30 Days of Xyron - Paper Plate Menorah Kids' Craft!

All month long the gang from Xyron has been creating some gorgeous holiday projects - and today its my turn!

You all know how I feel about paper plate kids' crafts - I especially love to share them (and be mocked by everyone) when I'm on HSN! This menorah became a little infamous on 24-Hour Craft Day when my fabulous friend Bill Green and I were demoing the Xyron 9" Creative Station (if you want a giggle go to HSN.com, click on the video link on this page, and go to the 11:00 mark) - and so many folks asked about it that I made a quick video tutorial!

If you've missed out on some of the other fun holidays projects the Xyron Design Team has shared this month just head on over to the photo section of the Xyron FB page and prepare to be inspired...and tune in all this week for even more great ideas!  Did I mention that EVERY project has a tutorial?  Wahoo!

Speaking of inspired - I hope you will tune in to my Facebook page starting December 11th - this time of year always inspires me so I am celebrating the season with a Twelve Days of Christmas giveaway!  I'll be giving away some crafty goodies EVERY DAY from the 11th - 22nd from my friends at Teresa Collins, Epiphany Crafts, Cricut, Xyron, Craftwell, Maya Road and more! EVERY DAY!  Can't wait to kick it off with you!

Introducing New Design Team Members Rhea Freitag and Arin Flynn!

We hope you have enjoyed this week's introductions of Xyron's newest Design Team members! Today we say hello to Rhea Freitag and Arin Flynn.

name: Rhea Frietag
her blog: http://starrgazercreates.blogspot.com/
where she lives: Kalamazoo, MI
a little bit about her: I love to create unique home decor, books, mixed media as well as jewelry. I strive to make art that tells a story, has a soul and engages the viewer through interaction, movement, memory and story. Another aspect of the creation process that I adore is the adventure of searching for unique art supplies at estate sales, flea markets and antique shops.
why we love her: Rhea's projects can only be described as art. Her use of dimensional embellishments, metals, and a variety of techniques make us think about papercrafting in a whole new light. Her upcycling projects bring new meaning to the term "trash to treasure"!

name: Arin Flynn
her blog: http://apieceoflifespie.com/
where she lives: Camarillo, CA
a little bit about her: My name is Arin Flynn and I live and craft in always sunny Southern California. I have been an avid crafter most of my life and the tale I have been told it all started the day I was born when I tried to take the scissors away from the doctor. Creating things that are special and pretty for my family, friends and home truly is my passion.
why we love her: Arin creates projects that show us all how to make every day a little bit more creative.  From beautiful wreaths to special touches on a bouqet of flowers, from party decor ideas to fun projects with the kids - Arin inspires us!

Welcome Rhea and Arin - you are joining an amazing group of people and we can't wait to see what you all create over the next few months.  Have a good weekend everybody!

Introducing New Design Team Members Angela Holt and Shellye McDaniel

Welcome to day three of our introduction to the new Xyron Design Team members!  Today we feature two Southern belles - Angela Holt and Shellye McDaniel.

name: Angela Holt
her blog: http://www.angelaholtdesigns.com/
where she lives: Greenbrier, TN
a little bit about her: I'm a professional Crafting Artist, Designer and Online Teacher in the crafting Industry!! I teach an array of online classes to the viewing crafty public through LIVE and Recorded classes. Being dubbed the “Scrapper of All Trades” or " The Bling Queen", my vast dabbling in many different mediums, lends me to share my Southern personality with a dash of humor, a hint of shabby chic, a pinch of fantasy with a pot load of the unexpected.
why we love her: Angela's projects are luxurious and elegant and over the top with gorgeous detail and texture.  She has a vast library of video tutorials that are easy to understand and filled with techniques. She is a wonderful addition to the team!

name: Shellye McDaniel
her blog: http://www.shellyemcdaniel.com/
where she lives: De Kalb, TX
a little bit about her: I live with my husband of 23 years and two of our three kids (one is away at university) on a small parcel of land where we raise beef cattle and other farm animals. I work PRN as a Labor & Delivery Nurse and the rest of the time I'm playing in my craft room! I also enjoy reading, camping, perusing Pinterest, trying new recipes, watching my kids at sports and/or dance, flea-marketing and antiquing and hanging out with family and friends.
why we love her: Shellye's eye for color and pattern and her crisp clean lines make every project just pop off the page! Her bright creations with their attention to every detail, her incredible photography skills, her ability to mix patterns and textures - it all just makes us happy!

