Snowflake Pin/Ornament

This is another one of my super easy because life, a kid, a husband, a house, and a bad back get in the way at the holidays - type of projects!

A cute little snowflake face! You can make it as an ornament or turn it to a pin and wear it proudly.

To make your own, you will need: 

White Cardstock

Snowflakes (I used wooden ones purchased at Hobby Lobby but you could cut them with your Silhouette too!) 

Glue (I used E-6000) 

Bakers Twine or Pin Back (depending on whether or not you are making a pin or an ornament)

Mod Podge Dimensional Magic 
Snowy Face File (I created this file myself in the Silhouette Studio Software and I'm sharing it here. While I sized this to fit the snowflakes I was using, you can re-size it to fit yours.)

How to make your own: 

1. Using the print and cut feature in the Silhouette software, cut out as many faces as you need. 

2. Dab a little glue in the middle of the snowflake and glue on the snowy face. 

3. Once it is dry, put on the Mod Podge Dimensional Magic (MPDM). Start with the center of the face and work your way out squeezing slowly the MPDM bottle. Have a straight pin handy and pop out any air bubbles that arise. Let this dry for at least several hours. If you move it before it dries, the MPDM will run leaving your snowy face looking blurry.

4. Glue on a pin back or add some bakers twine and you're done!

Isn't she adorable?!? These make great ornaments, adorable pins, and would even look so cute embellishing a Christmas gift under the tree and best part - minus drying time, it takes less than 10 minutes!

Want to Check Out More Silhouette Projects?

My Silhouette Challenge buddies and I are all sharing projects on our blogs today, so peruse the projects below for a wealth of Silhouette inspiration! 

1. 2013 Snowman Christmas Card by Please Excuse My Craftermath...
2. Christmas Hoop Art by Lil' Mrs. Tori
3. Silhouette Nativity Advent Candle Box by One Tough Mother
4. Christmas Party Photo Booth Props by unOriginal Mom
5. Another Stenciled Tea Towel by Cutesy Crafts
6. Silhouette Gift Tags by Rain on a Tin Roof
7. Snowflake Pin / Ornament by Coley's Corner
8. State Sign Couple Gift by It Happens in a Blink
9. Mason Jar Christmas Ornaments by Vintage News Junkie
10. Merry Christmas Wall Decor by One Artsy Mama
11. Deer Head Holiday Banner...featuring Santa's Reindeer by The Thinking Closet
12. Restore your UGGS (with PAINT) by From Wine to Whine
13. Monogrammed Snowflake Ornaments by Architecture of a Mom
14. Christmas Countdown Sign by The Girl Creative
15. Elf Chalk Sign: "The Best Way to Spread Christmas" by Weekend Craft
16. Glittery Christmas Subway Art by The Turquoise Home
17. Sketch Pen Labels by Sowdering About in Seattle
18. Snowflake NOEL Sign by My Favorite Finds
19. DIY Holiday Hostess Gift by Everyday Paper
20. Folding Nativity Backdrop by Chicken Scratch NY
21. Recycled Glass Jar Advent Calendar by Nearly Handmade
22. Reindeer Card: Double-Sided Print & Cut by GetSilvered
23. Personalized Block Ornament by Suburble
24. Paper Medallion Christmas Tree by Create & Babble
25. Mini Mid-Century Homes by Tried & True
26. Glitter and Vinyl Minecraft Christmas Ornament by A Tossed Salad Life
27. DIY Countdown to Christmas Refrigerator Style by My Paper Craze
28. Reversible Recipe Holder/Block Frame by The Sensory Emporium
29. DIY: Lettered Christmas Pillows by The House on Hillbrook
30. Simply Charming Christmas Ornaments by Life After Laundry
31. No Glitter was Worn by GiveMeAPaintbrush
32. Make Easy Ornaments from Paper Circles by Bringing Creativity to Life
33. Cutting Machine Embroidery Applique by Terri Johnson Creates
34. "Believe" Christmas Banner by Daily Dwelling
35. DIY Christmas Nativity Card by Pitter and Glink
    
    
    Do you have a Silhouette machine?
Looking for Silhouette inspiration, support, trouble-shooting? Interested in joining us for our group posting event next month? Then, we'd love to have you join our Silhouette Challenge Facebook group. To join, simply fill out the new member request form, and Lauren from The Thinking Closet will get you squared away.

