December Grab Bag with Bonus Digi Stamp!

Hi Everyone!  Sorry for not posting much this week or last.  It's that time of year.  And by that time of year, I mean when I run around flitting from thing to thing, from project to project, but never actually getting anything done.  Yes, it's December folks.  And all I can say is, "What the heck?"

I wanted to pop on here really quick and let you know that I'm in the VDBC Grab Bag again! Yup, the December VDBC Grab Bag is up and ready!  Some super cute things this month.

There is a super cute bonus if you buy in the first week.  Becky from Articrafts has created a digital stamp to go along with her Santa Pants file.  It's hilarious, I know you'll love it!  It a cute tag that reads, "We looked for a stocking, but we couldn't find a spare. So we ended up stuffing Santa's red underwear."  So, if you want it, you'll need to grab up the Grab Bag this week!

Here's a closer look at the three designs included from Yours Truly:

Time to get crafty, people!

Make Your Own Monday: Shrink Charms

It's here isn't it?  Thanksgiving week!  Aaaaaaaahhhh!!

I sound so negative don't I?  That's terrible!

We're visiting my parents for Thanksgiving and I'm really excited about it.  So, why the negativity, you say?  Well, I've been saying it for a while... time is going by way too fast and Thanksgiving week means only just a few more weeks until Christmas.  I had hoped to have Christmas gifts put together to take to my family this week.  Nope, it's just not going to happen.  At the rate I'm progressing, they'll be lucky to get something by Valentine's Day.  

With that said, I'm probably not going to blog much this week.  I've definitely got a little something planned for Black Friday though, so stay tuned for that.  Other than that, this will probably be it for Thanksgiving week blogging.  There, I just rid myself of one thing on my to-do list.  I feel better already.

I couldn't let the week go by without mentioning the good happenings around our house.  Next Sunday is Hailey's 6th Birthday.  Happy Birthday, Hailey!  The poor girl was cursed to be born during the holidays.  That means that partying for her birthday is always last minute.  We decided last week that the only way we were going to squeeze a party in would be to do it this past Saturday.  I'm so blessed to have a wonderful best friend, Heather, who also makes amazing cakes.  So, I begged her to make me one.  She consented and I immediately regretted it when Hailey announced she wanted a Dinosaur Train cake.  Great, fondant dinosaurs? Heather is going to kill me!  Luckily, I found a motorized train set with some figurines and Heather was able to use that to decorate the cake.  I'm glad it relieved some of the pressure of decorating a last minute cake for me.  We called all of Hailey's friends on Friday and surprisingly 12 out of the 14 we invited were able to come!  We did dino face painting, jumped on the trampoline, whacked the crap out of a dino pinata, ate yummy cake, and opened presents. Before we knew it, the time was up.  In the end it was fun even for a last minute party.  Hailey was thrilled.  I'm not sure I can really believe that she is going to be 6 years old.

Aren't they just two of the cutest dinosaurs on the planet?

Happy realization for me?  Remembering that we have an every other year party rule... no big parties next year!  Yippee!

Okay, on to some crafty stuff.  I've been noticing a big resurgence of things made out of shrink plastic lately.  Remember Shrinky Dinks when you were a kid?  Well, now it's graduated from kids stuff to a "legitimate" crafter's material!  I have enjoyed using it for some time now.  I was just thrilled to discover a couple of years ago that my KNK MAXX digital die-cutting machine would cut the stuff!  An endless world of opportunities for shrinking cute things down to minuscule size opened up before me.  I thought I'd share one quick and fun technique for shrink plastic with you.

Today you will learn to make your own... Shrink Charms

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The charms shown above are approximately 1" across.  Cute, aren't they?

A few notes before we get started:

I'm using my Itty Bitty Charms and Pen Doodles - Autumn Leaf digital cutting designs.  You can do your doodling by hand if you want.  You could even cut your charms by hand it you want.  The cutter is optional but makes this lots easier.

I'm using Transluscent Shrink Film by Grafix.  I love how it cuts.  Nice and smooth.  For a pen, I'm using a plain old fine point Sharpie marker.

For software and cutter I'm using the KNK Studio MAXX software with my KNK MAXX cutting machine. You'll want to check to make sure your cutter can cut shrink film before you try this.

