DIY 2012 calendar

So, 2011 is finally coming to an end...

and what's a better way to kick off 2012 than with your own calendar to help keep track of your success! Today, I have for you a super easy DIY desk calendar tutorial. I made one for myself last year and found it to be very useful. It helped keep me on track and organized-- I used it for everything-- to track bill due dates, doctor's appointments, etc. And I know it will definitely come in handy for all you business owners out there-- it can help keep track of your invoices-- the order dates, shipping dates, etc. Anyway, I hope you find it as helpful as I did. =)

Materials you will need:

-Microsoft publisher

-Printer

-recycled cardboard-- cereal box or any type of box

-black cardstock paper

-glue

-ruler

-scissor

But Before we begin, I want to give a little shout out to Dawn of p1xie for featuring my DIY pompom tutorial on her blog. Be sure to drop by her blog to see how her pompom topper turned out.  =)

Okay, now we can begin.

DIY- Gift Bag

Need a last minute gift wrapping idea?

Yes? Then you have come to the right place. Today, I have for you a super simple Eco-friendly DIY gift bag tutorial. I made this out of recycled brown paper. Oh, and in less than 10 minutes too. =) 

This tutorial makes a 7 1/2" x 3 1/2" 6 1/2" (L*W*H) bag.

What you'll need:

- Paper- recycled brown paper bag or wrapping paper

-Ribbon/String

-Cardboard/cardstock-- I am using recycled cereal box

-Scissor

-Hole puncher

-Glue/Tape- I prefer double sided tape

-Ruler

Recommended materials for decoration:

-Tissue paper

-Gift Tag

But before I begin I'd like to say a little thank you to exCurlythoughts for listing my blog as one of the blogs she admires. It totally made my day. =) So, thank you!  

Okay, now we can get started...

DIY wrapping

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Everywhere you go.. something something white with snow.... Okay, I don't know the rest of the lyrics.. >_<  Anyway, I'm so excited; Christmas is less than 2 weeks away.  If you haven't started your Christmas shopping then you better hop to it! And for all of those who have, it's time to start thinking about wrapping. So, I hope you found last week's tutorial helpful. I also hope you took my advice and saved some tissue paper cause today I have a super simple, but yet pretty wrapping tutorial that will fit the box we made here. May I add that it's very budget friendly- costs less than 30 cents to make.  =)

Here's what you'll need:

-Tissue paper-3 sheets. if you have some lying around- great! If not, don't worry, you can get them at the dollar store! 30 sheets for $1.

-Double sided tape

-Ribbon

-Scissors

-Tag

Okay, let's get started--

Studio ♥- cozy knitting space

Happy Sunday!

I hope you found the DIY gift wrapping tutorial from Thursday helpful. If you missed it, you can find it here...

 
Anyway, it's Sundayyyy- which means it's studio time. Today, this big, but yet cozy studio space belongs to May of Ohmay. May owns and operations a small business out of her beautiful home office. Her space even has its own mailing station. How unique. May makes unique knit accessories- knit jewelry, scarves, gloves, hats, cuffs, and cases for small electronics. Example of her work can be seen on right- yup, that's it- that adorable knit case right over there. Very cute!


This is where most of her knitting takes place. OMG, look at how cozy it looks. I love the colors!

Click here to see more

DIY gift wrapping

Who said Eco-Friendly has to be boring?  

Sure, a regular brown paper bag can look plain and simple, but just like everything else you can dress it up. Just add a splash of color and a dash of accessories and voila-- you have yourself a new look.

I made these for Christmas last year and they were a big hit. Everyone were oohing and ahhing over them.  So, I wanted to show you guys that Eco-Friendly does not have to mean boring. This pom pom tutorial is made especially to fit the box we made last week and I only used materials I had lying around the house.

What you will need:

- Tissue paper- I am recycling tissue paper that came with my bags and gifts from my shopping spree that I had a few days ago.  If you do not have any lying around you can grab some at the dollar store. 30 sheets for $1. Now that's a deal! 

