We spent the week hanging out at the lake, so not much posting going on! I must say it was very relaxing. My son had a blast swimming and tubing. I read plenty of books, and did a little relaxing on the beach.

I hope you’re July is going well so far. I have a little weekend reading for you to check out.

Beading Arts~ Cyndi wants to know: what does your art work say about YOU?

The Artful Crafter~ Read an artist profile of our own Creative Dreamer, June Crawford. Take a peek into another artist’s creative world.

Tottie Talks Crafts~ Recently, Noreen was given a lot of her mother’s embroidery threads. As Noreen thought about how she could work with them, she discovered that magical beings were waiting to emerge from her mother’s treasures and she was inspired to design a crocheted mermaid scarf….

Twilight Eclipse Cupcake Idea~ We went to check out the movie last weekend at the drive in, and had a ton of fun until my battery decided to go dead! Are you a Team Edward or Team Jacob fan? I have to admit, I’m a Jacob fan! Warm and cuddly all the way for me!

I’m a little behind on my links this week! I think I just had too much 4th of July, and not enough worry about working! We had a wonderful weekend at the lake, with plenty of fireworks and swimming. Now it’s back to reality! Well at least a little more reality.

Here are some great artsy and crafty links for you to check out this week, with plenty of fun fresh ideas.

Baby teething necklace part 2
Last week, Noreen posted part 1 of the process (including some how NOT to’s) of making wonderful oversize wooden beads for a baby teething necklace for her grandbaby. This week, she shows how she put it all together.

Beading Arts
Do you like beaded beads? Cyndi shares a tubular peyote bead that takes center stage!

Creative Dreamer
I issued a creativity prompt for our Creativity Invitation at the beginning of June…”Let them eat cake!”…here is my own entry into the challenge!

Fun 4th of July Cake and Cupcake Ideas
A little last minute cake and cupcake inspiration for your 4th of July celebration.

Making an Art Pact
When life stresses you out and you don’t have time to do something creative, how about making a pact with a friend?

The Artful Crafter
Eileen shares step-by-step instructions for making a wooden country critter wall plaque.

Hope you have a good one!

Can you believe it’s summer already! I can’t believe how fast this time of year flies by! This weekend I have some fun crafty links for you to check out. From sand bucket cupcakes, to birth announcements and do it yourself wedding favors, I hope you enjoy this weekends crafty inspiration.

Beach Cupcake Wraps~ Here’s a fun sand bucket cupcake idea for your beach party.

The birth of a new baby is always something to celebrate. Here’s a simple, easy, and fun birth announcement to create or inspire you to make one too!

Wedding season is almost upon us. Chloe shares some great ideas for DIY wedding favours

Hurrah for upcycling!~ Noreen treated herself to a really frumpy skirt and a too small dress at the thrift store. WHY? So she could upcycle and re-fashion them, of course!

At Mixed Media Artist~ Cyndi shares some thoughts on her recent foray into self-publishing.

At The Artful Crafter join Eileen in June’s June “Let Them Eat Cake” creativity challenge and get a free cupcake. Sweet!

Ways to Use Old Hankies~ Vintage hankies, especially when they have sentimental value, are a wonderful way to add some personality and charm to your house. Here are a couple ideas on how to use them.

June is just flying by here! Summer always does seem to go by way too fast! I’ve been crazy busy the last couple weeks, so I haven’t had a chance to post the Artsy Blogger roundup lately. I’ve missed checking out all the great ideas that are always included.

Hopefully things will settle down and I’ll get back into the routine of getting these posted every week. I hope you enjoy this weeks links!

Shhh…don’t tell Cyndi’s Mom! Cyndi made her a necklace from some wonderful lampwork beads from Artbeads.com!

Creating “new” , maybe a bit irreverent, but FUN, family portraits from old family photos…

Father’s Day Cupcake Ideas For Kids~ Here are some fun cupcake ideas the kids can help make for dad.

Grooms Cake Ideas~ Ideas for making or decorating a groom’s cake.

The Artful Crafter tells you how to sew felted wool boxes to organize odds and ends.

At Tottie Talks Crafts When Noreen was a little girl, she gave her mother a special gift, and now it has come home to Noreen…

Happy reading!

I can’t believe it’s already the middle of May! The time goes faster and faster the warmer the weather gets. I have some wonderful crafty ideas to share with you today, including another do it yourself wedding article, yummy spoon bread, a Guitar Hero cake, and an introduction to rubber glass.

I hope you enjoy your weekend reading as much as I did!

Chloe shares tips for creating your own wedding bouquet. Create something one of a kind and save money!

This week Creative Dreamer’s sharing a favorite recipe for a southern tradition…spoon bread!

Beading Arts is sharing rubber glass? Rubber glass?!? What the heck is rubber glass?

The Artful Crafter shares how to navigate the sea of digital file extensions.

An easy Celtic Interlace Necklace~Lion Brand yarns asked Noreen to design a project for them. She suggested a Celtic Interlace medallion necklace and they said, ‘Yes!’. Here’s the link to an easy and lovely necklace.

Guitar Hero Cake~ The perfect birthday cake idea for all the Guitar Hero and Rock Band video game fans out there.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Mother’s Day Weekend!

I’m super excited this weekend for my friend Cyndi! Cyndi has launched the first installment of her brand new e-book on bead embroidery… called Every Bead Has a Story, and the first chapter’s free! Hurry over for your copy! Cyndi does some fabulous work, and she’s sharing some of her fabulous techniques. Click on the image above to head on over!

