Hi everyone, it’s Courtney with Crafts by Courtney, thanks for checking out my very first interview! For my first Summer Spotlight pick, I chose a very talented blogger and friend of mine. Amanda at Crafts by Amanda.
The Summer Spotlight is a collaborative effort to showcase great ideas from a different talented blogger each Friday throughout the summer months. Follow my co-hosts and I online to see the great ideas we share year-round:
Amanda of Dwelling in Happiness
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Carrie of Kenarry: Ideas for the Home
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Courtney of Crafts By Courtney
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Ashley of 3 Little Greenwoods
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Kristi of Making It In the Mountains
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Katie of View from the Fridge
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I’m sure many of you already know and recognize Amanda. She has been in the blogging game for a while now and in my opinion is one of the top bloggers and an inspiration to many. Amanda creates cool kids crafts and beautiful home crafts on her site.
I first came across Amanda’s site about two years ago. I was inspired by many of her projects (especially the kids crafts). When I started working for Kix Cereal as a contributor. I felt honored that I was working along side her. We started talking and our friendship grew. She has become my blogging mentor and I truly respect her and what she has accomplished over the years.
Amanda has been blogging since since 1997 and has been featured in publications from Better Homes and Garden to Good Housekeeping and Country Living Magazine (just to name a few).
She has over 361,000 Facebook followers and has written 5 books and has contributed for many large blogs such as Disney. This year she was featured once again in Parents Magazine, 2015 March edition. She has worked hard over the years to accomplish her dreams and make a brand for herself.
I think she has proven if you WORK HARD, you can make a living blogging.
Here’s some of my favorite projects from Amanda:
One of my favorites is a recent craft she did for her new studio/office space. Vintage Jeweled Burlap letters. She wanted to have inspiring wording on the walls of her studio. I think these letters turned out amazing. The jewels are to pretty and they look perfect above her studio window.
Amanda has a long list of amazing kids crafts. I’m sure most of you have seen these little cardboard tube minions all over the place. My boys absolutely love these.
Here’s a quote from an inspiring post of her’s about how she got here and her creative process.
If you had asked me in high school if I ever thought I would be creating craft projects for adults and kids, I would have said no.
When I come up with an idea, I usually sketch it our first. It helps me to visualize the project, bringing it from my head to something visual. I had this idea for some zoo animal clothespin magnets. I decided on a zebra and a hippo.
This post was a great read and it was nice getting to know Amanda a little more and finding out how she got started with blogging.
Here is another great project from Amanda…Snowy pinecone candle jars. These have been featured on many websites, like Country Living Magazine and Better Homes and Gardens. Amanda has TONS of amazing holiday ideas like these on her site.
Make pretty luminaries that appear to be covered with freshly fallen snow using snow texture paint! Oh so gorgeous and perfect for the holidays, they are very easy to make.
Amanda is also a fan of coastal decor (like me). She has a huge selection of beach inspired crafts she’s made for her home. One of my favorite are these simple weathered beach signs she created. They were stenciled by hand!
Spring break has come and gone and many people hit the beach during this time of year. We come back home with a bag of seashells, the sound of the ocean waves crashing in our ears, and the smell of warm, summery air in our nostrils.
Another one of her kids craft favorites of mine is the Paper Plate Tropical Fish. These tropical fish are so creative and colorful. Perfect Summer craft to add to your boredom buster list for the kids.
I am heading to Florida for a conference in less than two weeks, and that has me thinking of all things beachy. Tropical fish live in the ocean, and their colors are vibrant and beautiful.
Not only does Amanda have her Crafts by Amanda blog, but she also has Amanda’s Cookin, a site COMPLETELY dedicated to recipes she makes herself. She’s not only a talented crafter, she is also a talented cook/baker. She can do it ALL!!
This blog is filled with mouth watering, desserts, dinners and yummy snacks. I would have to say this