tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88899173998510277382024-03-18T02:47:20.779-07:00Spicy PineconeSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889917399851027738.post-24521283391045762222014-07-10T17:51:00.003-07:002014-07-10T17:51:41.550-07:00The Soap that Took More Than a Year to Make- Rose Clay and Silk Goat's Milk Soap<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When my husband told me that we were moving to North Carolina (again, we've lived here before and I LOVE it!), I was ecstatic. One of my first questions was, "Can I get a goat?!"</div>
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He looked at me like I had grown another head.<br />
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HOWEVER, when he came out to look at houses and I stayed behind in Alabama with the kids, he asked the realtor if we could have goats on the property. She said, "yes"… and so it began.<br />
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As soon as we moved, the hunt was on. I researched breeds and I looked at all kinds of breeders. Eventually, I knew that I wanted a Nigerian Dwarf. Great for milking, super sweet, not huge… perfect. Goats are herd animals and can't be kept alone. I brought home two adorable little doelings, sisters, and we named them Bebe and Midge.<br />
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A month or so later, I brought home a buck, and the kids named him "Captain Jack Sparrow". We were set. They bottle fed, weaned, got huge, and eventually the girls and Captain Jack had some babies of their own…<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bebe (Mama) and Mimi (doeling)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Midge (Mama) and Jake (buckling)</td></tr>
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There are so many fantastic things about goats, I can't even begin to tell you. I'm addicted now. And one of the best things… I now had FRESH goat's milks for my soaps! More than a year of raising, loving, cleaning, worrying (first time breeding goats ever and I was a wreck), and learning how to milk. <br />
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I don't think I've ever been so nervous to make a soap in all my life!<br />
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So I froze the milk, added a pinch of silk… and got down to it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding the lye to the frozen goat's milk & Tussah silk</td></tr>
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I added the lye to the frozen goat's milk, a bit at a time. Stirring well in between each small addition. I did NOT want to burn this. Trust me, once you've milked a goat by hand, you have a whole new-found respect for milk and taking the time to "do it right" is easy. The thought of scorching the batch made my toes curl and hair stand up on end in a horrible way. Lol!<br />
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I soaped cool, with the oils at room temperature. Milk soaps are notorious for overheating. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding the goat's milk lye solution to the room temp oils</td></tr>
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Stick blended to light trace, separated a small portion for the textured top, and then added in my rose clay and fragrance to the main batter.</div>
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The fragrance I added is one of my own making. It's a blend of a few different florals. I wanted soft, floral, feminine… but not "granny". However, I knew this floral blend would move fast, so I didn't add it until AFTER I had the rose clay completely mixed in and uniform. After that, I added the fragrance, zapped it with a stick blender really quick and poured like a supersonic ninja.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If I don't spill SOME batter when I pour… something is wrong. I always make a mess. ;)</td></tr>
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After pouring, I whapped it on the counter a few times to get rid of air bubbles, and then colored the separate portion (the portion I'd set aside for the top) with titanium dioxide for a nice, creamy white.<div>
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Then it was time to get the roses ready. I suppose I could have done this prior to doing ANYTHING, but I guess I just got excited about making soap. So I popped the mold into the fridge while I prepped the roses. </div>
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The roses are organic sun-dried roses that my daughter and I picked together and laid out in the sun to dry for a few days. I wanted the nicely formed, tight rosebuds, so I went digging through my rosebud basket and selected the ones I thought "fit". After picking them, I took the backs off. I didn't want ANY green, just bud petals. So pinched the green back and the bud, wiggled and gently pulled them apart.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freshly-cut buds, prior to drying.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selecting</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Separating bottoms from buds.</td></tr>
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Now the white batter for the top had thickened up enough to be properly "plopped". (Scientific term for the textured top, I guess. I call it the "Spoon Plop Top", but that's hard to say.) ;)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Correct texture. Holding a shape, but still fluid. Not stiff peaked, but medium.</td></tr>
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To do the "Spoon Plop Top", all you need is a spoon, batter, and a sense of "it doesn't have to be perfect". If you're going for perfect plop tops, you'll stress yourself out and actually make it look bad. </div>
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Plop the batter smack down the middle, and then go over the top, plopping in-between the bottom "plops".</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2TNagJW4mSmdZPbzgS5MmGlfYxGICSU9SrQuTzf4PpZsz4ZacLhIrY-WooCo7Gdoy4X4lPxPGzndjhXGRemn1PhqCtIPYbTZvvswjNLnXauvtttd3aukHuEyiQKD1S4mYBD7qa8zzYo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-10+at+7.41.42+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2TNagJW4mSmdZPbzgS5MmGlfYxGICSU9SrQuTzf4PpZsz4ZacLhIrY-WooCo7Gdoy4X4lPxPGzndjhXGRemn1PhqCtIPYbTZvvswjNLnXauvtttd3aukHuEyiQKD1S4mYBD7qa8zzYo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-10+at+7.41.42+PM.png" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start spooning down the middle.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Line of "plops" down the middle.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second layer of "plops" in between bottom "plops".</td></tr>
