Be-YOU-tiful Wall Hanging

So I was surfing around in Pinterest the other day (*smile...okay, that's a fun past-time that does just that...passes time! WOW. You all know what I'm saying.), that's when I found a sign that just said "Be-YOU-tiful", linked to an old blogger's site. I loved the idea--that being YOU is beautiful. So I decided to combine that with another cute sign I'd also come across and make a bright and happy wall hanging. I apologize I'm not doing any type of Easter post--I feel like that should be obligatory, but I honestly haven't made anything Easter-y yet!  Shame on me, I know. ;)  What with all my cool crafting stuff.  Hopefully later this week.  Anyways, here's what I came up with.  It's really easy, and I honestly fell in love with the simple finished product.  I ended up auctioning it off with another project at church service or good's auction (raising money for a non-profit helping terminally ill children), but I want to make myself one now to hang in my bathroom.  I hope you like it too!  Here's how to make it.

First, you'll need the following:

8x10'' canvas
acrylic craft paint
wide tape
spray adhesive
one rhinestone
vinyl (for the lettering--we have a variety of colors for Cricut and Silhouette on our website)
transfer tape (for lettering)
chalk ink (for flowers)
and flower cut outs (from either the Silhouette, Cricut, or a punch. I used a punch for the daisy's, and the Silhouette for the deep purple "different" flower)

Supplies and "designing" process.

First, I mixed a bright orange and a lemon yellow color to get the color I had in mind, and that you see below.  Then I measured a border around my canvas and used some clear packing tape (I didn't have any blue electrical tape, and this worked fine) to cover the edge, about an inch border around the whole thing to create the white outside border.  Then, with the tape adhereed, I painted the center with my orange color and let it dry. (Obviously, remove the tape once the paint has dried...unless you like tape on your wall art. ;) )

                                   

Hint: Now one trick that I have picked up for sizing letters or shapes and things that I'll be using for my projects, especially if they are going to be on a flat surface, is to create almost a mock-up of my design in Silhouette Studio, filling it in with the colors I'll be using and measuring it out to as close to the correct size as I can get. Though I am obviously using different mediums (i.e., not just using paper or things from the Silhouette) this allows me to see how I'll really like different color combinations, to get the sizing of my lettering down without having to test it as much, and to just play around with my design until I get it to what I want, without having to waste any of my real materials.  Just a nice hint.

Once I got what I wanted, I cut my letters, used some transfer tape, my Silhouette scraper, and placed the letters where I wanted them.

Try using Silhouette Studio to play around with your entire design and color scheme, even if you are only using your Silhouette for a small part of it, such as the actual lettering.  An easy design tool, without wasting materials.

I used a flower punch I own, as well as a hole punch, to make the daisies   You could also pick a flower from one of your Cricut cartidges or from your Silhouette library or online store.  For my "different'/"you" deep purple flower (inspired by a sweater I was wearing that day--woo hoo for clothes inspiration) I found a 3D flower in my Silhouette library. I can't find it anymore in their online store for you, but they still have a wide variety that you can use. To make the petals of this darker flower stand out, I used some dark charcoal chalk ink around the edges.  Then I adhered a rhinestone to the center for some extra "pop."  Finally, I just used spray adhesive on the backs of all the flowers to adhere them to the canvas.  I don't think regular glue works very well, or lasts very long on canvas--at least with what I've tried.  I didn't want to use hot-glue, since these were just paper flowers.

And there you have it, your simple but Be-YOU-tiful new wall hanging.  I hope you remember how beautiful YOU are!

Just for Fun-- Candied Popcorn Bags

It's a little late for St. Patty's Day posts, but I did decide I'd share a tasty recipe that I tried out this last week for candied popcorn, aka, Jello Popcorn. Thanks to Our Best Bites for such an easy, and surprisingly tasty treat!

Fruity Candy Popcorn {AKA Jello Popcorn}

recipe by ourbestbites.com

8 cups popped popcorn
1/4 C butter (that’s half a stick)
3 T light corn syrup (honey is a good substitute)
1/2 C sugar
1 3.5oz box jello, any flavor (not the sugar free kind)

Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a jelly roll pan with foil or parchment. If using foil, spray lightly with non-stick spray and set aside. Place popcorn in an extra large mixing bowl.

