An inspirational weekend

Hi,

I had a wonderfully creative and inspirational weekend and hope that you did too.

On Saturday, my husband and I went to the Brookhaven Arts Festival. This is a local festival with primarily local artists.

It was a beautiful fall Saturday as we strolled through the vendors. We stopped and talked many of them; each with an interesting story of how they got their start and what inspired them to produce their art.

What amazed me most was the range of styles and art types. Each artist had a stamp that made the work uniquely their own. The subject matter and media were the things that drove them to create.

One of the standouts to me was a man who took license plates and cut the letters out to spell messages such as WELCOME and HOME SWEET HOME. They also wrapped license plates back on themselves to make pencil holders. I never would have thought to use license plates that way. Another standout was a lady who made beautiful leaf platters using the imprint of an actual leaf.

In addition to going to a festival and seeing all of the different vendors, I would recommend going with some one else. I went with my sweet husband and not only did we enjoy a wonderful Saturday together, but he also noticed details that I did not. This added an additional layer to my festival experience. I would highly recommend going!

If you are looking for a festival, there are few that are coming up in the Atlanta area. There is the Chastain Arts Festival on November 5-6. For more information visit their website. Marist is also having their annual arts festival on Saturday, November 5. You can also find additional information on the school's website. Just a note, there is a $3 admission charge.

I hope that you find the time to go to an arts festival in your area. Please leave any festivals that are not mentioned here in the comment section, and remember to make it your own.

~Kate

Halloween Bonus Project

Hi again,

This was truly a creative moment. I was cutting out the middle of the O's for my BOO sign and thought that they would make cute door knob hangers - and they did.

Here is what you will need:

• The middle of the O's from the BOO sign - or - a foam core oval covered with Halloween themed scrapbook paper.
• Xacto knife
• Ribbon
• Emery board
• Silver Sharpie or other paint pen

Once you have you ovals, smooth out the edges using an emery board or small scissors.

Next, cut two small squares for the ribbon at the top of the oval when it is landscape.

Here is what the end result should look like.

After that, knot the ribbon through one of the squares. Use the rest of the ribbon to measure the appropriate length that you want it to hang on the door knob.

Cut the ribbon to the desired length. Note: I used the same 1/4" polka dot orange grosgrain that I used for the BOO project. After you have attached the ribbon, use the silver Sharpie or paint pen to write the desired Halloween message. I chose "Trick or Treat."

Here is the end result.

Enjoy! Don't forget to make it your own :)

~Kate

BOO Sign + a bonus :)

Hi,

I am getting so excited for Halloween! As a result, I have begun decorating my house to make it feel festive. This BOO sign that I found on Pinterest was the perfect place to start. Plus, it came with an added bonus - 2 super cute signs for door knobs.

What you will need.

• Foam Core
• Letters spelling BOO
• Scissors
• Xacto Knife
• Scrapbook Paper
• Glue Stick
• Ribbon
• Stapler (optional)
• Felt (optional)
• Emery board (not pictured)

*Note: I used white foam core, but would recommend black. I feel like it cuts more smoothly and looks nicer. Also, I pictured a glue gun, but used a glue stick instead.

This sign was adapted from one that used wooden letters from a craft store. However, I did not like the letters that my local craft store had. Instead, I printed out the BOO in the font Georgia, bolded, size 700. You can use any font that you like. After I printed the letters out, I began to cut them out.

The end result looked something like this.

The next step is to pick the scrapbook paper that you would like to use. I bought a scrapbook paper book, on sale, from my local Micheal's. I decided to use paper with a black background so that it would standout against my red door. These are the three that I chose.

The next step is to trace the letters that you cut out on to the scrapbook paper. I used a Sharpie because I wanted it to bleed thru - in hindsight I would use a pencil.

After tracing, I cut the scrapbook paper down to smaller squares that were just outside the trace lines.

Then I used my glue stick to glue the squares of paper to the foam core. Make sure that the side that you want to show is facing up.

After the squares are glued down, cut the foam core into smaller, more manageable squares.

Next, use your Xacto knife to cut along the edges of your tracing. When you are cutting the O's, be sure to leave the middles in good shape. We will use these for our bonus project.

Next, use little scissors or an emery board to smooth out the edges.

