PROJECT: 4th of July Glittered Bikini & More

Let me start by saying that if I had the bod to wear a bikini, I would make sure that bikini had glitter on it.

Until then, this project is dedicated to anyone who can wear a two-piece with pride. I know you are thinking glitter and water normally don't mix, but these days, there are new craft glitters on the market made especially for wearable fabrics. They withstand washings and still come out looking super and sparkly. Don't believe me? Check out any of the department stores to find T-shirts, jeans, shoes and even undergarments tricked out in glitter.

If the bikini doesn't set off any fireworks for you, bling out a set of shorts, a tank top or hat.

Here are the printable directions.

And here are some other 4th of July crafty ideas!


Americana Folk Art Shrine
Statue of Liberty Crown
Super Star Snack Book
Pool Floatie
Thrillin' Grillin' Serving Tray
Patriotic Fabric Collage
Red, White & Blue Soaps
Tin Star Lights


***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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Frida Kahlo 100th Birthday Celebration

One week from today marks Frida's 100th birthday. There are celebrations scheduled all over the world, even right here in Phoenix!

My craft group, The Phoenix Fridas are organizing a fun event next Saturday at Changing Hands Bookstore.

Here is what you'll find:

- Information and literature about Frida Kahlo
- Month-long art exhibit of pieces by the Phoenix Fridas.
- Make and take necklace workshop with me (FREE!)
- Arts and crafts for sale by the Phoenix Fridas.
- Music by Carmen de Novais
- Book signing by me


Plus gobs of other activities!! We have a LOT of feedback for this and expect a lot of people to come out. Get there early!

***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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PROJECT: Amy Winehouse Wig

This is actualy a project I posted in October, but after seeing Amy's spectacular 'do in her new video for Tears Dry on Their Own, I thought "Hey! I'm going to repost my wig project!"



So really, you'd want to do this project with a black wig, and then you will also an one more long-haired wig to hang down over your shoulder.

But you'll need to fend for the Cleopatra eyeliner all by yourself...

Beehive Wig
Supplies
• 1 wig, long straight hair
• Embroidery floss, needle
• 1 piece of batting (24 by 6 inches) rolled up
• Foam wig head
• Teasing comb
• 1 can of Aqua Net hair spray
• 1 package Fantasy Fiber
• Hair clips
• Hot glue
• Embellishments for hair: gems, flowers, leaves, plastic insects, etc.
• Spray glitter

Directions: Move the hair away from the crown of the wig. Using the embroidery floss and needle and working from the inside of the wig, hand stitch on the roll of batting so it stands up on the outside of the wig. This will give your beehive proper shape. Slip the wig on the foam head. Use the comb to separate a layer of hair at the crown of the wig. Holding one chunk at a time, bring hair up and swirl it around the batting, using the Aqua Net as the adhesive. Repeat until the batting is covered and the wig looks complete. Take the Fantasy Fiber and stretch it in random places around the wig for an extra shiny look. Let it set until firm. Embellish using hot glue. Add whatever decorations you want, such as flowers, plastic insect, gems, etc. Add a light layer of spray glitter for a finished look. Let dry and then use.

Tip: Flatten your hair so the wig will fit your skull better.
***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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PROJECT: Ribbon Lantern Patio Lights

Don't let the scorching weather stop you from enjoying quality patio time. Here is the trick: Wait until dark, and then turn on the misters. It's quite pleasant, especially if you create a happy setting to chill and relax in.

A whimsical set of patio lights to add ambience will help.

Visit any home-decor store to find the perfect set and then embellish the heck out of each patio light. I love the basic paper lanterns because you can decoupage, paint or glue decorations on them.

I went with ribbon that I use on the scrapbooks. You can always find packages on clearance, and a little bit goes a long way. To see a wide scope of patio lights (Flip-flops! Spider-Man heads! Dice!), check out one of my favorite Web sites, www.offthedeepend .com.

here are the printable directions
***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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Crafty Chica(s) of the Week: Girl in a Coma

I found this group on Marisa's site, and all I can say is I hope to be worthy enough one day to embellish the guitar straps for the members of this band. And the drum set too. They got signed to Joan Jett's record label - which is fitting because they remind me of a cross between Joan with a dash of Brazilian Girls, vocal wise that is...I love them and they are just what our music scene needs.

