Porque it's all Good, Baby!

Yes indeed it is! 1st, Krissi blogged about her good dia, and then her blog inspired me to share my good day. It started about 6:30 pm, when I got home. I know, I know, my good dia got off to a late start, but sometimes good things are worth waiting for, que no?

So, I drive up to my drive way, and my kids are walking across the street towards me. My nephew is in tow. He just started walking a little less than two weeks ago, and watching him waddle down the driveway with joy across his face, well, it's just one of those things that can make your heart melt in an instant.

Also, I noticed a delicious smell wafting through the air. I aske Adrian, "Mmmmm, who is cooking?" He said, "Dad is, he is baking chicken!" Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice. We all walk inside and I am immediatly welcomed by a warm dinner and two fat packages on my countertop. "Mail para Me!"

I eyeball the largest package and start ripping it open. Yeah, I was blown away with this generous gift from BorderBaby Creations.




How awesome is that? La Sirena, embroidered! She even made the frame. OMG, this girl has mad skills. She is an awesome painter too. Oh, and how cool is her name? This Chica hails from Southern California, and I am not sure if she has an online store, but she should! I know she lists her work on myspace and can be contacted via myspace. Trust me, you are gonna fall in love with her work. Do tell her I sent you!


But wait, it doesn't stop there, I still had another package to go! My son beat me to it, and started ripping it open before I could stop him. We both stopped cold, and said WOW. I read the box, and it said, " Yoli, Yes, you get the dropped Shrine! hahahaha, Rose.

I had to think a minute, and then I started cracking up. Rose joined a swap that I was participating in. The hostess didn't know Rose that well, and figured Rose was too new to take a chance on and dropped her. By the time I found out about it, it was too late to add her. I felt so bad for Rose and wrote her that I felt gyped, because I am not going to get the chance to possibly get her shrine.

I stand corrected now. :-) . She sent it to me anyway. Check it out, it was for a Dia De Los Muertos Shrine swap. She clearly spent more time on it than I did.

How freaking cool is that? Rose is a very talented Chica. She sells in shows all over and on the internet. Her work can be found here. You can also find her at myespacio too. Here is her link.

Yes, yes, it was a good day here in Casa Snatchisima.

Oh and I have been meaning to give this loca a shout out too. Last month, I was minding my business and getting my craft on at Scary Craft, (which, by the way, is tomorrow night. Hope to see you there!) when Evie, and her friend stopped by to give me a special delivery all the way from Kansas. Check it out!


It is a knitted eyball con horns and feets, made by The Grim Knitters I was speechless and so surprised! Do check them out, you will find them on Myspace. I am not sure if they have another online presence, but they are definitley worth the visit. Ms. Gauntlette of The Grim Knitters makes knitting ultra hardcore and cool. Her creations really kick so much ass!

Well thats a wrap. I am working on another blog, and I have some homework to finish.

Saludos good people!

Easy Chica Style Necklace Pendant Tutorial

Hey Chica's in Craft. It is time for another easy breezy Tutorial. I actually made this project for a swap partner, and I liked it so much, I decided to make one for myself. You can keep this as simple as 123, or you can go as elaborate as you want. I am going to keep this tutorial on the simple side, and if you do make your own pendant, feel free to link it here.

Materials:
Crafty Chica Mojito Paper
Crafty Chica Loteria Cards
Inkssentials Memory Glass and Pendant frames
Decorative paper

Tools:
Scissors
Glue stick
punch cutters (optional) I have a square punch that I used to cut my paper to size


Pick an image to go in the front and in the back of your pendant. I cut out a calavera from Kathy's loteria card, and I cut out an image of Frida for the backside. I also chose a glittered paper for the background of my calavera.

Here are my selections.

These glitter sheets are awesome. They already come with a sticky back, just peel and stick. (I purchased mine at a scrap book store)

Assemble your front piece. I added a butterfly behind my calavera. Sandwich your decorative paper behind your top piece of glass. I used a little stick glue to tack my calavera to my background paper. Then you are going to add your back piece of paper behind your front image and sandwich that in between your back piece glass.

Front Piece

Back Piece

Next, you will open your Memory frame and insert your pendant "sandwich" inside. Be careful not to force your glass in too quickly. Your glass may crack or break.

