A girl and a glue gun

scarf guest post

2012-02-10T15:58:00.001-07:00

this was a guest post over at me sew crazy...she was having a re-sew-lution....and since it snowed today and i'm freezing i thought it was the perfect time to get it out of my draft box!

my re -SEW- lution...is to ACTUALLY use the fabric i have.

i keep buying and buying

and then i never want to use it cause it's just so cute!

but pretty soon i'm going to have to go on hoarders for all the fabric that i have.

(i just organized it!)

so this year (and this year only) i'm going to try to use what i have!

i got this 3/4 of a yard in the remnants bin for 50% off the discounted price

(ie cheap)

and i got it cause it was a steal of a deal..

but it's fleece.

and it was too small for a fleece blanket.

so it sat in my stash for about 3 years!

TODAY it's get's a new life as a pocket scarf.

i dusted it off...and cut out some strips.

I actually got two scarfs.. a small for 2-5 year old

and a large that my 8 year old daughter could wear and up....

they are about 9 inches wide

the little scarf it just the length of the fabric..

but the large is two strips sewed together.

and you can do the pockets two ways....

You can fold up the ends and sew the sides...

(if you choose this method you need to make sure you scarf is long enough to put your hands in the pockets comfortable. you don't want your arms doing chicken wings just to put them in your pocket.

method 2:

you can cut a completely separate piece and sew it on.

I choose this one so i could get the skull and crossbones centered where i wanted it.

you just sew up the three sides and leave the top open..

and since it's fleece

that means no fraying..

which means no need to finish the edges..

which implies i'm lazy.

and i'm okay with that.

and that's all. super easy. super functional...and great for those kids that can't keep their gloves from getting lost if their life depended on it.

do you want to know why i cut my son's head out of these pictures?

(he's an awkward smiler)

you can also make these handwarmers

throw in the pocket of the scarf to keep you extra toastie.

chore chart (knock off!)

2012-02-09T09:32:00.000-07:00

this post is coming from this stupid picture i posted on one of my shout out sundays....

the source is HERE...

and it has gone around pinterest like a wildfire...

and i get sooo many emails on how to make it...

so i'm putting the emails to rest and showing you how i *think* she made it..

(and then how i made it...)

joanns purchase (6 for $1.49)

but you can buy some here for a great deal....

add some magnets (you can buy these anywhere...joanns..walmart...)

they already come with adhesive (and these were a couple dollars)

now...if i was trying to make a knock off version..

i would use this:

you can print your chores on it...then cut it out and put on the wood discs..

project done.

but...this stuff costs a pretty penny...and comes with 10 sheets! (that is a lot of chores!)

and i couldn't even find it in my little town....

so i opted for plan B

(before i get to plan B i just wanted to say...i think to buy these already done is a great deal! just saying!)

okay plan b:
we are color loving people..so we made our wood discs purrrty....

added our magnets...

to add the chores:

i used my love...the silhouette....

(i did not add money amounts...which is the big seller with the original...but my kids have chores they are expected to do...we pay for them to do piano and basketball etc....and they only get to do that stuff when they are keeping up with their chores.

when they get older i will probably add hard jobs to earn extra money if they want!

or i will just make them do it.

you know...since we feed them. and clothe them. and put a roof over their heads.

(and amore is our dog.)

the silhouette has the great thing that makes it so you can design something....use your printer to print it out

then run it through your cutter to cut around the design (see the registration marks on the paper?)

it's a time saver....

(you can also customize however you want....color coordinate it..what have you)

(i'll do a tutorial on it later...if any of you have questions!)

(but you could just use picnik to design some and print them out and cut them out yourself. totally doable!)

just started hot gluing the chores on the discs....

(each kid has a color so i had to made sure that the chores they share (like unload the dishwasher) was on each separate color)

then i cut out the kids names

and the chore thing in vinyl and slapped them on my fridge...

and cut stripes of vinyl to make the graph shape...

(got my vinyl HERE)

and don't mind the fact that our handle is broken off our fridge..and i have added to the honeydo list...

so I can expect a handle in 2013.

we color coordinated the chores.....

you can either line up the chores on one side and move them over when they get done (you even could add another strip of vinyl down the middle)

or you can spread them around and they just put them in their squares (rectangle my son so politely reminded me) when they get them done!

so far i have loved it. the novelty of just getting all the chores done before anyone else is great motivation...i think once that wears off i will probably only hand out privileges (like having a snack before bed or having a friend over etc) if everything is done without me NAGGING.

we also still use our clipboard chore charts...but those are mainly basic reminders --brush teeth, take a bath, get dressed...(we use it A LOT in the summer though!)

i'm also loving these checklist ideas...

source

and i know i just featured it..but i love love this idea.....

today is knock off day...

2012-02-08T09:02:00.002-07:00

as in i'm knocking off people's stuff and they will probably tell me to KNOCK it off!

i have a lot of ideas floating around in my head...so I don't do a lot of knock offs...(which makes me laugh cause my pinterest boards are full of stuff...but i use it more for inspiration. and to laugh at....and to figure out how i'm going to do my daughter's hair for church....and to drool over outfits that i won't ever have...that sort of thing)

but every once in awhile i come across a tutorial that just puts me in action! i want to do it...and i want to do it NOW!

and when i say this dress from icandy...

i said, yes mam. will make.

you see i was at joanns...

and came across this red and blue jersey.

and it was redtag..

and 50% off that price.

and i sat there and fondled it...

and tried to come up with a craft or an excuse to buy it.

and i couldn't

so i walked away...

i know. i actually didn't buy it.

but then i came home....

got on my bloglovin and saw this dress..

and went back to joanns and bought it.

the stars were aligned.

and i made it.

(am wearing as i type this)

i love it.

it's stretchy

and i love it.

i got an old t=shirt out and followed her tutorial..i always cut a little bigger then i think i need too..i would rather trim it down than have it skin tight.

and i cheated and didn't hem the sleeves...bottom..or neckline..

cause i throw caution to wind like that.

(or lazy)

ALRIGHTY..ONTO MY NEXT KNOCK OFF....

I saw THIS on someday crafts...

where she takes a regular scarf...and takes off the fringe...sews it together and

walllllaaaaaaaaaa...infinity scarf.

it was so simple

and so brilliant

and i'm a little mad at myself for not thinking of it.

guess i'm not brilliant.

but i have a whole hanger full of chunky scarfs that i would wear more if they were the wraparound kind...so i got too it..

and it honestly took less than 5 min.

the scarf before...

the fringe was just tied one...easy fix...

then i just made sure the scarf wasn't twisted and sewed the ends together (she used yarn....i just used my sewing machine!)

one big loop...

alrighty! that's it for now...tomorrow i'm knocking off one more thing..
i will give you a hint....

it's my most viewed post.