June is setting up a monthly creativity prompt at Creative Dreamer, and would LOVE having you play along…come see how it works and join in the fun!

Do you enjoy Digital collage art? Or are you afraid to give it a try? Katelyn talks about what goes into a digital collage.

Cherie shares some Tips for Making an Inexpensive Comforter. Check out some frugal ways to make a quick and easy bed quilt.

Did you know you can make your own puzzles? Check it out. How to make your own puzzles.

Know someone who’s getting married? The DIY wedding series continues with tips and tricks for making your own wedding favors.

Hmmm… the tooth fairy takes teeth and leaves money, so what does the Menopause fairy take and what does she leave behind? Well… hopefully a sense of humour and delight. Noreen has designed a fun homage to the Menopause Fairy, and has also uploaded a very neat new video tutorial on how to adapt a 4 peg spool knitter into a 5 peg spool knitter. So cool!

I’m super excited about the new Cricut Cake! Have you seen this latest machine from Cricut? It’s not for scrapbooking, it’s for cake decorating! Go check it out! Woot!

This weekend I have some really great links to share with you. You get to see what kind of yummy fun food crafters can create. There’s also some gift ideas scrapbookers can make, and some do it yourself wedding ideas if you know someone getting married in the near future.

Happy reading, and enjoy! I know I sure did!

• The Artful Crafter answers your questions, do companies offer free craft products to the general public for testing?
• It’s strawberry season! Creative Dreamer has a yummy version of strawberry tiramisu…check it out!
• Beading Arts shares a quick little tutorial on how to create a barnacle texture with seed beads!
• Tottie Talks Crafts has a contest to win a yummy book 60 Quick Knits is just wonderful, and, you can win a copy of it! Just leave a comment for a chance to win!
• Looking for some Scrapbooking Gift Ideas for mom for Mother’s Day? Love scrapbooking? Here are some homemade gift ideas to make using scrapbook supplies and techniques.
• Know someone who’s getting married? It’s wedding season, so to celebrate Chloe is writing a series of articles on creating your own special DIY wedding!
• Step by step instructions and photos for making a cross cake for a First Communion, Easter, or Baptism.

Have a great weekend!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend! It’s still Sunday here! So it’s technically still the weekend. We had a very rainy weekend here, and a busy one too! I have several great artsy links to share with you, but first check out my lilac tree. It’s in full bloom right now and looking fabulous!

Here’s your Sunday night reading, enjoy!

Creative Dreamer
Goodness…giveaways everywhere…I think I’ll have another one too! Come see what I’m giving away!

Beading Arts
Cyndi has a copy of “Totally Twisted” that she’s giving away! Come enter the contest now!

The Artful Crafter
This week Eileen is offering some free striking vintage photos from the 30s and a chance to win the eBook “Altered Ancestors: 50 Techniques for Using Vintage Photos in Art”.

More video tutorials on Tottie Talks Crafts
People keep asking Noreen how to get started with spool knitting, and also, how to finish the cords. So, she made 2 new video tutorials to show how.

Gadabout Media DIY
April 22 was Earth Day, so to celebrate Chloe has some easy tips for “greening” your craft room or studio.

It’s been a beautiful Ohio spring weekend here. Things always seem to start to get hectic this time of  the year. Just when you want to slow down and enjoy the sunshine! This weekend was crazy busy, so I’m just getting the Artsy Blogger roundup done. It’s technically still the weekend until midnight, right?

Our fruit trees are blooming and looking fabulous! Here’s a quick shot of a few of the blooms on one of the apple trees.

Spring is a wonderful time for new beginnings, and cleaning out the old so you can have in with the new. I have some fun links to share with you this weekend and many of them do just that. From candied violets, to fishing cupcakes, and organizing your scrapbook stickers, there are tons of fun weekend reading links for you to check out for spring ideas.

Mirrors and Poetry ~ Cherie uses lines from her poetry to create one-of-a-kind mirrors.

Knitting Video Tutorials ~ This week, Noreen made 3 new video tutorials showing different techniques for spool knitting with 2 pegs – great for jewelry making and lots of other things, too!

Fabulous Floral Necklace ~Cyndi has just finished up a floral necklace that features fabric!

Envelope Books ~How to make an envelope book for little treasures or clutter.

Make Candied Violets ~ Violets are everywhere! Let’s sugar some for sweet goodie decorations!

Organizing Scrapbooking Stickers ~ Follow along with Katelyn as she organizes her art studio, starting with scrapbooking stickers.

Easy Dog Bandannas ~ How to make bandannas for your favorite fur kid.

Gone Fishing Cupcakes ~ Super quick and easy. Perfect for dad on Father’s Day.

I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend! It’s been a beautiful weekend here so far. Sunny and very spring like. I have a few fun weekend craft links for you to check out for your weekend reading.

Katelyn has an easy tutorial on How to Make Stencils from Magazine Pages.

How to Transform an Old Desk and make it come back to life.

Cyndi has found a *lot* of seed bead tutorials lurking in her blog’s archives at Beading Arts!

Do you have a beloved piece of fabric, but can’t decide what to make out of it? How about making a piece of jewelry? You can make 3D pins from fabric motivesIt’s quick, easy and very pretty!

Noreen has figured out several different ways of weaving triangles on the pothholder loom, using yarn. Hop on over to check out the video tutorial for the bias or continuous weaving technique.

Does your craft space need some decluttering? Here are some ways to donate your excess projects and supplies.

Image: sxc.hu