State Fair Ribbon Results

I went to the State Fair this weekend for three reasons. 

1.  Hall and Oates.

2. Corn dogs, lemonade, and funnel cakes. 

3.  Drunken Argyle. 

I'm certainly disappointed with my 2nd place showing but I'm not surprised.  I couldn't find the other entries in this category.  They had things strewn about and not necessarily grouped together.

The Nebraska State Fair is moving to Grand Island after this year so this was probably the last time I'll enter anything.  My ribbon winning days aren't over, though.  There's always the county fair! 

Did any of you enter items in your fairs this year?  Did you win any ribbons?  Would you rather eat a fried peach or pizza on a stick?

August Craft Challenge Winner!

And the winner is:

Cassie from Happy Days.  She wins the prize sticker/stamp prize pack and a free month of the challenge (I'll add this on to your other months, Cassie). 

I also choose a winner from those that blog about the challenge.  That winner is Anna from Something Sewn.  She wins a free month of the challenge.

Don't forget to sign up for September!  You have until Monday morning to get your packets purchased. 

August Craft Challenge Voting

Here we are! It's time to vote for your favorite craft challenge entry. I've never had 100% completion (or even 80%), but this month we had our lowest. Summer + back to school= less time to craft!

I do have three great entries for you to choose from! As a reminder, here is what they had to work with:

And this is what they're playing for:

And THIS is how you can join in for September.

This poll will be open until I go to bed on Friday night (around 10-11pm CST). I'll announce the winner Saturday morning.

September Craft Challenge Sponsored by Craft Critique

Our September craft challenge is brought to you by Craft Critique and the Butterfly Project.   Participating in The Butterfly Project is optional and not limited to craft challenge participants.  Anyone can make butterflies to send in.  Here are the details:

The Holocaust Museum in Houston is collecting 1.5 million butterflies for an exhibit scheduled to open in 2012.  Each butterfly represents one child that was murdered during the Holocaust. 

Here are some general requirements:

• Butterflies should be no larger than 8 inches by 10 inches.
• Butterflies may be of any medium the artist chooses, but two-dimensional submissions are preferred.
• Glitter should not be used.
• Food products (cereal, macaroni, candy, marshmallows or other perishables) also should not be used..
• Place your butterfly in a Ziploc Bag with your name and address.

Would you like to join us for the craft challenge?  You can purchase your $5 packet in my etsy shop.  I also have longer subscriptions available with a bit of a discount worked in.  They are great fun!  Nothing like getting an envelope full of craft supplies delivered to your doorstep. 

Want to see what you will win this month?  Is it worth playing for?  I thought so.

Thanks, Craft Critique!  You have until Sunday, August 30th to secure your craft packet for September.  

Learn. How to Make a Pinata From a Balloon.

This is my August Craft Challenge entry. I sent out all the purple tissue paper I had so I used yellow for mine. You also can't really see the details in this picture so I thought I'd give a step by step.

My former resident of Mexico and Spanish teacher self loves pinatas. I've made them out of jarras (clay pots), cardboard, and balloons. Using a balloon is the best choice for a quick and easy pinata.

Supplies:

• balloon
• newspaper
• papier mache paste (recipe below)
• tissue paper
• household glue

Papier Mache Paste Recipe

Mix 1/2 cup of flour with 2 cups cold water. Bring 2 more cups of water to a boil. Add your flour mixture. Stir until boiling. Remove from heat, pour into a bowl, and let cool. Some recipes out there add sugar after boiling. I've tried both ways and it doesn't seem to make much of a difference. If I have it nearby, I add it. If not, I don't.

While your paste is cooling, blow up a balloon and tear 2 inch wide strips of newspaper. As you can see, my daughter did a lot of the work. She was so excited to help and it was a good project for her to work on now that big brother is back in school.

What you do next is the fun and messy part. Spread the paste on one side of the paper strips and start to cover the balloon.

You'll want to make one solid layer and then let it dry overnight. Do another layer the next day. Another layer the next. Did I mention that making a pinata takes a little bit of planning? You'll want at least 3-4 days of lead time. To be honest, I did two layers in one day. That worked out okay but it wasn't ideal.

When you are making your layers, be sure to leave an opening at one end of the balloon. I chose the tapered end. You'll need this opening for the candy!

When your layers are completed and dry, pop the balloon and pull it out. Now you're ready to decorate!

