Cards of ALOHA

Be sure to join us tomorrow, Saturday, July 30 to make Cards of ALOHA...

10 am - 1 pm

This is the last day before the cards will be heading over to Japan with messages of hope and aloha. We will provide the supplies for you to make a simple card, so come on down and craft with us!!!

Here's some of the cards that we made last week Saturday.

Thank you to all our wonderful customers who came out to join us...

(sorry about the date, don't know how to change it on the camera LOL)

Life After Dark

The Tree of Life pendant is a popular design and we're going to demo our version at the Mapunapuna Bead Shop this weekend between 2 and 3 PM. Since ours has a full moon peeking through the branches of the tree, we call ours the Life After Dark pendant.



The concept of the Tree of Life has appeared in a variety of different religions and countries so it's no wonder that it's such a popular design. It's definitely fun to make and each pendant is a one of a kind original! I hope you'll have a chance to stop by either Saturday or Sunday for this demo!

See ya at the store!
Lynn @ Mapunapuna Bead Shop

Pail Appeal

Don't forget, our pail sale finishes at the end of the month. You only have less than a week to get in on these special deals for all sizes of pails.

Pails are great as storage containers, party centerpieces and favors, or gifts. We made the pail to the left using a Simply Screen stencil and Plaid fabric paint.









Stop by Enchanted Lake Ben Franklin to get more ideas and inspiration for pail making. You can find our pail display in the scrapbooking section at the front of the store.

Don't be afraid to ask the sales associates for tips, tricks, or ideas. We are always happy to help and we definitely like sharing our ideas and talking story about our crafts.

Use your imagination and you just might come up with something completely out of this world!




Hope to see you soon!

Puna @ Enchanted Lake

Yay! Paper Party Day!!

We'd like to thank everyone who came out to our Paper Party and Family Fun Day today! From the comments I overheard, many of the people who came to participate in our various make n takes and demos had a great time and are already looking forward to the next one. We had a great crowd for the rocket demo and people who missed it were anxious to hear if another would be done. (I'm sure Bert, our store manager, would have loved to shoot off rockets all day, but unfortunately he had to get back to work. ^.^) The card make n takes, ice shave, and cupcake and cake pop make n takes went really well!

However, there was one little, itty bitty incident...

Lexine, one of our associates, ran into some trouble with food dye while making GAK. Oops. Lesson learned, gloves are definitely needed next time.

While the make n takes and demos were going on, we also had a table set up for the Cards of Aloha make n give. Armed with paper, stamps, ink pads, and markers, participants created some beautiful cards. If you didn't get a chance to stop by and make a card to be included with others when two representatives from our company head to Japan next month, you have another chance next weekend or, if you'd like, you can drop off cards at Ben Franklin stores. It's a wonderful way to show the people of Japan our love and support.

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend! Come stop by and see what new stuff we've gotten in!

~Jen at Hilo Ben Franklin

Bring On The Bling!!

Stop by Sunday at our Mapunapuna Bead Shop to see a demo on crystal flat back application! I took a large crystal pendant and added Swarovski crystal flat backs in an ombre color selection to increase the bling factor. I'll also show you a way to add a design to a tool case so come visit me between 2 and 3 PM to see a fun way to add more sparkle into your life.

Catch ya later!
Lynn @ Mapunapuna Bead Shop

Cards of ALOHA

Aloha!

Saturday July 23rd and July 30th, Market City is hosting a "Make and Give" event from 10am to 1pm. We are sending Japan messages of hope with our Cards of ALOHA. Each memeber of our team was inspired by our company's dedication to repairing the damaged created by the disaster and created our own messages of Aloha and Hope to the victims of Japan. We invite you to join us and send your own personal messages of HOPE to Japan and for a moment give them something to smile about. We will provide the supplies for you and perhaps these samples made by our team will inspire you! Come and join us this Saturday to make cards from your heart to the hearts of those in need! For more information please visit Ben Franklin Crafts!

Can't wait to meet all of you!
Tanya

Don't forget to checkout the other blogs from today!

Crafty Summer Night at Market City

Aloha!

Market City invites you to join us on Saturday July 23rd for our "Crafty Summer Night" event. From 4pm to 7pm our talented staff will demonstrate and teach you many crafty tips for your upcoming events!

Come learn how to make to Kokeshi doll treat box!

Join Nicole for tips on how to decorate fabric! Learn helpful hints on how to decorate a canvas bag with "Hello Kitty" style! Add flowers and rhinestones perhaps even some ribbon bows for accents.

Interested in the Feather hair extentions? So are we! Join Chris as she demonstrates how to put these lovely feathers in your hair to add color and flavor to your style! One great way to express yourself with hints of zebra stripes, hot pink, or subtle peacock aqua colors!

