ORNAMENT #2 - creative girlfriends linking & sharing

My girlfriend Katie Hacker (who just did a podcast interview with Girlfriendology) invited me (aka: GirlfriendologyToo!) to participate in an ornament round robin with other creative women's sites. (Thanks Katie!)

Last week I visited all the other sites and got great ideas for ornaments and gifts - it was like visiting new creative girlfriends and getting inspiration from them. (Try it! I'm sure you'll get some wonderful ideas!)

For this week's ornament, I have to confess that I'm somewhat a hardware junkie. I don't know why, but I just like crafting with some materials generally used for home repairs or decorating, etc. Again, I've got the flashing out (found in the plumbing section of home improvement stores) and the metal ABC stamps. So here goes ...

GIRLFRIEND ORNAMENT/SUN CATCHER

I cut a small square out of flashing and hammer stamped in some word/wish (Hope, Peace, Love, Joy, Dream - depending on the girlfriend to receive the ornament). Then I sanded it to remove a bit of the shine and add some distressed texture (and to remove any rough edges). I drilled holes in the top and bottom for the wire. Using colored wire and beads, I added adorments and a handle. Pretty simple ornament to make but also very versatile. I gave to some girlfriends last year and they kept them up all year in their offices, windows, bathrooms.

EXTRA ORNAMENT

Okay, so all these creative women kind-of intimidate me! (They're some pretty BIG blog/craft stars in the bunch!) So, I thought I should throw in a bonus ornament to earn inclusion in the group! This is just a simple ornament with coated wire formed into a swirly hanger and then in spirals to form a mini tree. I added metallic plastic beads on thinner coated wire to 'decorate it.' I love how it sparkles in the tree lights!

For more GREAT ORNAMENT IDEAS check out these creative girlfriends and their ornament ideas:

Easy needle-felted orb - Katie Hacker
Christmas cookie - Jennifer Heynen
Christmas tree finger labyrinth - Hali Chambers
Ring in the New Year - Kriss Cramer
Quilty pieced snowman - Linda Augsburg
Simply striking sparkling spheres - Margot Potter
Beaded memory wire - Elaine Luther
Wire & beaded tree - Lynn Kvigne
Jolly and yummy ceramic candy - Melanie Brooks Lukacs
Polymer snowflake embedded in resin - Melissa Lee
Beaded candy canes - Candie Cooper
Polymer clay gift tag/ornament - Heather Powers
Twisted blues - Lampwork Diva aka Cindy Gimbrone
Holiday spiral tree & party pixie - Art Bead Scene
Wire bird's nest - Rebecca Peck
Plush gingerbread doggie - Jenny Harada
Swell ornament - Alexa Westerfield
Holiday paper crafting - Brandy Lung Gill
Shaving cream & chipboard ornament - Michelle McGee

Thanks Katie! Thanks Creative Girlfriends! Have fun!!

Sparkly Girlfriend Ornaments for the ORNAMENT ROUND ROBIN

As you know, Girlfriendology is all about 'appreciation, inspiration and celebration of girlfriends.' GirlfriendologyToo is for the creative side of girlfriends - like those who like to share fun creative ideas ... hmmm, like a SPARKLY ORNAMENT to give your girlfriends!

This easy project takes flashing (from a hardware store, plumbing dept.), tin snips, double-sided adhesive (like Double-sided Super Tape, by Therm O Web), awl, glitter, beads and wire. I also used some metal letter stamps to personalize them.

Draw and cut patterns from paper - mine were for a star, purse and heart. Using the tin snips (don't use scissors, it may ruin them!), cut the tin shapes and use the awl to make holes to hang them from. If you want to personalize, hammer metal alphabet stamps in the flashing. Cut the double sided tape to cover the tin (like for the purse and star) or in shapes (like the heart) for the first glitter color and apply to the tin. Remove the tape backing and apply wire words (like the star "Dream"), rhinestones or beads. Then cover in glitter. Apply any other pieces of the tape and add other colors of rhinestones. Cover the back with tape and glitter. Use the awl again to open up the holes (going through the glitter and tape) and insert wire (with beads, like for purse handle or curled) for hangers.