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Now it's time to add the roses! I wanted two per bar, paired up in the middle. I tried my best to match the size of the buds to each other, but I also didn't want to get too picky about it. Sometimes, you just have to let the imperfections be beautiful on their own. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicy4RxfBBPZf5XMMRm3wJU1Es7Wzb9pHrj4vil6pnBDqB3Q6k4MFFkWRRwRKlELaPuDQsUlcPuuBsMHnIXrgiqE351XtGtQztSBtnt3sa50FYSvOCHCI_jN1KGk_CUGkGbeaIxhKPe3Ew/s1600/10351065_810841062289691_2453962332100588696_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicy4RxfBBPZf5XMMRm3wJU1Es7Wzb9pHrj4vil6pnBDqB3Q6k4MFFkWRRwRKlELaPuDQsUlcPuuBsMHnIXrgiqE351XtGtQztSBtnt3sa50FYSvOCHCI_jN1KGk_CUGkGbeaIxhKPe3Ew/s1600/10351065_810841062289691_2453962332100588696_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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And THAT'S probably the longest it's ever taken me to make a soap. From the beginnings of the first ingredients to the final placement of the last dried rosebud…. more than a year. </div>
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And I can't believe I have to wait to cut it. *groans* No worries, I'll post updated pics and I also made a video for this one. ;)</div>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889917399851027738.post-47084105045261953072014-01-15T12:44:00.000-08:002014-01-15T12:44:19.232-08:00Soap Challenge Club- Taiwan SwirlI love soap challenges! Anything that gives me an excuse to break out with my soaping oils and spatulas is a GOOD thing. That's why, I was super excited to hear that the new <a href="http://www.greatcakessoapworks.com/">Great Cakes Soapworks</a> Soap Challenge Club's challenge was the…<br />
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*DRUM ROLL*<br />
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TAIWAN SWIRL!!!!<br />
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Never heard of the Taiwan Swirl? You will LOVE it. It's easy to do, yet makes a remarkable bar of soap that looks like it took ages to create.<br />
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For my SCC (That's "Soap Club Challenge") soap, I went with a CK-One dupe fragrance oil. It had great reviews, reminded me of being a preteen, and was a slow-moving fragrance. All of these great attributes made it the PERFECT fragrance oil for what I was trying to do. I figured that a clean, refreshing palette of crisp white, bright blue, and black would do this unisex fragrance justice. I love the results.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVuyeIwwhWPWWAPOzSYBpSULLKNl63gQuFAyrHcr5bTE59Z4EDWtogmDIErfsNxYflViEZPrqAdJzv5aVcoe9MN2IW1lfNPCNDKejOhY3acfxP4dKsrH1FmlZKfB4hsm-JS30RMHYIb8I/s1600/1554509_701758103197988_298743716_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVuyeIwwhWPWWAPOzSYBpSULLKNl63gQuFAyrHcr5bTE59Z4EDWtogmDIErfsNxYflViEZPrqAdJzv5aVcoe9MN2IW1lfNPCNDKejOhY3acfxP4dKsrH1FmlZKfB4hsm-JS30RMHYIb8I/s640/1554509_701758103197988_298743716_n.jpg" /></a></div>
Want to see how I did it? No worries! I made a video! ;)
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/-K22EiIGnzs" width="420"></iframe>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.com48tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889917399851027738.post-6404454822670891062014-01-07T09:59:00.001-08:002014-01-07T10:00:28.150-08:00Vanilla Goat's Milk Soap I've been playing with additives in my soap. With this one, I went a little overboard, but totally in a good way. First, I knew that I wanted to use egg yolks. Egg yolks are supposed to up the lather, and I've also heard that the fat in the yolk is super conditioning to the skin. I wanted a super gentle, super conditioning soap, so I decided….
1.) Goat's Milk- Conditioning, great for sensitive skin.
2.) Egg yolks- Also conditioning, said to reduce redness and give SUPER LATHER!
3.) Avocado puree- Wait, what?
Yup, avocado puree. I was playing with my food processor and made a great avocado puree. I made so much, though, that I froze the extra in individual cubes to save and toss in soaps that I thought would benefit from it. Since I knew this soap was going to be dark (from the vanillin in the Vanilla fragrance oil), I figured, "Why not?"
So on to the avocado puree on the list…
3.) Avocado puree- ALSO gives great lather, and avocado is rich in vitamins A, D, and E… as well as containing a whopping amount of potassium, which helps the goodies penetrate deep into the skin. Score!
4.) Organic honey- antimicrobial, it's a humectant (attracts moisture and helps retain it), contains antioxidants AND, I thought it would go well with the whole goat's milk/vanilla theme. Who DOESN'T like vanilla and honey? If you raised your hand, I'm watching you… there's something weird about you. ;)
5.) Three kinds of butters. WHOOP! Okay, so it's cold outside and that means that it's prime dry-skin weather. I wanted to load on the butters. So I added cocoa, shea, and mango. If you've never used mango, it's phenomenal… try it.
So enough of my rambling, you're probably wondering what it looks like.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2TmmcNzN4awsdOxmeA3Ptqs5Ne8CZI75Yc1oF9KCtlN_ydLGp7maCxd8mZ1BJ1byxEBkkcBRIn71VqiwhgpysHrNIdrjl_jm_K7RbxQFrRTwvDVbNN7RJnhw0oghvvByhI-D-VJKiuo/s1600/vanillin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2TmmcNzN4awsdOxmeA3Ptqs5Ne8CZI75Yc1oF9KCtlN_ydLGp7maCxd8mZ1BJ1byxEBkkcBRIn71VqiwhgpysHrNIdrjl_jm_K7RbxQFrRTwvDVbNN7RJnhw0oghvvByhI-D-VJKiuo/s400/vanillin.jpg" /></a></div>
The photo on the left is how it looked when I put it in the mold. The photo on the right is the end product. All prettied up and ready to start curing. It takes about 3 days after cutting for it to discolor to this point. I had planned on it discoloring, so I left it completely plain and embraced the chocolate-y beauty of it. THIS is why you always have to take vanillin into consideration when designing your soaps. My vanilla fragrance is from <a href="http://www.brambleberry.com/Vanilla-Bean-Candle-Soap-Fragrance-P5384.aspx">Bramble Berry</a>. It smells wonderful!
Excited to see how this one turns out.