-Thread and/or ribbon (ribbon was the only thing I had to buy)

-brown paper bag or newspaper, old maps, whatever you can find.

-Scissor

- single or double sided tape- I am using double

Okay, let's get started...

Oh, The Places You'll Go...

Remember, the beginning is always the hardest.

Today, I just want to remind anyone who is starting out on a new journey- whether it be graduating from college, getting a new job, or starting a business-- you will hit a bump in the road- that is guaranteed. But no matter how hard it gets, never give up!

Dr. Seuss- Oh, The Places You'll Go

With that said--- 'Oh, The Places You'll Go' is a must read!! It is written by none other than the famous Dr. Seuss. And no, it is not just a children book, it actually gives you a great life lesson. Very inspirational! This is probably the best present I've ever received for graduating college. Who knew that this book would hit the nail on the head- life isn't always easy or perfect, and we all will have to go through that 'waiting place', but just know that at the end everything will be okay...

Here's a little glimpse of what the book has to offer:

Dr. Seuss- Oh, The Places You'll Go

Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You’re off to Great Places.

You’re off and away!

Until you hit...

Studio ♥ - Craft Fair Booth

Happy Sunday! 

Today for studio day I want to do something a little different. Instead of featuring a studio space I want to share with you guys this neat craft fair booth. This booth belongs to Cherie of Jimmypickles. I love it, it's so colorful!

What I like about this booth is the color scheme and organization. I bet you can spot this booth a mile away. Yes, it is colorful, but in a good subtle way. Cherie chose colors that work really well together- brown, pink, and white. People gravitate toward things that catches their eyes; this will definitely grab their attention- I know it would grab mine. ^_^

Eco-Friendly DIY- Gift Boxes

Hold on now, that's not junk! Before you throw out that cereal box, why not recycle it into something useful? You can turn it into a gift box, storage box, book holder, desk organizer, picture frame, etc. the possibilities are endless.

I try to recycle whenever I can, so I was really excited when my friend showed me how to make a gift box out of a cereal box. We used this site as a guide, however, I had to change a few steps because my box would not close properly. Anyway, the box came out looking so cute that I wanted to share it with you guys. This is my version- you can see the original here. This is also my way of leaving my tiny green footprint. =)

Okay, let's get started!

 

You'll be needing:

-An empty Cereal Box

-Glue (make sure it is strong enough to hold the box together)

-Scissor

Studio ♥- Oh, how spacious

Today, this beautiful, but spacious studio belongs to Vicki of Lorielynn; a handmade jewelry shop. Each piece of jewelry has its own personality thus making each one truly unique and different. You can check out some of her beautiful work below... But first, here's her lovely studio:

I am thankful for...

Happy Thanksgiving

This year I am thankful for my friends and family, for a job, for being healthy, for my blog and followers, and last but not least the people who inspire me to live my dream-- I know one day I will have my own success story to tell =)

I always remind myself that life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful.
-quote by Annaette Funicello

What are you thankful for this year?

Studio Love ♥ Bright and Colorful

It's Sunday! You know what that means- it's Studio Time ♥

Today this colorful, but yet simple and clean studio belongs to Becky of PoshDots. Look at how clean her studio is! There is nothing more inviting than a bright colorful room. Becky makes custom wooden wall letters- perfect for a child's bed room or play room. Her work is amazing!

I love the storage boxes! Look at all the dots

DIY Brush holder

I I love candles, but I never know what to do with the empty jar once it's all used up. I really hate throwing away perfectly good stuff and I so try to recycle whenever possible. Anyway, since my makeup table has gotten so clutter over the past few months, I've decided to do a little redecorating... and found a perfect way to recycle/re-purpose the empty candle jar- My very own makeup brush holder. See 'read more' to find out how to make one for yourself.