Viola, instant one of a kind "Chica Style" pendant. Really, you can do this all under 10 minutes!

Next thing to do is add it to a necklace, or if you are really hardcore, make your own necklace!
Look here, two necklace in 1! Talk about stretching your dollar!

Don't have access to Memory glass or frames? Here is your "99 cent" solution. (actually it is cheaper, but I like the phrase) You can also use the very cheap wooden cut outs they sell at your local craft store. They come in all shapes and sizes. All you have to do is drill a hole and I would seal with a varnish. You can collage, paint, add 3d embellishments. The sky is the limit!


Go ahead, Get Your Craft On!

Guerilla Style "Random Act of Kindness" Challenge

Hello everyone, once again, thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read my posts. I truly appreciate it. For those of you who have been with me for quite some time, know that I have a addiction to Swap-bot.com. Yes, yes, I have even been known to lure unsuspecting crafty and artsy souls over there, to share my addiction.

I just posted a new swap, but I wanted to extend the invitation to all you you as well. You don't have to sign up at swap-bot, if you don't want too, you can just post your results here or on your own blog. All I ask is that you share your results with me and or send me the link to your blog so that I can pimp it out.

The name of my Swap is "Guerilla style Random Act of Kindness" and below is the info. I posted on Swap-Bot.

Put this image on your site!

Copy the code below and paste it on your site:

I swap with Swap-bot!

Swap Coordinator:	sacredsnatch (contact)
Swap categories:	Art Challenges Letters & Writing
Number of people in swap:	1
Last day to signup/drop:	October 3, 2008
Date items must be sent by:	November 4, 2008
Number of swap partners:	3
Description:
Ok people, it's time to make someone feel special. I don't know about you, but when I make someone feel good, I also feel good in return. It's a win, win situation. Making someone feel special does not require money, so in this challenge, I don't want you to buy a thing. Use what you have or what is inside your beautiful mind. This swap is inspired by the book, "Guerilla Art Kit" an awesome and inspiring read. The premise of this swap is that you will make 3 pieces of art. Your call, it may be one of the following: A Doodle, A Journal entry, An uplifting quote, A random lette,r An ATC, A sticker, A poem, A mini shrine, A "Dotee Doll", A stuffie, A piece of jewelry, A mixed CD, A card or postcard with a nice note, A Photo. Anything, I am just giving some suggestions, but really, if anything, just write out an inspiring message or even a "Have A beautiful Day" message on a piece of paper. I want you to make at least 3, but you can make as many as you want. Then I want you to leave your "art" in a random place, for a random stranger to find. I then want you to take a picture of your note or art at the place you left it. Sounds like fun? I certainly hope so! I can't wait to get started myself! Here is the link to the actual Swap-bot Challenge http://www.swap-bot.com/swap/show/21259 Saludos, Yoli

Sacramento Has Much Love For Crafty Chica!

Hey Crafty Homies,

Lately I have been lazy with my blogs and have been cutting and pasting all of Krissi's hard work. (with her permission of course) So this time ,I am going to put in my own two centavos about our day with La Reyna, La Crafty Chica.

Although, I will admit, I am ganking Krissi's pics because I was so busy, I didn't have a chance to take my own. :-)

Friday was Sacramento's turn to represent and show our love for Crafty Chica. She had incredible turn outs at her prior tour stops, and I knew it was time for me to bring out the big guns! Yep, I rallied a few homies and told them to head out to Sacred Casa, because I am throwing a little luncheon Pachanga to help nourish Kathy and family for the final leg of her tour.

My girl, Sharon who is not only my bestest homie, business partner and awesome catorer, helped me with my decorations and shopping the on the night before. We decided to do a panini bar with all kinds of yummy fixings, cupcakes, peach cobler, & macaroni salad.

Krissi brought an amazin"Mexican Fruit Salad with ancho chile powder and a taste of tequila!" Trust me, it was the shizznet,mmmkay?




There was a super tasty menu - each sammie was assembled and grilled to order and we decided to build a custom Panini for the guest of honor.

menu & art by Yoli Mazo of Sacred Snatch Designs; photo by Kathy Cano-Murillo


Some of the decorations we included were Kathy's books (she has about 5 craft books) and my custom Crafty Chica Empowerment Guardian (I made on her cruise, earlier this year) helped to make this a truly Crafty Chica luncheon!