Place butter and syrup in a sauce pan on medium heat. Stir until butter is melted. Add sugar and Jello and stir to combine.

Increase heat and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat so it just simmers. Continue simmering for 5 minutes.

After the sugar mixture simmers for 5 minutes, immediately pour over popcorn in bowl. Be careful, it’s super hot!! Mix right away and keep stirring so everything gets well coated. Spread mixture onto prepared pan and spread out evenly.

Pop in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and let cool to room temp. Then break into pieces and enjoy! You can certainly eat this un-baked as well and it’s just soft and gooey, but definitely bake it if you’re going to pack it up for giving, or serve it as party food so it will be light and crunchy.

If you are nice enough to want to share, put some in a treat bag, cut out a cute tag or two from Tags, Bags, Boxes and More 2 on your Cricut, and you have yourself a lovely "hello friend" gift worth sharing. 

Happy...treatings. ;)

"Simple Cards" and "Creative Cards", by Cricut

A few posts back I promised to show you a few more cards from the "Simple Cards" cartridge for Cricut. That, along with a few friends' birthdays and such, led me to this post.  (Plus, we just lowered our price for both this and our "Creative Cards" cartridge, so...take us up on it!)

This cartridge is just what it says: Simple. The hardest part it picking which color paper you want to use.  Truly, you generally just have to pick your base card color, and your "accent" color paper.  You glue one piece to another, and you have a cute card.  Watch and be amazed. ;0) Beyond that, they are also good to use as bases that you can easily spruce up with a few fun embellishments that you might have on hand.

        

Add a few embellishments if you want to add a bit more pizzaz to the base card, or leave it just as it is!  I received compliments on both embellished and un-embellished cards. For the "Happy Birthday To You" card, I used my Silhouette Rhinestone Setter with some of their heat adhesive rhinestones.  It's easy to use, and just needs a few batteries. The cartridge also has a feature to make appropriate envelopes for each card type.

You can see how easy these are to assemble, just by looking at them.  But that doesn't take away from how cute they are. Simplify. ;)

Note: For these cards, I found that the dial size corresponded with the size of the folded edge of the card.  So for my vertical cards, it was from the top to bottom.  For my horizontal cards, it was the measurement of the card from left to right.  This was true also for the Creative Cards cartridge.  Keep your dial size on the same setting for a full card and any of the embellishment pieces with it (such as for my Hello card, or my "Creative Card" below), with "real dial size" off to cut appropriately sized envelopes and card pieces.

The "Creative Cards" cartridge also makes easy to assemble cards, with just a few more steps. Because these cards often have a few more pieces, it's important to keep the dial size the same for one full card so that the pieces all fit.  I find the cards on this cartridge particularly adorable, and I don't have to think or design them myself. Below is an example of a "Creative Card" I made using this cartridge.

Cut out all the pieces using different papers

The cartridge insert comes with easy picture instructions for how to make each and every card offered, so that was easy enough.  You can look at their digital handbook online to see.

 I am really a fan of the window cards on this cartridge, such as this card.  Overall, I think these are useful cartridges to have on hand.  Especially when my creativity is hiding somewhere back there in my brain and I am in want of a cute card but unable to dream one up myself.  I still have to force my perfectionist self to chose which paper to use...but at that half the battle is a bit easier when the main design is already made for me. :)  So give yourself some more leisure time...try out Simple and Creative Cards, by Cricut. 

Chalkboard Vinyl Door Hanger

I'm glad you came. :)

Chalkboard vinyl. Chalkboard vinyl?! How great is that?  Thank you, Cricut and Silhouette, for such a wonderful little invention.  Now I have vinyl that I can write on and that erases.  Brilliant. :)

For my first attempt at using this product, I tried to think of something practical and useful that I could make that I would want for writing different messages on. I decided a chalkboard vinyl sign/door hanger would be just the thing.  I could use it for a variety of things, and just erase and add whatever message I needed that was pertinent for that activity.  This would be great for hosting get togethers, having the sign say "Come Right In!", for sending people around to the gate for backyard parties or even wedding receptions, for letting neighborhood kids know if your kids are free to play or not, or to let visitors know to please knock when there is a baby sleeping in the house.  

So here's what I used for this project (items that we have on our website are put in italics, just in case you are in want of any of them):

Small board or Door Hanger (Got mine for 3.99, plus a 40% off coupon at Hobby Lobby--doable, right?)

