Six for Saturday or Sunday - Kitty Cat DIY

You are quite right...Tig does not get the same social media airtime as Oli; however, our crazy kitty cat is not a social animal. In all fairness, he does enjoy a good cat toy from time to time, so this DIY post is dedicated to Tig and cranky cats everywhere looking for a good time. :)

1. Feather cat toy (Martha Stewart)
2. Cat scratching pad and play-toy (Design Sponge)
3. Felt cat toys (Heavily Edited)
4. Cat play station (Lowes)
5. Recycled thread spool play-toys (ModernCat)
6. Suitcase bed, fit for a fussy feline (Camille Styles)

Looking for creative more ideas? Try the past Six for Saturday (or Sunday) posts, searching the blog under the DIY type of your preference, or I have a whole board full of of tutorials and DIY on Pinterest.  If you decide to make something fabulous, create a treasury, or post something special this weekend, you are welcome to share in the comments or at Creativity Unmasked on Facebook. If you are sharing your own post/site in the blog comments, you are welcome to include a live link for extra site traffic using the format <a href="http://www.yourlink.com">text you want shown for your link</a> 

Sage Social Media Words of Wisdom - Twitter

Driving home from work this afternoon, the radio hosts were chattering away (very entertaining) about twitter mishaps.  I can completely understand how the mishaps come to pass, and decided to make the next few Thursdays a special day to share some social media information here on the blog. I am not an expert, but I have been puttering for quite some time and am happy to share with (and learn from) all of you!  First up?  Twitter!

Heheh! Awesome Twitter poster listing by justonescarf on Etsy!

Twitter is an immensely popular social media, but it can be a little daunting to take flight into the twitter chatter of @this, #that, and a whole new language of abbreviated micro messages without descending into frustration and @#$%! Whew!  Here are a few quick words of intro:

• Tweet - A message posted to Twitter. Twitter allows you to post and receive short messages of up to 140 characters, making this a great rapid communication media to pair with your shop, blog, Facebook or other on-line presence.
• Tweeting - Sending Twitter messages or "Tweets" can be done on-line, via SMS or through a widget directly from your blog, Facebook or other account. 
• Followers - Other people who have chosen to receive your tweets in their Twitter news feed.
• Mention - If you tweet @username, your message is understood as being intended for/ about that person, although all of your followers will be able to see it.
• Reply - If you click "reply" it will generate an @username reply for you to send to the person/people in the original tweet.
• Retweet (RT) - If you hover on a tweet and click "retweet" or type RT@username, your message is understood as being a resend, sharing another person's message to your followers. 
• Direct Message (DM) - A private Twitter message directly to a follower.

Before you launch yourself on Twitter or reinvigorate your profile, here are a few quick words of advice on making Twitter work for you:

• Are you for real? This may seem basic, but fill in your profile, add an image and personalise your page.  Many users (myself included) are predisposed to be leery of sparse profiles lest we befriend a spammer or other dodgey user.
• This is social media, so be social.  Twitter spam is way too common.  No one want to follow someone who only tweets their own Etsy shop listings and blog posts - would you want a "real" friend who did nothing but talk about themself?  Join the conversation, tweet new stuff, share things, @ mention and reply to other people.  That doesn't mean that you can't tweet your own horn, so to speak, just don't do it non-stop. 
• There's an app for that!  Opinions vary, but I personally think it is fine to use apps and widgets to share news from your followers or tweet your latest blog URL to your followers.  Like everything, it is all a matter of moderation!
  
• To follow or not to follow...that is the question. Different people use Twitter for different purposes at different frequencies. Don't make Twitter into a game of  reciprocal following. Instead, follow the people that you find interesting or helpful.  It is also ok to unfollow someone at your personal discretion.
• Click with caution. The 140 character limit on Twitter mean that there are a lot of shortened links.  Know who you are tweeting with and where you are clicking.  From spam, to the perverse, to unsafe sites the internet is home a cornucopia of characters and their posts may have less than honourable intentions.

Want to learn more about Twitter?  My favourite share for newbies on Twitter is the Mashable Twitter Guide.  Tweet-on and have fun!  Join me at @thelauranetwork and say hello. :)  Stay tuned next Thursday for more social media madness!

Six for Saturday or Sunday - Red Red Wine

I'm late with today's post...sadly, it has been that sort of chaotic week, but the weekend is finally here and let the bliss begin!  Here is a very cheery weekend wine DIY round up:

1. Chalkboard Bottles (The Wine Guide)
2. Red Wine Lollipops (Sprinklebakes)
3. Red Wine Fudge Popsicles (A Beautiful Mess)
4. Cork Stamps (The Sweet Spot)
5. Cork filled vase (inspiration from Cute DIY Crafts without tutorial)
6. Wine Cork Coasters (Jenna's Blah Blah Blog)

Looking for creative more ideas? Try the past Six for Saturday (or Sunday) posts, searching the blog under the DIY type of your preference, or I have a whole board full of of tutorials and DIY on Pinterest.  If you decide to make something fabulous, create a treasury, or post something special this weekend, you are welcome to share in the comments or at Creativity Unmasked on Facebook. If you are sharing your own post/site in the blog comments, you are welcome to include a live link for extra site traffic using the format <a href="http://www.yourlink.com">text you want shown for your link</a> 

DIY Peanut Butter and Carob Dog Cookies

Time for a treat, wouldn't you agree?  Today's post is an easy anytime no-bake DIY doggie treat recipe for my fellow animal lovers.   In keeping with my easy-going low-measurement canine culinary mantra, the quantities are approximate. :) The ingredients in the pictured treats are as follow, and feel free to adapt if you wish:

• approximately six standard carob drops, coarsely chopped
• approximately 1/3 cup chunky peanut butter 
• a splash of honey 
• approximately 1/8 cup oatmeal
• approximately 1/8 cup allbran
• a sprinkle of shredded dried coconut
• if required, a little water to achieve a doughy consistency

Mix into a sticky "dough", roll by hand into small bite-sized balls, lay on waxed paper or bakers paper on a plate, and refrigerate to set. I recommend keeping them refrigerated for storage. Serve with as individual special treats to your favourite pampered pooch, with a heaping side of love. :) 

Happy Mother's Day

Mom and I strolling together. Photo credit: Dad :)

Today is Mother's Day, and whether your day started with breakfast in bed, family brunch or perhaps a long-distance call , I hope that your day is a wonderful one. On the first Mother's Day celebrated here at Creativity Unmasked, I shared a special post about my grandmother and mother giving me the gift of creativity.  Here is a reshare, and I would absolutely love it if you would share your own memories of creating with your mom. Leave a comment or write a post of your own and leave the link so that we can all visit to read.  Happy Mother's Day!

Both of my parents seem to have magical age defying properties that I only hope I have inherited, owing in part to their lifelong love of the great outdoors.  My emails from home often include photos of my parents canoeing, kayaking, hiking, snowshoeing, skiing, and camping.  Being in Australia means that I don't get to see any of my family very often, but email, MSN and Skype make the world smaller than ever.  My love of nature is far from the only gift my parents gave me.  The gift of creativity in one more of many.  Between arts at school, projects in kids groups, and craftiness at home it was inevitable.  I grew up way out in the country where make-your-own-entertainment was a necessity and, when the weather kept us inside, it was often reading or creating that occupied my time.   My grandmother lived just a kilometre from our home and she is an amazing crafty lady, and my mother was always crafting something.  The house was decked with embroidery, cross stitch, ceramics and any number of handmade goodies.  Every time I see a tomato pincushion I think of my mother. :)