For this one, I wanted it to look like a big pom pom or flower. I took the tissue paper squares, pinched them in the middle, dipped them in a bit of Elmer's glue and stuck them to the pinata.

I added pom poms (the white bits) around it, too. In this photo you can also see the card I made to go with the pinata. I made this for Deb's 30th birthday party. The eyelet is on the card and I strung it onto the rope.

I filled it with candy (gum & starburst). I added the gold coins to the inside as well. When the kids broke open the pinata, if they found a gold coin they got to choose a full-size candy bar. I thought it was a nice touch.

I used the craft sticks to hold the rope. I stuck them in the hold and tied the rope to the sticks. They didn't last very long. After one or two people, the sticks broke and we had to replace with a heavier duty dowel.

Everyone really enjoyed the pinata and it was a blast to make!

Have you finished your August Craft Challenge yet? You have until Wed. Aug 26th. If you'd like to participate in next month's challenge, you can purchase your packet in my etsy shop.

Make. Knitted Camera Cozy

One of the items I won at BlogHer was a Nikon Coolpix S60 signed by Ashton Kutcher.  It is a pretty neat camera.  My Canon S5 (I love this camera!) will still be my main camera but sometimes it is too big to lug around to events or family outings.   I had been looking for a good point and shoot to keep in my purse.  Needless to say, I was super excited to hear that I won this one! 

It didn't come with a case so I decided to knit one up for it at knitting group last night.  I didn't use a pattern.  I just cast on (around 40 stitches) on my double pointed needles and started working in the round.  After about 4 rows, I made a row of eyelets (k1, yo, k2 tog) so I could have it function as a drawstring bag.  When I got to the end I bound off and seamed it up using the mattress stitch. 

The yarn is a handspun that was purchased off of Etsy.  Oobbles bought this yarn for me and I absolutely love it.  I can't find the seller anymore but it is a handspun, hand dyed merino and is great to work with.     Now that I have this cozy I can toss my camera in my bag and not worry about it getting scratched! 

If you're interested in learning how to knit, why not check out my knitting school?  There are 6 lessons.  Scroll down to the bottom of the page to start with lesson one. 

Make. Twitter Fail Whale Version 2.0

I like this one much better than version 1.0 from yesterday!  I used a smaller hook, gave him a little more shaping, worked on the tail shaping, and added puff paint. 

Do you see the resemblance?

I need to add some strings and birdies to the mix.  I was going to puff paint the whole net but decided against it.  Now they just look a bit like waves.  My daughter found it and immediately exclaimed, "This is SO CUTE!  Is it for ME?".  Who am I to deny the cutest 4 year old around?

Make. Twitter Fail Whale Version 1.0

Last night I had to make something.  It had been a while since I've had a moment to actually craft.  I've been working hard trying to catch up after my trips in July and getting things rolling with Toolulu.  Then it hit me.  I should make something that represents where ChristyNelson.net and Toolulu intersect. 

This is the twitter "Fail Whale".  This image shows up when twitter is down and unfortunately, I've seen that image a lot these past few weeks. 

I thought I'd try to make a crocheted version of this iconic image.  Here is version 1.0. 

This took me about 20 minutes and I was basically  just trying to work out the basic shape.  Over the next few days (weeks?) I hope to bring you a few more versions as I work out the kinks and try to make it super awesome.  Once the fail whale is looking good, I'll add the birds and the net and turn this FAIL into a WIN!

CHA Summer Report: eCraft from Craftwell Inc.

My name is Christy and for years I lived a perfectly happy existence without a personal cutting system.  One trip to CHA and that has all changed.  I'm starting to question whether or not I've been truly happy without one.  Or, maybe I'm lucky because this brand new product from Craftwell is going to make the wait worth it! 

Here are the details for their product, the eCraft Personal Cutting System:

• no cutting mats!
• no cartridges!  It uses an SD card with pre-loaded images
• automatic paper feeder!  You can set down a bunch of paper and let it go to town! 
• no limit to the length of the paper!  They had it set up with a roll of paper 150 feet long and it would just feed through the paper.  How about that?  Think of all the super long banners you could make!
• with the eCraft Pro software you can USE YOUR OWN DESIGNS! 
• should be available in the stores before the holidays.
• cuts paper, cardstock, and vinyl
• depending on the model this will cost anywhere from $249 to $399 (suggested retail).  SD cards will retail for around $39. 
• it can draw and cut!