So mark your calanders for Saturday September 23rd starting at 4pm and come prepared to learn and be inspired to craft! With these helpful tips and many more your event will never be the same!

Aloha! Can't wait to meet you,

Tanya

Relay for Life 2011

We wanted to thank everyone who donated and took part in Relay for Life with us this year. With your help Ben Franklin Crafts made snowflakes for donation during the event and raised over $2,000 dollars for the American Cancer Society. Check out our photo gallery from the Relay:


This is where we Relay. The Ben Franklin booth at the Magic Island Relay for Life.













This is why we Relay. Market City Ben Franklin manager Chris and her son Jack.
















The opening of the survivors walk at Relay for Life.












Jenny from Enchanted Lake and Yvonne from Market City Ben Franklin.

















CJ and Jamie from Pearl City Ben Franklin, manning the booth.

Megan from Mapunapuna, Jamie from Pearl City, and Carol I. from Pearl City Ben Franklins.

The overnight crew: Carol I., Jenny, Cindy from Enchanted Lake, and friend Amy.

Once again thanks to all the people who helped us before, during, and after this great event. We hope to see everyone again next year at Magic Island.

Puna @ Enchanted Lake

Christmas Craft Fair...Already?!

It's that time again! Applications for the Hilo Ben Franklin Christmas Craft Fair being held Thanksgiving weekend are now available! Booth space is limited, and spaces are first come, first served, so make sure to get your application in ASAP! You can pick up an application at any of the registers. If you have any questions, give us a call or stop in and ask for Kayleen or Donna.

And even if you're not interested in being a vendor at the Craft Fair, make sure you mark your calendars anyway to stop by for some awesome shopping!! Thanksgiving weekend is November 25 and 26, 2011.

As promised, here's the flier for the Paper Party and Family Fun Day being held at Hilo Ben Franklin on Saturday, July 23, 2011. (Yes, That's NEXT Saturday!) Lots of fun things are being planned, so stop by with your family to join in! There are 2 sets of Make n Take projects: set 1 is from 10 to noon and set 2 is from noon to 3p.m. During the day there will be lots of giveaways and demos too, don't forget to come check it out!

And as always, the last thing I wanted to post about is...my little strawberry plants! Last night, my dad brought the little container that the plants have been growing in and said that they were big enough that they didn't need to be constantly covered anymore! I have my own little bunch of plants! Apparently sometime between my post last Saturday and last night, more of them popped up. Although they currently look like...well...weeds, I'm hoping they start looking more like plants soon.

That's all for now. Hope to see you at the Paper Party and Family Fun Day! Come look for me at the cupcake table in the morning and the cake pops table in the afternoon!

~Jen at Hilo Ben Franklin

Feather Hair Extensions

Check out Jaime's hair extensions! Now, you can achieve this latest trendy look! Create excitement and add color to your hair! FEATHER HAIR EXTENSIONS are now available! The feathers can be added to long or short hair, they can be washed, curled and straighened and the extension last up to 6-8 weeks! Want to try but need some help?! Join us at the Pearl City store on Saturday, July 23rd from 10am-12noon... stop in, take a look, choose your colors and we will help you to crimp those feathers to add to your hairstyle!

Crafting Diva!
Gloria @ Pearl City

Chipboard Pennants

For today's blog, I wanted to tell everyone about a new product we have in our stores that I'm getting excited about. It's these chipboard pennant blanks from Paper Accents. They're really easy to decorate (just add paper) and they make super cute decorations for parties. I might even turn some of them into a mini album. Here are the pennants that I just made:

I'm going to hang this one up in our store and show it off. I thought it would be nice for a boy's birthday party because it's cute but not too sweet, if you know what I mean. Everything was made here at our store, including the letters and rocket die cut. I made those with the AccuCut machine, which is free for anyone to use as long as you buy paper with us.

I hope you liked my quick product update. Stay tuned for more news from all of our Ben Franklin Stores.

Puna @ Enchanted Lake

It's a Family Affair!

Mark your calendars! July 23, 2011 is the Hilo Ben Franklin Paper Party & Family Fun Day! There's something for everyone in the family from paper-related Make n Takes to rocket demos, cupcake & cake pop decorating, to even GAK making! Different activities are scheduled for different times so make sure to stop by the store and pick up a flier. I'll try to post one in my next post. The one I brought home to scan got a little squished in my bag. Oops.

Congratulations Jenny and Denise!!

Next, in our little family-themed blog post, I wanted to let you know about a new line of stamps that have just arrived at our Ben Franklin stores! They're called Sister Stamps and were created by one of our awesome Hilo Ben Franklin customers, Jenny, and her sister Denise. Their first release is of three stamps and they're totally adorable!! I just had to have them when I saw them and now I have them in my own two hands! Swing by the Sister Stamps blog athttp://sisterstamps.blogspot.com/ to see project ideas, say Hi, or just to keep in the loop to see when their next release is going to be!