Materials:
Shrink Plastic
Fine Point Permanent Marker
Die Cut Machine
Sticky Cutting Mat
Itty Bitty Charms (Optional)
Pen Doodles - Autumn Leaf (Optional)

1. Open your charm cutting design.  Make your charms the size you want them to be when you are finished shrinking them.

2. Size everything up 200%.

3. Overlay your pen doodle design on top of your charms.  I deleted out the parts I didn't need and moved a few things around.  Let your doodle design be larger than your charms so the lines spill off the edges.

4.  Get your machine ready.  Test cut your shrink plastic and draw with your pen tool so you'll know exactly what settings you need before you start.  Be sure you've got the pressure set correctly for your pen or you will squish the nib of your pen.  I've done this... sad!

5. Draw your doodle design with the permanent marker.  Position your starting point so that the rollers won't roll over your doodles.  It takes a while for permanent marker to dry and it will smear if the rollers go over it.

6. Cut your charms out.

7.  Carefully remove them from the mat.  The ink will be wet!

8. Shrink them via the manufacturer's instructions.

9. Ta Da!  Cute little guys aren't they?  Let them cool before you touch them.  They will be hot!

I also wanted to add that you can color these with Copic markers.  You'll have to wait until after they are shrunk though.  I tried a sample piece before and it just dissolved the marker lines.  After shrinking it worked fine!  If I get a chance to color some, I'll post a finished photo.

Here's a little portable version of this tutorial. Pin it or save it... whatever works for you!

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Coming up... Some fun things happening on Black Friday!  There will be a freebie and giveaway this weekend along with a fantastic sale!  50% off everything Sam & Hailey!  See ya then!

Time to get crafty, people!

Taking a Sick Day

Happy Monday, Everyone!  It's certainly been a fun weekend with the Anniversary celebration over at VDBC.  I hope you were able to join in some of the fun!  Unfortunately, I'm am feeling quite under the weather this morning.  The girls are safely ensconced on the bus so I think I might actually go back to bed and get some sleep.

So, no Monday Super Steal this morning.  What I am doing though, is to leave my 40% off sale up until tonight! That's way better than 50% off one item.  40% off everything!  The little "Special Offer" signs are gone, but the sale is still there, I promise.

I even uploaded a few new designs over the weekend.  I know!  It's a miracle!

Here are a few samples to tempt you:













What are you waiting for????  Go shopping!  It will really help me feel better this morning. Don't you want me to feel better?

Time to get crafty, people!

Project Wednesday: Vinyl Halloween Decor

A Quick Note:  It's Anniversary Celebration Week at VDBC!  There are tons of challenges and prizes to be won.  Click here to find the spot where all the challenges will be posted (there are already a few posted by yours truly).  Also, be sure to sign up for the VDBC Newsletter so you'll get the Anniversary Guide that's coming out soon!

Well hello there, friends!  Nice to see you again.  It's the third day of Fall Break and I still manage to have my sanity mostly intact.  Funny how quickly I've gotten used to having the house to myself all day.  To be honest, though, I've really enjoyed having the girls around.  They've mostly gotten along and I enjoy sitting and listening to them play when they think I'm not paying attention.  The think I'm not paying attention most of the time until they hear me yell at them from the other room.  Hee Hee!  It's always fun to hear the scramble as they realize they've been caught up to something they ought not to have been up to.  Mostly it's involved jumping on the bed.  I think I can handle that.

The biggest issue I'm having with the kids is with Sam these days.  That girl cannot stop herself from raiding my craft studio!  I'm pondering moving into the guest room and installing a padlock.  The girls have have their scissor privileges revoked recently.  That was after I discovered Hailey's bangs cut to about 1/4" at the peak of her forehead.  And then everyone denied cutting her hair.  Well, I knew it wasn't me.  So, no more scissors.  However, no matter where I hide them, Sam manages to find them.  She's not very good at being sneaky.  For example, she brought me a pre-birthday present she'd made from cut up paper.  Hmmm... and where did you get the scissors? I ask.  Sigh.  And I've repeatedly told her that I'd be happy to let her borrow them as long as she asks first and returns them when she's done.  Apparently, she thinks I'll say no even if she asks.  The problem is, she never gives me the chance to say yes!  So, yesterday, I did my best to be trusting and let her borrow scissors several times.  This time all she sneaked out of my office was a nice full sheet of scrapbook paper.  I suppose that wasn't on the banned list specifically.  Time to lay out the rules one more time.

