Warp speed resolutions? Bring 'em on!

It's the last day of 2008. You can't let it go by without some kind of signature salute!

We made it through 12 months of good and bad. Some of us journaled those times, others stored the memories in our brains. It is time for closure and I have a favor to ask of you today.

For the next 24 hours, do everything in your power to end this year on a high note!

Tonight I thought about the goals I had exactly one year ago. Some I crossed off the list, others - well, they'll just have to spill over to 2009. It led to an idea for a movie or book: A person who, on the night of December 30th, decides to complete all their resolutions on New Year's Eve. Talk about waiting until the last minute! Like organizing their family photos, changing their look, falling in love, making up with a friend, getting a new job, etc. I think this would be an excellent project for Will Ferrell, or perhaps an episode for Ugly Betty!

The heck with Hollywood, why not try it ourselves?

We have one day left. How about dusting off that January wish list and microsizing our unfinished business so we can actually complete those goals? In every good story, all hope seems lost and then at the last minute - success! right?

Let's do it! Here are some ideas to get you started...

1. Change your look.
Hmmm...too late to score a hair appointment on New Year's Eve. How about parting your hair different? If you normally part it on the left, do it on the right, or in the center. Straighten it if you wear it curly, or the other way around. Wear a different color of lipstick. If you are daring, cut baby bangs.

2. Restyle your home.
Go through your house with a bag and get rid of all the things that bug you or have no meaning to you. Rearrange all the exsiting stuff by putting it in different rooms. Take two of your lamps and exhange the shades. Swap the rugs in different rooms, or the shower curtains. Take everything off your fridge door so it looks clean.

3. Get more organized.
Whatever little things you have on your fridge, in your CD player, on your desk, in your car, on your notepad - gather them up and put them in a box, or maybe a purse or jewelry box. Pass it off as a "time capsule"! I made this one a couple of years ago. I did a purse swap with Margot Potter that year and used the box she made for me to hold mementos. I still have it intact, and I love it! Little did I know then that I would end up painting my kitchen and family room to match that purse! Thank you, Margot!



4. Lose weight.
Hopefully you are reading this first thing in the morning. Hurry! Take off your clothes and go weigh yourself. Normally we weigh less first thing in the morning, so you will be lighter than when you went to bed last night!

5. Accomplishments.
Sit down and write down a list of ALL the things you completed this year. They don't have to be huge life changing goals. Little things add up to make one big picture. They can be times you were proud that you stood up for yourself or someone else, or when you saved money and bought something special, changed a tire, when you went hiking and didn't pass out, or took a class and scored a good grade, gave an important presentation, volunteered somewhere, donated something to charity, learned to draw a face, fit into smaller size pants, used a sewing machine for the first time. The little things count!

6. Travel.
Let me think a second for this one. A movie is too predictable (if you should choose this, I suggest Slumdog Millionaire). A book takes too long. Buying the right CD is tricky.

Got it.

Go eat at a restaurant of a place you want to go to. If that is too hard, heck, go to Cheesecake Factory - they have all kinds of worldy dishes. My favorite there is the Jamaican Black Pepper Shrimp dinner. It comes with plantains, rice, black beans and chutney. That is super easy! And tasty! (Photo from http://yummyinthetummyblog.blogspot.com)
7. Save money.
Hopefully you have some bills in your wallet. How 'bout coins? Take them out, put them in an envelope, seal it and put it someplace where you will forget about it (but not totally lose it like this) - the pocket of your carry-on suitcase, inside a summer salad cookbook, or your favorite board game. If you don't have cash on hand, do an instant transfer in your bank account online to savings, or write a check and put it in the envelope. In this case, the intention counts, you have my permission!

8. Exercise.
Get off the chair and do 25 jumping jacks. But don't hurt yourself! I say this because once I got all brava and did 25 jumping jacks as a dare. I kept landing on my heels and I hurt my back. Leave it to ME to hurt myself doing friggin' jumping jacks...OK, TMI. On to the next one -

9. Juicy, novela-style romance.
If you have a man, go flirt with him and run your fingers through his hair until he blushes like a fifth grader. If you don't have a man - improvise. This sounds weird, but what the heck? It is the last day of the year, go for it: Write a love letter to yourself as if it were from your dream guy. Write everything you want him to say to you. You don't have to show it to anyone, just do it. Who knows? Maybe it will manifest into reality!

10. I'm leaving this up to you. Please help me finish this list. It can be a spin-off of one I mentioned, or one you I missed. It can be one you are going to do!

Leave a quickie resolution and I'll draw one winner to win a Crafty Chica Empowerment Shrine workshop In a Box - perfect for kicking off a fabulous 2009!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

P.S. If any movie producers are reading this, have your people call my people about the film rights.

MY NEW BOOK: "Crafty Chica's Guide to Artful Sewing: Fabu-Low-Sew Ideas for the Everyday Crafter".

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2009.

Trends for 2009

I just watched this on TrendHunter.com and am happy to see that crafts and DIY culture in general are repeated themes in this list.

Break out the sketchbook, scissors, and glue, because many creative opportunities await!



See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.

Hacked Crafty Chica Transfer Idea!

Here you see the Crafty Chica flocked Iron-on Transfer of a bird with a heat and rose - tattoo-inspired! Patrick drew this image and then we had the word "amiga" placed in the ribbon banner.