DIY Stenciled Mugs

Have you seen all the mugs that people post on Pinterest that are made with Sharpies? I always thought those were neat and have been wanting to give it a try. I'm not the best a freehanding an image, doodling, or writing on something like a mug so I used my Silhouette machine to create stencils! 

I read many different tutorials on how to do these. Some of them are pretty similar, but this is one that I liked best and referenced the most.

First you'll need two inexpensive mugs, permanent markers such as Sharpies or Bic Mark Its, and vinyl stencils of the images you want to put on your mug cut out with your Silhoutte machine. For this project, I chose to make use this mustache image and this lip image that were already in my library. I cut them out of black vinyl because that was what I had in my stash. The color really isn't important.

Wash your mugs really well with soap and water removing any price stickers. Let them dry then just before you go to start writing on the mug, wipe the area you will be writing on with alcohol. Place your stencil on the mug and press it down smoothly. If there is any area of your image that needs to remain white (like the middle part of the lips I used) be sure and place that down too.

Now you simply color in the image using your markers. I used a Red Sharpie and a Black Bic Mark It. I found the Black Bic Mark It worked much better and when I make mugs again, I will use all Bic Mark Its next time. Anyways, I found it easiest to out line the entire image being careful not to go outside the stencil and then fill it all in. I let them both sit for about 10 minutes before I removed my stencil. If you notice that the marker bled outside the stencil any, you can easily clean it up by dipping a Q-tip in alcohol.

I then put my mugs in a cool oven, turned the oven to 450 degrees and put the timer on 45 minutes. When the 45 minutes were up, I turned off the oven and left the mugs in until they cooled. The mustache mug looked amazing straight out of the oven but the color of the lips was more orange than red. So I added more red Sharpie to the mug and baked it all over again.

They turned out pretty cute! I washed them a couple of times just to be sure nothing scrubbed off and all was good.

With the holidays right around the corner, you could easily turn these into gifts for teachers, co-workers, friends, etc. by adding a couple of packages of hot cocoa and candy canes inside the mug, tie them with some pretty ribbon and add a jingle bell embellishment and you have a cute gift!

This post is part of the monthly Silhouette Challenges hosted by Lauren at The Thinking Closet. 

Check out other posts by Silhouette Challenge participants below: 

DIY Ironing Board Hanger by The Turquoise Home
Silhouette Challenge: Time Zone Bathroom Art by Nearly Handmade
Santa's Christmas Countdown by Tried & True
Nautical Anchor Pillow Tutorial by The Thinking Closet
Christmas Card Ornament with Free Cut File by unOriginalMom
Thanksgiving and Christmas Dual Sign by Architecture of a Mom
Itching to Etch by Get Silvered
Snowman Tag ~ Silhouette Challenge by Whats Next Ma
Thanksgiving Sign by Chicken Scratch NY
DIY Horse Silhouette Pillow by Rain on a Tin Roof
Sketching on Fabric by The Sensory Emporium
Paper Leaf Garland by Lil' Mrs. Tori
DIY Blessing Board - Silhouette Challenge by One Tough Mother
Christmas Pillow by Create & Babble
Glass Painting with Reverse Stencils by Givemeapaintbrush
Chalkboard Thankful Tree by Cutesy Crafts
Bottoms Up! MYO Wine Tag by From Wine to Whine
'Happy Holly-days' Tags for the Swap by An Elegant Touch...
Thank You for Dinner (Card) by Everyday Paper
Advent Star Christmas Countdown by My Favorite Finds
Geometric Fabric Bowls by Please Excuse My Craftermath...
Paper Carnival by Home At Eight
Silhouette Cameo Tutorial: Dual Sided Business Cards by Black and White Obsession
In Case of Emergency Baby Bag Tags by Tossed Salad Life
Christmas On My Mind by Creative Turn
Jingle all the Way! by My Paper Craze
Christmas Lights Garland by Making Home Base
We Are Thankful by 4 You With Love
Seattle Skyline Silhouette by Sowdering About in Seattle
DIY Stenciled Mugs by Coley's Corner

Interested in joining us for our group posting event next month?  We'd love to have you.  Simply fill out the new member request form, and Lauren from The Thinking Closet will get you squared away.

Fall Decor with the Silhouette

I am so ready for fall! While it's still pretty warm outside, I recently took down the summer decor and am slowing putting out the fall. Maybe if I get ready for fall, Mother Nature will follow! 