Once the edges are smooth, connect the letters using the ribbon. I used 1/4" polka dotted orange grosgrain. Measure and cut the ribbon to the desired length.

You can tie bows to hold the letters together, but I elected to use a staple to hold the letters together.

I did a loop knot at the top of the B.

Here is what the end result looked like.

I will do a separate post for the bonus project, but if you need a sneak peek here it is.

I hope that you enjoy this project. Remember, make it your own :)

~Kate

Adding a Little Sparkle

Good Afternoon,

This blog itself is a product of creativity and for any of you who feel inspired to start your own blog, I thought I would share a few of things that I have learned in my short time as a blogger.

1. It is super easy to start a blog. I have a gmail account, so I chose to use the Blogger option provided by Google. If you are in your gmail account, go to More tab at the top. Click on even more and then scroll down until you see the Blogger icon. There are several other places that provide free options, I am just not familiar with them.

2. Pick something that you are passionate about. I thoroughly enjoy being creative. Now that I have started a blog, I find myself looking and finding more ways to be creative in my everyday life. This makes it easy to come up with ideas for posts. It has been a very fulfilling process.

3. Make it your own. There are so many ways to make a blog personal. In addition to picking a topic that is important to you, the layout can help your blog stand out form the others. The Blogger interface provides lots of options for backgrounds, fonts, and layouts. If you are looking for other options, The Cutest Blog on the Block (www.thecutestblogontheblock.com), has some really great options that are free. I added a little sparkle to A Spare Time Creative by adding their "All that Glitters" background.

If you were thinking of starting of blog, I hope that these few tips are helpful or maybe it inspired you to thinking about what you might want to blog about. Either way, I hope that you make it your own.

-- Kate

Post-It-Note Holder

Hi!

I don't have a typical desk. I sit at a kidney shaped table that it first grader height. The problem is that I don't have any drawers, so it is hard to for everything to have its "spot." I am so bad about moving things as I move and then forgetting where I put them.

When I saw the Post-It-Note holder on pinterest, I knew that it would be perfect for my desk. With this I will always know where my post its are.

Here is what you will need to make your own:

• Glue gun
• Scrapbook paper (other type of paper like wall paper or wrapping paper would also work)
• Acrylic frame - I used a 4"x6"
• Ribbon or embellishments of your choice
• Xacto knife
• Scissors
• Double sided tape
• Post It Notes

The picture frames are readily available at places such as Micheal's, Hobby Lobby, Target, Wal-Mart etc. They are very reasonable.

First, remove the promotional paper from the inside of the frame and use it to mark the appropriate size on the back your decorative paper.

I traced two rectangles because I wanted the pattern to be the same on the front and back.

Next, use an Xacto (or scissors) and a straight edge  to cut out the rectangles that will fill your picture frame. If you are using an Xacto knife, be sure to put something underneath what you are cutting so you don't cut your table.

Place your rectangles in the picture frame.

Next, use the picture frame to measure an appropriate length of ribbon. Be sure to leave a little extra at this point. You can always trim it later if you need to.

The next steps do not have pictures. Sorry! My ribbon of choice was a 1 1/2" turquoise grosgrain and a 3/16" white polyester ribbon with loops on the side. After measuring one length of the grosgrain and two lengths of the white, I hot glued the white on top of the turquoise in parallel lines. I found that it worked best to make a line of glue on the turquoise and place the white on top, rather than putting the glue on the white and then laying it on the turquoise.

After the ribbon had dried, I tucked one end inside the picture frame, between the two pieces of paper.

Then, I put two lines of hot glue on the picture frame to glue the ribbon on the front. Repeat on the back.

You can trim the excess to be even with the edge of the frame. I chose to tuck the second end into the picture frame as well.

While the glue is setting, get your post it pad. Place two (or three) pieces of double stick tape on the back of the pad.

 Finally, stick the pad to the frame. Be sure to stick it where you want it the first time. If you try to pull it off to re-stick, you will most likely pull the pad apart. Then the top part of the pad will never stick as well to the rest of the pad.

There are lots of ways that this can be personalized - from paper choices to ribbon choice to adding other embellishments to the frame. Make it your own.

Look how cute mine looks on my desk!