Photo Memorial Ornament

This is by far the most precious gift that I gave this Christmas. I created this for my mother-in-law.  My father-in-law passed away several years ago. He is greatly missed by all who knew him.  When the gift is this special, it really is a treat to create. The more work involved, the more time I got to spend reflecting on what made this man such a special part of the lives he touched.

You may be wondering how I got his photo on the ornament. I have a beautiful portrait of my in-laws. I scanned it into Photoshop. Next I created a black and white, high contrast image.  I then worked to get just him isolated.

I brought that photo into my Silhouette Design Studio software and traced the image. I then worked to smooth out all the little dots and such to create a usable image. I cut the image from black vinyl and applied it to a glass ornament. I had already glittered the inside of the glass ornament before applying the vinyl pieces.

On the other side of the ornament I placed the "Little bit of Heaven" phrase that I also cut from vinyl. Applying the itty-bitty-tiny letters was a bit tricky. Even using transfer paper, many still needed to be placed individually.  To be sure that this will last a while, I sprayed it with a coat of decoupage sealing spray.

Ribbons helped to finish off the cap and dress up the ornament a bit.

To present this gift, I made a special box. I used a box shape available in the Silhouette online store by Samantha Walker. I modified it to make it large enough to fit the ornament with the bows attached.  I used an acetate sheet for the window, some Christmas paper cut with a lace border punch and more ribbons on top to dress up the box.

This was the one gift I was really excited to give this year. I think she liked it!

Silent Night Canvas from a Digital Stamp

Would you believe this canvas was created using a digital stamp? It was!  Seriously!  The digital stamp that inspired me is Silent Night Digital Stamp from Arty Pants Digital Stamps and is available at The DigiChick. It just released today!!! So it's on sale right now!  Hurry to grab it for yourself!

The wonderful designer created these stamps in several sizes so they can easily be used for cards, scrapbooking or even to create wall art. She also provides layered versions of each stamp, so you can easily clip digital papers to them!

The canvas I used is a 9x12, it was already stretched on the wood base.  I mixed a few paints to get a blue color that I was happy with, then painted a few layers on the canvas.  While that was drying, I used the 8x10 version of the stamp. I brought it into Silhouette Studio and traced it to create cut lines.  I cut it from matte white Oracal vinyl (outdoor).  The stars are from 2 different Silhouette shapes available from Silhouette. Nativity (shape 52103) and Wise men still seek him (shape 35315). I cut the stars from gold vinyl.

I wanted the canvas to have a slight aged/primitive look to it. So I took some white ink and dabbed it around the edges to give it an aged effect.  I then layered the vinyl, the gold stars first then the white letters on top.

Now I've got a beautiful holiday wall art to help us stay focused on the true meaning of Christmas!

Etching Glass

This isn't a scrapbooking craft, but I did use some of my scrapbooking tools to do this. I've seen so many wonderful glass etching projects and had really been wanted to try it myself.  Then along cam an opportunity. My sister was getting married this past summer and I wanted to make something special for her shower gift. The shower theme was to stock the pantry. I decided to make her a customized casserole dish. This way when she makes all her yummy food to share at parties and gatherings, everyone will know which dish is hers!

I didn't think to take photos as I was doing this. So I just have a few that I took with my cell phone.  I bought a glass casserole dish that had a fairly flat bottom with not much writing or impressions on it. Then I took a measurement of the space I had to work with on the bottom of the dish.

I used my Silhouette Cameo for this project.I laid out my design in the software, being certain to constrain myself to the measurement of the casserole dish bottom. 

 Before cutting the design, I mirrored it in the Silhouette software. I then cut it out of vinyl. And weeded out the portions where I wanted the glass etching to take place.  This part can trip you up. Typically you weed out the waste areas and keep the design. But for this type of project you'll actually weed out the design elements so that those areas of the glass are exposed.

Using transfer tape, I applied the vinyl to the bottom of the casserole. I used a squeegee to make sure the vinyl was tightly adhered. The bubbles in the vinyl are fine. The vinyl will not be staying on the dish. It is just acting as a stencil.