But what if you like the design, but don't want the word amiga? Easy! Flocked transfers are awesome because they can be easily hacked to your liking. You simply take a pair of scissors (smaller the better) and carefully snip away the part you don't want.

Here is the transfer iron-on, post-snip, to some fabric I dyed.


Now that the ribbon is a blank slate, I used my letter stamps and Tulip Soft Fabric Paint to put in my friend's name. Now I can cut this piece of fabric and give it to my friend so she can use it in her fabric collage art! You can apply it on a T-shirt, jeans, etc. The neat thing is that now I have an "amiga" flocked iron-on transfer that I can use on a different project.
Here is the skull version - you can snip off the heart, the flowers, etc. Isn't that so cool???

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.

Crafty Music Video: Trouble is a Friend

I am in love with this song, and the video too!

Silhouettes and shadow puppets? I'm in.

This is by Lenka, and she has a new self-titled album out this month. What I love about her is that she is also very crafty - she is into paper arts, collage, video, etc. She is a fan of Miranda July, so that should paint a clear picture for you. Chances are you may have heard Lenka's music on Grey's Anatomy or 90210. Check out her web site!



See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.

Maya teaching DeAngelo how to play Chopsticks

Maya teaching DeAngelo how to play Chopsticks
Originally uploaded by craftychica

I love this picture. Because I know in years to come I would have forgotten this little moment from Christmas Day 2008. We went to the rehab center to spend the day with my dad. He is doing GREAT. Thanks again for the happy thoughts! He is working hard to get released. Lots of exercising and such until he is strong enough to go home.

Christmas dinner was a blast because we were able to use a dining room table in the library and the staff served us dinner. There was a piano right outside the room and Maya performed a mini-concert. Here she is giving DeAngelo a lesson.

Forget the presents and the food. Family, love, bonding, and showing appreciation for others is what life is all about.

Thank you so visiting my little cyber casa. I made chocolate rum balls yesterday, I wish I could share them with you! Here is a cyber one..........And by the way, the tamale recipe is coming soon.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Kwanzaa to all of you. I hope you had a special, happy, stress-free day. I hope people were kind and showered you with love! I hope you heard your favorite song or story, ate your favorite food, or cracked up at a funny joke. I hope someone told you they loved you. If not, I'll tell you: I LOVE YOU!!!

It December 25th, I'm allowed to be sappy, OK?

Have a mighty fine weekend, and don't hurt yourselves at the post-holiday sales!

Let's all do the Peanuts after-Christmas dance! (Saw it on EW.com's site!)

GIFT TO MAKE: Custom-mixed Glitter Spices

It's a few days before Christmas (and it is already Hanukkah!) and you still have a few gifts to nab. No worries! This is a brilliant idea for the crafty person in your life!

Glitter spices! (For crafting, not eating, silly!)

What makes these so special is that you will custom-mix the colors!

Visit your local thrift shop and check out the bric-a-brac selection. You can almost always find these old spice jars, maybe even the rack to hold them. Use the name of the spice as the theme for your glitter shade.

Of course, I used all Crafty Chica Glitters for mine, but you can use any glitters you want! The idea to make the glitter look just as old as the jar - to do that you will need to "antique" the colors.

For cinnamon, I used 3 parts Crafty Chica Rockabilly Ruby, 2 parts Be Bop Black and 1 part Nova Blue.

For cloves, I used 3 parts Goddess Gold and 1 part Nova Blue, and a pinch of Be Bop Black.

For celery, I used 3 parts Glamour Queen Green, 1/2 part Bollywood Blue and 1 part Tulip white.

Use a small bowl to mix your colors and a chopstick for stirring. Use a rolled up sheet of typing paper to fill the jars. Be careful not to spill!

Those are just my variations. You can remove the label altogether and create your own names. You can theme them around fairy dust, sugar, shimmer powders, etc. If you can't find these vintage spice jars, use any other kind of small container. Package them in a box with some shredding paper and there you have one nice gourmet set of one-of-a-kind glitters! You can't go wrong! Think of how special your friend or family member will feel knowing you were a crafty chemist in their honor.

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.

Quickie Gift Box

I buy these in all my favorite colors at the party store for .99 cents each!

Large matchboxes can be found at the grocery store where they sell charcoal or fireplace logs. I used Aleene's Tacky Spray and the Crafty Chica Mojito Paper Set to cover the box.

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.

PROJECT: Candy Cane Snowflake Bark

These are so cute and super swift to make for holiday get-togethers! And quite yummy too...

Supplies:
1 snowflake set silicone baking pan (found in baking section)
White melting chocolate
Crushed candy canes
Plastic bowl
Mixing spoon
NOTE: If you can't find snowflake molds, no worries, just use circles or stars. Any silicone molds will do!

Directions:
Heat the melting chocolate according to package directions. You can use the microwave kind from the craft store, or the gourmet kind. If you go with the latter, you'll need to use a double boiler. Just read the package directions.

Once your chocolate is melted (stir it until all the lumps are gone and it is smooth), pour it in the plastic bowl and stir in the crushed candy canes. Mix and then pour into the molds. You can make thin and crispy ones, or super mongo sized ones like I did (see picture). Let cool and then pop out.

