Cosmo Cricket

Four Cards for Fall

I am inspired to tell people thank you!

I made four cards to write a note to four friends that have done something for me and made a positive impact in my life. I got the idea from this video on the science of happiness:

 
You may want to send a note to a friend, or four, also. Make these quick and easy cards to get started.

Cut each of your Simple Surface papers to fit the card base. Then layer up the scraps left over and the others you gathered (I threw in some Creative Girl papers). Just stick the top edge down in a messy sort of way.

Punch an icon into your top paper scrap. Layer your glitter behind that and stick the set down. 

After the papers and glitter are stuck, take a bit of rafia or twin and slide it under the whole set. Wedge it up to where the top edge of the bottom paper is taped down. Wrap it around and tie. Add some cute wood veneer shapes and canvas brads. If you want a little sentiment, the woodgrain Tiny Text are perfect for fall themes.

Now all that's left is to write some thank you's and deliver them to friends.

I'll start by thanking all you! I have been writing this blog for about 6 years. This is our 946th post since we moved to Typepad around 4 years ago (can you believe that?). We have some truly loyal readers that support us and have stuck with me through thick and thin. You all have logged almost 80,000 comments!

I feel like many of you are my friends even though we've never met. But, I have met some of you. Once at Disneyland with my family, someone called out, "Hey Julie, I love your blog." Once at the grocery store while bagging brocolli, someone said, "I just have to tell you, your blog is great." And many times at trade shows and crafty events you have introduced yourself. You have no idea how it makes me feel..... it's a mixture of joy, pride and slight anxiety since I like to tell myself nobody I know reads this blog! (Yes, I have writen a post or two about personal things including my social anxieties.)

Today I want you to know that I think you are awesome! You inspire me with your projects, you kindness and the way you care about your friends and families. And yes, just typing this is making me smile. Thanks for that too!

As another way to say thank you, we are giving away our Simple Surface deck and the Wood Charm set I used in this post on our facebook page today. Head on over to enter yourself!

Products used in today's post: Simple Surfaces, Creative Girl, Wood Charms, Adhesive Glitter Sheets, Canvas Brads
 

Free Printable for Fun Halloween Jars

Gather your creepy crawlies... including your kiddos.... and make these fun Halloween mason jars as a family. Mary and her friends had a great time poking spiders into fake webs and stuffing them in jars.

Fill jars part way so that you can then hang a large spider from the hook underneath your Show Topper Jar lid.

Or fill them all the way, and use our free Halloween printable, sliding it into the clip on the lid. (Eyeballs would be fun too!)


Glue some extra spiders and add a little extra web to the oustide of your jars for a fun spooky scene. 

If you like this post, your friends might too! Spread the love by sharing it with your friends. Thanks!

Styled & photographed by: Becky Reed of Ravenberg Photography 
Project uses: Show Toppers mason jar lids

I Believe in You Card

Are you a coddler?

I found myself re-tying Jack's shoe this morning because he tied them too loose and they didn't feel right. Thirty minutes later I was straightening Kate's hair so it wouldn't be frizzy.

How did I end up here? I was not raised by a coddler!

When I had my first baby, my mom came to the hospital for the delivery. Then, she went home. When I had my fourth baby, my mom drove 6 hours to drop by the hospital for a visit. An hour later she continued on her road trip.

I'm not complaining, because I think she may have been onto something! I never doubted that she believed in me. If I can handle it, she won't. She let's me accomplish and claim every acheivement.

Next time Jack comes to me with his loose shoe laces. I'm going to say, "sorry Jack." Then he is going to look at me with those long lashes and cry. I may need restraining. I'm not sure I believe I can do this. Hmmmm, maybe I need to ask my mom if she thinks I can. :)

 

 

Halloween Character Candy Mason Jars

Trick or treat, you are what you eat!

I must be a witch because I would pick the green chocolates everytime. Jack is definitely a ghost. Anyone have an idea for a graham cookie jar, because we could have a whole S'more thing going on!

Mason jar crafting is so easy and fun. For this ghost, just cut eyes and a mouth from our glitter sheets and stick them in place. Fill your jar, add your lid and you're done.

The witch is a little trickier. For her, you'll need a plastic witch's nose, button eyes and something for a mouth. I used cut glitter for her lips and eyebrows. I think she's super fun! 

I have plans to add a Frankenstein, but I couldn't find any puple candies yet. I'm still on the lookout though!!

Today's project designed and photographed by: me, Julie Comstock. (If you all are tired of my projects, send me some of yours. I'll love you for it!)
Today's featured products: Show Toppers Mason Jar Lids, Adhesive Glitter Sheets 

Spooky Halloween Friend

Halloween is coming up quick! Here's a super cute project from a good friend, Donna Budzynski of Meme's Art Place.


I love seeing how other designers use our products. My glittery crafts always seem to turn out so girly. This project isn't that way at all. It's fun and vintage feeling which is perfect for Halloween! 

Donna has a great tutorial on her blog. Check out how she made the base. Christmas decor would be cute crafted on these glittery blocks too!

Todays project created and photographed by: Donna Budzynski
Products used in today's post: Adhesive Glitter Sheets

We'd love to show of your mad skills! Send your project to julie at cosmocricket dot com or upload it to our facebook fan page. You may just find it and yourself featured here.

Winter Home in a Mason Jar

Winter Villages are so cute on mantles and console tables during the holidays, but just like everything, they're even cuter in a mason jar topped with a Show Topper lid! This amazing project comes to us from Sue's Creative Workshop.