TODAY is an ornament round robin so you can get lots of ideas, like:

Framed Memory Art - Katie Hacker
Fun spoon snowmen - Candie Cooper
Joyful stamped dovie - Margot Potter
Pretty bead embroidery - Linda Augsburg
Scented clay cookie - Melanie Brooks Lukacs
Dual purpose art bead ornie - Art Bead Scene
Jingle spiral - Cindy Gimbrone
Charming art bead ornies - Heather Powers
Stamped poly clay & beads - Polymer Clay Craft Gossip
Glitter paint and glass - Alexa Westerfield
Starry stamped polymer clay - Elaine Luther
PMC & kid's art ornie - Melissa Lee
Painted glass orbs - Michelle McGee
Super bright starburst - Jennifer Heynen
Stephen Colbert angel - Hali Chambers
Vintage cone - Kriss Kramer
Peppermint decor - Lisa Liddy
Sweet snowy guys - Brandy Lung Gill
And there's a cool star ornament at Beading Daily

And some that will be posted after this writing...
Jenny Harada
Rebecca Peck
Jean Yates
Sara Naumann
Lynn Kvigne
Suzanne

Just some fun ideas from crafty girlfriends! Girlfriends add sparkle to our lives, so why not make an ornament to match?! Have fun Creative Girlfriends!

Sparkly girlfriend gifts (and easy to make too!)

I love candles at the holidays and throughout the year. I've given candles in the past but, without time to actually make the candles myself, I feel like a store-bought candle needs a little creative help!

In anticipation of the holidays and wanting to make girlfriend gifts, I found/bought small glass tealight and votive holders for the past year. I have quite a varied collection. Time to get crafting!

Inspired by the Craft Chica, Kathy Cano-Murillo (who talked with us on a Girlfriendology Podcast) - who just happens to LOVE glitter, I decorated several with lines, dots and solid coverage using DecoArt's Craft Twinkles Writers for great glitter colors and coverage!

Also using DecoArt's products, this time Liquid Beadz, I decorated the tops of these glass home accessories. Actually, this is the pair I made for my friend Terri (who inspired the article on giving great girlfriend gifts). She entertains a lot and I thought they'd be fun little accent pieces for her home.

Like the embellished gloves below, what can YOU personalize for a present for your girlfriend, mother, sister, coworker? Make a little effort and I know you'll get a BIG response! Happy Crafting Creative Girlfriends!

P.S. Don't have time to make a gift? Girlfriendology has selected fabulous items to give your female friends for holidays, Christmas, birthdays, etc. Stop by our Girlfriend Gift Shop!

TIP TUESDAY #2 - Share your Holiday Crafting Tips with Girlfriends

Okay, girlfriends! Now it's your turn. You share your opinions, ideas, funny stories, shopping tips, recipes, favorite books, reality show updates, crafting techniques, store sales, celebrity gossip ... whew! We share A LOT, especially when it comes to girlfriends!

Now every Tuesday Girlfriendology is asking for YOUR TIP on a selected topic. For general topics, visit our other Girlfriendology Blog. But, for GirlfriendologyToo (the creative side of girlfriends) we'd like your crafty comments.

So, this weeks question is:

What is your holiday crafting secret?

Do you start early? Simplify? Embellish store-bought products?

Okay, I'll start first ... You already know, if you're a friend or a 'bleader' (blog reader) that I make my own holiday cards which I try to at least start thinking about the theme early in the year. For gifts, I try to make something little for a lot of my girlfriends. Last year I sewed pompoms, buttons and beads on cheap gloves (I'll share a photo in an upcoming blog). This year I plan to add glitter (thanks to our podcast conversation with the Crafty Chica!) to some glass tea light holders. Again, simple. Same project for lots of girlfriends but with variations (like color, decor elements - circles, swirls, words in glitter paint). Now, it's your turn!

Girlfriend Greetings - More ideas for holiday cards

It was my first house. I bought it on my own without even tell my parents until it was mine. (I told my mom, "guess what I bought that's older than you?!" She never guessed it, but I wanted to do it on my own and I did.) So, of course to celebrate it I had to make my holiday card about having a home of my own.

