Cool Mint Oreos

I have to admit I love Oreos. When I was shopping the other day I came across Cool Mint Oreos and I couldn't pass up buying a package. Oh, they are wonderful! I am rationing them because otherwise I would eat them all at once! Thank you Kraft Foods for Oreos!

Evie's Tool Emporium Uses OnlineLabels.com

Two years ago when we opened Evie's Tool Emporium we wanted to find a good mailing label for our packages. After buying our first labels at our local office supply store we decided to see what was offered online. We were delighted to find OnlineLabels.com. They have quality products, wonderful prices and a great selection.

The website is very user friendly. They also have a customer service team available via phone and e-mail. They are timely with shipping, often shipping the same day if you order prior to 4:00 pm EST. They arrive safely in a sealed package to protect the labels.

There is no minimum order, which is wonderful for small businesses. The labels we use are 8.5" x 5.5" Half Sheet Labels. The labels make shipping our orders fast and easy.

Thank you OnlineLabels.com for making it easy for us to click, print and ship!

ArtMind Tutorial: How To Make Felt Spring Birds With A Leather Punch Set

On February 21st I announced The Create A Tutorial Exchange Program With Evie's Tool Emporium Winners Are Artmind And GloriousHats. Today I am thrilled to share with you the tutorial that Mitsy from ArtMind created. Mitsy is a very talented artist that we are thrilled to partner with. Her tutorial can be seen at Jan's PoppyTalk HandMade Blog. Please feel free to check out Mitsy's ArtMind blog where you can leave a comment to win the birdies that she made for the tutorial. Thank you Mitsy for sharing your talent with us!

I would also like to thank Dotty from dottyral who came up with the idea of The Create A Tutorial Exchange Program. Mitsy's tutorial will also be posted on Totally Tutorials along with many other tutorials from The Create A Tutorial Exchange Program.

I enjoyed Mitsy's tutorial and hope you will too! Mitsy utilized our leather punch set to create these wonderful felt spring birds. Enjoy the tutorial!

Creativity

I have been pondering creativity. Creativity as defined by Wikipedia is a mental process involving the discovery of new ideas or concepts, or new associations of the existing ideas or concepts, fueled by the process of either conscious or unconcious insight. Wow!

I find that the more time I spend around creative people the more creative I am. They are creative in so many ways. Some are artists, writers, and teachers. Others are personal trainers, health care professionals and small business owners. Each person is creative in their own way. I learn different things from each one on a daily basis.

I haven't been feeling very creative lately. I am going to try to take a little more time each day to reflect, and play a little bit more. Today as I was running errands I picked up a set of colored pencils. I hope they inspire my creative spirit!

Who in your life is creative? What is your creative inspiration?

A Sure Sign Of Spring - The Golf Course Is Open

Another sure sign that spring is here is when the golf course near my home opens. Today when I was walking Evie I was super excited to see that the golf course opened today. The last few days they have been prepping the course so I knew we were close!

I hope to make a tee time sometime next week! Wish me luck as I chase that little white ball around while I enjoy spring!

One Hour Of Exercise A Day

Photo courtesy m_bartosch / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

One hour of exercise a day is what The Journal of the American Medical Association recommends for aging women just to maintain their weight. I try to swim an hour a day. Sometimes I am successful, sometimes I am not.

Researchers followed more than 34,000 middle-aged women for 13 years. They measured their weight and activity level, and found those who exercised at least 60 minutes a day gained fewer pounds over time than those who clocked less time in the gym or on the track.

This is a real wake up call for me. After reading the information that has been published I am going to make more of a commitment each day. How about you?

Spring In Minnesota

I love experiencing spring in Minnesota. This year has been unseasonably warm and I am loving it! We haven't had any snow the entire month of March - knock on wood - and the snow we did have has all melted!

Nearly every day has been sunny which I can't tell you how happy it makes me. The sun steaming in the windows in the morning brings a smile to my face!

I know that shortly we will see flowers blooming outside! Can't wait! Loving spring in Minnesota!

Bananas As A Preworkout Snack - Follow Up

In July I blogged about eating bananas as a preworkout snack. Since then I have been very diligent in eating a banana as a preworkout snack before my daily swim. I have to admit that bananas are a wonderful snack, super easy to pick up and have on hand at all times.

