Hi I’m Marilyn and my Etsy shop is Pulp Sushi where I make and sell Retro-inspired jewelry with new found materials. I like to play with colors to create an item that will give an extra pop to any outfit. I’m currently offering Free Domestic Shipping on all items until the end of the year.

My blog, which shares the same same, is a business/lifestyle combo blog where I share what it’s like making my jewelry business grow while still working in an office full-time with a dreadfully long commute, my interests in Crafts/DIY, style, and other awesomeness. There’s been a blog party going on for the month of October so there’s still time to join in on the fun!

I met Kristy taking an online biz course called Indie Biz and I’m happy to be here with a giveaway for her birthday! 

The ear hooks are antique brass plated, they hang at 1.5 inches, they feature one of this Fall’s popular colors: Burgundy!

If you’d like to be entered to win these earrings just hop over to my shop and let me know which item is your favorite! Deadline to enter is Oct 31st and the winner will be announced on Nov 5th. 

Good Luck!

-Marilyn
Blog: http://pulpsushi.typepad.com
Etsy: http://pulpsushi.etsy.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/pulpsushi

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Something I like to do in my free time (there’s free time?!) is to embroider. I’ve made a few different hoops, like a raccoon, a bird and a monster, and the stitches used in embroidery can add some awesome detail and texture to lots of different craft projects! Below I have 5 Basic Embroidery Stitches I thought would be great to use on cards, scrapbooking and more! I used yarn vs embroidery floss so you could see it better. Enjoy!

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Hi Rachael from Pins and Needles here! Pins and Needles was started this past May as I struggled to find employment that worked around the schedule of our special needs child and our new baby. My husband suggested that I start making some of the things I spend hours ‘pinning’ and I came out with our Birthday Calender and our Daddy’s Love Tie Rack. I’ve been a scrapbooker for almost 20 years, so this tapped right into my creative side and became the perfect way to stay at home with the kids and still work. 

Today I have a tutorial and giveaway to share! Fall is my favorite time of year, so I decided to do a Halloween inspired sign.

The first step in my process is to design what will go on the wood. For that I use my Silhouette SD, which can use any true-type font. I arched the letters to give the piece a little movement, and then added some fun bats.

Then I give the dimensions to my wonderful husband who cuts all of the wood, we only use recycled or reclaimed wood. A lot of times it makes the wood a little more gnarled, and especially for the Halloween season, it gives the pieces a little more character. The one he cut for this piece is pretty smooth though.

The next step is to paint the wood and while that’s drying I use my Silhouette to cut the vinyl letters and bats that will go on the sign.

Once the vinyl is cut, I ‘weed’ the vinyl – which is the technical way of saying that I remove all of the vinyl that I won’t be needing. Sometimes this is a real tedious process, especially when the type is small. For the smaller pieces though, it’s a lot of fun.

Then I cut out a piece of transfer paper to the size of the vinyl and transfer the vinyl to the transfer paper by rubbing it. Small pieces are fun – larger pieces have successfully removed a fingerprint from my index finger Lots of rubbing involved.

Then the vinyl gets transferred to the wood by, you guessed it, more rubbing. You can buy a large popcicle stick (or steal one from your pediatrician….shhh) and use that to rub the image onto the wood. Use care, though because you can scratch the wood easily.

Then I use some sandpaper to distress the edges a little. 

My final step involves a heavy coat of Mod Podge. Not a lot of vinyl sign makers do this last step, but I think it’s essential. It keeps the letters from peeling off and it makes it so you can wipe it off or dust it as needed. And it gives it a nice even top layer. I also add a sawtooth hanger for the back, so it can easily be displayed an enjoyed!

And here’s the final product.

Do you like this sign? Visit and Like my Facebook page, let me know that Kristy sent you, then leave a comment below with your favorite item from the Pins and Needles shop to be entered to win this spooky sign! Deadline to Like and enter is Oct 31 and the winner will be announced here on November 5.

Good Luck!

