An Ode to Christmas Crafts

December comes but once a year,

the month of crafting holiday cheer

When ginger homes are made with candy,

and ribbon always comes in handy

The gifts are wrapped in fancy ways,

and paper snowflakes’ cuts amaze

A pine cone wreath upon your door,

welcomes cards not from the store

and on the hearth glass globes with snow,

gleam in hand dipped candles’ glow

While Santa’s cookies lie in wait,

an advent calender keeps the date

For under trees that are hung with treasures

are handmade gifts, life’s little pleasures

So fill your house with things you make

and love each other,  for Christmas sake.

Happy holidays! Love, M.

Links I Love: DIY Fabric Labels by Elm Street Life

Using freezer paper, fabric, and my computer printer, I make the fabric labels for my zipper bags at home. When designing my Tiny Bee bags I was looking for a DIY professional looking label when found Elm Street Life’s guide.  I have also used this technique to print designs and typography onto fabric. Really easy and the ink is permanent. Share pictures of your printer fabric crafts on The Tiny Bee Facebook page.

Check out the tutorial over @

Are You Being Found in Google Image Search?

Are your product photos being found on Google image search? If your image file name looks like ” 54K6F78.jpg” or some other computer generated mess, then the answer is NO.

Google doesn’t know what your image is unless you tell it, so maximize your search exposure by naming your images with keyword rich descriptive terms.

 

In a world where front page is king, 14 sets of my heart push pins are listed on the first page of search from using this quick simple SEO trick.

Whats your SEO secret?  Share your best tips in the comments below.

How I Organize: My Etsy Stock

I sell many different types of earrings at The Tiny Bee and use these Darice bead boxes to keep my stock organized. I got these for around $2 a piece in the Michaels jewelry aisle during a 40% off organizers sale. These sort of sales seem to repeat themselves so just keep an eye out.

I sorted all my stock by earring shape and then in rainbow order ( don’t you just love things in rainbow order?). I attached labels to the side of the boxes and stacked them on a closet shelf for easy access whenever that next Etsy order comes rolling in.

8 Gift Ideas for the Crafter in Your Life

(aka what I want for Christmas)

—— Marker Sets ——

No other writing utensil gives me the same satisfaction as a fresh marker across a crisp piece of paper. Give the joy of a new marker set with either splurge for the top-of-line Copic 36-Piece Sketch Basic Set for $153, or go classic with a 24-piece Sharpie Marker Set (w/ Storage Case). $40

—— Cricut Cutting Machine —–
The Cricut Expression 2 Paper Cutting Machine is a scrapbooker’s dream come true. A Cricut is a magical machine that can cut paper into thousands of different shapes with the push of a few buttons. This is great gift for paper-crafters, card makers, or teachers. $149

—— Martha Stewarts’ Crafting Encyclopedias ——

  

These are my crafting bibles. Both of Martha Stewarts’ crafting encyclopedias are beautiful hardcover masterpieces and… I love them. I recommend the Encyclopedia of Crafts: An A-to-Z Guide”  for general crafters and her Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts for people who like to sew. $26 each.

—— Scissors ——-

Don’t underestimate the importance of a good pair of scissors. They are essential to most craft projects and worth investing in a good pair. I use Mundial 10′ industrial forged dressmaker’s shears for cutting fabric and a trust-worthy pair of  Fiskars 8′ titanium softgrip scissors for everything else. Mundial $38; Fiskars $12

—— Sewing Machine —–

    A whole new world of crafts opens up when you own a sewing machine; curtains, dresses, pillows, and so much more! I own the Brother CS6000i. It’s easy to use, has 60 stitch settings, and is on some sort of super sale @ Amazon right now. Originally $449, now $150

—— Glitter ——-

If I seem obsessed with everything Martha, it’s because I am. I am also infatuated with glitter, so my love for this Martha Stewart Crafts Essential Colors Glitter Set, 24-Pack runs pretty deep.
$17

—— Mod Podge ——

Mod Podge is a line of crafting products best known for their popular  decoupaging glue but they sell lots of other awesome products as well. Make someone a Mod Podge gift bag with some of their unique products like dimensional magic,photo transfer medium, tracing templates, or a decoupaging starter pack. All items around $10

—— Needle Felting Kits ——

This cute little penguin can be handmade using a needle felting kit. I love projects that can be done on a lazy Christmas day. Maybe even attach a string to him and hang him on the tree. This perfect little stocking stuffer is only $10

Did I miss something you love? Let me know in the comments below.

