Holiday plates with vinyl lettering

I'm on a roll, woohoo! This is another project inspired by a pin on Pinterest. I found the original idea here : http://pinterest.com/pin/55591376619891512/ - from Better Homes and Gardens. They used 3 plate hooks/holders to spell out the word "JOY" with 3 white plates and red lettering. That is what I orignally wanted to do, and had planned on doing, until I realized that the plate holder that I had sitting waiting to be hung on the wall only had 2 spots, not 3.. I had to regroup. I hate to admit that it took me a lot longer than I would have liked.... I was trying to think of all the words that would go together for Christmas. Comfort and Joy would have been good too... I settled on Peace and Joy. At that point I cut them out with my Cricut in the last piece of my lovely red vinyl that I have rarely used. I'm so pleased with how they turned out. Okay... to be nitpicky, I should have recentered the JOY, it's a bit high on the plate, but oh well.... it was the perfect touch for my empty wall. I'm trying very hard to not just pin things on Pinterest, but actually attempt to make some of them. For right now, I'm doing alright I think. I do copy and save images to my computer so I can place them in a Word document in smaller pictures and print them out for my idea binder. I can't always get to a computer to look at something I've pinned, and it's easier to show someone else that way... I'm rambling... anyhow.. I found a set of 5 white plates at Goodwill for $4.99, I didn't think that was too bad of a deal, and I had the vinyl already. You can do this without a Cricut- and I plan on buying some Contact paper too- cheaper and cuts the same as vinyl too :) Try it out, it's easy and a lot of fun!

I think my picture is a little off kilter- didn't realize that until I posted it... sorry about that...

"Lets Be Jolly" sign- I made something I saw on Pinterest!

I've been on Pinterest for a few months now, and every day I find more things I want to make. Here is where I found this idea :http://pinterest.com/pin/94646029638585698/- to give credit to the owner of this idea. I found this scrap of wood in a lot in front of our house, and believe me, it was scrappy- wet, dirt clumps on it and all. I took it in and let it dry off, sanded a bit, then painted.

I used a buttery yellow for my base coat, and when it was dry, used my Cricut to make vinyl stencils. I painted over them with my red paint, and when it was almost dry, I peeled off the letters with my little Cricut pick-type tool..

To my delight, some of the paint came off with the vinyl. Normally I would be unhappy about this, and try and clean it up with some paint- but since I wanted this to look slightly distressed, it worked out great- and I didn't even have to try! (Always a plus :) ) I finished it up with sanding slightly around the edges and adding a wire hanger. I'm really happy with it, and it added the finishing touches to the decorations in our downstairs bathroom. I love the pop of the red. That, and you can't go wrong with the word "Jolly". It makes me smile every time.

DIY Superhero masks

Our MOPS group decided to make some superhero masks to go in our Operation Christmas Child boxes, so the first step was to find an easy template to use. I searched online and found some basic templates here: http://www.firstpalette.com/Craft_themes/Wearables/superheromask/superheromask.html

We used felt to make them a bit sturdier than paper- and to double up that sturdiness as well as offer 2 masks in one, we made them double sided, so the recipient could change around their look. I used my Cropadile punch/setter to make holes for the elastic. We also decided on elastic rather than ribbon or cording to tie, because then they didn't need to have to tie them, or need help. They could just start playing.

On this design, I cut out the center part of the mask template and traced on another color of felt for contrast. For the lightning bolts and stars, I just looked up some clip art and honestly- I traced on a piece of paper right there from my computer screen. I cut that out and glued it to cardstock, then used the star or lightning bolt to trace around as I had the masks.

These are also double sided - oh, just in case you're wondering, I cut out the entire mask piece first, then used the center from a second template that I'd cut out, to add a contrasting color. I used my hot glue gun to glue everything together. They came together pretty quickly, and you can personalize them to your little superhero- my daughters even wanted some- so don't feel limited to boys, by any means- make hearts, flowers, glitter glue, ribbons... There you have it, some basic superhero masks. Oh, and I bought the felt by the yard at Jo-Ann's- on sale, they have a lot of color options- and depending on how many you want to make (think birthday party, etc), it might be more cost effective to buy 1/2 a yard or so of your main colors. Happy mask making!

Easy little notebooks/drawing pads for kids

I made these little notebook/drawing pads out of scraps of chipboard and cardstock. The pieces I had were roughly 3 1/2 inches wide, so that's what I used. I was playing around and thought that there was no reason why it wouldn't work to make these little notepads for my girls- they love paper and drawing/writing, and they're the perfect size. I determined what size I had available for the chipboard, then cut the paper about a 1/16th of an inch smaller. I used my Cropadile to make holes in the paper- using the first punch as a guide for the rest. I had some book rings on hand, and "ta da!" there you go. I tied a bit of scrap ribbon around the ring, and used some leftover adhesive chipboard letters for their initials... They could have been decorated a lot more, but my girls were very happy with them ( apparently a little sparkle goes a long way with them). I might make more of them for stocking stuffers. You could make them bigger- a 6 x6 size would be cute too, giving a bit more room. You could use any cereal boxes or things like that to make your covers- especially if you wanted to decorate them more than I did. I figured I could use my Cricut to make some die cuts to glue on- you could easily do little boy notebooks like that with a car, star, or something like that. You could even use stickers- or give them stickers with it to decorate it themselves... no limits!

