Garibella: The Craftiest Salon in Downtown Flint!

Posted by Crystal

Have you been to Garibella Salon in Downtown Flint yet?  If not, you need to get there asap! 

My sister April (l) got beautiful highlights and I got a fabulous haircut recently.  We both had ladies named Jamie/Jayme doing our hair!  I had Jayme with the long hair and April had Jamie with the short hair.

The "Garibella Girls" are so just friendly, funny and, best of all, CRAFTY!  Jamie with the short hair drew this cute autumn tree freehand for her booth's message board.

I noticed that the nail tech Cassie had a container of JoAnn's glitter with her various polishes.  What was craft supply glitter doing at a salon? 

Turns out, Cassie mixes glitter with her gel nail polish for a smooth, thick, sparkly shine!  I watched Cassie apply the glitter gel polish on Tami, the spunky owner of Garibella. 

Tami is super creative, too!  She created this adorable photo collage with vintage family photos above her hairdryers. 

And, the best thing about this entire salon visit?  Tami donated coupons for a free cut with any color service to Flint Handmade for our Holiday Craft Market goodie bags!

Be one of our first 25 shoppers at 10am on Saturday, November 27, 2010 to get your bag filled with awesome swag from local crafters and businesses!

If YOU are a local crafter or business owner and would like to donate 25 coupons or small promotional items to Flint Handmade for our goodie bags, just email us at flinthandmade@hotmail.com. 

CRAFT TUTORIAL: Paper Circle Garlands

Posted by Crystal

Well, I have been asked to post more craft tutorials, so here is one especially for you, Tanya!  :)

I fell in love with these circle garlands at the 2010 DIY Street Fair.  I saw them hanging vertically like beads in a doorway in the booth by JuliBuli74. 

You could hang them vertically or swag them or make a mobile!  I think the garlands above were made with fabric circles, but I am going to show you how to make them with paper circles.

Paper Circle Garlands

Materials/Tools:
1) Paper of Various Colors/Prints (e.g. scrapbook paper, catalogs/magazines, junk mail, etc.)
2) Circle Punches (one large, one small)
3) Glue Stick
4) Twine (or string or yarn, etc.)

Step 1: Gather your materials.  Get creative with the paper you choose!  You could also use old photos, calendars, etc.

Step 2: Punch out lots of large and small circles.  The closer you plan to place the circles next to each other on the twine, the more you will need.  You could also use other punch shapes like scalloped circles.  Or, if you don't have punches, you can print/trace shapes onto the back of your paper and just cut them out with scissors.

Step 3: Apply glue to the entire back side of one of your circles.  I like to use a junk mail catalog underneath the circle, so I don't get glue all over my workspace.  Place the twine across the glue on the circle and then sandwich another circle back-to-back on top.

 

Step 4: Vary the sizes of your circle for more interest as you work your way down the twine. 

Hint: If you are doing a repeating color pattern as shown above (yellow/blue/green/yellow/blue/green), make sure you glue the same color circles to each other, so that when the twine twists, you will have the same pattern regardless of which side of the circle is visible.

Step 5: Hang your garland!  They make great party or holiday decorations!  I also think they would look awesome in a kid's room or craftroom.  :)

If YOU want to make a paper circle garland, join us at craftLAB on Sunday, November 7, 2010 from noon-3pm at The Lunch Studio! 

We will have all of the supplies available, but feel free to bring your own if you have special paper, punches, glue or twine that you want to use.  :)

Second Saturday Giveaway: October Winner!

Posted by Crystal

Thank you to everyone who commented on our Second Saturday Giveaway featuring Amy of Made with Luv!

The awesome commenters for October were steph bills, Julie, Stefanie, Gwen, TeamRosario, Dovey Richter, JNHK, Courtney Fischer, Elise, Susanna Tippett, Lisa, Allison Dougherty and Wayne.

We loved receiving all of your wonderful suggestions for sewing machine names: Terminator, The Devil, Clyde, Ginger, Ziggy, Thor, Bernie, Sue, Emily, Coser, Gertrude and Phoebe!

Just for commenting, all of you will receive a FREE Flint Handmade button in your choice of red, blue or yellow! Ask for a Flint Handmade Director (Amy, Crystal or Michelle) at any craftLAB or Craft Market and we'll make sure you get your button.
 

And now, the moment you have all been waiting for!  The randomly selected winner of the Owl Print Lunch Bag by Made with Luv is...

...Courtney Fischer!!! Congratulations!

Courtney, send us an email at flinthandmade@hotmail.com and we will make arrangements for you to receive the Owl Print Lunch Bag!

We want to encourage everyone to participate in the next Second Saturday Giveaway to be posted on November 13, 2010!

And, be sure to visit the 4th Annual Flint Handmade Holiday Craft Market on Saturday, November 27, 2010 from 10am-6pm in the Rowe Building in Downtown Flint!

Sweetest Day is now Sweetest Craft Day!

Posted by Crystal

Now, I consider myself a romantic person, but doesn't Sweetest Day just seem like THE absolute fakest of holidays?!?  Well, I am starting a new tradition...Sweetest Day is now Sweetest Craft Day!

Whether you are single or coupled, I encourage you to explore your creativity on whatever day in October the greeting card companies decide is Sweetest Day.  ;)

I took myself to THREE different artistic stores/studios for Sweetest Craft Day this past Saturday: Green Daffodil Studio in Ferndale, Naka in Ferndale and The Glass Academy in Dearborn.

I think most of the photos below speak for themselves, so I'm going to go easy on the captions for this post.  Just sit back, relax and enjoy the lovely images from my Sweetest Craft Day!

GREEN DAFFODIL STUDIO IN FERNDALE

Green Daffodil Studio was hosting a Smashing Re-Opening Party featuring bags by Teresa Rogers of Burlap Boutique!  They recently moved within their building to a large, gorgeous suite with huge windows facing Livernois Street.

NAKA IN FERNDALE

Naka was celebrating its 5th Anniversary!  I love knowing that a handmade and gift boutique is thriving after 5 years!

THE GLASS ACADEMY IN DEARBORN

The Glass Academy was hosting its 2nd Annual Glass Pumpkin Fest with free glassblowing and lampwork demos.  They sold beautiful glass pumpkins to raise funds for the studio.

MY HAUL!!!

I got an awesome clock collage print at Green Daffodil Studio. I have a wall in my living room that I recently decided to dedicate to clocks and images featuring numbers. At Naka, I got a tote bag and two rolls of wrapping paper. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE gift wrap supplies?!?

I didn't get anything at The Glass Academy, but I'm going back in less than a month to take a glassblowing class, so I'll be sure to post a blog about all of the glass pretties I create!