Chalkboard Vinyl

Colored Vinyl (for flourish)

Red Craft Paint

Ribbon

Hot Glue-gun

Chalk or chalk marker (at most craft stores--more on the markers later)

And then all your regular useful stuff:

Silhouette Hook

Silhouette Scrapper

Transfer Tape or Paper

And of course, your Silhouette or Cricut Machine ;)

After painting my board and hot-gluing my ribbon to the back of it, I measured and cut out a simple rectangle on my chalkboard vinyl and adhered it to the inside of my board using my scrapper to get out any air bubbles.  I've seen intricate designs with this vinyl as well (from fun swirly magnets to write on, to cute doily-shaped menu planners, to name a few) but for the shape of this board I stuck with your basic, pre-schooler recognized shape of...the rectangle. :)  

I knew that I wanted a design/flourish for the top of the board, and at first was thinking of a fun 3D flower, or some cute design with buttons and ribbons and all that jazz.  But then I got to thinking about how often I'd be using a wet paper towel to wipe off the chalk when I'd change messages.  I decided a paper or otherwise water-disliking embellishment wouldn't be wise to overlap my chalkboard with.  I didn't want the hassel of having to carefully wipe around something, or that would collect my chalk residue, such as ribbons.  Thus, I just picked a colorful vinyl I had on hand for a quick added flourish, knowing I could wipe right over it as well anytime I was changing messages. 

Note: I always remind readers to first test their images on a regular sheet of paper so you can be sure it is just the right size, shape, etc. before cutting it with your vinyl or other specialty media. You can test to be sure you like the shape (etc.) with a simple sheet of paper, and then make any necessary changes without having wasted any of your vinyl or more expensive materials.

After testing the size of your shape by cutting it with a regular sheet of paper, use your Silhouette hook, scrapper, and transfer tape to help you prepare, transfer, and adhere your vinyl just where and how you want it. 

After that, it was just a matter of testing out some different sayings to see how easily the chalkboard marker erased off the chalkboard vinyl!  I read that the markers are a little less easy to smudge, so are good if you want to keep your message up for awhile (such as labeling craft jars, which you may later fill with something else, etc.).  You just use a wet paper towel to wipe it off.  Others suggest using regular chalk for things like menu planners or other things that you want to erase and write on daily or frequently.

With just one quick wipe, it looks like this.

With one more wipe from the dry part of the towel, it's completely gone!

I love it!  And I know I'll use it.  And okay, one more fun idea for how to use chalkboard vinyl, just because I love the idea but don't yet have anywhere to do it (*smile): 

Bonus Idea: Make large "talking"quote bubbles (like the kind that you see in the comics, etc.) and put them on the wall in your child's room or playroom.  Anytime your child says something funny, write the quote up in the quote bubble and take a picture of your kid standing next to it (like the quote bubble is coming from their mouth).  Keep the saying up until another fun anecdote comes tumbling innocently out of their adorably hilarious mouth, then erase and write up the new one!  I am picturing a little set of two or three of these bubbles, of varying size and height, grouped in one area of the wall next to a closet or something, or maybe next to hung pictures of your child.  Now I just need some kids... :) 

Brighten a Day: 3D Flowers and Simple Cards

Using your Cricut and Silhouette to help brighten someone's day is easy, fun, and shows them you were willing to do something a little extra special for them. Not to mention, it is cheaper than buying real flowers--and these last. :) This project used both my Cricut and my Silhouette, though you can likely find something similar for both machines.

All you need is some cute paper, a few brads, a hook tool if you have one, some pipe cleaner, your Silhouette for the 3D flowers, and our new Cricut cartridge "Simple Cards" for this...well, simple card. :0)  (I'll be making more of these cards and showing you some of them in posts to come. They are pretty cute and really easy! Make a bunch at once and have them at your ready for when you want to just grab one and go; although, these are so simple it only takes less than a minute to make each one.) My close friend, the recipient of these items--meant to help cheer her after a rough week--loved them all and now has them decorating her room.  The flowers are cute decorations for a craft room. Try keeping them in a small jar. 

