the story of: the september desktop

It's time for another month, another desktop, another story. This time around, I went looking for a story that had something to do with coffee. Why? Because later in September, we're gonna have Coffee Week!



The full story of The Coffee Mill that Grinds Salt will come soon, but for now you can download the new September calendar desktop in either JPG or PNG. Set them to fill your desktop, no matter the size.

Are you ready for another great month? Grab some coffee, and let's welcome September!

good to great: rotating sponsor ad graphics

I'm about to do something I've never done here before. I'm about to share a technical tutorial. I've shared Good to Great ideas before, but this time I'm going to show you how to use javascript to get all fancy on your blog. Did you just fall off your seat? Oh wait...that was me.

I've taken a teeny bit of HTML in college (it was a while ago), and everything else I've learned has been from playing around with code, and by doing some Googling. Code can make me crazy, and sometimes I let other people do it for me, but there are times when I just need to fix something myself, and I do. There is a huge sense of satisfaction when I figure it out! So now you can too. (At least, I hope you'll be able to figure this out from me...remember this is my first code tutorial!)

If you haven't noticed, I have some awesome sponsors each month. I love them, and I'm not just saying that. Each of these sponsors deserves to be noticed, and so I try to rotate the location of their ads during the month so they get more viewing by you, my wonderful readers. Doing this manually is difficult, and I've not been convinced that it was all that effective. I wanted better.

After much searching and trying things out (because Blogger doesn't have a gadget for this), I found the way to have all of my ads change locations each time the page reloads. To see what I'm talking about, you need to be on the actual blog. See the ads? Refresh your page, and they'll change. All of the ads are still there, they just moved around. Exactly what I wanted.

If you have sponsors on your blog, or if you have some images that you want to rearrange in your sidebar, here's what you do:



In Blogger, click on the design tab, then add a gadget to your sidebar.



Choose the HTML/Javascript gadget. You'll get a box to add your code to, but first you need some code. Move that little box to the side, and then head to this site for the code. You'll need to copy all of the text that is in the box for "Step 1."



Paste the code into the Blogger box that you moved to the side. Now, go back to this site, and copy all of the code that is in the first gray box.



Paste it under the text that you already added to the Blogger box. Take a look at the image, and you'll see some text that is different from what you get from the Javascript Kit website. But it's close.

First, I have a line that starts with the img tag. That's the graphic that says "sponsors" in my sidebar. This doesn't apply to the rotation, so it doesn't need special code around it.

Next, there is the div tag that is just like the copied code. This is "group1", and it will remain at the top.

Under that is the link and image tags that display Amy's ad. It is the only x-large ad I have, and it is its own group..."group1".

Then the div tag closes.

The "div", "a href" "img" and "/div" sections all repeat, but with the label "group2". This grouping is all of my large ads, and they will all shuffle locations. Every large ad has this "div" tag with the "group2" label on it.

Sara's ad is the first that you see here, but all the rest are the same. And it doesn't matter what order you have them in, because they'll all show up in a different order each time.

Make sense?



After all of the ads have the code surrounding them, go back to the site, and grab the code from the last gray box. Paste it at the very bottom of the Blogger box, then save.

If everything went as planned, all of your ad graphics should be showing up, and they should be shuffling locations each time you refresh the page. Your sponsors will love you!

Oh, and since today is the last day of the month, some of my sponsors will be changing over tomorrow, so it's a good day to point out that you should give these blogs a visit!

new spoonflower fabric

So you know those patterned pencils yesterday? There's more fun with those crafty designs! New fabric! The more I play with repeating patterns, the more I love them. These are especially fun to me, and hopefully to you as well. Thread, yarn and embroidery floss, all in a coordinating pink. They are a fairly small print, which has become my favorite kind of print. I like working small.





All of these are now available to purchase on Spoonflower!

Of course, of all of these crafts, embroidery is my favorite, but oddly enough, the thread spool fabric is the one I love the most of the three. Funny how that happens, isn't it?

I've been thinking of adding other designs, or possibly other colors if these are loved and purchased. Buying lots of swatches adds up, so it helps when I have some Spoonflower credits to take care of the costs.

I used to just buy a chunk of fabric, and sometimes I still do that, but I try not to stockpile too much fabric. Now that I am getting swatches more often, I'm looking for some fun ways to use them, and have started a list. Soon you'll hopefully be seeing some fun projects to make using 8x8" pieces of fabric!

Oh, how I love seeing fabric with my designs...it's always so exciting and special! Tell me, tell me...what are you thoughts on these? What other designs or colorways would you like to see?

