DIY Butterfly Paint Chip Shadowbox

I've always been a crafty girl and dreaming up new ideas, but I don't always have the time to complete them. I usually buy all the supplies and then I discover them in my craft drawer a few months later. This cycle has been repeating itself for the past year or so.

It's the reason why I have a two-pack of square canvases (never opened), can of gold spray paint, a stack of scrapbooking paper...the list goes on and on. However, this summer I really hope to make use of all my supplies and maybe buy some new ones once I complete a few projects!

This butterfly shadowbox was the very first craft I blogged about. In the past few years, it's gotten lost in the shuffle and I thought I'd re-post it today. It's such a simple project and uses one of my favorite crafting brands...Martha Stewart. She makes amazing prices and they're pretty affordable, especially with a 40% off coupon. So far my Martha Stewart collection includes: the butterfly punch (seen below), the pearl/metallic paint set (used to create these DIY coffee mugs), and the flourish punch which I recently won in a giveaway.

For this project, I purchased a black shadowbox at Michael's. At the time they were having 40% off shadowboxes (which they still do quite frequently) plus I had a 25% off coupon, which made this beauty only $4.50. I chose an 8x8 shadowbox because scrapbooking paper comes in that exact size. 

This shadowbox is a few inches deep so I'd definitely reccomend setting it somewhere rather than hanging it on the wall. However, if you can hang it with a nail or sawtooth hangar, rather than Command strips like me, then it just might work! You could do this project with a regular wall frame and simply take the glass out.

When I did this project, I was reading Young House Love (still am) and I had seen this shadow box, which is what inspired me. I already had a stash of paint chips hiding in my closet from when we were picking paint colors and they were perfect for this project. I was able to get the blue ombre look I wanted without spending a single dime on the paper.

I used my Martha Stewart butterfly punch to punch them out of the paint chips. For some contrast, I included white butterflies by punching out of the back of the paint chips. Then I slightly folded each butterfly down the middle and applied a small dot of glue to the left wing of one butterfly. Then, for the next butterfly I glued it down on the right side. Alternating like this really has a cool effect and gave them some dimension which was an unexpected surprise.

This shadowbox is a few inches deep so I'd definitely recommend setting it somewhere vs. hanging it on the wall. But that's just my opinion. However, you could do this print with a wall frame that has the glass taken out too! Who knows, maybe I'll make another one using a different color and do just that!

This project only took me about an hour to complete and was pretty cheap thanks to my Michael's coupons. I NEVER go into that store without one and it works out well since they're so easy to find on the internet. I usually click their "weekly ad" on their website, but you can search Google for them too. Speaking of Michael's coupons...I recently learned you can use competitor coupons to save even more!

Have you ever crafted with paint chips before?

Are you a fan of Martha Stewart craft supplies too?

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Five Tips To Improve Your Giveaways

Giveaways are one thing that I never knew existed when I first started blogging. Then it seemed like they started popping up all over the place! As a person entering, it's exciting and even more so when you find out that you won something for me. I love a free Starbucks gift card as much as the next gal does.

But...as a blogger, giveaways are a TON of work. You have to gather all the giveaway information, write up the blog post, edit the photos, and add links to Rafflecopter...it all takes a lot of time. So what would you say if I told you there were 5 easy things you could do to improve your giveaway entries?

Today I wanted to share a few of my tips and tricks I use when putting together a giveaway. Please note, these are MY tips and they're not going to be loved by everyone. Some bloggers are set in their ways when it comes to their giveaways and that is okay.

image via Texas Lovebirds

Before I get started, let me state the obvious...use a widget to host your giveaway!

I've noticed a lot of bloggers switching over to widget-based giveaways but some still go by the "leave a comment for each entry you complete" method. I think this is because it makes the blogger's job easier but they don't realize it makes the reader's job 10 times harder.

Personally, I don't enter comment-only giveaways because it takes a lot less time to enter a widget-based giveaway instead. Speaking of, I love hosting my blog giveaways through Rafflecopter because of their amazing customer service and the widget itself is easy to use and works great! {Side note: I used another giveaway service once and it was a horrible mistake. I'll never go back or enter non-RC giveaways.}

image via Rafflecopter

1. Your giveaway has too many mandatory entries. 

Please, please, please don't be that blogger who has a group giveaway with 10+ mandatory entries. I understand that all those bloggers who donated want to gain new followers, but readers don't want to do ALL of those entries. Pick one or two and leave the rest as extras!

