Five where I list 5 things I'm enjoying for the week...

But first an announcement! June Marie, the painter of the pins from Oh, To Be a Child Again loved the project and wanted me to let y'all know that she does offer these sweet painted pins for sale! She charges $2.50 for 3 and $4.50 for 5 plus shipping so if you're interested, shoot me an e-mail and I'll get you where you need to be. :)

1. Wordament

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Oh geez, I need another addictive game on my phone like a hole in the head but Wordament is F.U.N. A lot like Boggle where you find words but then you see your score against everyone playing around the Internet. Loads of fun! (Plus, it is F-R-E-E!)

2. Anchorman

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Every time I see this movie, it just gets funnier and funnier. My favorite Will Ferrell movie ever. Sidenote: Will Ferrell was in Charlotte when he filmed, "Talladega Nights" and I saw him walk right by the office I was working in at the time. He is crazy tall...

3. Bill Cunningham New York



Bill Cunningham is THE fashion photographer for the NY Times. He's amazing and the documentary, Bill Cunningham New York is FANTASTIC! If you're into fashion, New York City, documentaries or anything else that's cool, you will really enjoy this doc on this amazing man that's a New York staple. P.S.-You can stream this documentary on Netflix!

4. Community

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Community is BACK! Now go watch it so that it doesn't go on hiatus again...

5. Kory from SCRAPiVERSE

Okay, so there's this blogger, Kory who has a blog called SCRAPiVERSE and his is my new crafty bestie (he doesn't know that so don't tell him I said it, it'll make me sound creepy.) His posts are freakin' funny, so head on over, leave a comment and say hello!

There you have it, another Friday Night Fab Five for the ages! What were your favorites this week?

Create a Wall Hanging

Hi everyone!

Got a new project for you today that I did for Gauche Alchemy and it all started with a another thrift store find and Julie's background technique:

Following Julie's steps, I first created my background, I left the sewing pattern on there - accidentally because I apparently can't follow directions, lol (I did add some gel medium and glitter because...well, it's glitter.)  I let that dry and it turned out dark brown which was great but I really wanted to add some more colors to it.  I decided to sleep on it and in bed, my mind starting to think about all of the creative possibilities (yes, I even dream about making stuff, lol) which kept me awake so at about 1:00AM I said, "Screw it" and got back up to finish this wall hanging...and here it is:

I've been wanting to do something like this with Gauche Alchemy's Mixed Media Color Kits for a long time now. I've always pictured doing a rainbow or some sort of colorful something. For this project, I just referenced a color wheel and went from there.

I got out almost all of my color kits and started laying things out on the background. I was pretty proud of myself when I was finished until it hit me that I now had to go back through and glue all these pieces down. Oh well, I just went for it and finished up about 2:00AM I believe. I decided to add "Create" to the center to always remind me to get to making something. :D

I've always said that our Mixed Media Color Kits are my favorite thing in the shop and I was so happy to finally see this project in my head become a reality!

Oh to Be a Child Again!

Hi everyone!

I've got a new canvas project to show you and it all started with these darling painted pins:

I wish I had thought of painting pins like this! They came to me from the talented June Marie and as soon as I saw these sweet girls I was inspired to create a project around them:

I started with this canvas picture I got at a thrift store for 80 cents. I'm telling you: go to thrift stores and raid their picture sections! It's a great way to stock up on canvases and the like to alter later. :D

I then covered it in Gesso:

And Mod Podged a sheet of scrapbook paper on top. I picked this pattern because I thought it complimented the pins nicely:

As soon as I saw June Marie's pins, I thought of this piece of stationary that I've been holding on to for what seems like forever. (It came from one of Gauche Alchemy's ACME Kits.) My thought was to adhere it to the background using beeswax.

Unfortunately, it didn't get as transparent as I wanted it to be so I just peeled it up and cut it, leaving the kitschy top part on my canvas.  I added some embellishments and ta da! A cutesy-poo child canvas, spotlighting these adorable pins from June Marie.

