Thursday, November 19, 2009

I See a "New Moon" Risin'

Sewing and craft ideas, projects and materials are typical topics of conversation around Jo-Ann, along with family, friends and favorite forms of entertainment.

Naturally, conversations often combine all of these areas -- especially around the holidays. Today, however, the convergence is due to plans being made for a late night (and we mean well past twilight) rendezvous with family and friends to watch the undead rise to new heights at the box office. We're speaking of the debut of the second "Twilight" movie, "New Moon," that opens in theaters tonight, or technically tomorrow morning, just after midnight.

Like so many pop culture phenomenons, Stephenie Meyer's saga has spawned a host of artistic and crafty tributes to the story, its characters and the actors who portray them. What follows is a quick round-up of some of the "Twilight" DIY projects from around the World Wide Web for your viewing (or creating) pleasure.Twilight Romance T-Shirt Designs by ILoveToCreate

Start your exploration into this world of vampires and werewolves with quick and easy-to-create "Twilight" romance T-shirts inspired by the series and from the folks at the ILoveToCreate Blog. The tees are made with basic crafting and household supplies and Tulip® brand fabric paints. The Pink and Polk Dot blog shares her own and other designs for freezer paper T-Shirt art while All Things Thrifty offers T-shirt designs you can print on iron-on paper for fast vampire apparel. You might even be able to whip one of these up before you head out to the theater.

As the weather turns colder under the thin sliver of the new moon, you'll probably want something to keep your hands toasty. While these won't be ready for tonight (unless you started a while ago), you can create your own pair of Bella's Mittens. Made with 100% lamb's wool, knitters can find the pattern on Ravelry.com (membership required to access) or it can be downloaded as a PDF version courtesy of Subliminal Rabbit. Then, head over to the Bella's Mittens Flickr pool to see other yarn crafters' well-knit results.

A blog dedicated to the saga, Twilight Novel Novice, offers a themed party guide that includes ideas for decorations, refreshments, favors and entertainment as does Design Dazzle. Hostess with the Mostess (hwtm) has other ideas for a stylish "Twilight" party. Take them and make them your own for any type of undead event.

Witness the creepy, cool and creative objets d'art created by fellow book and film fans by diving into the "Twilight Crafts" photo pool over on Flickr. You can even find a Twilight Crafts community on Live Journal (or check out their page on Facebook).

Still not enough? Find more fan creations on the Cut Out + Keep crafting community, including some how-tos. (The polymer clay Edwards are to die for!)

Of course, some fans share their love for the story of Bella and Edward by not only making but offering for sale their hand-crafted goodies. Check out the wonderful world of handmade sellers offering "Twilight" jewelry, paintings, T-shirts, cards and more on Etsy (including not one but at least two dedicated stores) or Artfire. There are pages and pages of saga-inspired products to choose from, but the hunt for that perfect piece can be your personal obsession. Never stop until you find just what you want.

Now don't be sheepish -- share links to your favorite beautiful Bella, cunning Cullen or terrific Twilight creations in the comments of this post.

Resources

Posted by Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores at 1:42 PM 2 comments
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Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Share the Savings with Friends & Family

Jo-Ann is kicking off the holiday season with a fantastic coupon AND inviting you to share it with your friends and family. Get your own printable Jo-Ann coupon good for 20% off your total in-store purchase including regular and sale-priced items, and pass the link or a printed copy along to anyone and everyone you know!

Click to get your Jo-Ann Stores Friends & Family Coupon valid November 6-8, 2009
The Jo-Ann Friends & Family coupon is valid from Fri., Nov. 6 thru Sun., Nov. 8. Normally Jo-Ann coupons are non-transferable and may only be used one time; but this special coupon is shareable, can be used as many times as you'd like and may be used at multiple Jo-Ann store locations.

While the coupon is valid on sale-priced items, it cannot be combined with other coupons or discounts, such as the Jo-Ann Teacher Rewards card. Also, it can't be used online at Joann.com and some specific restrictions apply; see coupon for details and specific exclusions.

Resources

Posted by Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores at 11:05 AM 0 comments
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Friday, October 30, 2009

The Countdown to Halloween Continues

Last Minute Ideas for a Frightfully Fun Holiday

We've Got Just the Fang: Need a finishing touch for that zany zombie costume or just want a little bone-chilling bling for the undead holiday? This Fangs & Bones Necklace is just the thing! Pick up a few blocks of polymer clay and you can have a "ax-cessory" in a couple hours!
Halloween Illusions: Create interesting Jack-o'-lanterns to decorate your porch or parlor for this year's Halloween celebration. Using wooden embroidery hoops, acrylic paint, foam brushes and black craft foam, you can complete a "pumpkin" in an hour (maybe less if you have little hands helping). Hung with clear polyester thread, the faces and the pumpkins appear to float in the air.

