Shop Links

Shop these links for hand-crafted goodness!

Make It: Valentine Cards

I was looking through my getcrafty blog to see if I posted anything on January 31, 2005. I didn't, but I posted this card a week prior. It is a Valentine card that just happens to use my favorite stamp.

I still have some of that Target scrapbook paper that I could use with this style of card to make more pink and red Valentine cards. Although, I tend to give Valentine cards to the elderly and little kids so I don't this would be appropriate, at least not for the kiddies!

inspiration card

Make It: Credit Card Art

Every time I think I'm going to make an Artist Trading Card, I make something else.

I keep expired credit cards and other plastic cards so I can use them for scraping embossing powder off the tray and back into the jar. Tonight, I noticed the expired AAA card is smooth and perfect for covering with the leftover scrapbook paper from the Altered AOL Case project.

The martini stamp is quite possibly one of my most favorite stamps and it set me back $1 at Michael's, last year. I pulled out my Dymo Label Buddy and punched out a "happy hour" tag. I might add some ribbon to make it into a bookmark or I might just leave it (I have this problem with not knowing if I should keep adding to the project and possibly "junking" it up or quitting while I'm ahead).

About udandi

When I read blogs or visit web shops, I'm curious about the person behind them. I am an University of Dayton alum, nicknamed Andi. udandi is pronounced "you dandy" and always spelled with lowercase letters; two aspects included in both the current and previous logos.

In 2001, I was laid off and decided to start my own web shop, udandi.com, to sell the personalized and crystal embellished tops I had been previously only making for friends as gifts. At that time, I only knew a few other craft-related businesses, but today there are thousands!

Though I found another job, in early 2004 I realized that what I really wanted was to make a career change. It took me another 18 months of preparation and saving to quit my job, move to a new town and start grad school.

My interests include hanging with my family and friends, laughing loudly, rubber stamping and paper crafts (most versatile for gift giving), Target, cakes, garage sales/flea markets, stretching my dollar and getting free samples in the mail.

Send all fan mail to udandi AT gmail DOT com :)

Related Posts:
100 things about me
5 things you don'tknow about me
7 things about me
I was a boomerang kid

Make It: CD cover art

For me, more fun than making a mixed CD is creating the track list and packaging.

The two bottom photos, I used catalog images to create cover art and then added the track listing to the backside.

The left two photos, I created accordian track listings sandwich between cardboard and tied up with ribbon. The back piece of cardboard has a vellum pocket for holding the CD.

Are Librarians Cool?

Enjoy the "Are Librarians Cool?" segment of "Lin's Bin" from Lin Brehmer at Chicago's XRT on January 18th. The mp3 file runs approximately 5 minutes.

Altered: Board Game

I was on the lookout for a cabinet door that I could make into a tray when I stumbled upon this wooden game board for $1 at the thrift store. I lightly sanded the edges, applied a clear coat and added drawer handles.

Total cost: $5

This was a featured product back in the early days of Craftster!

NEWS: boycott

Last week, it was the return of UO heavily borrowing from indie artists and this week it's another place.

On behalf of DIY artists, designers, crafters and knitters, please visit Free to Stitch Free to Bitch to learn how a company is using "aggressive legal tactics to bully small, social knitting chapters nationwide over the use of the term "Stitch and Bitch" or any variant of those three words."

If you care about DIY artists, crafters, designers, please do what you can to participate in this boycott and show one business they cannot succeed with bullying.

Free Stuff: from Staples

Boston Gal's Open Wallet and SCS tip us off to free (after rebate) office supplies from Staples. Offer ends 1/28/06, in-store purchase only.

EDITED 1/24: From the link it looks like the deal is not available, but if you are persistent you might check with your local store.

The 12-pack of Sharpie® Fine Tip Permanent Markers are ideal for decorating stamped dominos or shrink plastic. Use recycle #6 plastic (salad bar take out containters) for your shrink plastic projects, such as zipper pulls, earrings, pendants, embellishments for greeting cards/scrapbooks, etc.

Others might be interested in trying the 3M® Post-it Sticky Picture Paper. I have a beloved Xyron that I can use to make paper adhesive or magnetic, natch. It does not say if it is acid-free so not sure about its use in scrapbooks. If you buy and try, please let me know your thoughts! Since I'm in grad school, prone to highlighting and making my own tabs on handouts, the Post-it® Flag Highlighters caught my eye.