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.

Vintage pictures

My dad recently made all of us CDs with old - old - family photos. More than 300 of them! I hadn't had a chance to peek until tonight. The kids are away for a few days at our friends, Patrick is crashed out already, and I didn't feel like painting, cleaning, cooking or writing. I pulled out the CD and slid it in my Mac.

I've been laughing and tearing up (happy tears!) for the past two hours pouring over all of them. Here are a few.


I do believe this must have been my first simultaneous phone interview/publicity shot. I've always been a multi-tasker, you know!

Here is my Nana Cano at her sewing machine. She was a master seamstress if there ever was one. Every time I sew, I think of her and I get a knot in my stomach. I know she is watching me from Heaven and she wants so bad to stop me mid-bobbin wind, and show me the correct way to do it. My Aunt Mitzi (left) told me that they used to watch the movie stars on TV and my Nana would sketch out the design of the dresses they wore. She would send my dad to go buy the fabric and my Nana helped my Aunt crank out a Hollywood wardrobe for the Saturday night dances. My Aunt Mitzi went on to making all her own clothes. Both my dad and my Uncle Charlie sew as well. But they sew mantastic things like leather seat covers, camera cases, and camoflauge-theme computer covers. I'm so mad at myself for not appreciating my Nana's talent when she was alive. It wasn't until after she passed away that I finally got the courage to put my foot to the pedal. I have my sewing book coming out in February and I dedicated it to her, so this picture really hits the spot. Those of you who read my Art de la Soul book may remember my essay about my bridesmaid dress that I ordered too small. Hours before the wedding Nana took it apart to let out the seam a few millimeters - and God forbid, she sewed it back together inside out!!! She whipped out those stitches and prayed and sewed away until the final minutes. I made it down the altar, the dress immaculate, just in time. I am pretty sure that I make the same facial expression when I'm sewing. I love you, Nana Cano!

Here is my mom. Actually, this is not my mom. This is dreamy Norma Jean before she had taken on the challenge of parenting a kid like me! I love how relaxed and calm she looks, ready to face the future with grace and style.

Me standing in front of two things that would eventually shape my future: My dad's record album collection and the complete set of World Book Encyclopedia! As a little kid, I wanted to grow up to be a writer for the annual update edition! Now it is all online...

Here is a feature article written about my dad in The Arizona Republic about model cars he used to build from scratch. He won a whole mess of awards for them. Who knew that he would have a daughter who would become a features reporter for the Republic?

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.

Quickie drapes - do not try this at home!

I made these in about an hour before my cousins came over to help me make tamales. Rush job. Finally hung. I had to cut the panels shorter because one caught on fire and the other got soaked. But hey! They are done!

Boys craft too!

Here is my son, DeAngelo, painting his Warhammer game pieces using Crafty Chica paints!

TAMALE MAKING 101: How I survived a chili seed stuck in my nose

This weekend, my sister, cousins, and myself are going to tackle my dad's job of making tamales. I thought I'd share a story about one of my previous attempts! This is a repost from December of 2004, that was also published in Latina Style Magazine.

*

I’m a strong-willed woman, college educated, a multi-tasking queen, and I run a happy household.

That’s all nice. But why can’t I cook?

This feeling of inadequacy hits me every December. As a Latina, aren’t I supposed to be genetically engineered with culinary super powers? Geez, at least for tamale making season! My dad, uncle, nana, aunts and mom-in-law are all tamale maestros. You’d think I’d pick up a few tips.

But noooo…. Instead, me in the kitchen is like Napoleon Dynamite on the catwalk. The only recipes I can handle are those of the arts-and-crafts variety.

Last year I decided I didn’t want to ditch my destiny. Maybe I just needed one-on-one training from a masa mentor. So I asked my dad to print his recipe for 30 dozen tamales, and I memorized it line by line.

I cheered and threw my fists in the air like Rocky when I survived the first day of his tamale boot camp. I went on to shred the beef and pork while bouncing my body, Shakira style, to the beat of Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree that streamed from the kitchen stereo. I rocked!

Day two was not as smooth. As I ripped the stems off of the last of the chile pods, a seed flung up my nose. Calmly and as ladylike as possible, I stuck my finger up there to retrieve the seed. After several seconds of searching, I couldn’t find it, and my nostril began to throb from the heat. I excused myself and headed to the restroom for a more private (and extensive) inspection.

I sat on the bathroom counter and pressed my profile to the mirror. My heart raced from the four-alarm fire pain. I planted my index finders on the rim of my nose to search for the teeny villain. It didn’t help. The exterior of my other nostril began to sting just as bad.

Finally, it clicked. Doh! Despite the antibacterial hand wash, the chile pod residue lingered on my fingers. And I had just rubbed it all over the inside and outside of my sniffer.

I was in a chile-nose inferno of a panic. I hopped off the counter, raced to the kitchen, grabbed a little chunk of ice from the freezer and sprinted back to the bathroom. I stuck the ice nugget inside my flaming nostril to soothe the pain. It felt sooo yummy and cool. That is until I inadvertently sniffled, which caused me to suck it up with more force than a Hoover vacuum attachment. The sharp ice chunk became lodged in my upper bridge.