Here are the details:

Girl in a Coma is a rock band from San Antonio, Texas – land of puffy tacos, Lone Star Beer, and the place where Ozzy pissed on the Alamo.

Girl in a Coma - web site and MySpace (you can hear their songs!).

The album is called Both Before I'm Gone, and you can buy it here on Amazon.

Here is one video, check out the others on YouTube.





***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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Bravo for tortilla art!

I'm guessing I grossed some of you innocent blog readers out with my last post, so here is a happy diversion that is sure to make you smile and say - "Whoa."

Tortilla art!

Today I recieved a really cool email from Larry Duncan, the owner of the company I work for. He sent me the link to this story that appeared in the Fresno Bee today. It's a piece on Joe Bravo, a man who uses tortillas as canvases!

Visitors to Arte Américas in downtown Fresno can judge for themselves the substance of Bravo's unique art through Aug. 3. They will see such work as "Checano," his take on an iconic photo of Cuban revolutionary leader Che Guevara in modern mode for Chicanos. Bravo has Guevara wearing cool sunglasses, his right fist thrust up across his chest.

In all, 20 tortilla pieces and 10 of Bravo's regular paintings are on display. His first-ever exhibit in Fresno opened Friday.

"Chicano artists for years have done this kind of work in the past on tortillas," says Abelino Bautista, visual arts consultant for the Fresno museum. "For some reason, he seems more contemporary."

Bravo's tortilla art is attracting more attention. His exhibit this year at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Los Angeles was well received. He's appeared on the Tyra Banks television talk show. He has even been nominated for a Food Network Award. His next show is in Hong Kong. His art sells from $1,800 to more than $3,000 each.

Besos y Balas
Acrylic on Flour Tortilla
Framed 28" x 28"


This is what Joe says about his technique:

"I select a tortilla and paint the image on with acrylic paint. After the paint dries I seal the tortilla against moisture and insects with an acrylic varnish to preserve it. The varnish drys to a hard pliable finish that will last for many years. The tortilla artwork is further protected when encased in a custom-made shadow box frame that gives it an elegant look for displaying on a wall or tabletop."

Right on, mi hermano! Here is Joe Bravo's web site, more than worthy of your time!!

JoeBravo.net
***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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Trauma Mama: Respect the Hot Knife

This Walnut Hollow Creative HotKnife has been my FAVORITE new crafting tool lately. It slices so smooth - like butter - through foam core, rubber, light wood, all kinds of things. I was so addicted I started thinking of things to make, just so I could use my nifty HotKnife.

BTW - a HotKnife is like a heated E-Xcto knife, with a cord and all. You plug it in, it heats up, and you slice away!

I don't think I'll be using it much anymore. Today while cutting out some patterns from thick foamcore, I found myself daydreaming about how much I loved this tool. I watched the blade glide through the paper-covered foam - and all of a sudden the dang thing was protruding out of my thumb! Like an idiot, I didn't realize I gripped the bottom of the foamcore with my hand. As I was pressing the knife downwards, I didn't stop in time to move my fingers.

Patrick was away teaching art classes on the other side of town. DeAngelo was at summer school and Maya was home sick with a cold (on NyQuil) from math camp.

"HELP!!!! I cut my finger! I'm bleeding!" I screamed.

Maya, who is 14, had been - up until that moment - crashed on the couch, surrounded by crumpled tissues, her cell phone and two TV remotes. She jumped up and ran over, while B-lined to the sink. I rinsed my thumb, but it kept bleeding. Seconds later, Maya came up with a big bottle of hydrogen peroxide. We started arguing about what to do next. I held my finger over the cut to stop the squrting, but it didn't help.

