Mother and Daughter Crafting

My daughter and her family came up to celebrate New Year's with us. Every time she comes to visit we always make sure we have some time to craft together. We usually prepare for the weekend by looking up potential projects online - especially on pinterest. 

Here are a few of our projects so far...

Project #1 - heart pictures. We painted white card stock, used a punch to cut out the hearts, and used Mod Podge to glue the hearts to another piece of card stock.  Click here for out inspiration - we used hearts instead of circles)

Here's Carrie's finished picture . . .

and here's mine.

Project #2: Word plaques. We used the silhouette to cut the words out of white card stock. Then we applied washi tape to another piece of card stock and layered the cut out piece on top so the tape shows through. On the second one I just put patterned card stock behind the word "Love." (Click here for our inspiration.)

Project #3: Cards using my new Stampin' Up feather bundle (stamps and framelit dies). (Click here  and here for our inspiration)

And here are our finished cards.

We have one more day to do some crafting. I wonder what our project will be.....

Homemade Christmas

Kenny Rogers sang a song called Kentucky Homemade Christmas. For our Christmas this year I rewrote the chorus, and read it to our kids before giving them their presents...

"It's just another homemade Christmas at Lake Emily,
            Just odds and ends we fashioned with our hearts and with 
                    our hands.
It's just another homemade Christmas at Lake Emily,
           Our fine and fancy homemade love, 
           God's precious gift from up above,
Make up the homemade Christmas of this poor Minnesota home."

Craig and I decided to make most of our gifts this year. We had such fun planning them, and working on some of them together, and we hoped that the kids would like these gifts from our hearts - and they did!

Here are the gifts we made:

Pillows for the gals - I stenciled the tops using patterns I designed and cut out with my Silhouette. Then I sewed them and stuffed them.

Plaques for some of the guys, and for someone at work - I made the design for each plaque on the computer. For this first one I just printed it, glued it to card stock and slid it into the clear plastic holder. Then I used a glue gun to glue on two cornstalk buttons.

For this next one I used my Silhouette to cut the letters out of vinyl and put them on top of the plastic holder. I glued on some jewels in the middle of the stars and put a patterned card stock inside the holder.

For this last one I used my Silhouette to cut the design out of white card stock. Then I cut colored card stock to fit behind the words. I added a full piece of card stock on the back and stickers on the front before sliding the whole thing into the plastic holder.

These next projects are made out of cork, which I bought already cut as coasters and trivets.

I created the designs on the computer in Silhouette Studio. Then I made a stencil by having the Silhouette cut out the design. I stenciled the designs onto the cork by using a stain marker.

Carrie and I found this mini calendar at a craft sale in Crosslake this fall. I bought this one to use as a sample, and made two more to give to my daughter-in-laws.

Carrie saw this pegboard box on Pinterest and asked us if we could make one some time. This box could be used as a gift wrapping station. You can put the rolls of paper, gift bags and tissue paper in the box. You can hang ribbon, tape and scissors from hooks on the outside. I think there are other things this box could be used for too, maybe for scrapbooking or craft materials? 

Maybe jewelry on the outside and magazines inside the box?

Craig and I made the box together. Craig spray painted the box white. Then I cut stencils for the words and feathers out using my Silhouette, and then painted them on the box. The words go all the way around. There are smaller feathers of the same style on the back. The only thing I wish I would have done was to "lace up" the corners using ribbon or shoe laces. Wouldn't that look cool?

For our boys Craig and I made these hockey stick coat racks. I found directions about how to do it online. We had the sticks from years ago when our boys played hockey. We got pucks from our oldest son, and we bought hooks and screwed everhything together. It was a little tricky to get the sticks upright and the pucks level.

(Aren't these boys  men handsome?)

For family and co-workers I made these Santa ornaments. I had seen one at a craft show in the cities, and I bought it to use as a pattern. I bought 2 inch wooden brushes and spray painted them red. I had some fuzzy white yarn that is wrapped around the brush before hot gluing wiggly eyes, a red bead for a nose, paper holly leaves and jingle bells onto the brush. For some of the noses I used wooden "buttons" that I purchased from the hardware store and painted red. Then I used ribbon/fabric for the hanger.