In that instant of shock, all I could thick of was how the ice would travel up to my brain. I would pass out and die. People would sob at my funeral. I envisioned them approaching my family to say: “What a shame! What happened to Kathy?!”.

And my husband would reply: “She tried to make tamales, but picked her nose with chile residue on her hands. She then inhaled a piece of ice and it got stuck. It didn’t melt in time. We couldn’t save her....”

I couldn’t let that happen! But the sensation of the searing ice chunk was more agonizing than the chile. So I did what any quick-thinking crafty chica would do. I pressed my finger to close off my open nostril, aimed for the sink and blew hard out of the clogged one. The ice shot out like a marble from a cannon and made a loud clink in the sink. Eyes watering and lightheaded, I looked into the mirror and asked out loud, “Did that really just happen?”

I didn’t want to injure myself any further so I reached for the safety of a scrub towel. I wrapped a piece of ice in it, and held it up to my nostrils in tandem until the pain went away. I never told my dad.

Moral of the story: Wear gloves when de-seeding chile pods. As for me, I refuse to let the chile seed win. I’m going to tackle Tamale Making 101 again this year. If I fail, I can always make a glittered cornhusk wreath!


Wanna know about real tamales makers? Here is blog post I wrote about my dad and Uncle Joe!

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.

CAPTION CONTEST - Top Three!

I narrowed it down to three choices! Look on the upper left hand side and vote for your favorite!

ENTRY 1: "I said I needed a CAVALLI!! A ROBERTO CAVALLI dress!!"

ENTRY 2: "Well...there was a mix up in the booking. They were expecting a Mariachi Band not a Gospel Choir. The crowd got ugly fast."

ENTRY 3: "Mija, te dije ("I said") no tamales in the pressure cooker. I ran out just in time, you should see your cocina!"

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.

PROJECT: Glittered Resin Snowflakes

Here in Arizona, snowflakes are hard to come by. So we have to be creative and create our own faux-chilly version. Snowflake-shaped silicone molds will do the trick. Use them to create a serious collection of colorful decorations that can be hung in your house or outside on your patio, or even from trees. The trick is to use resin and mix in glitter, sequins or anything else to create an artful look that would make Frosty proud.

Glittered Resin Snowflakes
Supplies:
1 large silicone snowflake mold (I bought mine at the Target Dollar Spot)
1 box of Envirotex Lite resin
Chopstick
Assorted Crafty Chica glitter, sequins.
Wax paper
Dremel tool
Fishing line

Directions:
Line your work area with wax paper. Use one-fourth cup of each part of the resin and pour in a paper cup. Mix vigorously with chopstick for two minutes. Pour in the glitter or sequins and stir again. Pour into mold. Let sit for 24 hours until fully hardened. Use the Dremel to drill a hole at the top. Add a long strand of fishing line. Repeat for make more snowflakes. Hang in different lengths from your ceiling or from outside trees or patio trim.

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.

The Murillo family takes country dance lessons.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Maya was posing so goofy at the wedding this weekend, I couldn't help but use one of her "better" photos. Of course, she will likely make me take it down when she gets home from school!

NOTE TO VALERIE: I'm making new MITI samples, I'm on my lunch hour right now!!!

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.

I've been putting off writing this post...

...only because there is so much to share! Let me just start by the days. The slide show is kind of in order of the events.

*Sorry of the below is not cohesive, I'm seeing double right now. Seriously. I lent my dad my reading glasses!*

My dad had been spending the days in the hospital keeping very busy, waiting for the next plan of action with his illness. In the picture above, you can see he had steady crowds visiting him every day and night. He had my sister bring his laptop where he stored hundreds of old family photos. He burned a special CD for each family member when they came to visit him. Yes, he was supposed to be resting, but he is NOT the kind of person to just sit in bed.

Wednesday arrived. It was my birthday. Maya and I went to see him. At the same time, the doctor came and let us know that my dad will need his leg amputated in order to safely remove cancer. Can I just take a moment to go outside and yell something in the middle of the street?

CANCER SUCKS!!!!

It was a huge shock. Above the friggin' knee. Not only that news, but also that the surgery would take place the next day. Fast forward 24 hours. All of us were so emotional. We were with him in pre-op and he tells my brother:

"Wouldn't it be a mess if they cut off the wrong leg and then I would have no legs at all?"

My brother: "Dad. That won't happen."

My dad: "I know. But wouldn't it be a mess?"

My brother: "Yes, it would be a mess. But it is not going to happen!"

Just then a nurse comes in, lifts up my dad's gown and writes with a marker YES on the leg to go, and NO on the other. I swear, right then I saw a glowing halo around that marker. I asked the nurse and my dad if I could draw a heart on his leg before he went into surgery. They both said sure, so I drew a big heart and wrote "we love you". I knew it was a permanent marker because when my tears fell on it, the ink didn't smear. My dad broke the tension by saying, "Kathy, you want to keep the leg? Maybe you can decorate it with glitter or make something out of it!"

Off he went, and two hours later, the doctor came out and told us he did just fine. Today they moved him to a rehab center so he can get used to life with his new leg. It's going to be a long road. Every step is a challenge, literally and figuratively. Thank you again for all your prayers, thoughts and kind words. I truly believe the collective good energy is working magic!

