Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Top 10 popular posts of 2015 + Your opinion matters!! (Mini-poll)

I want to start this post by thanking you all for supporting me for the past two years and making this blog a wonderful place to share my crafty content. If it is not you reading my blog today, there wouldn't be a blog post saying "Top 10 popular posts". So, I want to thank you all once again for all the support, likes, comments and shares .With that said,  lets see what are the top 10 most clicked posts or the posts which got highest page views this year. Shall we??






























So, thats it my friends. Hope you enjoyed all the craftiness we shared in 2015 and I'm feeling excited for more craftiness in the coming year. We wish you all a very Happy new year 2016. I have created a small poll to help us know you better so that we can create more content that you like. So, please feel free to share your opinions in there. See you all next year ;) 

Happy Crafting !! 



Create your own user feedback survey

Monday, December 21, 2015

How to make personalised candy bars with Almonds & Caramel filling

Last year I tried to make candy bars, just plain melt and pour ones but it did not turn out as expected. I did not want to give up because I have seen many people do it and it looks so simple to make. I was wondering where I went wrong and finally I guessed it may be due to microwaving of chocolate. So, this year, with an additional twist of personalization I am going to show how to make personalised candy bars with almond/caramel filling (Yum! Yum!). Lets get started.  


Friday, December 18, 2015

Home Matters Linky Party #67

Welcome to the weekly Home Matters Linky Party. A great place to come, share your blog posts, and make new friends.
           
          Home Matters Linky Party #67!

Merry-Christmas-and-Happy-New-Year-FREE Vector Graphic 
 We at Home Matters wish you the very happiest of holidays! May this season be full of family and friends, love and joy. We want to thank you for making Home Matters so successful during 2015. We have loved every moment partying with you! This is the last party of 2015. We are taking off two weeks to celebrate with our loved ones.

Home Matters Linky Party will return on January 8, 2016.

Enjoy the rest of the year, and we'll see you then!
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HMLP - 2HostsLogo August2015
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Lorelai at Life With Lorelai: Lorelai is a Mom, Writer, Pumpkin Artist, Karaoke Singing, Cooking, Gardener blogging about Life, Love, Interests... Facebook/ Twitter/ Pinterest/ Instagram/ Google+/ Hometalk/ StumbleUpon/ YouTube/ BlogLovin'
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Melissa at Adventures of Frugal Mom: Melissa is a wife, mom of 3 teenage girls and tons of fur babies who loves hunting for freebies and deals, crafting, and sharing her experiences. Facebook/ Twitter/ Pinterest/ Google+/ Instagram
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HMLP - Here's What We've Been Up To 2015 ©
Hosts' Posts - HMLP 67
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Melissa shows us how to create DIY Mickey Christmas Ornaments
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Mexican Wedding Cakes or Snowball Cookies make a tasty treat from Lorelai
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Say, "Hello!" to our November-December 2015 Co-Hosts, and Share some Love by Visiting and Following them on Social Media!

HMLP Co-Hosts November-December 2015
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HMLP - Spacer - Plant Ball Floral Line Center 2015
HMLP - Spacer - Plant Ball Floral Line Center 2015
HMLP - Spacer - Plant Ball Floral Line Center 2015
HMLP - Spacer - Plant Ball Floral Line Center 2015
HMLP - Spacer - Plant Ball Floral Line Center 2015
Laura at Lauras Little House Tips: Facebook/ Twitter/ Pinterest/ Google+/ Instagram/ StumbleUpon/ BlogLovin'
HMLP - Spacer - Plant Ball Floral Line Center 2015
HMLP - Spacer - Plant Ball Floral Line Center 2015
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HMLP - Co-Hosts' Party Posts 2015 ©
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Co-Hosts' Party Post - HMLP 67
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Audrey brings us some Fun and Easy Gift Jars
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Show some hospitality with this Holiday Guests WiFi Sign from Denise & Sharleen
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Jamie shares her Melted Snowman Ornament
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DIY Pull-up Snowman Gift Card Holder -- learn how to make it from Sahana
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HMLP - Interested in Co-Hosting With Us 2015 ©
We are looking for Co-Hosts for January 2016. Let's Rock this party in the New Year! If you are interested, please

Click Here for DETAILS!

We'd love to have you apply.
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And now, onto...

HMLP - This Week's Features 2015 ©
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Features Collage - HMLP 67
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We have features that will get you through the holidays and take you right into the New Year! A beautiful holiday serving idea, fabulous party drinks, an easy Christmas breakfast, a delicious salad, and how to take your photos to the next level in 2016. You will love these awesome features!
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Christmas Ice Mold - Frugally Blonde - HMLP 67 Feature
Christmas Ice Mold from Julie @ Frugally Blonde
PIN here.
.Holiday Cocktails - Simply {Darr}ling - HMLP 67 Feature..
Holiday Cocktails from Kendra @ Simply {Darr}ling
PIN here.
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Easy Breakfast Braid - Cincy Shopper - HMLP 67 Feature
Easy Breakfast Braid from Jen @ Cincy Shopper
PIN here.
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DIY Portable Photography Light Box - Creatively Renewed - HMLP 67 Feature
DIY Portable Photography Light Box from Connie @ Creatively Renewed
PIN here.
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Caramel Apple Salad - Lou Lou Girls - HMLP 67 Feature
Caramel Apple Salad from Kimberly @ Lou Lou Girls
PIN here.
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We hit 500 Links in last week's party, so...