Watch With Envy As Martha Stewart Puts Together A Craft Closet (Video)

I must warn you. After watching Martha put together a craft armoire, I became an organizational tornado. I spent the following three days tirelessly Martha-izing my own craft closet, and its still not quiet as fabulous as the queen of crafts’. Someday, someday…

Check out the armoire transformation on this episode of “DIY Crafts”:

DIY Decorative Christmas Matchboxes

 

These decorative Christmas matchboxes are super easy, inexpensive, and can be made with all those crafting scraps you have laying around.

The Basics:

Matchboxes– I got a 10 pack of these in the grocery store for 97 cents.

Shipping labels (or any other white sticker). I prep each matchbox with these stickers so that the writing is covered. These two inch labels worked fine for the width and I trimmed the excess with scissors. Be cautious not to cover the striking strips or you’ll end up with a less-than-functional matchbox. You could also use white paper and glue for this step.

Scissors– for trimming labels, washi tape, stickers, etc.

Mod Podge for gluing but I’d imagine something like Elmers would work as well.

Washi Tape Box

This is the easiest design of the bunch. After applying a shipping label, wrap washi tape around the matchbox cover. Trim the tape and tuck ends inside out of view. BTW I got this washi tape set half off at Hobby Lobby for $3

Sticker Matchbox

This box is make with some Christmas scrapbook stickers. After attaching the shipping label I colored it with a red sharpie. Then I cut the sticker to size and tucked the raw ends inside the box cover.

Glitter Happy Fun

Of course, I needed a glitter version. At first, I tried to Mod Podge  glitter to the cover, but it was falling off and getting all over the place. Instead I poured glitter onto a paper plate and placed the sticky side of a shipping label onto it. Then I used Mod Podge to attach the now sparkly label to the cover. For a fun pop of color, I used a red sharpie on the inner matchbox.

Scrapbook Paper Box

How cute are these little guys?  I cut two pieces of scrapbook paper to size and attached them to the cover using Mod Podge. You can also use Mod Podge over the paper for extra  protection/ glossy finish. I used “Merry Christmas” stickers on the inside box for an extra special touch.

There are so many ways you can decorate and customize these matchboxes. These would be an awesome gift with a candle or alone as a stocking stuffer. I would love to see what you guys come up with. Share your matchbox designs on The Tiny Bee facebook page.

50% SALE: Cyber Monday 2013

I’m offering a HUGE discount for Cyber Monday (12/2/2013).

50% your total purchase @ The Tiny Bee with coupon code: CyberMonday50

Enter your coupon code during check out. One day only; coupon expires 12/3/2013.

How To Turn Scrapbook Paper Into Floral Wedding Decorations

I’m getting married this May, which is exciting for all sorts of reasons, including the whole new world of wedding crafts that has opened up to me. I was looking for an inexpensive way to decorate my wedding and decided to make these scrapbook paper flower balls. I love the way they came out and can’t wait to show them off on my big day!

What you’ll need:

Styrofoam balls-  find these in the craft store’s floral department. I used these 4″ balls from Joanns but Michaels also carries them in a variety of sizes. I needed a lot so I collected them over a few weeks using my 40% off coupons.

Floral or Sewing Pins

Fiskars x-large Poppy lever paper punch (currently on sale for under $10 @ Joanns)

2 or more pieces of scrapbook paper depending on paper and ball size

Ribbon, if you want to hang your ball

Scissors

Spray paint (optional)

What to do:

Start by punching out your flowers using your Fiskars poppy punch. After punching the perimeter of your scrapbook paper, use a pair of scissors to clean up the edges and continue punching the rest of the paper.

Using your fingers, gently crimp each petal to give your flowers dimension.

Secure the center of each flower to your Styrofoam ball with a floral or sewing pin. Let the flowers overlap slightly and don’t worry too much about the spacing, they will look amazing when your finished.

If using a dark color you may want to spray paint the balls first in a complementary shade so that the white doesn’t show.

Once your flowers are all in place, use a pin to secure a piece of ribbon to the ball for hanging.

Easy right!? I may hang these somewhere in my house after the wedding day, what will you be using your flower balls for?

How To Turn Your Smart Phone Into a Card Reader: PayPal Here

Have you ever attended a festival or fair and seen something you totally would have bought if it weren’t for the CASH ONLY sign and an empty wallet standing in your way?

In a day where debit card is king, it’s unrealistic to expect your customers to always be carrying cash. Fortunately, PayPal has come up with a solution so you never have to miss out on a sale again.

PayPal Here is an electronic card reader that works with most smart phones to process debit and credit card transactions. You just plug it into your headphone jack, fire up the PayPal here app, and charge away. The card reader itself is free and then PayPal takes at 2.7% processing fee for each swiped transaction.

Check out this video for more information: