Some people think glitter is the herpes of craft supplies. It gets everywhere. Today, this morning actually, it was in the snow. In the ice. Under the sun, shining it’s little heart out for all the world to see. Like a thousand grains of tinsel shredded up and sprinkled over the frosty train tracks.
This delighted me because 1. It was pretty, and 2. This confirms what I have suspected all these years: Mother nature has a serious sparkle tooth.
There is this thing that craft bloggers do at the end of each year: The Top Ten List. Wherein, I am supposed to go through my stats and recant whatever posts people read the most. I am sure you have seen a few. It’s a thing.
I had never been tempted to do one before because I figured well, if you liked it you already liked it…and if you didn’t well, why would I remind you about that?
But then, for my own sake, I got sort of curious to see exactly what was popular this year. It’s been a weird year here in Blogtown. Sometimes, posts that I spent a lot of time on (thinking you guys will love them) ended up being total flops….while other no-nothing doo-dahs ended up wildly popular. And, what is weird about this list is that I run a craft blog and half of the most popular posts have nothing to do with crafts. This leads me to believe that I am in the wrong business. I need to start a third blog (in case you missed my second blog), devoted to toilet paper tubes and the post-feminist manifesto.
Good thing I have alllllll of 2013 to get on that.
1. 10 Minute Marker Caddy
To tell you the truth, this was essentially as filler post I came up with during a week I was crazy busy with work. I didn’t think anyone would pay much attention. To date, it has seen more traffic than half of all my other posts combined. Who knew people were so crazy about toilet paper tubes?
2. Why I will no longer be shopping at Hobby Lobby.
Balls. I got ’em. Big ones. Talk about controversy. The comments and emails on this one continue to come in every week…good, bad, ugly. At one point last fall my email address got circulated to a church group who took it upon themselves to send me pictures of dead babies. So that was fun. To date, nobody from Hobby Lobby has ever acknowledged reading this post, however, a couple of their largest competitors have. This tells me that some companies are listening to their customers. All of them. Did this post make a difference in their lawsuit? Doubtful. But I’m glad I said it just the same.
3. 67 Pounds of Paper
“Without fail, my father wrote me a letter every day from when I was age thirteen to the time he died when I was twenty. If I break that down month by month, day by day, it comes out to somewhere close to 3,500 pieces of mail. Most of which are gone now. All but 67 pounds.” Every Father’s Day I comb through his writing as a way to feel close….this time around, I wrote some something in return.
4. Decahedrom Himmeli
Apparently people like combining plastic straws and a flair for math. Throw in some folk art from Finland and you have a hit.
5. How to remove candle wax from glass containers
To be honest, I felt stupid posting this in the first place. Then I thought maybe someone would join me in my quest for crystal clear containers. Apparently I was right on that one. Everyone loves candle containers. Everyone.
6. Coffee Filter Garland
Coffee filters + sewing machine = a big, fancy, feather boa like garland that you can use for a party or swag around a door all year long. You need this. Yes, you do.
7. Pantyhose, Chardonnay, and Other Advice From My Mother
My mother liked to give unsolicited advice. In this post, I pulled together some of her greatest hits, such as;
…on people who tan too much
Don’t trust people who tan too much. Anyone who looks like a rotisserie chicken on purpose isn’t right in the head.…on jewelry
The most beautiful women in the world never wear jewelry. They don’t need it. Roses do not need perfume.
I love this post for personal reasons, but I am even more fond of it because people used the comment section to share favorite advice from their mothers. I get weepy eyed just breezing through what other people write. I am so looking forward to revisiting this topic in May 2013.
8. The Mommy Card
Want to annoy me? Offer to sponsor a post, then get me to do a bunch of work, then pull out at the last minute because I’m “not a mother.” Given the nature of the #7 post above, it is odd that the eighth most popular post this year was about me being, ahem, not a mother.
9. Fiesta Flowers
I took the most ubiquitous-commonplace-easy-to-find craft project on the interwebs (tissue paper poms) and made enough of them to stick around a doorway. People acted like they had never seen it before. I sure felt like I was wearing some serious smarty pants that day.
10. Paper Plate Magnolias
Paper plates turned into flowery napkin rings. No glue, no fuss. Easy to do. I’m still waiting for someone to show me a whole wedding reception set with these suckers.
***
And that’s it! Whoever goes around telling people that the only way to build a blog is to “concentrate on one niche subject” has never met my readers. Y’all are a fickle a bunch.
And I could not love you more.
I wish you and yours a happy, safe, healthy, joyous, chocolate dipped 2013.
Happy New Year!
The nice thing about New Years Eve is that it is the only holiday that calls for an obligatory party hat. If you ask me, we should be wearing party hats for all holidays; Christmas, Valentines, Mother’s Day, Easter…OK, maybe not Easter. That’s morbid. But Thanksgiving? Why the Hell not.
