Attention Crafty People in Hilo!

It's Almost Craft Fair Time!!!

Wow! Can you believe it's already the end of September? Before we know it it'll be November and you know what that means...Thanksgiving! Oh yeah, and the Hilo Ben Franklin Craft Fair, of course. There are still open booths left so if you've been dragging your heels or still haven't made up your mind about whether or not you'd like to get a booth...get on it or think faster! There aren't many spaces left and there's a good chance that if you wait too long we'll be out of spaces. Stop by the store and see any of the cashiers for an application. If you have any questions, you can call 935-0005 and ask to speak to Donna or Denise.

And before I forget...mark your calendars! On October 27 we have our last paper party of the year scheduled. Halloween, Christmas...it's all being crammed into one fun-filled day! Details to come soon as we get projects finalized.

That's it for now! Come visit us soon and see our awesome Halloween shop and start getting your Christmas to-buy lists together! Christmas is coming! :D

~Jen at Hilo Ben Franklin

Origami Stars Fairy Wand

Aloha Crafters ~

Today's Idea & Inspiration is a Origami Stars Fairy Wand. Our resident master origami star maker Lani came up with this fun craft, great for your favorite little or big girl, as a party favor or as a children's craft project.

Supplies:

• Origami Paper Strips: 30060371
• Magic Wand Tube: 30123059
• Glitter paper
• Multi Purple Rattail: 30046534
• Star Craft Punch: 30028683
• Adhesive of choice

Instructions:

1. Fill Magic Wand Tube with Origami Stars (instructions for stars are on the packaging)
2. Punch stars out of glitter paper, adhere to lengths of rattail (quantity & length at your descretion)
3. Adhere other end of rattail to top of Magic Wand Tube
4. Cut out 2 large Stars, adhere to back & front of Magic Wand Tube

Happy Crafting!

Crankin’ Out Crafts: Episode 158 Spider Sac (Halloween Décor)

We’ve got Puna here again today to show you another creepy and crawly Halloween decoration.

This spider sac makes a great Halloween decoration!

Watch the episode on our YouTube channel: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 158 - Spider Sac

Supplies:

White nylon netting

Fiber fill

Needle and thread

Plastic spiders

scissors

These spider decorations gave us all the creepy-crawlies, but we couldn’t resist hanging them up for Halloween. Join us next week for more spooky ideas.

*Don't forget to take a look at today's earlier post about a Hana Hou Demo on the Mehndi Ring at Mapunapuna Bead Shoppe!

Mehndi Ring Hana Hou

Here's a project that we did last year but since we've had so many inquiries recently we've decided to do another demo!   We call it the Mehndi Ring because it reminds me of henna patterns done on the skin for special occasions!  Come in on Saturday September 29 at 2:00 to see the demo and we'll also have it as a free worksheet!  Hope to see you there!

Lynn H @ Mapunapuna BFC Bead Shop

Fairies & Witches! Oh My!

A little bit of naughty & a little bit of nice.....these sweet treat tubes are perfect favors for any party! Glitter tulle makes it pretty & the stores have a variety of colors available. When I saw the project sheet for the sweet fairy, I embellished it a bit more & since Halloween is coming up and, with witches on my mind, I just had to make the naughty version! Of course, you could make that tulle skirt for yourself or your special little girl! Join me for demonstrations on making a Tulle Tutu scheduled for October....we even have workshops on October 20th & 25th.
Kumihimo braiding is the project for Thursday's (that's tomorrow!) Crafting...bring along your disk and learn to make a flat braid! This Saturday, for the beginner beader, we'll bead the EZ Heart Charm! Hope to see you there!
There's always something creative going on at Pearl City Ben Franklin!
gloria @ Pearl City

*Don't forget to scroll down to today's earlier post on the Haunted House Centerpiece from Crankin Out Crafts!

Crankin’ Out Crafts: Episode 157 - Haunted House Centerpiece

From ghostly hangers-on to great table decorations, we’re focusing on Halloween decorations for this week’s Crankin’. JFlo is here to show you how to turn a wood birdhouse into a great haunted house centerpiece.

Transform a R-T-D wooden birdhouse into a scary Haunted House!

Catch the segment here: Crankin’ Out Crafts: Episode 157 - Haunted House Centerpiece

Supplies:

Acrylic paint

Wood Birdhouse

Scrapbooking paper

Double-sided tape

Sandpaper

Stamp pad

Halloween ornaments/accessories

You better watch out, these houses are so nice and scary that an unwanted spook might just take up residence.

