Stop by Allison Kreft's Blog to Enter to Win!

Do you believe in love at first sight? You might after you see this latest collection for Echo Park Papers. 

"Lucky In Love” has a mix of traditional and trendy patterns and elements. This collection includes patterned papers, alpha and element stickers, designer dies, and clear stamps.

To view the entire "Lucky In Love" collection & enter for a chance to win the collection
Please visit my blog www.allisonkreft.com for details.

http://www.allisonkreft.com/allisonkreftabad/2014/12/lucky-in-love-for-echo-park-sneak-peek.html

Cricut Explore Giveaway! (Sponsored post)

(sponsored post)

Sign Up for the Cricut Newsletter and Enter to Win a Cricut Explore™!
Have you ever thought to yourself, "Man, if only I didn't have to cut up all this paper/vinyl/vellum/cardstock/chipboard/aluminum/leather/felt/acetate/fabric by hand! What I wouldn't do for a Cricut Explore™!" Here's what you do! Sign up below to receive the Cricut Newsletter by August 19th, and you'll be automatically entered into a drawing to win a Cricut Explore™! Use your email or login with Facebook and you will automatically sign up for the Cricut newsletter and be entered to win the giveaway.

In the meantime, get yourself ready to receive that winning Cricut Explore™ and go shopping on Cricut.com. You can get free shipping on all orders of $35 or more, when you use the promo code: FREESHIP35 at checkout. 

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Beados Review and Giveaway! (sponsored)

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Beados. The Craft Mom was provided these products for free; however, the opinions are 100% our own and authentic.

There's a fun new crafty toy out there -- get ready for Beados!

What are "Beados"?  They are the magic beads that join together with just a spray of water. Beados allows kids to create their own designs with beads that stick together using just the spray of water. 

The line features several activity kits that include the tools that kids need to create their Beados creations, like beads, design templates, spray bottles, display stands and more. Plus, this activity requires no heat or glue, which is always a plus!

We thought these sounded awesome, so we tested them out.

This is my little friend Annslee.  She's 4 1/2 and she likes to craft. She was pretty excited to try out the Beados kits so as soon as we opened the Quick Dry Design Station, she was ready to get started... and she was quite excited that the dryer and the template trays were purple.

Here she is using the "tweezers" to pick up the beads and place them on the tray. The trays are neat because you place the templates under them then place the beads on top to make the design!

Once the design was finished, Annslee sprayed it with water to make the magic beads stick together.

We then put the bunny under the drying station. The Quick Dry Design Station is a battery-operated fan that helps to dry your creations. However, it is not necessary to have in order to use Beados; you can let them air-dry!

She liked the first one so much that she wanted to make another while the bunny dried!

 And here's the finished Beados! Aren't they cute? They were very easy to make, even for a 4 1/2 year old.

And Annslee gives two enthusiastic thumbs up to Beados!

Product Pros:

• lots of fun!
• great quiet activity
• will appeal to a wide range of ages
• easy to use
• no mess
• variety of sets to choose from
• kids can design their own templates (via the Beados website)

Product cons:

• won't stick well if too much water is used (practice makes perfect!)
• took longer to dry than advertised (but that may be because of the crazy humidity here in Georgia)
• pastel colors and "girl" themed playsets won't appeal to boys 

We really liked Beados and we are glad that we got to try them out. And now we want you to try them out too!

To celebrate Beados now being available in stores here in the U.S. (including Target,  Walmart, and Toys R Us), we are giving away a Beados mega pack! It includes two sets of Beados and mats that are sure to provide hours of fun.

To enter, just use the Rafflecopter entry form below!

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Maya Road Card Kit Review and Giveaway!

We here at The Craft Mom simply love Maya Road products. MR always has just the right fun little embellishment to make any project pop. So when they introduced their classic card kits, we couldn't wait to get our hands on one!

This month, the card kit is called "Hello Actually" and it comes absolutely chock-full of fun stuff like an exclusive Maya Road stamp kit, 6 exclusive digital cutting files, Thermoweb mini tape runner and photo corners, and a paper pad from Lily Bee Design.