Photo Display /Hanger with ribbon and clothespins

For the record, it is REALLY hard to get a good picture of something that it tall/long, just saying... hence the multiple close up pictures. I used a piece of scrap beadboard, that was part of a scrap of beadboard that will hopefully end up as a different project- if I ever figure out how I want to do it. That is a different story all together. Back to the picture hanger. I painted it brown first, let it dry, then painted it an aqua color, let it dry, and then distressed lightly around the edges.

I used hot glue to glue ribbon ( on the back) at the top and bottom, and then used some scraps of cute paper that I still had to cover some mini clothespins. I found a package of 12 for under two dollars in the office supply section of Walmart. I used Mod Podge to glue the paper, then sanded around the edges. I used my Cropadile to punch holes in the top corners of the "wood"- I think it's actually made from the light MDF stuff, so it worked- otherwise I would have drilled. I used more ribbon to make a hanger for the board, then all that was left was to add my pictures.

This was part of my attempt to start doing things with all those "project worthy" scraps and miscellaneous items in my crafty stash.. I'm pretty happy with it, especially since 2 days ago I still didn't know what I wanted to do with this... :)

Scrapbooking Retreat Layouts

This last weekend, I got to go to a scrapbooking retreat- it was a lot of fun, and I was able to get a lot accomplished (for me ;) ) It was great to be able to focus solely on scrapping and not have to get stuff out, then put it away. Everyone had their own 8 foot table to work on and we could leave our supplies out the whole time. We scrapped into the late hours and woke up early to scrap some more! Crazy productive and TIRED! Anyhow, I was able to use a sewing machine on some of my layouts for the first time- I usually hand stitch- which doesn't leave the option of zip zagging really- so I tried it with the machine, and my oh my, that's fun! If you have the opportunity to go to a scrapbooking getaway, I recommend going, and having a friend along to make it more fun :)

Card Making day for MOPS

All of these designs, just for the record, are not mine- I used the basic layout of everything based on pictures of cards I'd saved to my computer from the Internet.... The cards themselves were made by me, and I picked out the papers and ribbon, etc. On the first card- I used a punch to make the little flowers and used self adhesive bling to go in the middle of them.

The stamped image on this card was a Stampin Up stamp- with the two images that work together. ( I don't know what the 'official' term for it is). I normally would have added some inking around the edges ( and I actually did on the first card- I pre inked all of them because I couldn't handle it), but since this is a project being done by over 50 ladies, adding a step like that means adding a lot of ink pads and such, and I didn't want to go that route this time with this craft. Not everyone likes that look anyway, so, they got the basic.

This one is my favorite, I think. I love the aqua color, and the stamp, and the embossing, and and and.... I used my Cuttlebug to emboss the basic white card, and then all the ladies had to do was put it together. It amazed me how many different ways they changed things up, and they all looked great! Again, I used the same small punch and bling for the flower. I definitely want to make more cards like this one. If you have a Cuttlebug, I highly recommend using it if you like to make cards, it adds such a nice look to it every time.

We Are Family- Make your own Photo Display

Part two of " I did it!!" This is another project that I started many months ago, and just finished now. The reaaallllly sad part is that it took me that long to figure out the lettering for it. I knew what I wanted it to say, and I tried different fonts with the Cricut, and it just wasn't working for me. I was determined to finish it this weekend. I ended up using the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge, and just doing it like this, nothing fancy. I created this by cutting a piece of 1 x 4 x 6 down to a length that would work for my 4 small picture frames that I purchased on clearance. The frames were originally an orangey stained color, but fortunately, real wood- so I just sanded by hand. That took a while, but I'm glad that I did- that would really bug me to have an orange color come through when I was distressing later. I was then able to paint all the wood with a base coat of dark brown, and then a top coat of a vintage white/cream. When it was all dry, I just sanded around the edges a bit until I was happy with the look. ( I tend to be a "less is more" kind of gal with distressing) I attached the frames with eye screws. I nailed a hanger in the back of the main board, and it is hung by that for the support. I attached some ribbon to the back and nailed it higher up the wall to give the impression that it was being hung by the ribbon. I wonder if it would be too much to add little ribbon "ties" where the eye screws are... that look could go either way, couldn't it? Hmmmm.... Anyhow, it's not perfect, but I'm happy for putting something together like this, I've never tried doing that before. You could do this with any piece of wood and frames, could be super cute, I recommend trying it!

