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Last Giveaway in December!

Artist's Stocking GIVEAWAY! | The Studio Blog at AdTech

Guys, we are officially ten days away from Christmas! Have you gotten all your shopping done yet?

I confess… I have not. (And thank heavens for Amazon Prime because I am down to the wire and I have a very large family!) If you haven’t gotten all your shopping done yet, you might be excited to know that we have one last giveaway going on in December, starting today, and whether you want the prize for you or a loved one, we are going to try to get it shipped to the winner in time for Christmas. Are you ready? Continue reading “Last Giveaway in December!”

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GIVEAWAY #2!

Scrapbook Stocking GIVEAWAY! | The Studio Blog | Enter by December 15!

Time for another #giveaway!

Congrats to the winner of our first giveaway, Kayna! She’s a Rodan and Fields rep who has been hustling all year, and we are excited that she got our Seamstress’s Dream stocking as a little something for herself. She deserves it!

Our next giveaway is the Scrapbooker’s Delight stocking. This one is awesome! I was never much one for sewing, but I’ve scrapbooked for years and I can attest that this stocking is full, full, full of products and tools that any scrapbooker will love.

Here is what one lucky winner will receive: Continue reading “GIVEAWAY #2!”

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Advent Wreath Inspired Centerpiece DIY

Christmas Candle Centerpiece DIY | AdTech Studio Blog

Heat up some eggnog, put on the Bing Crosby, and get out your cinnamon-scented candles, because this project is festive!

All right, Matt hasn’t celebrated Christmas in several years. I am determined to make this one extra special to make up for what he’s missed. That includes baking sugar cookies for his co-workers, buying us ugly Christmas sweaters… and decorating, decorating, decorating!

I saw an advent calendar on Pinterest made with real tree branches, and it inspired this piece for our coffee table. I couldn’t get started making it until Advent had already begun, so this version only has three candles in it instead of four. I recycled three birch candle holders my dad made for me a few Christmases back, drilled to fit tea lights, and decided we’d just light the candles any night we were home, rather on the four Sundays leading up to Christmas.

This project is quick and simple to make (it took less than an hour, not including the candle holders, but if you have a drill and a saw they won’t add on more than ten minutes!), and it will make any room feel like Christmas. We’re using ours on our coffee table, and it has already changed the mood in our house! Continue reading “Advent Wreath Inspired Centerpiece DIY”

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GIVEAWAY!

Seamstress Stocking GIVEAWAY | The Studio Blog

Are you ready for a #Giveaway?

December is here, and the countdown to the holidays has begun! In the spirit of the season, we are ready to hook 3 lucky people up with themed stockings, worth over $100 each. 😮😍🤗

These 3 stockings, which we will be giving away over the next 3 weeks, are full to the cuff with awesome products not only from AdTech, but also from Fiskars, Singer, Etsy shops, and more. Continue reading “GIVEAWAY!”

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Easy, Fancy Holiday Gift Tags

Make Your Own (Fancy) Holiday Gift Tags! | The Studio Blog at Adhesive Technologies

If you’re anything like me, you start playing Christmas music the second that giant Thanksgiving meal has settled. (You might even start your holiday shopping in September…) So now that Thanksgiving is over and the leftovers are finding creative uses, I’m thinking about ways to make the next holiday super festive.

One of the ways I get into the holiday spirit is finding new and fun ways to decorate and wrap gifts. I’m excited to share a few holiday gift-wrapping techniques in the coming weeks, and today I’m kicking things off with these easy holiday gift tags.

We so carefully pick out papers and bows, but in my experience, the gift tag is an under-appreciated afterthought. It often doesn’t match the rest of the wrap job. This year I’m putting some more thought into it than usual. These tags one way I’ve drummed up to make gift tags more interesting, and they are super customizable, so the sky is the limit with what you can do with them! Continue reading “Easy, Fancy Holiday Gift Tags”

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Home Reno Project, Week One: Sealing Up Cracks

Office Makeover in Historical Building | Adhesive Technologies

Going in a slightly different direction with this new series, which I hope to add to a couple times a month: Home renovation!

As mentioned in one or two previous posts, I recently moved into a new space. A move was long overdue. The space is larger, it’s closer to a lively downtown area, and (important to me as a photographer), it has a lot of windows!

However, as with any new living situation, it needs work—a few repairs, and a lot of personalization!

Altogether there are 6 areas that need attention… Continue reading “Home Reno Project, Week One: Sealing Up Cracks”

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3 Last-Minute Halloween Costumes Inspired by SNAPCHAT

5 Last-Minute SNAPCHAT Halloween Costumes | The Studio Blog

For the last five or six years, I’ve basically missed Halloween. I’m definitely someone who wants to Go Big or Go Home on this holiday, so when I’ve had too much going on, I’ve just, well, skipped it.