Friday, I bought my "chicamobile" - a 2005 PT Cruiser. It wasn't my first choice, but I had exactly enough cash saved (no bank loan, yay!), it has low miles, low insurance, and it is in pristine condition. It's black and super shiny. I can hardly wait to turn it into a Crafty Chica art car to drive around the city!

The same day, my new Amazon Kindle arrived via UPS. It is like an iPod for books!

Friday night I had a book signing at the city of Avondale's Holiday Festival. This was special to me because my dad used to work for the city there, so I was able to meet and chat with some of his old friends. There were so many nice people - and some interesting ones too. This one lady asked me:

"Your maiden name is Cano?"

Me: Yup!"

Her: "Me too. We must be related. Do you know Eddie Cano?"

Me: "My dad had a cousin named Eddie, but he passed away years - "

Her: "This Eddie has twin sisters and is a PREE-son-ER." (prisoner)

Me: Hmmm. I don't think it is the same Eddie."

Her: "Yah. I think we're related."

And THEN there was a pre-teen skateboarder kid who wanted a Crafty Chica bobblehead. I gave him one and he goes "Cool, I can practice my kissing on it in my bedroom!"

Yah, it was a hot night in Avondale!

Saturday was the Holiday Craftorama at the Duck. My friend Lolita helped pull it all together after my dad became ill and I didn't have time. It was slower than our April event, but we still had shoppers and all the vendors had sales.

One of the highlights was literary performance artist, Tenisha Baca. She gave a spoken word presentation on knitting and crafting. She portrayed different characters who create for various reasons such as healing, peace, politics, fun, and even spirituality. She had us laughing and crying. As soon as she posts a video of her performance, I'll post it here. Tenisha is the embodiment of indie crafting - she vocalizes her message, not only in what she makes, but in her performances. You just gotta see her!



That was all SaturDAY. Now on to SaturNIGHT. My Uncle Danny's wedding! It was a full-blown Cano party. We were able to hang with all my cousins, we danced, yakked, and took lots of pictures. Afterward we went to the hospital and showed them to my dad and told him all about the night.

Can you believe I had one last event? Today. My cousin, Ray Arvizu, and his company, throws a huge tamale festival in downtown Phoenix every year. A big draw is a tamale-making contest. The contestants had to make the tamles right there under the tent! This year his PR department asked me to sit on the judging panel. There were 18 entries. They were all tasty, but some more than others. Some had carrots and potatoes, others strawberries and pineapples. I think one even had tongue! I took one bite from each one, except two from the ones I thought were bland. I wanted to give them a second chance. My highest score was 9.5 out of 10. My dad's tamales are a 10, and while these were all mega-yummy, my dad's still rock the hardest!

That was my last event for 2008. All my extra time in these next few weeks are about helping with my dad, and finishing my novel revisions. This was, by far, the busiest year I've ever had:

- CHA and the Crafty Chica product line debut
- The Heard Museum exhibit - La Casa Murillo!
- The Safe Sparkle Rally for Ellen DeGeneres
- The 2nd Annual Crafty Chica Cruise!
- The Spread the Sparkle tour at Michaels stores
- Maker Faire San Francisco and Austin
- The Phoenix Indie Craftorama.
- Talking face-to-face with Oprah's senior show producer at Unity!
- Winning awards (a first for me!): Best in Show at Summer CHA, Valle del Sol's Profiles of Success, Catalina Magazine Groundbreaking Latina Entrepreneur of the Year, Best Glitter from New Times!
- Filming CRAFTED for LifetimeTV
- All the book signings and events!
- Realizing there is more to life than MySpace - like Twitter and Facebook!

I am so happy I took so many pictures. I'm happy to have connected with all of YOU. Thank you for being so patient with me (ie: mailing prizes). Someday I'll have an assistant and get some help. Until then, I'll happily keep juggling all of it the best I can.

I feel so blessed and proud to have spent this year working for/with the crew at Duncan Enterprises - Valerie, Alyson, Lindy, Lauren, Cheryl, EVERYONE there!! I *heart* Fresno, it is such a quirky place with a lot of personality. I am so looking forward to 2009!

Alright, I'll stop with the sappiness. It's late and i'm ready to collapse on the bed from exhaustion.

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.

Caption contest!

Today I was a judge at huge tamale festival. I saw this lady with tamales glued all over her dress, chatting on her cell phone, and I just had to snap a picture!

Leave a comment of a good caption and I'll choose one as the winner of a $20 Amazon.com gift card! Deadline is Tuesday at 11 p.m. Keep in mind i'm also posting this on MySpace, Flickr, and Facebook, so give it your best shot!

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.

VIDEO: Match Box Ornaments!

To buy your own set of images, visit ArtChixStudio.com!

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.

PROJECT: Easy gift card book!

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.

PROJECT: Glittered Bird in a Cage

Everyone has a friend or family member who likes offbeat accessories. Like a glittered bird in a cage! To make this, you'll need:

A small bird cage
Crafty Chica paints
Crafty Chica Glitters
Crafty Chica Glossy Gloss Varnish
Tulip 3D Fashion Glitter Paint
High gloss spray varnish
Hot glue

Decorate the cage with the paints and varnish. While it is drying, visit your corner dollar store and look in the ceramic area. They always have little birds there!


