Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Review: Meago Car Charger for Devices




A Meago 4.8 A Dual USB Ports Car Charger Adapter was given to me in exchange for my honest review of the product.  First, I have to say that it took  a while for anyone in my family to actually be able to test this due to mechanical and electrical issues with our car.  Now that this is fixed we have tried the charger and are very pleased.

So what does this have to do with my crafty blog?  Well, A LOT.  I depend on my I Phone for my work including all the photographs and video making I do for my blog, and YouTube channel.  I need for my phone to be fully charged as much as possible.  Now this charger actually charges faster than any other charger I have tried in my car, and I have tried a few!  It also means that we can limit the amount of "I need to charge my phone first" squabbles in our family of four!




Friday, May 27, 2016

Father's day Card with Gel Press


Welcome to our "Just For Him" blog hop with Gel Press™!  Please take the time to hop through all the great blogs of our designers for inspiration. Go back to the Gel Press™ Blog and leave a comment as to which blog gave you the most inspiration!  We will draw a random winner from the comments to win a prize from Gel Press™!!!


Begin with a few pieces of scrapbook paper, and a sheet of homemade Gel Press™ Print on a vintage sheet of music.


Using a tearing ruler, tear the third layer of the card.


Stack and glue the layers of paper onto a card base



Using a piece of Gel Press Print made with transparent packing tape cover a dark piece of cardstock and cut to make a piece of trim.


With a stamp make a sentient and embellishment to adhere to the center of the card



Here is a close up of the card



Supplies:
Acrylic paints ( DecoArt®)
Vintage Music Sheet (Stash)
Scrapbook paper scraps (Graphic 45)
Adhesive (Tombow)
Transparent tape (Dollarama)
Gel Press Plate (Gel Press)
Acrylic Glaze (Colourarte)

Want a bonus chance to win a prize from Gel Press™?  Between now and Father's Day (June 19, 2016) create your own "Just For Him" project and post it on our Facebook page Gel Press Junkies!  Everyone that plays along will be entered in a drawing as well.  Yes, we would love you to use a Gel Press™ in your entry- but you don't have to! Just make a fabulous project featuring Fathers Day and post it!  Maybe you will win a Gel Press™! 
To Qualify for the drawing: 
1) You may enter a maximum of 3 times with individual projects.
2) You must by 18 years old.
3) You must live in the USA.
4) Mentioning other products or other companies in your post disqualifies your project.


Links to all the Designers' Blogs:
** Note the followings are Amazon Associate links and I may be compensated if you click and purchase on these.

** I m Published here

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Summer Wreath Making How To


Wreath making made easy with Smoothfoam.  So looking forward to Summer and staying by the pool on the weekends!  So is my buddy here: Bikini Bob!   Lost your swimsuit?  See Bikini Bob, our official overseer of the Lost and Found.
**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. 

This month the Designers of Craft Connection is doing a Blog Hop with" Smoothfoam™ -- The Crafter's Foam".  The DCC (Designer Crafts Connection) is a group of Professional Arts and Crafts industry designers who have joined together on a monthly basis to share their creativity and design talents.   The goal is to support and promote Arts and Crafts in general.  We wish to introduce readers to new project ideas, new techniques, trends,  and incredible manufacturer products.  We hope to inspire creativity in others.

Using Smmothfoam™ Ruled Wreaths (given to me) has made Summer crafting so much easier.


The Smoothfoam™ Wreath has a ruled lines which are very helpful in helping the maker figure out where to place the material(s).

Here is a closer look.


For my Wreath, I chose to cover it with some fun Oly*Fun™ Fabrics from Fairfield.

With the help of my AdTech™ glue gun and some glue sticks, this is how I attached the fabric onto the wreath.
To cut the bikini out of the Oly*Fun™, I used my Cricut Explore Air (an electronic Die Cutting machine).

A closer look...

Supplies:  Smoothfoam™ Ruled Wreath
Oly*Fun™ Fabrics  Sky Blue, Lemon Drop, Kiwi (Fairfield)
Twine (my own)
Hot glue (AdTech™)

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I love reading your comments, questions, and suggestions below.  
*note: the products mentioned in this post were given to me or purchased by me,  I am not financially rewarded for writing this post. However, if you do click and purchase from my affiliate links I will be compensated.


Get Flat Rate Shipping to Canada on Cricut Orders $75+



Monday, May 23, 2016

Graduation Card with Gel Press made Flowers


Hello, here is a card I made for a special graduate using prints I made for the Gel Press blog Design Team, of which I am a paid Designer.  My post is live there and you can read all the how to's of making this card.



I chose this stamp set because of the Elephant (who never forgets what she learned, and the sentiment which says "Dream Big").


