Airplane Themed Baby Gift

Here's another onesie baby gift made for my niece, a flight attendant. This is a cupcake box made from cut files from SVG Cuts. I revised some digital paper that had all types of travel (boats and trucks/cars, etc.) so that it had only air travel. (see previous post for link to cut file)

In each cupcake hole, I rolled up a onesie with a sock peaking through like a cupcake (see previous posting for a visual).
Here are the onesies I made. Two are made with heat transfer vinyl and the other two are made using heat transfer paper. I used a heat press on all of them.

And the front and back of the Angel onesie.

To go along with this, I made monthly marker cards to be used when photographing the baby's growth each month for the first year, as well as a little box to hold them.

And, lastly, I made some clothing rod dividers for the baby's closet for the first two years.

Thanks for taking a look!

The Future Generation!

Instant Memories and Softball

This cute camera comes from SVG Cuts' Instant Memories SVG Kit. I cut two of the cameras out, and had a friend come to do one of them with me. She had never done any type of paper crafting, but she's game and we went step-by-step with Mary's tutorial. She slayed it. To tell you the truth, I wrote this post so much later than when it happened that I can't remember which one my friend made and which one I did.
This one was for her granddaughter...

and this one for her younger step-grandson.

I'm still impressed that she made this thing!

About a year later she came back to make her second project with me, this time another gift for her grands. We made the baseball cap from SVG Cuts' Fun and Games SVG Kit and customized them for each child. This one was much easier than the camera. The rounded part of the cap comes off and reveals a gift box. 

We added a custom t-shirt for each grandchild that could be put into the box cap.

Just a few month later, my friend's daughter took an interest, especially with the t-shirts. My friend ended up getting her daughter a heat press. That daughter (and my friend) came down for a day for a quick vinyl lesson, and we customized these water jugs for her granddaughter's entire softball team. Again, her daughter took to the entire process so fast I was blown away. She was weeding, setting up the vinyl cut files and just took over the process. I watched her in amazement.

Goes to figure, her daughter now has a full-fledged business doing sports shirts for many teams, silk screening, machine embroidery, etc. as her full-time business. I'm so proud of her. She has taken it much further than I ever would or could.

So happy to have been a small part of this story.

Knocking it Out of the Park!

Gifts for the Little Ones

Today I'm sharing a few little gifts I've made for some little ones. This first one is another cupcake box with creepers and socks. The sturdy cupcake box comes from SVG Cuts' 3D Numbers Party SVG Kit. This box comes with two sizes of cupcake inserts to choose from. I added the panels on the top and top sides, which made it that much more sturdy. If you count the chipboard layer in the bottom and the acetate in the top, there are about 18 sheets of card stock used for the construction.

Inside the boxes were four creepers that I decorated. They are rolled up and a sock is in the center to represent a cherry on top of a cupcake.

The "production" creeper was done with htv (heat transfer vinyl). The other three were done with Jetpro Softstretch Heat Transfer Paper. A heat press was used for all of them.
And, finally, I added a little gift card, 4"x4", with a cutout and popped up Pooh on the front.

This little painting apron was made for a little friend's 5th birthday. I designed the image using digital paper from Lori Whitlock (Beach Party) and Cosmo Cricket (Salt Air).

I wasn't sure how to wrap the apron, so I just printed a piece of 12x12 card stock and rolled the apron up in it.

 And, this little shirt was made for another little friend using the same graphics as the apron.

Both the apron and the shirt were done with the same Jetpro SS as the three creepers.
Thanks for taking a look!

And the Seasons, they go 'round and 'round.

Winter Gifts

I posting today some gifts I made for Valentine's Day. I hesitate to call them Valentine's gifts as they are not a traditional representation of what a gift on that day would be. It's not candy, or flowers, or jewelry, or a romantic dinner.
I'm starting with a gift for my 1st born grandson. I made these two creepers that I decorated using a heat transfer press and heat transfer paper. The fox and giraffe were art work from Studio South Seas. The artist is so talented, and I love her work! Check out her wonderful prints by clicking on the link.

This little pillow box was made from a pattern in SVG Cuts Christmas Gifts Bags and Boxes SVG Kit. I made it as large as I could on the cutting mat, and it fit both creepers easily.

My childhood BFF came for a crafting day and we made these t-shirts and baseball caps for her grandkids. The t-shirts were made with htv and a heat press. The baseball caps were made with card stock, and are actually boxes that you can put a gift into. The pattern for the baseball cap boxes comes from SVG Cuts Fun and Games SVG Kit.

And, now the most Valentine-related gift I made for each of the ladies in my Bunco group. This little pale pink and black candy box is made from SVG Cuts' My Day With Dad SVG Kit. It's a gift card box that's is one-piece and oh so easy to make. I left the insert for the gift card out of it and just put candy in it.

Lastly, I'd like to share a card I made for a friend. I pretty much designed this one on my own. The only cut file I used that I didn't design was the little life preserver on the fence came from Fleurette Blooms Ships Ahoy! Element Cutting File.  I used the main background of the card from digi paper called Mama Razzi by Bo Bunny. I designed the cut file for the lighthouse myself.

So, as you can see, they're not all pink hearts and smooches, but a bit more practical and still a fun gift. Happy Valentine's Day anyway!

Think Warm Thoughts
(Spring will be here soon enough!)