Take it home and paint it with acrylic craft paint, and let it dry. Use a thin liner brush to go over each painted area and add matching glitter. Continue until the entire bird is covered in glitter. Next, add accents with the #D glitter paint. Let dry and then hot glue it to the center of the cage.

For a more personalized look, add a banner to the cage that has your friend's name!


See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.

This is what I make for dinner every night: Western Spaghetti!

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.

The best fortune cookie ever.

This afternoon, Patrick's mom and Uncle George came to our house and surprised us with Chinese food for lunch! Every time I eat Chinese food, all I can think about is getting to the fortune cookie for the message. Sometimes they strike a nerve, sometimes they just don't. Today - it struck a nerve! I love this fortune!

It's only Monday and it is already an action-packed week.

First of all, thank you for the thoughts on my dad. He is still in the hospital. We are waiting on test results to learn the next plan of action. It's the big "C". He is being so strong and upbeat, yet he looks tired and frustrated of being confined to one room. We bought him a mini-DVD player, plus he has his laptop, magazines and his cell phone. Nothing will help until he gets to go home! Every night he has a big crowd of family guests, and we all play musical chairs to take turns sitting. We talk about everything from memories and tamale-making to those crazy new traffic cameras and the joy of iPhones.

When I'm not at the hospital, I'm working away on a multitude of projects. Pitches for show segments, pitches for a new web series, product models for the product line, CHA make-and-take samples, gobs of holiday orders from our web site, AND my novel revisions.

I'm really freaking about that last one. It's not something that can easily be crossed off the list. I could go much faster if I would only stop second-guessing myself! Before it sold to a publisher, I had nothing to lose, I just went with it. But now, oh man, there are editors waiting for the finished goods. I have to shake off the jitters, move forward, and have fun with the experience.

Today I had the pleasure of interviewing Kate Jacobs about her new book, Knit Two. It barely came out last week and it is already on the NYT bestseller list! She is quite the inspiration and you can see her as a guest star in the new book-themed CBS web series, Novel Adventures. Her episode is called "The Prince and the Perfect Taco".

That's all for tonight! I have to get back to work. I'm sorry I don't have new projects up yet, I'll post some tomorrow. In the meantime, check out these two lists:

Holiday project round up
50 Gifts to Make

Wait! One more thing - here is a movie trailer for the new film, Nothing Like the Holidays. I want to see it because it looks super cute and is about a tight-knit Latino family - and there are no drug dealers, papis, hootchies, gangbangers, or maids. Well, at least as far as I know...



See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.

How Maya spent a Saturday night.

Making a goofy video.

DeAngelo and I went to see Australia and the verdict is - WE LOVED IT!! It took all my might not to break out in the ugly cry in the theatre. It was funny, serious, scary, sweeping, magical, sexy, sad, all of it rolled into one big juicy flick.

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.

Inspiration Friday: Eco-friendly designer, Evette Rios

Evette Rios, showing how happy she is about green crafting!

This week’s Inspiration Friday is brought to us by designer and TV personality, Evette Rios, 28.

This native New Yorker's passion is incorporating eco-friendly attitude into everything she creates. Combining that love with her knack for offbeat recycling - she has solidified her title as a green crafty expert. Her former co-host gigs include HGTV and TLC, and these days you can see her share ideas on The Rachael Ray Show, and as well as The G-Word on the Planet Green Network (part of the Discovery Channel networks). Click here to see when it airs in your area.

I keep up with her by reading her blog, and you can too!

KATHY CANO-MURILLO: You’re very active in the green movement when it comes to crafting and DIY décor. Now you get to demo it all on the G List! Why do you think it's an important message?

EVETTE RIOS: It’s an issue that we all need to pay attention to. What I like about the show is that it is not really a crunchy granola kind of show. It's sort of the kind of show that teaches people how to do great things with minimal effort. A lot of the stuff that’s out there these days - it's like you have to get solar panels, hybrid cars, eat organic, grow your own food. It's not realistic! The G-Word has that new-type quality, and not that kind of preachy stuff - you know, like “Here’s what is out there, and you have to go buy it right now.”

Exactly. It doesn’t guilt you, it makes it fun. What is your role on the show?

I'm currently the Salvage Queen. I go around New York City and revamp a bunch objects. I surprise people by bringing them back to life. I recently turned an armoire into a really cool desk space, and a futon into a shelving unit. The fun thing is that after I revamp the items, I bring them back to the people who originally threw them out.

What is one easy project you can share with readers?

Everyone has a bookshelf that’s always falling apart. A quick, easy project is getting a set of legs from a hardware store - I've done it with wheels too - and you paint the bookcase and give it some wall paper and put it on its side. Put the legs on it and it becomes a really cool horizontal long bookshelf. It looks better if you have really cool paper.

How is life on the Rachael Ray Show? Have any fun insider stories or craftastrophes to share?

Rachael is great, she is super fun and enthusiastic. Here's one: Once I made this mixture out of water, salt, and aluminum foil. You can use it to remove tarnish from silver. It's a very green way to clean. But… I brought in a bowl I had bought at a flea market that was really old and tarnished. When I went on camera it didn’t work! But it had worked at home! Rachael saved me, she just kind of showed everyone the clean ones that had worked, and brushed through it. It was very, very embarrassing. (Laughs)

Well it is good to know it happens to all of us! Have any holiday advice for us?