There are 6 card bases and envelopes in the kit, but there's way more than enough stuff included to do 6 cards. You could do 6 cards and still have enough goodies to add to a scrapbook page (or two) and a mixed-media project! Plus the stamps and cutting files can be used over and over and over...

Materials used:
Lily Bee Designs paper
Maya Road kraft paper ticket, burlap flower, red flower pin, and cherry twine cording
Thermoweb and Elmer's adhesives

Materials used:
Lily Bee Designs paper
Maya Road "ocean peppy stripes" ribbon and chipboard piece
Thermoweb and Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L adhesive
Ranger ink

I made these two cards using just a fraction of the items in the kit. I have a very simple style so I design by the adage "less is more". When the embellishments are as cute as the ones in the kit, you don't need a lot to make a card or any other project look great. 

These kits are only $30.99 ($25.49 + $5.50 flat rate shipping in the U.S.) which is a great deal considering all of the cute goodies you get. Just a Maya Road stamp set retails for $14 so this kit price is good!

But since we love our readers so much, we are giving away one of these kits! Just use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter!

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CHA Favorite Paper Collection and a Giveaway!

I just returned from the Craft and Hobby Association's Mega Show in Anaheim, CA and it was phenomenal! I spent 4 whole days learning new crafting techniques and taking in all of the new products. And it was my last day of the show brought the paper collection that absolutely I fell in love with.

It's called "The Sweet Life" and it's available from Melissa Frances. The designers of this collection are Jenny Heid & Aaron Nieradka and they are the people behind the blog Everyday is a Holiday.

The collection is full of cakes, vintage signage, bunny rabbits, cupcakes, and polka dots, all in beautiful pastels. But the most amazing part of this collection is that everything was drawn and painted by hand (while most papers and embellishments are designed by computer) so that it all has a hand-made feel to it.

What's even more awesome is how cool and humble Jenny and Aaron were. You could tell that they were genuinely excited about their new products and their book, Mixed Media Masterpieces with Jenny and Aaron. Another cool thing? Jenny's adorably pink hair that matched their products perfectly. ;)

I have been poring over their book for days, just loving the projects and getting inspired. It's chock-full of art journaling ideas and great projects; I especially love the mini donuts made out of air-dry clay -- they look so real! All of the projects in the book have detailed step-by-step instructions that are really easy to understand and follow.

The book is available at most book retailers (including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.) and their paper crafting collection will be available soon.

But I love this book so much that I want to share it with y'all -- so I am giving away a copy!

Just enter here through Rafflecopter!

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Autographed Laura Childs Scrapbooking Mystery Giveaway

New York Times best-selling author Laura Childs is back with a new scrapbooking mystery!

Gilt Trip, the 11th book in the series, follows scrapbook store owner and amateur sleuth Carmela Bertrand as she investigates the murder of a prominent New Orleans businessman killed at his own "Get Out of Jail"party. This book is a fun, thrilling read that also includes scrapbooking tips and some fantastic recipes!

I am an avid reader, especially of mysteries, and I have read all of the books in this series, so when I was given the chance to read this one, I jumped at it! The series gets better and better with each book, and this one is no exception. Carmela and her saucy friend Ava are as fun as ever and the mystery plot is a good one. The victim has no shortage of people who would want to see him dead, so you'll be kept guessing at the murderer's identity until the end.

Even if you have never read any of Laura's other books in this series, it's okay. You won't be lost if you pick up this book, as Childs does a great job of summarizing the characters in each book. But if you haven't read this series, do yourself a favor and pick up one of these books today!

And now, you can win a copy of Gilt Trip right here at The Craft Mom! Oh, and did I mention that it's not just any old copy, but a copy autographed by the author herself?! All you have to do is enter via Rafflecopter below!

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The Big 1000 Followers Giveaway!

We did it! The Craft Mom has reached 1000 followers!