This year I realized that if I don’t find a median between “Go Big” and “Go Home,” I’m never going to get to be a part of the fun dress-up tradition again… and I LOVE Halloween and I hate to miss it! So this year, I am going simple. I’m dressing up… as SnapChat!

Now, this will really only work if I can find a few other people to dress up with me. SnapChat filters change every day, so if someone doesn’t happen to see the one I choose for my costume, it won’t make any sense. But if 3-5 of us come together as different filters, I think it will be hard not to see right away what our costume is!

Below are 3 SnapChat filters that I found were super easy to replicate (even at the last minute!), and if you and your friends want to trick-or-treat together, each of you can use a different disguise below and still go out in “group costume.” Ready? Continue reading “3 Last-Minute Halloween Costumes Inspired by SNAPCHAT”

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How to Set a Fall Harvest Table (for Thanksgiving or for Fun!)

How to Set a Fall Harvest Table (for Thanksgiving or for Fun!)

 

Setting a table for a feast (or even just a large group) calls for some strategy. To keep the mood relaxed and enjoyable, you want to balance a variety of comforting cues with cleanliness and spaciousness—meaning, you want familiar aromas to fill the air and decorations to abound… and you also want to keep the table clear of dirty dishes and make sure each guest has enough elbow room.

Sounds simple enough—until you realize you want to put both a gorgeous centerpiece and your carefully prepared meal in the same spot on the table. Or that you’ve invited twelve, but only have enough china for ten. Then suddenly you find yourself saying something you never thought you’d say before: “The rules for a traditional table setting would come in really handy right about now!”

I’ve got you covered. Back in the day, I had to learn for a job which silverware was used for what—and in so learning, I actually learned the right way to set a table at the same time. As you plan to host holiday meals this year, consider these 5 handy tips for maintaining the energy of your party from appetizers to dessert. Continue reading “How to Set a Fall Harvest Table (for Thanksgiving or for Fun!)”

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3 Fall Decoration Ideas for Your Mantle

How to Decorate Your Mantle for Autumn | Adhesive Technologies

I just moved into a new place, and I’d kind-of forgotten after living in the same place and making it my own for more than 6 years how much TLC a new home can require.

Matt has already set about making small repairs and painting, and I’m working on making the place festive for fall! We hit a fair in a nearby town last week and I have been feeling particularly inspired.

Our place has an inactive fireplace with a nice mantle for decorating. Here are 3 super easy projects that each take less than an hour to complete which you can use to make your own mantle a centerpiece in your home for autumn. Continue reading “3 Fall Decoration Ideas for Your Mantle”

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5 Pins We Tried… and Our Results!

5 Pins We Tested at the AdTech Studio


If you’re a creative, you’ve spent time on Pinterest. And if you’ve spent time on Pinterest, then you know that there is a wide range of DIY inspiration out there—from projects you’ll never even want to do, to projects you really want to do (and are totally feasible), to projects that look super awesome but you kind-of know would be impossible to duplicate (even if the person who posted the project did it and swears it was worth all the effort).

I thought it might be fun if we here in the Studio started testing a few pins each month just to see how doable they really are. Here is our first batch!
 Continue reading “5 Pins We Tried… and Our Results!”

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Sleepy-Eye iPhone Case DIY

Super Easy DIY iPhone, iPad, or Laptop Cover

Project time: 10 minutes
DIY level: (Super) Easy

This might be one of my favorite projects at the Studio so far. Why?

One, because the project literally takes 10 minutes once you have the supplies. Maybe 15 if you’re really meticulous. Low labor, high reward.

Two, because the end product is simple, clean, and eye-catching. I am astounded how often I come back to the simplest design principles when I’m trying to create something exciting—often the most minimalist designs pack the most punch. And for this iPhone case, that’s definitely true. Continue reading “Sleepy-Eye iPhone Case DIY”

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Welcome to the new AdTech blog: The Studio!

Homemakers, creators, and DIYers: Welcome to the NEW and improved Adhesive Technologies blog, the Studio! My name is Alexis, and I will be your hostess for the foreseeable future.

What’s changed on the blog, exactly? More than has stayed the same, that’s for sure! If you’re afraid you’ll miss our old blog, Make Something Great, stick with me through this post, and I promise by the end you’ll be truly jazzed about the modifications we’ve made to make the creative experience here more colorful, fun, and user-friendly. Continue reading “Welcome to the new AdTech blog: The Studio!”

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Easiest “Wax” Seals EVER

Project time: Varies based on how many you want to make; one seal takes less than 1 minute!
DIY level: Easy-Medium

I actually saw that someone else had done this and posted about it in an Amazon review, and I had to try it for myself. It took a couple tries to figure out the best way to do it, but once I did, I was surprised at how simple these “wax” seals were. All the perks of a fancy wax seal without the flame!

The trick, believe it or not, is simply to press the seal into ink before pressing it into the hot glue. Then, in just a few seconds, it peels away as easily as a sticker! Continue reading “Easiest “Wax” Seals EVER”