Thursday, January 31, 2013

Accessories: martha stewart tote {and a giveaway}


OB-Martha Stewart Tote 2Even if you don’t travel that often, you may be like me and use a tote bag almost every day. I have lots of tote bags but none of them are designed for my work needs. I usually end up tossing in all my goodies into one of my large tote bags – even my laptop. The items above are just some of the things that I usually “tote” around with me.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Good Taste: a year of cupcakes on the Inspiration Board


Features Cupcake Round Up-002
There’s one item that is consistently linked up week after week on the Inspiration Board. Cupcakes. I’ve been wanting to round up the best of the cupcakes for the longest time – and finally went through a year’s worth of Inspiration Board link parties to bring you…
A Year of Cupcakes on the Inspiration Board

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

The Inspiration Board: link party [87]

Lemon Lime 1
Welcome to the Inspiration Board link party. Thank you so much for stopping by today! Can you believe it? Even my lime tree is celebrating Valentine’s Day. Just a few more weeks until the big heart day and then we coast into spring. Before we know it the sun will be shining, gardens blooming and we will be welcoming a new season.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying all the beautiful Valentine projects, home decorating, recipes and more that you are all sharing. I can't wait to see what you've been up to this week.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Celebrations: decoupage heart & arrow

Valentine’s Day seems to be bring out the soft sweet side of me. It’s usually buried somewhere deep down inside and does makes an appearance every now and then.


Friday, January 25, 2013

The Inspiration Board: link party spotlight ~86~

Happy Friday everyone and welcome to the Inspiration Board spotlight. It’s the season of love and there was plenty of Valentine inspiration linked up this week. Also, a lot of home improvement / room redo / decorating links. I somehow missed that memo and haven’t tackled any large scale home improvement projects lately. So I’m filing away all the ideas so they’ll be at my fingertips when I’m ready to dive in.

As always, thank you so much for joining me this week and sharing your projects. You amaze me. If you stopped by to leave a comment or visit, I truly appreciate it. And in case you didn’t get a chance to stop by, here’s what I shared this week.


Thursday, January 24, 2013

Inkling: diy valentine cards from Martha Stewart {and a giveaway}

Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching so if you’re planning on making goodies or if your little ones are planning on passing out cards to their classmates, it’s time to get going and make those cards and tags.

Fortunately, I received DIY Valentine's Day Card supplies from Martha Stewart Crafts and so I got busy making some tags I’ll use on goodies.

If you’d like to enter for a chance to win all these fun card making supplies, just use the Rafflecopter entry form at the bottom of this post. But let me show you what I made first…

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

The Inspiration Board: link party [86]

Watercolor-6_thumb7From my archives – watercolor valentine card

Welcome to the Inspiration Board link party. Tuesday has become my favorite day of the week here on homework. I love hosting the Inspiration Board and I'm truly inspired by all your creativity.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Show & Tell: french herb pots and cha wrap up

Today I want to share with you the craft that I made at the Craft and Hobby Association {CHA} show last week. I was invited by the wonderful people at Plaid to be a guest in their booth and give a demonstration. I was incredibly flattered to be asked and it was exciting and nerve-wracking.


Friday, January 18, 2013

The Inspiration Board: link party spotlight ~85~

Thank you to everyone who visiting, commented or linked up this week. I so appreciate it and I’m always amazed that you stop by my little corner of the blog world.

We had a cold snap here in Southern California. Now, if you live somewhere where it really gets cold, you’re probably laughing at me right now. The days dipped down to the mid-50’s and the nights got below 40 degrees. Brrrrr. We or at least I am not equipped for cold weather – I don’t have a lot of cold weather clothes, shoes or accessories. Thankfully it’s starting to get back to normal temperatures here – mid 60’s and sunny in the day.

So while I turn up the heat and thaw out, please enjoy these wonderful projects in the spotlight this week.


hand in heart - make itThe most adorable heart in hand gloves by Bliss Bloom {blog}. I need these (see my cold snap commentary above). A great gift idea for the holidays and Valentine’s Day.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Sew and Tell: old sweater ~ new storage


Sweater Can 6I’m sure you’ve seen many, many beautiful “old sweater” projects. Sweaters can be used to make pillows, vases, cozies and more. Every time I visit a thrift store I check for cable knit sweaters or other pretty knits to make some of the beautiful items I’ve seen on Pinterest and on other creative blogs.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Etceteras: painted feathers

Lately, I’ve seen some pretty painted feathers on Pinterest and other sites. The edges are painted in cheery colors and I love the effect. I mentally filed away the idea.