There was even an extra "loving" shrine on display! (You "Go" Kathy!) hehe.

shrine by Kathy (!) for Rain thru www.swap-bot.com


I decided to use Kathy's mojito papers to decorate the cuppy cakes! I thought they looked super festive if I do say so myself.

toppers made by Yoli out of Crafty Chica "Mojito" decorative papers



Here are the "glitter" cupcakes that Amy of Peptogirl Industries brought with her (after battling and finally winning with Mapquest!) Thanks Amy! My son ate just about all of them and lectured me about how these were "real" cupcakes. Hmmmmph. ;-)

Spread the Sparkle Cupcakes by Peptogirl Industries

This was a last minute get together, and I just want to thank all of you that came and helped make this a memorable and special day.

Great minds think alike - Kathy wearing her custom Skelekitty earrings from Krissi and with Rain and the fiesta calavera earrings she made for Kathy.



Helped along by the awesome food and Sacred Mama's Magic Sangria! She has been guarding this recipe for ages and only busts it out on the most special of occassions!

Yours truly with Virginia, my 'Sacred Mama,' as she makes sangria! Kathy deciding on whether to have white or red...


Patrick wonders if he can take two more days of glitter and estrogen... D'Angelo has already checked out with his Sidekick.


And all of this before 3pm! Whew! Everyone took a little break after that and we met up at the Sacramento (Truxel Road) Michaels store for the official Spread the Sparkle event!

I am so proud of all who came and welcomed Kathy with open arms. Michaels did a fanstastic job announcing Kathy's presence and enhanced everything with cooooooooooookies! I even scored the coveted "Lucy" who is getting a little sparkle lift and seal.

Thanks Kathy! I'll take good care of her!



All of this goodness was followed by a late farewell dinner with Kathy, Patrick and Krissi.
So much happiness on an eve of another fabulous weekend that included crafting, and a BBQ on a beautiful Sunday Evening.

Thank you Universe!

You Better Not Cry, You Better Not frown, Crafty Chica is Coming To Town!

My homegirl, Krissi, did such a fabulous post, I just had to share with yall.

The Sparkle Storm is COMING!

A bunch of us glitter & glue junkies have been telling you for AGES about the Crafty Chica product line by Duncan Crafts, and the Spread the Sparkle Tour Kathy Cano-Murillo is doing to promote the line!

Tonight she wraps up the Southern CA portion of the tour then heads up here for the last three tour dates:

• Thursday, August 21, 6 – 8 p.m.
  2040 Tully Rd., San Jose CA 95122-1300
  (408) 274-6772
  
  
• Friday, August 22, 6 – 8 p.m.
  3691 Truxel Rd., Sacramento CA 95834-3604
  (916) 928-9777
  I'm so excited, I almost peed a little
  
  
• Saturday, August 23, 3 – 5 p.m.
  7400 N Blackstone Ave
  Fresno CA 93720-4301

Wanna little sneak peekage at what's coming Sacramento-ward on Friday? Sure you do!

• San Diego Adventures and Sparkling in Los Angeles by Kathy Cano-Murillo
• Crafty Chica Inspiration Gallery on Flickr
• My Crafty World by Cyndi Garcia of Santa Clarita Craft Lab
• All Hail The Crafty Chica by Karen Fayeth (Oh Fair New Mexico blog)

Be sure to come out and join me, Yoli of Sacred Snatch Designs, the Sacramento Craft Mafia, several Scary CRAFTers in our joint support of her craftiness!



p.s. Be sure to say hi to Patrick - especially if you're a fan of his art or rasta music!

Yes, Yes, lets all get out there and represent Sacramento's amor for La Crafty Chica!

August Scary Craft Night Make and Take and Online Challenge

August Craft Night - Little Black Hats & More!

Hey Scary Kids!

The next Night of the CRAFTERS, Sacramento's original Craft Night is coming for you! On August 26 (a week from Tuesday), at the same Bat-time (6pm-9pm), same Bat-channel (Side Show Studios, Sacramento) we are pleased to present an embellished mini-hat make 'n' take by DyMa Creations!

