According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, “nearly 70% of all breast cancers are found through self-exams and with early detection the 5-year survival rate is 98%.”

Enough said…learn more about a breast self-exam at the National Breast Cancer Foundation’s website.

On a related note, you can also help underserved women get free mammograms.

Free Breast Cancer Awareness Printables

For your next fundraising event, consider some of these beautiful free printables.

a generous 44 pages of all-you-could-ever-hope-for printables from from chickabug.com

hope sign, flags, water bottle wrappers, boxes and more from frogprincepaperie.com

breast cancer awareness party circles from heylovedesigns.com

pink ribbon party circles printable from thetomkatstudio.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crochet for the Cause

I haven’t made any of these…yet.

pink ribbon scarf crochet pattern from krazyawesome.com

prayer shawl crochet pattern from bernat.com

skinny scarf crochet pattern from youcanmakethis.com

ruffle scarf crochet pattern from crochetspot.com

All the wonderful Halloween printables from my last post inspired me to take a stab at making my own.

Not too bad for a first try. I’m sharing the file with you.

Free for personal use – download, print and have fun!

Make your own with this tutorial (pdf) from Chez Beeper Bebe.

At the heart of this book is the furoshiki, a traditional Japanese  square cloth used for wrapping a carrying items, a practice which dates back to the 17th century. Along with easy-to-follow instructions that will inspire a whole new approach to gift presentation, Wrapagami includes a brief overview of the history of the furoshiki, directions for creating your own furoshiki, ideas for reusing furoshiki and resources for purchasing furoshiki.

Not only is fabric gift wrap a creative and eco-friendly way to present a gift (no paper, tape or scissors required) — the fabric is a gift in itself, especially for those of us who love fabric.

I recently tried my hand at creating my own furoshiki and wrapping a few handcrafted treasures for a friend — a set of crocheted trivets (more about that in a future post), a recycled gift card mini notepad and a duct tape wallet.

Wrapagami is going to be a treasured item on my bookshelf that will get repeated use. I may even buy a few copies and wrap them wrapagami style to give as gifts.

Check out Jennifer Playford’s website for how-to videos or to purchase furoshiki with her original designs.

By the way, here is a close-up of the duct tape wallet for those who are curious. Crafted by Us has an amazing duct tape video podcast/tutorial if you’d like to make one.

watch out wine charm...there's a new kid in town

Wine charms, while fun to make and often a delightful little adornment on one’s wine (or martini) glass, are so…yesterday.

Alas, wine charms do serve a tremendously useful purpose — keeping your beverage from getting lost in the crowd.

But, what if your cocktail-container doesn’t have a stem?

Use your handy lime zester to engrave each guest’s initial into their drink’s lime. For the truly talented, try engraving a mini portrait or drawing (daisy, cat’s face, heart, sun, bumble bee…you get the idea). Thanks Better Homes & Gardens for this clever, creative tip just in time for all those Cinco de Mayo margaritas.

Of course, the wine charm still has its place. Who would want a glass of wine with a lime in it?! Rubber Romance Stamps (creator of very lovely stamps) has a clever wine charm tutorial using stamps and shrink plastic.

Cheers!

photo courtesy of PDPhoto.org

According to Gourmet magazine, the margarita is the most popular cocktail in the U.S.

And it is no wonder. This versatile beverage can be served straight up, on the rocks, or that frothy, frozen, slushy concoction that tastes especially delightful around 6 p.m. on a sunny Friday after a long week at work.

For those of you partaking in the upcoming Cinco de Mayo festivities why not include one of these delicious versions? (courtesy of Food Network)

• Jalapeno Margarita
• Blueberry-Lime Margarita (hold the tequila for a yummy kid-friendly beverage)
• Mango Margarita
• Watermelon Margarita
• Frozen Strawberry Margarita
• Pineapple-Chili Margarita
• Paloma Margarita
• Passion Fruit Margarita
• Peach Margarita

“If life gives you limes, make margaritas!”

- Jimmy Buffet

Ever wonder which ink will work best for your project? What ink to use when embossing? What works well on dark paper?

A Helpful Guide to Stamping is a handy, colorful, visually-appealing PDF to help you sort it all out. The guide, created by Archiver’s, also includes an overview of the different kinds of stamps — wood, clear and cling.

Happy stamping!

Here is the sketch…

Credit goes to the fabulous work of Paulo over at SCAL e-files. He makes the most amazing and gorgeous SVGs that can be used with Sure Cuts A Lot (SCAL) and your Cricut. I used his baroque label on this card.

Here is the sketch that inspired it all…