Supplies:

Brown Bags
Free Halloween Brown Bag Topper
White cardstock
Printer
Scissors or paper trimmer
Stapler/tape/glue
Bone folder (optional but I love it)

Download the FREE file and print it out on white cardstock. Use scissors or a paper trimmer to cut apart the bag toppers. Fold in half and then staple, tape, or glue to your folded over brown bag!

The front is fun with the cutest spider ever from Miss Kate Cuttables.

While the back allows for your little one enough space to write their own name!

The post Free Halloween Brown Bag Topper appeared first on Shes {kinda} Crafty.

They’re pretty cute, right, scalloped for you any everything!!

After my ridiculously cute ice cream cups came in from Polka Dot Market (she has super speedy shipping) I sat down and designed the image I wanted on my stickers and saved the file as a .jpg file.

Then I opened the Maestro Label Designer on OnlineLabels.com‘s website and simply upload my design onto their template for the type of labels I was using (these are label number 1026 in Gloss White for ink jet) and printed them out. It was honestly that simple.

Look at that lovely sheen from the glossy paper. It make my heart pitter patter!

 I have actually been using OnlineLabels.com for years. I am deeply in love with their Gloss White for ink jet paper. I also love the ability to order as little or as many sheets of the labels as I want.

I just popped the labels off the backing and put them on my ice cream cups!

These scalloped oval labels would also be cute on party bags, plastic cups, envelopes…the list goes on and on. And because they are high gloss, they look super professional!!

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Today I am going to show you how to make the above tumbler using Silhouette Studio and a file I purchased from the online store. Sidenote: I use the Design Edition of Silhouette Studio but it should look very similar to the regular edition, version 2 (I have not updated to V3 and I do NOT recommend the update. There are far too many bugs that people have been reporting).

The first thing I did was purchase this graphic from the online store.

Once it downloaded I double clicked on it and this is how it appeared on my screen (if you need a larger picture, just double click on any of the following photos).

When it comes out of the library all of the shapes will be large and grouped together. IT IS IMPORTANT TO RESIZE ALL THE ITEMS GROUPED TOGETHER. You will never get the design to match if you haven’t resized ALL the pieces together.

This is where having the grid set to 1 inch squares is extremely helpful to me. To size, simply select one of the corners of the grouped design and shrink to a size that will fit your surface.

Then click “Ungroup Selected Shapes” on the bottom left hand corner. After you click the ungroup button you will have to click away from the graphic (anywhere else on the screen) before you can go back and select individual shapes.

Next I go through and color my shapes the approximate same color  as the vinyl I am going to cut them out on. This gives me a visual understanding of how the design will look and will help me select all the shapes I need to cut out of any given color.

I have picked 4 different colors for my pinwheel – light blue, royal blue, white, and red. I then like to line them all up so, once again, I can get a good visual representation of the final layered decal.

Now I am ready to cut. I am going to start with red vinyl so I have moved only my red shapes on to the cutting surface. You can see that I have flipped the pinwheel stick to a horizontal orientation, that is just to make better use of my vinyl and have less scraps.

In the Cut Settings screen I have selected Vinyl as my material. Also, I like to cut my vinyl WITH a cutting mat, I have found it to be 10x’s easier to load that without the mat, but it’s up to you. I always cut regular indoor or outdoor vinyl with the blade set to 2.

Load your vinyl or mat.

Just make sure that you have picked the correct loading selection based on your mat choice.

Repeat this process (you won’t need to reset your blade) for every color vinyl from your design.

Now that your layers of vinyl are cut it’s time to gather your supplies.

You will need a surface to apply your decal to, a weeding tool if your design is complex and includes inner cuts to a shape (like below where I apply my name), scissors, a ruler to measure your surface, and transfer tape. Transfer tape helps you pick up your design and lay it on top of another piece of vinyl or your final surface. My personal preference for transferring vinyl when I am doing a layering project is to use clear (cheap) contact paper. I don’t feel bad using a lot of it and because it is perfectly clear it helps me align my pieces more accurately.

Peel back your contact paper and put the sticky side down on to your first piece of vinyl – the piece that will be at the very bottom of your design. Rub your finger over where the contact paper meets the vinyl and then lift the vinyl off it’s backing.

Place your vinyl onto your surface, rub it down well, and then remove the contact paper. Continue the process until you have applied all your shapes. I like to refer back to my screen to make sure I am applying all the layers correctly.

Now we are ready to add our name/monogram/initial.

The toughest part of adding your name is picking the font! Click on the Text button on the left hand bar of SS and type in the name you want, then use the text style window to the right to select your text. You don’t want to cut out anything too thin, dainty, or complex unless you have patience and Advil close at hand. This is about the thinnest type of font I like to cut out.

 Another tip I have is to (almost) always place your name on an offset, or background, so that it really stands out on your design. Silhouette Studio has made this extremely simple to accomplish.

First, select your name by clicking somewhere on the design, then click the OFFSET button on the top right bar of option. Click Offset and then use the arrows to increase or decrease the area to be offset. This basically outlines your name and creates a personalized background to place your letters on. Once you’ve decided on how large or small you want it, click Apply.