I also gave some of my coworkers this really good Party Mix. If you make this, beware! It's so good it's almost addicting :)

These are the gifts we made for Christmas 2014 - gifts of love. And that's what Christmas is really all about isn't it? Love - love for one another, but most of all the love that God showed the world when He sent His only Son to this world to save everyone who believes in Him. (John 3:16) 

If you want to know more about this love, you can read about it in the Bible, and you can pray and ask God to show you His love. He loves to show people just how much He loves them.

Merry Christmas!

DIY Paperweights

Last year we remodeled our kitchen. In the process I ended up with several samples of granite and solid surfaces. So tonight I decided to make paperweights out of them. I used my Silhouette machine to cut some words out of vinyl. After sticking the words on the squares, I glued felt on the back using E6000 glue.
So easy - and so cute!

Flea Market, Silhouette and Mary Lou

Last weekend I went to a flea market in Crosslake, and I found a enamel cast iron skillet that was perfect for Mary Lou (our vintage camper.) So today I went out to find the perfect place to hang it. Craig and I found the place, but decided that I needed to add a little decoration to it.
So I got out my computer and my Silhouette machine, and created a vinyl design, which I then attached to the skillet. I just love my Silhouette!

Grad Cards

We were invited to a couple of high school graduation open houses this summer... and I jumped at the opportunity to use my Silhouette machine to make cards.
First I designed the letters, then made the box around it. I was able to join the letters together - but couldn't get the Silhouette to join the words to the border. So I just had the Silhouette cut out the whole thing, then glued the border to the cardstock first, before gluing the words. I glued white paper with a bit of a pattern border on the inside of the cards, and they were done!
A simple card, but fun because I made it!

Washi Tape Frames

For Administrative Professionals Day I wanted to give something I made myself - so I started looking around my craft room for some inspiration and supplies. I found three frames from the thrift store just waiting to be used. Next, I went on my computer to Silhouette Studio to find a saying that I could cut out of vinyl (with my Silhouette Portrait) and out on the glass of the frame. I picked out scrapbook paper for behind the glass. I looked on Pinterest and found this frame tutorial by The 36th Avenue Blog .  I grabbed my washi tape and some flowers, and I was ready to make my gifts.  Such easy gifts to make - and they turned out so cute!

Silhouette Project

Here are the latest projects I've made using my Silhouette.

I made this cute little jar from a jelly jar. I used the Silhouette to cute the owl out of vinyl - but instead if sticking the owl on the jar, I used the outline to stencil the owl onto the jar using enamel paint especially for glass. Then I painted the lid the same color.

For this picture I again used the Silhouette to cut the letters out of vinyl. But this time I used transfer paper to transfer the letters on to the glass. I found the chevron fabric at Joann Fabrics. I cut a piece to fit behind the glass. And then I put the whole picture together.
(I found the blue rain boots at Goodwill. Aren't they cute?)

With each project I learn a little more about how best to use the Silhouette and materials. Thank goodness for Pinterest and YouTube. I've found lots of helpful hints and tutorials.

Do you have a Silhouette? If so, what projects have you made with it?

Monogrammed Cutting Board

I am loving my Silhouette Portrait - a very special present from my wonderful kids last Christmas.

My latest Silhouette project was this cutting board.

I got the idea from Pinterest (isn't Pinterest just the best?). When I saw the personalized cutting board from Kelly's blog I knew that I wanted to try to make one for myself. My husband had a wood burning tool - he and my son-in-law had used it when making some Christmas presents. I already had the cutting board, so I used the Silhouette to make a stencil. I traced the stencil onto the cutting board with a pencil, and began burning the initials into the board. I have a bit to learn about using the wood burning tool, but I'm pretty happy with my monogrammed cutting board.