(and it's not even mine!)

will you be mine?

2012-02-07T09:19:00.001-07:00

not really. i'm spoken for.

unless you are....
channing tatum
ryan reynolds
paul walker
ryan gosling
or brad pitt.

then yes. yes i will be.

but you know..sometimes i find valentines lacking. they just don't share the true sentiments that i feel for some people.....so i created my own....(and i'm trying to use picnik AS MUCH aS possible)
and i just changed my ink in my printer and my red still doesn't work..i'm a little sore at it....

i just copied each picture and then added it a word document and resized as i needed.....

#1 airplane.....(these would be so great for little boys...we have a whole book on how to fold paper airplanes so we could make a ton of different ones...)

(family fun also has a printable plane if you want to go HERE)

and THIS website shows you how to fold airplanes....

#2....i treasure you...

#3 you are HOT!

#4...bug off....(i think they have gummy insects too)

#5..your face makes me laugh..

#6. you suck.

this one is my favorite. my son has to give one to everyone in his class and he keeps saying "i don't want to give him one..he's mean" and i keep saying "you have to give EVERYONE a valentine"

and for the record i would never let him give these valentines..it's actually for my in-laws who love tootsie pop suckers (and have a sense of humor)

here's a nice one in case you aren't "rude" like me...

#7.... you smell fishy...

#8...you are a bear...this one is for my daughter....(who loves cinnamon bears...

and acts like a bear sometimes)

#9: the big hunk (the one my husband wishes he would get...

10--and this is the one my husband is ACTUALLY getting....

it's dripping with love...

picnik also has valentines tags.....

and if you need even more personalized awesome valentines ideas......

check out these from cheri....

she's so awesome. i'm just waiting for hallmark to come snatch her up.

source

source (go read all her song references! makes me laugh!)

source

okay...this place is the best for fun ideas...go here

and see so many fun ideas for your teacher, your grandma, your friends!

and mommy by day crafter by night has tons of cute free printables

and i love this spoonful of sugar

char had so many fun ones...

you can also check out my valentines pinterest board for loads of other sticky sweet stuff

a new week...a new round...

2012-02-06T12:25:00.001-07:00

it's children's literature week.

and i made an alice in wonderland dress...cause

a. it's my favorite book

b. my daughter looks just like her..

and c. it was this or nothing.

so go HERE to vote and the same rules apply as last week...you don't have to vote for me..go vote for the one you love...cause there are sooo many great ideas!

(the poll is down the right hand side!)

I may have gone a little picture happy....

shout outs

2012-02-05T14:22:00.003-07:00

delia creates

oh. she is making me baby hungry!!!!!!

crafty cupboard

this scripture case is so fab. love that material!

the letter 4

my daughter's hair is going to be hopefully looking like this today.

melly sews

the cut outs...the tone on tone! a job very well done! i would wear this year round!

strawberries and sweet love

oh! lovelovelove this pillow

three girlies

my kind of sushi....

creative "try"als

this are so fun...and brilliant! i was just getting my valentines ready and one bag had a heavy thing it in and was tipping the whole bag over....these were much needed!!!!

sew fantastic

so she made this cute ruffled skirt (which is pretty all by itself..) but then she made this cute little wrap to wear around it! double duty!

crossing the bugger dixon line

oh my gosh. if i got one of these i would be your valentine forever.....

diary of a craft lady

love this little emergency travel kit. and i love that there are hair elastics and clips in it!!!!

hi sugar plum

i need book ends...and these red dollar store elephants are just my style! (this whole book shelf is pretty!)

i can find the time

how adorable is this animal wall..

guess what?

a little foam core and fabric!

amazing!

and the winner is.....

2012-02-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

April Showers said...

I follow your blog.

but do you want to know what else april showers said in her multiple entries?

"I love your blog...and I think I should win because I'm 40 weeks and 2 days pregnant. If I win, I might just name my baby after you! :) (ok, so that might be a little stretch, but I'll do anything to win some crap!)"

and i'm going to HOLD her to that~ another little kimbo running around! yippe!!!!

thanks everyone who entered!!!

this post (and blog) is brought to you by these awesome sponsors of mine:

fabric envy

umm...more refashion stuff?

2012-02-03T08:03:00.001-07:00

my last refashion...and i'm excited that i don't have to get ready anymore to take pictures of myself.

i think you should know by now the extreme hoarders-penny pincher mentality i have.

so when my husband tells me to clean out my closet....well, it's traumatic for me.

i have alot of clothes. and i wear about 1/4 of them. but some i like the idea of. some i love on the hanger but on my body..not so much...

this is the before...a yellow tank. nothing special...just a little too tight...

you might remember it from here:

it was so tight that i constantly was feeling like a cartoon character........ the one that is wearing his tuxedo top and it's too tight and keeps rolling up and hitting him in the face...

but it was my only yellow tank....and didn't want to chuck it...so i just added a panel in the back to make it bigger...

cut right up the back (this also will work for the front...and be a nice pop of color)

i had an old stained white shirt

so i just cut out a long strip that was about 4 inches wide...

then i just pinned it on (right sides together. I kept the bottom of the t-shirt when i cut the strip so i just matched the bottom up so didn't have to sew any extra there..

you can see the top is folded over when i got finished sewing both sides i went across the top and matched up the stitching with the existing stitching on the tank top.

and guess what..i love it. so comfortable!

and i took a ton of pictures to show it off....

and this is the only one i'm brave enough to show you. and i used picnik to airbrush my arms and add a tan.... i hate modeling...

next up....another tank..

this was worn..like...looked worn..cause i wore it. alot. worn.

and starting to get holes.

and the collar is elastic and stretched out...

so i took some of this:

(lace with a little bit of stretch works the best...)

and just pinned it all around the bottom...

and...sewed!

and since the top was stretched out...i added a panel there too

(word to the wise....put on the tank AND then pin on the lace (or have someone help you)

us womans have...how should i eloquently put this....

knockers.

(not so eloquent.)

and we want the lace to lay flat not puckered up...

so the best way to make sure it to have it on you or a dressform.

unless you are like me and have no chestus..than you are good to go.

but this same basic idea can work for tanks that are too short!

thanks for reading!

diy skinny jeans...

2012-02-02T08:35:00.001-07:00

i have some boot leg pants...and i like my boot legs long. and these weren't super long.

so i decided to trim the inseam and make some skinny jeans...

cause-- i don't know about you--

but i can NOT find skinnyjeans i like.

they are either tooo skinny..

or just glorified stretch pants...

and here's a random fact about me..i have fat calves..so some skinnies i can't even get past my knees.....

so i love the idea of making your own!