I'm not good with stuff like this. I once made my mom take me to the ER to remove a splinter. I fainted when they removed it. My mom stepped out of the room, embarrassed that they needed smelling salts to being me back. I was 18. Just last year, my dad had a triple bypass and they allowed us in to see him when he came out of surgery. One look at the fresh scar on his chest and I fainted. It took two people to lift me up and carry me out.

My daughter Maya isn't so good with wounds either. The other day we were driving down the street and she saw a man's nose bleeding. We had to go straight home because she felt sick.

So yeah, we were both slightly (majorly) freaking at this injury.

Maya ran and locked herself in the bathroom. I heard her vomit, and she stayed in there for about 10 minutes. I tried to call Patrick, and then Theresa. No answer! I finally called my sister-in-law for her to take me to emergency. Patrick returned my call and instructed me how to bandage the wound properly.

I'm so glad this was me and not one of my kids. I suck at nurse stuff!

Maya came out of the bathroom, bravely lifted the paper towel from my hand and inspected the gash. We agreed the bleeding had slowed down. She took a long piece of gauze and wrapped it around and tied a huge, pretty knot on top. My sister-in-law came over and once she realzied I was going to live, and really didn't need an emergency room visit, she had this expression on her face like she wanted to giggle. She looked at me, pale from the shock of being cut and then at Maya, pale from seeing blood and throwing up.

After my sister-in-law left, Maya did research on the Internet, while I laid in bed holding my arm in the air. Somewhere on there, she read that a maxipad works wonders for cuts. Next thing I know, she is sitting next to me, removing the guaze and wrapping a maxipad around my thumb. It worked really good!

There is more to the story - I did eventually make it to Urgent Care (yes, wearing a maxipad on my thumb) - but I won't bore you with the details. Really, I just don't feel like embarrassing myself any further. Maybe another time. Not now, the wound is too fresh. Not to mention - Maya sent out a bulletin to all her Myspace friends about the ordeal!

All is well. I'm here typing, right? I can't use my thumb for a while, but at least I still have a thumb. Most important, Maya is feeling better too. She says she is for sure going to school tomorrow. I don't blame her.

The moral of the story?

Pay attention to the details when you are using heated cutting instruments!

***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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Crafty Roll Call

To think last year at this time, I was with the kids and my sister at Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn. Oh, I miss it so much! If you are in the NYC area, you must go check it out today. There are so many talented artists showing off handmade treasures that you'll never see anywhere else!

This weekend has been ultimate panic. The alarm is going "Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Bzzzt!" non-stop in my head.

I found out Friday that I have a few emergency projects to get together this weekend and Fed Ex on Monday. Later in the afternoon, Patrick noted that I haven't had a 100% day off in, like oh...6 months.

Therefore, before diving into the deep end of the art room, I decided to free up two innocent hours to take Maya and my nephew to see the new Nancy Drew movie. OMG, it is soooo cute! I've been a fan of Emma Roberts ever since Unfabulous debuted on Nick. She is ultra crafty (She makes her own clothes! She reads books like Advanced Sandcastle Making!) and both the kids loved the flick. I give it two thumbs up if you are looking for a fun family adventure with your daugther, niece, cousin, etc...



I figured after a speedy two hours, I'd be back in the art studio, right? Nope. Immediately following the movie, I found out my 89-year-old Nana had been taken to the ER. There was a fire alarm at her retirement resort, she freaked and her blood pressure spiked. An ambulance came and put her in a stretcher and wheeled her off to the ER. So, we left themovies and off to the hospital we went. Hours later in the waiting room, we were relieved to hear she'd be sent home.

My nana is so cute. Before the doctor came in, she was moaning in pain, practically telling us her last wishes. As soon as the doc informed her that she was fine and all her tests came back perfect - she popped up in the bed and said: "Let's go out to dinner!"

Last night was a scratch for work. But today I forged through half of my to-do list which included making paper mache saint figures, shrine boxes and some other wild stuff that you totally will not get the gist of right now. Tomorrow is my last day to get it all done. And it's Father's Day. But that's what being crafty is all about, right? Juggling and finding ways to make things work!