Count Your Blessings Wood Decor- Craft Warehouse project

I did it! I finally finished this after having it sitting for months half done. I bought this at Craft Warehouse- for a steal- $5! Their project idea was for a chore chart, but I wanted to go with this instead. I numbered the frames and will place pictures of my children and of my husband and I together in one- counting my blessings :) I painted the base color brown, let it dry, then used Americana brand Weathered Wood Crackling Medium. My top coat was a nice off white/cream color. I sanded a little bit around the edges, not too much though. I think I will at some point change out the twine with some nice dark brown ribbon and add a ribbon hanger. I think I will like it better that way. I used my Cricut to cut out lettering and the numbers. I love the song with "count your blessings" . "Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God has done." Amen.

Fun with a 2 x 4- Fall Wood Blocks

I've been itching to make some Fall blocks for a while now, and finally painted some of my 2x4x4 blocks in Fall-ish colors to make it happen. I sat brainstorming words or phrases that emboddied the Fall feeling to me (took a while...don't you hate it when you know that they're right there but can't think of words when you actually want them?) The first set I painted with a base coat of dark brown, then after it dried, painted a nice dark orangey color - I actually didn't have the right color in my paint stash, so I combined a couple of colors.. who knew that neon orange with a brick red would create this pretty dark pumpkinny color? The second set, I painted with various colors that reminded me of the leaves turning color this time of year. I was able to use supplies that I already have, always a plus! I then sanded away to distress the blocks, for once I'm actually pleased with how it turned out. And I didn't even CRACKLE anything, quite rare.. though they would be pretty crackled instead. As an aside, I used my Cricut (the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge- using a combination of the Tall Ball, Roly Poly, and regular font to change the look up)

Comments and Suggestions box

This is just one of those random posts about something kind of crafty that I did. No big thing, but I'm pleased with how it turned out. This started as a plain white box with a lid- one that you'd put a gift in and wrap up. I was asked to "prettify" it for our MOPS group- (if you want info. on MOPS- here's my plug again : check out www.mops.org ) I cut a hole in the middle of the lid- trying to get it centered was tricky- it's not completely in the middle, but "gut genug"- good enough! I glued paper to the front, then wrapped the edges around, working carefully to make it neat. I only had one piece of paper for the bottom, and I knew that if I had the paper all the way to the top, it would get mangled when we put the top back on over and over. My solution: I traced the sides out, then used my corner edge rounder to make a scalloped edge, and glued it as high as the bottom of the lid when placed on the box. It actually worked pretty well. I used a sponge ink pad to shade the white part of the box that would show when the lid was taken off, so it didn't stand out. Last part was cutting the letters out of Cricut vinyl- using the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge. I added a few token flowers just to add some dimension and then placed small colored rhinestones along the sides. (Main reason for this is that I didn't have any ribbon that matched right at home, grr... but I think it's nice enough.) Consider it "prettified".

Saturday Market

This was my one and only attempt at a Saturday Market this year. I joined in with my in-laws in Tillamook- they sold polished rocks that they've gathered from Oregon beaches. I tried a few different things to sell: signs- made with paint, crackling medium, and Cricut vinyl lettering.

These were some of my favorite- I tried sets of words and phrases- with 3 two by four by 4 inch cuts of wood. Some I just painted with a base and top coat (contrasting) then distressed, others I used crackling medium. I then cut out the lettering with my Cricut.

I also tried these little easel frames (mentioned with the original idea and link to the owner of the idea in a previous links) with paper Mod Podged on and sanded around the edges. I did paint around the edges and backs of the wood first with a coordinating paint color, then added ribbon.

Here's a "group" shot. Right behind the signs are some roughly 5 1/2 by 5 1/2 blocks of wood, decorated in the same way as the easels. I cut up a 2x6 to make those. I like them because they can fit a bigger picture on them. I made almost $50 at the market, not too bad I suppose- sure beats a kick in the teeth! :)

Wood block photo holders, part 2, Mod Podged paper

This is another variation on my last project that I tried with the wood 1x4x6 and a little dowel to make it an easel. I included the link in my previous post- I can't claim the original idea- the original source was generous enough to share her great idea with all of us and include a tutorial- check it out in my last post! She used her Silhouette to make vinyl stencils and paint to make some super cute photo/note holders..


This time around, I tried Mod Podging (that's a proper term, right? ;) ) paper on the wood, and sanding around the edges- I painted first... Then, tying satin ribbon around them... I think I'm in love with the ribbon! I think I might try inking the blue ones with brown around the edges... I'm not sure if that would be "gilding the lily" so to speak...