(and mine are not too skinny)

i've decided that i don't mind modeling from the knee down....

i have no before shots...but these are very fitted...except for the flare...

so it's just a little adjustment..not a major overhaul!

i turned them right side in and put them on...then just pinched and pin the excess material so i don't make them toooo skinny.

and then i stitched..i started at the knee and then flared out gradually.....(i stitched three times just cause levi is so heavy duty) then i trimmed off the excess...

i like doing it on the inside cause it's less noticeable.....

this is in front of my garage....

and ps. my neighbors think i'm crazzzzy!

or you can use THIS tutorial...that is for more drastic size change...

and you can go HERE to learn how to hem your jeans if they are too long...

or add a cute quilted look if the pants are too short...

or take in the side if you've got that bulge of material that sticks out when you bend over...

or what about a hole? fix it with a monster patch!

so no matter what your levi problem...there is a way to fix it...

and if not..

chop it up and make an apron!

extender skirt

2012-02-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

so, by now you knowi have a hard time giving clothes away. i would much rather refashion it....

the tutorials for all of these are found HERE

so when i realized that my closet was filled with dresses that i liked but never wore because they fit just fine..but when you bend over you got a whole upper thigh shot.

i decided to do something about it....

basically....it's a slip you can see. (or want to be seen)

and to be honest...i love it so much. i'm going to make a cream one and a white one.

my daughter always sits on my lap at church and i usually get my dress caught up in it..and i'm sure people down the pew love getting peeks at my white thigh.

but this slip stays put and no one gets a peep show anymore!!!!

i got a yard of black and a yard of lace...

I took the yard of fabric and measured how long i wanted the slip to be and trimmed the black down. (make sure you leave a seam allowance) and just hemmed the bottom edge of the black...

and then sewed the lace all along the edge... you can make the lace over hang as much or as little as you like.....

here's what it looks like:

so don't laugh...but when my husband was throwing all his boxer/briefs...

let me rephrase BARELY USED boxer briefs..

i totally cut off all that big thick elastic. so i used it. cause....

a. it's my husband..so his boxer'/briefs don't scare me.

b. you will never see it.

and that's it...slip it under your dress or skirt...

(i pulled down the thing hanging on the wall..so that is why the red banner is just hanging there.....)

this wrap dress always splits when i sit...

now..

(do you like my shoes? i made them! tutorial coming soon!!!!)

(I actually made my skirt extender longer...so i can wear it long or roll the waistband once and wear it shorter)

oh! and check out icandy's version....

she bought a slip and then added the lace..

and she has tanner legs than me.

stay tuned cause i have 2 more posts this week all about recycling, reusing and refashioning!

i concede

2012-02-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

she zoomed past (you know she was calling all her long last family to make them get on and follow her)

okay..probably not. she's just awesome.

this is for her....

now..for the somewhat little snarky comment on my last post about this being a popularity contest....

me and mandy...

oh excuse my grammar.

mandy and I are actually very good friends...and have been emailing this whole time (and just occasionally trash talking)

i wasn't just picking a random blog to compete against.... mandy is my go to girl for any blog problem i'm having...she's a wealth of knowledge...and talent...and funniness...and i really love her...

so if i had to lose....i'm glad it was to her. (and now that the competition is over....make sure you are following her!)

but don't worry. cause we are both on so you think you're crafty this season...so i will just beat her there (but..um..not this week...cause she's ahead of me for her awesome bathroom organizer....

tied...

2012-01-31T15:10:00.004-07:00

and holding at 4355

we should just call it a tie....but where's the fun in that?

so not to sound redundant...

2012-01-31T12:20:00.000-07:00

But HELP!

me...

mandy

ummm...that is a little too close for comfort.

and today's the last day!

come follow me.

follow me

follow me....

we are in the home stretch and then i will never bother you again (untrue)

bracelets

2012-01-31T09:17:00.000-07:00

anytime i make a baby girl present...i always throw in one of these baby bracelets...cause they are super fast to do...and ohmygoodness so cute. something about teeny weeny things makes me happy (i have this little tiny bottle of A1 in my cupboard. it's just so cute!

so i thought i would give you a basic rundown of how i make them. they are super easy to make and you just need a few things....

here's a view of the crimp beads close up..they look just like regular beads...and here are my closures...(there is so many out there you can pick whatever you prefer!)

the elastic i have here is big...i had to buy bigger crimp beads so just make sure that the crimp beads and elastic fit together! (you don't have to use elastic...i like a little stretch in my bracelets though)

disclaimer...i made these pictures BIG so you could see the details.

don't judge my manicure.(or lack thereof)

you take your elastic (cut to size...i always cut bigger though cause i don't ever want to be short!) and add your crimp bead

then take your clasp and run it through the opening...

then you are going to make a loop and turn the ends and stick them back in the crimp bead

then you move the crimp bead right up as close to the clasp as possible. take your needle nose pliers and pinch the crimp bead (or CRIMP the crimp bead)

i pinch it til i can't pinch no more!

then i just started stringing beads...i bought these silver open flowers from joanns which they can be used normal...but i decided to add a bead in the middle...

for the baby sized (like newborn) before i add the final piece it's about 9 centimeters...so probably 10 all together....

but you know.....babies vary. (that just makes me giggle. yes, babies vary quite a bit) some come out all chubby wubby and some come out early and are little peaweas. (kid number 2 and kid number 3) so some bracelets might fall clear up to the elbow...and some might look like they are cutting off the babe's circulation. so go ahead and adjust as needed... (and that's always why i use the elastic..)

and then to close it...add another crimp bead...

string it through the closure...

and go back in down through the crimp bead

pull so the crimp bead and all the extra elastic is tight so the beads are tight in a row and crimp the bead...

(not a real baby)

you can use the same method to make a binky clip

you just need to add an alligator clip and ...um..these things

this is just an old one of my daughters i stuck back in my bead box so i could reuse the beads

alrighty...there you have it. the very basic of basic jewelry making.

don't expect anything from me beyond these skills.

i'm not bev.

i've been keeping a secret......

2012-01-30T08:28:00.001-07:00

you know my love of online competitions.

and i especially love sytyc.....so when they asked me back for all star round.....i couldn't help but say YES!

(which was quickly followed by a OH NO! what did i get myself into!)

it's some tough competition!

but i need to prove myself worthy for the stupid cake that got me kicked off last time!

so i'm back with a vengeance!!!!!!

FIRST WEEK:

organization!