I'm going to share some juicy links now, because I've been meaning to post these since last week. You must check out this cute LUX Embroidered Mexicana dress from Urban Outfitters! It also comes in blue with mutli-colors. Man, look at the detail of the design!




Remember last month I had a post about embroidering your own? Some people freaked at that. Relax, just go buy one already made.

Next link: I'm a member of a new blogging group called Bead Bloggers, where we all post what we are up to. Here are the links from my crafty amigas!

Bead & Button Show Highlights
Katie Hacker went to Bead & Button and lived to tell the tale! See what she bought and read her rundown of highlights from The Show.

Jewelry and Beading
Tammy over at Jewelry and Beading is showing off a pair of her favorite pearl earrings.

Naughty Secretary Club
Naughty Secretary Club is having a contest every day this week and Fred Flare reveals the winners of their Next Big Thing Contest!"

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Check out Jean Yates' blog on her Simply Beads Magazine cover girl chain maille bracelet, and its whereabouts, now!

What I did at Bead and Button
Margot Potter gives the 411 on her adventures (and her purchases) in Milwaukee at the Bead and Button show. A fun time was had by all.

OH, and I can't post blog links without sharing Alyson's Fashion Girl blog with you! She shows how to revamp your clothes for summer, there are some super clever tricks to try.

Alrighty, those are the "what to do" ideas when it comes to clothing makeovers.

This is what NOT TO DO. Ay, Brooke. Put those scissors away!

If reading is more your thang these days, I recently finished this adorable paperback called Bollywood Confidential, by Sonia Singh. It's a fast, easy pageturner that takes you inside the world of Bollywood movies.



***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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PROJECT: Painted Suitcase!

Summer vacation plans are set in place by now, which means it's time to give your luggage a once-over and make sure it is as ready for the trip as you are.

This is what I did recently, and although my suitcases were in decent shape, they just looked so boring. Traveling is about letting loose and relaxing, so why not add that bouncy energy to your wheelie wares? It doesn't mean you have to go all funkadelic on your bags, but you at least could take a rubber stamp to them. If you have a red suitcase, imagine how cute shiny white polka dots would look all over it? Or maybe the names of your favorite cities around the world.

If you want to give this idea a try, but don't want to touch your pristine designer set, visit a local thrift store and pick up a small carry-on bag for those little excursions. This is also a wonderful project for kids to take on to help burn off pre-trip excitement.

for this project, I ditched my usual acrylic craft paints and tried out a set from Liquitex - you kn ow, those paintsi n the cool, clear tubes?



In a word, I'd describe them as spectacular! Thick, creamy, excellent coverage. Every so often I like to break out of my routine, even if it just trying new paint colors or brands. These worked great on the fabric suitcase, and you can't see it good in the photo, but before I added the varnish, I covered the painted designs with a thin coat of Tulip Crystal Icycle 3D Fashion Paint.

Here is a crafty chica secret: If you want to add a layer of sparkles to your paint projects - Tulips "Crystal" line does the trick. I usually use Icycle, which dries clear, but if you use other shades, it will dry with just a hint of color - plus the sparkles, of course. You just squeeze sone out and rub it (or brush) it on over the painted surface. Argh, it kills me to give up these little tricks, but oh well, if it works for you and makes you happy - it makes me happy too. Besides, there are lots of other Crystal crafty secrets in my bag of tricks, but I'll share those another time...

CLICK HERE FOR DIRECTIONS

***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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PROJECT: Resin magnets

Lucy Lu magnets from FridgeDoor.com

I love me some Lucy Lu Mighty Magnets. They have that thick coat of shiny stuff on top and they look so pretty and cool. But at $13 bucks a pop, I can only afford to recieve them as gifts! Plus, maybe I want to mix and match my mighty magnets.

