Craft Projects I WILL Complete...

one day...

I have an ever growing list of saved links to tutorials and craft projects that I simply MUST do.  Yet I never get around to doing them.  This is because I am either missing just one tiny yet completely essential element of the supply list, or an important tool is stealthily hidden in some box somewhere (I am constantly moving so I am never completely unpacked), or I am just plain lazy...one or all of the above is generally the case.

Well I saw this today and yup, added it to the list.  How cool are they?!  I totally gotta make them!  Of course...ummm...I don't have paint swatches, but ya know, one day when I do, I'll totally make them.

image credits: How About Orange, paint swatch boxes

Another thing I HAVE to make is this...for my neice.  She loves pink more than I do, which is saying a lot.  And she loves frills and sparkles and all things fancy.  It's perfect.

image credits: Prudent Baby

Then I also want to make these.  I can use them to compile more lists.  Yay!

image credits: DaisyJanie, mini pocket notebooks

Craft Spot

Think I'm gonna make some of these this week...

Ok, ok, let's get real...probably not this week, but at some point I am totally making these little paper-bow-clips.  So cute.

image credits: How About Orange

Photoshop Tuts

New to Photoshop? 

Or just wanna brush up on your sweet skills??

 
PSD Tuts+ is one of my favorite sites for Photoshop tutorials.  It is currently hosting a 25-part video series to teach you everything you need to know to get you Photoshopping like a Pro!

There are just so many tutorials and educational materials floating out there on the web that it can be a bit overwhelming if you are a Photoshop newbie....or even if you are an intermediate or advanced user and just want to learn a new skill, tip, or trick...it's hard to weed through the muck and find relevant, let alone quality material.  I have found this video series to be quite good.  I especially like the narrator's accent ;)

image credits: PSD Tuts+

Gift Card Cozies

So remember the Gift Card Cozies I was gonna make a few weekends ago??

Well...here they are! 

I whipped these little darlings up today...

Kinda cute, huh?

They would certainly jazz up an otherwise un-cute gift that's for sure ;)

Comic Book Make Over

Was fooling around on Photoshop today and whipped up this little number...

Pretty sweet huh?

By following this tutorial I gave one of my everyday, ordinary photos 

a sweet retro comic book makeover.

Fun.

I also made this one...
all by myself...just for kicks.

It started out as a photo of my bro by a lifeguard stand and I funked it up a bit.

sweet photo editing by me, sara of RA Ink

Starry Diffusion

I just learned how to transform an ordinary photo like this...

into something glowy and brilliant like this...

The effect is called Star Diffusion...kinda cool huh? It adds a magical, slightly ethereal touch to your photos...

You can follow the tutorial HERE...do give it a try! It was quite easy ;)

My Yoga Mat Has a Home Now...

As I was sitting in my yoga class this morning...totally focused on the zen of my being of course...I noticed that the gal in front of me had the most adorable bag for her yoga mat. In that instant I realized that I simply MUST have one too.

I'm a sucker for cute.

Well that, and the fact that I lug my mat around from class to class only to have it unravel completely in my arms in the middle of the gym while the studs on the stair climber smirk. Yes. This has indeed happened to me...

Hence this:



Yep. I whipped it up this afternoon and now my yoga mat has a snuggly home. *big smiles*
Say goodbye to those embarrassing moments of unravel!

I used this tutorial and it was really just the greatest. It's a video tutorial and the gals is completely entertaining!

Pretty excited to cruise in style to my next yoga class ;)

Super Easy Pillow!

So I was feeling like my quilt needed a coordinating counterpart...a little something to make my living room a bit more matchy-matchy. Soooo...I made this today!





Too cute...and SO easy to make! I followed a simple tutorial (you can find it here) and it took me maybe a half hour...that's it! I love it!