The only thing I don’t like about NYE party hats is that the ones they pass out at bars and parties are usually pretty lame. Why not make your own? I went to my local dollar store, picked up a pack of birthday tiaras and a bag of hot pink feathers….a little hot glue later, boom. An all occasion party hat was born.
Just try to tell me your don’t want one. Just try.
Happy New Year!
Have you ever been to a pharmacy on Christmas Eve? Like a Walgreens or a Rite-Aid? It’s pretty sad. Long lines full of anxious people buying nothing but second-run Justin Beiber holiday themed wrapping paper and plastic jugs of Russian vodka. Sure, there are a few folks buying diapers, prescriptions and snack cakes, but really, it’s the wrapping paper that gets them through the door. Or maybe it’s the hooch (no judgements here). All I’m saying is folks could skip the lines at the store if they printed their own paper at home.
Because I hoard collect wrapping paper all year round, most of my gifts are wrapped in generic print paper and accented with holidayish paper or ribbons. One of my favorite things is to wrap in newspaper and make a ‘belly band’ out of something rich and elegant — maybe some origami paper, or a strip of silk brocade, or belt of vintage wrapping paper….
Last winter, my friend Ann sent me a box of vintage wrapping paper she found at Goodwill. How old is it? I’m not sure. It looks about 1940’s to me. Maybe 50’s. Ann, what would you say?
All I know is that the paper crackles like potato chips when I touch it and is far too pretty to use up on one person’s gift. No way, Jose.
Jose’s gift will be wrapped up regular old polka dots and accented with the vintage stuff.
Real vintage stuff? No. It’s a print-out.
I scanned in the wrapping paper and saved them as letter size PDFs. You can print them out on copy paper, or on labels, or anything else your little heart desires. Click here to view the PDF.
I have a thing about getting creative with office supplies. It’s a gift. A weird, obsessive gift.
Or rededication if you ask certain people.
Last year, I shared my Candy Land themed Christmas lights. This year they are back up again and looking great. However, as I was taking photos, it occurred to me that it took more effort to take the pictures than it was to make the lights in the first place. Woe unto thee, O Craft Blogger!
So, with that in mind, this year I thought it would be fun to share a roundup of my favorite tips on how to photograph Christmas lights. I’ll admit I am no expert, but I am getting better and learning more each year. Come join in the fun!
Taking warm and ambient photos of Christmas lights is a tricky skill that even hardcore professional photographers can find challenging. Years ago, no matter the skill level, it was just about impossible to take a decent photo featuring a person and a glowing Christmas tree. Lucky for us, lenses have come a long way in recent years and even those with non-DSL cameras can take some great shots. The camera on my IPhone is better quality than the fanciest point-and-shoot digital camera on the market just five years ago. With that said, whatever your comfort level, you have no excuse to not get out there and take some holiday shots. Get going!
- For those with camera phones (plus, these a great tips for Iphone photos in general).
- For those with a basic point-and-shoot camera (one of my all-time most popular posts).
- For those who own a DSL / photo enthusiasts. I also like this post about twinkle bursts. And this quick video on shooting candle flames.
- For professionals (or people who know how to shoot in manual mode). These are also some fun ideas and tips.
- And this one is great for anyone who wants that one great shot of their kiddo in front of the tree.
North Korean “archeologists” have stumbled upon an ancient “unicorn lair” about 200 yards from the capital city of Pyongyang, “journalists” report.
Some have suggested that news of this discovery is the result of poor translation, while others credit the claim as pay back for a story The Onion recently published crowning Kim Jong-Un as the “sexiest man alive.”
Myth vs. Science. Fact vs. Fiction. Edward vs. Jacob. Unicorns…vampires….whatever.
Either way, I’m thinking this unicorn thing is pretty rad. I am so over owls.
fabric | cat hat | sweater | ring | tatoo (an entire page devoted to seriously weird unicorn tattoos — warning: not for the easily offended). | leggings | pug hat | book | beach photo | letterpress card
Ten years of collecting vintage mercury balls and I still don’t have enough to make a decent wreath. Grrr.
I blame Martha Stewart and her “tag sales” for scooping up the loot before the rest of us have a shot.
In fact, I don’t know about you, but I have never even been to a “tag sale.”
In fact, I’m beginning to think “tag sale” is just a Connecticut term for “eBay.”
I decided to take my small-yet-passable collection out of the box and hang them from my chandelier, Mrs. Snow. She never looked so good. I’m glad, because she is going to be wearing that dress until Valentines. Lookin’ good Mrs. Snow!
Has anyone out there tried this trick using acetone to make new mercury glass look old? It didn’t work for me. Maybe I missed something. Sigh. Next year….