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889917399851027738.post-87622201589258766382013-06-24T08:08:00.000-07:002013-06-24T08:11:35.118-07:00New Week- New Giveaway! Summertime is my favorite time. Bright colors, warm weather, LOVE!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYEacCJUc6lutcwOIEwLSIhHhlXgZ3n5gw9SYywUClbntsHmK81KrvDN5cmbGObdeC-8etvre1hkw5GWHJxrH9H2z5qlX_ePVhiMNpPbj3ktTHIixOT3ZNTAjpXykzjpJcu31XVLma-lw/s1600/photo-271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYEacCJUc6lutcwOIEwLSIhHhlXgZ3n5gw9SYywUClbntsHmK81KrvDN5cmbGObdeC-8etvre1hkw5GWHJxrH9H2z5qlX_ePVhiMNpPbj3ktTHIixOT3ZNTAjpXykzjpJcu31XVLma-lw/s320/photo-271.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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So to celebrate summer, Spicy Pinecone is giving away a free Rainbow Rattle Mini Lovey!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX91SL-f47l05HIi7UUWnrJbbevVcw2uoIlEy10l4bn1WXCBYlz5zlUvK7Xf0SH-durGYhXz_79pNxDkVQ_ewNcJogabon_0S8S9tGcOOBg0s0w6C71SAts66LKpnqkX5AZjg31zA-oic/s1600/photo-272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX91SL-f47l05HIi7UUWnrJbbevVcw2uoIlEy10l4bn1WXCBYlz5zlUvK7Xf0SH-durGYhXz_79pNxDkVQ_ewNcJogabon_0S8S9tGcOOBg0s0w6C71SAts66LKpnqkX5AZjg31zA-oic/s320/photo-272.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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This Mini Lovey has been hand dyed by me in a Rainbow Spiral, washed with professional, baby-safe detergent and finished with a baby-safe professional grade fabric softener for super plush, super snuggly softness. A CPSIA compliant rattle has been sewn on the inside of one corner for your loved one's entertainment. Our Mini Lovey measures 15" x 22" and is the perfect size for your loved one to chew and snuggle.<br />
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As with all hand-dyed items, please wash by itself for the first few washes. As always, machine wash cold and tumble dry low.</div>
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<a id="rc-b5f03a1" class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b5f03a1/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>
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<br /></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889917399851027738.post-27938547433767803402013-06-10T17:16:00.000-07:002013-06-10T17:16:31.270-07:00Great Cakes Soapworks Peacock Swirl Challenge Amy Warden of <a href="http://www.greatcakessoapworks.com/" target="_blank">Great Cakes Soapworks</a> started a Soap Challenge Club and the first technique was the Peacock Swirl. I had never tried this before, so I decided to give it a whirl.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLzE2ORMQ_jWYdEvn8DmryGOUIjz7nf3nhEvCRR8xVj0on6ZJ77xoPe6EXnTWvjlS-o9fVPZuLAB6g9en8oWs3Gdo4XyOuZWmSB9X3uISW-j6zLZX2PkMSgdMcEj273Gb_S1gC35g0aEk/s1600/photo-264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLzE2ORMQ_jWYdEvn8DmryGOUIjz7nf3nhEvCRR8xVj0on6ZJ77xoPe6EXnTWvjlS-o9fVPZuLAB6g9en8oWs3Gdo4XyOuZWmSB9X3uISW-j6zLZX2PkMSgdMcEj273Gb_S1gC35g0aEk/s320/photo-264.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Rainbow Sherbert Peacock was born! This soap is scented with Rainbow Sherbert fragrance oil from Nature's Garden, and it smells good enough to eat! </div>
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Okay, now the process....</div>
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First, I had to get all of my supplies together:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2U2dqK32uDR2b2w8nrhJOSo2gk_aeAiNjYvEPnwqIUqnKBRRe45toIT5BJXPmCN-tfZOmgye11wy-g2_-Ozf5r87x0IpIZqUoQhcWTUekGEmqCZiFq6JawntPyroVxMOmEcZ1b4sz60w/s1600/photo-260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2U2dqK32uDR2b2w8nrhJOSo2gk_aeAiNjYvEPnwqIUqnKBRRe45toIT5BJXPmCN-tfZOmgye11wy-g2_-Ozf5r87x0IpIZqUoQhcWTUekGEmqCZiFq6JawntPyroVxMOmEcZ1b4sz60w/s320/photo-260.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I used micas and titanium dioxide from <a href="http://www.theconservatorie.com/" target="_blank">The Conservatorie</a> to color my soap. The marbling rake was made using curler picks and a piece of cardboard. I liked the look of a tightly swirled peacock swirl, so I spaced mine closer together. :)</div>
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I mixed up a slow-moving soap recipe to give myself time to work with the swirl, lined a pizza box (I wanted a lot of room to work), and then got all of my colors into my squeeze bottles. Poured the majority of my soap batter (colored with TD) into the box, and then took a deep breath...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFfuEpsqWtnPkwc5ri9fhax9FH-4XhPV5IGdX82sn1pH8VNzWkW1zFpGS0s5kE6B4zUnOQLZomvVrQGTJHi7EQp531xjhN8TwbDTZG5oaiCpGRt2OUc8cY5YEQ8SlcFJfC0MdzAptWi8/s1600/photo-261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFfuEpsqWtnPkwc5ri9fhax9FH-4XhPV5IGdX82sn1pH8VNzWkW1zFpGS0s5kE6B4zUnOQLZomvVrQGTJHi7EQp531xjhN8TwbDTZG5oaiCpGRt2OUc8cY5YEQ8SlcFJfC0MdzAptWi8/s320/photo-261.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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It was time to start squeezing and marbling. I went crazy with the colors, but also squirted some white to help define the swirls.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5KNz4fpfkAtKrM7mMsyx9Skij8zDAri75idE2qupKWt15ERAxskVhnB4X8LOvY3aDT_qsYZILOcDxUDC5wvj_29B19qa1JaOBRgVSgtTw89VrFHMiNqs8ebQ8JVEBHKJNztYGS-6W43o/s1600/photo-263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5KNz4fpfkAtKrM7mMsyx9Skij8zDAri75idE2qupKWt15ERAxskVhnB4X8LOvY3aDT_qsYZILOcDxUDC5wvj_29B19qa1JaOBRgVSgtTw89VrFHMiNqs8ebQ8JVEBHKJNztYGS-6W43o/s320/photo-263.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Above is a picture before using the rake and doing the "S" swirls...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZzmF4hETMOHtO1LE_shGsijXKYx92wylKAflZdZZovvWYnO2xFTJQP1lvPzGnyMdKdaLK5dV54sJ08fKOuKzWPQCrrFB_RfY61opIfiI2F08TDYUFwcbSSppfjDfWR6nppCOlbRBj38/s1600/photo-262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZzmF4hETMOHtO1LE_shGsijXKYx92wylKAflZdZZovvWYnO2xFTJQP1lvPzGnyMdKdaLK5dV54sJ08fKOuKzWPQCrrFB_RfY61opIfiI2F08TDYUFwcbSSppfjDfWR6nppCOlbRBj38/s320/photo-262.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And now (above) here is the photo AFTER swirling. I am now SUCH a fan of this technique and really can't wait to try it again! </div>
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After a day of drying, it was ready to cut and shoot.</div>