YOU can go HERE to vote

but this time around...it's not anonymous!
which means i can tell you that i made a portable nintendo ds holder....

it folds up nice and small...holds games..his charger...and odds and ends (and then i made one that is just a game holder for the kid that already has a case for his dsi.

but when you go vote...i don't want you to vote for me just cause! there are some awesome ideas over there so make sure to vote for the one you love the most...

{just don't let me lose by a landside please.}

and if you want to read about all the ladies competing...you can go HERE

shout out sunday

2012-01-29T15:38:00.000-07:00

brassy apple

hands down the coolest valentine ever. ever.

melly sews

holy. i want this. one for me and one for my son.

it's overflowing

pretty little ~~liars~~ hearts. (my sister likes that show.)

but i like these hearts.

flamingo toes

oh bev. you and jewelry. jewelry and you. it's a match made in heaven.

i love mr. darcy. and this quote.

shiny happy world

add a little pizzaz to your skirt hem!!!!

instructables.

tetris is my favoritest game. and i would play with these blocks for hours on end. so fun! (you could even do a homemade blokus game!)

life as a thrifter

the colors in this play room are just so bright and inspiring. i wanna play!

william dohman

this should be boughten and put in my room

kristen duke photography

this is soooooo fun! i love hidden stuff!

the adventures of accordian guy

i saw these and about died! how great are they!

simple simon and co

what is better than a hostess cupcake.? clothes that look like a hostess cupcake.

polish the stars

love the superman door...love the batman mural. wish i was a 5 year old boy!

sugar bee crafts

this is like the third week in a row that i have featured her..so if she wins in followers..i WILL take credit for some of them.

but how could not featured this skirt! its' so terrifically awesome. i love it soooo much.

4000.

2012-01-28T10:49:00.001-07:00

Things that i am:

a hot mess

naurotic.

a clean freak

super awesomesauce with a cherry on top

things that i am not.

a good cook.

a liar.

that's right folks. i reached 4000 followers...

i actually passed it awhile ago...

and i said i wanted to do a giveaway when i reached it..(i did a giveaway when i reached 400 so it's only fair)

and since i'm no liar...

here's some crap!

ha. you thought i was kidding. nope you get real crap. (not literally..but the craft kind)

1. levi apron

2. coasters

3. potato bag

4. glow in the dark glue sticks.

5. keychain

6. some hair crap

7. earrings...

8 handwarmers

and

9. buttons

10. ring

11. bookmark

12. glue gun charm

and edited to add one of these crocheted headband thingy's that i crocheted bymyself. cause i'm awesome like that...

and some more odds and ends that i keep throwing into this everygrowing pile of stuff.

IF You WANT THIS CRaP:

make sure you are an agaagg follower....because this is just to show love for my followers...and plus i want to kick mandi's bootay.

leave me a comment.

if you are a facebook follower say hi on facebook

then leave me another comment

if you are a twitter stalker..say hi on twitter

leave me another comment.

if you have made something of mine.

leave me another comment telling what it is.

if you love your glue gun.

leave me a comment

and guess what? it's open to EVERYONE that loves me. where ever you live.

please make sure that i have your email to contact you if you win!!!!

giveaway ends next saturday!!!!!!

solar systems

2012-01-27T09:32:00.001-07:00

notto pull another oldie on you....but i've been working on something (it's a secret to be revealed on monday......) and so i didn't have time to get my post ready yet.

and it's friday and i'm going grocery shopping.

and then i'm going to see one for the money at the theatre...

so dear blog, i have simply no time for you.

but instead of leaving you up a creek you get an old guest post.

(please leave any complaints in the complaint box that does not exist.)

(i say kinda cause i didn't try to replicate ACTUAL planets...)

this is made very similar to my giant cupcake (you can go here for a refresher)

but i took some styrofoam balls in all sizes...

and I gave them a coat of magikote by americana (it basically is like a paint that seals the styrofoam)

(i didn't over them all..because i wanted some planets to be porous!)

I also took the magikote and dripped it over some planets for dimension!

I then took some krylon spray paint and paint from americana and gave them all some pretty color!

then i found some glowz paint by krylon and i gave all those little planets a nice coat...

I did the same treatment to an embroidery hoop!

then i added a little one inside the big one (using clear string)

I THEN found some glow in the dark stars (i've been "winter" cleaning so i keep finding all these "treasures")

I took two stars the same size and hot glued them together with the string in between...
then i just hung them to my hoops...

i ran a needle with the clear string through the planets and added a little hot glue to the ends to keep the string from slipping all the way through.

i made sure to spread the planets evenly around the hoops so it didn't lean to one side...

you could get real creative and add some starwars battle ships in there....but for now...it works! and it glows so awesome at night! perfect night light!

diy your own canvas

2012-01-26T08:34:00.001-07:00

apparently i forgot that the internet company was doing maintenance on the neighborhood yesterday and my Internet was out all day.

it was awesome.

my husband was home so I was all..."see, you think i'm always on the computer" (which i am except when it's not working) but he doesn't know that...cause as soon as i hear his truck in the driveway i blast the air with pledge and drop to the floor to pretend to mop it.

but that is all irrelevant....

mandy is calling herself the underdog. (i mean she is like 17 behind me. not so much the underdog)

but we need to make sure she STAYS an "underdog" go follow me. it's vital to my health.

and yours.

if i don't win i might get depressed and never blog again.

and NOBODY wants that.

and EVERYONE wants me to go to snap (except husband who doesn't know a thing about it.)

so go HERE and vote for me.

(i promise to take lots of pictures.)

cause if i don't win i might get depressed and never blog again.

and NOBODY wants that.

okay empty threats over....

this was a diy club guest post....

and in honesty one of my most favorite projects.
i love the outcome, and the colors...and i want to make some many more!!!!!

in high school, i was the art teachers T.A. (teacher's assistant)
(I spent a lot of time in my art room in high school...)

and one of my assignments was prepping the canvas by painting it with gesso.

and it sucked.
25 canvases...and they weren't small.

so when i saw that krylon had gesso spray SPRAY paint..i totally had to give it a try!

I took some white material (it was actually dark out curtain material left over from my daughter's room)

and spray painted it..

maybe i should of ironed? naaaaaah.

then i took this awesome vinyl cut out from ten 23 designs

I painted a big black spot. laid the vinyl birds on top..and then took a little black paint and painted around the edges to help seal it in so no paints sneaks under!