- I like to wrap my gifts with fabric or scarves instead of paper, since the fabric is reusable. I love to use the Japanese folding technique, Furoshiki, to wrap my gifts. I especially love the double wine bottle fold. It rocks!

- I try to give gift certificates to local things for the holiday. Instead of sending folks to a chain store, it’s better to give a gift certificate to your favorite restaurant. It helps the local economy by keeping money in your town.

- When cleaning up after your holiday guests, fill your dishwasher as full as you possibly can each time, and run that rather than doing your dishes by hand. A University of Bonn, Germany study proves that the dishwasher uses only half the energy, one-sixth of the water and less soap too.

What are some of your personal decorations?
I'm going really funky this year. I found this great old fashioned art deco style Christmas tree stand on Ebay that I am so excited to use. It’s so cool that you don’t need a skirt for your tree. As much as I love the fresh cut pine scent, I think it’s a little sad to have a cut tree in the house, so I am going all out with a fake tree. I painted it Robin’s egg blue, and using all orange and brown ornaments. I think it will look really cool! I also created this cute collar for Baloo, my dog, by covering a nylon collar with and old scrunchie, then pinning on a bunch of bells and using a small unbreakable ornament as a name tag...super cute.

Here is some video of Evette in action!



See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.

Holiday project round up!

Looking for ideas for the holidays? So much to do in so little time, right? Well, ditch the popcorn garland already and dive in!

Andes Mint Tree
Awesome Advent Calendar
Bejeweled Champagne Flutes
Bottlecap Tree
Candy Kebobs
Changable Art Purse
Christmas Charm Earrings
Christmas Tree Jewelry
Coffee Bean Candle Cups
Corazon Candles
Corn Husk Wreath
Crafty Time Capsule
Crystal Game Card Ornaments
Custom Collage Wrapping Paper
Domino Shrines
Embossed Tin Cards (That Double As Ornaments!)
Etched Reindeer Mirrors
Family Tree-In-A-Box
Festive Spheres
Flowered Gift Tower
Gift Card Book
Gift Card Book, part 2
Gift Tags
Glittered Boxes and Ornaments
Glittered Cactus Garden
Glittery Greeting Wall Art
Glittered Vases
Hanging Card Holder
Holiday Canvas Art
Jump Start Scrapbook Pages
Kwanzaa Shadow Box
Lucha Libre Snowglobe
M&M Wreath
Matchbox Ornaments
Mini-Light Tomato Cage Tree
Mini Mirror Garland
Mini-toy Wreath
Mirrored Mission Ornaments
Ornament Centerpiece
Ornaments - 5 Ways!
Paper Doll Ornaments
Party Poppers
Peppermint Snowflake Bark
Ribbed Crochet Cap
Quilted Christmas Card
Sassy Snow Bowls
Scrabble Tile Ornaments
Silver Foil Vases
Snickers Tree
Superhero Ornament Set
Tempting Tea Lights
Terra Cotta Candle Stakes
Tin Ornament ideas
Tricked Out Christmas Shoes
Twinkle Canvas
Wish Upon a Star Bracelets
See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.

Juicy roses!

Juicy roses!
Originally uploaded by craftychica

Blogger has locked my blog because their robots think it is spam. hopefully it will be unlocked soon.

Until then, here are some pretty flowers to look at...

My designs in a new knitting book!

My designs in a new knitting book!
Originally uploaded by craftychica

I contributed some drawings to this new knitting book, Picture Perfect Knits!

Thank you!

Thank you so much for the comments, emails, thoughts, and wishes for my pops. I appreciate it so much. And my dad does too!! If you get a chance, read the article about him - it shows where I get my craftiness from. He used to enter car model contests and sweep all the grand prizes! He sketched them, made them in clay and then carved them from wood!

Anyway, thank you again!!!


See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.

Prayers galore times infinity, please.

My dad is still in the hospital. Been there since Friday when he had to have emergency surgery. All was well, and then suddenly it is not. Life changes are coming. He is holding strong, keeping his chin up, joking, and being positive. Medicines. Surgeries. Tests and more tests. Adjustments for the mind, body and spirit. And he is still joking and smiling. I am visualizing him coming home soon, sitting at the kitchen table. Hopefully by this time next week. Or sooner - he wants to go to the Cardinal football game on Sunday!

Here is a newspaper article about him when he was much younger. Even though the years have gone by, my dad is still this ambitious young man at heart. He knows all challenges are tasks to overcome so he can move on to the good stuff. This is his biggest task ever. I'm soaking it all up as much, and as fast as I can...

I now know why I received all those milagros on Thanksgiving Day. My dad needs each and every one...

*Click on the story to enlarge it if you want to read it*



See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.

50 Gifts to MAKE That Look Like You Bought Them!

This special package is inspired by last week's Oprah's Holiday special. Oprah always inspires me! I loved her idea about writing thoughtful notes to people and the embellished boxes to put them in.

I know my parents, brothers and sisters would appreciate that - but if that was all I gave them, they'd probably knock me on the head...

So I decided to take it a step further and pull together a list of gifts you can make that won't cost a lot of money, but will look like you bought them at the store. And they will go great with the box of notes!

Many of these ideas have the "chica philosophy" of empowerment, sparkle, and good karma. I've had this site for eight years and I had hundreds of projects to choose from, it was very hard!