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Hungry? ;)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsgdM8d0Nn-XHk_97Q0XsVWMwX9zJz5y10cV5su7he-WsMEogOECmho9lZ8NEwKG9dzaDttAX4w3CXN5kOOsvdEQVMa032hL5HtzGGyEy5gUd-dGnTDiVn97F2S4XovsR1r_2SFbnmE4/s1600/photo-264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsgdM8d0Nn-XHk_97Q0XsVWMwX9zJz5y10cV5su7he-WsMEogOECmho9lZ8NEwKG9dzaDttAX4w3CXN5kOOsvdEQVMa032hL5HtzGGyEy5gUd-dGnTDiVn97F2S4XovsR1r_2SFbnmE4/s320/photo-264.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889917399851027738.post-48186980663207211062013-02-06T10:00:00.000-08:002013-02-06T10:01:33.276-08:00Thermofax Screen Printing I've always wanted to learn how to screen print and recently found a very easy and economical way to do it. <br />
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Thermofax screen printing! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRT4NpzTILys1XcecbWQDF7OZQzqNEU4kQpRLCtitbmqtRbKKfof4CAZuuA4E9SdVZsj-CiGIV2sqYeNPCBIxP0pQr-M25N_c2hNt1qkAl-tDxr9ncgUKU84oOnSx3P5Ys9xkL8aBA2Q/s1600/48086_534493243257809_572335836_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRT4NpzTILys1XcecbWQDF7OZQzqNEU4kQpRLCtitbmqtRbKKfof4CAZuuA4E9SdVZsj-CiGIV2sqYeNPCBIxP0pQr-M25N_c2hNt1qkAl-tDxr9ncgUKU84oOnSx3P5Ys9xkL8aBA2Q/s320/48086_534493243257809_572335836_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Super easy, and even easier on the wallet. Also, babies look cute in hermit crab onesies. ;)<br />
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Here's how:<br />
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TONS of possibilites. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKR_W1vMQm4CMWWihTqtj_NIX_LS9fnRPThQIS8yb2_28MBaHm-uuSTwoyj_qtKs8gOQ3jOsZ5O-HRiRH3RWiEDWUrWyGw_vBZsildy17iEBpxv3cb5Qo7hKqpw3opOw4XLeSCW-bvLg0/s1600/603896_333550066750768_1603600950_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKR_W1vMQm4CMWWihTqtj_NIX_LS9fnRPThQIS8yb2_28MBaHm-uuSTwoyj_qtKs8gOQ3jOsZ5O-HRiRH3RWiEDWUrWyGw_vBZsildy17iEBpxv3cb5Qo7hKqpw3opOw4XLeSCW-bvLg0/s320/603896_333550066750768_1603600950_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889917399851027738.post-61433078567911299422013-02-01T08:24:00.002-08:002013-02-01T08:24:35.877-08:00The Music Made Me Do It... and More Experimentation Okay, so it took me a while to recover from Christmas. With four kids, I think it's amazing that I made it through the holiday without any help (husband deployed, but returning soon) and with my sanity relatively intact. Go, me! *fist pump* Everyone still has all their arms, legs, toes, and fingers... so I'll call it a victory.<br />
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Cheerleading aside, I've been busy since my last post. <br />
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When Kai was a baby, his all-time favorite song was Owl City's "Fireflies". If you haven't heard it, you can hear it <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psuRGfAaju4" target="_blank">here</a>. I've had it on my playlist forever, and he still requests it every now and then. The last time he did, I had an idea to put fireflies in his room.<br />
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How to do it? VINYL! More specifically, glow-in-the-dark vinyl. <br />
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And if Kai was going to have fireflies, it was only fair for Cam to have them too. So I got to work painting up some (4) canvases.<br />
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And then designed a file in Silhouette Studio Designer Edition for my fireflies.<br />
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Afterwards, I cut the fireflies out of glow-in-the-dark vinyl and enlisted the help of my kids to put them on the canvases. They had a blast!<br />
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And then we lined them up to admire our work.<br />
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Next, we tested their glow-in-the-dark abilities. Believe it or not, they glow BRIGHT! I just couldn't get my iPhone to cooperate with a good pic.<br />
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Finally, we hung them up. The boys love looking at the fireflies when they go to bed at night. <br />
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After the firefly canvases, my latest project has been dyeing fabric. I tried a few different experiments, and I think that the shibori dyeing technique is by far my favorite. (All the way to the left.)<br />
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These were done on cotton gauze with Dylon fabric dye. I'm still experimenting with different techniques and would love to carry some hand-dyed baby blankets in the shop once I've tested a few different things out and see what I like best. <br />
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Hope everyone is enjoying their new year!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889917399851027738.post-86167712253423604572012-12-22T11:38:00.000-08:002012-12-22T11:38:04.883-08:00Embellished Burlap Table Runner How-to I wanted to have something fantastic on the table for Christmas dinner this year. I've seen a lot of burlap being used for various projects and thought to myself, why not a table runner? From there, the idea just kind of took off on it's own and evolved several times. At the end, though, I'm super happy with what came to be...<br />
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There were a few firsts for me, (using burlap, fabric ink, and a new material for stenciling) so it was a bit of a shot in the dark experiment. Sometimes shots in the dark work out!<br />
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Here's what you'll need:<br />
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<b>Main fabric- </b>I used burlap. You can find it at your local fabric store. You'll want enough to have one continuous strip across your table plus about 12" or so on either side to hang over. (So length of table + 24")<br />
<b>Backing fabric- </b>I used muslin that I had in my fabric stash. There should be the same amount of backing as there is main fabric.<br />
<b>Rotary cutter and Scissors</b><br />
<b>Ruler or measuring tape.</b><br />
<b>Sewing Machine</b><br />
<b>Thread</b><br />
<b>Pins</b><br />
<b>Paint Mask- </b>This was a first for me. I guess this stuff is used for painting cars, but it can be found at vinyl suppliers (I used <a href="http://www.hhsignsupply.com/productcart/pc/MACtac-Paint-Mask-By-The-Foot-365p20448.htm" target="_blank">H&HSignSupply.com</a>). You'll need enough for your graphics plus a 1-2" border around the design.<br />
<b>Transfer tape or contact paper</b><br />
<b>Squeegee</b><br />
<b>Sponge Paint Brush</b><br />
<b>Fabric ink- </b>I used the stuff that came in my Silhouette kit, however, it's the same as you can find at the hobby store for silkscreening.<br />
<b>Vinyl Cutting Machine or a steady hand, utility knife, and a lot of patience- </b>I used my Silhouette Cameo, as I am seriously lacking in that kind of patience and it was a huge design. If it's just a small one, I could see doing it by hand, though.<br />