Friday Night Fab Five

Hi everyone and welcome to another Friday Night Fab Five where I list 5 things I'm digging this week. Here we go!

1. How To Video: Hair Chalking



So okay, I JUST bought chalk pastels last week for my Blythe doll (and projects on general) then I come across this tutorial by Kandee Johnson showing how to use them to color your hair. Love!

2. The Rock-afire Explosion

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The Rock-afire Explosion was the animatronic band that played in Showbiz Pizza Place, a kids pizza restaurant that I LOVED going to when I was a kid in the 80s (most of them were later turned into Chuck E. Cheese's). You have no idea how many birthday parties I went to at Showbiz and one of my favorite things was watching The Rock-afire Explosion band. Flipping through Netflix the other night, I discovered a documentary on the band...AWESOME.

3. Clorox Poops



We're in the midst of potty training Toot and it is not going well. When I saw this commercial, I laughed out loud, then I felt her pain...then I was praying Toot would poop in the tub. At least she'd be going somewhere...


4. The Real Housewives of Disney



Anyone that's watched The Real Housewives of various places and knows the Disney Princesses will love this skit from last week's Saturday Night Live. Classic! And speaking of one of the Disney Housewives...


5. Kristen Wiig



I just love me some Kristen Wiig. She's brilliant on SNL and it goes without saying that I loved her in Bridesmaids. I wanna be BFF with her!

And there you have it, another Friday Night Fab Five for the ages! What were your favorites this week?

Blythe Inspired Mixed Media Canvas

Hi everyone!

Couple of quick announcements:

-In honor of National Craft Month, take 10% off everything in the Gauche Alchemy store during the month of March! No coupon code required!

-Speaking of GA, we're holding a Design Team Call, check it out here.

Ever create a project you have a love/hate relationship with? You look at something you made and think, "Wow, that's pretty cool!" Then you look at it again and think, "Oh no no, this is one hot mess." "No wait, I love it!" "Oh yuck!" So yeah, this is that project for me:

I wanted to create a mixed media canvas that was Blythe doll inspired and of course had to start out drawing. I.can.not.draw. But I pushed through and started by sketching her face and the lines around it. I decided to fill in some of the lines with book pages and then I proceeded to use every last technique in the book for the "rays".

Seriously, I techniqued the crap out of this thing. I used Gauche Alchemy PVC Punchinella as a stencil with modeling paste and White Ouchless Cardboard onto which I rubbed Distress Inks. I painted, I used bubble wrap, I collaged, there's acrylic paint, inks, mists, chalk pastels, if it was in reach, I used it.

Then there was the issue of her hair. I started by using paper and paint, didn't work. Then I did a layer of crackle paint which made it look like she had poop for hair. Then...the yarn. Toot picked out this yarn a while back and it is LOUD. I finally remembered those Kindergarten projects where you make pictures with white glue and yarn so there I went. Yarn hair!

Actually, I don't hate how this turned out. She's so colorful and psychedelic. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go to the store.  I'm out of modeling paste.

How to Set Your Microwave on Fire

Hi everyone and welcome to Maggi's Creative Craft Fail Corner where I provide the best tips, tricks and tutorials for failing spectacularly at any craft. Today I'm going to show you how to set your microwave on fire. This technique is sure to be a big splash at your next creative event. Be the envy of all of your friends!

Step 1

Buy a Blythe doll. They're expensive, hard to find in the US and most of the time you have to pay enormous shipping fees to get them from Asia. Then, think to yourself, "How can I spend the maximum amount of money for minimum result?" Reroot her hair with dyed mohair like you've seen other people do on Flickr! YOU CAN'T LOSE!

Step 2

Go online and start looking for mohair. Wow, mohair that's already been cleaned, combed and dyed gorgeous colors are expensive, aren't they? I know! Find a site that sells raw mohair, right off the goat and dye it yourself! You pay a fraction of the cost for 100 times the work! Then go to your local yarn store and buy a set of expensive dyes that are made especially for animal fibers.

