Super Easy Quotation Frames

Every new year I seem to become acutely aware of all of the projects that I’ve been meaning to finish but haven’t.  I find myself cleaning up that closet that I rarely open, that junk drawer that’s become a catch-all, that corner that insists on collecting clutter…you get the idea.  So, this year as I began my little tradition I quickly came across a set of frames hidden in a closet, full of dust and just begging for something crafty to happen to them!  I decided to combine 2 of my favorite things: paper crafting and quotations!  The project was SUPER simple to make; I didn’t even use stickers! (I KNOW! Craziness! BUT, I wanted the quotes to stand alone without the distraction of too many embellishments.) I just used some scrapbooking paper that I already had…if you don’t have paper on hand, I HIGHLY recommend you run over to Beverly’s in Santa Maria and get some! J  



The 3 frames: just hanging out, collecting dust.

Anytime I need a cool quote, I go to The Quote Garden!(http://www.quotegarden.com/)  I can always count on finding the perfect quotation from a selection of people WAY wiser than I am!  AND you can search for the perfect inspirational quote by topic! 



I picked a quote that I liked, highlighted it and copied.

I then opened up a new word document and pasted the quote.

Picking a font is always fun!

I ended up choosing 3 quotes that I really liked.  I picked out fonts that I thought suited the words best and then printed them onto cardstock.  I then chose different papers to layer them with.

The finished product: 3 quotes that will remind me and my family of what is most important throughout 2012.

This project was super easy, inexpensive and (of course) fun to do.  I think I’m going to paint the frames though. (They’re too dark, for my taste--maybe that’s why they were in the closet in the first place!)  If you don’t have frames hidden in a closet you could always get them at Beverly’s in Santa Maria!

Now Go! Be Crafty!

Beverly's Santa Maria's Crafty People

One of the coolest things about working at Beverly's in Santa Maria is that you get to be crafty a good part of the time you're at work!  Right now, the crew has set their focus on beautifying the end caps!  End caps are the first thing you see when you walk down any given aisle of the store and at the moment you can find cool projects popping up on the end caps throughout the store!  We thought we might just have to feature some of the very inspirational craftiness in our blog.  So, here it is:





Glass bowls,

scrapbooking sparkles,

candles,

beads,

ribbons...cute

& Spring-y!

Not to mention,

Inspiring! 

All of the goodies you need to make this basket

with the little bird and the ivy are all on the end cap!

 Easter Aprons= Super Cute! 

 It might be too early for some of you to start thinking Springtime BUT Valentine's Day is just around the corner!  Now would be the perfect time to start planning out those Valentine crafts!

   



I think that the stenciled box is my favorite end cap so far (but I kinda have a thing for boxes)!  They used sparkles (who doesn't LOVE sparkles) and butterfly stencils.  The rest of the end cap has many more stencils to choose from and boxes in different sizes!



So,  there you have some craft inspiration from the folks at Beverly's in Santa Maria.  These crafts are all easy enough for pre-teens to do on their own and since winter break doesn't end until mid-January it might be a good time to stock up on some cool craft projects! 

NOW GO! BE CRAFTY! 

Janelle's Apple Cider

We had a great time at the Open House a few weeks ago!  Not only did we have some pretty awesome deals going on but we also had yummy goodies for our customers to enjoy.  (They needed something to keep their energy up while they shopped!) Because it was a special occasion and because we were getting all geared up for Christmastime Janelle made her most delicious apple cider. Just about every person (and I am NOT exaggerating!) that came up to the cash register to pay asked where the cider came from.  It was a HUGE HIT!

I don't know how you all feel about apple cider but I could really take it or leave it...until I tried some of Janelle's Apple Cider.  YUM!  I've been craving a cup ever since but haven't gotten around to making some. I've actually been thinking that I might have to impress the in-laws with some scrumptious apple cider for Christmas!  So, just in case you have someone that YOU want to impress on Christmas we decided to include Janelle's recipe in our blog.  We hope that you enjoy it as much as we all did!

Janelle’s Apple Cider

Ingredients:

1 Gallon Apple Juice

2 tbsps. whole cloves

5-6 cinnamon sticks

A few dashes of nutmeg

5-6 unpeeled orange slices

1 cup brown sugar

Stir all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a simmer.  Janelle says, “The longer it simmers, the yummier it gets!” 

Serve with a cinnamon stick.  Please use caution when serving, the cider will be HOT. Be sure to allow it to cool a bit before serving to children.

Thank you for checking out our
Apple Cider blog post! 

We hope that you have the happiest of holidays filled with love, peace and craftiness!

Now Go!  Be Crafty!

Super Easy No-Sew Stocking

Nancy (our Beverly's Santa Maria resident elf and way talented sweet lady) made this stocking and has it on display in our store.  It was so cute and sounded so incredibly easy to make that I had to include it in our blog!

You will need:

*2 pieces of felt ot other fabric, each piece big enough to make a stocking the size you want

*Duck tape (aisle 8)

*Felt scraps, fabric markers, glitter glue, puff

  paint, etc.

*scissors

1.    Cut out 2 pieces of felt in the shape of a stocking.

2.   Take one of the felt stockings and use Duck tape to cover the top cuff and the toe.

3.    Lay the 2 felt pieces on top of each other and bind the edges with duct tape, leaving the top of the stocking open.

4.    Fold over a strip of tape and tape to back top to form a hanger.

We wrote Lincoln’s name on ours but you can decorate it with other felt pieces or with iron-on letters.  Or you could iron-on a picture!  Make it your own!

Now Go! Be Crafty!