Tuesday, January 15, 2013

The Inspiration Board: link party [85]

 
Wreath 3From my archives – homemade ribbon wreath


Welcome to the Inspiration Board link party. We are halfway through January - how did that happen? Weren't we just taking turkeys out of the oven for Thanksgiving. Is it just me or is time flying by at warp speed lately.

Friday, January 11, 2013

The Inspiration Board: link party spotlight ~84~

Happy Friday and welcome to the Inspiration Board spotlight. Thank you so much for stopping by. If you shared a project on the Inspiration Board this week I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love looking through the links and visiting your sites. There were so many fantastic projects linked up – everyone must have recovered from the holidays. Plus, kids are back in school and we’re getting back to our normal routines.

I’ll be at the Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) winter show tomorrow. I’m demonstrating a craft in the Plaid booth from 11:00 – 1:00 and then I’ll be cruising the show floor looking for inspiration to share with all of you. I’m excited to see all the new products being introduced for 2013. So while I’m prepping for that {ok – deciding what to wear}, enjoy these projects in the spotlight.



FudgemainLook at all that fudge! Sugar Swings has outdone herself with the most amazing array of fudge I’ve ever seen. There’s lemon, fruit loop, red velvet, pumpkin spice and more. Fantastic!

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Celebrations: holiday clearance {repurposed hanukkah candles}

Candles 7-001Christmas ornaments, lights and garlands aren’t the only thing you can find on clearance after the holidays. I spied these bright colorful Hanukkah candles during the holidays and was thrilled to find them on the clearance shelf after New Year’s.


Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Good Taste: the best homemade peppermint patties


Mints 6 AOh my goodness! A few weeks ago Lish, from Imprintalish linked up her peppermint patties at my link party. I featured them… and then I made them.


Tuesday, January 8, 2013

The Inspiration Board: link party [84]

Valentine Candle 1From my archives – Valentine Candle

Welcome to the Inspiration Board link party and happy Friday. We made it through the first week of 2013. Have you recovered from the holidays? I'm slowly getting there. I ended 2012 and started 2013 with a cold - yay me. I have lots of great project ideas to share with you in the next few weeks so I can't let a cold slow me down. Hopefully, you started off the new year with a creative bang because I can't wait to see what you've been up to.


Monday, January 7, 2013

Upcycling: holiday packaging pencil cans

I did some of my holiday shopping online and got a bonus in one of the boxes. This cool brown packing paper was wrapped around some mugs from Crate & Barrel.


Friday, January 4, 2013

The Inspiration Board: link party spotlight ~83~

Thank you to everyone who stopped by on New Year’s Day and the rest of this week to link up and share your creativity! It was a smaller party due to the holiday but because there were so many “Best Of” posts linked up, there were even more projects to look at than normal. The inspiration was abundant. Here are a few projects in the spotlight this week.



CL_IGP2229-e1352750813125From Restoration Redoux’s Top Ten projects, this turquoise chandelier was my favorite. I love the new color mixed with the old fashioned classic crystals and scroll work. Pretty!

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Show & Tell: homework round up: 2012 favorites

I’m jumping on the year-in-review round up post like so many other bloggers out there. I didn’t want to title mine “Best Of” or “Top Projects” because I’m not sure what those are. Since I make a wide range of projects, best can be easiest, or most delicious or prettiest.

So, when I went through my archives from 2012, I chose the projects that made me happy. I hope you enjoyed the projects that I shared here at homework during the last year and this little recap of happy projects.

Thank you again for visiting my tiny little corner of the creative world. I’m looking forward to sharing with you in 2013!


Homework Best of 2012 21. Lace Bottle: A recycled glass bottle covered in cotton lace becomes a pretty vase – perfect for wedding centerpieces or luncheons.  2. Valentine Twig Arrows: Twigs with felt arrow tips and feathers are a fun way to send a Valentine.  3. Crepe Paper Jellyfish: A fun project for kids or for an under-the-sea party theme.  4. Candy Cane Sugar Cubes: Use up leftover holiday candy canes and make homemade sugar cubes.


Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Etceteras: birch branches and boxwood

The Christmas décor is slowly coming down and getting tucked away until next year. I still want some winter décor around the house and after a season of glitter, I’m craving some natural elements.


Tuesday, January 1, 2013

The Inspiration Board: link party [83]

Fortune 1New Year’s Fortune Cookies from my archives


Welcome to the Inspiration Board link party and Happy New Year! It's 2013 and we have a new year of creative sharing to look forward to. I'm so happy you could join me today in between football games, parades and food.

Here's to a wonderful new year, filled with love, happiness, good health and loads of creativity!
I can't wait to see what you've been up to.