Once the vinyl is in place, you apply the glass etching cream. There are a few on the market. I used Etchall. I only had a small jar and it was more than enough for this project. Plus you can gather the excess and put it back in the jar to be reused.

Spread the cream liberally to cover ONLY the areas that you want etched.  Be very careful to not get it on any other areas.

Now you just wait.  15 minutes. Then you can scrape the cream off the project and put it back in the jar.  Then remove the adhesive vinyl under running water.  And enjoy your permanently etched glass!

The vinyl left a bit of residue on the glass. I used some Goo-Gone to take that off.

I was so happy with the results. Especially since this was my very first time using this technique. Now I'm thinking of lots ideas for using etching cream!

glass etching tutorial

Hi all, Tanya here!  Today I wanted to share with you a super easy way to make awesome (and easy) home decor and/or gifts! :)

For Mother's Day this year, we decided to make homemade gifts for all the mothers in our lives, we put all the little goodies inside a glass jar, etched with their names.  It is super simple to make, but looks like a million bucks! :)

I first started off in the Silhouette Software, where I designed a label the way I wanted.  I modified THIS shape from the Silhouette Store, adding my mother's name in a fancy font that I liked.

Then, I fed a scrap of adhesive vinyl (it's a great way to use scraps of any color) through my machine, and weeded the parts that I wanted to be etched on the jar.  Transfer your vinyl (I just use clear Contact paper) to adhere your design to your jar (or whatever you are etching).

This is the lid I made for my mom's jar, another modified shape that I added lettering to.

Spread a very thick layer of your glass etching medium.  I used Armor Etch, from Hobby Lobby.  I found globbing it on works best, even though it feels like you're wasting it.

Set your timer for about 5 minutes ....

.... and then rinse!  You can just barely tell at this point that anything looks different.

Peel your adhesive vinyl away, and be amazed at your handywork!! :)

Here is the finished lid (sorry it's not a better photo).

And a view of another finished jar. 

I have since wanted to etch everything I could find! :)  I am planning to etch the glass in a frame, but I haven't done it yet.  My awesome friend Sheryl (that gave me the confidence to finally try this) says she often gives large baking dishes for wedding gifts, with the last name etched on.  I think that is a FANTASTIC idea!!! :)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Sketching with the Silhouette

Hey everyone, Cathy here today to share a wonderful thing that you can do with your Silhouette machine. This works on both the Cameo and the Portrait. It's not just for cutting!  You can draw with it too!

I've only started to use the sketch feature on my Cameo and I have instantly fallen in love!  I've been using it to write sentiments on cards, but titles and journaling on scrapbook pages, and to create designs for cards too, You can do so much more with it, I've only scratched the surface.

To use the sketch feature on the machine, you'll need to have either some Silhouette sketch pens or have an adapter to hold your pen or marker.

I bought the Amy Chomas Adjustable Marker Holder to use with my Cameo.  It's quite easy to use. You remove your blade from the Silhouette machine, and replace it with the holder.  You place a Popsicle stick (provided when you purchase the holder) underneath, insert your pen in the holder with tip touching the Popsicle stick and tighten.

I've tried a few different pens and markers in it. One of my favorites is the Staedtler Triplus Fineliner. These pens are photo safe, dry-safe (they can be left uncapped for days without drying up) and best of all, they are fine point!  I'm kind of a freak for fine point writing implements! Plus you can get them in various colors. I found my 10 pack at Staples.

So now that we've got the tools, let's use them to create a card.  Open up the Silhouette Software and create a card base. I'm using a shape from the Silhouette online store called "cut out flower card".  Choose the text tool, your font and size and type your sentiment. Position it where you want it to print on your card. I used a font called Lavenderia.  For a great list of thin fonts that work well with the sketch feature, check out this post by Gigi at One Day at a Time.

After you have your text where you want it, open the cut style window (little scissors). Select all but the text and click "no cut".  This way the only thing that is set to be "cut" is the text.  Don't worry, we're not going to "cut" it. But the machine doesn't know that!