DIY TIGER HALLOWEEN MASK!!

IT'S EASY TO MAKE YOUR OWN MASK!

My favorite things about Halloween are dressing up and the all the cute crafts....and it is so easy to put the two together!  I am all about having craft parties and Halloween is a perfect time to do this.  Today, we are going to decorate our own masks.  With just a few supplies the mask possibilities are endless...check out my tiger!

MATERIALS FOR TIGER MASK:   

                                   

-Orange Crafter's Acrylic                                      

-Black Crafter's Acrylic                                                                 

-Glitter

-Blank Mask

-Thin Elastic

-Big Bite Hole punch

-Poly Foam and Medium Rounded Paint Brush

OTHER SUPPLIES YOU CAN FIND AT BEN FRANKLIN TO MAKE AWESOME MASKS

-Feathers

-Variety of Acrylic Paint Colors

-Glitter

-Felt and Felties with Adhesive Backing

-Flat Backed Gems

-Wide Variety of Duct Tape Designs

-Pipe Cleaner

-Crepe Paper Streamers 

-Embellishments from our Make a Memory and Scrapbooking Selection

AFTER EVERYONE HAS MADE THEIR  MASKS....IT'S TIME FOR THE MONSTER MASH..SO PUT ON YOUR MASK, CRANK UP THE TUNES AND LET'S DANCE!!!

Crankin’ Out Crafts: Episode 156 - Hanging Ghost (Halloween Décor)

Welcome back to another edition of Crankin’ Out Crafts, everyone. This week we’re getting all spooked-up with a few Halloween decorations. In today’s episode, Puna shows you how to make a creepy floating ghost.

Create a spooky hanging ghost decoration for Halloween!

Watch the latest edition of CoC here: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 156 - Hanging Ghost

Supplies:

Cheesecloth

Stryofoam head form or mask and 5” Styrofoam ball

Tacky glue

Brush

Gray acrylic paint

Put this ghostly apparition out on your deck and you’re sure to give someone the creeps, and a little bit of wind can definitely up the spook factor of this floating ghost.

 *Don't forget to scroll down to today's earlier post about World Cardmaking Day coming up on October 6th!

RAK Card Swap

So, did you know that Saturday, October 6th is World Cardmaking Day? It's such a fun holiday for us crafters because it gives us an excuse to make a ton of cards and have fun while doing it. If you want to have some fun with us, we have a special event taking place at our Enchanted Lake Ben Franklin store. (For those of you who haven't visited us yet, we're located at 1020 Keolu Drive, Kailua, HI.) From 10am to 2pm we'll have a table with cardmaking supplies set up for those of you who would like to get your craft on. We'll also be hosting a RAK (Random Act of Kindness) card swap for the whole day (that's from 9am to 8pm while our store is open) where you can bring in cards that you've made at home and swap them with cards made by us and other customers. It's a good way to get ideas, meet some people like you who enjoy creating cards, and also to show someone a little love with a handmade card. If you plan on bringing in a card to us, please make sure it has an envelope to go with it. We will also have some clear, 5x7 envelopes available for displaying your card swap cards and some samples for inspiration. See you there.

Puna @ Enchanted Lake

Deco Mesh Pumpkin Wall Hanging

Aloha Crafters ~

Today's Idea & Inspiration is a Deco Mesh Pumpkin. An interesting alternative for a Halloween Door Wreath.

 

Supplies:

• Wire Form Metal Mesh: 77570457
• Embroidery Hoop (size is your preference): 77614164
• Orange Chenille: 77674432
• Orange Deco Mesh: 30121903
• Gold Deco Mesh: 30135365
• Green Deco Mesh: 30115873
• Light Green Deco Mesh: 30115876
• Adhesive of choice
• Marker
• Scissors

Instructions:

For Pumpkin Body:

1. Trace around Embroidery Hoop on to Wire Form Metal Mesh using marker
2. Cut out Wire Form Metal Mesh circle
3. Adhere Wire Form Metal Mesh to Embroidery Hoop (I used a glue gun)
4. Cut Orange Chenille into 3" lengths
5. Cut Orange Deco Mesh into 10" strips
6. Cut Orange Deco Mesh 10" strips into 4 (four) - 5" strips
7. Roll 5"x10" Orange Deco Mesh strips starting from one of the 5" sides
8. Fold rolled Orange Deco Mesh roll in half, twist tie 1 of the Orange Chenille lengths around it once
9. Thread Orange Chenille ends through Wire Form Metal Mesh twist tie & secure.
10. Continue rolling, threading and securing Orange Deco Mesh rolls to Wire Form Metal Mesh until circle is full