Web Slinger: You don't need eight legs to make a web. Fabric paints enable you to create this not-so-itsy-bitsy design on a basic black t-shirt. It's a great way to get into the holiday spirit without donning a full-blown costume. And you can craft it in under two hours!

They're Creepy & They're Cookie: It's no mystery why these creepy cupcakes are extra tasty -- they have eight tasty sugar cookie legs! Just use your favorite roll-out cookie dough to make swiggly legs and little faces. In a pitch, you could even use the packaged mix or ready-to-bake doughs from the refrigerated section of the grocery store.

Who's That Crowing at My Door? Say ''Nevermore'' to an empty front door this Halloween with a twig or grapevine wreath. Paint it black and add stems of orange berries and a couple of black-feathered friends for a quick, eerie accent.

Die...Cut Another Day: Don't put away those festive Halloween dies and paper punches just yet. Use them to craft scrapbook pages that commemorate those magical moments, such as baby's first Halloween or the first year your little witch or cowboy could say: "Trick or Treat" and "Thank you."

Resources

Posted by Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores at 1:52 PM 0 comments
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Thursday, October 29, 2009

Jo-Ann Counts Down to Halloween

Quick, Cute and Clever Last Minute Ideas for a "Ghastly" Holiday

Ultimate Candy Cone:
Quickly create this cute and ''corny'' candy treat tote with help from some colorful Duck® brand duct tape in shades of orange, yellow and white and a brown paper bag. Not only is this candy cone a fast option to craft, it keeps kids from tripping over a too-large pillow case. Plus, since you determine the size of the treat tote, you can limit the volume of sweets the kids retrieve this Halloween. Add a few strips of Reflective Tape for added safety when your little ghouls and boos go door-to-door.

Decorations...Gone Batty: Having a kids' Halloween party and need quick and cute decorations or a group activity for the kiddies? This batty project isn't too ghouled to be true. Black craft foam - plain or glittery - is cut to shape and then embellished with feather boas and wiggly eyes. If the kids will be creating their own creatures of the night, precut the craft foam so everything is ready to go and the craft knife is put away.

Whip It Up & Tie It On: Halloween can be a messy holiday. Whether you're whipping up eerie treats, competing in a pumpkin carving contest or got tricked into doing all the post-party clean up, an apron keeps you covered and clean. Start with a basic and inexpensive canvas apron, available in sizes to fit the whole family. Use the template provided in our how-to sheet along with fabric markers for a fast and easy way to create a hauntingly appropriate apron to protect your clothes or costume.

Family Funkins: A great activity to get the whole family in the mood for Halloween night! Grab a few Funkins (on deep discount in stores now) and some craft supplies to create a host of unique Jack-'o-lanterns that last well beyond Halloween.

These realistic looking artificial pumpkins can be carved as well as decorated using a variety of sewing and crafting materials such as paint and paper, sewing notions and sequins, colorful duct tape and permanent markers and even fabric and feathers. In fact our Goofy Gobler project will carry you straight through to Thanksgiving.

Hoo Needs a Last Minute Costume? Okay, so it may take several minutes, but in an afternoon or evening some felt, craft form, elastic and the magic of Fabri-Tac® glue, can be used to create this adorable owl costume.

Another purrfect, stitch-free design is our No Sew Cat's Meow Costume. It can be created with a little fabric, some craft supplies and a hooded sweatshirt in no time at all. Change the shirt color to taupe or tan for a quick lion or lioness. Add fabric or painted spots to transform a lion into leopard.


Resources:

Posted by Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores at 3:54 PM 0 comments
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Thursday, October 15, 2009

Florida Student Wins Jo-Ann Prom Contest

Sew Jo-Ann 2009 Prom Contest First Place Winner Rebecca O'Neill from Crestview, Fla.

Rebecca O'Neill from Crestview, Fla., has been selected as the First Place winner of the 2009 Sew Jo-Ann Prom Contest for her handmade chiffon dress. O'Neill received $1,000 cash, a Singer® 8763 Curvy™ Electronic Sewing Machine and a Dritz® "My Double Deluxe" Dressform 20405.

Hundreds of entries were received for the contest and dresses were judged on workmanship, originality and level of detail.

