I just like making stuff...

I have had many thoughts of closing down this, poor neglected blog. I've had no time to work on it lately and even when I could find some spare time, I didn't want to.
The picky princess  started over seven years ago as a way of documenting my three year old's day to day life. It quickly evolved, for better or worse into a scrapbooking blog. Pretty soon it was just another place to post my layouts.
I want to change this.
This blog is how I express myself. A diary of sorts of my creative and crafty interests. Honestly, I don't know if anyone would ever want to read it, but I hope so. Scrapbooking has been my creative focus and passion for a long time know and, if I do say so myself, I'm not too bad at it. Scrapbooking isn't all I do though, I just like making stuff, pure and simple.
I've been re-working this blog so I can share what I've learned, what I do and what I think about in the realm of creative craftiness. (Hmm...Vicki's realm of Creative Craftiness...there's a blog title!).
I have come up with seven categories for posting and it's my goal to publish at least three posts a week. My categories are:

1. Today's Tutorial- I will show you how made something...pretty obvious, I know!
2. Design Tips- I actually studied a little design theory in college, back in the day. I'd forgotten pretty much all of it, then decided I wanted to teach a class about it. So I spent A LOT of time reading up on design and found out I tend to follow design rules pretty naturally. My $20,000 college education was actually good for something...go figure!
3. Breaking Down the Page- this is my favourite new segment. I will post one of my layouts and critique it. Every page has elements that work and some that don't. You will lean tips and tricks to improve your scrapbooking...and I will probably too!
4. Jewellery of the Week- OK, maybe this my favourite segment. I spend my work days with diamonds, gold and all kinds of sparkly things. I photograph all the jewellery in the store and thought I'd share it with my readers. We have some really beautiful pieces that I can't wait to show you. They range from vintage to one of a kind new designs to high end production pieces.
5. Photography- I love taking pictures and want a place to show them off a little. I hope to include some techniques I've learned along the way too. (I still have so much to learn-and buy-we can do it together!)
6. Daily Life- This section will probably only interest family members, but you might enjoy a peek into our crazy lives...who knows??
7. Out and About- My city is pretty darn cool. Toronto is a fun place with a lot of crafty and artsy goodness and I love photographing it!

I hope you will visit me often and stay in touch. I work long hours and sometimes the internet is my only link to the outside world. I want this blog to a community for my friends, old and new. Stop by, grab a glass of wine and stay a while. Leave me a comment...I love the feel the love!

Finally, thank You. Thank you for reading, thank you for stopping by and reading my long winded post. Thank you for maybe adding me to your blog reader, hint, hint.

Snow Globes

A little while I go I stumbled across these "Snow globes" in Anthropologie. I actually burst out loud laughing when I saw they were $30! Then, I gave myself a challenge! I went to Dollarama, stocked up and raided the cupboard for mason jars. Here's a little tutorial so you can make your own too for about $1.00 each!
First gather your stuff:You will some want some glitter glue and white paint too.

Then cut out 3 circles the size of the INSIDE (the white part) of your lid. Layer them on top of each other with pop-dots. Cover the top layer with white paint, let dry and add some glitter glue.


Hot glue your items to your cardboard base when dry. I snipped off the loop of the mini-star ornament and hot glued it to the top of tree. Make sure you check the size of your jar when you do this, or you'll get a wee bit frustrated when it doesn't fit!
Clean your glass super well inside. Add a small amount of glitter and plastic snow. You really only need a TINY amount, otherwise, all you decorations will get covered up.


Run a bead of Glossy Accents around the orange part of the lid liner (if you want to centre your tree in your jar. I used an embossed jelly jar with a window so I didn't want to have my ornaments and fence facing backwards). If your using a plain mason jar you can skip this step. Flip upside down and let dry. Clean the outside with windex if necessary.
Add the sealing ring, shake and enjoy!


Here's another a made with a bigger, plain mason jar.


If you make some of these link them up, I'd love to see them. Thanks for letting me share with you!

Returning

Hello Blog World!
I have been absent for far to long from this place. I miss blogging very much.
I've spent some time lately re-designing this site a little, so if you looking at on your reader, pop over and tell me what you think. It's still a work in progress, but I'm having fun with it!
I want to start posting some tutorials on here and I just finished a video tutorial and will have it up in the the next few days.
In the meantime, here's a little crafty jewellery project I made the other day, based on This Button Bracelet Tutorial I found on on Pinterest. (By the way here's my boards, come follow me and I'd love to follow you back!I am completely addicted to Pinterest. I'm sure this addiction is part of the reason I haven't been blogging). I made it with some antique buttons that I inherited from my Grandma. The are a bit old and worn but that makes me love them more.

Thanks for stopping by!!