That led me to experiment with making my own Crafty Chica version. Mmmmmm, I love how they came out. Lookie here peoples:


This is how I did it:

Supplies:

Wood pieces
Sturdy magnets
Envirotex Lite (2 part resin mixture)
paper cup, chopstick, drinking straw
Pictures
Aleene's Tacky Glue
Black craft paint
Waxed paper

Directions:

Line your work area with waxed paper. Glue the image to the wood piece. Paint the edges to seal the paper to the wood. Let dry. Apply a coat of Tacky Glue over the entire image and around the edges to again seal the paper to the wood - otherwise the resin will "seep" under. Let it dry until the glue is absolutely clear. Mix the resin in the cup according to the package directions. Use the chopstick to stir it. Apply a dollop on the wood piece and use the chopstick to push the resin to the edges without letting it drip. Blow out any bubbles with the drinking straw. Let it cure for 24 hours. Glue the magnet on the back. Enjoy!
***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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Crafty Chica Cruise 2008!

OK, here is what's up with workshops and appearances.


1. Crafty Chica Cruise! Yes, it is all set up for March 3-8, 2008! We had so much fun last year that we are doing it again!

The cool thing about this cruise is that participants will be among the FIRST to try out the new Crafty Chica products, because this is the month that the line debuts. I'm going to have all kinds of workshops on this trip, and there will be even more goodies than the last cruise! Prices start at $607*, and includes EVERYTHING (room, meals, entertainment, tips, free cocktail hour, all art supplies, tote bag full of goodies and more).

You will have such a wonderful time as we cruise aboard the 'Elation' from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada, with two full days at sea to spend together on various crafting projects. Aside from crafting, there will be shopping in Cabo and Ensenanda, great entertainment, a full casino and the of course the spa, on board the 'Elation'.

Sign up here. - All it takes is $100 to hold your spot, and the next $100 is due in September and then the rest is due in December.


*UPDATE: At the time I set up the cruise, I thought I booked the package that included the tip fee. Alas, today I found out I didn't. The tip fee is $50, and you have to pay it (Carnival Cruise Line rule) when you board the ship (it covers all the tips while you are on the cruise!). So instead of that, I made it payable as part of the package. That way, all you have to do is board the ship and be done with it! I apologize for the confusion for those who have already signed up. i will make it worth the trouble!

Other events:


2. Art Unraveled, Phoenix. Dia de los Muertos Fabric Shrine Book Class, August 6th (all day), $135. I'll have sewing machines set up for us to make a book dedicated to loved ones who have passed away. This is a project from my Art de la Soul book. Attendees will recieve a special kit that is jammed packed with skeleton prints, notions, ribbons, trims, charms and more. You'll also get a sheet of exclusive muertos images painted by my husband.

I'm also teaching a Mexican Love Shrine Class on Tuesday night ($70)! You'll also recieve a huge kit stuffed with adornments, plus a wood shrine box.

3. I'll be in Chicago twice this summer. Once for the CHA summer show, and in July for the BlogHer 2007 conference. I'm thrilled because this year they are having a special workshop on crafting and blogging and I was selected to sit on a panel. I'll be talking about going from being an indie crafter to working with a huge company like Duncan, and bringing my crafty vision to fruition.

Here is an update on the Italy trip: The cut off to sign up is this month and we are a few people short to make the trip happen. There is a lot of interest - but everyone wants a Crafty Chica European workshop in Spain, not Italy. Latino crafts and spain, I can see that connection. And I can think of a fabulous project ideas themed around Spanish culture. As of now, the waiting list for Spain is longer than the confirmed list for Italy. So Toscana Americana is putting together a Spain package for me for 2009 in case we don't get those extra crafty Italianos.

I'll stop here, I do have more things coming up in the fall, but I'll post those later!

***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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Overwhelmed. And loving it.

I am so behind on my blogging. All day as things happen, I think "Oooh, I have to blog this!" but then bedtime comes and I just want to crash and snore.