For Stem & Leaves:

1. Cut 10" of Gold Deco Mesh, roll, attach one end to top of pumpkin for (you can attach with a chenille length or glue)
2. Depending on how thick you want your leaves, cut the Green Mesh  between 5"-8", roll & adhere

 Happy Crafting!



Crankin’ Out Crafts: Episode 155 – Tin-Embellished Frame

JFlo takes a frame to the next level by embellishing it with NEW Tin Strips and distress it with alcohol inks.  Watch how quick and easy it is to accessorize with this new product.

Add a decorative tin strip to a frame or vase for an elegant look!

View the episode here: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 155 - Tin Embellished Frame

 

Supplies:

Tin strips

Tin Snips

Citrus alcohol ink

Besides frames, the tin strips can be used also to embellish a glass block, vase, can and more. The alcohol inks in various colors really bring out the textures and patterns of the tin strips. Try out different color combos to create unique and distressed looks!

*Don't forget to take a look at today's previous post from Lynn at the Mapunapuna Bead Shoppe! She shows you the newest project that will be demonstrated - the beaded pomander keyring!

The Beaded Pomander

Have you mastered the basic beach ball (from our free worksheets) and want to take it to the next level?  Then I have the project for you!  This is the beaded pomander and it's an embellished beach ball!  Come in for our Mapunapuna Bead Shop demo on Sunday September 23 at 2:00 PM to find out the tricks on making one for yourself!  Can't make it on the 23rd?  We'll demo it again on Sunday September 30 also at 2:00 PM so I hope to see you soon!

Lynn H @ Mapunapuna BFC Bead Shop

It's a Clay Thing!

I've always wanted to work with clay but have always had a vision of whatever I made falling apart. Just remembering what all those clay figures that were made during those elementary school years gives me the shivers! And, that pottery class in high school went the same way. Still, after being inspired with what Penny (from our Mapunapuna store) makes; I've been thinking of giving clay another try. These Martha Stewart Silcone Molds (the stores just got these in) may be the way to go before I try free-styling again. The directions say to just press the clay into the molds, release, air dry & embellish! Sounds simple enough?! I think I'll try it with our air dry Hearty Clay and either the Sculpey or Fimo Clay too! I'll let you know how it turns out!
This week's crafting features a Sizzix Swing Card tomorrow, September 20 & on Saturday, September 22 our Adventures will feature the Tree of Life Pendant in the morning & you can make a Burlap Ribbon Rose in the afternoon! The Burlap Rose is perfect for your Fall wreaths & the Tree of Life Pendant would be a nice gift for a friend!

There's always somethng creative going on at Pearl City Ben Franklin!
gloria @ Pearl City

Crankin’ Out Crafts: Episode 154 – Tin-Embellished Home Décor

Make your own home décor for any season. JFlo demonstrates how to use Tin Strips with Black Canvas to create a trendy accessory for your home or office.

Embellish your home décor projects with our new tin strips!

Watch the segment here: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 154 - Tin Embellished Home Décor

Supplies:

4x4 Black Canvas

tin strip

tin snips

Bistro chalk marker – White

With these mini canvases, you can spell out a name, word, or favorite phrase!

Penguin Ornaments..Two Cute!!

Sai and Min the Adorable Penguins!

Meet Sai and Min..aren't they absolutely adorable?  These incredible cute Penguin Ornaments were made by Dee Dee at our Market City Ben Franklin location. 

You can find everything she used to make Sai and Min at our Ben Franklin Stores:
-wooden balls
-black, white, orange and pink Crafter's Acrylic paint
-Yarn
-Little straw hats
-Black felt
-sparkly snowflake ornaments for the base.

I hope these little penguins have inspired you as they have me, to get to crafting this years Christmas Ornaments and favors.  Thanks Dee Dee..Happy Crafting Everyone!

