As a graduate student in art school, I was surrounded by talented graphic artists. While I was studying advertising and not design, I have always had an interest in art. Even though my skills are limited, I still like to think of myself as a creative individual. Lately I have been trying to use my artistic side to reinvent the artwork on my walls at home. We recently reorganized our furniture and I was thinking of a way to spruce up the walls, rather than continuing to look at the few random things I have accumulated at garage sales in years past. ...read more

What is not to love about summer? It's the time when folks around here begin to emerge from hibernation. Celebrations - such as reunions, weddings, and barbecues - are in full swing. The sun is shining and spirits are high. So whether you're hosting a formal dinner party, impromptu picnic, or casual grill-out, we wanted to give you a creative idea to beat the heat!

Paddle fans are a fun and easy way to cool down any special event. My cousin used this idea to create the the programs for her wedding ceremony, and her foresight was greatly admired and appreciated on that hot June day!

There are endless ways to make these fans unique and personal. Here's a basic outline of how you can make them yourself as a fun project with the kids or for an event - plus a few photos of my own creations: ...read more

 How’s this for an easy and creative table-setting idea that also keeps your kids occupied? Give each of your children some construction paper and art supplies (stamps, markers, and paint all work well, but don’t use crayons) and let them create some holiday-themed artwork to use as placemats. They can even create designs specific for each guest, and the placemat can double as a seating assignment as well. (Or if you’re really short on time and don’t want the mess of an art project, just dig out some of their old artwork from past holidays and use that instead.)

You can take the artwork down to your nearest FedEx Office location and laminate it yourself. The laminating machine has very specific instructions next to it, making it easy to do it yourself. It took me less than five minutes to do eight pieces of artwork and it was pretty inexpensive. Each 8.5x11 sheet cost less than $2. ...read more

My son has been coming home from pre-school for the last few weeks laden down with arts and crafts projects – everything from Thanksgiving handprint-turkeys to Christmas count-down calendars.  I saw this great article on the Examiner Web site I just had to share for all the parents out there battling this issue too!  Check it out here. She’s got five great ideas, and I have at least one more to share. ...read more

I am in the process of buying a new house, and I have my work cut out for me. Besides the packing, moving and unpacking, I also need to decorate every room. Things to consider…what color should I paint, what kind of accessories would I like for each room, and what should go on those bare walls???

There are tons of creative ideas on the Internet for how to create your own custom wall art if you don’t want to invest in prints or paintings. You can make a collage with old photos from childhood or frame individual photos and then stagger them in an alternating or ascending pattern across the wall. Another option is to turn a treasured family photo into a large canvas print.

And if you’re feeling super creative, check out this neat blog article on how to create works of art from old postage stamps. Let me know what you think and please share your ideas for cool wall art! I could use the ideas for my new digs… ...read more