"Rebecca's dress was simply superb with its intricate ruching and beautiful stitching," said Michelle Christensen, Jo-Ann vice president, general merchandise manager. "The quality of the construction of her gown made all the difference in selecting Rebecca as grand prize winner. Her dress truly stood out among the other finalists."

Jo-Ann hosts the competition yearly to reward the next generation of sewers and inspire those across the country to express their creativity.

"The level of skill and amazing detail shown in so many of the entries was remarkable. All of the participants should be extremely proud of the dresses they created," Christensen said. "The enthusiasm of young sewers is something we hope becomes contagious. They push us to continue to provide the high-quality and wide assortment of fabrics that customers have come to expect from Jo-Ann."

Second Place honors went to Amy Theobald of St. George, Utah, who received $500 cash and a Singer® Serger 14CG754. The Third Place winner was Tessa Perlow of West Long Branch, NJ, who received $250 cash and a Dritz® "My Double Deluxe" Dressform 20100.

To see all of this year's entries, visit www.joann.com/prom.

In January 2010, look for details on Joann.com for the Jo-Ann "Own Your Look Prom Contest 2010."

Posted by Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores at 2:51 PM 0 comments
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Friday, September 11, 2009

Rejoice! It's National Sewing Month

September is National Sewing Month, an annual celebration of the art and craft of sewing, and an ideal time for you to develop or enhance your sewing skills. This year Jo-Ann and the NationalSewingMonth.org organizations are shining a spotlight on what could be summed up as "make do and mend" sewing.

Rejoice! It's National Sewing Month :: Give items you own new life when you repair, remake or recycle them"Make do and mend" was a slogan coined during World War II when rationing required households to conserve resources and do everything they could to extend the life of everyday items from clothes and shoes to blankets, linens and other household linens. Recently, this mantra from the "greatest generation" has been informally adopted by the do-it-yourself community, not just to shoulder leaner economic times—although it certainly doesn’t hurt—but also as a means for adding greater value to the objects we own and providing an outlet for creative self expression while doing something nice for the planet.

Basic sewing, and some related craft skills, are a great way for you to give new life to the things you already own. Perhaps you had to stop wearing a fun and flirty skirt because the hem came loose or a favorite white button-down shirt because one of those buttons popped off. Instead of languishing at the bottom of your closet waiting for trip the tailor or, worse, the trash bin, you could repair them with just a few simple stitches and be wearing them tomorrow!

Maybe you have a shirt or pants that have gone way out of style or a pile of practically new kids clothes that aren’t being worn because your teenager grew like a weed over the summer or has decided that those plain T-shirts and jeans are, well, just plain boring. Then it’s time to break out the needle and thread, heat up your iron, grab some notions, trims and other affordable supplies and remake or recycle them into something fabulous.

And don’t forget to make use of leftovers! Remnants of fabric, trims or fasteners from these refashioned items or other completed projects or even from your personal fabric stash are ideal for small projects, embellishments or practicing stitches and testing tension on your machine.

To get you started repairing, remaking and recycling, Joann.com has created some special sections for National Sewing Month featuring relevant tools, supplies and resources. Be sure to visit our Sewing Buying Guide as well for new and top rated products, great deals, book recommendations and more!

Resources
Projects Featured in Photos
Posted by Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores at 5:00 PM 1 comments
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Friday, August 21, 2009

Jo-Ann Community Upgrade Complete!

We are thrilled to announce that our beautifully revitalized online community is now live and open to members and the public!

Make creative connections online at My Jo-AnnAlong with all the technical and design improvements we made to our community, we gave it a name to reflect the member focus of this site, My Jo-Ann, an online community where you can share your creative passions with others who love all things homemade and handcrafted.

While we get all the domain information and links updated on Joann.com, you are welcome to visit the community directly by going to http://my.joann.com.

We’d like to invite anyone who is not already a member to take a tour and make creative connections with other crafty folks by joining our close-knit community. There’s no cost to join, and you participate as much or as little as you choose.

Please check out the discussion thread titled: Upgraded Community: A Quick Tour to help you find your way through some of the new or updated areas. You also can browse the FAQ, which is conveniently located in the footer of every page.

Registered members may leave questions not covered in the FAQ in the upgrade announcement thread, referenced above, which is located in the discussions area under the category About Jo-Ann, subcategory About this Message Board (use the drop down menus on the main discussions page to navigate).

If you’re a visitor to our blog, have checked out the community and have a question to ask before registering, please feel free to leave a comment on this blog post.
Posted by Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores at 11:06 AM 0 comments
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