I was a little bored with my fall decor so I decided to make a couple of new things and am sharing these cute fall luminaries with you today. 

These luminaries were super easy to make thanks to Silvia, my Silhouette machine and took less than 20 minutes. I started off with this file for autumn luminaries from the Silhouette store. I then cut it out of a rust and olive colored card stock. I put some vellum on the inside of the luminary where the leaves are cut out. Then I assembled my luminaries securing them with a strong adhesive, popped a battery operated candle inside, and was done! 

Super easy and cute on the mantle! 

This post is part of the monthly Silhouette Challenge hosted by Lauren at The Thinking Closet. To see more posts, check out the posts by some of my Challenge buddies below.

Organizing for Preschool by Life After Laundry

Strawberry Shortcake Party Favors with Silhouette Seed Packets by It Happens in a Blink

Look At Me! Vinyl Decal with Free File by Get Silvered Craft

Stamped Wrapping Paper Tutorial by The Thinking Closet

Titi's Freezer Paper Stenciled Butterflies Onesie! by TitiCrafty

Gender Reveal Fabric Banner by Create & Babble

Monster Crossing Test Tube Holder by My Happy Place

Preschool Lovey Book by A Tossed Salad Life

Front Door Sign by Cutesy Crafts

Paper Pumpkin Banner by Chicken Scratch NY

A Stache Bash Shower by Home At Eight

Fall Decor with the Silhouette by Coley's Corner

Happy Fall Y'all by Tanya's Creative Space

Crafting for Disney: Stroller Signs & Kid Shirts by From Wine to Whine

Halloween Lights by Lil' Mrs. Tori

Customized Disney T-Shirts by DailyDwelling

Craft Room Labels by Super Sweet Life

Tried & True Coloring Print In 3D! by Tried & True

Clean Eating Menu Planning and Magnet Board by The House on Hillbrook

Toddler Growth Chart by Joy and Gladness of Heart

DIY Anthropologie Inspired Chalk Board Storage Jars by 4 You With Love

"Let's Hear it For the Boys!" by An Elegant Touch

Stamped Gift Boxes

I once again combined two crafty things I love; my Silhouette machine and stamps to create a cute little gift box. These boxes are great for holding gift cards, jewelry, or other small gifts.

I started off with this pillow box cut file from the Silhouette store which I cut out of card stock. The great thing about the Silhouette is it not only cuts but creates score lines too. They are a faint dashed line but it's easy enough to see where to make the folds. 

Before I folded and assembled the box, I stamped all over the box. I typically choose two different stamps that work together and two different coordinating ink colors. There's no real pattern to my stamping. I just stamp with the first stamp in one color then fill in with the second stamp in a different color. I always make sure to stamp off the page because I think it looks more natural that way. 

I then fold the box on the score lines and secure with sticky strip, add the gift, and then finish it off with ribbon or baker's twine. 

They turned out cute! I think they'd be really fun for Christmas too!

This post is part of the monthly Silhouette Challenges hosted by Lauren at The Thinking Closet. 

Check out other posts by Silhouette Challenge participants below: 

DIY Paper Star Lanterns by Me & My DIY

A Jar of Gratefulness by We ♥ Cards

Adding Easy Sketch Pen Detail to Silhouette Cuts by It Happens in a Blink

Laundry Room Labels by Unoriginal Mom

Kids Step Stool with Sass by Joy & Gladness of Heart

Magnetic Perpetual Calendar by Everydaypaper

Silhouette Fabric Ink {An Experiment} by Create & Babble

Playhouse Signs: Who Will We Be Today? by Suburble

How to Get a Second Wind Out of Your Gel Manicure by The Thinking Closet

DIY Graduation Gift by Super Sweet Life

A Silhouette Challenge by Home at Eight

Oval Coffee Table Reveal & More! by Give Me a Paintbrush

Stamped Gift Boxes by Coley's Corner

Monsters University T-Shirt by Tried & True

A Silhouette Challenge Project by Mel Stampz

Travel Accessories for Vacation Mementos & Business by An Elegant Touch

Interested in joining us for our group posting event next month?  We'd love to have you.  Simply contact Lauren from The Thinking Closet by email

Create your own "Rubber" Stamps

Recently, I have been really into stamping, making cards, and what not. I used to do it years ago but stopped for awhile and lately I have picked it back up and fallen in love with stamping and card making again. I really enjoy it and I love that I can create a card in 5 - 10 minutes. It's a great way for me to feed my creative soul when I don't have a ton of time or energy for a bigger project.

