Victory Rose

I got a great little Yellow Victory Rose today and I hope to add it to my garden in the next couple of weeks. I have been enjoying the fragrance and blooms in my studio. This great little tea rose was available at the grocery store and is a great winter hardy plant. They can survive bitter cold or the burning hot summer heat and are strong against most common rose pest. I look forward to adding my new little yellow rose to my garden and I hope to see it in full bloom next spring.

Craft Projects

Today's Craft Feature is looking at some creative online craft forums. There is an amazing world of design and craft inspiration available on the internet. If you can dream it, it most likely exists on some web site or the other. I visited a couple sites today and was truly amazed at the wealth of information. You can get FREE projects and view some very well thought-out video tutorials. Scrap booking tips, jewellery making, crochet and much more is yours for the picking. Perhaps you will find these two crafty sites as interesting as I did. I hope you will enjoy.

http://www.craftbits.com

http://www.craftown.com

You may also want to check out some "Creative Pillow Ideas" from Better Home and Gardens :-)

Profile: Anna Maria Horner

Over the next few weeks I'll be posting my thoughts and sharing with you some very inspirational business women, whose creative business ventures can serve as an inspiration. Developing and managing a business can be very challenging. Toss into the mix motherhood and you have a very busy business woman. Further, when it comes to a creative business, you are also faced with the challenge of keeping your creativity flowing and generating new ideas on demand. Sometimes this can seem like a joggling act in the Garden Brother's Circus.

Today's post highlights Anna Maria Horner, a mother of six, writer, and a fabric and accessories designer who works from her Nashville home. My personal favourite is Horner's "Drawing Room" fabric collection, which is specifically for the home. Horner also produces sewing patterns for quilting, clothing and accessories. Her books; "Handmade Beginnings" and "Seams to Me" (both available at Chapters) are great additions to any sewing and creative library.

Pick up your copy of Country Living July-August 2010 issue to read more about Horner or visit her website at www.annamariahorner.com

Visit us again for another creative business feature.

Dremel Engraver

The following Dremel Engraver demonstration is very interesting. The creative possibilities are endless, and I already have a multitude of projects in mind. What do you think?

Green Thumb

Your creative or crafted space can be your attic, a room, a corner of your basement or garage. It can also be a closet or a desk in your bedroom. Today I will like to share a herbal container garden that will add a special touch to my outdoor creative space.

Perhaps you gain some of your inspiration from nature. Finding time to garden can enhance your outdoor space and fuel your creativity for other projects. My garden is an extension of my design studio and I do many of my projects there. This herbal container garden is a new addition to my outdoor creative space. If you have never done a container garden, perhaps this simple herbal container garden project will inspire you.

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Steps to creating your own!

1. Select your container and gather your supplies, including: small stones, soil, manure, hand tools, and plants

2. Place small stones at the bottom of the container to assist with drainage of water

3. Fill your container with soil leaving several inches from the top

4. Incorporate some manure into your soil. I have mixed in several scoops of sheep manure

5. Select your plants and position where desired, leaving several inches between each plant

6. Firmly press around the base of each plant with your hand and label your plants were possible

7. Water and ENJOY!!!

Welcome to Crafted Spaces

Hello and welcome to Crafted Spaces blog.

This blog was created to share information on how you can enhance and get the best out of your creative space.

Join us as we redesign and develop our studio, present craft projects, review events, feature creative businesses, and visit other studios. We will also provide tips on how to develop your creative business venture.

We are excited about this new project and it is our hope that you will join us on our journey. It is also our hope that you will find new ways to explore your creativity.

If you are a crafter, designer, artist, scrap booker, or overall creator of something crafty and beautiful, then we invite you to send us your pictures and to share your stories. We also welcome your feedback and suggestions on how we can make Crafted Spaces more informative.

Enjoy!

Submit your photos and story >>>> craftedspaces@gmail.com