Welcome Angela and Shellye - check back tomorrow as we introduce two more fresh faces on the Xyron Design Team!

Xyron Design Team Call - Winter/Spring 2014

Do you love Xyron? Would you like to join our team? Then get your craftiness on because Xyron just announced a Design Team call!

Benefits of being on the Xyron Design Team include:
Lots of Free Product – both from Xyron and from partner companies
Exclusive previews of any of our upcoming products
Payment for projects published in print and/or online magazines
Featured on our Facebook page and blog
Link to your own personal blog
Private FB group for DT members only
Payment for projects used at trade shows and on-air
Opportunity to have your projects displayed on the Home Shopping Network
Xyron DT blinkie for your email and/or blog
Purchase Xyron products at a deep discount for use in teaching classes
The application process is all done online (through FB as a matter of fact!) and is available to international designers as well - click this link to apply. Some of the information you will need to complete the application:
Contact info

Short bio about yourself

Links to three different projects (no scrapbook layouts - at least one project must be DIY/kids craft/home decor item)

Links to your galleries (if applicable)

A list of any past or current design teams you've been on (if applicable)

A link to your blog/website

There are a few questions at the end about Xyron products - how long you've been using them, which machines you own, which is your favorite, etc.

The deadline to enter is February 1st, and the new Design Team will be announced February 3rd. Good luck to everybody - I'd love the chance to work with you!

Meet the New Xyron Design Team - Jennifer Priest and Yvonne Yam

As we round out a wonderful week of introducing you to Xyron's newest Design Team members we'd like you to say hello to Jennifer Priest and Yvonne Yam!

name: Jennifer Priest
lives in: Hysperia, CA
blog: http://hydrangeahippo.com/blog/
why we love her:  In addition to having her finger on the pulse of the industry, Jennifer works in every possible medium with every possible technique to create projects that inspire us.  From kids crafts to home decor to jewelry and more, Jennifer's tutorials and project ideas give us the tools to be more creative.
a little bit about her: It started with jewelry, beading, sewing, home decor, painting, basket weaving, pottery, and cross-stitch. Marry that to an entrepreneurial spirit & at 9 years old I was selling my wares at craft fairs as far as my parents and grandparents would drive me. These days, I enjoy crafts of all genres from sewing to scrapbooking to jewelry with a little dabbling in the mixed media world. My style is approachable and I want everyone who sees my work to feel that they too can embrace creativity and make their home and life beautiful.

name: Yvonne Yam
lives in: Singapore
blog: http://yyam.blogspot.com/
why we love her: We were totally blown away by the way Yvonne takes ordinary items and turns them in to art.  Her ability to bring textures and colors and patterns together in unexpected ways made us giddy - we can't wait to see what she comes up with next!
a little bit about her: Hello there! My name is Yvonne Yam and I hail from the sunny island of Singapore. I love to make stuff, using unexpected found stuff. My style is eclectic at best but really a mishmash of whatever tickles my fancy at that point in time! I love to experiment with mediums and play with textures but my projects always involves some form of upcycling and loads of colour! :)

Yay Jennifer and Yvonne!  So happy to have you!  Tune in tomorrow on the Xyron Facebook Page where we will share an album filled with all of our Design Team members' favorite projects.  It will inspire you!

Something Old, Something New - Day Three and a Giveaway!