For the card:  Really, there is almost nothing to say. :)  It's so easy.  Just pick which style card you want, two colors of paper (one for the main portion, the other for the background color), and send them through your machine.  It's as simple as gluing the two pieces together.  The Cricut does the rest.  The end. :)

For the flowers:  I picked three different 3D flowers from my Silhouette library, and then ungrouped each of them so that I could rearrange their pieces to make them all fit on one sheet of paper. Can I just say, my Silhouette is awesome?  Look at how perfectly it cut those thin little petals.  For items like the more intricate chrysanthemum flower I made, your Silhouette or Cricut spatula will come in really handy.  It helped keep the petals from falling back onto the sticky mat and allowed me to sort of squeeze my way under them without tearing any of them.  Very helpful.   

Once I finished layering each of the flowers, I noticed my paper choice made them look a little bland/they didn't stand out from eachother, so I did a little chalking around the edges and then re-layered.  Note:   I did not use any glue in this project.  Once I layered the flowers I just used whatever brad I had to hold them together.  The brads spikes also helped to hold on the green pipe-cleaner that I used on stems for two of the three flowers.  I just bent some of the pipe cleaner up top and used the spikes to hold it down.  It worked perfectly!  For one flower, I found an old plastic straw that I had on-hand, and thought that might make a fun stem as well.  I stuck the brad ends right into the straw and was pleased with the fun result, which happened to stay in place wonderfully.

Hint:  One trick is to use your hook as a means of piercing through the paper where you'd like your brad to go through.  I found my hook to be much sharper and precise than the brad spikes, which tended to just bend as I attempted to push them through so many layers of paper. Using my hook took seconds, and worked like a charm.   

         In the end, I had a beautiful set of flowers, a cute card, and a means of showing love to a friend in hopes of brightening their day.  What a great thing. 

DIY Silhouette Print and Cut Designs, and fun Laundry Room Project

Ever wonder how to make your own print and cut images on your Silhouette? Or how to take shapes offline and make them something you can cut?  That is one of the tools and functions that really sets Silhouette apart, allowing you make just about any cut image that you can find.  Recently, my sister came across some signs that she wanted to hang in her laundry room.  Rather than buy them for $10 a piece, she decided to call upon the power of the Silhouette.  Here is a quick tutorial on how to make your own print and cut images, in the form of a cheap and cute project to make to hang in your laundry room.  Just call it my spring gift to those of you still learning (like me!).  (And if you don't yet own a Silhouette, I'd really recommend getting one.  Check out our site for a great deal on this awesome machine.) If this is all old-hat to you, just hang that old-hat up in your laundry room and scroll on for a cute idea of what you can hang next to it. ;)  

First, find the image(s) you want (obviously) and save them to your computer if they aren't already.  It's best if they just have a white background, which isn't as hard to find if you search online. For example, all the images I use in this post and on my last post (Magnet Paper, Who Knew?) were found online with just white backgrounds. For these I just searched "Vintage Laundry Images". However, in order to get the picture "cut-away" from the white background and prepared so that it will cut out exactly around your image (and not just cut out a square around the white background) you'll need keep reading... ;)

Second, open your image in Silhouette Studio, and then open the "Trace" window, to the right of the screen. Click on "Select Trace Area" at the top, and then drag your mouse to draw a square around the full image you want to use.  It will then highlight portions of the image.  You'll then want to uncheck the "High Pass Filter" box in the Trace window, and then increase your threshold until most of your image is covered up by the yellow high-light.  I usually increase my threshold until about 97% to keep edges smoother.  I have included pictures below at each of these stages so that you can see the difference.

After just selecting the trace area.

After unchecking the "High Pass Filter" box.

After increasing my threshold.
Now the full outline of my image is highlighted clearly so I can detach what I'd like from the white background.

As I learn more about each of these items, I'll be sure to share them with you on future projects. :)

Third, after you have the yellow highlight over the part of the image you want cut out, click on "Trace and Detach."  Then drag your picture away from all that white background mess!  At this point I usually paste my new white-background-free image onto a new file/page so as to not have to deal with any of that background mess. You now have your own nice print image!  Now onto cutting.