<b>Weeding Hook or needle and tweezers</b><br />
<b>Iron and/or Heat Press- </b>I used both, though just an iron would be okay. You'll see in the tutorial how I used them.<br />
<b>Freezer paper or scrap paper- </b>To keep the ink from bleeding through onto the surface of whatever you are painting on.<br />
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<b>Step 1-</b> Cut your main fabric and backing to the size of your table plus 24" (that gives you 11" of overhang on either side after factoring in a 1" seam allowance) for the length and then the width you want plus 2". (Mine was 20" wide.) For burlap, I found that an easy way to make a straight cut was to pull on one of the end threads. It would gather the burlap and eventually snap, but left a nice, clean straight line to follow for when you cut it.<br />
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<b>Step 2- </b>After your main fabric and backing are cut, iron freezer paper on to the back of your main fabric. (Main fabric being the top fabric that you are going to paint. See which side of the burlap you want to use... some sides are prettier than others, and iron the freezer paper onto the ugly or "wrong" side. <br />
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And keep ironing...<br />
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... until the back parts of the runner that will have the graphics on them is completely covered.<br />
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<b>Step 3- </b>Using your cutting machine, cut out your design on your paint mask. You may have to cut the paint mask down to fit onto your mat.<br />
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Also, if your design is large.... you may have to cut it in several sections.<br />
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<b>Step 4-</b> Weed your design. Using your weeding hook, remove the parts of the stencil that you will want to paint. This part may leave you a little covered in paint mask vinyl.<br />
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<b>Step 5- </b>Lay out your design the way you want it. <br />
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Once you're happy with how it looks (keep seam allowances in mind! Don't place it too near the edge or some may disappear into a seam), use your transfer tape or contact paper to remove the design from the backing and onto your main fabric. (Use the squeegee over the transfer tape once it's on top of the vinyl and then peel off the backing... then place it on your main fabric and squeegee again.) Before I put the contact paper on top of the vinyl to remove it from the backing, I like to stick the contact paper on the carpet and pull up a few times to get the stickiness down a bit. Makes it easier to remove later.<br />
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<b>Step 6- </b>This is BY FAR the hardest part of making this. Peel back the transfer tape. Go slow, take your time. Cut the excess transfer tape away as you're doing it. I don't have a photo of this step because I was charging my phone, but use one hand to hold down the vinyl and the other to remove the transfer tape. This takes awhile. Be patient.<br />
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I do, however, have a pic of some of the words with the transfer tape peeled off while the rest wait for transfer tape and placement.<br />
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As you get the decals on there, go back over them gently with your squeegee, and/or press firmly with your hand to resticky it to the main fabric if it came up at all.<br />
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<b>Step 7-</b> Now comes the fun part. Using your sponge brush, apply the fabric ink to the decals, being careful to stay within the frame of the decal and not go out of the lines. I did a thin coat and waited for it to dry. Then did a second coat a bit thicker... blotting up and down with my brush.<br />
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What you DON'T want to do, is paint so forcefully that you pull up your stencil... or blob so much paint that it bleeds all over the place regardless of the stencil. The freezer paper will also help keep the ink in check.<br />
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<b>Step 8- </b>Once the paint is COMPLETELY dry, peel back the stencil. This was my favorite part by far. So fun to see the end result peeking through. Then, heat seal it. You can either use an iron and iron through a protective layer of fabric (such as an old pillowcase) or a heat press if you want to blaze through it. Make sure you use a teflon sheet if you use your heat press.<br />
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<b>Step 9- </b>Now it's time to sew it together. Pin your fabric right sides together. Starting on one long side, sew down and around 3 sides with a 1" seam allowance. Leave one short side open so you can turn it right-side out. Iron.<br />
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<b>Step 10-</b> Tuck the unsewn short side inside 1" and press flat. Sew as close to the edge as you can. To finish the runner off, top stitch around the entire runner. I topstitched slightly under 1" to catch and hold all of the layers. Then, you're done!<br />
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Send pics if you guys make some! I'd love to see them. Enjoy!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889917399851027738.post-17932053254890754492012-12-11T17:13:00.000-08:002012-12-11T17:16:23.678-08:00Etched Hurricane Candleholder Tutorial I LOVE the dollar store. Specifically, Dollar Tree. You can find some super neat glass items there to experiment on, and not worry if you completely mess it up because... if you do, it was only $1 *shoulder shrug*... and if you don't, it was only $1!!! *excited happy dance*<br />
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So this was my first time etching glass. I was a bit nervous, but I found that I absolutely LOVED it and I thought you guys might too.<br />
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See what you can make? Doesn't take much and it's not only inexpensive, but LOOKS fantastic. <br />
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Here's what you'll need-<br />
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<b>Hurricane candleholder or other glass item to etch</b><br />
<b>Etching cream (I used EtchAll, but there are other etching creams out there)</b><br />
<b>Vinyl for a stencil (some people use contact paper, but I haven't tried it)</b><br />
<b>Weeding hook</b><br />
<b>Transfer tape</b><br />
<b>Squeegee</b><br />