Now set up your Silhouette Sketch Pen or holder and pen in place of the blade.

Here is a close up of the pen tip resting on the Popsicle stick:

Put your cardstock on a cutting mat and load it in the machine. Open the cut settings window and select Silhouette Sketch pen. Then send it to the cutter by pressing "cut".

Watch as your machine sketches out your sentiment (above)!!

Don't unload your met. In the Silhouette software, open the cut style window again (little scissors). This time set the text to "no cut" and all other items to "cut". Go to the cut setting window and this time set it to the appropriate paper weight (in my case "cardstock"). Remove the sketch pen or holder and pen from the machine and replace with the blade. Now send the design to the cutter to cut out the card base.

Finish up cutting all of your pieces and assemble your card.

Now when you don't have just the right sentiment stamp. you can sketch the sentiment instead!

Spend sometime visiting Amy Chomas' blog. She shares lots of inspiration and ideas for creating projects using the sketch feature on the Silhouette machines. She also has tutorials and videos to help you be even more creative.

Did you happen to notice the engraving tip in her shop? I love working with metal, so this is definitely going on my wishlist!

VISIT THE CONTRIBUTOR'S BLOGS/GALLERIES
Cathy Dippolito
Dolores Schaeffer
Cindy deRosier
Marlene Murphy
Lesley Walker
Gael Spence
Sarah Routledge
Sharon Fritchman
Tanya Ham
Sheila Burns
Pam Callaghan

Tile Coasters

Looking for a quick, easy, but personalized project that you can do as a gift? Or maybe to help spruce up your own home?  Try making some tile coasters using your digital or traditional paper crafting supplies.

Hey there! It's Cathy here, I'm going to share a tutorial for making tile coasters. Now, I made these back in the Fall to give as a Christmas gift. So I'm using some holiday motifs on mine. You can use anything that you like. You could make a set for everyday use or a set for various holidays, or maybe themed for using when celebrating a birthday.  

You can pick up the tiles at any home improvement store. You might even have some lying around from a leftover home project. Stock up on a few and you can make several sets at once. The only hard part will be picking out which ones to give and which ones to keep!

Supplies you will need:

Decoupage adhesive

Decoupage sealer (optional)

Scissors

Scrapbook paper (digital or traditional)

4"x4" Square Ceramic or Stone Tiles

Bristle paint brush

Felt
** If using digital scrapbook kit you'll also need:

Photo editing software

Inkjet paper 

Printer

I used Beacon Adhesive Fast Finish Decoupage and Decoupage Glass Sealer for this. You could also use Mod Podge or your favorite brand of decoupage medium.

1. Clean square tiles using a damp cloth. Allow to dry completely.

2. Select elements or paper to use.  If using digital scrapbook kit, resize them to fit on tile, if necessary, in photo editing software. Print.  

3. Cut out the elements, or trim the paper to fit on the tile. Cut the papers slightly smaller than the tile.

4. Using slightly damp bristle brush, apply a coat of decoupage medium to tile. 

5. While decoupage medium is still wet, adhere cut out element/paper to tile. Smooth over surface to remove any bubbles.

6. Apply thin coat of decoupage medium over top of element/paper on tile using bristle brush. Allow to dry.

7. Apply additional 2-3 coats of decoupage medium to tile and allow to dry thoroughly between coats.

8. Protect the work surface with a craft mat or waxed paper. Spray decoupaged tile with gloss sealer to seal. Hold bottle about 6 inches from tile and spray top coat. Allow to dry. (Optional)

9. Cut felt to fit the bottom of the tile. And adhere.  

10. Wrap them up in a pretty bow for gift giving.

Here are the supplies that I used: 

Digital Kit: "Penguin Pals Digital Kit Bundle" by Paper Garden Projects

Paper: Epson Premium Presentation Matte

Adhesive: Beacon Adhesives 3-in-1 Advanced Craft Glue, Decoupage Gloss Sealer, Fast Finish Decoupage Glue

The tiles were left over from a home improvement project that we did. If you have some, this is a great way to "upcycle" them.

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