And here is the finished cup! Ready for a whole lot of summer sippin’!

The before, middle, and final phases of my tumbler.

Layering final is a fun way to put almost any design onto any surface. I love giving these tumblers as gift and the options are endless!

The post Vinyl Layering 101 | A Silhouette Tutorial appeared first on Shes {kinda} Crafty.

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The supplies for this project are simple (I happened to have them all on hand but that’s because I am a craft hoarder).

• White or light colored grosgrain ribbon
• printable heat transfer paper for light fabrics
• a computer and printer
• Iron
• Paper trimmer or scissors and a steady hand

Open up your favorite designing software on your computer (even if it’s just MS Powerpoint or MS Paint). Create the image and text you want on your ribbon in real size meaning, measure your ribbon width and draw a rectangle in your design software to mimic the size of your ribbon. Then type in that rectangle, add graphics, clip art, monograms, whatever you want to “print” on your ribbon. Remember that this is normal 8.5″ x11″ paper, and you’ll need room for borders if you don’t have borderless printing options on your printer, so keep your design in according to those dimensions. My pieces of ribbon were 6″ long and my ribbon was .75″ wide so I drew a rectangle of those dimensions and designed my Southern Craft Academy graphics to size. I was able to fit 11 strips on 1 sheet of paper.

**Most Important Part** You must FLIP your design before you print it. Some printers will do this automatically for you if you select Iron-On Transfer as your type of Paper, but PLEASE check out the preview of your page BEFORE you print to make sure everything is backwards!!

Using your paper trimmer (mine is REALLY dirty from 8 years of use), cut out your strips of transfer paper to the exact size of your ribbon. The reason to make them the exact size instead of trimming off those blank edges is that the transfer paper & process will discolor your ribbon slightly, using the exact dimensions will make the entire ribbon look the same color.

If you are doing this process to a long stretch of ribbon simple but the edges together of your transfer papers.

You’ll want to do these next steps on a table or other hard surface protected by a towel (thus the weird texture background in these photos). An ironing board just doesn’t give you the resistance you need.

Line your transfer paper up on top of you ribbon, printed side down.

According to the package direction iron the paper onto the ribbon.

Once the paper/ribbon has cooled, slowly peel back the paper.

BAM! You’ve got yourself some custom ribbon!!

Or maybe you have a BUNCH of custom ribbons!

The post Custom Ribbon | How to Print on Ribbon appeared first on Shes {kinda} Crafty.

On a boring, routine shopping trip to my local Walmart I came across these fun, new beads and they just had to come home with me. Recently I went a little fold over elastic (FOE as it’s called) crazy and bought about 10 yards of random colors, patterns, and sparkly FOE. They make great hair ties that don’t cut off the circulation on your wrists and leave less of a crease in your hair. However, they can be a bit boring. Adding 1 of this little beads to your FOE gives a fun, fresh, and glamorous look to an otherwise utilitarian object.

Supplies:

• Fold Over Elastic (you can find some plain colors at your local fabric store but the patterned and glittery ones can be found online through simple google or etsy.com search for “fold over elastic”)
• Beads with large openings
• Scissors for cutting FOE

For the non-shimmery elastics you’ll need about 9 inches of elastic (that’s 4 hair ties per yard!) and 1 bead.

Just slip the bead onto the FOE, slide it to the middle,  and fold your FOE in half. With both ends together, make a knot in the FOE. To seal the ends, run a lighter LIGHTLY over the raw edge of the elastic. BINGO, you’re done!!

After making a few with kid friendly beads I decided that these would be really fun to give out to some of your friend on the last day of school…you know, so they can keep cool! So I made this little printable tag that you can use to wrap 2 or 3 hair ties around. To be more cost effective you can give 2 plain and 1 jeweled hair tie as well and the 3 jeweled ones I show in the photos.

You can make more upscale, grown-up hair ties using more appropriate style beads and FOE colors.
If you buy the shimmery, glittered elastics you’ll need more like 10″ per hair tie, maybe slightly more, because they have much less stretch and give.

To help the white cardstock stay straight with the hair ties on it I slipped in a little piece of glittered cardstock on the back, just make sure it’s the really thick, stiff stuff!

The post 20 Minute Tuesday | Jeweled Hair Ties appeared first on Shes {kinda} Crafty.

Supplies:
7 – 1 inch gumballs per flower
16-18″ of ribbon per corsage
felt scraps
cardboard scraps
hot glue
scissors

To start, lay out your gumballs on a flat surface you can hot glue on in the pattern you want them to ultimately be finished in.

Keeping the gumballs on the flat surface to keep the flower level, add a dab of hot glue to center gumball and attach one of the “petal” gumballs to it. Continue adding glue and then adding a “petal” until you have added all 6 gumballs. The glue dries very fast so you will have to work quickly.

Cut out a 2″ cardboard circle and a matching 2″ felt circle for each flower that you want to make into a corsage.

Glue the cardboard circle down to the back of your flower, followed by your piece of ribbon and then your felt circle. That’s it!! You’re corsage is finished.