My life is one heck of a crazy rollercoaster these days. Glitter and sequins are spilling out of my pockets and I don't even have time to clean up after myself. Somehow I thought leaving my job at the newspaper would free up, oh an extra 24 hours per day. Wrong. I feel even busier than when I wrote feature stories all day. Side note: I do kinda miss the movie screenings, but once I get my groove on with my new lifestyle, I plan to incorporate crafty cinema in the mix.

Let me bring you up to date. OK, I told you about the Crafty Chica product line with Duncan, right? Oh, my crafty chiquitas, it is a dream come true, I LOVE my new job so much. There are more than 100 products in the line and they've all come out of brainstorming sessions between me and the gurus at Duncan. They are a wicked cool staff who can crunch sales figures, tell you about the latest trend from Japan, the chemical components of glue, and what color of fabric paint sells best. All while eating cake. I worship them and it's intimidating to keep up with those standards. I'm trying. I go to bed dreaming about new, sleek designs for glue guns and paint bottles. How many different ways can one person use glitter? I want to find out for myself! All this adds up to long days. I'm not only trying to think of new, fabulous ideas, but I'm also literally building objects from scratch to be manufactured. I want everything with the Crafty Chica label to be wild, funky, colorful, sparkly, DIFFERENT and to have the "OMG, I have to have this!!!" gasp factor.

Patrick is doing most of the illustrations, and the talented Duncan designers are helping too, but I'm also working the watercolors for the line. It's all about feeling good inside, and expressing it on the outside. That's the message I want to relay.

That is the biggest loop of my rollercoaster, the upside corkscrew loop. I do that during daylight hours. The other loops come at night and are as follows: I'm proofing my fiction manuscript - hunting for adjectives and typos. I'm on my third printer cartridge. Any day now my manuscript will be sent off to book editors and I want it to be perfect. I even created these little chapter headings.



Like it? I made 52 of them, one for every chapter head. I didn't need to do that, but I am just so excited about this novel that I had to show it in more than words. Although, to editors, it all comes down to the words.

So...when I'm not buried under that, I'm working on a trend report for a new committee I'm on for the Craft and Hobby Association.

And then I'm designing a tablecloth, chairs and napkins for a mock quince next month at the summer CHA show. And then there is my weekly craft column. Not to mention, I'm starting my new book, plus I just found out that the TV show production company I'm working with has a BIG meeting with a BIG cable network I LOVE - about a possible Crafty Chica webisode series. so between now and this weekend, I have to come up with a list of kick ass ideas for segments. Eee gads, I almost forgot that this weekend I have to make a family reunion cookbook project for Soho Publishing, and then I have a meeting with the Phoenix Craft Mafia on Saturday (yay, I'm a new member!), as well as my little niece's birthday party. On Sunday, my nana wants me to take her shopping and my cousin is getting a C-section for her twins. *Sending a prayer your way, Steph...*

With all of this going on at the same time (and laundry, house cleaning, paperwork, cooking), I need to figure out what to do with our online store. It has always been the backbone of of what Patrick and I do and I can't imagine trimming off that branch of this huge tree. But it costs us more than $100 a month - and we don't even have time to fill orders anymore. I'm thinking of moving it to Etsy/PayPal and just posting items as we make them, instead of having people order from our sample pictures. Bottom line? If you have any of our original art, hang on to it, because it won't be as readily available as in the past.

Oh gosh, I just realized I also have 100 centerpieces to paint this summer. I need to end this post right now, I'm getting dizzy just thinking about everything! Plus I have a craft segment on Good Morning Arizona tomorrow and I have to get up at 6.

When I sent a message to the universe asking to live a crafty life, this is what happened. I wouldn't trade it for all the milagros in Mexico.
***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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Patrick's family portrait

Our nephew Ben, my sisters-in laws, Anjelica and Yvonne.

It's so easy to take our families for granted. And to take time for granted. This is what Patrick (and the kids and I too) recently when his aunt passed away a few days ago.

