Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Feb 7, 2012, 11:34 pm
Do all of your craft projects turn out just right? How about baking? I’m not going to even talk about cooking! For years I’ve loved trying new crafts. I’d rip ideas out of magazines, head to the craft store and see how close I could come to the glossy inspiration photo. Things got a little ...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Feb 5, 2012, 12:16 pm
It’s taken nearly a month but I finally got my craft workspace organized and cute-ified. You know, there are some pros and cons about having your craft space in your bedroom. I mean, it’s hard enough keeping a craft room organized but throw that in with your personal stuff and you get this . . ....
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Feb 2, 2012, 1:00 pm
For all of those little girls who want to share EVERYTHING that happened in their day at the dinner table . . . For all of those little girls who have big brothers who say Shut Up! SHUT up! MOM . . . Make her Shut UP, puhleeze! . . . For all of those little girls who are now grown up and want to...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Jan 29, 2012, 1:43 pm
Creative Ways to Use Circles in Google+ Google+ A Series For Creative Bloggers by a Creative Blogger Part 1 – What is Google+ Part 2 – Pros & Cons of Google+ Part 3 – Setting Up Your Profile Page Part 4 – Google+ CirclesHave you created any circles on Google+? If you haven’t, here ar...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Jan 25, 2012, 10:44 am
This is Part 4 of Google+ for Creative Bloggers. The other posts are: Part 1 – What is Google+ Part 2 – Pros & Cons of Google+ Part 3 – Setting Up Your Profile Part 5 – Creative Ways To Use CirclesOn some tech and social media blogs, I’ve read that Circles are what sets Google+ apart f...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Jan 23, 2012, 10:55 pm
This is Part 3 of Google+ for Creative Bloggers. The previous posts are: Part 1 – What is Google+ Part 2 – Pros & Cons of Google+ Part 4 – Google + Circles Part 5 – Creative Ways to Use CirclesGetting Started With Google+ Ok, ok, enough already with what Google+ is and my personal pros ...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Jan 21, 2012, 4:03 pm
I think it’s fair to say that most little girls are under the assumption that when they grow up they’ll have children if they choose to. For some of us though, that dream turns into a nightmare known as Infertility. I chose to share My Story – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 – here as a prelude to ...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Jan 21, 2012, 12:38 am
Welcome to the final installment of Clear Your Clutter week! What a great week it’s been too with all of my awesome cohosts! Master Closet @ Mrs. Greene The Bathroom @ HomeMadeville The Kitchen @ The Country Chic Cottage Kids’ Spaces @ Attempting Aloha The Garage @ Condo BluesI hope you dr...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Jan 20, 2012, 2:37 pm
GRAMMMMAAHHHH!!! Gramma! Gramma! Can we do crafts?!? Yes, baby. We’re going to make Valentine’s Day window decorations today! YAAAY!! Do I get to help? Sure! Wanna see a picture of what we’re going to make? Did one of your friends in your computer make that? Um, kinda. I think...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Jan 19, 2012, 11:10 pm
Google+ For Creative Bloggers – Part 2 – The Pros & Cons Hey, how are ya? Well, the comments on Part 1 - What is Google+ Anyway? were mixed – some people like it, some don’t, and some of you have no idea what’s going on. That’s exactly why I decided to write this series. Again, I’m by...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Jan 17, 2012, 10:24 pm
Part 1 – What is Google+ Anyway? Have you heard about Google+? It’s the latest offering from Google and is causing quite a stir. Many people love it, many don’t, and a whole lot of people don’t understand it at all. Now, I don’t claim to be an expert by any means. I’m a newbie too. B...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Jan 15, 2012, 2:10 pm
Craft Room Update!!! My work area no longer looks like these pics. Yay! You can see how I organized it on Maximizing Storage Space. This is going to be a great week for organizing tips! And let me tell ya, I can sure use them. How about you? I dunno about you but when someone hands out advice, I...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Jan 14, 2012, 10:13 pm