 -Rachel

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Hi! Sabrina here from the Honor Roll and I am so excited that Kristy asked me to be a part of this month long celebration of tutorials, giveaways and fun!! Her stamps are the absolute cutest, don’t you agree ;)

Now I don’t know about you all, but October is my absolute favorite month and it always seems to be packed full of activities leading up to Halloween. I ask our littles to put in their final costume requests by the first of the month so I have plenty of time to sew. But of course they change their minds often so it always helps to have a little back-up plan for distraction – like these simple to create felt masks I am sharing today.

The mask comes with a pattern that you can download here: Kitty Mask Pattern.

It fits ages 0-6 but I bet if you tossed a copy in the scanner and experimented with enlarging it would work for older kids and adults as well. There is a pattern for the kitty base and an extra piece to create more animals too – a fox, raccoon, maybe even an owl – whatever your imagination can dream up.

For supplies, you will need:
Felt
Elastic or ribbon
Embroidery thread
Fabric glue
Scissors and/or craft knife
Needle

Step 1. Print pattern and cut out.
Step2. Trace pattern on felt and cut with sharp scissors. A craft knife works best for cutting out the eyes.
Step3. Embellish the mask base with embroidery, bows and more felt. Make it as simple or detailed as you like.
Step4. If you are using the additional pattern, glue it down with fabric glue before adding your details.
Step5. Stitch the elastic or ribbon onto the back of the mask with a couple x stitches.
Step6. Set out for you kiddos to find when they get home from school and enjoy

And if you just don’t have any time to create before Halloween, I made a few extra masks available for purchase in my etsy shop you can find them here.

Thanks so much for having me!!!
Hugs,
Sabrina

Blog: sabrinaalery.blogspot.com
Shop: www.etsy.com/shop/thehonorroll

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Hi everyone! Its Alyce back today with Part 2 of my Skin and Hair tutorial. Yesterday I shared how I colored Skin, today I will show you how I color hair using Alice Mae digi stamp from Some Odd Girl. Just as a reminder this is the final product we are heading toward…

Ok! Let’s get started!

HAIR COLOURS USED: Y21, YR23, E33, E35

Step 1: To start off with her hair, I use my lightest marker (Y21). Again I like to go from light to dark as it allows me to see where the highlights are and adjust as I go rather than laying down the darker colours and doing it wrong from the start. As my light source is at the top right, I make all of the ‘highest’ parts of her hair the highest as you can see in the top of her hair. The technique that I use here is feathering, flicking the marker down to create thin strokes that resemble strands of hair. In this first step you don’t have to worry too much about defining the streaks, but rather just laying the colour down.

Step 2: As we work our way up to the darker markers you can start to pay more attention to the fine detail of your streaks. I have used the YR23 here and have feathered the strokes starting from the darkest area and flicking toward the lighter areas. When I go darker, I make sure that the flicks don’t go as far as the lighter colour underneath so you get a nice gradient of colour and that highlighted band is stronger.

Step 3: I repeat Step 2 with E33

Step 4: I repeat Step 2 with E35 and, as this is my darkest colour, I pay particular attention to creating really thin and defined strokes.

Step 5: Again, I am going to save you some photos but I have gone back over the E35 with the E33, and over the E33 with the YR23. I then go in with my Y21 and do a really quick flicking blend over the white areas to add some more colour. To finish it all off, I like to go over it again with my darkest colour (E35) just to really strengthen the darkest areas and add that final touch of definition. And now her skin and hair are all done!

Thanks for sticking through the tutorial and hope it has helped you in some way. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below or on my blog and I will try to help as best I can. And once more…a HUGE happy birthday to you Kristy!!! Thanks for stopping by

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Hi All! Colleen Schaan here … there are a lot of things to celebrate this month… the release of The Copic Coloring Guide Level 3: People (woot- woot), Halloween, and of course, Kristy’s birthday!

I’m so honored Kristy asked me to join her for the 31 days of fun this month!