Okay, time for the easiest project EVER!!!!

Today's project is:  Vinyl Halloween Decor

The other day I was trying to think up some quick and easy Halloween Decor ideas.  I said to myself. "I've got my cutting machine and yards and yards of vinyl, so why not use it?" So, that's just what I did!

I decided I wanted to make it look like a whole bevy of bats {I know the correct term is "swarm" but I like bevy so much better} was flying past my house and casting shadows on it.  I cut a bazillion bats out of some glossy repositionable wall vinyl.  Okay, not a bazillion, somewhere around a hundred.  Anyway, it took about 8 feet of vinyl to do it and was quite possibly one of the easiest vinyl applications I've ever done.  I simply weeded the parts out I didn't want and then stuck them on the house like stickers.  The girls even helped me put them up with no issues at all.  I didn't bother with transfer tape since they weren't particularly intricate.  We only had one or two issues with the vinyl sticking to itself like a sheet of plastic wrap.  I was using the repositionable kind so it wasn't too hard to straighten them out.  The girls loved getting into the act, too.  We tried our best to make sure the bats were all flying in the same direction.  The girls wanted to put them up however they felt like so I had to make occasional corrections, but all in all, it was a fun hour long project to do with them.

I was concerned that they wouldn't stick to my stucco finished house, but they stuck just fine.  And when it got hot in the afternoon, they melted a little like shrink plastic to conform to the contours of the house. Not bad at all, if I do say so myself!

Sam decided to count all the bats and came up with about 93.

If you have a cutter, you should totally try this.  I used my Itty Bitty Halloween Scene design for the bats.  I cut them in sizes ranging from a few inches wide up to about 15" wide.  I would recommend something that doesn't have a lot of detail.  I don't think you need it.  If you don't have a cutter, find someone who does, or just stop on by!  Okay, maybe call first.

We've even had neighbors come out for a walk just to see our bats!  Awesome!

You too, can make this!!!!

Time to get crafty, people!

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Eighteen25

Fantabulous Friday Freebie: Itty Bitty Photo Turns

Phew! What a week! Sometimes I wonder why I persist in biting off more than I can chew. But I guess I managed to get a lot done, so really, it's not so bad, after all. One thing I've discovered? I'm not used to sitting at a desk all day long anymore. I suppose that's a good thing, but boy is my back sore! I'm thinking a nice long sleep in is in order for tomorrow morning.

So, with that said, I'm going to keep is short and sweet today. It's Freebie time!

Today I'm sharing my die-cut design: Itty Bitty Photo Turns

I love my Itty Bitty files. They are taking quite a bit of time to get uploaded into the store, though! I thought maybe you'd enjoy having one today. This one goes great with those vintage labels we were talking about earlier this week!

Boring but Important Legal Stuff: My terms of use are included in each zipped download. If you have any questions about how you may use this file, please read it. By clicking to download the file, you are agreeing to abide by the terms. If you'd like to share it, please don't. Rather, send your friends a link to this blog post. Once it's no longer available as a freebie, you might be tempted to share it with someone. Please don't! 'Nuf said!

This download will be available for only 24 hours!

Sorry!  This download has expired!  Looking for more Sam & Hailey freebies?  Check out the latest edition of the VDBC Newsletter!

Here's an example of this file. I used it to adorn one of the pages of the Perpetual Calendar I made a while back. These are little photo turns I cut from grungeboard and then painted. They look so cute with those jewel brads! Seeing this picture made me thing of the old blog post where I had all the details on this project. I decided to re-post it on the new blog. Just scroll down to the previous post to check it out!

Did you know that the VDBC Anniversary Party is coming up? There's going to be all sorts of fun starting in just a couple of weeks. I'm going to be hosting at least 3 or 4 challenges here on my blog and in the forum. You know you want to join in!


Time to get crafty, people!