(i acutally had it up on my wall...but it wasn't exactly what i wanted!)

so i used it as stencil instead...

i then went totally paint happy

my inpirations was this awesome picture from pinterest

i used loads of awesome paint by americana...on my very professional artist paint try (i.e. i can't believe it's not butter lid)

when i was happy with the behind...i peeled up my vinyl...

and then..since i wanted it to pop off the wall like a real canvas....

but lack the word working tools/talent to make a real frame for it...

i wrapped it around a large piece of styrofoam....

and gorilla glued it all around...

then gorilla glued on a disc hanger....

then i hung it up! and i totally love it!

photo tips: a picture panel

2012-01-24T09:29:00.000-07:00

(make sure you go over to the sidebar and follow me to profess your undying love for me.

and to also whip mandy's butt.)

she's catching up reallllll quick.

and while you are clicking crap....you should go here and vote for me so i can go to snap and meet awesome bloggers and take fun pictures and then come back and tell you all about it.)

REAL POST STARTS HERE.....

so....it's snowing....and i'm really sick of hauling fabric out and ironing it and then laying it out than taking a picture and repeat and repeat and repeat...

so when i finished a roll of wrapping paper and had the empty roll sitting there...the wheels started to churn...

and this is what i came up with....an easy portable photo back drop!!!!

i had this huge long strip of white black out fabric from my daughter's curtains....

i hot glued this all around the tube and rolled it onto the top of the fabric....(do it section by section so the glue doesn't cool before you have a chance to attach it to the fabric..

and roll until the whole tube is covered...

i bought this string at walmart for like $3...and i've used it in a hundred and one ways....

i cut off a strip of rope and ran it through the tube...

and tied a knot.....

then i rolled the whole fabric up...

push pin..(was that really necessary to write? probably not but i want to be as descriptive as possible)

then i just find a blank wall by my big window and hang it up....

then you just pull out as needed....if it's tall like a lamp you could move the push pin up....

or if it's really long you can pull it out however long you want.

then you just take your object...

and snap away......

(i haven't ironed it yet..don't judge.)

and you can make a bunch...or just hang this one and lay other fabric on top.......

take this yellow duck cloth...

and this cotton polka dot...

turns into this..

pretty pink gauzy material...

and my fav..ruffle fabric...

sorry...i was running out of props!!!

and when you are done..

it rolls up nice and small

i love it and have used it about 4 times since i made it on sat.

(i also still use my photo boards....

and you can go here to read some photo tips!

(psst.....

i ran all those pictures through picnik (and no i won't link it up cause i'm mad at it.)

if you have been living under a rock. picnik is closing. (april 19)

i'm distraught.

and i'm literally trying to anticipate any reason i need to use it in the future. so i can do it all now...

someawesomesauce person who deserves

mentioned be funky

and it is quite similar..it's free...it's easy..it's not as good as picnik...the fonts are lacking. you can upgrade to get more features.......but it will save me in a pinch! i played around with it....

this is my little sister mallory...(and the gun target guy that she is dating) (this is the orginal picture)

(love this one..i can totally see a picture of my son done this way posed like a super hero for some art in his room!)

you can still crop...add borders..stickers....text.

how do you edit your photos? i'm dying for a good alternative?!!!

oh...between naps on the porch did a post with a rundown of 9 photo editing programs..

go here to read about it!!! i'm trying one a day to see if any of them click with me!!!!!

it has been brought to my attention.....

2012-01-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

that mandy from sugar bee crafts is going to pass me up on followers.

mine....

hers.

i cannot (repeat cannot) let this happen...

here is my challenge....whoever has the LEAST followers by feb 1st has to do a giveaway on the winner's blog.....

dear mandy,
the gauntlet has been thrown....

so make sure you go over and click the follow button so i can retain sanity. follow this crazy train.
you know you want to......

reSEWlutions

2012-01-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

a new years series:

so many scrap tastic ideas....

and i'm up today showing off my pocket scarf (go HERE and leave me some love so i don't feel like a loser)

don't you worry..it's agaagg worthy (super duper easy)

psst. WHEN you go over there..check out her lace zipper..it's so easy with DYNAMITE RESULTS!

shout out sunday

2012-01-22T08:37:00.000-07:00

sugar bee crafts

i love mandy. i think we are crafting twins. i saw this post on pinterest and wanted to do it. Mandy must have got the twin genes were she ACUTALLY gets things done! and sooooo stinking good!

i que linda

little red roost

love this dress! the colors are just spot on.

36th avenue

love everything about this...pops of red..polka dots. the striped rug. i think i will move in!

custom slipcovers by shelley

this is probably going to be my boy birthday gift for 2012. a nerf gun and an ammo belt! it's genious!
miss lovie

how clever is this! i have a lot of chocker necklaces that i would actually wear if they were longer!!!!

it's about blogging time

this is too cute! that pop of turqoise just did me in!

ava designs

i bought the wishbone...(and love it) and now i want to go back and get the love one! so cute!

thrity handmade days

what a super fun way to drag out valentines day. my kids would love unwrapping a package of gum! so i could buy loads of fun cheap crap! best.mom.ever.award coming my way!

scattered thoughts of a supermom at ucreate

home storage solutions 101

i think this idea is awesome. break up cleaning week by week....this week i cleaned out my spices and made a list of the ones i had. i'm so productive!

brassy apple

barbie fools in this house! how cute are these aprons?

baubles and bits

this pattern is cheap and the outcome is dynamite!!! love it all.

stitch

2012-01-21T10:32:00.001-07:00

so i got another cute bubble skirt from one of my sponsors stitch to stitch...

it came with a cute black bow (it's removable..which i removed cause it didn't match the shirt i got to go with it)

(the shirt ACTUALLY matches the skirt...but the editing i did on picnik makes it look like it doesn't)

it's made from some soft corduroy....

and the lining is this beautiful satin silvery...

it's so pretty...my daughter said she is going to try to wear it wrong side out!

you can go here to see the other cute dress i got...

go check it out!!!!

and

i woke up this morning to find 5 bffs that posted some news on my facebook.

picnik is closing.

let's have a moment of silence.

it won't close until april 19th.

but until then you get to use all the premium stuff for free.

but still.

you can go here to read (and then you can come back here to vent)

google sucks.

the end.

garbages and krylon

2012-01-20T09:20:00.000-07:00

so. i'm trying to clean out my inbox. i have about 90 drafts and it's a bit overwhelming. i start post i already have started and i forget to post things and they sit there for weeks. (poor lonely posts) so i'm weeding out some guest posts i have done! this one was for diy club!

so, i occasionally do some work at a kids dentist office here in town.

and i was sprucing up the bathrooms...just a little touch up of paint.

and thought that the garbages need a little sprucing up as well...

so i took loads of krylon spray paint...

and got to it... (oh...look at that green grass. come back green grass!)

for the lids i used my cricut and some contact paper and made a stencil....

and used painter's tape for the rest....

lots...and lots of painter's tape....(i would put on one..spray paint...add another layer..spray with a different color...and repeated!)

they are so fun!

this is the boy bathroom

and the girls (didn't realize i didn't get a wide shot of it!...but it's the toothfairy's dressing room)

(this is before i touched it up! it's now a shade darker!)

i think i always have a scowl on my face.

one of those random posts....

