{Beach Spikers} with Cricut Explore

Hi crafters,

The temperatures are climbing and school is winding down! I'm so excited for summer and our annual beach trip! I saw these fun beach spikers from My Vinyl Direct and knew that they would be a fun project!

I ordered a bunch to have on hand for gifts but kept a few for myself! The pink one is entirely cricut cuts, I used the free chevron with a heart (just didn't use that section) and Opposites Attract. I took advantage of the upload option for the purple one and found some clipart quatrefoil and used Curlz font for the monogram. 

Can't wait to stick these in the sand along with a cold coke!

Happy Crafting,

Custom Concert Tshirts with Iron on Vinyl

Hi crafters,

I had the pleasure of having little hands in my craft room this past weekend. I helped 2 super excited girls get ready for a Taylor Swift concert. We used the Silhouette iron on vinyl and my cricut to create a custom look. We cut the vinyl with blade depth at 3 and pressure at 3. We reversed the image and put the clear transfer tape side down on the mat.

The text is Opposites Attract, the guitar is from Old West, and the hearts are from George and Basic Shapes. I put the girls' monograms on the guitar.

I used my Jolee's heat affix tool to apply the bling.  They looked adorable in their shirts.  I had a great time making them!

Happy Crafting,

{They're Engaged} SQUEEEE!

Hi crafters,

I'm officially back at school today! I've had a wonderful summer. I'm looking forward to NEW school year!

I'm also looking forward to seeing my co-workers.  I'm blessed to have such great people in my school. One of my co-workers got engaged a few weeks ago. I put together a tote bag with a few of my favorite bridal items: a Martha Stewart bridal magazine, ring cleaner, and an engagement ornament.

The tote bag is done with freezer paper, it's a mixture of the Gypsy font and Opposite's Attract.  The flourish is from Teresa Collin's Sophisticated cartridge.

The ornament is Martha Stewart's Elegant Cake cartridge (for the first letter of the names and the "We're Engaged" sentiment) The lower case letters are from Opposite's Attract.

The silhouette on the card is from Sweethearts. The background is embossed with the cuttlebug.

Thanks for stopping by,

{Bulletin Board Tool Kit}

Hi Crafters,

It's that time of year again! I can't believe summer is quickly dwindling. I have been working at school the past few days on bulletin boards. This will be my 7th year teaching middle school.  I've been doing a majority of the school's bulletin boards for the past 4 years.

I thought I would pass on a few tips and talk about what I keep in my bulletin board tool kit (my rolling cart). I prefer to use a rolling cart that has the power hookup so I can plug in the cricut and my laptop/gypsy/phone as needed.

1- Cricut machine
2- 12x12 paper (and sometimes my cricut sliding cutter)
3- Extra cartridges, if it's a quick cut I won't fool with my gypsy or cricut craftroom
4- 2 cricut mats- one for cutting while I take the letters off the other one
5- Pushpins in an easy access container- this one happens to have a magnet on the bottom which keeps the tin from flipping over. I like an open container for this because it makes it easy to grab a few pins. I typically put up bulletin boards by myself (Check out my video tutorial on how to do this alone) and I could NOT do it without pushpins. It allows me to position the paper on the board starting at one end and working my way down. I can easily adjust it if it's not straight or has slack in the middle. They are also great for positioning those tricky letters straight! I'm can move them around without having to remove staples.

6- Laptop (for music, spell checking, using My Cut Search to find an image, cricut craft room,)
7- Gyspy--I am a gypsy girl over a craftroom. It's easy to design things before hand.
8- Scissors- a GREAT pair. Seriously, don't mess around with dull ones
9- Fishing line- it's great for quickly measuring how long your boards are so you know how much paper to roll out for the background.  Throw it away when you're done; it's cheap and it tangles!
10- Stapler- I have one that broke off from the base. This makes it VERY easy to staple things to the bulletin board. It's not so great to use in the classroom with students, but a happy accident in my case.
11- Tape- I tape the end of the fishing line to the board while I measure out what I need.
12- Extra staples- I typically grab a box and by the end of the year I have used all 5,000 of them!
13- Staple remover- I really like the kind that slides under the staple, not the jaws of life version. It helps prevent ripping if you're keeping the background paper intact.
14- Trash container- It gets messy!

I think that just about covers my messy tool kit solution! I'm thinking I may add on a 1/2 apron with pockets for next year to keep a few of those things a bit closer.