Join us and make a unique "Little Black Hat" that reflects your style and personality while learning tips and tricks from the Haberdasher and Sewing Mogul Extraordinare herself! Kits are available (see below) or BYO stuff.*** Not sure what to pack in? You can get some ideas from the DyMa Creations Etsy store or view her Little Black Hats with homes. Don't wanna make a hat? That's OK - ya don't gotta. Just bring your crafty self, supplies for whatever you want to work on and a folding chair (if you have one) and join the glue sniffing. WARNING - you may leave covered in glitter.

***IMPORTANT: For this class, kits ABSOLUTELY MUST be reserved in advance. Please message us or comment below to reserve one or more of these kits (CASH ONLY PLEASE - price is dependent on embellishments chosen - payable to artist at time of class):

• $8-10: full kit (5½" hat form and your choice of embellishments)
• $5-7: embellishments only (BYO hat)
• $4: hat form only (BYO embellishments)
• oh, and of course, $0: no kit - BYO everything or craft on your own - no reservation needed!

Other important stuff to bring: sharp scissors and your own bottle of Fabri-Tac (by Beacon Adhesives) fabric glue. If you don't have that stuff, just sit next to someone who shares!

See you at the crafting tables!

Online Tutorial & August Craft Challenge!

Hey Scary Crafters, it's Krissi again. La Snatchita and I have been a wee bit behind on our craft challenges, and we want to tell you that we know and we're deeply apologetic (psshhh!)

Well, my friends, I'm happy to say that the drought is over! Here is a tutorial from Jennifer Perkins of Craft Lab /Naughty Secretary Club brought to us via our own Sacred Snatch Designs.
Now, here is YOUR challenge:

1. Create your own 'batik' decorative paper(s) using this technique
2. Make something using the paper you just designed - anything is OK, ATC, mixed-media on canvas, envelope, card, paper your office, whatever.
   

For our non-local folks, you will:

1. Post a photo of your masterpiece (along with a "before" shot of your finished paper) on your blog/website/Flickr/whatever account, then
2. Post a comment on OUR blog with a link to your photo
3. Complete all of this by Monday night, August 25th at 7pm PDT (10pm Eastern)

Sacramentans may either follow the above procedures, or bring their creations to Night of the Crafters on the 26th (we'll take photos). After the glitter clears, we'll gather all the pics together and post them in a singl blog (with links back to all of our wonderful contributors, of course)!

DRAW ON, SWEET CRAFTERS!

Winner, Winner, Carnita Dinner!

Between this blog and my other blog I re-post on Myspace, there were a total of 29 entries.

::Drum Roll Please::

And the winner of the Batik Muerto plaque is none other than.........
Sofia (sp) from Simply Strands!

Congratulations girly, email me your addy and I'll get it out to you in a jiffy!

Thanks everyone for playing, you all rock! For those of you who tried the technique, please send me a picture. I would love to see your creation!

Besos,

Yoli

Easy Crayon Batik Technique Tutorial & Give Away!

I watched this technique on Jennifer Perkin's Craft lab show the other day. It looked so easy that I ran to my crayon box and got busy! Guess what? It was totally easy and I made a couple of goodies and have been getting requests to do a tutorial on this technique ever since! So with that, Tada......

Here you go, and on top of a technique, I am also throwing in a drawing for the item below. All you have to do is leave a comment and bam, your name goes into a drawing and the lucky winner will be notified for their mailing address. Sound fun? Of course it is! I will take comments through next Monday, August 18th, and will announce the winner on Tuesday. So, get your comments in and hey, tell a friend!

Materials you will need.
Black Acrylic Paint
Crayons
Paper
Water
Brush or Sponge
Paper Towel

Seriously, that is it! By the way, this is a GREAT project for the kiddies too.



Step 1. Start coloring! Use any pattern or design you want. I like vibrant colors, but you can use any color combination. I suggest applying a good amount of pressure on your masterpiece. The waxier, the better!


Completely cover your entire paper with your groovy artwork.


After your page is done, crumple your paper in a wad like the one below. Squish it good and hard, the more wrinkles, the better!