See the little green plants?!

Finally for today, I wanted to give you an update on my little strawberry Eco Plant Pal. This counts as a family item because my dad is actually helping me take care of the little plant. And yes, it is turning into a plant! As of Saturday morning, I have three little itty bitty baby plants sprouting! So excited!! My dad said that maybe within the next few days a few more will sprout up since we did plant 20 seeds.

Hope you're having a wonderful summer and we'll see you soon at Hilo Ben Franklin!

~Jen at Hilo Ben Franklin

Kumihimo

Have you watched the newest episode of the "Joy of Crafting" show? Many of you have created beautiful beaded bracelets or necklaces (or maybe even leis with specialty yarns & rattail) with the round 8-bobbin technique. Now you can try your hand with an 8-bobbin flat braid. You can still make a bracelet or necklace (with or without beads)although this technique creates cords, belts, lanyards or even handbag handles! Watch the next "Joy of Crafting" show or stop in at the Pearl City store for a scheduled demonstration or class. There's also Make-n-Take Thursdays!...each Thursday we feature a different project for keiki & adults from 2:30-3:30pm. Join us this Thursday, July 7th to create your own Quick Links bracelet; on July 14th you can create a Watercolor Card; on the 21st, we will feature a Memory Wire Bracelet and on the 28th, we'll be creating Duct Tape Roses (as shown on the "Joy of Crafting" show). There's a lot going on in Pearl City...stop in for your craft supplies or if you need help on a project, we may be able to help!
Crafting Diva!
Gloria @ Pearl City BFC

July Projects

Happy Fourth of July to all those patriotic crafters out there! Since it's still just the beginning of July, I thought I would fill everyone in on some of the projects that we're demonstrating this month at Enchanted Lake Ben Franklin. You can always find out about our in store demonstrations by checking out our online calendars, or just giving the stores a call.

Paper Blossoms Demonstration

You can learn how to make this beautiful rose out of scrapbooking paper in our Paper Blossoms demonstration. The flowers are made by punching out petal shapes from paper, shaping the petals, and then arranging all of the layers together to form a rose. They look great on cards, gifts, and vintage projects.





Quick Links

This demonstration will walk you through making beautiful jewelry using these super easy Quick Links metal shapes. Because Quick Links have special connectors, you don't need any prior beading knowledge to make a simple bracelet. For a more complicated design like the earrings shown here, just some simple wire wrapping knowledge is needed.

Summer Fun Easel Card

This standing easel card may look difficult to do, but it only takes about 10 minutes to make. The demonstration will take you through each step and help you to put your own spin on this card.

Those are just some of the projects we're working on right now in our stores. If you want to learn more, please come and see us, we're always happy to help.





Also, don't forget about Lollipop Day coming up this month, July 20th, at Enchanted Lake Ben Franklin.

Thanks for reading!
Puna @ Enchanted Lake

We Have A Winner! Fun, Fun, Fun!!

A few days after the deadline for the cute little tent passed, we randomly chose our winner! The picture above is of our winner, Zodie, and her granddaughter with our store manager, Bert. Congratulations and we hope you enjoy your tent!

Speaking of fun and enjoyment, our Paper Party and Family Fun Day is coming up on Saturday, July 23. The fun begins at 10a.m. and will run until 3p.m. We'll be having paper activities as well as cake pop and cupcake make n takes, games, giveaways, and much more! (A little bird told me that there may even be gak making for kids! (Or is it called goop? Flubber? Well, it's all the same thing, no matter what you call it. ^.^) For the guys (and girls who may be interested) there will be rocket demos! Spread the word to your family and friends and make sure to mark your calendars for this great event for the whole family!

Watch My Plant Grow!

I recently purchased one of the Eco Plant Pals (the cute little strawberry plant!) and on Thursday night started following the directions to grow my own little strawberry patch. With any luck, in a few weeks, I'll actually see some progress! Right now, there isn't much to look at except...well...dirt. :D The instructions say that it will take 7 - 10 days for the seeds to sprout so hopefully next week you'll be able to see my little baby plants. Stay tuned to see if I can get these little things to grow and stop by Ben Franklin to pick up your own Eco Plant Pal! Right now, they're on sale until July 08: 2 for $5. There are many different ones to choose from so you're sure to find something you're interested in growing.

Well, that's all for now. From our family at Hilo Ben Franklin, we hope you and your family have a Happy and Safe Fourth of July! (Don't forget! We'll be open from 9a.m. - 5p.m. that day!)

~Jen at Hilo Ben Franklin