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Spring has sprung! What better time to start a new project or finish some old ones that have been lying around your craft room for far too long?

Are you still thinking you’re not creative or not creative enough? My friend mixed media artist Cyndi Lavin says we’re all designed to be creative beings because our Creator made us in His own image. Isn’t that a lovely thought?

The February issue of O: The Oprah Magazine was all about imagination and opening yourself to inspiration. In a wonderful article on How to Unleash Your Creativity, author Peggy Orenstein described "creative mortification, a term so evocative I will carry it with me to my grave".

That statement brought to mind my second grade experience of being one of three students in our class of 50 not chosen to sing in the spring musical. For the rest of my grade school years (at least), I never raised my voice in song. During music class, I mouthed the words.

In my 50s, I found my voice again and now sing first soprano in our church choir. I’ve even sung solos. My message today is to not waste any more time avoiding your God-given creative potential. Embrace it. Explore it.

How will you expand your creative self this coming month?

We have some new projects on site as usual. Plus you’ll find lots of other projects to inspire you in our Craft Ideas Section and in our Holiday Craft Index.

Speaking of holidays, here are dates of a few significant ones coming up to help you plan your crafting.

• Passover (begins at Sundown) - April 18
• Easter Sunday - April 24
• Cinco de Mayo - May 5
• Mother's Day - May 8

Best wishes,
Eileen

New Articles

• Ideas for a Crafty High School Fundraiser - We brainstormed ideas for a high school fundraiser. It’s not too late to add to the list!

• Let’s Get Creative - Have you unlocked all of your creative potential yet? Are you dead yet?

• Heartily 3D Card - How to make a card that literally pops off the page.

• Artist Profile: Patty Sucre - Come be inspired by decoupage artist Patty Sucre from Venezuela.

• How to Learn a Craft No Matter Where You Live - The internet is a marvelous resource to learn a new craft from anywhere in the world.

• How to Create 3D Archival Decoupage - Take your decoupage to the next dimension with paper tole craft.

• Cleaning Your Craft Stash Regularly Has Multiple Benefits - Have you spring-cleaned your craft room yet? Here are some tips to get you going.

• Beginner’s Wood Working Hand Tools - Would you like to try your hand at woodworking? Here’s what you need to get started.

• How to Make Hybrid Cards to Match Your Gifts - Here are a couple of ways to make hybrid cards to match a gift. Gift baskets of all sorts make lovely eye-appealing gift packages. Coordinating the elements is easier than you may think.

• Celebrate Spring by Making a Pressed Flower Card - Small delicate flowers can be used in your crafting just a few days after collecting. Here’s how.

• Don’t Ban the Kids from the Craft Room; Get Them (Safely) Involved - Here’s how to share your craft passion with your kids and grandkids.

• Craft Room Storage Solutions - Whether kids are allowed or not, here are some terrific storage solutions for your craft space.

• Artist Profile: Brandy Murry - If you like scrapbooking, and especially digital scrapbooking, you’ll be inspired by Scrap Girls product designer Brandy Murry’s story. It’s never too late to find your (he)art.

• My _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Has a First Name. It’s _ _ _ _ _. - Can you fill in the blanks to this jingle? Come hear my version.

• Visual Journal Techniques - Watercolors, digital photography, glitter stamps and drawing come together in this visual journal page done around my word of the year.

Hi,

I want to make trivets of my own (painting them) and I was curious as to how I could keep the paint from melting when putting hot pans on them.

I did a Google search and found your page, If You Can’t Take the Heat, Get Out of the Craft Room ... nice page I might add.

I saw Madge's problem and began to think about the industrial heat resistant coatings you mentioned using. I have not tried this myself, but I did find something that I believe just might work for Madge’s and my heat resistant trivets.

Here is a product that might help: VHT Clear Gloss Brake Caliper Coating Hi-temp Aerosol Spray .

Thank you so much for your inspiration on this matter.

Amanda

Thank you, Amanda!

I'll add this info to the article. VHT Clear Gloss Hi-temp Aerosol Spray is rated to withstand up to 900 F! That's much hotter than any pan gets on the stovetop or in the oven.

We'd love to hear how it works for you.