This simple card featured my home but I wanted it to be somewhat colorful and year 'round. I did a pointilism image of the house and printed it on vellum. Underneath I did watercolors to fit the drawing of spring blooms, summer grass, fall leaves and winter snow. Inside it read:

The animation of spring, the vitality of summer, the beauty of autumn, the peace of winter ... may each season refresh our joy of friends. season's greetings.

What does this have to do with girlfriends? Well, as creative girlfriends we like to share our crafty ideas with each other so I hope someone finds some inspiration in this artwork that I did over 15 years ago. My cards have always been my expression of my appreciation for all my friends. So I wanted to express it to you too.

Have special friends? Take the time to make them a special greeting this holiday season. Is your BFF the best friend ever? Make her a custom card to show your love and appreciation. Life is short. Celebrate the good stuff - like holidays, girlfriends and happy memories together.

Girlfriend gifts, holiday greeting cards - what are you making this year?

I just recorded the most recent podcast with the winning entries from our Girlfriendology Contest. It was fun just to share the stories of female friends who have been there for their girlfriends - just when they needed them the most to wonderful friends who have fun and funny traditions of doing life with their girlfriends. All of them were so inspiring!

This month's contest is about "girlfriend gifts" - what wonderful things have your girlfriends given you or done for you? GirlfriendologyToo is all about the creative side of girlfriends so I'm really looking forward to your inspiring ideas and stories!

Football games and cooler weather make me start getting excited about the holidays. What will I make for our holiday card? I have a ridiculous tradition of overproducing a card at the most hectic, stressful time of the year! I thought I'd share this and will show my progress in future blog entries to inspire you or to show you what NOT to do! Shown here is my first card. It was back in the 80's and I made my own stencils on a cardstock postcard.

Unfortunately this is my only one and it suffered some water-damage but it is still fun to have and look back on! In fact, it reminded me of blogs some of my creative girlfriends wrote on old crafts that they now laugh about. (We all have those non-timeless designs or goofy projects that we love even if they're not perfect!) Get inspiration and fun ideas from my creative girlfriends (who wrote those blogs) - Katie Hacker and Linda Peterson.

I also try to give handmade gifts to my girlfriends. I'm looking for inspiration! Anyone have great ideas for girlfriend gifts? Do you have a creative holiday tradition to share with your Girlfriendology girlfriends? Has a girlfriend given you a special present? Maybe her time, or a handmade gift or a wonderful surprise. Share that too in our contest. Girlfriends are a blessing - share your stories and ideas!

Fun Halloween Treat Bag to Make (or give to your girlfriend with a bunch of candy!)

Sorry creative sisters! A few blogs ago I promised an upcoming pumpkin project. Now it is the night before Halloween and I just got my camera to work!

Actually I made this a few years ago when I was demonstrating a glue on QVC. (It was really fun to be on there!) I keep it around for each Halloween and that glue works!

Basically I took a round cardboard box and cut felt to cover it (orange on the outside, black on the inside. I cut out the face and used pinking shears to cut the fabric for the handles. The glue (actually "Perfect Glue"tm) worked really well to hold it all together.

Now, every year I bring it out for my candy holder or to hold a dried flower arrangement. I'd definitely recommend it for a fun way to give your girlfriend her own treats at Halloween. (Or change the look to a snow-woman or Santa ... really easy to do!)

Have fun celebrating tomorrow! Watch out for ghosts and goblins! And don't forget to celebrate your girlfriends every day of the year. A world without girlfriends ... now that would be scary!

Christmas in July

Really! It is looking like December in my studio this weekend. I'm working on holiday projects for some A.C. Moore videos that I'll tape in Cleveland on Tuesday. Even thought it is summer and HOT today, I'm painting on Snowflakes with DecoArt's Craft Twinkles Writers. (Very cool glitter paint/pens! Easy to use, clean up and they're really sparkly!) The photo shows an Indiana Glass vase and some glass tealight holders I found at garage sales. (Don't tell anyone, but I'm going to decorate a whole bunch of these for holiday gifts for my girlfriends!)

Why not get use your time/inspiration this summer to get started on some of your holiday gifts? It will definitely relieve part of that seasonal stress and make your girlfriends happy when they receive your handmade gifts!