-Market City BFC

Crankin’ Out Crafts: Episode 153 – Jewelry Holder (Tin Embellishments)

Welcome to another week of fun-filled crafting on Crankin’ Out Crafts! This week we will be featuring a new item available now in our stores – decorative tin metal embellishments. JFlo adds color with alcohol inks to a tin strip then uses it as a unique decorative element to a jewelry holder.

Organize earrings with a jewelry holder made by you!

Watch the episode here on YouTube: Crankin’ Out Crafts: Episode 153 – Jewelry Holder (Tin Embellishments)

Supplies:

Tin/Metal Strip

Black Canvas

Furniture nails

Alochol Inks

Felt Applicator

Silver Floral Wire

These tin strips add an elegant touch to any project! Stay tuned for more this week on CoC.

Trees & Blossoms!

Beautiful Trees of Life were created on Thursday's Crafting with Gloria! One crafter created a Sakura tree with pink beads and another crafter made smaller ones to be turned into earrings! If you missed this workshop, there's another one scheduled for Saturday, September 22 or come in to see the demonstration on Tuesday, September 18th. The trees are fairly easy to make and no tree is exactly the same so they are personalized and would be great Christmas gifts!

Tomorrow, join me for our Saturday Adventures in Crafting! We will be creating Paper Blossoms using special paper punches to create pretty flowers. These can be used as embellishments for cards, scrapbook pages or even to wear as a pin or in the hair!
Also, on Saturday, there will be a demonstration on straw leis using our specialty yarns. Create your holiday leis or get ready for graduation (it's never to early)! Another demonstration will feature the Sizzix dies using the Big Shot!
There's always something going on at Pearl City's Ben Franklin!
gloria @ Pearl City

Tabletop Christmas Tree

Aloha Crafters ~

Today's Idea & Inspiration is a Tabletop Christmas Tree made using Lucky 8 punches.

Supplies:

• Circle Lucky 8 Punches of choice
• 12 12x12 Scrapbook Paper of choice
• Bone Folder
• Scoring Board
• Awl
• Drill
• Wood Block
• Dowel
• Sand (approx. 1 cup)
• 3" Burlap Ribbon
• Floral Tape
• Drinking Straw
• Plastic Bag
• Twist Tie(s) or wire
• Mini Tree Topper

Instructions:

For Tree Construction:

1. Cut 2 each - 11x11,10x10, 9x9, 8x8, 7x7
2. Using Lucky 8 punches, punch all 12 papers
3. Using Awl, pierce hole in middle of each paper (find the middle by folding in quarters)
4. Using Scoring Board, score each paper from middle of paper to middle of each curve
5. Flip paper and score from middle of paper to where each curve meets the next curve
6. Fold along score lines

For Base Assembly:

1. Drill hole in center of Wood Block
2. Cover Dowel in Floral Tape
3. Push Dowel into hole in Wood Block
4. Cut 2 12" pieces of 3" Burlap Ribbon
5. Place Wood Block in Plastic Bag, fill with Sand
6. Tie with Twist tie
7. Mold into ball
8. Make an X with the Burlap Ribbon, place sand bag with block on center of both ribbons
9. Cover bag/block with Ribbon, secure with wire/twist tie

For Tree Assembly:

1. Cut straw in 3/4" pieces
2. Thread largest rosette onto dowel
3. Thread straw piece onto dowel, cover straw piece with floral tape
4. Continue threading rosettes and straw pieces
5. Top with Mni Tree Topper

Happy Crafting!

-Kahului BFC

Crankin’ Out Crafts: Episode 152 - Inked Poison Bottle (Alcohol Inks)

Puna is back again today for this week’s last Crankin’ Out Crafts episode. She’s going to show you how to make some cute and spooky Halloween themed bottles.

Crafted Inked Poison Bottles make a great Halloween decoration!

Watch the segment here: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 152 - Inked Poison Bottle

Supplies:

Glass bottle with cork stopper

Alcohol Inks

Alcohol ink applicator

Chalkboard cardstock

Scissors

Baker’s twine

1/8” hole punch

Stickers or chalk for tag embellishment

You can easily make a beautiful and eye catching centerpiece with these poison bottles by arranging them on your mantle or end table for Halloween.

*Scroll down and read today's earlier post on Shell Drilling by Lynn from the Mapunapuna Bead Shoppe.

