Upcycled Valentine Garland

Cathe over at Just Something I Made shared a way to turn bits and pieces of boxes into a sweet garland. I know she thinks this is a Valentine's day thing but honestly, I would keep this up most of the year. In my house, red is the neutral!

Check out the complete post...here.

Charm Swap Ideas

If you are thinking about participating in our Lucky Charm Swap you are probably already working on your charms procrastinating until the last minute. That's what I often do. I can't help it.

I spend a lot of time deciding on just the right thing to make.

And then I change my mind. This year, however, I decided right away.

The charm swap rules are here and it's pretty easy to participate, even if you don't live in our area. You can download the registration form and, if you'll need it, pay for the shipping package. Make sure your charms arrive here by February 29th and you can pick them up on March 2nd or we'll ship them to you. I'm really looking forward to the swap this year as there are several 'celebrity swappers' who are participating. You never know who's charms you'll get in the swap, so it's a always fun to open up your package!

This year, I've already started on my teeny-weeny woven wire baskets. I have 3 1/2 done, which is pretty good. If you need inspiration, you can check out Amber Dawn's site, Inventive Soul, for tons of charming inspiration. You can also get some information about International Charm Day, April 28th.

You can read here about how I participate each year.

New Tutorial - the Trillium Necklace and Earring Set

get a free PDF of this project by clicking here or stopping by the store.

get free projects emailed to you every week-click here to sign up for our free Project Dispatch.

Frankly, my Deer...

Hayley has almost finished Decopatching that lovely deer head. He'll have blue-and-white 'fur' and a swirly, green-and-blue antler set. He's sweet.

Come see him in person if you can...we haven't added the deer to the website yet, so if you live far away and want one you'll have to call us at 919-834-6260 (M-F 10-9, S 10-6, Sun 12-6) and we can ship one to you...

Lucky Charm Swap

You know you love Lucky Charms!

Join us for a Lucky Charm Swap and you'll find yourself opening a packet of 7 lucky charms early in March. Just in time for St. Patrick's Day AND spring!

The charms are due here at our store by February 29th and the packets will be available to pick up on Friday, March 2nd at our Charm Pick Up Party. If you aren't local, don't worry, you can still participate. You'll just have your charms delivered by post, instead.

The party will include a free charm-making project with shrink plastic and we also have an optional Etched Lucky Charm Bracelet Class that you can sign up for. Of course, it's a party so look for lots of yummy treats and drinks, plus in-store special deals, demos and fun.

  

Get ALL the Charm Swap details here, including the sign up form.

We'll mail the charms out the week following the pick up party and depending on where you live you should get your box within a week or so.

Watch this blog for lots of charming inspiration.

Do you have a blog? Help us out pass the word by adding our Charm Swap button to your blog or re-blogging a charming project from our Tutorials. Just email cynthia AT ornamentea DOT com so we know who is sending all that love our way!

New Tutorial - the Laced Hearts Necklace

click on that pretty picture to see the full instructions for this necklace...and the hearts come in: