Cricut Vinyl Stenciling On T-Shirts

I now have a uniform for my "job" as the Household CEO!!!

I've been wanting to try the "freezer paper" shirts for a while, so I gave it a try last night.  Except instead of using freezer paper and having to iron it, I just used some vinyl (white Contact paper).  I LOVE LOVE LOVE how it turned out!

Using Sure Cuts A Lot (SCAL), I cut out "The Household CEO" and a flourish in "Monotype Corsova" and "Wingdings" at 2 1/2".

A few tips that helped the process go smoothly:

1.  place a piece of cardboard or other material inside the shirt, between the front and back of the shirt, so the paint doesn't leak through to the back

2.  After placing the negative of the image/wording onto the t-shirt, use a clean brayer to roll over the entire image to ensure there aren't any bubbles or raised edges in the vinyl.

3.  Let each layer dry before applying more paint.  Let dry overnight before removing vinyl, to make sure all layers of paint are dry.

Because using Contact paper/vinyl worked so well, I probably won't try the freezer paper method.  But I hear it works well, too.

Thanks for looking and have a creative day!  :)

Photo Tile Coasters With Vinyl

I made a set of photo coasters for each set of grandparents for Christmas (hope they're not checking my blog!)...

The photo of the second set is a little overexposed...they look more like the ones in the top photo.  :)

To make the coasters, I bought some smooth ivory travertine tiles from Home Depot.  I printed the photos onto tissue paper and Modge Podged them to the tiles.  I added two more coats of Modge Podge on top, tapping my foam brush over the surface so there weren't any brush stroke lines in the finish.

When dry, I added sentiments that were cut from black vinyl (using Home Decor and Home Accents cartridges).  Once adhered, I Modge Podged over the entire surface again.  Then I coated them with matte varnish (4-5 times each) and again tapped the brush over the surface to remove the brush stroke lines.  When dry, I hot glued cork to the back. 

The Mess Maker and Noise Maker will be giving/sending these to their grandparents for Christmas and the Mess Maker is REALLY excited!!!  :)

Thanks for looking!

Christmas "Lantern" Garland Out Of Plastic Cups!

I typically have a hard time falling asleep at night and it's usually because I've got "craft stuff" on my mind! I'm always thinking about projects and ideas for new creations. Ummm, I think I have an addiction! :)

Last night I thought of how I could "jazz up" the Christmas garland on my front door...it needed color and pop. I got to thinking that I have a bunch of those little clear, plastic punch cups left over from a party and figured I could cut a hole in the bottom of them to push onto the lights to make lanterns! So I got to work...

I took 12 cups and used my craft knife to slice an "x" in the bottom of each. Then I used my BFF, the Cricut, and cut snowflakes out of vinyl (Contact Paper!) at 1 1/2" and 2" using Accent Essentials and adhered them to the outside of each cup. Then I added 1/2" circles from George into the open spaces. To finish them up, I punched holes around the rim of each cup using my Crop-A-Dile and threaded red ribbon through and tied bows.

Then I just popped them randomly onto the string of lights already on the garland and ta-da!

Can't wait to see what these look like tonight...I'll post pics when I get them!

UPDATE:  Here is the night photo I just took....ooooooooh, ahhhhhhhhhh....  hehehe!

Thanks for looking!!! :)

Just Buggin' DT Challenge #12: Triple Whammy

This week's Just Buggin DT Challenge (#12) is called "Triple Whammy"!  The challenge: use 3 die cuts on a project.  I wanted the images to coordinate really well, but I also wanted to make sure using three die cuts didn't overwhelm the project.  When I looked at my Home Accents cartridge, an idea popped into my head...and here is the result:

Supplies used:

1.  Travertine tile (Home Depot)

2.  Alcohol Inks: Latte, Mushroom, Ginger (Tim Holtz--Adirondack)

3.  Staz-On ink: Black

4.  Cricut Vinyl: Black

5.  Cricut cartridge: Home Accents

Other:  picture stand (Hobby Lobby)

These 4x4 travertine tiles are from Home Depot and come in a box of 9 for about $5.50.  Before you begin, you'll want to wash the tile well with water and wipe clean with a cloth...these are pretty dusty when you take them out of the box! 

To ink the background, use two or three colors of alcohol ink applied to an ink applicator pad (start out with a few of each color and add more as needed).  Dab all over the tile for an "aged" look.  Allow to dry.  Then, using Staz-On ink, apply black ink around the sides of the tile to "frame" the tile. Allow to dry. 

Using the Cricut, cut desired images (I used the "home" and a flourish image from Home Accents) from black vinyl.  Remove backing and adhere die cuts to tile, making sure to smooth out any wrinkles.  And that's it!  What a super-easy and fun project!!!

Thanks for looking!  :)

Polka-Dot Etched Margarita Glass

I just couldn't resist this project when I saw it over at Christmas With The Cricut!!!  What a fab idea to make a polka-dot pattern on stemware!  I've seen similar glasses that cost a FORTUNE!!!  But not these...these cheapo margarita glasses are from Target (or somewhere comparable...I bought them a LONG time ago!).  But now they look like they came from Pier 1 or somewhere oh-so-ultra-cool.  :)

In keeping with traditional Christmas colors, I'm just picturing them filled with a yummy, frozen strawberry margarita (red) with a little lime wedge (green) on the edge....how cute!  And wouldn't a set of these glasses and some custom wine charms just make the perfect gift???  :)

Christmas With The Cricut has a great tutorial on making these (see link above) but here's just a quick run-down of what I did:

1.  Cut 1" circles out of vinyl (contact paper) 15 times from the Cricut Plantin Schoolbook cartridge using the Roly Poly feature...this cuts the circles into rings.

2.  Adhere rings randomly onto glass, being careful to smooth any ridges.

3.  Apply etching cream to inside of rings, being careful not to go outside the ring edge.

4.  Wait 15 minutes then rinse and wipe with water.  Remove rings and wash with soap and water.  Ta-da!

Thanks for looking!  :) 

Decorative Name Tile (Vinyl)

So much for my "veil of anonymity"!!!  This is a 13x13 inch tile I bought at Home Depot...I used the Calligraphy Collection cartridge (Cricut) to cut all letters and flourishes from Cricut Vinyl (in black).  Then I just stuck them on and ta-da!  It rained cats and dogs all over it the day after I made it and it stood up just fine...can't wait to make some of these as gifts!   Thanks for looking!!!  :)

More Photo/Stamped Coasters (Better This TIme!!!)

This was my second attempt at these and I must say they came out MUCH better than the first!!!  :)  I got tumbled marble instead of Travertine.  That was a HUGE improvement.  Then I used less Modge Podge, spread it with my finger so the brush lines wouldn't show and let the photos dry before attempting to put a layer of modge podge over them.  :)

I also only put one coat of Modge Podge over the photos instead of three, and used an acrylic sealer (spray) to seal them.  I like the finish of these a LOT better than the others.  The directions can be found on the Split Coast Stampers site. 

I'm thinking Christmas presents....  :)