This is an aunt on Patrick's birth father's side. In easier terms: His dad's sis. Patrick's mom and dad were parents at 16, married and divorced 8 months later. They were so young! Patrick's mom raised him, she remarried a few years later and her new husband adopted him and became his dad throughout his childhood. All was happy!

Patrick saw his real dad (what's the politically correct way to say that? Birth dad? Baby daddy?) again in high school, and but more than a decde passed when that chance came up again. Now another decade has passed, and we were once more reunited with Patrick's dad, only this time it was for the funeral. Even though we didn't Patrick's aunt Sylvia very often - once or twice - we knew she was a beautiful woman with a big heart who loved to dance and sing. We learned this because Patrick's dad and his family told us all about her.

Despite the tears over losing Sylvia, there was a lot of hugs, smiles and laughter in our house the past few days when Patrick's dad came and spent time with us. His daughters brought their kids and spouses. Patrick's grandma came as well, plus other aunts and even his ex-stepmom too!

Patrick and I both have loving, supportive families thatlive 10 minutes away from us. But connecting with a whole new set of relatives is amazing. It was like finding that last missing puzzle piece and going "Ah! That's where that came from!"

So here are somepictures from when we all worked late into the night making memorial display for Sylvia's services. We ordered pizza, shared stories, scrapbooked and swore to stay in touch, for real this time. When it came time for the funeral, Patrick's mom came and offered her condolences to her former husband whom she hadn't seen in, um like 30-some years? They shook hands and chatted. We all felt a sense of healing. Family bonding time does wonders for the soul. I know Sylvia is delighted that we all came together to honor and celebrate her life. Rest in peace, chica. May your light continue to shine from here to eternity.


More crafting!


Rosie, Grandma Lujan, Annie and mas....


Our brother-in-law, Ben, and Patrick's dad.


***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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Crafty Chica products coming to a store near you!

I'm in a mad rush these days to finish a huge project, that's why I haven't had much time to post this month, but I'm almost over the hump!

What could be fitting enough to pull me away from my beloved computer? Crafting, of course!

For the past few months I've been hinting about my new gig with Duncan Enterprises. Finally, I can spill the sequins about what is going down.

Drum roll...

I'm developing, designing and launching an official Crafty Chica product line with Duncan! The line is all about the craft supplies, techniques and projects I love to use and make. I'm literally picking and choosing every element that will eventually be packaged and delivered to shelves at a tienda near you. The best part is that Patrick (my hubby) has a big hand in it as well. For years we have cranked out hundreds of pieces of handcrafted art. Now we are empowering others to do it.

The product line debuts in 2008. This is ultra big news because when was the last time you ever saw a cool display of Latin-themed craft products for EVERYONE to enjoy? And I'm proud to say you will not find any piñatas or chili peppers here. Nothing against them, I just think we've seen enough of them in home decor. It's time to give some respect to la cultura and all the crafty chicas (of any background) of the universe!

Today I'm chin deep on working on mock kits for the line, plus my hubby had an unexpected death in the family this week. His relatives are coming over this afternoon so we can make a beautiful memory display for the funeral service tomorrow and Tuesday. So I have gotta jam for now, but I'll be back with more scoop in a couple days!

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Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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PROJECT: Old school photo album

Is it a crime that sometimes I prefer photo albums to scrapbooks? I love the simplicity of taking an expressive photo and making it stand on its own for the whole page. No fancy paper, no flashy decorations, just a classic photo and maybe an adjective for a caption. The concept is fast, easy and has that cool minimalist spirit.

I was inspired to make this album after I bought a new camera and started taking pictures of my daily adventures. Small blank journals are easy to find and very inexpensive. What made this project even more fun was that I used the Epson PictureMate Snap(found at most electronic stores) - it's a computer-free photo printing station that is as big as a lunchbox. You just pop in your memory card and the pictures come up on the little foldout screen, press print and you're set. A photo album in minutes!

CLICK HERE FOR DIRECTIONS

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Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
STORE * T-SHIRTS * MY SPACE * FLICKR* NEWSLETTER