Did you catch that title? “Becoming a Mother” would lead you to believe that there’s a happy ending to the Part 1 and Part 2, right? Not quite. Or at least, not when I was 21. No, many years passed before I became a mother and today’s story is just one more brick in that pathway. I want ...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Jan 13, 2012, 9:47 pm
How do you decorate after the holidays? Do you leave everything bare, or bring in natural elements? Or do you just dive into RED for Valentine’s Day? I have never decorated for Valentine’s Day. Ever. When my kids were young they were lucky if I made it to the dollar store to pick up valentine�...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Jan 11, 2012, 10:33 am
“Home is Where The Heart Is” A person named Pliny the Elder wrote that. Pliny – male? female? I dunno. But while googling to source it I also found the rest of the quote - “. . . But Happiness Is Where Your Friends Are.” Before we go any further I find it necessary to warn you that ...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Jan 10, 2012, 10:21 pm
Hello! Well, with all the ‘wordy’ posts lately you might’ve been thinking I haven’t been painting at all. Au contrere, mon frere. Which, loosely translated, means, You’re wrong, my brother. I think. I’m not really too sure. I only took a few years of high school French and it was more...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 31, 2011, 10:46 am
Happy Halloween! And happy, happy, happy last day of my 31 Days of Easy Holiday Paint Projects! Even though I didn’t make it for the entire 31 days . It was still an incredible experience, blogging daily for a month. However, I did learn to have some extra posts ready to go in case Life is inte...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 29, 2011, 10:43 am
I hope each and every one of you are safe and healthy today. I’m not usually prone to colds and the flu, so I guess I’m making up for lost time because I got hit with a doozy. This is the first time in 3 days I’ve even turned on the computer – one more thing to Lysol – and I just wanted...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 25, 2011, 11:37 pm
Hi! Welcome to Day 26 of my 31 Days of Easy Holiday Paint Projects. If this is your first time visiting, I’ll admit that this cornucopia filled with fruit doesn’t look too, um, . . . easy. But it’s really just a culmination of a bunch of tutorials: Cornucopia Apples Sunflowers Pears Pomegr...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 25, 2011, 7:00 am
How are ya today? I thought I’d have the cornucopia painting done today but it just didn’t come together, so I’ll show you this easy-peasy way to paint wheat stalks. I should be done with cornucopia tomorrow and then Christmas tutorials! I’m so glad I’m on the last week of this 31 day b...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 24, 2011, 7:00 am
Hello! How was your weekend? I got to spend the majority of mine with my 4 year old grandson, which is always a huge treat. I love seeing how his personality is developing and how his mind thinks. Grandson: Do all grown-ups have kids? Me: No. I couldn’t have my own kids. Your daddy was 7 year...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 22, 2011, 10:35 pm
Hey there! How are you today? Have you ever painted on fabric before? It’s one of my favorite things to paint on and after these napkins, I’m wondering why I don’t do it more often. We interrupt this blog post for a special announcement . . . . Voting for the NFL Pro Bowl starts Monday,...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 22, 2011, 7:00 am
Hi there! I’m so excited to show you this Fall paint project today. Now, at first glance you might think that there’s no way you’d want to paint wine goblets. A few hours ago, I felt exactly the same way, believe me. You see, I have a little history with painting wine glasses. As in, a few ...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 21, 2011, 7:00 am
Happy Friday! It’s Day 21 of my 31 Days of Easy Holiday Paint Projects. Phew! If I ever say I’m gonna do 31 days of blogging – with paint projects – again, somebody stop me! {name that movie} To be honest, I never dreamed (dreamt?) I’d still be working on Fall stuff on Day 21. But here I...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 20, 2011, 3:47 pm
Hello! We’re almost ready to paint our fall fruit centerpiece, but we need something to put the fruit in! So here’s a simple cornucopia tutorial for ya. Even if you’re not a huge fan of cornucopia (I’m not), this will be fun because you’ll see how to make something appear rounded just by...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 19, 2011, 9:53 pm