We hope you have been enjoying our week's worth of "something old, something new" projects from the Xyron Design Team - today in addition to some fabulous projects we've got a little giveaway to hep you get inspired!

Summer is coming and Jessica Barnett helps us get ready with a fun kids' craft idea. Jessica took this spider flowerpot project:

and created these darling butterflies using the same cool flowerpot idea! On her blog today Jessica shares a tutorial on how to create these (and how to simplify them for smaller children).

You know we love calendars - and Ann Corbiere-Scott does too!  She took this magnetic calendar idea:

and took it to a new cool upcycled level using smashed bottle caps for the dates in her own calendar! On her blog today she gives us a tutorial on how create this project yourself.

Jen Goode took a cool and different approach to the challenge - she loved these Halloween goodie bags as they were:

so she decided to add another cute character to the collection with these darling mummy bags! Jen treats us all on her blog with a FREE printable so you can make these little cuties yourself.

Linda Neff took this Christmas ornament idea:

and created a fun star ornament that would be perfect for 4th of July celebrations.  Yay summer!  On her blog today Linda shows you how to create your own using scraps of cardboard and shares a lovely story on how she was inspired by the events in Boston.

We hope many of you caught Beth Kingston on HSN yesterday with our 2.5" create-a-sticker deal.  In case you didn't, we're going to give away one of our own!

Leave a comment here on the blog and one lucky winner will receive a machine of their very own.  Deadline to enter is midnight Sunday - the winner will be announced on the Xyron Facebook Page on Monday morning.  Good luck!

Kids Crafts Saturday - Felt Garlands and Necklaces

Ok...it wasn't a Saturday - but for some reason any time we do crafts with kids I feel the need to call it that. I came up with this idea as a way to entertain the neighborhood kids one afternoon during Winter Break, but both of these projects would be FABULOUS Valentine's Day ideas!  All photos courtesy of Busy Bee Photography.

Felt Garlands
Assorted colors of felt
Die capable of cutting felt - I used Sizzix Circles #2*
Die cutting machine - I used my Xyron Creatopia with Shapez component
Xyron Creative Station with permanent adhesive - any size 5" or larger
Baker's Twine
*For the instructions I will refer to the circles, but they can literally be any shape you want.  How cute would hearts be!!

Using your die cutting machine, cut your circles out of felt (two per color/size).

Run one set of circles (one of each color/size) through your Xyron Creative Station.

Lay the other set of circles out in a line across your work space in the order you want them to be on the garland. Leave as much or as little space between each circle as you like - we left about an inch between each.

Lay the Baker's Twine across the center of your line of circles.

Take your set of adhesive backed circles and "match" them to the set of circles on the table.  When you press down to adhere the circles together, this will also hold your twine in place.

Custom Necklaces
Go to the jewelry aisle of any mass craft store and you can find pendant trays of every size and variety, as well as the glass cabochans (toppers) and chains that go with them.

You can also buy them in bulk on etsy and other online sites if you want to use them as a fun birthday party craft or school activity! I bought (and will refer to) 1" square trays.

Pendant Trays
Glass Cabochans
Photo, patterned paper, cartoon pages, etc
1" square punch
Xyron 1.5" create-a-sticker
Clear drying liquid glue - I used Diamond Glaze

Punch out your image from photo, patterned paper, etc and run through Xyron 1.5" create-a-sticker with image facing up.

Place image in to pendant tray - adhesive on the back will hold it in to place.

Place a small drop of liquid glue in the center of the image and quickly press glass cabochan in to tray. Hold for 10 seconds and then set aside to dry.

Several of the kids made these with their own photos inside for grandparent gifts.  What a wonderful idea!

One of the moms brought a toy catalog and the boys LOVED making necklaces with pictures of their favorite superhero.  I thought that was genius!

Last but not least - our neighbor Eleanor wanted nothing to do with crafts but is so stinkin' cute I'm just going to give her a shout out anyway.  Those sunglasses are the best quarter I ever spent!