Here is a video from the company that shows some of the things it can do.

I'm sure this won't be the last you hear of the eCraft on this blog.  They are going to need some craft bloggers to test this out when it is ready to come out and I've already got my hand raised high!

Stuff I Like. Winning Ribbons at the State Fair.

Since I started taking my crafting seriously several years ago, I've been entering my items in the county and State Fairs.  Part of this is because I am compulsively a bit competitive.  I like to make things, share them, and the chance to win something is just too much to resist! 

This year I was out of town and didn't want to worry about having somebody else deliver my items to the county fair.  So, I didn't get to participate.  I do have an entry (just one!) in the State Fair.  I'll be entering the Drunken Argyle.  In my experience, the most intricate of patterns don't do well with the ribbons.  I've received more first place ribbons for stockinette hats than something that took considerable more skill (I'm not bitter). 

I'm curious if any of you are like me and enjoy winning blue ribbons. 

• Have any of you entered items in your state fairs? 
• Were you happy with the results? 
• Do you craft specifically for the fair or enter items you would have made anyway?
• Do you enter any other items (baked goods, photos)?
• What is your favorite fair food?

I love corn dogs.

CHA Summer Report: I Love to Create and the Crafty Chica

I spent a fair amount of time doing some make and takes at the I Love to Create booth at CHA.  Apart from wishing they would hire me to play with their products all day, I had a great time chatting with Kathy Cano-Murillo (THE Crafty Chica), her daughter Maya (so talented--she is going to be a HUGE star someday!),  and Traci Bautista. 

Here is Maya helping us cover our canvases with Crafty Chica glitter!  The glitter colors are amazing and they were really great to work with.  Want to see what I made?

I was going to stop before I put the silver glitter on.  But then I remembered where I was and who I was crafting with.  I could leave no part un-glittered!  I'm not so great at writing with puffy paint, but I think you get the point. 

I also had Kathy take my picture at the shrine she made.  How cool is this?  I also spent some time with Tracy making a wristlet using their new fabric graffiti paint and some fabric markers.  Yeah, I kind of messed it up.  But it was fun!  On the back I made sure to be self promoting at all times!    Before I left the booth I made sure to ask Kathy a very important question.  With all that glittering going on in her house, she has got to have some kind of super vacuum to keep it all clean.  Turns out, she could use our advice.  Check out the video and leave your advice in the comments!

August Craft Challenge Packets

By now you should have received your craft challenge packets if you chose to participate in August.  For the rest of you, here is what they got:

Here we have pom poms, craft sticks, eyelets, tissue paper squares, "authentic" pirate gold, and a limited edition ChristyNelson.net friendship bracelet.  The bracelet doesn't need to be included in the final project but I hope you will be wearing it as you craft! 

Want to know what you're playing for?  This month I saved the sponsor slot for myself.  I knew I would have some goodies to share after attending the CHA Summer Trade Show.  Here's what the winner will have to look forward to:

(Big Kick and pink dollhouse chair not included)

I'll be sending the winner loads of really cool stickers and a stamp set.  Want to see some close ups?

Next month's challenge will be sponsored by Craft Critique so if you want in on that, you can order your packet now! 

Learn. How to Heat Emboss.

One of my very first tutorials on this site was to show how to dry emboss. This past week my best friend, Tiffany, was here to visit. We had an impromptu "class" on how to heat emboss and we filmed it for the site.

Supplies needed:

• Stamps
• Versamark ink pad
• Cardstock
• Embossing powder
• Heat gun

CHA Summer Report: PLAID Simply Screen

I've gone on and on about the YUDU.  I know.  Sorry.  But, frankly, if I hadn't have won it it would have been very hard to justify shelling out the money for one.  Not to mention the space it is going to take up. 

PLAID came up with something really great (and AFFORDABLE!) for those of us that would like to try silkscreening but don't want to invest in a machine.  The only limitations, as far as I can tell, would be that you can't make up your own designs.  You just have to go with what they provide.

In the package you get an already designed stencil and a squeegee.  It retails for $9.99 and you can use the stencil over and over.  It is tacky on the back and that will eventually wear off but you can still use the stencil if you tape it down.  They can be cleaned off with cold water. 

