I’m not sure if you’ve ever heard of Pay With a Tweet before, but, read on and you will! This great service let’s you set up a tweet, a gift to download, and then generate the code for you (or in this case me). It allows us to swap nice and even steven. :) You tweet (or post on Facebook) about my holiday related eBook Card.Paper.Ribbon. and in exchange, I give you this sweet little tutorial for using greeting cards by making them into sturdy, woven coasters!

Have you seen the banner in the sidebar for Card.Paper.Ribbon, but aren’t really sure what it’s all about? Well, click here to get some preview shots of the inside and full description of tutorials and projects included! There are quite a few I must say. I really love the way this ebook turned out.

I wrote Card.Paper.Ribbon. because I was getting really frustrated with the garbage bags packed full of wrapping paper, that oh so pretty on the package curling ribbon, and all those greeting cards with just a signed name. I made paper, I collaged, I knit and crocheted, I bound books, and I even sewed. I wrote it all up so I could show all of you to as well!

Do you know someone who might like Card.Paper.Ribbon, but want to give them a physical present? Diane Gilleland of CraftyPod, who helped me put this ebook together, did a great collection of tutorials on making ebooks into physical gifts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5!

Enjoy your holiday and have some happy crafting time in the mix! I’m waiting on my 5th batch of tasty baked goods to finish baking as I write this, love this time of year!

Merry Christmas!

Kristin

There is nothing I love more than getting together with a bunch of people and make things together. Yesterday my friend Sarah co-hosted an Ames C.art workshop with me and it was a delight! 

She showed us all how to make these great little stars, how to use circle cutters, and general card making ideas, issues, and inspirations. 

It was serious business going on, crafty business!

You can see a tutorial on how to make these sweet little stars here or here. Both show the 3-d Froebel Star, but you can just stop and clip the ends to make a flat one for card making purposes.

Making handmade cards is a great way to use up scraps of paper, buttons, ribbon, and whatever else is around the studio. The stars we made, for example, are all made from random bits of card stock. I actually made mine from misprints of the October clm cover. Perfect!

We had about a dozen people at yesterday’s workshop and we all made at least one card, ate cupcakes, and drank coffee. It was such a good time. If you live in central Iowa, you can check out and get updates for all upcoming ames c.art events, workshops, and meetings on Meetup.com/amescart. Most workshops are under $4 and all proceeds go to the help support the space we are meeting at.