Supplies:
Vintage sheet music to make prints
Acrylic paints in warm colors (DecoArt™)
Pre-made white card (Michaels)
Stamp (Art Impressions:  Zoo Babies 4533 Dream Big Set)
Stamping Ink (Memento)
Paper (Stash)
Coloring pencils (Tombow Irojiten)
Scissors (Westcott)
Adhesive (Tombow)
Foam Adhesive (Stash)
Flower Punches (Various from my stash)
Pink Glitter Glue (Dollarama)


Thank you for stopping by.  Please follow my blog through Google+ so you can always know when I have posted something new.


**Note:  the following are affiliate links and I may be compensated if you click and purchase from them.


Friday, May 20, 2016

#LoveSummerArt AnnMakes Water Color Mix Media Video #2

How to watercolor and mixed media. Turn mistakes into creative opportunities.

Hi, and welcome to the second part of my #LoveSummerArt Contribution to this months CAC (Creative Arts Collaboration) on the CAC YouTube Channel).




Supplies:
Various tubes of water colour paints
Water- colour notebook (Dollarama)
Brushes (my own)
Creative Medium Metallics (Gold, & Silver)  from Imagine Crafts®
Azurite Water Colour Luminarte (My own)
Mixed Media Stencil (Faber Castell)
Jet Black Solvent Ink Pad StazOn® (Tsukineko)
Adhesive Mono Permanent (Tombow--as part of the Brand Ambassador program)
Black Permanent Ink Pens (Various from my collection)
White Pen (My collection)
Scraps of paper
Flower Stamps (Fancy Pants)

Find more of my projects at:
www.pinterest.com
Follow me on:
Twitter @Ask93Ann
Instagram ask93annmade




Wednesday, May 18, 2016

#LoveSummerArt AnnMakes Water Color Mixed Media Video


Learn some of the do's and don'ts  of water colour painting.  Also, learn to appreciate those mistakes and think of them as Creative Opportunities!

Today, I have a quick video on Youtube as part of the Creative Artists Collaboration group.  Our theme is #LoveSummerArt.  Use the hashtag to find other videos by talented art makers in the same theme.




Come back to see what happens to this painting exercise....

Thanks for checking in.  Please follow this blog, visit my Youtube channel and subscribe.  All the thumbs up and subscriptions are very important to me to keep me producing this free to you content.

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Bookmark Beauty



Hello, today I want to share with you a project that I had the pleasure of making as part of a friendly challenge set up by my friend and fellow Designer Carmi Cimicata who challenged a group of women including myself to make anything we wanted with this one Button blank.  It is a beautiful vintage (I think) piece that looks silver and is encrusted with rhinestones.  After some pondering, I decided to go with my first instinct and add a cat to the blank.  I don't know if it's my love of cats that inspired me or the bling around the edge as my cat loves anything shiny.  Here is my project:



I made this with some pieces of lace, and ribbon I had in my bag of scraps.  I just used fabric glue to adhere the layers of lace and ribbon.  I filled the blank with a dab of clear DecoArt™ Liquid Glass, a punched out circle made from green glitter cardstock, with part of a cat Sticker from Little B™.  I used the Liquid glass to cover and fill the blank instead of using a heavier glass dome.

Once the liquid glass had set, I folded and sewed the ends of the bookmark.  I then sewed the blank to the top of the marker.

Supplies:
Rhinestone Encrusted ButtonBlank (FromCarmi)
Green Glitter covered cardstock (stash)
Layered Cat sticker from Little B™
Liquid Glass DecoArt™
Lace (Stash)
Ribbon (Stash)

Thanks for stopping by.  Please follow my blog by hooking up with Google.  You'll always be alerted when I post something new!


Wednesday, May 11, 2016

#LoveSummerArt Video Promo.


I have a new video coming out next week on Youtube.  Check out the trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-poQNI8usLY




See a lot of inspiring videos and how to's next week live with the hashtag:  #LoveSummerArt on Youtube.

We are hundreds of Artists who collaborate in a monthly theme for our viewer's pleasure.

Thanks for watching, please check out the newbies too!  Commenting, thumbs up, and subscribe to our channels keeps us going. (note need to be in full screen mode)

Seriously without those subscriptions, we can not continue to give you ALL this FREE content.


                                               #LOVESUMMERART  May 18-22, 2016.

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Happy Mother's Day

Mother's Day is just around the corner.  If you need a really easy but pretty card how to, here is one.  I am a mom and I know I would love receiving this from my own boys.


I made a card similar to this one for Cinco de Mayo, just turn the card the other way and follow the directions here: http://annmakes.blogspot.ca/2016/05/olyfun-happy-cinco-de-mayo-crafting.html.

I made this card using Oly*Fun Fabrics from Fairfield world, some adhesive(both received free) and a blank pre-folded card base I purchased.