               Make-Up Brush Holder

Japanese Gocco Printing

How unique! These prints (below) were made by flashing bulbs, similar to ones you would find in old cameras, onto carbon paper. By doing so it creates a stencil image onto the screen. This process is called gocco- it's an old Japanese color screen printing system invented in 1977. I've never heard of this before, so I find it pretty interesting.

Here's an example of gocco printing made by CinnabarTree

Using Gocco gives the prints a lovely texture and a hand-made feel.

So, what do you think? Pretty neat right?

Studio Love ♥

As you already know from my last studio post, I loveeee studios. I love seeing where the creativity takes place. It's so inspiring. Here's another great studio I found- this one is located outside! It's a garden studio and it belongs to TheBlueBetween. I love it. It must be so inspiring to work here. =)

 

 I love this garden studio. What a neat idea. Do you have a separate studio from your house?

Click 'read more' to see the interior- it's amazing!

CoffeeBreakCraving- CakePops

"It's so FLUFFYYYYY"

Sorry, I just couldn't help myself. This is my favorite part of the movie Despicable Me. Watch it here. I stumbled across these cakepops made by EntirelySweet during my coffee break and just couldn't stop thinking about them! Not only do they look yummy, but they are just so darn cute. I can't wait to buy these for my baby cousin's birthday party! I can already see all the kids and adults flocking around these cakepops. They will be the highlight of the party- not the birthday boy ^_~ Kidding.

I am in.... ♥

I am super excited about this post! I love love loveeee studios and craft rooms. I must admit, I am a studio stalker. There's just something about them. I guess you could say I love seeing the place where the creativity takes place. It's just so inspiring.  ♥

So, without further ado- I'd like to present our first studio feature. I stumbled across Jin's studio a few months back and instantly fell in love with it. Just look at it~ the colors, the organization, the creativity... I want this room!

CoffeeBreakCraving- It's almost Thanksgiving =)

Can you believe that it’s already November? That means Thanksgiving is just around the corner! Oh my- how time flies. I stumbled across this garland made by JaneeLookerse while looking for Thanksgiving décor. How perfect would this look on the wall or draped over the table? I can imagine the oohs and ahhs I would get for it. There’s so much I want to do this year. I can’t wait!

How do you plan to decorate this year?

I'm excited to share with you our first success story!

Meet Sharon from MetalRocks. She’s been making jewelry for over 25 years. Her business took off right away and it kept her busy for a few years. But then one day, her world was turned upside down; Sharon was involved in an accident which lead her to become a victim of a head injury. As a result, she had to put her career on hold while she struggled to recover. It took several years before she was finally able to start making jewelry again- though they were confined to simple wire and rock.

Although her road to success wasn’t always easy, but through hard work and pure determination she was able to overcome the roadblock. This goes to show, you can overcome anything you put your mind to.

To learn more about Sharon and her story you can read her interview below:

CoffeeBreakCraving

Like the saying goes...

-Conan O'Brien's final monologue

Conan O'Brien couldn't have said it any better! I stumbled across this inspirational wall art made by Honeyboo while I was doing a little "online window shopping" and just fell in love with it. How cute would this look on my office wall! What a perfect way to give me that little shove of encouragement that I am always looking for in the morning.

Welcome to CoffeeBreakCrn...

Come on in, don’t be shy!  I don’t know about you, but I sure do love a good story; especially success and lemonade stories. I am always wondering who they are, where they came from, how did they get to where they are today, how can I get there... basically I want to know their story. So, I decided to make this blog just that- the blog will feature everyday ordinary people who were able to turn their dream into a reality. We also feature handmade products to help spread the word of small businesses to give them a chance to be seen and hopefully one day become a success story themselves. 

So, we hope the stories you find here can make you laugh, smile, and even cry, but mostly we hope the stories inspire you to live your dream. As the saying goes- do not let anyone tell you you cannot do something!

So grab a cup of coffee, relax, and just enjoy the story. =)