PS: The yarn fabric had a teeny glitch, which you may have spotted, but it has now been fixed.

print: pencil wraps

A few weeks ago, I saw this idea from Marie Claire Idees (via Creature Comforts), and had to try it. But I didn't want to just print out the patterns they had, lovely as they are. No, I wanted my own custom Wild Olive pencils, and so I set to work.



I used some tiled patterns that I've made, and placed them on strips. If you want to design your own (because, imagine the possibilities...especially for kids!), the strips are 1.1" x 6.75".

If you want to make some crafty Wild Olive pencils, download the file here.

Print on relatively thin paper so they wrap nicely, then cut out the strips.

Use spray mount or other adhesive on the strips and smooth onto round pencils.

When I sharpened mine in an electric sharpener, the paper part came off only where the pencil ground down. The sharpened edge looks slightly torn, but not bad at all. You could cut or tear away the paper before sharpening, if you prefer.

Like these patterns? Come back tomorrow to see what else these will be on!

Like these wraps? My mailing list friends might just be getting some bonus designs in their inboxes soon! (Not signed up? You can join on the Connect page!)

giveaway winners

Just popping in quickly to announce the winners from this week's giveaway!

Krista Vossler
won the Sew, Vintage, So Fun! Photos with Friends Giveaway!
(For everyone else, there's still time to win another frame and camera on Anita's blog!)

Justine
won the Funky Finds Best Friends Giveaway!

Ladies! Please email me at molliejohanson(at)gmail)dot)com so that we can get your prizes mailed out to you.

easy scrapbooking paper wrap

I love giving handmade gifts, especially the ones that I've made myself, but one of the big challenges is wrapping them. I can't stand the idea of buying boxes, so I usually revert to a some sort of pouch. You can see a couple of them here and here. Yesterday, when deciding how to wrap my sister's embroidery hoop, I had an idea. (and you'll forgive the semi-ick photos that I rushed to take, right? This was a last minute deal)



I pulled out a 12x12" piece of scrapbooking paper, and the hoop fit within the edges by just enough (when I put the tightening screw in the corner). Then I grabbed some brown kraft paper and trimmed it to be about 12x16"





This is stapled around three edges, with the extra length of the kraft paper as a flap. The embroidery hoop fit perfectly!




To hold the flap, folding around from the back, I used a printed label. It's hard to tell in the photo, but this has an instant photo pattern, and it's printed using my new tags and labels set. It was the perfect place to add the cheesy saying that I wanted to stitch for her! Easy, right?

Oh, and the small box is a necklace that I ordered from Iva Lilie. She was soooo sweet, and the necklace is beautiful...so perfect for my sister! It came in this little box, so I had one less pouch to make!

Now, I'm off to celebrate my sister's birthday with her!

friendship week: vintage craft instructions

We're at the end of Friendship Week, and I thought I'd combine this with a Vintage Craft post...featuring the piece that inspired the look of this entire week: Friendship Bracelets!

While looking for some supplies the other day, I happened to find my collection of friendship bracelet instruction books and freebie sheets. These are from when I was, I don't know...maybe 11? My sister remembers making some of these too, and when I showed her, we instantly started reminiscing about them. This kind of thing is the best!

I loved this book so much, even though I can't recall making too many from it. Looking through it now, I can't imagine trying to make the complex designs...there are so many lines of instructions for just a single repeat of the pattern! Still, it was something to aspire to.



What follows are the DMC sheets that we would pick up every time we went to Michael's. They were free, and combined with $1 worth of floss, you were good! I left all of them full size, so you can click on them to view them even larger in Flickr.

Also, underneath each photo is a link to see the back. These also take you to Flickr, and by viewing them larger (or downloading), you should be able to read them well enough to follow the instructions, if you so choose.


click here to see the back of this instruction sheet.

I kinda really want to make a couple of these for my hair. Like, now. (And how about those Brooke Shields style eyebrows!? I'll skip those.)


click here to see the back of this instruction sheet.

It's a totally new concept!


click here to see the back of this instruction sheet.

This was supposed to be for making sun/eyeglasses cords, but I'm pretty sure I used the instructions for bracelets too.


click here to see the back of this instruction sheet.

These were quite different from anything else I had made, and boy did I make a lot of them! You use plastic canvas as a base, and then wrap it to spell out words and make designs. Such fun!



You saw this in the first photo, and it was a tool that I couldn't have lived without. A piece of semi-soft foam, which I could pin the bracelet onto while working. The original pins are still in there. My sister reminded me that we also used to snap the knotted floss into our plastic floss box while working. Good times!