Four Seasons Mugs

I can't take credit for these mugs, but I still just love them. I saw them on Pinterest, then followed the link to the blog of the person who made them. Her name is Laura, and her blog is "Beauty & the Beard." Her blog posting was done in 2012.
Like I said, I saw these on Pinterest, and my mind immediately went to my daughter, who LOVES TREES. How could I not make them for her? I contacted Laura and asked if I could copy hers.  She graciously consented. Please take a look at her blog to get the info on how she did this. She used a porcelain marker for hers. I'm sure the instructions are on the packaging. I, however, use oil-based Sharpie's, then baked in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes to make the marker permanent.
I am not really artistic when it comes to drawing. In fact, I made a vinyl stencil for the outlines of just the bare trees because my freehand of such was so atrocious. I did everything else in free hand myself, with Laura's mugs as my guide. (I admit, hers are much better! But, mine are mine.)

Here's the winter mug.

These were really fun to make. Also, this would be a great kids project! Just remember when you cook them, there are fumes (probably not-good-for-you fumes), so the kitchen needs to be well ventilated. And, after you turn the oven off, you need to let the mugs stay in the oven until the oven cools down on its own. I did it at nighttime before bed, turned the office off, kept the kitchen window open, and went to bed. They were totally cooled when I got up in the morning, and the kitchen had no residual odors.

How cute would one of these trees be with a little red heart hanging off of a branch for a Valentine's gift. Then maybe a nice tea bag or serving of chai to put inside!

Embrace Your Seasons!

Nautical Baby Shower

Posting another themed baby shower gift, this time a nautical theme. I used the same box as previous sets, from SVG Cuts 3D Numbers Party SVG Kit. I added panels to the side, top and insert. The paper is from Samatha Walker's Nautical Mega Kit.

The tug boat on the card and the lighthouse on the box are elements from the same kit by Samantha Walker.

I designed the onesies, and applied them using HTV.

The onesies were folded lengthwise, and rolled up with a baby sock peaking through the top (a cherry on top of a cupcake). They were placed in the box to look like cupcakes.
This is such a fun gift to make and to give.

 

A New Life is a Precious Gift!

Christmas, 2014!

Wow, I cannot believe I haven't posted since September, 2014. Had to think why that was the case, and realized I had a great excuse. I became a grandma at the first of November, and traveled out of town to be with my daughter, son-in-law and grandbaby for five weeks. It was the best! When I got back it was only a couple of weeks until Christmas, and I had done absolutely no planning for the holidays. And, here it is, January, 2015.
During the interim, I made a few items. I found a Pinterest posting on these mugs that looked easy and fun to make, so I made 16 of them as gifts for Christmas.

These would be a great craft to do with kids. They could do this particular project, or really draw anything they wanted! I ordered an entire case of the mugs (24), and have already used all of them. The Pinterest posting is linked to a blogger who gave all the info for making. In a nutshell, you use oiled based Sharpee markers. They must be oil based. The regular water-based ones will not work. I cut the letters from vinyl, and stuck them to the mug. Then, just picked out two colors for each one (you can do however many you please), and started making dots all around the letter. Once I was happy with it, I just took the vinyl letter off. You could easily use contact paper or anything else that would mask the area.
Next, you need to make it permanent, so you bake in the over at 350 for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn the oven off, but do not remove the mugs. Leave them in the oven until it cools down completely on its own. Please note that this will produce a strong smell in your kitchen, so you should have good ventilation (windows open). I have double ovens, so I put half of them in the top and the rest in the bottom, and did them all at the same time.

The heating of the mugs will make the Sharpee permanent. I haven't tried putting it into the dishwasher, but I've heard it is fine to do so.
I made another mug for my nephew with a monogram. This one was etched.

Here is a box I made for the mug. The pattern came from SVG Cuts' Winter Gazebo SVG Kit. I made the top solid, and I added panels to the sides on both the inside and outside, to make it stronger for  the heavy mug.

One other item I made was a box card from SVG Cuts' Christmas Box Cards SVG Kit. On the back, I glued a gift card envelope, and used this as my Bunco gift for December.

That's all I have to share for now. New items in the process right now, so hopefully regular blogging will ensue.

Happy New Year - 2015!

Pre-Birth Story Board Book

This little book was made for a dear friend whose little girl just turned one. During her pregnancy I would see this mommy each week as she worked across the street where I would pick up work. I'd give her a call, and she'd meet me out front, and we'd get a pregnancy photo. I used them for a game for her baby shower, and gave her the poster board from that, but still always wanted to make her some sort of book with the photos it in. I think she and her husband were trying to figure out what to do with that bulky poster board as well (now they can toss it!).
When their little girl was coming upon her first birthday, I finally got the idea I was waiting for. I made a board book that had the photo for each week I had taken a photo (from week 14 to week 39). On each photo was information about how big the baby was, what part of the baby's body was developing, etc.
I bound the book with my Cinch binding tool.

I used chip board for the pages, and printed on card stock, and then laminated the top side. Wanted it to be able to withstand the smudging of little baby fingers.

Then, I added in a little "find the object" game, where I listed small animals, car, boat, shell, etc., and then hid these items throughout the book.

The book had threefold educational purposes. There were fruits and veggies showing how big she was; there were descriptions of what parts of her little body were developing; and then there was the little picture search game.

I loved making this book for my special friend.   She is such a happy girl!!!

Tucked it into a bag I made that came from SVG Cuts' Parkside Row SVG Kit, added a little stuffed critter, and it was ready to go.

Happy 1st Birthday, Macy Flynn!