BFF Open House Link Party

Hi all and Happy Spring!  A much calmer week for me workwise so this week's party is on time and with features! Hope you all have had a wonderful start to Spring and those of you in the Northeast aren't dealing with too much snow. 

My name twin Carol from The Red Painted Cottage shared how to bring some Spring inside with her gorgeous tiered tray. 

Crystal, from Surviving a Teacher's Salary ( hear hear ) shared this natural planter using a found tree branch,  moss, and air plants. 

Artsy VaVa is back with a gorgeous Easter Egg bouquet showing off her painting talents once again because she hand painted those eggs! Wouldn't these be fun to put with your Easter dinner table settings ? 

Sugar Spice and Family Life shared these Peanut Butter Cup STUFFED Chocolate Cookies ( drooling...not gonna lie). With Reeses PB Eggs everywhere right now thinking you could even use those to stuff these cookies! Not that I go overboard or anything. 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

BFF Open House Link Party

Yikes! Late for my own party. Does that tell you what kind of week it's been? So so sorry and no features this week. Hope everyone has a Happy St. Patrick's Day! We're all Irish on the 17th right?

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Blast From The Past: Spring Eggstravaganza

I haven't eggsactly been on a creative roll lately. I'll share why in a future post. But I thought I'd do a roundup of some past egg projects as we approach Easter and Spring!

Still one of my favorite projects is this one "Eggshells Under Glass" which used real eggshells that I painted to coordinate with the base of a cheese dome I picked up at Goodwill. 

In a similar color palette, are these Tissue Paper and Twine Eggs that are easily made using a combination of plastic eggs from the craft store, tissue paper, Mod Podge, paint, twine and misc. embellishments. 

Of course you know I love chocolate and what goes together this time of year but chocolate and eggs?! 

This Vintage inspired egg also uses a plastic egg, tissue paper, paint and misc. embellishments. 

This "Faux Oeuf en Chocolat" aka "Fake Chocolate Egg" is a different type of egg from the craft store , painted in chocolate brown, then speckled with gold and covered in a chocolate label graphic. 

Hope you've found some inspiration! 

BFF Open House Link Party

Let's just say my week has been "how is it Thus already?" . Hope your week has been less hectic. 

Some features from last week's party!

I love hats. I don't wear them often and truth be told, I probably decorate with them more than I actually wear them. I am loving this "Mad Hatter Tea Party" hat from Artsy Va Va which would be so much fun for so many Spring events. 

Speaking of Spring, how about this beautiful embroidery hoop wreath from Our Hopeful Home? Gorgeous!

With Easter and Spring just around the corner, it's prime time for bunnies! Love this fun wire pendant from Howling At The Moon! 

Finally, how cute is this Toy Chest dresser makeover from Repurpose and Upcycle complete with the colorful side painted drawers and chalkboard vinyl sides? I think I could use something for my grownup toys aka craft supplies! 

Now let's see what everyone's been up to this week. 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

BFF Open House Link Party

Happy March! The month where we welcome Spring. Hope everyone's had a good week. Let's see some ideas from last week's party!

St. Patrick's Day will be here in a couple of weeks. Here's a fun way to celebrate with this Shamrock Button Canvas from A Sprinkle of Joy. 

Even if you don't decorate a lot for St. Patrick's Day, it's always easy to do a little something with printables. Lolly Jane has you covered with over 30 different printables! 

Spring is always a great time to refresh decor and I am loving this shabby chic Chicken Wire Shelf storage idea from The Painted Hinge that serves as a piece of decor itself, while showing off some vintage collectibles. 

Finally, I'm in love with these swirly Zebra Cupcakes from Sew Historically. 

OK let's see what everyone's been up to this week! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

BFF Open House Link Party

Hi all and welcome to another party here at The Answer Is Chocolate. I don't know about you all but having a creative space is a welcome distraction from the world. 

Let's see some of the ideas shared at last week's party. These just all worked together!

I love using book pages in projects including printing images on them. Lindasy from Simply September shared not only a great tutorial on how to print on book pages, but she also includes how to turn photos into sketches. 

I love the vintagey goodness of this simple but impactful idea from Dara at Not In Jersey combining burlap and old keys into a piece of wall art. Love those keys!!

Speaking of keys , Artsy Va Va is back with another wonderful paint technique for this Key or Necklace holder.  I love the layered look with the smaller wood panel in the center. 

Finally, I had to look twice ( or three times) at these Buffalo Plaid Jars because at first I thought they were fabric covered but it's paint! From Fresh Vintage By LisaS.

OK let's see what everyone's been up to this week! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Black Panther Movie Inspired Jewelry

So like millions around the world based on the Box Office reports, we went to see Marvel's latest Superhero Movie "Black Panther" this past weekend. It was awesome for many many reasons.  I don't really do Cosplay but for this movie, I did want to have some fun and made some jewelry inspired by the lead characters costume. 

Without giving anything away, the Black Panther's costume relies on the necklace designed by his brilliant teenage sister Shuri. I took my inspiration from that and made some earrings and a necklace. 

I went through my jewelry supplies ( to quote Mr. Chocolate "You just had all that stuff?" ....I plead the fifth) and chose components that reminded me of the necklace. Silver and black, spiky and bold. 

The hammered metal collar piece and spike beads are things I'd picked up on one of my trips to the amazing Shipwreck Beads located in Lacey WA. They have a great online store! It's like Disneyland for jewelry makers. Not affiliated with them, just a loyal customer. I attached those to the collar piece with jump rings and strung the square and tube beads ( Michaels) onto head pins as shown. 

I wanted to make this more bold so I then took waxed cotton cord and tied some silver beads randomly and added those to the collar piece. Finally, I added strips of leather from a bag of leather scraps in my stash. 

For the necklace itself, I attached three strands of leather cord to chunky cord ends which I attached to the focal piece with jump rings. 

Not content with the necklace alone, I made a pair of earrings to go with! 

I'm known for wearing big bold earrings but these are the biggest and boldest I think I've made! I went to my Shipwreck stash again and chose hoops that have holes in them so you can attach findings. I spaced more of the spiky beads, and mixed in some chain and tube beads ( Michaels). 

Both the necklace and the earrings look heavier than they are. The elements themselves are quite light. 

Alas, they give me no superpowers or superhero suit, but I loved wearing them and will enjoy wearing them just as part of my wardrobe! 

#WakandaForever!