Last year, I wrote a list of "Ten Tempting Treats": five craft-related products that I love and recommend and five that were on my holiday wish list. In honor of Black Friday, here's the 2008 version: ON MY WISH LIST... Husqvarna Viking Mega Quilter This is a serious sewing machine. Don't get me wrong, I love my Bernina, but I can't stand the idea of attempting to sew another large quilt with it. It's just too hard to manage the fabric and I end up hating my stitches. The Mega Quilter offers an enormous arm area (9"x6") and the option... Read more →

Let's face it, we all do things a little bit differently, right? Everyone has their own idiosyncrasies when it comes to getting it done. Maybe it's because you never really learned "the right way" or because you found a better way. Maybe it's because you're lazy or because you're a perfectionist. Whatever the reason, I thought I'd share ten of mine. 1. I don't really use a paper trimmer that often. I own several, but I always cut my photos with scissors. Sometimes I'll cut patterned paper with a trimmer, but mostly I'll just eyeball it and use scissors. The... Read more →

1. Quilting Arts TV "...celebrates the new look for quilting where art and embellishment meet traditional quilt techniques. Hosted by Patricia (Pokey) Bolton the editor in chief of Quilting Arts magazine, look to Quilting Arts for the most innovative designs in quilting today." I watch Quilting Arts TV on PBS all the time and guess what... I'm going to be a guest! Oh joy! I got the invitation on Friday. And do you know why I got an invitation? Because of my performance on Scrapbook Memories! Yay! I haven't pursued almost anything in the quilting arena - publications, contests, etc.... Read more →

Last February, I did a tutorial on creating a circle of text in Microsoft Word with some screen shots. There were a few questions, so I decided to use a screen capture program and do the technique in real time. So, here you go... Have a great day! Read more →

Hello and a happy Tuesday to you! If you're thinking about doing Project Fifty-Two in 2009, I'd like to encourage you to start making a list. Things get so crazy in November and December, and if you're like me, there are always a ton of crafty projects that you want to do, but there's no time to do them in. So, here's what I propose: Grab a notebook, scrap of paper, or open a file on your computer. Whenever you think of a crafty project you'd like to do, write it down. It can be small. (Example: "Take photos of... Read more →

Seriously! It's amazing. Most of the kits sold out about an hour after they went on sale. You can still get the main kit and one of the add-ons I think, but that's it! Here's the main kit: And here's what I did with it (plus I'll admit that I still have some stuff left over! These are *big* kits!): I had some issues photographing this banner. That's not a very nice photo, is it? I don't have a fence or a mantle or anywhere else to hang something like this. I really made it to bring to my Mom's... Read more →

Geez Louise, I haven't posted in many several days. So, what's been keeping me from blogging? 1. Label Tulip kits go on sale tomorrow, so I've been madly trying to finish up my layouts. 2. My templates column for Scrapbook Dimensions Magazine is due tomorrow. So, I've been writing that and having lots of hybrid fun! 3. I also have a project due tomorrow for Scrapbook Dimensions using the Unibind machine. It's pretty cool. It melts the glue in the book cover to create a glued book binding. 4. I'm working on the December stamp set for Scrapbook Takeout. I've... Read more →

I wrote this post for the Label Tulip blog. It appeared over there last week, but I wanted to share it here too: I gather from this thread on the Label Tulip message board that most people throw away their paper scraps. Not me. I'm a paper hoarder. I love to save my scraps and keep them by my desk in file folders sorted by color. But I'm not going to try to convince you to save your scraps. Rather, I'm going to try to convince you to use your scraps by transforming them into embellishments you can use later.... Read more →

A few days ago, I posted about my year-long project for 2009: Project Fifty-Two. (Click here to read that post.) I'm so tickled that some of you are planning to join me for the ride! There were some questions and comments from that post that I wanted to make sure I addressed: i was just thinking about plans for 2009...projects, goals, etc. From my Project 365 experience the key is keeping it simple. I'm intrigued by your idea :) Posted by: jillconyers | November 06, 2008 at 06:12 AM im TOTALLY IN. i tried the 365 portrait a day project,... Read more →

First of all, thank you so much to everyone who said they're even thinking about joining in my little Project Fifty-Two. There were some questions left in the comments section and I will answer them all in my next post! In the meantime... Here are some sneaks of some of my projects using the November Label Tulip kit, which will go up for sale on November 15. It's a really gorgeous kit and so beautifully coordinated. Plus, I'm in *love* with the awesome alphas in this kit. Seriously, I'm going to have to buy a million in every color. The... Read more →