Today, I’ve got a fun coloring tutorial for you using some of the adorable images in Kaylee’s Closet Wardrobe set. This set has some awesome fashion designs and I want to show you how to enhance Kaylee’s wardrobe with…

“How to Add Patterns to Clothing”

Supplies Needed
Copic Markers (colors listed with final project)
Smooth White Cardstock (X-Press It Blending Card)
Dye Ink (Espresso Truffle – Memento)
Image (Kaylee’s Closet Wardrobe – Some Odd Girl)
Copic Multiliner
Scissors
Adhesive

Step 1
Stamp Kaylee Image onto white cardstock, set aside. (Notice I stamped the shirt/dress on her also for placement.)

Step 2
Stamp A-line shirt/dress onto white cardstock.

Step 3
Base color the entire shirt (G40 used here)

Step 4
Add additional shades to create the look of fabric drapes and wrinkles. (G82/G43/YG45)

*Check out my YouTube videos Part 1 and Part 2 for more details on how to create the look of folds.

Step 5
Begin adding stripes to the shirt using a coordinating color inking pen. (.3 Sky Blue Multiliner)

Here’s the trick… do NOT just draw in straight, parallel lines. Notice how strange this shirt looks with straight lines?

The material is NOT straight and smooth; it has ripples and curves around the body. Your patterns should follow these movements.

Think about the fabric. Notice how the darker areas look like the fabric is closer to the body and the lighter areas seem to be the fabric moving out and away, catching the light?

Make sure your pattern dips in where the shadows are and pushes or bulges out where the highlights are. (I like to think “n” shape for shadow and “u” for highlight) The key is to make the connections between these shapes smooth and seamless.

Notice how the lines curve slightly as a whole as they move from one side to the other. This will help show the volume of the body underneath. And check out the top; see how the lines on each fold are going a different direction? Remember to think of the shape of the body underneath and how that stretches the fabric.

Step 6
Stamp Capri pants onto white cardstock.

Step 7
Color Capri pants (B91/B93/B95/B97)

Step 8
Add texture to the pants by dampening a rag with colorless blender and holding it over colored area for a few seconds.

Step 9
Color up Kaylee image leaving shirt area uncolored.

Step 10
Cut out and attach pants to colored Kaylee Image.

Step 11
Cut out patterned shirt and attach to Kaylee image. *(I also stamped, colored and cut out flower for her hair)

With all of the wonderful wardrobe options for Kaylee and her friends, have fun adding pattern and texture to your next SOG image – it will make you smile… and you can never have too much happy!

Supply List
Cardstock: Kraft, Guacamole (Bazzill Basics)
X-Press It Blending Card (Imagination International Inc)
Patterned Paper: Summer Fresh (Simply Stories)
Dye Ink: Espresso Truffle (Memento – Tsukineko)
Image: Kaylee’s Closet Wardrobe (Some Odd Girl)
Copic Markers: skin – E000/E50/B60/E21/E04
hair – Y18/Y26/YR14/E99/E37
shirt – G40/G82/G43/YT45/sky blue multiliner
eyes – B12/B28
jeans – B91/B93/B95/B97
flower – Y18/RV52/RV55/RV09
cast shadows – BV20

Are you interested in learning more about how to color people, clothing and patterns? Check out our newest book in the Copic Coloring Guide series… Level 3: Coloring People. Available at Annie’s or your favorite Copic retailer!

And even though it’s Kristy’s birthday, I want to give YOU a gift… leave a comment on THIS post for a chance to win a signed copy of the new book! Post your comment by Wednesday, October 31^st to be included in the drawing! Winner will be announced on Kristy’s blog on November 5^th!

Now go out… and color your world!

Colleen

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Kristy back today for a special giveaway. In this giveaway you won’t be getting an item or a Gift Certificate, you’ll be getting a class spot in the coloring class that I teach with my good friend Melissa Andrew, Created from Color!

Registration for our next Basic Class just opened on Oct 1 and we’ll be starting class on Oct 29 so the deadline to enter this giveaway is shorter than the rest this month, Oct 22.  First though let me tell you a bit about the class…

The Created from Color Basic Class is a 10 week course with hands on instruction and help from Kristy and Melissa. We will be having 7 weeks of lessons with downloadable content, videos, access to our student only forum and gallery where you can interact with your teachers and students while you take the class then 3 extra weeks to review content, ask questions and keep practicing your new skills. The class is presented in a blog format with lessons posted 2-3 times per week, once they have been posted they stay up for the duration of the class so you can go back and work at your own pace or work on the lessons daily. We want you to be able to come into the class as a complete newbie and leave with confidence!