2012-01-19T09:44:00.002-07:00

First things first: i'm HERE at the expressions vinyl blog showing off my sister's laptop skin made with patterned vinyl

they are also giving away a silhouette cameo....so go enter!

and remember...they have great vinyl (cheap) and loads of fun colors!)

(break)

i'm going back to school...

to crochet school. not sure if you remember my first crochet endeavour

it was a mess. not even a hot mess.

I figured i gotta give it another go. my husband has 4 basketball games this week and i've decided i have to learn a craft i can do when i go. (it's the multitasker in me) (and also because watching 35 year olds acting like they are 18 drives me bonkos.)

SO this time. i'm actually paying attention and doing what i should.

(i bought big beautiful yarn that i don't want to ruin)

and she's fantastic

and i'm totally learning a ton!

(thanks to ucreate for motivating me!)

so go learn along!

(break)

I wanted to talk about these little buttons on my sidebar

first: the plus:

bloglovin

i love bloglovin. it's my google reader. i find google reader confusing and overwhelming. and i love bloglovin cause it will take you directly to the blog. i'm a visual person and i love seeing peoples headers and sidebars and just the feeling of their blog layout. (and lets face it....we spend a lot of time (and money) to make ourselves purty...we want people to see it!!!)

it just gives you a little snippet of the post

and i can just go through and click 'mark as read' on the ones i want to skip

I just wanted to share in case you aren't into google reader like i am

(i should mention that i added a bunch of blogs into google reader and then forgot about google reader and then when i went back i had like 500 missed posts....so that might be the reason for the overwhelmed feeling)

I'm also on twitter.....

and facebook....

and i share a lot of fun stuff over there...cool giveaways i happen on and sneak peaks into what i'm working on....and fun contests that are going on right now...

like...

it's awesome. go vote!
and...

the voting is over..but go check out the clever crap people come up with!!!!

and i'm also on pinterest....but you should know that cause i mention it on almost every blog post..

and i'm less than 200 away from reaching my fake new years resolutions! so excited!

(break)

are you going to snap?

well...if you want to go..you can try to win a ticket!!! (go here!)

i haven't bought a ticket yet cause we are going to disneyland..but we just planned the dates and it's a whole month before snap....

so now i want a ticket.

and i want it bad.

and so do you.

(pretend there is something swinging in front of your eyes)

you want to come to snap

you want to come hang out with me

you want to...nod your head.

go buy your ticket and come rub shoulders with the who's who of blog coolness.

(i was NOT referring to myself)

ticket prices go up after tomorrow!!!! so don't be slacker like me!

(break)

i organized my fabric.

and i only tell you this so you will pat me on the back.

cause i told husband and he said something along the lines of...it's about time and then a murmur of i wouldn't have to organize it if i stopped buying so much darn crap.

i mean the support he gives me. i'm going to start calling him wonderbra.

(dripping with sarcasm)

(break)

the end

(break)

fizzy pop bottle cap

2012-01-18T09:18:00.000-07:00

okay. so every morning i open my gmail while i eat my breakfast. and every morning i go through very jane, and groopdealz and pick your plum to see what fantastic deals i just can not live without. even though usually i have gone 29 years without even knowing their existence.

and i buy a few. (even a new wedding ring for my husband)

and my latest purchase was some bottlecap keychains from fizzy pop... for a steal of deal i might add (cause if it wasn't i wouldn't have boughtn it...)

(this set was for keychains)
then i went to their shop and found all sorts of cute stuff....and decided to buy another kit with some colored necklaces....

and in agaagg true fashion...i went hot wild with it....

i found a really cute etsy shop that sells little images that would fit perfect in the bottlecap (then you stick the epoxy sticker over it)

then i thought..i could make some using picnik.

(just so you know. i don't get paid for saying i use picnik. i just honestly use itTHATmuch. i should get paid for using it.)

just some circles of colors and i switched in and out the clipart (that's free)

then i just pulled up the images and let them pick....

and printed them out..and then they cut it and glued it in...

we had to customize a peace sign for this one...

and his football team is the longhorns so we found an image we liked and shrunk it down! i love how the older ones were getting ~~picky~~ creative.

I think i'm going to assemble little kits to give to my neices and nephews for valentines day this year!

camera strap....true grit.

2012-01-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

so at the beginning of the year, i got a fresh tablet and started over with my blog notebook. i draw pictures and make lists of all the things i want to do..write down any ideas i have...my ongoing list of things to buy at joanns...things of that nature....

and i was thumbing through it and realized that 75% were sewing projects.

wait.

when did this become a sewing blog?

i mean i've always sewed....just as much as i hot glued....and painted....and cut vinyl..

but when did it become the majority of what i did?

so i decided to get back to my name roots...

and make one of the things on my list...hot glue style....

cause really...you don't need a sewing machine to read this blog (you probably DO need a sense of humor though)

the supplies:

(sidenote: i bought my husband a "hunting" camera so he wouldn't borrow mine...and now here i am borrowing his. and truth be told..his little ashton kutcher camera is awesome. i might have to confiscate it permanently)

okay...take you camera strap and measure it...then cut a piece that is about 3 times as big...(mine is about one inch...so i cut a 3 inch piece of fabric..(and cut it about 1 inch longer than the length of your strap)

you are going to "hem" the edges with hot glue.....

you just need to do the two ends and ONE of the long sides....

then you take your strip...and right at the ends you are going to hold in place.....(notice that the unhemmed side is down first)

then you are going to add a little strip of hot glue (to the fabric only..NOT YOUR CAMERA STRAP)

and then lay the finished hemmed edge down over it (tightly) and hold it in place until glue is set.

and continue down the strap.....

now...you can stop here....

BUT. i like ruffles. so let's add one.....

i cut 4 strips that are a teensy bit smaller than my strap....

i hot glued the end of the fabric to the end of the covered strap (this is the side with the seam..so the ruffle will cover it)

and then ruffle...and i tried to take pictures...but you can't really get an action shot when one hand is on a camera...

so here's a short and sweet video....

(ignore the manicure...and the gross glue gun..i have two glue guns..one for pictures and one for use)

but you should get some....

and that's all! you can just cut it off when you want to replace it! (nothing should be glued to the actual camera strap!)

so go and glue some crap!!!!

ctr blocks

2012-01-16T09:44:00.000-07:00

first: a winner for our paper bakery giveaway

tt.scraps said... Wow! Thanks for sharing them! :)

email me at kimbowest 21 (@) gmail.com!