Next, you are going to spread your masterpiece out on a nonstick surface (or a protected table)


Pour some of your black paint in a container and add some water. I didn't measure, I just made it on the soupy side. Then you are going to get a sponge or brush and cover your masterpiece completely in the black paint wash.

Like This.

Next, before it dries, you are going to wipe off the excess paint with a paper towel.


Lay out to dry. (they dry pretty fast) Tada, you are done. You can use these papers as you like. Use them in everything; Altered Envies, Journals, ATC's, Decopauge, Cards, you name it, you can do eeet!

I love the organic look to it. It really does look like dyed batik, but without the dyes and mess!

So below is a little Dia De Los Muertos plaque I made with the batik papers. This will be my drawing prize. Just leave your comment below, and I will draw your name on next Tuesday!

Thanks again for stopping by and be sure to visit often!

Yoli

Catching Up, Mi Etsy & Craft Along Info.

What up Amigas?

I am trying to catch up here. Between work and being sick this weekend, I am muey behind in my bloggage and lurkage for that manner! I just wanted to put it out there that I finally managed to add some stuff on my etsy. Some of it is very "El Cheapo" and some of it, not so much. lol, but really, I got prices for every pocketbook. I will be adding more within the next couple of days, so be sure to check back often!

Here is a sample.

Etsy Buy Handmade SacredSnatch

I'd also like to give a shot out to My Sacramento Craft Mafia Seesters, for they are hosting another todo Madre Craft along! If you are in town, be sure to check it out and tell them your favorite "Snatchy" sent you!

Please come join the Sacramento Craft Mafia on Tuesday August 12th at the Java Lounge for a little coffee/tea...and a little crafting!

Stacey of Bouton Blue will be showing us how to make some cute elastic vintage button rings. She will be providing elastic and some buttons. You will want to bring the following supplies:

Sewing Needle (standard size that can fit in buttons holes)
Buttons (the kind with 2-4 holes in them)
Thread (White recommended)

If buttons are not your thing please don't hesitate to come out anyway.

Bring WHATEVER craft floats your boat...just come out and hang with us!
Java Lounge
2416 16th Street Sacramento
August 12, 2008
6:30pm-8pm

Meet My Homegirl, Tami Snow

Yup it pays to have homegirls in high places, ya know? So much inspiration and knowledge at my fingertips. :D Tami is a real sweetheart and I am so happy and proud of her. She has been looking forward to this day for a long time. So do come out and help me support her on this special Thursday!

Upcoming Book Signing: Tiny Yarn Animals by Tamie Snow

Have Tamie Snow of Roxycraft sign your copy of Tiny Yarn Animals!

Borders Bookstore
2339 Fair Oaks Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95825
916.564.0168

This Thursday, August 7th at 7pm!

Crafty Chica Products Available August 1st!

Posted for my friend, Kathy. Tell a friend! I have seen and played with these products, trust me, you won't be disappointed. Muey sparkley, and a whole lot of fun. Just her glitters alone, stand on their own!



Coming August 1st! Oh jeepers, that is in TWO and a half days!

Will you help me spread the word? My husband and I have been making art for 18 years and selling it, and sharing ideas on my CraftyChica. com web site for other people to make art too.



In April 2007, we were approached by one of the largest craft manufacturers to design our own product line based on the web site and our artwork. There are lots of cool things - shrine kits, holographic glitters, etc...some items even have some multi-culti flair!

A good sign; The product line just won the Innovations Best in Show Award for General Crafts at the Craft & Hobby Trade Show last week!

Here are the store locations that will be carrying it!

Thank you for all your support over the years, it means so much!!!! and thank you to Michaels and Duncan Enterprises making this happen!

Kathy
CraftyChica. com

Senorita Spool Y Spool Doll Tutorial

I was cruising my 10,000 blog subscriptions and I noticed my sisters in craft, Lauren of Goody- Goody, Tammi of Roxycraft and Missy of Crafty Carnival all posted a super sweet spool doll tutorial. Well guess what, I happened to have a vintage spool that a friend from one of my art groups gave me, and like a tweaker I finished this lil "Mija" around 3:30 am this morning! lol. Really, she didn't take me that long, but once I started, I couldn't stop!

Meet, Senorita Espool!



Isn't she cute? I had so much fun making this doll, and believe me, the possibilities are endless. All you need is a few scraps of this and that, and before you know it, a doll is born!