Shell Drilling

Sea shell jewelry is still a hot trend, especially here in Hawaii so come in for our demo on how to drill your sea shells to be able to turn them into lovely jewelry!  Our Ben Franklin Crafts' stores that have extended bead shops (Mapunapuna, Maui, and Hilo) have started carrying diamond encrusted drill bits and they are perfect to use with the rotary tool we sell, we even have a free worksheet to give you tips on what to do!  Our demo will be at our Mapunapuna Bead Shop on Saturday September 15 at 2:00 PM and again on Saturday September 22 also at 2:00 PM.

Thanks for stopping by!

Lynn H @ Mapunapuna BFC Bead Shop

Crankin’ Out Crafts: Episode 151 Inked Tin (Alcohol Inks)

For today’s episode, JFlo shows you how to make elegant gift tins using alcohol inks.

Decorate tins with alcohol inks to create unique designs!

Learn how to do today's project here: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 151 - Inked Tin

Supplies:

Tin container

Alcohol inks

Alcohol ink applicator & Felt

Ribbon or buttons for further embellishment

These tins are great to hold gift cards or magnets and can be decorated to match any occasion.

HALLOWEEN FAVORS AND KIDS CRAFTS

We have these awesome plastic pails from Sierra Pacific Crafts that were just begging to be Halloween favors and loot  totes for trick or treaters.  Here are three really fun and easy ideas.  *Party Tip* Pre-cut the pieces for your favor and put inside the bucket with a glue stick and crayon,and you have an instant favor/craft activity the kids will love!

 First, let's get mummified!

I used some white crepe paper, Aleene's Tacky Glue, black card stock and a 1/4 inch Marvy Uchida circle punch and the  smallest pail we have to create this adorable mummy.  Simply apply glue to the pail and wrap the crepe paper around...I used double sided tape to tape down the ends of the paper....don't try to make it too perfect.  For the eyes..mine happened by accident, but I like them so much I went with it....use your punch to make the circles, take scissors and a roundish shape out of a small part of the circle.

 Next up, Jack-o-Lantern Trick or Treat Tote !

Using two different shades of orange card stock and some fun scissors, I cut strips and simply over lapped them using double sided tape.  I cut out some triangles and a mouth and added some green curling ribbon...Trick or Treat!!!

Frankenstein!

I love this guy!  You need green card stock, black card stock, 1 inch and 1/4 inch Marvy Uchida circle punch, double sided tape, Aleene's Tacky Glue and two peanut butter cups. First, I measured and cut the green card stock to fit the medium pail.  For the hair, I cut 1 1/2 inch strips out of the black card stock and using scissors, chip into one side of the strip creating a jagged look.  Cut a few strips for the mouth and forehead scar, and assemble using double sided tape and glue.

Crankin’ Out Crafts: Episode 150 - Inked Heart Ornament (Alcohol Inks)

Welcome to the Alcohol Ink themed week of Crankin’ Out Crafts. For the first episode, Puna is here to show you how to use these versatile inks on a glass ornament for a beautiful look.

Decorate ornaments with alcohol inks!

Watch our newest episode here: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 150 - Inked Heart Ornament

Supplies:

Clear glass ornament

Alcohol inks

Alcohol ink applicator & Felt

Paint

Ribbon and paint pens for further embellishment

Use the alcohol inks to make ornaments to fit in with any theme for Christmas décor that is absolutely your own.

*Also, don't forget to read today's earlier post by Puna from Enchanted Lake. She'll introduce you to the new embossed tin strips that you can use to embellish your craft projects with.

Any-Tin Goes

Are you ready for the latest crafter's, anything-goes embellishment? Well, I've been having so much fun with it lately that I feel like I need some fanfare to introduce our newest fun product, (insert drumroll here) embossed tin strips!

I like to say they're an anything-goes embellishment because you can literally use them on anything and everything! Here they are wrapped around a distressed box for a beautiful accent. I glued the tin to the box using everyone's favorite glue, E6000.

We also wrapped them around some glass pieces like this bottle here. Believe it or not, this tin is held on by a pop-up glue dot. Those things are great!

And since the tin looked so good on burlap, I decided to wrap it around one of the burlap canvases which we just got in.

Here's a closer look at the tin strip itself. I spray painted the tin piece with "Bone" color spray paint from Montana Gold and then used silver alcohol inks to accent the raised areas.

I hope you'll have as much fun as I've been having with these strips. The next time you come in the store, they'll probably be on EVERYTHING.

Thanks for dropping by!
Puna @ Enchanted Lake