I was making a card and I really wanted a bigger polka dot stamp for a background than the polka dot background stamp I own. So, I grabbed my hand held circle punch and some craft foam and made one. That got me to thinking, I bet I could make stamps with my Silhouette. So, I gave it a try and it worked! 

Because I was a little hesitant to cut foam on my Silhouette (I don't want to mess it up!) I decided to try a thinner foam from my local dollar store. I started with a simple mustache shape because I have a friend who adored all things mustache related and I thought it would be fun to make her a set of cards. I double cut it with the blade on 9 and speed on 1. It worked perfectly! Because it was a thinner foam, I cut three mustaches out and glued them together using E-6000. I let them dry for a little while and then I attached them to my acrylic block I use for stamping with clear stamps by just adding a piece of removable tape to the block. Then I inked up my stamp and stamped away! 

Top image is the stamp on my acrylic block and bottom image is a stamped card.

I made a set of cards with the stamp and then boxed them up in a cute little window box I made. 

I have made other "rubber" stamps since making the mustache and they all have worked well. I will tell you though, if you give this a try, you'll need to use shapes that are a good size and do not have a ton of detail. I have tried a smaller, more intricate shape and it just didn't turn out well and resulted in an un-clean, smudged stamped image. 

This post is part of the monthly Silhouette Challenges hosted by Lauren at The Thinking Closet. 

Check out other posts by Silhouette Challenge participants below: 

DIY Business Cards {Silhouette Tutorial} by Create & Babble

Where Home Is: A Gift for a Military Family by Suburble

This Month's Facebook Silhouette Challenge by Tanya's Creative Space

3D Tea Gift Box Download by Creative Turn

File Cabinet Makeover by Super Sweet Life

Jewelry Box Creation by Joy & Gladness of Heart

Retro Chair Silhouette by Tried & True

Toddler Train T-Shirt by The Thinking Closet

First Silhouette Project! 3-2-1 Blastoff Shirt by de Jong Dream House

Placecard & Card Medley by An Elegant Touch

Using my Silhouette in the Shower (Bathroom Organization) by Whole New Leaf

Pretty & Personal Birthday Bundle by The House on Hillbrook

Flower Pot Cards

I bought this flower pot cut file from the Silhouette store awhile back (Side note: One thing I love about the Silhouette store is how inexpensive all the cut files and often they have sales making them cheaper than the normal 99 cents.) and had been wanting to use it for something but hadn't created anything with it. 

Last week, I finally had times to craft for me since I had been pretty consumed with crafting for the BMB retreat and decided to create a few cards for my Mom for Mother's Day and a friend. I recalled the flower pot shape and decided to give it a try. It was pretty easy. I just selected different papers and cut them. 

The way the card is created the flower part slides down into the pot. You can write your sentiment below the flowers. 

I used different patterned papers to create the flowers. (I actually used some scraps - I'm on a mission to dwindle down my scrap pile this year!) 

I decided it needed something a little more and that's when I added the ribbon. I create a tag using a punch and a stamp.

I love how they turned out! 

I forgot how much fun card making is and I know I'll be sharing more cards soon!

(Linking to the parties listed in my sidebar)

{Girly} Super Hero Decor

Some of you may know that my BFF and I co-founded an organization called BirthMom Buds that provides support to birthmothers and each year, the weekend before Mother's Day we host a retreat and celebration in Charlotte, North Carolina. I really enjoy the task of decorating for the retreat. Each year, we choose a theme each year for the retreat and try to carry it out through out the whole weekend. This being our 9th event, we are starting to get a little more creative and out of the box with our themes and chose this year's theme to be (girly) Super Heroes. Our colors were pink, yellow, lavender, green, and light teal and we created one table in each color.

My Silhouette machine makes creating decor SO easy. I seriously wonder how I ever did this before I had a Silhouette! ha! 

My BFF created some amazing buildings out of cardboard boxes by painting them black and adding and cutting out little windows. Those were the main part of the centerpiece and then I created other things to go around the buildings.

The clock tower is my favorite part of the building. So cute!

To go around the buildings, I created several thing. First up, is the candle holders below. I spray painted them black. The masks are fabric and were made using a simple mask shape from the Silhouette store.

