Girlfriend's DIY BFF Earrings

Let's hear it for the girls!  You know, the ones who lift you up, cheer you on, hold your hand, have your back, tell you the painful truth and love you good, bad and ugly!  Yes, the girls!  Don't forget your gal pals on Valentine's Day!  Show them the love with these fun, fast and fabulous DIY BFF Earrings for iLoveToCreate.  Miss Avalon and I worked on these together, because like most things, crafting is more fun when you share.

You can get the full tutorial for theses DIY BFF Earrings over on the iLoveToCreate blog.  AND...they're double sided so check out the other side over there!  I got the striped metallic hemp twine from Darice at the Fave Crafts Event at CHA, how fabulous is that?!  L O V E! 

I'll be back tomorrow with a crafty round up from some of my Crafty BFFs, make sure you stop by and say, "Howdy!"

xoxo,
Madge

Glittered Tie Dye Necklace for iLoveToCreate

Learn how to make a glittered tie dye effect necklace today on the iLoveToCreate blog!  Tell 'em Madge sent ya.  And...just an FYI, I'm going to start blogging on DIY Doyenne part time and here part time.  It's a revamp and refocus after much considered thought.  All things crafty will live here and all things fashion, style and galcentric will live over there. We'll see how it goes!

xoxo

Madge

Valentine's Day Frame Hack

(SPONSORED POST WITH AFFILIATE LINKS)
Avalon and I brainstormed this Valentine's Day Frame Hack for iLoveToCreate blog yesterday.  We LOVE how this turned out!  So simple, but really striking.  We found the frames at Target in a three pack for a few bucks and I've been waiting for the right inspiration to strike.  Avalon has a great eye for design and we make a great team!

DIY New Year's Eve Crown

 Merry, Merry to you and yours!  

Washi Tape Gift Tag DIY

How to Make Paper Snowflakes

Ah, paper snowflakes, a perennial favorite and yet...one of those things it's so easy to forget how to do!  No worries, I've got you covered with this super simple infographic.  I like using old magazine pages to make my snowflakes, it's a great way to upcycle and the text gives the snowflakes some lovely texture.  Just click on the image to enlarge, download the infographic and you'll be on your way to a blizzard of paper magic.  

DIY Snow Globes or How Ideas Happen

I was so pleased with myself after designing my tiny snow globe necklace.  I've been making jewelry with these tiny glass vials for years.  Still, I'd never done this before and I thought it would be a quick and easy craft for virtually anyone to recreate.  It took me a while to figure out how to get the tree tiny enough to fit inside of the vial...yet someone else had the same idea and same solution.  Derp.  So much for my "original" idea!

Snow Globe Necklace for iLoveToCreate

I'm guest posting on the iLoveToCreate blog today with a miniature DIY Snow Globe Necklace!  I love these little glass vials, I've made jewelry with these before, but I think this one is my favorite.  What's more fun than wearing a snow globe?

DIY Retro(fabulous) Christmas Tree Skirt

Sponsored Content for iLoveToCreate 

Sparkling Crystal Leaves Necklace for Create Your Style with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS

If you're missing the fall foliage, this DIY Sparkling Crystal Leaves Necklace is a glamorous replacement!  A while back, I was asked by the Create Your Style with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS team in Austria to design some jewelry based on the theme of handicrafts.  They've shared the design on their website this month, hooray!  I wanted this to have a Folk Art Chic appeal, elements of handcrafted paper married with the unmistakeable sparkle of crystal.  It's intentionally imperfect and handmade.  I started with paper snowflakes cut from very old book pages (I sell these on my website ThriftScore)-you can get instructions for making paper snowflakes here.  I turned the arms of the snowflakes into the templates for the pendants tracing them out on gold cardboard with a slight edge for a stacked effect.  An array of hand glued SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS flat backs elevated the design from handicraft to high fashion.  Crystal bronze shade rounds in varied sizes and aged brass chain pulled the design together, giving it a vintage vibe with a modern appeal.

Visit the Create Your Style site to download the PDF instructions for this Sparkling Crystal Leaves Necklace and while you're there, check out the amazing array of DIY inspiration from designers across the globe.

Life is short, be sparkly!

Cheers,

Madge

DIY Glittered Ornaments for iLoveToCreate

As you can see, I'm having a little love affair with clear glass ornaments this year.  It actually started last year with some vibrant feather filled ornaments, but something about this blank canvas keeps me coming up with more ideas.  This time, it's all about glitter.  Mmmm...glitter.  You can get the step by step instructions to make these DIY Glittered Ornaments on the iLoveToCreate blog today.

Jingle Bell Stamped Christmas Earrings

I've got a festive pair of Jingle Bell Stamped Christmas Earrings over on the ImpressArt blog today!  You can whip these puppies up in a few steps and be ready to rock the egg nog in style!  Aw, yiss.  

DIY Glittered Ornament T-Shirt

As Seen on Huffington Post

DIY Sparkling Ornaments for iLoveToCreate!

Yarn Wrapped Easter Egg DIY

I've been buried in work on the new site, so forgive me for not being around as much!  I'm guest posting over at iLoveToCreate today with a yarn wrapped Easter egg DIY that is literally three simple steps.  Yes, folks, for a few pennies and in three easy steps, you can whip up some festive Easter decorations!  Huzzah!

How Do You Value Your Work

 

How Do You Value Your Work: What Separates a Design Hobbyist from a Professional Designer

Copyright 2013 Margot Potter

All Rights Reserved

One of the most empowering and important things a professional designer can do is put a tangible value on their work, their time and creativity.  And when I say value, I mean a monetary one.  All creativity has value.  It's a tricky thing because not everyone who creates does it for a living or for any financial return.  A lot of people create for the sheer, unfettered joy of it.  That's a personal choice and an acceptable one for sure.  Doing what we love doesn't mean we have to do it for a living.  So, what separates a professional designer from a hobbyist?  Is it skill?  Is it knowledge?  Is it simply the willingness to say, "I am hanging out my shingle, this designer is for hire?"  How do you value your work enough to ask for compensation?  What is the value of creativity?

Emerald City Necklace for iLoveToCreate

I'm guest posting over at the iLoveToCreate blog today with this Oz inspired Emerald City Necklace.  You can find the step by step instructions over there.  I just loved Oz the Great and Powerful, mostly because I love the message that if we believe, anything is possible.

Because, it's true.

"I don't want to be a good man... I want to be a great one" Oz

Rock and roll,
Madge

DIY Decoupage Pot

I am over at the iLoveToCreate blog today with this DIY decoupaged terra cotta pot.  In person, it actually looks like it's been painted.  I'm pleased as punch with how this one turned out!  This could not be easier to make, it is literally four steps!  Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. I have a second one in the works and then they'll go out on our screened in porch for the spring and summer.

Kindle Version: The Fine Art of Shameless Self Promotion by Margot Potter

For those who have been waiting with bated breath for the Kindle edition of The Fine Art of Shameless Self Promotion, it's your lucky day!  It's here!  For a mere $9.99 you can get your Kindle optimized version today.  Huzzah!