Christmas Craft Fair

Hello Everyone,

I have been very busy prepping for a upcoming craft show.  Deciding what to make and how many of each item to make for a craft show can be daunting.  I have to take into consideration my interests and skills when deciding what I want to make.  Then figure out if the items would be something someone would be interested in buying.  I have so many ideas in my head and not enough time to create and make all those ideas a reality.  I think the important thing is, that I enjoy the process of making whatever I decide. 

Here are some the the items I have been working on.
These are treat boxes.  Aren't they so cute. Fill with candy.  Make a hot cocoa gift set with a couple of cocoa packets, mini marshmallows in a cello bag and a couple of candy canes. Great for co-workers, party favors for a Christmas party. I use my Cricut to cut the images.  I found a couple of patterns at Miss Kate Cuttables and some I created with Illustrator.

Here are some gift card holders I am working on. A cute way to present a gift card to someone.

Come back to visit to see what else I am working on.

Blessings,  Diane

Trick or Treat

Hello,

For my first craft show I made some adorable Halloween treat boxes.  It took quite some time to create some cut files for my Cricut.  Using my Cricut sure made the process of getting these boxes made so much faster.  I didn't sell many boxes at the show.  I did get a huge order from a friend and a couple of smaller orders.  I have made over 80 boxes.  I am tired.  The original idea came from using a Stampi Up die Top Note and a variety of punches to punch out shapes like the nose, bolt, eyes.  If you search for Top Note Halloween boxes you can find some tutorials. Here is a link that has some great tutorials. http://dreamcreateandshare.blogspot.com/2009/09/and-heres-frankie.html

Have a blessed day!

Blessings, Diane

New Adventure

Hello,

A friend I have known for many years recently retired and asked me if I wanted to participate in craft shows with her.  I have done a few craft shows several years ago.  I  also decided to retire this Summer.  We have joined up together and so far we work really well together.

I am selling my Chic Totes that can be used for grocery bags, beach bag, sleepovers, craft projects, and carry stuff around everyday.  I am also selling pin cushions, knit and crochet dish cloths, rice filled warmers for sore necks and cold toes. Greeting cards, treat boxes, gift card holders and more.
My friend has a variety of items she is personalizing and decorating with her new embroidery sewing machine.

I made us matching aprons that were wonderful for holding lot's of things we needed.  I love our stands that we got from IKEA.

Here are some photos from our first craft show.

Have a blessed day,

Blessings, Diane

Hello,

DIY - Make your own re-usable produce bags.

My family has been trying to reduce the use of plastics.  One thing I have noticed is those plastic bags in the produce department get very little use.  Put your produce in the bag, check out, get home and remove the produce, throw the bag away. I decided to make my own re-usable and washable produce bags.  They are very lightweight so add very little to the cost of your produce purchase. I believe the small cost is worth the environmental impact all those plastic bags add to the landfill. I made a video of how to make your own produce bags.  I started out with a mesh laundry bag from my local dollar store. You also need some cording or a thin shoelace, cotton yarn or durable ribbon for your drawstring.  These bags can be hand sewn if you do not have a sewing machine.  Watch the video for instructions. Follow my YouTube channel for more videos to come.

Click below to watch video!

Sorting tip for your craft dies.

Hello,

Today I want to share a tip on how I make sorting my craft dies easier.  I have dies that come in packets that have many dies in one packet.  I tend to use dies from more than one packet when I am making projects.  At the end of the day it was taking quite awhile to sort the dies back into their proper packet.  I came up with a easy solution to the problem.  I use nail polish and put a small amount on each die in the packet and put a small amount of that same color die on the front of the packaging.  Now, I sort the dies by color at the end of the day and quickly put them back into their proper packet. I hope this tip helps you to sort your dies easier. See my video for more information.  Enjoy.
Blessings, Diane

