Joanna Campbell Slan

Thanks for visiting the official website for New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author and Winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence, Joanna Campbell Slan.

crafts

How to Turn One Plastic Baggy into Three Baggies

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Sometimes I don't want to waste an entire plastic baggy on a small amount of stuff. But I still want to separate out my small crafting items. I've learned a simple way to divide one baggy into multiples. Time it takes: Shoot, how do I know? (Okay...) About five minutes or less. Supplies: * "ziplock" (press to seal) baggies * tape (I prefer clear packing tape, but you can also use duct tape or masking tape. The width should be 2 or 3 … [Read more...] about How to Turn One Plastic Baggy into Three Baggies

You're Going to Love 'Beachcomber Art'

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Being an author means, you constantly question yourself. "Is this the right idea? Or should I have chosen another topic?" There's no way to tell if you are working on something really cool...or if you picked a lemon. And your confidence suffers accordingly. I'd had a bad, sad couple of days where my doubts got the better of me, when the Universe decided to send me a sign. A detour on the highway took me right past Debbie Brookes' charming … [Read more...] about You're Going to Love 'Beachcomber Art'

Dead Armadillo Vase Brings $120 at Auction

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Yep. Read it and weep. Today I auctioned off my precious armadillo, which I turned into this gorgeous (cough, cough) vase, for $120 to benefit the Boynton Beach City Library. Needless to say, the grand unveiling (in which I pulled off blue masking tape and a green garbage bag) brought a tremor of oooohs and aaahs from a stunned crowd of Friends of the Library. Never had they seen such splendid artistry!The winner asked me to autograph the base, … [Read more...] about Dead Armadillo Vase Brings $120 at Auction

Directions for Making a Shell Mirror

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Start with a mirror, of course, but don't do as I did. I bought a mirror in a frame with a beveled edge. That meant an uneven surface for gluing shells. Buy a flat frame. Glue on the shells. Yes, it's that easy. Here are a few tips. (Learn from my mistakes!)1. Sort your shells in advance. I rinse mine with tap water and set them on paper towels to dry. Then I sort them into plastic baggies with ziplock tops. Having them sorted makes it much … [Read more...] about Directions for Making a Shell Mirror

How to Make a Book Safe and More from Angela

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Angela Daniels wrote a neat post about her visit to Bouchercon. You can read it here. http://www.fiskateers.com/blog/2010/10/24/mysteries-car-deaths-and-safe-cracking/ And that's a picture Angela took of one of the book safes she made in her second session.You can go directly to this LINK, and see her how to info. Isn't this just the cutest thing? … [Read more...] about How to Make a Book Safe and More from Angela