Oly*Fun is a multi-purpose craft material.  You can cut the fabric easily, it does not fray, it is water repellant, and you can use it for indoor or outdoor projects.  Available in lots of colours, including some metallics.  Purchase it by the sheet, package, or even bolt.  Visit the Fairfield World site here. www.faifieldworld.com.

Note:  I am a Brand Ambassador for Tombow and receive free products regularly from them.  I am a Designer with Fairfield and I received the materials free.

Thank you for stopping by, and may you enjoy the spring weather.  Remember to leave some commenting love below.  You can also stay informed of my crafting projects by following my blog or checking out my other social media such as videos on youtube. (http://youtube.com/annmakes)


Friday, May 6, 2016

National Scrapbooking Day

**I have not been financially compensated for this post and the products mentioned were given to me.**

It's almost National Scrapbooking Day!  A great day to gather with friends and get some scrapping on, or any crafty thing.  I am fortunate to be a Brand Ambassador for Tombow and to work with great products for my crafting.  For NSD day, Tombow along with some friends have partnered and graciously sent each of us Professional Paper Crafter in the Tombow Brand Ambassador Program a lovely care package filled with products.  There is good stuff from Graphic 45, May Arts Ribbon, Stampendous!, Fancy Pants Designs, Art Impressions, and Simple Stories.

Let me share with you one of the projects I made with this awesome scrapbooking care package. (Received Free of charge)

Products Received:
Glue Tape Mono Permanent adhesive by Tombow
Glue stick  by Tombow
6" x 6" Paper Pad "Attwell" by Fancy Pants Designs, Inc.
Flair (Badge Buttons) "Attwell" by Fancy Pants Designs, Inc.
Shape Puffy stickers #2613  "Attwell" by Fancy Pants Designs, Inc.
Small Tags  "Attwell" by Fancy Pants Designs, Inc.
Aqua Puffy Alpha Stickers #2630  by Fancy Pants Designs, Inc.
Cling rubber stamps & Stencil  "Marks" NKCRS06  by Stampendous®
Unmounted Repositionable Stamp "Zoo Babies - 4533 Dream Big set"  by Art Impressions, Inc.
12 x 12 "You Are Here" collection kit #6200  by Simple Stories™
12 x 12 double-sided papers "Steampunk Spells" by Graphic 45™

Link to site with full instructions (where I got the inspiration)

Here is my Mini Accordion Album:



Some pictures of the products I got in the Care Package:


Some of the products plus envelopes and ribbon from my stash that I used to make this album:      



Pictures of  making the accordion process:



What the finished album looks like, outside:


and inside:                      






Thank you so much for stopping by.  I do hope that you are having a wonderful day of crafting.  Please, let me know what you think, and if you have any comments.  I would also love to have you drop by again, so sign up to follow my blog if you have not already done so.  You can also see more of my craftiness on www.youtube.com/annmakes.  Following me around on social media is also fun!


Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Oly*Fun™ Happy Cinco de Mayo Crafting

**I will be  compensated if you make a purchase with this link.**

Here's a quick card to make for Cinco de Mayo or any festive occasion.  It is easy and fun to work with Oly*Fun™ Multi-Purpose Craft Material from Fairfield™ World.



To make a card like this I cut strips 2 inches wide and the same  of some length as the card base (mine is 5.5 inches)  in Clover, Cherry Pop, and Snow White Oly*Fun™.



Using fringing scissors, or get the same result with regular scissors, make fringe along the bottom of each strip.



Add some adhesive in lines straight across the card.  My adhesive of choice is by Tombow.



Apply the strips of fringe on top of the adhesive and stagger them.



Here is a side view of the card once all the strips are glued down.



Enjoy making projects with Oly•Fun, it is a Multi-Purpose Craft Material which is easy to cut, does not fray, is water repellant, can be used indoors or outdoors, and comes in 12 x 12 inches craft sheet packs, or on bolts 60 inches wide, and in Craft Packs of 20 inches wide by 3 yards. Link to Fairfieldworld.com


On May 5th, it is Cinco de Mayo day.  A holiday traditionally celebrated in the US and Mexico.  According to the History Channel:  "Cinco de Mayo - or fifth of May- commemorates the Mexican army's 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War (1861-1867).  ...Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations.  Cinco de Mayo traditions include parades, mariachi music performances, and street festivals in cities and towns across Mexico and the United States."

I know, I do not celebrate this holiday but I love everything about it!  Especially the food, and I thought you might too.  So I wanted to share my card project and the link below for some great recipes.

Yummmmmm!  Want to learn how to make delicious Mexican food?  I know I want you to!  I love it, and I want to eat it when I go to your house.  LOL.  Ok, I promise I am not coming over without an invitation first.  Seriously, I love good fresh Mexican Food, and when I heard about this opportunity, I thought maybe some of my readers have the same affliction and would appreciate this link. It's a three-day deal only. May4-6.  So hurry if you want to save 50% on one or all three classes offered.