Hello,

I have been enjoying some of my time at home since my job was eliminated. Having more time at home has given me more time to be creative and cook from scratch. My Hubby enjoys when I take time to make a home cooked meal and who wouldn't.
I decided I wanted to make some cinnamon rolls. I look at the cinnamon rolls in the bakery section of the market and they look dried out. I want soft, fluffy cinnamon rolls not hard ones. I decided to go on a mission and check the internet for a recipe. Gotta love the internet for the resources you can find. I found a recipe on King Arthur Flour web site. It lacked sugar in the dough so I thought it might be a bit bland. If  your having a cinnamon roll you want sweet I say.  So I kept looking and found Cleobuttera. She used the same recipe as King Arthur and made a couple of adjustments. Cleobuttera has a lot of step by step photos and instructions for making the cinnamon rolls so you cannot mess them up. The recipe is at the bottom of her blog page.  The technique I learned to make soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls is called "Tangzhong method".  Check this link for some good information and how to start your cinnamon rolls and also bread recipes. You can also search the internet for more information related to Tangzhong method.
My family sure enjoyed the cinnamon rolls.  The following day they are still soft and fluffy. It did take awhile t make them. Mostly because of the wait to for the dough to rise.  I found other thing to do during the wait time.  They are well worth the effort to make. Look how beautiful they are, and the caramelized bottom is a bonus.

Hope you make some and enjoy.

Blessings, Diane

Hello,

Starting the New Year with a little bit more creativity.  I have this box filled with a bunch of scrap die cuts and Cricut shapes.  I decided I need to start using up what I have cut already instead of cutting more pieces.

 I pulled out lot's of pieces and played with layering them till I put together something I like.  The greetings I type up on my computer and then die cut cut.  I hope to have a video tutorial in the future t show you how I do that.  I have to learn to screen capture and edit before I can do this. When I got something together I liked I put onto a card base and I have a couple of beautiful finished cards. 

Enjoy!
May your day be filled with many blessings,

Blessings, Diane

Happy New Year,

I am looking forward to the New Year. 2018 was a difficult year and also filled with some wonderful blessings.  My father passed away at the end of 2017 so the entire 2018 year was filled dealing with his property and stuff.  His no need for a Trust has proven a challenge for me to deal with.  I did get him to sign a Will that the state of California does not really recognize so I have to go through Probate.  That has been a challenge but I am working through it without a lawyer.  Dealing with the court, tons of paperwork,  realtors and siblings has I believe strengthened me.  There have been days I have wanted to quit and let someone else deal with this.  Then I remember my father choose me to take care of his Estate so I push forward.  At the end of 2018 I finally got one piece of property sold.  On to the next one.  Probate is I think actually moving along faster than I expected.  Most people tell me it take a year to two years.  I started in August and I am at the point to ask the judge for final distribution.  I had the loss of a sweet Nephew to suicide that no one expected. I also had the loss of a very dear friend. She battled cancer for 7 years and it took her life. My dad's brother passed away one year and eleven days after my father. There was so much loss this past year my heart cannot take anymore.We also decided to have our kitchen cabinets refinished, and that turned into a disaster. The painter did such a poor job that my cabinets looked like a cat scratched the front. Since I would not accept the quality of work the contractor left the job.  The owner called and wanted to make things right.  We gave him a chance but the guy painted everything outside and the doors are covered in dust that then got covered with paint.  What a ugly mess. I have hired someone else that is making new doors and drawers.  Hope to have them installed next week.  Started this back in August. It was supposed to be a three week job and it is now January.

The blessings for 2018 were restored relationships.  This just fills my heart to the brim with love and is what I needed to counter all the loss in my life.  My eldest son whom walked away from the family a few years ago, has come back into our lives and it has been joyous.  My second son and his wife have reunited and remarried and are so happy together. To see my son's broken heart healed and to see the two of them together gives hope that broken relationships can be mended. With the passing of my dad's brother this year I reconnected with cousins I had not seen for about 40 years. We spent time together and it was so comfortable. We shared so many memories of our childhood together and photos. Living all the way across the states from each other we just never visited. 

I am looking forward this year to finishing up the Probate work and taking more time to do something creative.  I realized I need to refuel my inner self with doing something I enjoy. For the past few years I have challenged myself to complete something during the year.  One of my best was going back to school and learning how to use Adobe Illustrator, In-Design and Photoshop.  That has proven to be a great investment to myself.  I can create so much more than I used to and it has expanded my job skills.

 This year I want it to be about relationships. I lost so much last year that this year I want to spend more time with friends and family and nurture those relationships more than I have before. I also want to get back to doing something creative and sharing it with others.

My first project for 2019 was making these bowl cozies.  With Winter upon us I have been eating more out of a bowl and they can get hot.  So I decided a bowl cozie was a necessity.

I found some patterns and tutorials online.  Check these out if you want to make some yourself.

Diane Knott - Craftsy

Craft Warehouse

Happy Hour Stitches

Sew4Home

There are also You-Tube videos you can search for if you need more help.

Happy New Year,  Blessing to you all!

Diane