Here's one of the boards I finished up this week. It says Attitude is the mind's paintbrush, it can color any situation.  The font is Opposites Attract, the pallet is from Seasame Street Friends and the paintbrush is from Locker Talk.

Thanks for stopping by,

Spreading Christmas Cheer at Cut it Up!

Hi Crafters,

The challenge for this session at Cut it Up! is Christmas in July! Wedding season is also in full swing! One of my favorite add on gifts to give at showers or weddings is a personalized ornament for the couple.

Everyday Cricut has a great tutorial on how to make these ornaments with pledge floor wax and ultra fine glitter. I prefer the squished round ornaments, it makes it easier to apply the vinyl. The script letter is from Martha Stewart Elegant Cakes cartridge, the rings are from Sweethearts, and the black font is from Opposites Attract. 

I added some tulle, ribbon, bakers twine, and raffia to finish off the tops.  

Be sure to link up your project to Cut it Up for a chance to win a great prize!!

Thanks for stopping by,

Custom :monogramed: stool

Hi crafters,

I am in the final stages of getting my craft loft in order! We got the island pieces last week using gift cards from my birthday. I went to Michael's today to pick up some canvases while they had them on super sale.  While I was there I found this fabulous adjustable stool on clearance for $20.00. They also had a black option.

It adjust to fit under a table or go counter height, which is perfect for my sewing area and the island.   It was very easy to assemble with no tools required. The wheels don't roll quite as well as my desk chair but that's the only thing I found I didn't like

It was just screaming for some vinyl so I used Mini Monograms and Opposites Attract  to make a monogram. I'm happy with the way it turned out!

Happy crafting,

Deco Mesh :round one: {ding}

Hi Crafters,

If you are here for the Cut it up! Dr. Seuss challenge Click Here

My poor back door was looking so sad with just a wreath hook.  I made an impulse purchase yesterday at the store with not a lot of background knowledge about deco mesh.

 Deco mesh is very easy to work with! I was surprised about the edge of the material though, it caught on everything, including my clothes.  I used a styrofoam wreath form and floral hooks to attach the mesh to the form.

The J is from Opposites attract. The Welcome cut is from Lacy Labels and the little spring duckling is from Create a Critter.  I cut chipboard first and layered the paper on top to help it hold up to the weather.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy crafting,

It's a {Jungle} Out There Nursery Canvas Monogram

Hi Crafters, 

I made this 3 monogram canvas set for my nephew's room.

The two smaller canvases are 8x10 and the larger canvas is 11x14.  I painted the canvases and let them dry.  I then cut out the monogram using the Lyrical Letters (center) and Opposites Attract (outside) cartridges.

The animals are from Create a Critter. I used my xyron sticker maker, atg gun, and zig two way glue pen to adhere the letters and animals to the canvas.

Happy Crafting,

Personalized {art} Kit

Hi Crafters,

My niece is also a budding crafter.  She loves to paint at school and create with me in the craft loft.  My husband and I got her an easel and art set for Christmas this year.

 

The front had an awful yellow sticker on it showing what came in the kit.  It of course did not come of easily so I took some fun contact paper and covered the entire front.  I then cut out a monogram with Opposites Attract. I layered the butterfly (from create a critter) on top with 3 colors of vinyl.  I think it turned out perfect! It looks a lot better than it did when I got it.

Thanks for stopping by...

Happy Crafting,

Batter up! {baseball} baby shower!

Hi crafters,

I celebrated the upcoming birth of my nephew yesterday.  The invitation is a flat A7 invite.  The onesie is from New Arrival.  I used the markers to do the design on the onesie to make it look like a baseball jersey.

The pennant pieces are from Birthday Bash.  The font is Opposites Attract.  I made the center piece reservable, the nursery theme is a jungle/safari theme so I put a few Create a Critter animals on the back.  This is the first time I tied each letter on with twine or raffia, it worked very well, much easier than threading the tulle through each letter.

I made burp cloths with rickrack trim and a special appliqué alligator one for the nursery.  The alligator is from Create a Critter.

I also made her a bath apron the pattern is from blissful patterns.  The tutorial was pretty easy to follow, I struggled a little bit with the pattern though.  It was nothing my home-ec teacher mom couldn't talk me through though.