The one thing that was missing was the half-finished bracelets that I'm sure still exist somewhere. I supposed I'll just need to get one started and leave it for another time...

Oh, and Ayla Rose sent me a link to some new friendship projects from DMC. Cute stuff!

I hope you enjoyed Friendship Week!

friendship week: printable friendship cards

Recently I decided to delete my Facebook account. It wasn't a big deal to me, and I'm happy that it's one less thing to have in my life (of course, Twitter has sucked me in now). One of the funny things I always hesitated about Facebook is the friend request. I felt like a kid passing a note that said:

"Will you be my friend? Check yes or no."

And this was with people I'd known for months! Well, now you can ask people to be your friend the old fashioned way...in print.




These two color options print 2-up on a page, so just print them at 100% on card stock, then cut them in half and fold. They'll fit in invitation-size envelopes.



And even if you are just wanting to stay friends (or apologize and be friends again?), this would be a fun way to say hello.

Download the PDF here.

friendship week: best friends giveaway

Jessica from Funky Finds reminds us that even the closest of friends can be far away...and she's also got a giveaway for you and your best friend!



Aside from my hubby & mom, my best friend is Tamara. We met while working in college at a publishing company & she encouraged me to begin Funky Finds as a way to share all my 'finds' with others. Although we have lived 1,500 miles apart for the last two years, we have stayed in constant contact via email & near daily phone calls.

We also enjoy sending each other care packages filled with fun goodies we don't need, but that definitely put a smile on each other's face! Tamara loves Hello Kitty and I love to embroider. One package I sent her included this framed Hello Kitty image I adapted from a coloring page found online. I spray painted a frame I found at Goodwill and added some cute buttons to add some texture. I am currently working on another framed embroidery piece as a housewarming gift for Tamara & her new husband — but that's still a secret!

Jessica is giving away a Funky Finds tote bag and key chain...and a Funky Find tote bag and key chain! One for you, and one for your best friend!

To enter, leave a comment telling how long you've known your closest friend, along with a way for us to contact you if you win. The giveaway will remain open until Saturday, August 27th at 9PM CST. Good Luck!

friendship week: talia's friendship pattern

Talia of Number 19 has created something special for Friendship Week. We like embroidery patterns around here, right?

Hello Wild Olive readers!


I hope you're enjoying Friendship Week!

This week I drew up this pattern, inspired by friendship week. How important it is to have good friends around us, and what a gift they can be! I'm very blessed to be married to my very best friend, and that we have great friends around us that we can hang out with together! I must admit, I do love those girl times having manicures, scrapbooking, and chatting!

If you print this pattern out on A4 paper then it should fit just neatly into an 8” hoop. I haven´t left any instructions for colours, because I want you to be CREATIVE, and do colours that suit you, or a friend you might give this to when you´re done!

You can download the free pattern here.

Speaking of creativity, that's exactly what I'm talking about this week over at Number 19, and I'd love for you to join in the conversation!

~ Talia
Number 19

friendship week: wind in the willows friend portraits

I chose Friendship Week because it felt like the perfect fit for the group of friends in Wind in the Willows. They encourage, help, challenge and love each other, and live life as a fun little group.



Inspired by the style of decorating that you see in the characters' homes, I made some printed and paper-pieced portraits. They are so quick and easy to put together!



You'll need:
Glue dots (as much as I hate them!)
Scrapbooking Paper
WITW Portraits PDF
Card stock

Print the PDF portraits onto card stock, then choose scrapbooking paper for the frames and backgrounds.



Cut out around the characters, and use the printed frames as templates. From contrasting scrapbooking papers, cut a solid piece for the backing (it can be cut slightly inside the line), and a frame piece.



Use glue dots to stick everything together, and give it a bit of dimension!

Depending on how you'll use the finished portraits you could mount them onto a thicker board and add a ribbon hanger. I've not decided my final use for these yet, but I think they would be adorable hanging in a baby's room (I don't have a baby though).

They would also be fun on scrapbook pages or the front of a card. Have fun!

friendship week: meeting blog friends

If you've been reading this blog for at least the last year, you may have seen this photo before. This is Katie Green and I when we met for the first time last year. Technically, this is the only time we've met but not for long.

You see, Katie lives in England, so it's not so easy for us to just visit each other. Which is why it's rather a big deal that we're planning a trip for me to go and see Katie, her boyfriend, her family and friends. It's not until October, but I suddenly realize that the time will come soon. I'm so excited to spend more than just a day with this friend whom I connected with so quickly.