We’ll be covering topics such as Smooth Coloring and Blending Techniques, Coloring Hair, Skin, Clothing and Fur, Using your Colorless Blender, Tricky Situations like coloring Reds, Blacks and Whites, Basic Light Sourcing and more!

If you are new to Copic Markers or have played with them for a while but haven’t had any instruction then this is a great class for you!  We only take on a limited number of students for each class so we can give you our fullest attention. 

Now for the giveaway!

Please do not enter if you can’t commit to the next class session which runs Oct 29 – Dec 17 (with class access thru Jan 7). We want to give this class spot to someone who wants to be there. To enter tell us below what you would most like to learn or improve on if you took our class.

Deadline to enter is Oct 22. Winner will be notified shortly after the cut off to ensure they are ready to start class on Oct 29.

Good Luck!

If you are interested in taking the class but don’t want to leave your spot up to chance (or a sell out) then you can pop over to Created from Color and register now. 

*** GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED! If you’d like to register for our next basic class limited spots are still available. The winner is… Sheila! Congrats!***

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Kristy back today.  

It wouldn’t be coloring week without a giveaway of some coloring goods! Well I feel totally geeked that I have this to share with you today for a giveaway directly from Copic Markers!

Now I like to joke around and have fun but guuuurl this is no joke! Up to win is the 36 Color 25th Anniversary set of Sketch Markers from my good friends at 

Them offering up this set tells me that we’re friends now 

This set has their 36 most popular colors with the Super Brush and Fine tips. This set has only been available for just over 2 weeks here in the states and its been wildly popular! It retails at just over $250 but you can win it here! 

To enter leave me a comment telling me what your favorite color family is! You can enter thru Oct 31st and I’ll announce the winner here on Nov 5. Because this giveaway is from the US & Canadian distributor only residents of the US and Canada will be eligible. (Too Corp’s rules peoples) 

Don’t forget to scroll back thru the ENTIRE month for more tutorials and more giveaways!

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Hi Everyone! I hope you’re enjoying the first week of the 31 Days of How-Tos, Giveaways and Tutorials! Kristy back today and I have a speed coloring video using Ornament Tia for you with a little giveaway at the end. Enjoy!

I love doing these videos and I hope you gleen something from them. 

But I’m not done with the fun today! I want to give one lucky commenter their own Ornament Tia! All you have to do is leave a comment below with any coloring videos that you’d like to see! Deadline to enter this giveaway is Oct 31st and the winner will be annouced Nov 5.

Before I go for the day I want to recap what we’ve seen so far so if you are just joining us you aren’t missing out!

Monday – Welcome and $25 Some Odd Girl Giveaway
Tuesday – Bluebird Chic Camera Strap Giveaway from Leah
Wednesday – My Real Life Pin tutorial by Aimee
Thursday – Paper Issues Giveaway with Cassie
Friday – Halloween Photo Booth Tutorial by Diana 

I’ll see you all next week, all the way thru Oct 14th for a bunch of fun Tuts and Giveaways all about Coloring!

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Hi! This is Diana Fisher, happy to be sharing my Halloween Party Photo Booth set. What a fun way to make sure everyone has fun at a costume party, even if they don’t wear one!

Here is how I made my little party mummy.

In the bottom of my planter, I put in a green Styrofoam circle that is often used when making flower arrangements. I poked a bunch of holes, spread apart, to hold the bbq skewer sticks I used to tape the mustaches, lips, bow ties and witch hats to. They are affixed to the sticks with washi tape.

This little mummy needed some hair, so I used more planter filler. It is the really coarse kind so it worked well with the fall theme. You could always use moss, too, if you have it on hand.

The mummy’s eyes were cut out using the Cameo from a file in the Silhouette store, but you can also use googly eyes from a craft store if you wanted to.

And there you have it! Party in a planter! Make your next fall or Halloween party that much more fun.

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