<b>Cutting tool such as a Silhouette or a utility knife and your time and patience.</b><br />
<b>Old paintbrush</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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<b>Step 1- </b><br />
Design and cut your stencil, leaving at least a 1" edge around your design that you want to etch. I knew that I wanted to do snowflakes on mine so I measured the candleholder and eyeballed about how big I wanted it. Pulled up the image in Silhouette Studio, sized it, and cut it out on my vinyl.<br />
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<b>Step 2-</b><br />
Once your design is cut, use your weeding hook to pull out the part that you want to etch. Make sure that you get everything you want to see etched on your glass is weeded off of your stencil.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwWAY5FrFAumrnY-NDUOEkG2nXGYDpZRIiJ3YsrQWB-2fIVBf5lbYtU-ndhlPCnRPjWOFMQ5u7SNiNn7huIEQduOKJqP-UClud_bWJc0WHTyHQ68km64hiW8wjXtAYIKC_gtRNjxzkhY/s1600/photo-45.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwWAY5FrFAumrnY-NDUOEkG2nXGYDpZRIiJ3YsrQWB-2fIVBf5lbYtU-ndhlPCnRPjWOFMQ5u7SNiNn7huIEQduOKJqP-UClud_bWJc0WHTyHQ68km64hiW8wjXtAYIKC_gtRNjxzkhY/s320/photo-45.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting to weed out the design.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtIHG7fpmpEln-zI7MsS1qBwLoI42ECQ7CZe-lAr-Mpesw9zlEWYHjwGUoDik54pAYss52M4q8bLxpryXBEvRr2zsi4kj69IuQyTKCMKY6e8sKqiTAs-HD2aHjwRmCclBmyAlbQFhG3s/s1600/photo-46.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtIHG7fpmpEln-zI7MsS1qBwLoI42ECQ7CZe-lAr-Mpesw9zlEWYHjwGUoDik54pAYss52M4q8bLxpryXBEvRr2zsi4kj69IuQyTKCMKY6e8sKqiTAs-HD2aHjwRmCclBmyAlbQFhG3s/s320/photo-46.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weeding complete<br />
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</tbody></table>
<b>Step 3- </b><br />
Lay your transfer tape over the top of your design and squeegee across your stencil to get the vinyl to stick to your tape. Then transfer the design over to the glass. Go SLOWLY. Make sure you line up your stencil before placing it on your glass. Then, squeegee it down REALLY WELL. You don't want any bubbles or lumps on the design part of your stencil. (Around the edge doesn't matter, but you want to make sure that the design part is squashed on there nice and tight so the etching cream doesn't leak out through a non-secure part and blur or smear your design.) I squeegee'd and then went back over with my fingers.<br />
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<b>Step 4-</b><br />
<b> </b>Gently peel back your transfer tape and then re-eyeball your design. I ran my fingers over it again (and held it up to the light to check for bubbles around the design edge) to make sure that it was stuck on there really well where the design was. Make sure the placement and everything is where you want it because once you put the cream on, you're stuck with it. :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjers4coVWDD8X4QNSgm_C6xecqXhtpeDbCJLv_brVwd4bOOg9lDu-3jBY5zOwBvRwH7__zqm_FJ06Yf4JY59R9zTV7nIcawPnHr-aoWsnnusRTO36k2kzSp_SJisoU1NlJ6z5YoXxTqI/s1600/photo-48.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjers4coVWDD8X4QNSgm_C6xecqXhtpeDbCJLv_brVwd4bOOg9lDu-3jBY5zOwBvRwH7__zqm_FJ06Yf4JY59R9zTV7nIcawPnHr-aoWsnnusRTO36k2kzSp_SJisoU1NlJ6z5YoXxTqI/s320/photo-48.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check your stencils</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Step 5-</b><br />
<b> </b>Using your old paintbrush (**DON'T TOUCH THE CREAM WITH YOUR BARE SKIN**), blob the etching cream on there. Be GENEROUS, don't skimp on this part, but be careful where you put it, if you go outside of your stencil, your glass will have a mark.<br />
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<b>Step 6- </b><br />
<b> </b>Wait. :) I waited 30 minutes wiped a part off (use a paper towel, don't wipe with your hand) and held it up. It wasn't as deep as I wanted it to be, so I reapplied to that spot and waited 30 more minutes... then went on to Step 7.<br />
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<b>Step 7-</b><br />
<b> </b>By this point, my kids were wigging out and jumping around like crazy. I completely forgot to scrape the excess cream back into the jar and, instead, I was rushing and didn't realize until I had already started to rinse and the pic was taken. Right now is when you should scrape the excess cream off and put it back into the jar. THEN rinse it off. (I was kicking myself afterwards.)<br />
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If, after you rinse, you are still not happy with how deep the etching is, you can dry it off completely, and then redo Steps 5-7. If you're happy with how it looks, then you can move on to Step 8.<br />
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<b>Step 8-</b><br />
Remove the stencil and take a bow.<br />
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Or take two....<br />
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Once you're finished congratulating yourself, do it again after you decorate. ;)<br />
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Enjoy.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889917399851027738.post-24690385966134755472012-12-10T16:08:00.000-08:002012-12-10T16:08:02.615-08:00Christmas Ornament: Polar Bear in an Ice Cave This weekend consisted of a lot of experimentation with ornaments. I had found this fantastic glitter paint that I wanted to try using to coat the inside of glass ornaments. I thought that maybe it would be even easier than glittering. (Boy, was I WRONG.)<br />
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In the course of my ornament experimentation, I managed to blow up an ornament in my oven, resulting in a massive glitter bomb. I also wasted more ornaments than I care to think about trying different techniques. <br />
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One of those techniques was just coating the outside of the ornament. It was successful, but what's the point if you can't adhere vinyl to it and can find them at any dollar store... minus the mess and hassle?<br />
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While coating the outside of the ornament, I noticed that the paint dripped down in a neat way. So I did one ornament that was completely coated to test the technique, and the other one, I added significantly less. I WANTED the drips. To me, it looked like a cave... an ice cave. Awesome. I immediately knew what I wanted to do.<br />
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And I also did the back.<br />
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When I was thinking about the design of the ornament, I went looking for some cute polar bear artwork, but nothing seemed to fit what I was looking for. So I made my own. :)<br />
