Crafty Buffet "Sticky Note Burgers" to appear in B.L.A.C. Magazine December Holiday Issue

I received a call this week from an editor for B.L.A.C. (Black Life Arts & Culture Detroit) Magazine who was looking for something unique to include in their December Holiday Issue. Apparently she had ran across my Sticky Note Burgers (formerly Hamburger Notebooks) on my website -


http://www.thecraftybuffet.com/ . Wow! A Magazine publication wanted to advertise a product of mine? For free???? How cool is that?
You just never know where or when the seeds you plant are going to sprout. The Sticky Note Burgers, much like the cardboard box oven that got me on Martha Stewart, were created years ago. They re-surfaced in 2009 when a writer from The Detroit News saw them (loved them!) and wanted to feature them in her column. Here I was working (2011) on marketing The Coloring Book Ovens and seeking to re-designed the cardboard stove kit?!?!?

Sticky Note Burgers are (just as their name implies) burgers that hold post-it notes. A delightful desktop accessory and whimsical conversation piece that I plan to offer as a Workshop to inspire creativity and teamwork in the workplace.

Sticky Note Burgers are offered as a single kit at http://www.thecraftybuffet.com/ . The website will be updated to include Pre-Made (in case you don't want to make it!),Workshops and Wholesale Group Kits. Stay tuned...and don't forget to look for "Sticky Note Burgers" in the December Issue of B.L.A.C. Detroit!

"In The Midst of A Storm..."

On February 5 we awoke to water flowing from the bathroom into our bedrooms downward from the ceiling into the kitchen, living, dining rooms and basement soaking everything in sight! Needless to say I have not been creating since! Moving would be the more appropriate "word" after the insurance company deemed it necessary for us to re-locate until our home could be repaired (which by the way, could take anywhere from 6-8 weeks!) That week alone we moved on four different ocassions before finally finding suitable permanent housing 2 weeks ago.

But in the midst of the storm...

I had an upcoming presentation on creativity to give at a K-8 school. While exhausted and feeling displaced, the thought of cancelling was not an option even though it had graciously been extended. That morning I mustered up a few crafts, put on my oven costume and hoped for the best. The program ran non-stop from 9-3 with droves of classes coming to hear what I had to say. At the end of the day both students and teachers appeared to have enjoyed the presentation! I was relieved and elated. It had been a pleasant end to a stressful week. But the "true" highlight of the day appeared in my inbox later that evening from a 2nd grader who had attended the presentation. It read as follows...

Hello Mrs Robinson,

I am Box Man. I listened to you and used my imagination.

Thank you for coming to our school.

John Webster
2nd Grade, 2A

Born from the imagination of a 2nd grader who listened! I can see "Box Man" as a cartoon on cereal boxes or in The Adventures of Box Man, an animated series. Afterall, Mickey Mouse was born from imagination?????

Random Acts of Creativity

I am often asked, "where do you come up with your ideas?" I always look above. God gifted me with a creativie mind and everything that comes from it belongs to Him. One day, Maiah referred to one of my "spurts" of creativity as being "totally random." Wow! That's so true! I don't get up and decide to make anything in particular...it just happens! Like when the box in my basement "started to look like an oven to me," it just comes." But when it does, I act on it!"

These "cardboard meals" are one of my "random acts of creativity." Enjoy!

Now That's Entertainment!

My 2nd through 5th grade students got a thrill making these "add a voice" studio headphones!

I came up with the idea after viewing We Are The World the 25th Anniversary Video of The Story Behind The Song. In the video, everyone wore headphones. So to create realism and get their "buy in" to learn the song - we would have headphones too! The only difference...we would make ours!

A few simple ingredients made them a cinch to make and you would have thought I purchased each child their very own "working" headphones! It was Over The Top!

I cranked up my portable Bose and we pretended to be in the studio re-creating the music video! It was a priceless experience! Look for these and other creative ideas in my book, Random Acts of Creativity coming soon! Stay tuned...

Looking for something NEW TO DO in 2011?

Have a murder mystery dinner party and invite guests over to watch Ellery Queen!

Remember it from the 70's? It was a WHODUNNIT series with Tim Hutton. I did not watch it back then...heck I was a teenager! But I love it now and Maiah does too! It was my Christmas gift to myself. I discovered it on Amazon and ordered a copy. We watched a portion of the first episode this AM and can't wait to finish it later today!

Ellery, (Tim Hutton) brings you into the action by looking directly into the camera and asking if "you" know who is the murderer before he tells you how he solved it. And what a "cutie pie" Tim Hutton is! I was sad to learn he died at the young age of 45.

If you like lighthearted "figure it out" mysteries without the sex, violence and commercials of today get this series!

A Slice of Kleenex?

It took a creative person to come up with this design - a tissue box shaped like a slice of cake and pie! I could hardly resist buying ALL of them! A perfect hostess gift and ideal for someone with a cold or flu. Packaged creatively they can be given for Valentine's Day, Sweetest Day, Birthday's and other special occasions. Shown here on a plate with a fork ink pen, they make an adorable desktop accessory. Now...if I can just figure out how to make the ice cream??? :-)