Red and cream....

aqua and white...

aqua and cream.. have I mentioned how much I like the satin ribbon? :)

Wood block photo frames

I found this super cute and easy idea from a fabulous link : http://www.bystephanielynn.com/2011/05/make-your-own-wood-block-photo-frames.html
I didn't stencil mine like she did, but the possibilities are endless with what you can do. I think I want to try some with Cricut vinyl, and also try Mod Podging cute paper on there. I couldn't find any of that nice baker's twine when I looked, but I really like the look of the satiny ribbon. I used a sheer organza ribbon for most of them, because I had the most of that. Love the satin ribbon and bow! I didn't even need glue or staples. I just wrapped the ribbon around several times and tied a double knot, then a bow.

I don't know if the dowel needs to be the full 4 1/4 inches, but it adds stability being that length.

And here's all of them together, all ready to slip my "thank you" tags in for the teachers. I made these to give to all the female teachers, secretaries, lunch lady, and safety patrol lady (that just doesn't sound "proper" but I don't know what else to call her. I appreciate them all and thought (and hope) they might enjoy the little gifts.

I almost decided to give these to the male teachers- somehow we have a bunch of male teachers for my boys, which is good, but makes giving crafty gifts kind of hard... I decided against it, and they will get chocolate dipped pretzels instead. I don't have the cash to give everyone Starbuck's cards.. wish I did, but oh well... :) Anyhow, check out the link and get some great ideas like I did! Thanks Stephanie!!

Wood Block Photo Holders

This is essentially the same thing as I did before with the project from http://www.howdoesshe.com/ , only I made the bottom piece of wood (from a 2x4) twelve inches instead of eight, and added 2 more blocks. I made this for my husband's mom, and it uses both sides so she can have all the grandkids and great grandkids on there. I really, REALLY love how my little clothespins turned out. You can get a package of 12 I believe, from Walmart for under 2 dollars. I painted them like I painted the blocks- with a bottom layer of red, and top layer of aqua, sanding around the edges to show the red just a bit through the distressing... Totally fun grandparent gift- or for any other person who you want to bless with a photo holder. Use whatever colors you like, paint or don't paint, use paper or not.. your choice. I suppose at some point I need to move on past the aqua/red combination... :)

Scrapping, kinda, with wood

I bought these wood hangers of sorts from Craft Warehouse. The example they showed had a picture scrapped on it. I decided to do the same thing, only after going from one idea to another with some pictures of a friend's boys. I'm really pretty pleased with how this ended up- especially since I finally decided on what to do with these "future projects" after they sat for a year in my craft stash.... No, I don't hoard... my husband would disagree- I purge every so often- a year or two is generally the maximum amount of time I'll keep something... but I digress. :) I suppose everything is pretty obvious what I did- stitching, distressing, brads, inking... Once I decided what I was going to do it went fast- only 6 months in the making or so, since I got the pictures...

Laundry Room Sign

This is another style of the laundry room sign I made several months ago. I ran out of the 1 x 4 x 8 pieces of lumber I normally use, and used a big square piece I had previously cut instead. I pretty much did the same thing, only the layout is obviously a bit different because of the shape of the wood. Crackling, sanding around the edges, then Cricut vinyl letters. I can't remember where I got the black ribbon of sorts- it's a nice wide grosgrain type- but I know that I recycled it off something, probably a gift one of the kids got. ( I always feel a bit excited when I can do that :) ). This was made for a friend who is putting together a basket for an auction, and she asked me if I could make the laundry sign for it. No problem! It came together quickly. I like this big square size from the lumber that I cut- it's about 9 x 9 inches.

Ribbon and Wood Hair Clip Holder

I've been trying to figure out a way to keep my girls' hair clips contained (and somewhat matched- so I can find matching clips when we have them), and after perusing some sites and talking to my friends, I decided upon the ribbon and wood idea. I cut a small piece of wood from a 1 x 4 x 8, painted it 2 colors (a base color and top coat) and distressed it a bit- cause that's how I roll.... I then cut strips of ribbon and glued the top of them to the back of the wood, glued on more ribbon to make a hanger, and cut out some vinyl letters with my Cricut. (The Cricut letters are totally unnecessary, and you could easily Mod Podge some cute paper on the wood instead of painting it or do whatever you want). I just wanted the function with a bit of "cuteness" added. Waiting for the paint to dry took the longest amount of time. My girls immediately liked it- ooh, I suppose I could have made polka dots and their initials... that would have been cute.... Anyhow, I can now find the matches to the clips and see exactly what I have instead of digging around in a basket with them loose. I'm pretty happy with this. Unfortunately my method for organizing the hair ties is not as cute- I have them all around a long paper towel roll- functional, but not cute... Oh well, if you have any ideas for that, please feel free to share... because that paper towel roll really leaves a lot to be desired visually....