A RePost on Stocking Your Craft Room

I follow a LOT of craft blogs. I don't always click on every post they do, but I found one today I just had to read EVERY WORD of. It was from Simply Kierste -- one of my faves! She did a post on the basic craft items you need in your craft room.  It was SO HELPFUL! My favorite part was her saying her Silhouette is her most used item -- mine, too! There are SO MANY things you can do with the a Silhouette machine -- it's crazy. My mind is constantly blown when I see a new AMAZING project that was done with a Silhouette. It's so much more than just scrapbooking and vinyl projects. I couldn't believe it when I saw you could make JEWELRY with a Silhouette. Cray!

Here is the link to the awesome post on Simply Kierste:

http://simplykierste.com/2013/07/stocking-your-craft-pantry.html

And here is a link to Silhouette's blog.  Click on it to blow your mind, too!

http://blog.silhouetteamerica.com/

One more link -- Silhouette JEWELRY projects:

http://blog.silhouetteamerica.com/search/label/jewelry

THE END!

DIY Hello Shirt {and Baby A version}

I like Facebook.

Don't we all?

I don't like Facebook ads.

Those annoying ads that stream on the right hand side of my timeline.

But the other day, the ads were actually useful.

I saw a shirt that I kind of knew I needed to own.

It looked like this:

And it belongs to Hello Apparel.

It also costs $28. Plus shipping.

Which is basically a giant NO.

But oh how I wanted the shirt to be a giant YES.

So, what did I do?

I Put a Bird on It.

And I made it myself.

With my Silhouette Cameo and some fabric paint.

I used a shirt I already had.

So the project cost me NOTHING. click me

If the Hello Apparel people come after me, because I copied their shirt, that'd be pretty darn cool.

Because that means I'm cool enough for the Hello Apparel people to come after me, because I copied their shirt.

Although it looks like a "period" the punctuation is in fact a HEART.

And I couldn't resist making a pint size variation for Baby A.

And then you can take the $30+ you saved and go to Buffalo Wild Wings. Twice.

Click below for links to download files to make your own Hello shirt

 {{so you too can look really, really ridiculously good looking}}

HELLO <3 for freezer paper stencil

HELLO <3 for Silhouette Studio (PDF)

HELLO <3 for Silhouette Studio (Studio File)

{{For a tutorial on making your own and using fabric paint with your stencil, click the link below}}

FABRIC PAINT DIY SHIRT TUTORIAL

If you make a shirt inspired by me, please comment and link it up. I'd love to see!

Happy Father's Day Tie Wreath Tutorial {no cut!!}

Happy Father's Day!!

This year, I wanted to make a Father's Day tie wreath. I'd seen a few on Pinterest and LOVED the idea. All the tutorials were sort of the same:  get a foam wreath, cut 14 ties, hot glue to wreath. There was only one problem -- the CUTTING 14 TIES part! I don't know about you, but this girl hasn't figured out how to get her money tree to sprout in her backyard yet, so the idea of cutting TONS of my husband's precious ties was out of the question! I thought maybe - just maybe - if I could find ties at a thrift store for 50cents each, then just maybe I could spend $10 bucks on the wreath and use those ties. BUT NOPE! Apparently used ties are a hot commodity, because each store I checked, the cheapest tie was $3. One store even had a used Prada tie for $30. Again - out of the question! So I thought there has to be another way. But I couldn't find even one tutorial on making a tie wreath that didn't involve cutting the ties.

So I gave up.

On my tie wreath.

And moved on to other projects.

UNTIL -- (dun dun dun....) --

-- 

--

--

I found a 12" metal wreath form that I'd been meaning to make a mini burlap wreath with, and DING! it hit me that I could possibly use it to make a no-cut tie wreath. And it worked. Quite nicely! I threw in a gold vinyl DADS! in the middle for an extra su'm su'm (the husband's idea!), since we were hosting our family for dinner and celebrating several DADS! that night.

Father's Day Tie Wreath {no cut!}

I got my wreath and my husband got to keep his ties. Perfection.

TUTORIAL

The Goods:

1x -  12" metal wreath form

Several ties (I used 9)

Double sided tape

Ribbon or burlap for hanging

Organize your ties how you want them on your wreath. I went for blue, brown and gold tones.

With the tie facing you, as if it were on a person, wrap the small end of the tie through the wreath hole and tuck it up into the 2nd metal piece for stability.

Take the rest of the tie and continue wrapping around the metal wreath form, so the back of the tie is facing down and the front of the tie is always showing.

When you get to the end, the pointy part of the tie should be positioned so that you can place it last and have it showing on the front of the wreath. I had to tighten or loosen each tie to adjust the positioning. You may have to start over, if it isn't positioned right. After a couple, you get the hang of it. Once it is positioned correctly, place a piece of double sided tape on the back of the tie, as pictured. Then, you can flap it over and stick it to itself. Some ties may need a couple pieces of tape, depending on the material.

The finished tie should look like cute, little tie envelopes. Aww.

Continue wrapping ties until the wreath is complete!

It is seriously the easiest wreath I've ever made. AND, you get to keep all your ties.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

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DIY Etched Heart Glass Bowl

 Just in time for Valentine's Day!  It is SO easy to take any glass bowl, vase, jar, etc., and turn it into a piece of themed decor!  I had this glass bowl sitting on a shelf in a closet -- never being used.  Using a vinyl stencil cut by my Cameo and some etching creme, I created a cute way to display stripey straws.  It seriously took me less than 20 minutes, start to finish, and didn't cost me a thing! 

The best part?  I didn't have to leave my house to go anywhere to buy a cute heart bowl, meaning a PJ day for me.  Sweet.

Happy Halloween! {Skeleton Baby Shirt}

Happy Halloween!

Using my best friend, the Silhouette Cameo, and my other best friend, fabric paint, I created this skelebaby shirt.  It's a sneaky little costume, you see.  It's so darn adorable, no one can give me a hard time for only having a Halloween shirt for a costume.  Everyone kept asking, "Where did you get it?" and when I replied, "I made it," I had to brag about the Silhouette Cameo and how amazing it is at cutting vinyl to use as a stencil.  I seriously don't know how people FREEHAND this stuff on freezer paper and cut it out by hand.  Good on ya, if ya do, but I like the easy route! 

I've seen shirts like this you can buy online, but they are $30+.  Mine cost about $5 for everything.  Therefore, I win.  :)

(or do the BABY FEET win?!)

Simple Halloween Wreath

I wanted a simple Halloween wreath to hang in my kitchen this year.  I saw something similar last year and wanted to make it.  Of course, it only took me 365 days to actually put the thought into action.  Better late that never!

(hard to tell in the picture, but the ribbon is black lace wired ribbon and the bats are sparkly!!)

Here is a link to a great giveaway from Jewelry and Baby Bling by Dara: CLICK HERE