Fourth, open the "cut" window (by clicking on the icon that looks like a pair of scissors cutting a long a stitch, up to the top of your screen).   Click on your image and then click the "cut" option under Cut Style.  This should create a red line around the outer edge of your image, which means this is where the machine is going to cut.  So far, I haven't figured out how to have it select areas inside an image, such as the portion underneath the handle of my iron image.  Instead, I had to use the knife function and create my own lines to cut out for some images, or used an exacto knife once the main image had been print and cut. For pictures or more info about this, see my previous post.  

Fifth, be sure you click on the box "Show Registration Marks" in the registration marks window.  This is crucial, as it positions the Silhouette perfectly and lets it know where to start its cuts so that it cuts out perfectly around your image.  Be sure your Silhouette is located in a place with good lighting, as the Silhouette uses an optic sensor to find these registration marks on your printed sheet.  Also, be sure to select 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper so that the registration marks are in the correct place for your sheet of paper, and so that you can be sure there is no overlap in your image and the registration marks.  (This is assuming your printer only prints to that size paper.)  

Sixth, send your image/page to the printer.  Once it's printed, send it to your Silhouette and follow the instructions.  (Click "Detect Registration Marks Automatically.")  

Turn on "Show Reg Marks". Use the knife to cut out inner portions of your image that you want cut.  Be sure your paper setting is the correct size, and the image doesn't overlap the registration marks in any way. Print and Cut!

You now have your own print and cut image, ready for the using!  Be sure to save your file, as less-craft-savvy friends may ask you to make them their very own!  Another reason to put off laundry for another hour?  ;)  We'll see.

                               

(Note:  My printer was running out of ink when I made this--shameful, I know--so i chalked the edges of the letters and images using chalk-ink and then regular scrapbooking chalk.  This is a great technique for making letter's and images "pop" a little more, especially when they are light colors or on a busy paper, such as what we chose in this project.  It's a great scrapbooking accessory that's also great for making letters or images look antiqued.) 

Magnet Paper, Who Knew?

If you're like me (and just about every other girl, and frankly, guy that I know) then you are a fan of Disney's movie Tangled.  Almost every time I whip out a frying pan I think "Frying pans, who knew?"  So when I wanted to finally try out Silhouette's Printable Magnet paper, I thought, "why not?" and made a few Tangled magnets for my nieces to play with.  To be honest, what I really wanted to make was a new magnet for our dishwasher, so as to replace what we were (shamefully) currently using:

Ahem.  Yeah, embarrassing.  But I digress.  There was sadly a lack of many options for already created images in the Silhouette online store or just on the web, for that matter, so I made my own.  Rather than waste the rest of this lovely sheet of magnet paper, I came up with some other things I might want to make with it.  Enter-- college sports' team mascot and the Tangled characters.  

What a great way to use excess paper, or to use this paper in general!  Make your own fun magnets of your favorite team to give out at a "game-day" party or of your student's school to show support, create some with your business logo and contact info, make your own magnet of places that you've visited to get one looking just the way you want, "paper" dolls and clothes, or just make some of your favorite characters for the kids to play with on their magnet board.  Capturing images from online and then making them something you can cut on your silhouette is actually pretty easy using the trace and detach feature in the trace window in your Silhouette Studio.  After selecting your area to be traced uncheck the "High Pass Filter" and then play around with your threshold to get it so it has the image covered where you don't want it to cut.  For these images, I set my threshold at about 98% each time because I didn't want any of the inside portions cut.  Check out the following Tutorial on how to do this in more detail.  Note:  I didn't follow all that the author of this tutorial suggests doing, but the video was still helpful in getting showing me the basics of how to get it to cut my image.  

Once I had detached my image, I cut and pasted it onto a new page just so I didn't have to deal with all the white space stuff left behind.  Then I went to the "cut" window, and clicked "cut edge."  The great thing about looking at your design with the cut window open, is that it shows you exactly where your cuts are going to go.  Be sure that you look over your design to make sure nothing is being cut that you don't want to.  This is how you make your own print and cut designs.  I didn't want anything inside my dishwasher magnet to be cut out beyond the main outer edge, so I just selected each of the inside images and changed them to "No Cut".  

Be sure that you have your registration marks showing,  and that you check what part of your images are going to be cut.  Select "No Cut" for any image you dont' want cut.

 After that, I sent my page to the printer and set it to "photo paper" so that my printer would compensate for the slightly glossy feel of the printable side of the magnet paper.  Because I had everything just fine and dandy and within the lines of my registration marks, the Silhouette cut the paper PERFECTLY and out came some fun new magnets.  My niece will love these.