I hope you can find a few ideas to help get you through the season!

I hope Oprah would be proud of this!



1. Ugly Betty-inspired initial necklace.
2. Little Birdie Peace Tote.
3. Frida Jewelry Set.
4. Microscope Slide Necklaces.
5. Embossed Wood Picture Necklace.
6. Skull Charm Bracelet.
7. Fancy Felt Dish Towels.
8. DIY Mighty Magnets.
9. Postcard Pillows.
10. Yarn Mosaic Lamp.
11. Happy Hangers.
12. Glittered Barstool.
13. Fiesta Barstool.
14. Vintage Coin Frame.
15. Warrior Angel Shadow Box.
16. Crazy Mosaic Mirror.
17. Concrete Coasters.
18. Ribbon-trimmed Frame.
19. Screened Earring Holder.
20. Ultra Gaudy Mosaic Desk Set.
21. Beaded Bottle Toppers (with bottles).
22. Micro Bead Frames.
23. Desktop Bamboo Water Fountain.
24. Bejeweled Champagne Flutes.
25. Love Shrine.
26. World Traveler Gift Box Set.
27. Stenciled Fan.
28. Stamped Clay Boxes.
29. Framed Paper Art.
30. Loteria Luminaria.
31. Dress Shirt Laptop Sleeve.
32. Comic Book Belt.
33. Homegirl Laptop Sleeve.
34. Tricked Out Tee.
35. Revamped Granny Handbag.
36. Wood-burned Purse.
37. Painted Suitcase.
38. Old School Photo Album.
39. Glittered Bird in a Cage.
40. Revamped Chandelier.
41. Crafter's Good Energy Shrine.
42. Custom Dinnerware Set.
43. Dreamy Pillowcase Set.
44. Customized Empowerment Guardian.
45. A Set of Novela Notecards.
46. Oilcloth Messenger Bag.
47. Mixed-Media Windchime.
48. Bleached Out Sneakers.
49. Scripted Frame.
50. Mixed-Media Address Book.
***
Don't worry, be crafty! Buy Crafty Chica books & art supplies at Amazon.com!

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.

PROJECT: Paper Doll Ornament Clips

By Kathy Cano-Murillo
Special for The Arizona Republic

Looking for a way to make your tree pop this year? Standard glittery glass bulbs will do, but why not crank it up a notch? My first thought was to make large flowers or butterflies from watercolor paper, but I settled on paper dolls. These dolls are inspired by a drawing class I took over the summer from artist, Suzi Blu (http://www.suziblu.net/). If you don’t feel like breaking out the sketchbook, you can use any kind of magazine, vintage, or even copied images from family album. The real magic comes from the body, because you can embellish it with glitter, fabric, trims, etc. Add a clothespin to the back and you have one happy tree!

Paper Doll Ornament Clips
Supplies:
Pictures of faces that you either drew or photocopied, approx. 2” round
Thin cardboard, heavy watercolor paper
Fabric, paper, ribbon scraps
Glue stick, white craft glue
Crystals or gems
Crafty Chica glitter
Clothes pins or alligator clips
Crafty Chica Markers or paints
Scissors

Directions:
To make a batch of paper doll ornaments, you want each one to be about 7” long. Cut long triangles (to make the body/dress) from the cardboard. Decorate them with fabric and trim, using glue.
Apply the picture of the heads to cardboard. Cut out sets of feet and hands from cardstock. Sort the heads, bodies and limbs in piles. Before you glue, mix and match all the pieces until you create a doll you like. Glue the heads to the bodies and add the feet and hands. Embellish with glitter and gems, let dry. Hot glue the clothespin on the back and clip to your tree!
TIP: If your doll feels flimsy, glue a strip of cardboard to the back and then the clip.

***
Don't worry, be crafty! Buy Crafty Chica books & art supplies at Amazon.com!
See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.

The first official book review for my new sewing book!

Advanced Review – Uncorrected Proof

From Booklist:

Issue: December 15, 2008
Crafty Chica's Guide to Artful Sewing: Fabu-Low-Sew Projects for the Everyday Crafter.
Cano-Murillo, Kathy (Author)
Feb 2009. 144 p. Crown/Potter Craft, paperback, $21.95. (9780307406668). 746.

How to resist a six-times-plus author, columnist, and all-around thread artist who exudes “you can do it” in every sentence of this sewing 101 tome? Don’t. Because not only does Cano-Murillo, the self-styled “crafty chica,” fill her latest book with 30 projects for home and self but she also touts the benefits of recycling, repurposing, and bargain shopping—three activities hard to ignore in these thrift-minded times.
Plus, her prose and directions are easy reads. Why not, for instance, use a ready-made tote as one of the bodies for her Power Purses? Or employ vintage scarves for the oh-so-alluring lounge pillows? Upfront, she includes the basics about sewing, from fabric to machine types, as well as encouraging sidebars from fans, a list of movies featuring crafts and sewing, and a very personal and humorous “Diary of a Crafty
Chica,” tales from her own career. Generous tips are embedded on almost every page, all practical and focused on saving time and money while creating a one-of-a-kind item.

— Barbara Jacobs

Click here to see a sneaky peek of the book!

Click here to pre-order it!

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.