I don't know how many of you know our story so here's the condensed version:

Once upon a time, two crafty gals met at Archiver's Scrapfest at the Mall of America. They really hit it off and stayed in touch over the years. Julia was working in marketing for some big crafting companies and Lorrie was teaching scrapbooking classes and churning out projects for design teams, each in their own parts of the U.S. (Julia in St. Louis and Lorrie in Atlanta).

One day in 2012, Julia contacts Lorrie with an idea. "How about a site that combines crafting and couponing?" she asked. Julia knew the crafting business and Lorrie knew all about couponing and finding deals. They knew that this crazy, untested idea could work if they combined their knowledge. So they jumped in with both feet and The Craft Mom was born!

When they started, they didn't know much about how to do what they had planned. They learned as they went, and surprisingly, it worked. Now, a little over a year later, The Craft Mom is going strong with almost 19,000 page views per month and over 1000 Facebook followers.

So to celebrate that milestone, we are giving away a prize: a crafting "mystery box"! What will be in the box?

How about one of these SEI 12x12 paper pads?

And one of these 12x12 "Country Living" collection packs from We R Memory Keepers?

And some Therm-O-Web adhesives, Paper Wishes/Hot of the Press embellishments, and all sorts of other goodies with a total retail value of $100?!

To enter, just use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter!

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Thank you so much for visiting and "liking" The Craft Mom! We will continue to grow and improve so that we can bring you the best in deals and steals!

We R Memory Keepers "Albums Made Easy" Review and Giveaway!

Are you one of the tons of people who is doing Project Life? Have you seen it and want to get started? Are you just looking for a simple way to get all those pictures off your computer and in an album? No matter your situation, this giveaway is for you!

This winter at CHA, We R Memory Keepers introduced the Albums Made Easy System. And when they say easy, they mean it!  The Albums Made Easy System allows scrapbookers to quickly design beautiful layouts in minutes, instead of hours. Just choose an album, chose your photo sleeves (We R calls these "hot pockets"!) and your journaling/accent cards, and add your photos. That's it!

There are several reasons why this system is the best that I've seen. The first is the quality. We R's albums are gorgeous and come in faux leather or linen. They are acid-free, 3-ring (so they hold a lot of pages), and come with a complete set of 12X12 page protectors. The "hot pockets" are amazingly clear (not cloudy like a lot of the other page protectors I've seen) and won't rip along the seams when you put your pictures in. And the cards are nice and thick with gorgeous color choices.

Another reason this system is awesome? The price! As you know, we here at The Craft Mom are all about saving crafters time and money. The components of this system are some of the most affordable that I've seen out there in the sea of Project Life-type systems. For example, each package of cards includes 275 double sided designer cards (200 - 3" x 4" cards and 75 - 4" x 6" cards) and only costs $9.99!

To learn more about the system, click here for a video from We R Memory Keepers.

Click here to see various layouts using the Albums Made Easy System.

We love this product so much that we want to share it with you -- we are giving away a full Albums Made Easy System!

The giveaway includes 1 red faux leather 12X12 3-ring album, a set of photo sleeves, and a set of "Bloom" journaling cards.

The giveaway ends July 11 so enter today!

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Huge Giveaway from The Craft Mom and Consumer Crafts!

It's hot outside so we are doing three weeks of HOT giveaways!

For our first week's giveaway, Consumer Crafts is providing a crafting grab bag worth over $100. Can you imagine all of the wonderful projects that you can make with that kind of prize?!

Entering is easy. Just use the Rafflecopter entry box below! We will announce a winner next Monday, June 24.

And be sure to share this giveaway with your friends!

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Giveaway at Therm O Web

Head over to Therm O Web's new blog and enter to win the NEW Ruby Rock-It Carnival King collection! While there browse for endless sewing, quilting and paper craft ideas!

Enter to win a Baby Lock Evolution Serger

 

Therm O Web Egg Hunt & Giveaway

Visit their NEW blog to enter to win! www.thermoweb.com/blog

Details on the blog or go to the website at www.thermowebonline.com

"Fashionably Fast" Ebook Review and Giveaway!

