Candice Windham Design Studio

Nothing says summer like a beautiful butterfly…that and swimming, popsicles, baseball, fireworks, cool nights on the patio…and our Vacation Bible School. My local church has the most awesome VBS ever! The entire church is transformed into another land – this year it’s a rainforest with a huge tree (10 feet around!) in the sanctuary. There are monkeys swinging from the rafters in the entry hall and lots of giant lizards everywhere. I wanted to make dozens of butterflies and dragonflies to float among the monkeys and frogs all over my VBS craft room. But I didn’t have enough Smoothfoam on hand (note to self: get more Smoothfoam and start planning earlier next year!) so I just made this one beautiful metallic butterfly to hang in my studio. He’s so pretty and bright and when I turn on the fan, he flits around to keep me company and make me smile! Supplies 12″ Smoothfoam sheet Smoothfoam balls – three 1″, two 2″ and one 3″ Metallic paints – green blue, go...

This is the time of year we celebrate our independence. What says America better than a red, white and blue sign to greet your guests at the door and tiny reminders of our freedom scattered throughout your home? These great chalkboards can become the centerpiece of your decorating with just a few pieces of bright chalk and about 10 minutes of your time. Don't worry if you can't draw it perfectly. Remember my motto: If it's perfect, it's not handmade. The best thing about these chalkboards are that with the swipe of a paper towel and maybe a little bit of water, you have fresh slate to start all over for your next celebration. Mine were purchased as you see them, but you could achieve the same results with a piece of plywood or masonite and a can of chalk paint. Pop your handmade board into an inexpensive frame, and you have a great designer look. Be sure to click on the Designer Crafts Connection at left to hop through and see other designers' ideas for celebr...

...we have a giveaway! If you're as excited as I am about etchall® Reusable Glass and Mirror Etching Creme , you'll love this message from the blog of Julie McGuffee. (which I am shamelessly reusing!). Etchall Giveaway! Have you seen all the etched projects designed by Designer Crafts Connection (DCC) members?  Are YOU itching to etch?  Then here's a newsflash for you:  Hop thru the DCC webring and comment on the projects.  Each time you comment you'll be entered to win the same etchall® kit that the designers worked with - the more you comment, the more chances you'll have to win.  (US & Canada addresses only.) You have until midnight, June 23rd!   Just click on the Designer Crafts Connection button to hop through the blog posts and leave a comment.

I have always wanted to learn to etch glass. There are so many possibilities for home and office decor that I believe I could write a book about it. There's only one problem: I have always hated the mess, odor and possible side-effects of the etching creams I've used in the past, so I haven't played with it very much. Well, those days have ended, my friends. My first project with B&B Etching Products, Inc.'s etchall TM  Reusable Glass Mirror Etching Creme  turned out so good that nothing made of glass is safe at my house. I want to etch every surface, which  is made less expensive than the older versions of etching cream because it is reusable. It says so right on the label and it's true. I was able to return 90 percent of the used cream to the bottle for future projects. I used a stencil, which I created with a punch and etchmask TM vinyl, for my first etchall TM project. I am very pleased with the results. You could also use a stencil cut...

I just love Springtime in Tennessee, and this one has been beautiful. Our azaleas were just gorgeous, the daffodils beautiful and all the flowering trees made wonderful touches of color in our woods, but the most stunning blooms were on our three-year-old Clematis. I took so many photos because it just became more beautiful every day. I knew I had to document them in a scrapbook page. This one is a digital page created with the Duetica Lettering Arts Studio fonts, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign, but you could just as easily create this in a traditional layout.  The Duetica Lettering Arts Studio made this beautiful title so easy to do with the elegant Mandolyn font. Here's how I did it: Using the Duetica lettering Arts Studio, set “Spring Beauty” using Mandolyn font. Make changes to “S” and “Y” to create swirls. Open Spring Beauty file in Photoshop. Change color to deep purple. Save as a png file to preserve background transparency. Open photo. Set image size to 12 x...

  I know Mothers Day for 2013 has come and gone, but this project could work for any subject. Check out how I created this using lace paper, Mica powders and KoolTak® adhesives. Now I just have to fill it up!

I was cleaning put my stash of ribbons and fibers a few weeks ago and came across a pack of colored twine. There were at least a dozen colors, maybe more, and I was saying to my self, "What was I thinking when I bought all this twine? I have enough to twine bomb a small country." I was trying to think of different things I could use it for when I remembered the small foam spheres I had from Smoothfoam®. I whipped out my foam cutter, sliced several of them in half, plopped myself down on the sofa with a Criminal Minds marathon on the TV, a big glass of sweet tea and made flowers. Lots and lots of flowers. You can see compete directions at www.smoothfoam.com. While you're there, be sure to  go through the posts of other professional designers who love Smoothfoam® the way I do. Have a great Memorial Day and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for us.