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I'm really loving the Designer Edition of Silhouette Studio. Lots of neat tricks!<br />
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I cut out all the vinyl, adhered it to my transparency to make the bear "float" in the middle of the glass ornament, and then added Swarovski crystals to the snowflakes for a little extra pop. Super excited about this one!<br />
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<br />
And a few pictures of my experiments this past weekend.<br />
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The vast majority were fails... but you can't win them all! Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889917399851027738.post-29267705453558667652012-12-09T04:56:00.001-08:002012-12-11T17:16:39.530-08:00DIY Glitter Ornament Tutorial Both of the boys have class Christmas parties coming up and I wanted to do something special for their classes. What better thing to give at the party than some homemade ornaments? Plus, it gave me an excuse to pull out the glitter. Win/win!<br />
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So far, I've finished one class:<br />
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And ALMOST finished another class:<br />
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Here's how you do it....<br />
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<b><u>Supplies</u></b><br />
<b>1.) Ornaments- either glass or plastic clear ornaments with removable cap.</b><br />
<b>2.) Floor polish or Liquid hair spray- Use Pledge with Future Shine (must have Future Shine to make the glitter adhere properly) for glass ornaments or liquid (non-aerosol) hairspray for the plastic ornaments. You can find this at the dollar store.</b><br />
<b>3.) 2 funnels- Not 100% necessary, but definitely helps. I wish both of mine were plastic, but I only had one plastic that I used for the hairspray. I made my other one for the glitter out of a piece of paper and tape.</b><br />
<b>4.) Extra fine glitter- I used "WOW" glitter for Cam's class and Martha Stewart Neon Glitter for Kai's class.</b><br />
<b>5.) Glue to secure the tops when you are done. (E6000 works great)</b><br />
<b>6.) Rubbing alcohol or distilled white vinegar (rubbing alcohol works best) to clean ornaments.</b><br />
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Just those supplies above (also, vinegar and glue) are what you need to glitter ornaments. If you want to add vinyl embellishments, you will also need:<br />
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<b>vinyl</b><br />
<b>transfer tape</b><br />
<b>scissors</b><br />
<b>Silhouette or Cricut cutting machine, or a lot of patience and a crafting knife.</b><br />
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Okay, down to business.<br />
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<b><u>Step 1-</u></b><br />
Pull the cap off your ornament. Clean out the inside of your ornament with rubbing alcohol (just pour in and shake) and let dry completely.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cap off, ready to be cleaned.</td></tr>
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<b><u>Step 2-</u></b><br />
Once <u>completely</u> dry... using your funnel or a steady hand, pour your hairspray (plastic ornaments) or floor polish (glass ornaments) SLOWLY into your ornament. You want to do it slowly to avoid bubbles that might mess up your glitter later. A bubble here or there isn't anything to worry about, but frothy bubbles all over will make your ornament look messy and clumpy. When using floor polish, I found that adding some and "swirling" (NOT SHAKING, that will make tons of bubbles) it gently around the inside of the ornament worked best. For hairspray, I just filled the ornament up to the top and then poured it back into the hairspray bottle using the funnel. You want to make sure to coat the entire inside of the ornament, don't miss any spots or you'll have bare spots where your glitter won't stick.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ornament full of hairspray<br />
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<b><u>Step 3-</u></b><br />
Once your ornament is coated on the inside, pour the excess fluid back into your bottle, being careful not to make bubbles.<br />
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<b><u>Step 4-</u></b><br />
Right after pouring out the excess fluid, quickly add glitter using a funnel, then plug up the hole with your thumb or paper towel and shake... making sure to coat the inside of the ornament evenly.<br />
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Beware, this step may result in severe "Purple Glitter Thumb". ;)<br />
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<b><u>Step 5-</u></b><br />
Prop the ornament up and let it dry completely. I let it sit for about an hour or so.<br />
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<b><u>Step 6- </u></b><br />
Once ornament is completely dry, pull the wires on the cap until the ends click. (Hard to describe so I took a picture.) Don't pull it all the way out, just pull until it's ALMOST out.<br />
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<b><u>Step 7-</u></b><br />
Add a little glue to the inside of the lid and then place it over the top of the ornament, keeping the wires up while you place it and hold it securely.<br />
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<b><u>Step 8-</u></b><br />
Pinch the wire and push it into the ornament slowly. Pinching it will help keep the wire from scraping the sides of the ornament. This way, you're not scraping up all that pretty glitter work you just did. ;)<br />
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That's it! Easy as can be! <br />
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You can choose to leave them as-is, or embellish them with vinyl and/or ribbon. It's completely up to you. Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889917399851027738.post-30655581599012884882012-12-07T04:46:00.000-08:002012-12-07T04:46:04.055-08:00Easy Gridwall Vinyl Organizer Like a lot of my crafting hobbies, my vinyl collection had gotten out of hand. I was resorting to a Rubbermaid tub with the vinyl rolled up in giant rolls inside, but it looked like a Rubbermaid tub wrestling an octopus with all of the vinyl sticking up and fighting it's way out.<br />
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It was time to get it under control.<br />
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First, I looked at vinyl racks. I LOVED them, but at $54 a pop for the small ones that wouldn't even hold a quarter of my vinyl, I had to pass. <br />