Katie may be the only blog friend that I've met in person, but I have others that I've worked with and connected with online. I have a special page set up for them, and you really should check them all out here.

But what if I could meet and connect with more blog friends? I know that there are people who read my blog who live in my area, and what if we met up? Would you like that?

I live in the Fox Valley area in Illinois...that's about 50 miles west of Chicago. This is what I'm thinking. A coffee and craft get-together some Saturday in September. If you're in the area, and you'd be interested in meeting some blog friends, leave a comment! If there's at least a few of us, I'll set up a date, time and place and announce it here soon!

And if you're not in the area, but you've never left a comment, this is a great time to introduce yourself. I'd love to "meet" you!

friendship week: encouragement from friends

Amy from Lemon and Raspberry is an amazing encourager. Through her blog, Twitter, emails and classes, she works hard to help build others up, and I love that about her!

One of my favorite blogs to sponsor is without a doubt Wild Olive .... and one of my favorite reasons to sponsor this site is all the creative and thoughtful ways Mollie has of promoting interaction and a sense of community between herself, her readers and her sponsors.

This week's 'Friendship' theme is of course no different. Mollie always finds a way to find a common thread and line of conversation on her blog that I just love. ..... and that I'm realizing I've missed in my life.

Now that I'm out of school, I've noticed I've reached the age when it's not as easy to make friends.

In high school, of course, you're with the same people all day every day ... and especially if you do extracurricular activities, these are likely people you have something in common with. I'm still good friends with several of my theater-friends from high school, for example.

But by this point in my life .... between my responsibilities that keep me busy and my growing online interests, I'm finding it more and more difficult to make NEW friends.

Enter the internet.

I know not everyone agrees that online friends are "real" friends, but believe me when I say sometimes they are exactly what you need.

This image below is of me, Kam (of Campfire Chic) and Justine (of a new beginning) .... 2 girls I can email (or tweet, or text) and any time with questions, problems, or just to celebrate a milestone with me.

These are girls whose blogs I found - or they found me, I can't quite remember - who share so many similar interests. We may not be spending hours together every week (like I did with friends when I was growing up in a church, or involved in school), but we interact every week, and have the ability to follow each other's lives online.



Online friends understand your frustrations with e-junkie. Online friends understand your joy at being re-tweeted by Ali Edwards. Online friends share that whole online experience that your 'in real life' friends know nothing about.

And when you are trying to build an online business, or leverage your online presence to really do great work, you need a friend. You need a cheerleader who really understands where you are coming from.

This has been one of my big goals behind Onward and Upward - a 6 week online workshop designed to help you get out of your rut and take things to the next level.

Among other things, this online workshop will not only discuss the value and importance of relying on your friends, but helping you identify who your cheerleaders are and when you need to call them.

Plus: There will be a private forum in place so all workshop attendees can meet, interact, and maybe even make new friends.

I am really looking forward to this being an environment to meet new people with similar interests, to be open and maybe even to be vulnerable.

Registration for Onward and Upward is NOW OPEN! And especially for Wild Olive readers, register with the discount code WILDOLIVEOU before Sept 7 for a $15 discount.

I hope we'll see you there!

And of course, if you want to give a shout out to your #1 (or #2 or #7) cheerleader in the comments you totally should!

friendship week: friendship bracelet embroidery pattern

How about some more friendship bracelet fun? This one uses embroidery floss, but it's not the kind you'll wear around your wrist!



Download the PDF for this pattern, and start stitching up a bracelet. It would be perfect as embroidered artwork for your best friend, or as a patch or pin on a bag!

As with all of the patterns and projects on my blog, I'd love to see your finished work. You can add photos the Wild Olive group on Flickr!

friendship week: photos with friends

Anita from Sew, Vintage, Sew Fun! always puts together the most thoughtful giveaway prizes, and this one is picture perfect!



Is there anything better than spending time with friends? And documenting that special time means so much to me. I love to look at photos of special times with my favorite people! If you feel the same way, my giveaway this month is going to help you to do that. The winner of this giveaway will receive the "Friend" multi photo frame shown on the left side of this photo, and the disposable camera pictured in the center. I hope that these items will inspire you to photograph your next friends date! xo, Anita

Thanks, Anita!

To enter, please leave a comment telling about a favorite friend moment, along with a way for us to contact you. This giveaway will remain open until Saturday, August 27 at 9PM CST. A random winner will be announced Saturday night.

Speaking of giveaways, Laura W. won the UPrinting.com giveaway, and she's already claimed her prize. Thanks to everyone who entered!