Magnet paper....who knew?

Spread the Love with Simple, Cute Valentines' Ideas

It's almost Valentine's day!  And we all know what that means:  chocolate.  ;)  Just kidding.  It also means a nice excuse to make fun cards and little gifts for friends or family.  Here are just a few simple ideas of some cheap valentines' gifts that I made for some friends.  

Use your Silhouette and some extra/scrap double-sided adhesive vinyl from a previous project to make a cute Valentines box!

First, I tried making a new cute box that I found in the Silhouette online store.  I liked this one because the flower petals on the top also looked liked hearts, so it seemed fitting for the season.  After cutting the paper, I cut a strip from some excess double sided adhesive that I had from a previous project (see Winter Branch Hanging post) and wrapped it around the box for an extra cute touch.  A little bit of silver glitter, and this lil' box sparkled. :)  Super simple, super cheap, and let's not forget...filled with chocolate, so super pleasurable for my friend.

                    

Because there are all sorts of cute boxes and bags and such that you can make with either your Cricut or Silhouette, I decided to make some out of both.  My second box came from the FABulous Cricut cartridge: Tags, Bags, Boxes & More 2, which we've got on our website (along with most of this other stuff, in case you were wondering :) ).  This thing has LOADS of cute boxes and bags and just cute cute cute little gift boxes and tags and cards.  I am so sad I hadn't looked at this cartridge sooner.  It is now officially a staple of mine.  Anyways.  I wanted to start simple, so I picked an adorable little box that used a heart with a keyhole in it as its means of closure.  

The great thing about Tags, Bags, Boxes and More 2, is that is comes with a book that tells you just how to assemble, glue, or fold each box or item so that you aren't left guessing (as I was with my first box from the Silhouette).  This one had easy flaps to tuck in and you only had to glue a tab on one side.  This cartridge also comes with functions so that you can cut the whole piece out in one fell swoop, or you can do it in two parts to be glued together, in case you can't fit it all on one sheet of paper.  It also tells you suggested dial sizes and how big it will be once folded if you follow those recommended sizes.  I love how helpful it is. This thing even comes with a digital handbook, if you want it. Wow.  Check it out. They think of everything.  

Only thing you want to be sure of if you get this cartridge, is that you also will want to have the Cricut Scoring Blade, which helps score the card (gives partial little dotted cuts) where you will need to fold, making it easier to fold the shapes where needed and helping you get cleaner lines.  This is especially important for curved or intricate boxes that you might be making.  (They have some really fun ones--check them out!) (Can you tell I like this cartridge? haha)

Thanks to the handy book, I was able to see clearly beforehand how this box would fold once cut, so I knew that I would have to put my paper in with the back-side up, so that the patterned side would show once folded.  You won't have to do this for every box (I didn't for my first), so you'll just have to look at how the thing is going to fold up to decide if it's necessary.  

Be sure you can see all your registration marks before cutting.

I also saw a cute idea online about making a little treat bag with the gummy Swedish Fish candy.  I designed and made some stickers with my cute "catch" phrase (pun intended) on them, using some White Sticker Paper and the print and cut function on my Silhouette.  (Print on the sheet from your home printer, and then put it through your Silhouette to cut out the image.)  

Tip: Be sure that you click "show registration marks" in Silhouette Studio.  If any part of your image is overlapping the gray area, it will not print and cut correctly.  Also, it is wise to always test print your image on a regular sheet of paper first to be sure that the registation marks print correctly, and to test cut.  This is just a smart thing to do until you become familiar with the medium and print and cut functions.  Be sure that you can see ALL of the registration marks on your printed sheet (aka: the black square in the top left corner, and the black corner outlines in the top right and bottom left hand corners.)

After printing and cutting my stickers, I simply had to finish my bags....

                            

Use a little blue and white construction paper for your background, then fill the bag with either combination of Swedish Fish and Goldfish crackers, depending on which one makes more sense for your Valentine or friend.  I alternated and did both:  "Of all the fish in the sea, you're the cheesiest." (one cheese flavored goldfish cracker, the rest Swedish Fish); or "Of all the fish in the sea, you're the sweetest."  (One sweet cherry Swedish Fish, the rest Goldfish Crackers.)  For my religious friends out there, my other bag's sticker said: "God's promises are sweet, and they last!"  Fill those bags with Dove Promises chocolates, or with other sweet candies.  

