Halloween is a great time of year to go all out when decorating your house. This year, the team at OttLite decided to get in the Halloween spirit and help a local non-profit by creating decorations for the Tampa Ronald McDonald House.A group of us got together one day to make glitter pumpkins, spider webs (made out of trash bags), paper spiders, and paper bats. We also stuffed goodie bags with Halloween candy and an OttLite Mini Flip to give to the parents who are staying at the house in
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crafts
Halloween
Homemade
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Holiday Crafts
September is National Sewing Month so I decided a while back that I would tackle sewing for my blog project this month. I had dreams of completing two projects - a sleep mask and a iPad holder made of pre-quilted material. What I didn't dream about is the obstacles I'd encounter. But I did learn lots of lessons! I have sewn in the past and I own a sewing machine. When I was 17 I sewed a sleeveless maxi dress with lots of help from my mother and it was decent enough that I got compliments on it.
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crafts
Dresses
Magnifier
OttLite
sewing
Sewing Machine
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Needle Arts
(Images courtesy of Madalynne.com) Maddie Flanigan, creator of Madalynne.com, began sewing at the age of 18 after finding her mother’s sewing machine in the closet. Having lost her mother to breast cancer, Maddie knew that she only wanted to surround herself with people and things that matter and decided to get someone to teach her how to sew. After interning with a local tailor and attending The Savannah College of Art and Design and Johnson and Wales University, Maddie begin working for Urban
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blog
Lingerie
National Sewing Month
Sew Your Own Bra
sewing
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What Inspires
Needle Arts
(Photo courtesy of Craftsy.com)Tamara Kelly, creator of the blog Moogly, came to her passion in a roundabout way. After starting a parenting blog she deciding it wasn’t for her. She kept her site active though because she had a crochet pattern she’d written posted on the blog and didn’t want to lose it. A few years later Tamara decided to start a business where she created crochet work on commission but quickly discovered she really loved creating patterns and the website transformed from
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blog
crafts
crochet
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What Inspires
Needle Arts
Summer is almost over and it's time to start thinking about back to school. Back to school can mean many things but most importantly it means new supplies! In honor of back to school, here is a fun craft for kids of all ages to help them get organized for the new school year. It's perfect for the student desk, dorm room or home office.MaterialsAll of the items below can be purchased at your local crafts store: Acrylic Paint (we used yellow, white, blue, and red) Chalkboard Paint –
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back to school
crafts
storage
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DIY Crafts
Photos courtesy of Kristin LohrOn Sunday, July 26, Stitch N Pitch came to the Tampa Bay area. OttLite is headquartered in Tampa, FL so we definitely wanted to get involved!A national event for people who love the needlearts, Stitch N Pitch gathers needle artists and seats them together at a professional baseball game. Sponsored by The National NeedleArts Association and major/minor league baseball teams, this event allows knitters, crocheters, embroiders, cross-stitchers and needlepoint lovers
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baseball
crafts
crochet
cross stitch
knitting
needlepoint
tampa
tampa bay
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Travel Lamps
Needle Arts
Creating stencils has been a passion for Ed Roth since he was a teenager and started using stencils to customize furniture. The owner of the stencil company, Stencil1, Ed has created stencils that have been used in hotel rooms, shown on Martha Stewart’s television show and used to customize Converse sneakers. Read our interview with Ed to learn more about stenciling and how living in New York City defines his artwork.Why did you select stenciling as the medium to use for your art? I picked it up
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crafting
crafts
DIY
painting
stencil
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What Inspires
With longer days, nice weather and vacations, summer is a great time to read those books you've been meaning to pick up. It's also a great time for new books since it's prime time for new books to be published.There are plenty of lists out for you to find summer books from the traditional (NPR, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times) to the non-traditional (Bustle.com, Miami New Times, and The Huffington Post). In addition to those lists, below is a list of the favorite summer books
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book lists
reading
summer reading lists
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Reading
We're right in the middle of summer and here in Florida it's hard to get around without a pair of sunglasses. While it's great to have a pair, sometimes it's hard to keep track of them and some of the inexpensive pairs aren't that cute. So why not decorate them?I found this craft on modpodgerocks.com. It's fairly simple and lets you put your own personal spin on your glasses with a little paper and glue! Materials* Pair of inexpensive sunglasses (dollar stores often carry them)* Several pieces
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crafts
summer
sun
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DIY Crafts
July 4th, also known as Independence Day, is a time when Americans get together for food, fun and fireworks. Many houses and buildings are covered with bunting and other decorations to show their national spirit. We have a simple craft inspired by a craft on JoAnn.com that will help you decorate your house while still giving you time to enjoy yourself.Materials --16 inch foam wreath--Approximately 2 yards of contrasting patriotic fabrics (approx. 1.5 yards of one fabric and 1/2 yard of the
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4th of july
craft
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DIY Crafts
Holiday Crafts