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HMLP - Highlights 2015
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Highlights Collage - HMLP 67
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Mint Marshmallow Cupcakes from Krystal @ Krystal's Kitsch
PIN here.
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Cinnamon Sweet Potato Biscuits from Melissa @ Oh My! Sugar High
PIN here.
HMLP - Spacer - Plant Ball Floral Line Center 2015
Thank you to all who linked up at last week's party. We look forward to seeing what you will be sharing with us this week! Remember that every feature is shared on all Host's and Co-Host's blogs, as well as on the Home Matters Linky Party Pinterest Board! Don't forget to follow...
If you were featured this week, Please Grab our Featured Button to display proudly on your blog post, featured page, or sidebar! Share the joy...
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Featured at Home Matters Linky Party
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Are you ready to Party?

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The linky party starts when Friday begins and closes when Monday ends, EST.

We at Home Matters love meeting new people and discovering new blogs. Help us grow this party by sharing a link on your post or grabbing our party button for your sidebar or party page.
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Stop by and VISIT as many OTHER BLOGGERS as you can. Leave them a message, and share their talents on social media.
Be sure to Please USE our Registered Hashtag...
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Home Matters Linky Party Guidelines:

We are thrilled that you came by to link up today! Here are a few rules that hosts and co-hosts of the Home Matters Party follow, and we ask that you follow them, as well.
  1. Please link up no more than THREE posts each week--try to make sure that they are new links that you have not shared here previously. (Exception: Holiday/Seasonal specific posts may be shared once per year.)
  1. Please take some time to poke around and visit some of the other links.
  1. Please take some time to check out your hosts and co-hosts on social media.
  1. We appreciate the variety of blogs on the www; however, the Home Matters Party is for links on matters of the HOME. Please link accordingly.
  1. We ask that you do not add other Linky Parties, Blog Hops, or Giveaways--unless you begin the party with a new project, recipe or post.
  1. On the same note, please do not add links of an extremist, political or strong controversial nature. (The hosts and co-hosts read each and every blog post linked, and will contact you directly if you have linked something that does not fit into the realm of the party.)
With your help, we can continue to grow the Home Matters Party! Thank you!

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We are looking for Co-Hosts for January 2016. Let's Rock this party in the New Year! If you are interested, please

Click Here for DETAILS!

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By joining the Home Matters Linky Party you are giving permission for all hosts and co-hosts to use and share any part of your post, including pictures, for party promotion, as featured posts, in party photo collages, on blogs and across social media, etc. All credits will be given to the original source. Also, you will receive a weekly email reminder regarding the new week's Home Matters Linky Party.
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Thank you for joining in the fun and excitement at the Home Matters Linky Party. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do. We look forward to chatting with you in the comments.
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Don't have a blog, but want to Remember to Party With Us each week? Forgot to leave your email while linking up your post? You can still sign up for our Email Party Reminders. Click below for a form...
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Wednesday, December 16, 2015

DIY Month/Date Perpetual Calendar

My MoMA inspired cube calendar was a hit last year, so I wanted to share an another DIY calendar idea that can be made with simple supplies. I came up with this idea as I always use to struggle when I want to type/write the present date because I am more use to dd/mm/yyyy growing up in India and I always think twice when I wanted to write the date as mm/dd/yyyy . Let's see how.


Monday, December 14, 2015

DIY Reusable gift tags using air dry clay

Paper gift tags are often thrown away once the recipient consumes the gift . How about making gift tags that can be reused as ornaments next year or as fridge magnets, will it not be a cool idea? This gift tag idea is suitable around the year and it is so easy and quick to make. Let's see how.




Materials Required :


Step 1: Take a piece of clay from the package and roll it flat using a rolling pin.


Step 2: Use cookie cutter to cut a shape for making gift tags. Or you can even use blade and cut any simple geometric shape to make your gift tag.



Step 3: As Christmas is approaching, I made few Christmas themed gift tags.


Step 4: To make it more interesting, add few rhinestones to the gift tags. Just press them wherever you think they are appropriate. Glue is not required. Use a ball tool to engrave your personalized message, add details like eyes and other decorative elements. Use a straw or a small cookie cutter to make a hole on top to string a ribbon. Allow the gift tags to dry. It will take a day to dry completely (depending on the thickness). String a piece of ribbon on top and secure it with a knot.Your gift tag is now ready !!


Here is the close up of the snowflake gift tag. If you don't have ball tool, you can even use a toothpick or even a bobby pin to add finer details as shown here.

If you know someone who is celebrating their birthday on Christmas day, you can also use the ball tool and engrave "Happy Birthday".


And use paint pens to decorate the front of the gift tags.




I also tried the image transfer technique to add more personalization to the gift tag. To do this, just print your photo on plain copy paper using an inkjet printer. Just press the photo on the wet clay and leave it for 20- 30 seconds and remove them.You will get a light imprint of the image on the clay. Be sure to flip the image before printing. You can use markers or paint pens to add any message on top once it is dry. Add a ribbon on the back with a piece of tape so that the recipient can use them as fridge magnets if they want to.


Here is another close up shot of how I used the image transfer technique to make a personalized gift tag for an "Anniversary gift".




If you want, you can also highlight the engraved details using marker or paint pens. I hope you enjoyed these easy peasy reusable gift tags using ACTÍVA Products Plus air dry clay.


I made these using air dry clay but you can use the same technique to do gift tags using polymer clay if you want to make colorful and quick gift tags. As air dry clay takes a while to dry , you can use polymer clay and bake to make it hard if you want a quick gift tag using this technique. You can even use thumb prints of yours or even hand prints of babies(May be for grand parents :)) if you want to take the personalization to the next level.

Hope you will give this a try and add more personal touch to your gifts this holiday season. Share what you think about this idea in the comments below. As always I will be happy to hear from you. Be sure to share a picture with me in any of my social media if you happen to make these. I would love to see your creations and share it with other readers. 

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post by Activa products for making a guide in guidecentral.However all the ideas shared are my own.