Yes, I’m late again. Still. Whatever. It’s still October 19 and so, technically, I’m still on track with my 31 Days of Easy Holiday Paint Projects. Technically, ok? I absolutely adore pomegranates. I like to eat them, paint them, or even set them around for decorating. Maybe with a little g...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 18, 2011, 11:32 pm
Hi! How are ya? This was one of ‘those’ days for me. You know the kind I mean . . . where you’d like to throw something, anything, (namely the computer) across the room or out the window. But I didn’t. Because if I had, I would’ve lost this video I made on how to paint pears. Not to ...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 17, 2011, 10:56 am
Hello! Hope you had a great weekend. Now that I’m on the back-end of the 31 Day blogging challenge, I’m gearing up for Christmas. But I want to sneak in a few Thanksgiving – or just Fall – paint projects too. One of the most iconic Thanksgiving images is the cornucopia. You know – the ho...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 16, 2011, 12:08 pm
AllFreeCrafts Kids. Halloween. Crafts. Nothing could be more natural. Right? Unless you’re a 34 y.o. career woman without kids. That was me a few years ago. Ok, 20 years ago – but who’s counting? Here’s the deal – I had never been around kids. I meet the man-of-my-dreams. He has 3 s...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 15, 2011, 11:44 am
Hello! How are you today? I want to give a huge Welcome to all of our new readers! Wow – a couple of nice features yesterday at Knock Off Décor and Craft Gossip and we had a record-breaking day at this l’il ol’ paint blog. If you’re a crafter/artist type, you might want to check out this...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 15, 2011, 1:01 am
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done. for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine. No, I haven't totally lost it, as I sit here painting Thanksgiving & Christmas projects - I just found this awesome website - Dig Drop Done! And now I'm i...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 14, 2011, 7:00 am
Hey! How are ya? I’m so glad you stopped by today, of all days, because I’m posting my very, very first painting video. (aaack!!!) I could give you a ton of disclaimers but I won’t {ha!}. The main thing is, I DID IT! I actually shot it and edited it! All by my little lonesome with only one ...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 13, 2011, 11:56 am
Hey! How are ya? Thanks for dropping by today. It’s Day 13 of my 31 Days of Easy Holiday Paint Projects and the last Halloween paint project. Unless you just like creepy decorations in your house year ‘round. I’m not one to judge. If you missed any, here are the Halloween paint projects: ...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 12, 2011, 7:00 am
This paint project is so simple that it doesn’t even really need a tutorial. Transfer the pattern, paint the background orange, paint the bats and cats black and that’s it. But I just had to do a project with black cats. Personally, I can’t think of Halloween without thinking about black ki...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 11, 2011, 1:16 pm
Hello! How is everyone today? I can’t tell you how much I appreciate everyone’s support of this 31 Days of Easy Holiday Paint Projects – dropping by, leaving sweet comments here and at The Hive (hi Deb!), and even pinning some the projects! I’m winding down on the Halloween projects, look...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 10, 2011, 11:46 pm
Hello! And welcome! If this is your first time here I’m on the 10th day of a 31 Day blogging challenge – Easy Holiday Paint Projects. Today is October 10th  . . . still – so I’m posting my 10th paint project. I’m gonna make it short and sweet because I’ve gotta get started on tomorro...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 9, 2011, 7:00 am
How’s your weekend going? Are you already for Fall & Halloween? I have a couple more Halloween paint projects lined up for next week. This blog is the only reason I’m getting any decorating done at all! Not to mention some cleaning in the process. (Funny how dust bunnies line up to be in photos!...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 7, 2011, 11:52 pm
I might be a little late jumping on the ‘burlap train’ but you gotta admit, I’m jumping with both feet! First there was the stenciled burlap runner. Then came the burlap fall leaf mantel scarf. I really thought I was done with burlap for a while. Until I saw this on Pinterest . . . P...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 6, 2011, 11:57 am