Two-time author and popular scrapbooker May Flaum is back with an awesome new ebook called "Fashionably Fast: 10 Strategies for Stylish, Speedy Scrapbook Pages". In it, May shares her top tips for creating stylish pages in no time flat. 

Whether you are a new scrapbooker or a seasoned veteran, May has advice that is sure to help your scrapbooking. If you are anything like me, sometimes you are plagued by "scrap paralysis"... you know, that feeling when you sit down at your craft table and you can't come up with a single idea? By using May's tips, you can overcome that feeling quickly with easy tips like using a kit or arranging your photos down the middle of the page. My favorite tip has to be to start with a cardstock base. I sometimes get overwhelmed by the choices in patterned papers, so by going back to basics, I can finish a page much more quickly!

In addition to the great tips, this ebook also includes 30 minutes of exclusive video instruction (at Big Picture Classes) by May that shows these strategies in action!

The Craft Mom highly recommends this book: it will definitely become a staple in your crafting arsenal! And we want to share this book with one lucky winner... just enter our giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below for your chance to win a copy of "Fashionably Fast"!

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Disclosure: A copy of "Fashionably Fast" was provided free of charge to The Craft Mom for the purposes of review.

Giveaway at Epiphany Crafts

Epiphany Crafts teamed up with Bella Blvd this week and has a fantastic giveaway of products! TWO yes two Epiphany Crafts Tools plus Bubble Caps and Charms not to mention Bella Blvd products!

Hurry over and enter!

Giveaway at HeatnBond Facebook Page

Do you sew? Are you a quilter? Then head over to the new HeatnBond Facebook page!

Give them a like and enter to win a prize package filled with your favorite HeatnBond products!

Craft Mom Valentine's Day Giveaway

It's Valentine's Day! And what could be sweeter then a giveaway from The Craft Mom?!

We don't think too much! This is a fun stash of some goodies our good friends in the industry have given us and we're sharing them with you! The giveaway includes:

Fiskars Scissors

Tsukenieko Ink

American Crafts Glitter

Therm O Web Adhesive and NEW Glitter Dust Photo Corners

Creating Keepsakes Idea Books

NEW October Afternoon Sprinkler Spray

Sizzix Die and Impression Set

Craft Geek Pin It Tool

All you have to do is use our handy dandy Rafflecopter App to enter..it's just that easy peasy! 

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Epiphany Crafts Giveaway!

Don't miss out on this fun giveaway from our friends at Epiphany Crafts!

Enter through tomorrow to win their Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio Heart Tool, matching Bubble Caps and matching Heart Charm Settings!

Click here to go to their blog to enter to win!

Mabel's Labels Giveaway!

Was "getting organized" one of your New Year's resolutions? It seems like that's one of mine every year! But this year, I have found a company that is going to help with that goal. The company is called Mabel's Labels and they have some fantastic products.

Mabel's Labels was started in 2003 by 4 moms who were tired of their children losing everything! They decided to create the very best personalized, waterproof name labels and tags possible. Since they began in 2003, Mabel's Labels continued to build on this commitment to excellence and their growing line now features child safety products, household labels and seasonal items.

Their newest products are their household labels. This line includes spice jar labels, canister labels, plastic bin labels, Date Mates (so you can keep track of the age of leftovers or baby formula in your fridge!)  and Curbsides (labels for your garbage cans and recycling bins... you know, for when the wind carries them off down the street!).

 I decided to try the new spice jar labels.  This is why:

These were my spice jars. Messy, handwritten labeling just didn't look great, especially when they are on display in my spice rack on my countertop. And these were some of the better looking ones. I was too embarrassed to post pictures of the ones that have been written on and crossed out several times!

But here's the result after Mabel's Labels stepped in!

So much better! The labels are great: they are pre-printed and easy to wipe clean (they're waterproof!). They come in several colors/designs that are sure to match almost any kitchen.

So how would you like your own set? We are giving away a set of labels of your choice! The winner can choose from spice labels, bin labels, canister labels, Curbsides or Date Mates.

Just use this Rafflecopter widget to enter! Contest ends Friday, February 15!

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