Take a look at this flickr group that show cases these spool dolls and clothespin dolls.

Here is the tutorial that I jacked from Missy who jacked it from Lauren. hee. But whatever you do, make sure you visit their blogs and add them to your favorites. Trust the Snatch, they are so worth your time!

I'm hijacking Lauren's blog for a minute to bring you this quick and easy spool doll tutorial! Of course, you can use this to make those ever popular clothespin dolls as well!

Supplies:

Different Size Wood Knobs for Heads (cheapest at Wal-Mart, but also available at any craft store)

Spools (Vintage, or craft store spools both work great!)

Wood Dowels to fit the holes in the knobs (I always purchase the variety pack at Wal-Mart so I always have the size I need.)

Paint, Brushes, paint pen in black

Clear Acrylic Sealer

Glue Gun (Optional)

Let's Get Started:

Place the knob on the dowel and I always secure it with a little bit of wood glue, all though white glue would work fine, or you skip the glue all together. But when I know I will be shipping the doll, it needs that added stability. Placing the knob-head on the dowel makes it easier to paint!

Cut the dowel down to about a 4 inch length or so. I use OLD scissors to score the dowel, and then just break it in my hand…. There’s no need to bring a saw into the house for this little project! J This is a good workable length, and we’ll cut the dowel down again later.

Now that the knob head is on the dowel, it’s time to paint the hair. Using acrylic paint, hold the head by the dowel and design your doll’s do! Once you’ve painted the hair, stick the dowel into the floral foam to let it dry. When painting the hair, I always like to look at my knob head and decide where the best place for the face would be. Sometimes there is an ugly spot, or the grain of the wood wouldn’t look nice. If you toll painted in the 80’s with your mom, like I did… this will be very nostalgic for you! LOL! Use your own judgment, but I find that it takes at least two coats for the hair to look grand. Let the hair dry.

Now that the doll hair is all dry, it’s time for clear acrylic sealer. I just take my whole floral foam block outside, and spray the doll heads all at once. Every sealer has different directions, so you’ll have to follow the directions on the sealer you choose. I use spray sealer because we always seem to have a can handy around here, and I like to do at least 2-3 coats.

Once the sealer is dry, it’s time to “paint” the face. Because the wood is knobs are dry, they suck the paint right up. When painting small details, like the face, the paint tends to run, and this is why you should seal the head BEFORE you paint the face. It took me HOURS to figure this out with my first round of dolls. I have very shaky hands, and so it’s a lot easier for me to use a paint pen than a detail brush and paint. But doing the face is the most fun part! So you do what you like!! I chose to make my faces like the 70’s Fisher Price Little People dolls. I did this for several reasons… it’s easy, I loved those toys, and I think this is a very 70’s kitschy crafty, so it lends well to that type of face!

Once your face is done, it’s time to match your knob-head to its spool body. I love the aesthetic of big head – little body. So I always try to match them up that way, but obviously, that’s not for everyone J So you do what you like! If you use a spool from the craft store, I always like to seal those with the sealer first. You can also use a vintage spool of thread

Once your body and head are matched up, it’s time for finishing details!! Place the head to the body, and make your final cut on the dowel. You’ll most certainly have to trim it down from the original 4”. I use a little glue to glue the head to the body for shipping reasons, but you can also leave it unglued, so it’s interchangeable! Wrap some vintage trim around the spool, stick it with an old pen and you’re done!!

Some optional finishes: add paper flowers or bows to the hair with a hot glue gun, trim a piece of felt to glue to the bottom of the spool for a nice finish, make a sad face for that grumpy person in your life, or a boy with a mustache! The possibilities are endless! Now that you are done! Take pics and add your dolls to the spool and clothespin doll flickr group!!

Footnote:

Since it was 2:30 in the a.m. when I started, I had to work with what I had. I didn't use the dowel because I was using round wooden balls that didn't have a hole in the bottom. No worries, I used E6000 and glued her head right on top of the spool! It worked. yay!

Do give this lil project a try, it is so much fun! Oh, and be sure to check out Pimp Stitch. They have the coolest patterns for sale and for a limited time, they are giving away a few adorable stitch patterns. Andale!