I am a member of this church. and i'm in the primary (ages 3-12) and this year's themed is CHOOSE the RIGHT. (which is a great theme if you are a member or not...i mean you don't tell your kids to choose wrong before they leave their house am i right or am i right?)

and we were thinking about giving each kid a CTR ring

(stands for choose the right if you are having a slow day) (this green one is the one i grew up with...but they have gotten all cute and fancy now...

but most kids have them (my daughter has two) so we decided to do ctr blocks....

i gave my facebook family a sneak peak of colorful goodness:

which just started as a bunch of blocks...(my sister in law was building a house and they had huge piles of leftover scraps! and they were just going to throw them away..needless to say, i saved them)

got on my silhouette studio and made a sign that fit the 2x4 (that isn't really a 2x4 but i won't get into that here)

and cut them out

and used transfer tape

gave it a nice rub and peeled it off. (so cheap alert: i reuse transfer tape. (especially with big letters) i got to reuse it about 4 times before it didn't work so great.

(i distressed the sides before i stuck the vinyl on)

then repeat...

and repeat....

we made all different colors so everyone can pick whatever will match their rooms.

so fun. i have to say, i love them all together...i mean i don't need 20 blocks...but i love the effect of all the colors together!

on a related/random sidenote: i found this cute etsy shop

just thought i would share...

shout out sunday

2012-01-15T07:09:00.001-07:00

small town life

you know how much i love this saying!!!!

bonnie's blog

that sign is ADORABLE! i love it so much i want to have another kid call him/her alice shirley and make a copy of this sign.

Let's explore

love these cute printable! 10 super fun easy inexpensive things to do to make sure you make the most of your days with your youngins!

sugar bee crafts

i (heart) these hairclips. (i (heart) sugarbee too)
woman's day

this plate/clock is awesome.

vibrant designs

this bag is so cute...but here's the awesome part! she will make this bag with the fabric you send her! that's right! you get to pick your very own fabric~ I think that is so awesome! that way you get exactly what you want!!!! brilliant i tell you!

lookie what i did!

i won't show this to my husband. he will love it and insisit i make it and i don't have any room to put it.

but it's awesome.

and if i did have room

(and i loved my husband)

i would make it.

landee see landee do

these pictures are so cute! i think it's such a brilliant idea!!!!

my decoupage life

love anything involving a castle!

36th avenue

um. i need a nook. and a dresser...and someone to come paint strips for me. i wonder if 36th avenue would mind if i just moved in.

grey luster girl

this paperdoll set is so fun! i want to have a birthday party and have a little paper doll station.

buggy and jelly bean

oh, blue painter's tape. how much fun you are.

eighteen 25

this idea is the most brilliant one ever.

ever.

in all of history.

ever.

OTHER girls with glue guns..

2012-01-14T13:15:00.002-07:00

Bunch of Bees

i'm sorry. but these play mats are my favorite. i just love how each person individualizes it to their kids...the palm trees, the church, the gas station! so CUTE!

tina brantley

printing on bookpages!

Olive and pickles

another sweet car mat

stephanie

look how cute this ruffle is along her levi apron!

Mistee

adore!

from gardners to bergers

her diy drum shade blows mine out of the water!

jaime stovall

okay..how cute is this smurf one!?

nicole

she used my cricut love posts to add some vinyl on a mixer! looks great!

scissors and a whisk

frikkin awesome!

Samantha B

she got herself orgainzed with her own christmas binder

733 blog

every color looks in good in felt i've decided! love that yellow!

http://craftanyway.blogspot.com/2012/01/toy-car-storage.html

her car storage is terrific! and with lighting mcqueen~!

laura

isn't that barn just adorable!!!

everyday chaos

how cute is this apron! love that cupcake. (go to this post and check out her cute pjs she made!)

long country road

made an awesome i spy quilt...! i got this email and was motivated to finish mine...! ( i mean not that i will..but it motivated me.)

kara

dylan's town is awesome!!!

bugaboo

this lego bag/mat is so cute! love that she used fabric for the cords and the outside of the bag is so cute!

kelly's craft corner

cute pin cushion*!

if you have made anything from one of my tutorials...send me a picture (or a link!) i would love to see it!!!!

once there was a snowman

2012-01-13T08:33:00.001-07:00

made of deliciousness....(and glue. lots and lots of glue)

remember the turkey?

this is another "homework" assignment for my kindergartner....

and he wanted to do food.....

we traced the circles from cups and then got glue happy (made the colors of the m&m's run a little)

i think more got eaten then glued....we wanted stick pretzels for the arms but had to settle for fettuccine noodles

and then someone smelled the candy and had to get in on the action
(and she dresses herself and it was a cold day and she's wearing a tank top...)

the final result?

and here's the littles one:

cute tiered skirt that only took me two years to do...

2012-01-12T10:10:00.000-07:00

so i bought this fabric it was for $3 and then 50% off red tag at joanns. so i got it for $1.50. two.years.ago. i thought it would be so cute as a skirt (and wasn't I right?) a year later...i bought more (unintentionally...i forgot about the first yard i bought) then about 6 months ago i found a cream of it....so i bought a yard of that...

and can you guess what i made? a skirt (two actually)
my girls got them for christmas.
and can you guess when i made them?
christmas eve is about accurate.

the big girl skirt is made of 5 layers..9 inches high. (i cut 6 and used the last one for the bows)

I took a rectangle piece of black fabric and hemmed the bottom..(I think about a half yard and i didn't trim it at all..so half yard by 44 inches.

then i folded each strip of polka dot material in half...ran a loose stitch ....

gathered it up until it fit across the rectangle

then i pinned it on and sewed....

(does this sound familiar? i used this same technique when i made these fancy pancy aprons)

just keep ~~swimming~~....layering it goes pretty quick..the larger size skirt only has 5 layers and this guazy material really ruffles fast.

so i get here...with all 5 ruffles sewed on..and i have no black elastic (joanns was sold out)
so i did what i did best (no i didn't hot glue it) i pulled a tim gunn and made it work.

i had about 4-5 inches left along the top...so hemmed the very top and folded it down and covered up the seam of the last stitching.

I sewed it right alond the bottom...

then i took some boring old thin white elastic, added a safety pin and threaded it through...

then i just sewed the two sides together so it only has one seam in the back...

then, i added some giant flowers (cause i had that last layer left) (tutorial for the big flower is HERE) i added them with pins cause i wasn't sure daughter number 1 would love them..(she does)

okay baby's skirt (who is turning 4 and i can't really call her that anymore)

I made the same basic way..smaller layers and more of a ruffle so it's a bit fluffier...