I understand not all bloggers are going to agree with this one, but that's just how it goes. They'll realize eventually that the reason they aren't getting very many entries is because it's too hard to enter!!


2. Think about WHAT you choose as the mandatory entry. 

Although "Like on Facebook" is a an easy entry, not everyone has a Facebook account. {It's also against the consideration rule for giveaways!} This is something you should think about when creating your Rafflecopter widget. Make the mandatory entry leaving a comment, leaving their e-mail address, or something simple that everyone can do! Otherwise you're missing out on readers (and pageviews) because they can't enter your giveaway.

3. The "Tweet about the Giveaway" option is NOT located at the top of your giveaway widget. 

It's annoying for readers to scroll down through ALL 179734+ of your options to tweet about your giveaway if you have it buried at the bottom. Consider moving it to the top to make things easier for your readers. {"Pin an Image on Pinterest" should on top too -- read tip #5!}

Oh and while you're at it...please, please, please know how to use Twitter's 140 character limit. When it says 0 in the top right corner, that means you don't have any characters left!! If you include more than this, then the reader has to delete part of your message in order to tweet it and it's a hassle.

Also, do NOT include a link to your blog post, because Rafflecopter will automatically do that. If you do include it you're wasting characters and the reader has to delete them like discussed above. Here's the best way to use those characters: include the giveaway prize value, use the #giveaway hashtag, and mention your blog's Twitter handle.

4. You're not listing your giveaway on free websites. 

This is a BIG thing that so many bloggers don't do and I'm not sure why, other than it takes a little time.  All you have to do is submit your link and a little bit of information via a form on their website. This will bring your giveaway (and your blog) a large amount of traffic which donators LOVE to see!

I always list my giveaways here: Freegrechen // Giveaway Promote // Tightwad in Utah //  Just Contest Stuff // Big List of Giveaways


5. You don't have Pinterest links included as entry options.

I understand that some bloggers don't have Pinterest, but the majority do because it's an a GREAT way to promote your blog content as well as others. When creating your next giveaway, add the "Follow Me on Pinterest" option for your readers! It's a great way for them to find new pins and for you to gain new followers!

Also, consider adding the "Pin This Image" option. Rafflecopter already has this option, all you have to do is provide the image URL and the link to your post. Personally, I like to have reader's pin a giveaway image which will hopefully bring new readers to my blog. {This option should also be located at the TOP of your widget along with the "Tweet About the Giveaway" one!}

Other Things To Consider When You Host a Giveaway:
- Your mandatory entry cannot be consideration, like following on FB or Twitter.
- Make sure your post includes "no-follow" links to comply with Google rules
- All giveaway entries must have the same value assigned to them! Easiest to make them all +1 point.
- Your giveaway NEEDS to have the Terms & Conditions in the widget or underneath the widget
- You cannot extend a giveaway deadline, even if the entries are lower than you expected.
- If the winner will be receiving more than $600 in giveaway prizes, you need to file with the IRS.
- Running a Facebook-only giveaway? If so, it must be through a third-party service or widget.
- Certain states don't allow giveaway prizes like alcohol, tobacco, dairy, etc.

Which Tip Are You Planning to Use for Your Next Giveaway?
Do You Have Any Giveaway Tips? Or Pet-Peeves?

The Dreaded Week of Finals

The countdown is officially on. There are only THREE days left until I'm on summer vacation. Unfortunately, this means that today begins the dreaded week of finals. Lucky for me, I only have finals Monday through Wednesday. However, having four finals in that short amount of time means I'll be drinking lots of Starbucks Passion Tea lemonades, staying up late studying, and waking up early to take exams that have a HUGE impact on my grade for the semester.

Although finals week is something I always dread, I feel instantly relaxed the moment I'm done with my last final. I can't wait to be done with this semester, so I can say that I've made it through another one alive. But it's also important to look back on this semester and see that I have learned SO much. When I first changed my major, I was scared and felt like I was no longer in control of anything. However, with this semester almost behind me, I can say with 100% certainty that it was the right decision. I'll only be in school for four years instead of six, and I'll be doing something that I absolutely love.

This was me last year when I came across True Blood!

In September, I'll be applying to the Business School and that is going to be incredibly exciting, but stressful too. So for now, I'm counting down the days until I will be laying my the pool, blogging more frequently, checking books off my "to read" list,  and spending as much time with Q as possible.

Do you have college finals this week?
What are you looking forward to this summer?

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