Look how cute the lid turned out after Sue dressed it up. I'm going to steal this idea from her in the future!

And is it just me, or do you love that Mini Mobile? You know, some people accused me of being insane when I suggested it as a product. In fact, there is a standing joke between myself and a colleague. I had sent over a rough drawing and he said something like, "so this is going to be about 6-8" when it's done?" I replied, "no, more like 2"." He told me we didn't have elves making our products. I told him I had a good source for that at the North Pole.

How fitting to see it being used with snowflakes hanging from it, right? I'll bet there are elves with Mini Mobiles over their dinner table praising my name! 

Today's project styled and photographed by: Sue Eldred of Sue's Creative Workshop

Products used in today's post: Show Topper Mason Jar Lids, Mini Mobile
 

3 Favorite Techniques: Ombre, Metallic Paint, Glitter

I am a simple crafter. I don't use lots of fancy tools or equiptment. They can be nice, but I just don't have space for them. You can do this project with the most basic craft supplies: scissors and a paint brush.

Paint your ombre effect by starting with your darker color and adding white to your brush as you work your way to the top. Just before you reach the lightest part, swish the color out of your brush and grab some pure white.

By choosing a simple font (Futura Bold Condensed) I was able to easily cut it with scissors. I printed it out on paper and used the printout as a pattern to cut the adhesive glitter sheet.

Add some ribbon and tape them together. Then sit back and admire your handiwork, you crafty thing!

Today's project styled and photographed by: me, Julie Comstock (If you'd like to see your name here in place of mine, send your project my way! We'll consider sharing it with our audience and giving you all the credit.)

Today's project used the following: Creative Canvas, Adhesive Glitter Sheets and Shimmer Trims. FYI: I used paint I had around the house, but if you want to match a color you see here...  Splendid Gold Metallic by DecoArt, Matisse Titanium White and Behr Pink I Can.

 

Four Holiday Mason Jar Gifts

This holiday, my gift giving motto is.... but a jar around it!

1. Hot Cocoa Mason Jar

Whip up some homemade hot cocoa, or just repackage store bought into a cute mason jar. Add directions for making a cup right to the clip top of one of our Show Toppers lids. You could even make an entire hot cocoa gift set with a jar of marshmallows and another of crushed candy canes. 

2. Jingle Bell Jar

Jingle bells and ornaments are even cuter in mason jars. Add a note for a friend, or use the vintage knob Show Toppers to create fun centerpieces and mantle decor.

3. Nativity Mason Jar

If the Christmas story is part of your family tradition, make a beautiful scene by placing a nativity right inside a jar. I used the mini mobile to hang Wood Charms around Mary and Baby Jesus. The snow is made by mixing sugar with a little egg white.

4. White Winter Jar

For a jar that can take you through November to March, create a pretty winter scene. I got the trees at the hobby store and just stuck them into my sugar and egg white mixture before it crystallized. Tie with a ribbon for a low mess, no stress, ten minute craft with beautiful results!

Today's projects were styled and photographed by: me, Julie Comstock. (If you would like to see your projects featured here, send pics my way: julie at cosmocricket dot com. If I love them, I'll post, link and give you all the credit!)
Products used in today's post: Show Toppers Mason Jar Lids, Chalkboard Cheer Paper, Tiny Text Stickers, Wood Charms, Shimmer Trims and Adhesive Glitter Sheets

I'll bet your friends will love these ideas too! Share this post with them and we'll keep bringing you more goodness.

Don't Be Awesomer!

"Be Awesomer" posters have shown up in my Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook feeds, and I haven't even managed to be "awesome" yet!


Starting sometime around the appearance of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure "awesome" became, well, awesome. Now it seems we can use it for anything slightly above average, and I do. "That movie is awesome." "This coffee is awesome." "My kids are awesome."

When I say my "my kids are awesome", I really mean my kids are usually good,

occasionally great

and once in a while, downright excellent.

The same thing goes for my days, my life, my marriage, my family, etc.

I'm good with this, but I'm not fine with awesomer. Maybe I am too literall, but what message are we sending when we say, "be awesomer"?

Is it comparative, like "I'll 'be awesomer' than you."?

If that's the case then I think the charitable thing to do is to be average. That way others around me will feel "awesomer" by comparison.

I could make a poster that says, "Be Average, It's Nice." Or maybe it should read, "Be Averager, It's Nicer." 

Maybe we are saying that we should try harder? I was told once that when I do my best, I should make sure it's my very best. WHAT?!?! Is it possible to do better than one's best? Is it possible to be awesomer than awesome? I don't think so and I think if I go around telling myself it is I will just feel like a failure, something I feel on occasion already and don't need any help with.

My point my friends, is that we usually set out to do our best. I don't wake up in the morning thinking, "I really want to do my worst today" or "I hope today I will be careless, negligent and unsatisfactory." But somedays my best is careless, negligent and unsatisfactory because I am a human. I'm not technically awesome so I'm never going to "be awesomer" and that's OK.  

I'm happy with pretty good, slightly better than average and doing my best. In fact, I think that's awesome!

Do you know someone who is awesome, but is always hard on themselves. Send them this post and tell them why you think they are so great!

Mason Jar Craft Storage with Show Toppers

What a happy surprise I got today from a talented stylist! Lexi Grenzer of The Shabby Calavera is redecorating her super cool studio space and bought some of our Show Topper lids to help in her endeavor.


Today's Stylist: Lexi Grenzer
Today's Photographer: Lexi Grenzer
Product purchased at: Scrapbook Island in San Jose
Product used in this post: Show Toppers Clip and Knob lids in Jadite