The center pieces were roses in a square vase tied with tulle, raffia, and bakers twine.  A local baker and high school friend of the mom made these adorable cupcakes.  I created the cake toppers with Sports Mania.  I cut the shadow of the baseball and sandwiched a cookie stick between the shadow and the regular cut.

The co-hostess picked up these cracker jacks as the favors.  I cut out tags from Tags, Bags, Boxes and more.  The bat is also from Sports Mania.  I printed the sentiment and used a Stampin' up! punch to cut it out.

The food labels are 4x4 scored in half with bats and baseballs as accents.

We put a chocolate fountain, drinks, and cupcakes on the kitchen table.  I put a large baseball on the table cloth to dress it up bit.

It was a lovely shower.  Nephew got a TON of great stuff!  He'll be here before I know it.

Happy crafting,

:Alligator Baby Shower Full Review:

Hi Crafters,
Here's an update from the shower this past weekend.  We had a great time! It's always lovely to see the co-worker fam outside of school.

We did the food on the island.  A few of the highlights were a cheese ball, BLT bites, and spinach/artichoke dip.

I made little alligator tents to label the food. Here's a snap shot of the dessert bar.  This alligator is the same one from the invites and came from Create a Critter.

We had cupcakes, lemon cake, s'more dippers, and brownies.  I made the chandelier decorations with Mini-monograms and New Arrival.

The diaper cake used mini monograms, new arrival, and opposites attract for the accents.

The banner pieces came from Teresa Collin's Chic and Scary.  I custom cut the white strips with an exacto knife.  The font is from Opposites attract and outlined with the markers.

I used blue tulle as the string to hold everything together.

 Here's the whole shot of her gift.  Burp cloths, name canvas, and memory book (below). "Drew" is cut out with a shadow and regular font from Designer Calendar.  The canvas measures 8x23.

The mom-to-be is also a crafter so instead of making her a scrapbook I came up with this memory record book.  Each page has a monthly calendar and a space for notes on the opposite page

I used my bind it all to bind everything together.  She seemed to really enjoy the shower.  Baby Drew got a lot of great goodies!  Can't wait to meet him!

Happy Crafting,

Gender Reveal Banner

Hi Crafters,

This is an exciting week for a co-worker.  She finds out on Tuesday the gender of her sweet baby.  I made her a banner for her classroom but since I don't know either I made it reversible. I used gender neutral colors for the ribbon and background.

The banner pieces are from Teresa Collin's Chic and Scary cart.

The font is from Opposites Attract.  A word to the wise... (you probably already thought about this but it took me a minute to figure all of it out) when you are making a reversible banner you need to reverse the word on the other side so it will read correctly.  The B is on the L, the O is on the R, the Y is on the I, and the ! is on the G.  I hope that makes sense.

Her students are so excited to find out what it is so this will be a fun way to add to the celebration.

Happy Crafting,

How to make a Bridal Shower/Bachelorette Sash

Hi Crafters,

I made a similar sash a few months ago for a friend.  I thought for this round I would make a picture tutorial.

I gathered up the supplies.  I used freezer paper for the stencil and a wide satin ribbon.  I used tulip soft fabric paint for the letters.

Using a die cutter or an exacto blade (tracing over a computer print out) cut out your letters. If using a die cutter I would suggest putting the freezer paper shiny side up and reversing the letters.  The capital letters are from Martha Stewart Elegant Cake cart and the lower case letters are from Opposites Attract.  The settings I use on the cricut are typically 3 speed, 3 pressure,and 3 depth.

Remove the letters from the mat but be sure to leave the insides of the letters.  I find leaving the centers on the mat until I am ready to place each one helps me remember where they go. Position the negative of the image over the ribbon.  Iron that on a acrylic setting on the iron.  Carefully put the centers of the letters in the correct spot and iron those in place.

Using a foam brush dab the paint (DO NOT USE A "painting" motion or it will bleed).  Go back over any thin spots.  Freezer paper doesn't stick to the satin ribbon very well so I find you can really only get 1 good coat.  I did have a little bleeding on this one and wonder if I would have used the not as shiny side if that would have helped.  Let the paint dry then remove the freezer paper.

 I used the Jolee's heatafix tool to add some gems to the letters.

You have a few options for finishing the ends.  If you are not a sewer melt the ends with a match so it won't fray then tie together or tie with tulle.  I sewed the ends together on this one and added some tulle to make it adjustable.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Crafting,