How are you doing today? Do you have all your Halloween decorating done? Or are you just getting’ started, like me? Either way, I have a super quick ‘n easy post for you that may, or may not, involve painting. You see, I’m having another one of those “what was I thinking?!?” moments. I�...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 5, 2011, 6:26 pm
Well, here we are at Day 5 of the 31 Day Blogging Challenge. And here I am, nearly a whole day late. Again. I was almost ready last night. I had the owl painted. All I needed to do was Photoshop him and then write a little post. I mean, how complicated can a post on a 3-color painted owl be? Not v...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 4, 2011, 7:28 pm
How are ya today? This 4th day of a 31 day blog challenge. It is now 3:37 pm PST, which means it’s 6:37 for those of you on the east coast. But, hey, it’s still Tuesday so I’m still not ‘technically’ late for the 4th day. Right? (It is a challenge, after all. If it was supposed to be ea...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 3, 2011, 10:54 am
Can you remember how fun it was to paint and color when you were a child? For a lot of us, painting a house with a tree next to it was simple. Easy. Fun! I’m convinced that somewhere along the line the Evil Fairy comes along and bops kids on their heads. Like, between age 9 & 12. How else can...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 2, 2011, 1:24 am
This is the second tutorial in 31 Days of Easy Holiday Paint Projects. Today we’re painting Haunted Houses. If you’ve ever said “I can’t even draw a stick figure” this paint tutorial is perfect for you. In fact, the more crooked, wavy, and ‘off’ the lines are, the better spookier yo...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Oct 1, 2011, 12:34 am
Hello! Welcome to Day 1 of 31 Days of Easy Holiday Paint Projects! It is 8:30 p.m. and I am just now writing my post for tomorrow – the first of 31 consecutive posts. Something tells me this is gonna be a little more challenging than I thought. But it is a ‘challenge’, and I’m not t...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Sep 29, 2011, 11:19 pm
Yes, you read that right – 31 days of Easy Holiday Paint Projects. Each one created and written by Yours Truly. One a day for the entire month of October. I’ve never painted every.single.day for a month. I’ve never written every.single.day for a month. So, why now? Why would I commit t...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Sep 27, 2011, 10:00 pm
I have something fun and different for you today – no paint! But if you’re like me and love beautiful scarves, I think you’ll enjoy all the great ideas Stacie offers using scarves in home decorating. Please welcome Stacie from Scarves.net! Hello! I am Stacie, and I am so excited to be postin...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Sep 26, 2011, 10:36 pm
I’m going to start this post with a disclaimer – this is my mother’s house, my mother’s mantel. Not mine. So why do I feel it necessary to state this disclaimer, you might ask. Well, because there are pros and cons when decorating for your mother. Con #1 – She wanted me to keep this p...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Sep 25, 2011, 11:41 pm
I don’t know what it is about Fall, but it tends to bring out the ‘crafter’ in me. And that’s a little scary because while I’m comfortable painting and creating art, I’m totally uncomfortable crafting and attempting to create cuteness. But every year ‘round this time, I give it anot...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Sep 24, 2011, 10:49 am
Hey – how are ya this weekend? According to the weather peeps, our temps are supposed to drop from triple digits down to the 80’s this weekend. For at least a day or two. I’m hoping to get a lot of decorating projects going while it’s cooler. Notice I said “going” – not necessarily �...
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Colleen J. posted an article on Mural Maker & More - Sep 22, 2011, 12:29 am
Hi. How are ya? Has the Fall weather hit where you live yet? Well we had about two days of below 90 degrees. Just enough to tease me, to make me think of cool evenings, light jackets, sleeping with covers again. And then, Wham! 98 degrees and higher. I blame this tutorial on the heat. If the temp...
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