Gumballs come is so many fun colors, both in matte and shimmer, these days that your color combinations are limitless. And with the plethora of amazing ribbons available you can truly personalize these corsages for any event. I could see these fun corsages being perfect for a father/daughter dance, Easter Brunch, Mother’s Day, play date crafts…. so many possibilities.

Aren’t they just adorable on little wrists?

She’s just too sassy sometimes.

And they even look cute on mom size wrists!

The post 20 Minute Tuesday | Gumball Corsage appeared first on Shes {kinda} Crafty.

The decor was fun and simple. I enlarged the invitation graphic on engineering paper at the copy store (they didn’t have the size they had advertised but it still came out great). Streamers and paper lanterns were all hung from the ceiling over the sitting area where we ate and crafted.

Everyone at the party got some fresh ink courtesy of glitter temporary tattoos that I found at the store.

To keep things simple (and keeping in our color scheme) we had 1 signature drink for everyone to try along with a non-alcoholic version. It was called a Dirty Shirley which is basically a Shirley Temple with Cherry Vodka.

Instead of the standard baby shower games and activities we opted to have everyone decorate a onsie for the baby. I pre-cut out t-shirt vinyl decals and we also had paint markers and puffy paints available for everyone.

The cake and the brownie bite toppers were TO DIE FOR. The Decorated Cupcake (the rosette cake) and Lynlee’s Petite Cakes (the fondant toppers) definitely went above and beyond to make the most gorgeous and tasty options for our dessert table.  With only 15 or so ladies attending the soiree we decided a ridiculous dessert table would have been only for looks and not practical for this shower which made this a very budget friendly party.

The other fondant toppers from Lynlee’s Petite Cake where placed on top of Rice Krispie treat rattles!

Although we didn’t take pictures of the food (whoops) we had cute veggie sticks and ranch served in red polka dot baking cups, ham and swiss sliders, chicken salad, and puff pastry wrapped brie with fruit.

Everyone made their own little goodie bag to take home with them including nail polish of their choice as well as tattoo themed nail files.

Before you could leave you had to take a photo with the mom-to-be with your guess of the baby’s arrival date and weight written on chalk board thought bubbles. We had a lot of fun with this including hanging a huge piece of black sequins fabric for our backdrop.

Of course one of the main parts of any baby shower is the opening of cute baby gifts. My gift was the Skull & Crossbones diaper cake using the cutest printed diapers from The Honest Company.

All in all I think we threw a wonderful shower, kept the budget in check, and made some lasting memories (if not picture) for the mommy-to-be!

Suppliers:
Party paper items, Photography –  me using graphics from Marie Thomas Designs
Paper Lanterns, Straws – Polka Dot Market
Fondant toppers – Lynlee’s Petite Cakes
Rosette cake – The Decorated Cupcake

linking up:

tatertots & jello 

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Well today is the big Valentine’s Party at daycare so I thought I would share the treats I made for my daughters’ classmates and teachers.

I had previously shown you the treat bags (along with a different free printable) for my older daughter’s classmates but I am going to include them again here again!

 

The post Valentine’s Round {Up} appeared first on Shes {kinda} Crafty.

Over the past month or so I have been planning my daughter’s 4th birthday party bit by bit. When I saw this Cake Boss party put together flawlessly by Passion-for-Parties last summer my jaw dropped and I knew my daughter would love something like this, just tailored a little bit for the younger set. I ran straight to the amazingly talented Kori of Paper & Pigtails to help her bring my vision to graphic life. She used a photo of Martha, my brand new Aqua Kitchen Aid stand mixer, as part of her inspiration and created the perfect invitation, party logos, and other printable funness! I had the pleasure of working with some really REALLY talented handmade party vendors on this party and without their beautiful products this party would not have turned out half as cute as I think it did. Of course, I also did a handful of {kinda} crafty DIY projects as well and I will be bringing you some tutorials in the coming weeks. For now though, here are some photos of the party (taken by me and hubs) for you to enjoy!
{vendor list at the bottom of the post}

Here is the invitation designed by Kori and the vinyl decal cakes on cake stands that I made for our front door. There was also a wooden chalkboard sign above the cakes that said “Open” letting people know that Regan’s Bake Shop was open for business.

In the hall wall when you walked in was the favor table. I used a fun ruffled fabric for my backdrop and made a faux 4 layer cake out of cake dummies and scrapbook paper! The Regan’s Bake Shop sign is also Faux chalkboard as I just cut out vinyl letters and stuck them to black foam board! This table also held the favor boxes.

The first activity the children did was to make their own baker’s hat. We used cupcake liners to make beautiful flowers and then attached them to the paper chef hats using big large brads. Then we decorated white wooden spoons.

Back to the entry hall table, Carmen made the beautiful tassel garland that was displayed on the favor table. The fun cupcake straws were part of the favor boxes and the polka dot balloons ended up just becoming a fun way to hit each other after the kids were sugared up from all the goodies. Mr. {kinda}Crafty make a play bake shop for us which I added some vinyl decals to!

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