The most important change this habit has brought to my life is that now I alot more conscious of how much fruit I eat a day. If you are curious about how many you should eat a day please feel free to check out MyPyramid. MyPyramid offers personalized eating plans and interactive tools to help you plan/ assess your food choices based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Here's to better health and enjoying a banana as a preworkout snack!

Have You Heard About flit.com?

Have you heard about flit.com? It is a wonderful new website that provides single-click search across more than 400 leading retail brands. It easily spans 50-plus popular categories including fashion, home goods, jewelry, electronics, sports and gourmet foods.

I discovered the site last week, and since then I have had a wonderful shopping in this mall like atmosphere! It is super easy to navigate and is just like window shopping! I love the feature that allows me to put the search in just once, then from there I can go to my favorite stores!

What a wonderful new concept! Please be sure to check it out!

Free Steel Forming Block - Create A Tutorial Exchange Program Winners Are Bleubeard & Elizabeth And StudioDax

Steel Forming Block - 1-1/2 Inch x 2-1/2 Inch x 15/16 Inch

On March 11th I announced Free Steel Forming Block - Create A Tutorial Exchange Program With Evie's Tool Emporium. Through March 19th I received many wonderful applications from artists who were interested in creating a unique piece and then creating a tutorial utilizing a steel forming block. On March 20th I chose 2 artists.

The first artist that was chosen is Elizabeth from Bleubeard And Elizabeth. To see her previous tutorials please take a moment to look at her Bleubeard and Elizabeth blog.

The second artist that was chosen is Randi from StudioDax. To see her fabulous work please take a moment to look at her dax58 blog!

Please check back here in the next couple of weeks to see the tutorials! The tutorials will also be posted on Totally Tutorials. Thank you to Dotty from dottyral for coordinating the Create A Tutorial Exchange Program!

Spring Begins

Today Spring begins. I love spring. Opening up the windows and letting the fresh air in as I begin to clean my home from top to bottom.

Happy Spring and enjoy your cleaning!

Free Steel Forming Block - Create A Tutorial Exchange Program With Evie's Tool Emporium

Steel Forming Block - 1-1/2 Inch x 2-1/2 Inch x 15/16 Inch

Have you heard about the Exchange Program - Free Supplies For Tutorials?

If you an artist, here is an opportunity for you to receive a free steel forming block as well as drive traffic to your online website and your blog! I am offering this steel forming block to an artist who would like to create a unique piece utilizing the steel forming block. Then show us all how it was done by posting a tutorial on your blog. The steel forming block will be free to the artist who is chosen to create the tutorial. All artists in the world are welcome to apply! Please feel free to use the medium of your choice.

I will link your tutorial on Evie's Tool Emporium and here on the Evie's Tool Emporium blog. In return you will link your online website and your blog to me. The tutorial will also appear on the Totally Tutorials blog who is facilitating the Exchange Program - Free Supplies For Tutorials. For further details please check out Totally Tutorials.

If you are interested in creating a unique piece with the steel forming block please post a comment here with your URL. Otherwise please feel free to convo me at Evie's Tool Emporium. The ideal candidate will be an artist comfortable working with the medium of your choice. I'm looking for super creative ideas! The ideal candidate will also have a blog and have the ability to take nice photos. Then I will randomly choose an artist from those candidates.

Applications will be accepted through Friday March 19th at midnight. I will contact the artist chosen for this tutorial on Sunday March 21st.

New Tool In Our Shop - Steel Forming Block

Steel Forming Block - 1-1/2 Inch x 2-1/2 Inch x 15/16 Inch

We are always looking for new, fun tools to add to Evie's Tool Emporium. If there is anything special you are looking for please let us know!

The Winner Of The $20.00 Gift Certificate From Evie's Tool Emporium Is...

On February 24th I announced that Pearl from The Beading Gem's Journal was hosting a $20.00 gift certificate giveaway from Evie's Tool Emporium.

The winner of the $20.00 gift certificate is Lisa from makeitvintage. Congratulations!

Thank you to everyone who entered!