The paints cost $2.99 (this is from memory) and come in a variety of colors including some metallic shades. 

Basically, all you do is lay down your stencil, pull your paint across the top, lift off the stencil, and you're done!

This product will be available later this year and I have a feeling it is going to be a huge hit! 

CHA Summer Report: Provo Craft

I spent my fair share of time at the Provo Craft booth at CHA. It was the first booth I went to on Tuesday morning. I showed up because I wanted to play some more with a YUDU. Little did I know I'd be invited to attend their gala that night. It was the party to launch the Gypsy. I had seen the Donnie K videos before the event and I give Provo Craft an A+ for a very clever social media campaign.

Here is a quick video I filmed of Jim from Provo Craft demonstrating the Gypsy for me. It looks really exciting and I like the fact that you can just load your cartridges on there and they're good to go!

I was super excited to get a Gypsy (oh, the benefits of being a craft blogger!). The only problem? I don't have a Cricut.

Here you can see a picture of one. However, I'm pretty sure I'm going to want the Cricut Expression. I would be using it more for home decor, fabric, and vinyl so I can only imagine I'll want a bigger size. They're on sale this weekend at Joann's so I may have to go and check them out. Do you have one? What would you recommend?

Who wouldn't want to make this? This sold me on the Cricut right then and there.

Back to the YUDU. I wanted to play with this machine as much as possible to see if I should make the investment. Lucky for me, I waited because I found out last Friday that I won one at BlogHer!

Here is an attendee using the YUDU to print on a picture frame. The Provo Craft had some really great make and take projects that allowed us to use a variety of different products in a multitude of ways. We used the Yudu on paper, picture frames, and shirts. We used the Cricut for embellishments and glass etching.

Here was one of the finished make and take projects.

By this time, I was glad I brought an extra suitcase. The projects were so fun that I spent a lot of time doing those. It was a great way to get hands on practice and chat with the reps they had there.

Keep your eye out on Provo Craft. They are doing some amazing things with technology and anything that combines technology with crafting- I love it!

Want to know what else I love? Meeting up with some of the Craft Critique gals at the Provo Craft Gala. Not the most flattering picture of us but it was all I got!

Speaking of the Craft Critique, they did an excellent review on the Provo Craft booth as well (I told you that bird pillow was great!). You'll also want to get your September craft challenge packets NOW! Craft Critique is the sponsor and you'll be sure the prize is amazing. I'll give you more details on that in a separate post.

CHA Summer Report. Craft Celebs, Quick Craft Tips, and a Giveaway

Hanging around at the Craft and Hobby Trade Show has its perks. For one thing, you get to meet amazing crafters! In fact, the very first person I saw when I walked in the doors was Carol Duvall. The. Carol. Duvall. The Queen of all Crafters. I didn't know what to do so I kept walking. I was so disappointed and I regretted it the rest of the day.

The next day I was at the Provo Craft booth chatting with Matt, their Chief Marketing Officer--this guy loves bloggers and that makes me happy--. Carol Duvall was in the booth. I mentioned how I missed my opportunity to talk with her the day before so he took me over and introduced us. Seriously? I felt like a big shot and an embarrassed teenage girl at the same time. I didn't take out my camera. A handshake was good enough. I'm glad I did finally get to meet her. I would have regretted it if I hadn't.

Many of the booths had great make and takes done by some amazing crafters. Kathy, the Crafty Chica, shared a great tip for me on this video.

Mark Montano wrote The Big Ass Book of Crafts. I knew you all would want a copy so he's agreed to send a signed copy to a fan of ChristyNelson.net. All you have to do to enter is be a fan on my facebook page. If you're a fan, you're registered. I'll pick a winner on August 15th. Want to see his craft tip?

BlogHer Recap Part II

BlogHer had a BUTLER!  Provided by Pepsi, these butlers roamed around the conference providing cold beverages to us all the time.  So much so that Tara, at Feels Like Home tweeted during a session that she wished she had a drink.  Moments later, he appeared with an assortment of beverages for her to choose from!  Now that is a great way to use twitter!  The butler game me this nice beverage while I was waiting in line for THIS:

TIM GUNN!  He is just as amazing as you would imagine him to be.  I actually got a chance to help 5 Minutes for Mom interview him.  They don't have the video posted yet (I'm writing this a few days ahead of the actual publish date) but as soon as they do, I'll share it here. 

