This July was my first time attending the CHA show and I loved every minute of it!  It was so nice to be in such an inviting atmosphere, filled with people who love to craft.  Besides all of the fabulous machines that can cut just about anything (including beautiful toppings for cakes), there were some interesting new products that caught my eye.

Let me introduce you to the Ribbon Printing Machine from the folks at Ribbon Print USA.  All the designs for the machine are computer based, allowing you to choose the design you want on the computer screen so you can preview it before you print it out.  Personalized ribbons are great for a number of things including party favors and decorations.  I might even incorporate personalized ribbons into my wedding favors!

Check out this demo to see how it works.  It’s pretty easy!

How to Use a Ribbon Printing Machine:

This next new product from Rocky Mountain Venture was interesting, too.  Do you have scrapbooks you want to digitize or old photo albums filled with pictures you want to scan?  I know I do, the problem is is that they’re too bulky!  This scanner, cutely dubbed the Flip Pal,  eliminates that issue.  In order to scan, all you have to do  is place the small Flip Pal over the page!

Check out this demonstration to see what the Flip Pal can do:

How to Use a Mobile Scanner:

Another highlight of my CHA visit:  I got to meet Suede from season 5 of Project Runway!  Check out that cool dress behind us, he made the skirt by sewing together round die cut shapes!

This is a post from: FaveCraftsBlog

CHA Recap: Ribbon Printers and Mobile Scanners

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I know what you’re thinking. It was JUST Christmas and now it’s already Valentine’s Day? Sheesh, can’t a girl get a break from all the gift-giving? Don’t stress! I have a super-simple idea for last minute Valentine gifts that you are sure to enjoy too. Stay away from the card aisle, forget the cheap Valentine’s Day chocolate and make your own sweet treats, packaged in homemade wrapping. Valentine cake balls are just about the easiest thing to make and are sooo very delicious. With a combination of red velvet cake inside and dark chocolate outsides, these are the perfect last minute valentine gifts. While we don’t normally do recipes here at FaveCrafts, decorating and arranging these cake balls encourages creativity!

To make the cake balls, you barely need to bake at all! But because of the time needed for cooling and freezing between steps, prepare at least on Friday or Saturday morning for low-stress last minute valentine gifts. You will need:

• one package of red velvet cake mix (or white cake mix and a few drops of red food coloring)
• one carton of icing (any flavor, cream cheese or vanilla would both be nice)
• one package of melting or baker’s chocolate  (I would recommend dark chocolate for Valentine’s Day.)
• wooden skewers
• wax paper

Bake the cake according to package directions and let cool for several hours or overnight. Crumble the cooled cake into a large bowl. Add 1/2-3/4 of the carton of icing until the mixture sticks together well. Roll into balls with your hands and place on the wax paper. Place in the freezer for 15-30 minutes. You want them firm but not frozen solid. Meanwhile, melt chocolate in 30 second increments in the microwave or in a double-boiler.  When cake balls came out of freezer, dip in chocolate  one-by-one with the skewers. Let dry on wax paper.

Once the cake balls are finished, you can present to your valentine(s) in a number of ways. Here are wrapping ideas for your last minute valentine gifts:

1. Wrap in Homemade Paper- Wrap the cake balls in red tissue paper and place in a sturdy box. Take a sheet of white paper and decorate the paper before wrapping. Squeeze some acrylic paint into a large plastic lid and use a cookie cutter to stamp hearts onto the wrapping paper. Wrap the paper as normal and add a big red ribbon.
2. Arrange the Cake Balls as a Bouquet: Fill a terra-cotta pot with small pebbles or other weights. Place a piece of foam on top of the weights. Stick the wooden skewers with cake balls at one end into the foam piece arranging as a bouquet. Fill the top of the pot with red tissue paper. Decorate the pot with a heart stamp, cut from a regular kitchen sponge, and red acrylic paint.
3. Make the Cake Balls a Game- If you have small jewelry boxes or other small boxes lying around your house, turn the cake balls into game. Place one cake ball wrapped in tissue paper into it’s own little box with a small piece of paper. The piece of paper can be a romantic sentiment, a funny memory or a line of poetry. Arrange a group of these boxes in a heart shape on the table.

This is a post from: FaveCraftsBlog

How to: Make Super-Simple Last Minute Valentine Gifts

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Simple clay pots are inexpensive, freely available and make a great base for a variety of Christmas clay pot crafts. At the simplest, you can paint and decorate clay pots with Christmas colors to hold holiday treats (candy canes would be perfect). Use the base of clay pots as a lid and tie with ribbon to create a re-usable Christmas gift box. Here are some more intricate Christmas clay pot crafts for home decorating and gift-giving this holiday season:

Be Merry Pot- This is a great Christmas clay pot craft for a kind of Christmas tree. Fill the pot with colorful miniature ornaments or holiday candies to disguise the foam base.

Candy Cane Santa- This adorable Santa, emerging from a chimney bearing candy cane gifts, actually disguises an air freshener. How clever! For even more Christmas clay crafts that disguise air fresheners, check out the Clay Pot Snowman, Rustic Country Snowman or Christmas Oops.

Yuletide Table Accents- Turn clay pots into attractive candle holders with this great Christmas clay pot craft.

This is a post from: FaveCraftsBlog

63 Days Till Christmas: Christmas Clay Pot Crafts

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This project came to me from Maddy Cranley. She’s a very crafty lady who has some really cute crafts. I know it’s not winter yet, but it’ll be here before we know it. I am always freezing in the winter, so knowing that fall is just around the corner, it’s making me a little nervous. Heck, I’m cold in the summer sometimes too. Luckily Maddy sent this project in, I might have to try making it myself. It’s a cute green knit scarf. You can make it in six easy steps. It’s an easy pattern that works nicely for beginners. If you like this craft, Maddy also sent in knit and felt hearts. This is a great project for those times when you need to relax. They can be used for a hand warmer, a muscle relaxer or just a cute decoration for a room. Be sure you check out all our other knit scarves we have to offer. Here are some of my favorites.

Cable Knit Scarf

Chic Diagonal Stripe Scarf

I think this cable newsboy cap is adorable as well. It can really be worn any time of year!

This is a post from: FaveCraftsBlog

A Green Knit Scarf

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I am so tickled by our most recent guest project at FaveCrafts: Ice Cream Cone Cozies. Leigh Ann Tennant of The Object Project sent over this easy sewing project, using a CD as a pattern and fabric scraps. The cozies keep little hands (and who are we kidding? adults hands too) clean from ice cream drips. How clever! Thanks so much Leigh Ann! The only problem is I really want an ice cream cone now.

Irresistible no?

This is a post from: FaveCraftsBlog

Ice Cream Cone Cozies! No really!

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