Hope your Valentine's Day is filled with chocolate... :) but mostly just full of love!  Thanks for reading!

Personalized Wedding Gift? Armour Etch It

When a young couple gets married they are filled with big dreams and want to set their mark on the world-- to be able to say "we lived!  And we left this world a better place!"  And just how do they do this?  Well, with food, of course.  Making manicotti or pie for a neighbor or friend (especially if I'm that neighbor or friend beneficiary. ;) ).  What better way is there to say "we love you"?

                                

Okay, so in reality there are obviously a lot of ways that a couple may choose to leave their mark on the world and/or show friendship from time to time, BUT, with this simple wedding gift idea, they are literally able to leave their mark where they go without losing their pie or casserole dish in the process. ;) And we all know that times come up when we will be bringing food to someone else's home, whether it be for a party, family get together, or just to bring to a neighbor who is sick.  Doing this with your clear glass baking dishes helps take a whole lot of guesswork out of "who's dish is who's?" at the end of the day.

For this project, I decided to etch my soon-be-married-friend's new last name onto a pie dish that she and her fiance has registered for.  I also added a lovely flourish design on the bottom, just to make it cute.  This way, whenever they bring this dish, brimming full of delicious food to a church activity or family gathering, they'll always know what dish was theirs when the night is over and all the dishes washed clean.

You will need: Armour Etch cream, which we sell on our website, www.makeitscrappin.com (didn't know we sold accessories like this, now did you?), a glass dish or item, some vinyl or a stencil, and a brush.  Gloves are also highly recommended for use while applying and rinsing the cream.  

Flip your words so that they appear correctly
when looking at the dish held normally

Note: When choosing your glass, be sure that you read the Armour Etch instructions carefully.  It does not work on all Pyrex, so you may want to test it on an inconspicuous area first.  Also, because of the nature of what the cream is actually doing to do the glass, you will likely want to do this on surface of the dish that will not be coming in contact with drink or food, as it may cause discoloration to the etched portion of the dish.  Thus, I put my image on the bottom of the dish I was etching (or on the outside of a cup, etc.).  I just had to reverse the name, which I will explain next.

After picking a thick enough font, I reversed the image so that their name could be clearly read through the dish (i.e. looking down on a clean dish).  In my Silhouette Studio I went to "Object, Transform, Flip Horizontally".  That easy.

Next, cut your image.  I prefer to cut my image on vinyl because it sticks to the surface I am etching without leaving room for any of the cream to really creep under my vinyl stencil and blur the edges of the design.  You can do this using a plastic stencil as well by taping the stencil to the surface of the glass to etch, but be sure your surface is flat and that it is taped very tightly.  Note: If using your Silhouette, be sure to save a little space around the edge of your image so that you have a little bit of "give" room to apply your etching cream over the stencil without it going over the edge.  (AKA, don't trim your vinyl as close to your cut image as you can so as to save it--give yourself a little room.  You don't really need much, but it's just a good way to play it safe.)

Now, to use your vinyl as a stencil, simply hook out the actual cut image, in this case, the letters themselves.  What you are left with is your own custom-made stencil! Good job.  Be sure to take account for the unattached pieces, such as the insides of letters or intricate designs.  You'll want to consider using transfer tape to apply your full stencil if you have a lot of these, or you can use your Silhouette Pick Me Up tool to "pick-up" and then carefully place those pieces back into place one you've applied the main stencil to your glass surface.  (We have all these supplies on our website, www.makeitscrappin.com, so check it out.)

                                     

Place the stencil on the bottom of your dish.  Be sure to press out all air-bubbles near your stencil before applying the cream (i.e. don't leave it like my 'n' featured above.  I had to press that out before I started application)

                               
Next, put on plastic or rubber gloves if you have them, and apply a generous amount of the Armour Etch cream with a brush over the stenciled word/image.  Leave it on for 10-15 minutes, and then rinse clean! Voila.

Unfortunately, light etchings into glass are a bit hard to photograph with a simple point and shoot camera, so I don't have the best picture of the finished product, but you get the idea!  Super cute and easy, personalized wedding gift!