I only wish my appointment at the Suave hairstyling area was for before I met him.

I'm so sad I can't remember her name!  She was so great and fixed my hair up nicely.  She looked so much like Taylor Swift and that is what I called her in my head.  Anyway, she got my hair all gussied up for what I think was the best event of the weekend:  BowlHer.

BowlHer was an after party put on by One2OneNetwork and Collective Bias.  It was at the Lucky Strike Bowling Alley.  That is one tricked out place.  AMAZING! 

The first thing we did was practice our poses for the red carpet.  I try, you know.  After we walked the red carpet, we checked out our surroundings.  We weren't there so much for the bowling.  For me, it was all about the music.

Three artists were there: Anya Marina, Suai, and Brooke White!  I saw Anya Marina a couple of months ago when she was the opening act for Jason Mraz.  I fell in love with her music then and couldn't wait to see her in such an intimate setting. 

We parked ourselves front and center in the room with the music and didn't move the rest of the night.  It was amazing! 

Anya did a great set and she's now got a Christynelson.net shrinky dink bracelet.  

Suai is more R&B and she didn't stay after to take pictures.  Unfortunately my pics of her singing were all blurry.  I never professed to be a master photographer!

Brooke White was next!  You might remember her from a little show called, American Idol.  Brooke was always a favorite of mine and I had been looking forward to her new album (available now!) She totally caught me singing along to Radio, Radio and called me out on it when we were chatting!  She told us to sing along!  Verdict: Brooke White is such a talented artist and a super sweet person.  We talked crafts and she had me put one of my friendship bracelets on her wrist.  Definitely a highlight from the trip! 

The rest of the night we spent dancing!  Sleep is not on the agenda at BlogHer! 

 

The next day I flew home and the day after that I left for the Craft and Hobby Trade Show in Orlando.  These last few weeks have been such a whirlwind I don't know what it is going to be like when I get back home to my normal, everyday routine. 

BlogHer 09 Recap Part I

You know?  BlogHer was fun.  There were things I didn't like about it but the good more than outweighed the bad. I always regret not taking more pictures.  But I also don't regret the fact that I wasn't behind a camera all day.  Here you have some pictures and my thoughts.

Here I am with Erin from Schlosser Designs and Sarah from All Hail Queen Mommy.  I sat by Sarah on the way to the Ford Ride & Drive event.  As we talked throughout the day we realized how much we have in common.  Plus, she totally used to live in the town where I taught high school so we know a lot of the same people.  Let's dismiss the fact that had she still lived there, she is young enough to have been one of my students.

 

Speaking of my students, I'm sure most of them were made to watch a little show I happen to love called Mexico: One Plate at a Time.  You know who made that show?  RICK BAYLESS!  Who is my favorite celebrity chef of all time?  RICK BAYLESS!  Who was at BlogHer?  RICK BAYLESS!  Who took hauled her cookbook all the way to Chicago?  ME!  It was great to chat with him and be a dork going on and on about how much I love him.

There were several people I wanted to meet at BlogHer and one of them was Andi from Udandi.  We follow each other on twitter and have had some good crafty conversations on there.  It is often serendipitous to be able to find someone in a sea of bloggers.  Lucky for us, we happened to choose to go to the restroom at the same time. 

 

BlogHer isn't really a crafty scene but there was one really cool demo in the Shutter Sisters lounge that we had to check out!  Design Mom was demonstrating the Yudu.  I even won one of them!  I'll be putting that baby to good use around here.  She's making a tote bag that says, "Oh. My. Blog."  Perfect.  I love that bag. 

 

 

Dave Lieberman did a great cooking demo.  I was front and center and got to eat a sample.  Yum.  Paula Deen was there the next day but the crowd was unbelievable so I didn't head over there. 

That night we headed out for a couple of parties.  Erin and I attended the EA
Sports Interactive party at the House of Blues.  The party was nice.  The food was great!  The limo shuttle was a blast!  It was there where we really got a chance to know Mummy Deals and Coupon Geek. 

We hit a couple more parties and we hung out a bit with Jenny from the Spot at the Mommy Needs a Cocktail party.  This picture tells me many things: 

1. I think I need bangs again.

2. I must find a powder that lasts all day.

3. It's time to get back on WW.

The next day was even more jam packed with goodness!   Stay tuned for Part II.