I also took glass vases and spray painted them black. I filled them with beans for weight and then silver shred. I created super hero bubbles (using this shape from the Silhouette store) with different words like "pow," "wow," and "bam." I created a colored bubble and then a slightly larger black bubbled and sandwiched two of the bubbles in between a small dowel rod that I painted black. I applied the letters with pop dots to give it a small bit of dimension.

I think my favorite part of the tables was the girls popping out of the building. This same girl is in the retreat logo. I traced the logo in the Silhouette software and cut just the girl out. She is on a small black dowel and is secured inside the building using floral foam. The initials BMB were cut from black vinyl.

I also printed some super hero themed quotes on colored card stock, framed those in frames we used in a previous year's decor, and placed them around the buildings as well.

The last thing I created for the tables was some table scatter/confetti to sprinkle around the centerpieces. The bubbles are the same shape from the Silhouette store. I used the print and cut feature to create a lot of these easily. Sometimes, creating mass quantities of something using the print and cut feature can be a little tedious so my tip is to print everything all at once and then use two mats. While the Silhouette is cutting, you can be peeling off and getting the next page ready to go in.

Lastly I created a banner using the tag line for the retreat, "Super Birthmoms Unite." I found some printable comic book pages online, then turned them into black and white prints in my photo editing software. Then I cut out triangles and letters in solid block using the Silhouette.

And now, here are some more pictures:

The BFF and I were super pleased at how it turned out!

There we are rocking our super hero attire at our Friday Night Mixer.

(I'm "C Kent" and she's wonder woman!)

This post is part of a monthly Silhouette challenge created by Lauren at The Thinking Closet. Check out the links below for more projects by some talented crafty ladies using their Silhouette machines.

Spring Hoop Home Decor - Daily Dwelling

I Heart Labels: Flour & Sugar Jar Edition - The Thinking Closet

Bleeding Heart Card with Free Flower Download - Creative Turn

A Numbers Game - Learning Numbers with Your Preschooler - Lil Mrs. Tori

My First Silhouette Challenge Group Project - Tanya's Creative Space

Personalized Garden Post & Grandma Book (Silhouette Mother's Day Presents) - Whole New Leaf

Girly Superhero Decor - Coley's Corner

"A Cup of Tea" Customizable Art Printable - Tried & True

The Lady in Hat "Thinking of You" Card - An Elegant Touch

Interested in joining us for our group posting event next month?  We'd love to have you.  Simply contact Lauren from The Thinking Closet by email.

Linking to the link parties listed in my sidebar

Paint Chip Spring Ornaments

I have this little tree that I decorate in different ways each season and it either sits on the side table in the living room or on the mantel. I didn't have any spring "ornaments" for my little tree so I decided to make some. 

I have quite a pile of paint chips building up. I don't know why but every time I am in a store with paint chips, I grab a couple. My stash is quickly growing so I decided it was time to use some of them. (And that photo is only a very small sampling of my collection!)

I got out my Silhouette machine and found a couple of springy shapes I liked; a flower, a butterfly, and a bird. I placed my paint chips on my mat and cut out a bunch of the shapes. Even though my mat was plenty sticky the paint chips were sliding around so I put a little piece of re-positional tape on the back of each paint chip and that held them in place perfectly. 

After all my shapes were cut, I just took some white twine and glued it in between 2 of the shapes. 

It was a easy and pretty quick project and now my tree is good to go for spring and early summer!

This post is part of a monthly Silhouette challenge created by Lauren at The Thinking Closet. Check out the links below for more projects by some talented crafty ladies using their Silhouette machines.

Budget-Savvy Spring Sihouette Make - We Love Cards

D.I.Y. Canvas Date Art - The House on Hillbrook

D.I.Y. Vertical File Folders (Martha Stewart Home Office Knockoff with Free Cut File) - Whole New Leaf

Anchor's Away! A Fabric Applique Silhouette Tutorial - Lil' Mrs. Tori

D.I.Y. Subway Art Canvas & Free Cut File - The Thinking Closet

"Different Is Good" Autism Awareness Tee - Tried and True

A Gift! - For 'Just a Little Nutty' - An Elegant Touch

Mother's Day Celebration - Creative Turn

Interested in joining us for our group posting event next month?  We'd love to have you.  Simply contact Lauren from The Thinking Closet by email.