Step 3

After gathering your materials and explaining to your husband why this purchase was good for the economy, follow the instructions included with the dye incorrectly. They suggest testing a lock of the fiber to check for correct coloring first. I know, I know...You're not one for reading manuals and following instructions but please don't play around! Following instructions incorrectly ensures that your time and money are wasted.

Mix your dyes and make sure to add too much water. This will make your color too light which is important. We're putting this in the microwave to steam and set the color so make sure that you do NOT use enough water. Blot it with a paper towel first because everyone knows that in order to steam, you want the least amount of water possible. Wrap your mohair in plastic wrap, put it in a glass bowl (also important: use glass!) and set the microwave for 5 minutes.

Step 4

Walk away. That's it! It's important to walk away and not keep an eye on your semi-dry animal hair wrapped in plastic, sitting in a glass bowl. So just walk away...maybe make a phone call, check your e-mail, take a potty break, what have you.

Step 5

After about 3 minutes, ask yourself, "What's that smell?"

Step 6

Go to check on your fiber. You'll notice that both the fiber and plastic wrap have disappeared. Don't worry, it's just been replaced by fire. At this point, you'll want to make sure you freak the #@^$# out. Open the microwave and start blowing on the bowl. This won't put the fire out but it will help you inhale as much smoke as possible. Next, reach in and grab the bowl. It will be hot. After that, take a wet washcloth (cold water works best for this) and grab your fire bowl. If you've done it correctly, the bowl will explode as you're pulling it out of the microwave. But it's okay, the explosion helps put out the fire.

Ta da! 6 easy steps to setting your microwave on fire! It really couldn't be any easier. Thank you for joining me today on Maggi's Creative Craft Fail Corner! Please join me again next week when I will have hot glued myself to the wall.

Friday Night Fab Five

Hi everyone and welcome to another Friday Night Fab Five where I list 5 things I love this week! Wait, it's March??? 3 months into 2012 already, that's crazy! Anyhoo, on to the Five!

1. Being Elmo

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Being Elmo is a documentary about Kevin Clash (the voice and puppeteer for Elmo) and his rise in the world of puppetry. I found this documentary extremely interesting as I had no idea how early in life Kevin Clash started making his own puppets. At a young age he was already working on shows like "Captain Kangaroo" and even worked on "Labyrinth". Check it out, it's now available to stream on Netflix.

2. Benedict Cumberbatch

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Sherlock Holmes, voice of Smaug in The Hobbit, in new Star Trek movie, possible role on Doctor Who (which if it turns out to be true, that along with The Hobbit and Star Trek will officially make him a king among geeks everywhere), best name in the history of names. Isn't he dreamy? *sigh* I just really wanted to show his picture again. If he was in Tiger Beat, I'd buy a locker just to hang his picture in it.

3. Target: Color Changes Everything



I think this commercial is too cute. I love the music and the random bursts of color. It makes me happy. :D

4. New Projects

Last week I mentioned Blythe dolls and I was lucky enough to find one online for a steal so I've already begun her transformation by taking her apart, sanding off her makeup and carving her lips. The best part of this project is that I have no idea what the heck I'm doing (no news there) so this should be interesting...

5. Davy Jones

I haven't talked a lot about The Monkees on my blog although I have used them on a canvas before so you may not know just how much I love them. Long story short, I'm obsessed with The Monkees. My dad saw them in concert when Jimi Hendrix was their opening act, I've personally seen them three times in concert (reunion tours obviously) and I got the chance to meet Micki Dolenz a few years back.

I love the show, I love their movie, "Head", I always tune in when they show Davy Jones' episode of "The Brady Bunch" and I still reach for their music when I'm feeling down because it never fails to put a smile on my face. Needless to say, I am incredibly sadden to hear the news of Davy Jones' passing this week. He was only 66 which, now that I'm in my thirties, feels far too young to be leaving this world.

There are many Davy moments that I love but one of my favorite songs he sang was "Daddy's Song" from the movie, "Head":



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