I literally got this far and thought, "this is cute, i could just do a black skirt with one ruffle"

I did happen to have black elastic for her...

sewed it right on top....

and right sides together sew up the back seam (make sure each ruffle is laying down where it should be)

i don't know about you...but ruffles make me happy....

i love that they match...but are not the same!!!

the planket? the quillow?

2012-01-11T09:34:00.001-07:00

this was a guest post over at postively splendid

and i do think it's quite clever...but i'm vain like that...

and an easy project...

introducing.....

It's a pillow....

it's a blanket..

it's a planket....?

okay. so it's a working title.

(that was supposed to be sung to the pillow pet song)

but whatever it is called...

it's awesome.

and usable.

and a great gift for the traveler...

or the napper...

or the picnicer.

or the football fan...

someone did mention that they have heard it called a quillow (quilt/pillow)

and I loved the excuse to go to joanns and buy some fleece....

i narrowed it down to like 10

but ultimately i choose this one...

I bought a yard and a half of the print..and half a yard of the green
(but realistically you could buy a pre-made blanket and just add the pocket!
(or you could add the pocket in the same print as the blanket so it's not noticeable at all)

trimmed the edges to make it all even and nice..

then i had to break out the math.

i used to be very good at math.

then i had kids.

fried the brain or something.

but it's not too difficult. I drew a picture cause I'm a visual person....

basically..to get the measurements of the pillow piece..you need to find out how big your blanket is...then divide it. the top piece will have to be divided by odds (3 or 5). but the side pieces can be whatever you fancy. (so if you have a HUGE blanket you could do 3 across the top...and 6 going down.

if your blanket is big...and you do only 4...than your pillow is going to be pretty big. (so keep all this in mind. )

The measurements of my pillow is 14 x 18...so i added an inch for a seam and cut 15x19

and cause i feel the need to add crap to everything..

i decided to sew on some flowers to decorate the pillow.

made a template

cut them out..and sewed them on

Now...if you are only using one piece of fabric than you need to pick something that will be okay from both sides (like you can't do a letter k. cause it will be backwards on the blanket or pillow side)

but you could just add another piece of fabric and then the problem won't be a problem.

I put the flowers face down on the blanket...(so the pillow will have the pop outs)

okay..so just like my drawing...the pillow goes at the top (or bottom) in the middle (centered) (on the back if you have a back to your blanket)

sew it on...except for the part i have written do not pin here. that will be our pocket to stick our blanket in

lucky for me, i'm using fleece. which means i don't have to finish any seams...but if you are using a fabric that frays you will need to finish these edges before sewing it on...

okay.. sew it on!

you could get all fancy and bind it but i like the ~~lazy~~ easy path.

this would be great to take to a ballgame

keep you warm if you need..

or keep your bum from going numb on the hard bleachers

(you could even get all fancy and make it in your team colors!)

i think i will keep this one in my car. great for picnics,

for long car rides when your kid is falling asleep against the cold window

or for ANYTIME you kid complains cause they are freezing...(even when it's like 75 degrees outside.)

i think i might just add a pocket to all my blankets. makes them so handy to have!

i ended up making my daughter one for christmas

but i borrow it from her cause i added that cuddle fabric to the back.

and it's sooooo soft.

edited later to add:

so someone mention handles....

which is just brilliant. brilliant....

i would do fleece..i would just make sure it is doubled up for durability...

and i would put it on at #1...you will have the handle on the inside the pillow and blanket with the ends peeking out. then you could sew it the pillow part as normal..

this will make it so the handle isn't seen while you are using the blanket part.

BUT if you wanted to use it like a bag and put some stuff inside..you would want to sew on the handle where number 2 is...and you would probably need two handles..one on the pillow part (sewn on before you sew on pillow) and another one on the blanket...

same way with the handles tucked underneath the pillow

you knew it was coming...

2012-01-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

oh my gosh. i'm not trying to be a hater to cricut.

but i love my silhouette cameo.

LOVE.

it really goes above and beyond what you would think a normal cutter could do.

so far the only thing it can't do is make homemade cookies for me.

(if it did i would leave my husband and marry it.)

i'm going to start with what EVERYONE is dying to know

CRICUT vs SILHOUETTE.

(let's start with some fighting music)

you know. this is a toughy.

they both are good.

and they both beat the crap out of cutting things out by hand!

but you know--it really just depends on what you are using it for!

If you....

are a big huge scrapbooker.

makes cards like they are going out of style

not a huge computer fan

maybe not super creative and you love that it's all ready and cute for you

than the cricut is for you.

If you..

are using it more for home decor

words are the majority of what you print

and are on the computer lots....

love designing and making your own cute things....

the silhouette is the cutter you should buy!

I got my cricut..crap..um..4 or 5 years ago?

before i had a computer.

so it was perfect for me.

My husband also loved it cause he knew that every mother's day, birthday, and christmas he could get me a new cartridge. (cause he thinks i'm hard to shop for)

the downside:

the cartridges are expensive.

i mean the are pretty steadily on sale for $35.

and so many ~~traitors~~ people are trading in their cricuts for silhouettes so you can get some for CHEAP!.

(you can actually buy the whole cricut for a good deal!)

now the silhouette.

it's awesome.

but i have to tell you..it's got a lot of hoopla to learn.

the cricut is load your mat, pick what you want cut, choose a size and cut...

the silhouette is a bit more complicated..

but..it links up to all your fonts on your computer so the possiblites are endless!

and they also have cute cute little images in their online store...

BUT they are a dollar a piece.

not too bad...

but with a cricut cartridge...you spend $35 and get

50 separate images....

like this one is the clothesline..but you also get a border, a saying, a corner border, and two other things i have cut off...

the paper doll has hte dolls...outfits, outfits with tabs, wigs, necklaces, shoes, scenery, etc....

so in reality..you are getting over 200 images per cartridge...so it sures beats the crap out of a dollar a piece clipart!

i made these cute cards super duper fast using the outline and layers effect on the cricut! the cricut is a no brainer. i'm sure i might be able to figure it out on the silhouette..but i guarantee it would take me thrice as long...

so, in reality..both are great. but..i'm bias cause i have scal (which is not available to cricuts anymore) so it makes my cricut above and beyond.

If i had neither....and If I was going to buy one..

and knowing what i know now..

i would choose.....

drumroll....

silhouette.

(cue winning music)

and guess what?

I have a little crash course in the basics of silhouette

it's HERE at the expressions blog...

i'm also showing my very first craft i made..

an open and closed sign for my sister in law's salon

it's just a 97 cent board from walmart that i painted, bribed the husband into drilling some holes. added some ribbon and vinyl!

and i had one font love left:

and if you are a cricut owner...did you catch all my cricut love post?

you can go here to get all the info