Repost from 2.4.09 - Perpetual Calendar

This is a repost of my February 4th, 2009 blog post on my old blog.  I want to save some of my more important blog posts before the old blog goes away.  Hey, I think it's good enough to share twice!

I finished up my Perpetual Calendar yesterday! I'm so excited about it! I have tons of pictures to share, so be prepared! Before I post all the pictures, let me explain how it works. The calendar is divided into sections... imagine a rectangular page that you've sliced into strips. The first section, the largest piece, is for the Month. There are 12 Month pages, obviously. The other three sections are the same size. The next section is for the day of the week and there are seven of these... Sunday - Saturday. The last two sections are the date numbers. The first date section contains only the numbers 1-3 and a blank for the first nine days of the month. The second date section is the last section of the calendar and contain numbers 1-9 with a zero at the end. Each day you flip up the next number and day of the week! There is a front and back cover as well, with ribbons that I used to tie the covers into a little A-Frame stand.

What I love about this project?

1) I scrapped a whole years worth of photos which I haven't done in ages.
2) I designed and cut almost every decorative element myself.
3) I used some of my favorite products.
4) Everything I used was already in my stash... scary, I know!
5) I actually accomplished something tangible!
6) I photographed each part before I assembled it.  Then I printed the pages again on photo paper and made copies of the calendar for the Grandparents and for Daddy's desk at work!  Awesome Christmas Gift!

Without further ado.... here's my calendar entitled "A year with Sam & Hailey!" Click on any image to see a larger version.

Supply notes:
All numbers from my file "Itty Bitty Funky Numbers"
Weekday abbreviations and letters from my file "Itty Bitty Weekdays"
Months from my file "Itty Bitty Months"
All frames from my "Background Cuts" line of files.
All paper from BasicGrey
All cardstock from Bazzill Basics
All flowers from Prima
All other files and supplies as noted below

Brad: SEI; File: Itty Bitty Swirls

Ribbon: All My Memories

Here are close up photos of the Months pages.  I love that they are mini scrabook pages!

The months:

Snowflake from Itty Bitty Snowflakes

Heart with Wings from Itty Bitty Sweetheart

Flower from Itty Bitty Flowers, brad from SEI

Boot from Itty Bitty Cowboy

Flower garland from Itty Bitty Fairy, brads from Making Memories

Photo Turns from Itty Bitty Photo Turns, brads from Making Memories

Anchor from Itty Bitty Pirate, brad from Hot Off the Press

Apple from Itty Bitty Fruit

Leaves from Itty Bitty Autumn Leaves

Crown from Itty Bitty Princess; Star from Itty Bitty Cowboy; Jewel Flower from Heidi Swapp

Ribbon slide from Itty Bitty Buckles, Ribbon from All My Memories

Gingerbread boy from Itty Bitty Christmas Sweets, Jewels from Heidi Swapp

Here are close-ups of the other tabs! Remember you can click on any image for a closer look.

The days of the week:

Jewels: Heidi Swapp; File: Insides of Background Cuts collection files.

Brad: SEI; File: Insides of Background Cuts collection files

File: Insides of Background Cuts collection files

The first digit of the date:

Brad: SEI; Jewel: Heidi Swapp; Files: Insides of Background Cuts collection files, Itty Bitty Swirls

Brads: Making Memories; Ribbon: All My Memories; Ribbon Sliders: Colorbok; File: Itty Bitty Fairy

The second digit of the date:

Jewels: Heidi Swapp; Brads: Colorbok, Hot Off The Press; Fabric Flower Stickers: SEI; Chipboard and Acrylic Flowers: Heidi Swapp; File: Itty Bitty Charms

Brads: Colorbok, SEI; Eyelets: Making Memories; Fabric Flower and Tab: SEI; Ribbon: All My Memories; File: Itty Bitty Bookplates

Ribbon Slider Brad: Bazzill; Brads: Hot Off The Press; Ribbon: All My Memories; Jewel: Heidi Swapp; Metal Tab: Colorbok

Chipboard and Acrylic Hearts: Heidi Swapp; Spiral Clip: Colorbok; Brads: Hot Off The Press; Metal Tab: Colorbok; File: Itty Bitty Bookplates

I'm hoping this will inspire someone else out there to do something different!!

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Thanks for playing!