When I moved, a fellow stamper sent me a sheet of stamped return address labels with my new address so she might be able to make use of the 3,000 address labels!

Under the nearly free file:You might be able to score a box of 100 white Columbian® Invitation Envelopes from Viking.com for 1 penny by searching for product number 0505677. I say might because availability is depends on the supply of the warehouse near you. [Source: SCS]

Make It: Stamped Domino

Use Staz-on to stamp an image on a domino, then color it with Sharpie markers to create a pin or magnet. If you're skilled with a Dremel, you could drill holes to create a pendant, keychain or bracelet.

Actually, you could create a pendant if you glued a long, skinny bead along the top of the domino.

Project Inspiration

Domino-lined tray

Altered: Lunchbox Album

Okay, really it is the Target Dollar Spot CD storage box, not an over-priced, un-decorated lunchbox intended to be decorated with patterned paper and ribbons.

From blank 12x12 neutral toned cardstock, I stamped a background and cut 6x6 pages to mount photos. I free-handed tabbed dividers (as shown) and then used two circle punched pieces of cardstock affixed back to back at the top of a page to create additional tabs. The big clip (also Target $ spot) allows me to rotate the pages out for display (the tag is blurred out b/c it contains vital info I'd rather not share on the interweb).

It's hard to estimate the exact cost of this project, but depending on your supplies you could probably do something similar for under $10, of course, the memories of photos are priceless! I mean who knew the girl in the mirror would one day wear a mickey mouse sweater for her post-braces photo?!

Cross-posted: getcrafty, SCS

Make It: Magnetic Memo Boards

Using sheet metal and tin snips, you can create your own magnetic memo board for under $15 or less if you have access to scrap sheet metal.

Two of these boards were punched so eyelets could be set in order to not tear the ribbon hanger. The other was edged in ribbon and had long ribbons wrapped vertically to serve as the hangers.

All are topped off with marble magnets, obvs, but one is customized with chalk board paint and a cork board.

I find these boards to be very useful in displaying the ever-changing crop of baby photos I get!

Marble magnet directions: one, two

Altered: AOL case accordian scrapbook

This post is a shout-out to a former coworker who gave me this AOL promo case with a challenge that I make something with it. That was probably 2 years ago.

Yesterday, while shopping the Target $ Spot I saw 10 sheets of 12x12 scrapbook paper and saw the opportunity to make an accordian scrapbook.

The inside pages were cut to approx 4.75 x 12 and then folded accordian-style and glued together with the last section being glued in the bottom of the case. There are 12 panels of photos. The whole thing will be tied up with ribbon.

I love Picasa for making those photo pile photos and the ease of blogging about it.

[crossposted at getcrafty]

Altered: Lunchbag Book

My birthday buddy loves to make (and eat) cupcakes so a perfect gift for her is a lunchbag picture book of how to make cupcakes starring her (she likes seeing photos of herself)!

Stack lunchbags and fold in half, hole punch and ribbon thread for binding.
Some pages will have openings (from the lunchbags) in which you can create pull-out pages, front and back.

This idea isn't limited to making story books, it could be a photo/memory album, a quote or prayer book, a journal or anything you can think needs to be preserved and carried around!

Make It: Snow Globes

clean glass jar and lid
plastic trinkets
confetti/glitter
distilled water
glycerin
heavy duty glue (E6000)

Sand the lid where you want to glue on the trinkets - make sure if the jar is curved inward, you place the trinkets so they fit inside the jar (does that make sense?!).

Fill the jar with distilled water and a little glycerin (I eyeball everything). Glue the threads of the jar so the lid is permanently adhered. I didn't paint the lid, but you certainly could.

Storage: Craft Supply Center

This was a $5 dresser I picked up at a yard sale and sanded, primed and painted to create a one place for all my crafting treasures.

I went on the cheap and didn't replace the drawer pulls and instead used ribbons, the gray blocks are magnetic paint (see the marble magnets?!) and I now have four dowels of ribbon on the side.

The top remains clutter-free, except for when I'm working on a project, but after it is completed everything goes back into its assigned drawer.

Storage: Coffee Can Cubbie

I created the coffee can cubbie to temporarily sort my to-be-filed items. The colors look off in these photos, but it coordinates with my craft supply center.