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Next, I considered building my own. I thought about a giant thread rack with dowels at an angle. However, I don't have a drill press and with my OCD-like tendencies, I knew that any imperfection would drive me batty and I'd never finish it to my liking.<br />
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Then.... pegboard. This seemed to be my best option. I could always paint it to pretty it up, but I like super-simple, non-busy things. Right next to the pegboard was a gridwall. BINGO!<br />
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Before ordering, I measured my wall. I had a 2' x 5' section that was just perfect for vinyl storage. Luckily, gridwall comes in all kinds of sizes. I knew that I wanted 3 baskets. One to hold supplies, one for scraps, and one for my specialty vinyl. So I ordered 3- 12" x 12" baskets. (They narrow at the bottom, so a 12" x 12" piece will not lay flat in the bottom, but it still works for me.) I also wanted to be able to hang up my tape that I would use to secure the rolls, so I got a 2" peg. For my vinyl color chart and samples, I ordered an 8.5" x 11" acrylic literature holder. Finally, of course the vinyl pegs... I purchased 90- 12" long pegs. <br />
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I always order my vinyl in 12" long sections anyway, so this fit perfectly.<br />
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So the total of my order-<br />
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1- 2' x 5' gridwall<br />
3- 12" x 12" x 4" baskets<br />
6- wall brackets (only used 4 but keeping the others just in case I start getting more "heavy" rolls and need additional support)<br />
90- 12" hooks<br />
1- 8.5" x 11" acrylic literature holder<br />
1- 2" hook (for my tape)<br />
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I found this all at <a href="http://www.kc-store-fixtures.com/" target="_blank">KC Store Fixtures</a>. After shipping and everything, my total was $121.08 shipped. (This included 12 additional tiny mounting brackets that I didn't even use that were $.15/ea., so I didn't list them above because they weren't necessary.)<br />
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It was super-easy to install. I was able to do it on my own with my handheld drill. Make sure you mount it into the wall studs so it's nice and secure.<br />
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After taking this picture, my order for my 12" x 10-yd rolls came in. I was able to put them on the gridwall as well, just double up the hooks to help support the roll.<br />
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I'm really happy with the way it turned out. It makes the vinyl easily accessible without being "in-your-face".Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889917399851027738.post-56134237010039171112012-12-05T05:23:00.001-08:002012-12-05T05:23:35.883-08:00Twinkie Mountain So I'm sure that most people know about the mad rush for Twinkies after the whole Hostess debaucle. Twinkies were selling on eBay for $30 a box! Made me wish for a moment that I'd done the crazy but oh-so-brilliant thing and emptied out the entire bank account to buy Twinkies to sell on eBay. (And idea that would normally only occur to someone who was completely inebriated or seriously delusional.)<br />
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I offhandedly thought of this on and off for a few days until I walked into my Walmart last week and saw this:<br />
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OH GLORIOUS, TWINKIE MOUNTAIN!<br />
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It was beautiful. This towering mass of Twinkie goodness offered hope that maybe America wasn't going to fall apart at the seams. After all, Twinkies are... well... TWINKIES. That's all the explanation that is really needed. They're always there to greet you in the snack food aisle. A memory of your childhood and however you used to eat them. When there was a threat that they'd disappear, there was a feeling of vertigo... a world without Twinkies? Impossible.<br />
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Thank you, Walmart. Twinkie Mountain is a glorious shrine to the American Twinkie pastime. For a few moments, I sat back and marveled. Funny thing was, when I snapped this picture, there was a man over to my left who was doing the same thing. We sat there and admired it for awhile. Two strangers, different generations, brought together by the uniting force of creamy Twinkie goodness.<br />
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The funny thing is, I almost never eat them anymore. I didn't want one at all until they were supposed to be gone. After Twinkie Mountain, though, I grabbed two boxes and brought them home. Gotta let the kids experience Twinkies. After all, nothing is permanent.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889917399851027738.post-53508216889526695562012-11-29T16:28:00.000-08:002012-11-29T16:28:36.089-08:00Ornaments, Tiles, and Mailbox Beautification This week, I decided to try my hand at glittering ornaments for the kids. Do you ever see those plain, empty plastic or glass ornaments at the craft store and wonder about who really buys them? I used to.<br />
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Now, I'm the person buying them... and I wish that I had done it earlier!<br />
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Luckily, you can still find them at Michael's and Hobby Lobby right now for 50% off... so grab your car keys and get moving. <br />
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I'll probably do a quick tutorial on these in the future because they really are fun and even a first-timer can totally blow this one out of the water. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwfRfvPTBvjOZSFh_NuZXk_YHE25icgsQUJ8vor7-IQYzeyvPav3PSsQ1YqMEMnB9McgugbABMNGrLnYDD5n9oe6Q9HIvjCJs85nx_IB8bmi_HL7eykqMIpIcC6qQI5meH3q9NCX0LWtM/s1600/178914_496988833674917_1390336008_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwfRfvPTBvjOZSFh_NuZXk_YHE25icgsQUJ8vor7-IQYzeyvPav3PSsQ1YqMEMnB9McgugbABMNGrLnYDD5n9oe6Q9HIvjCJs85nx_IB8bmi_HL7eykqMIpIcC6qQI5meH3q9NCX0LWtM/s320/178914_496988833674917_1390336008_n.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right after they dried and had the caps put back on.<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When they were finished.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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Long story short, clean the inside of the ornaments with rubbing alcohol (swish and pour back in the bottle), then swirl floor polish (with Future Shine) around the inside. Immediately after pouring the excess floor polish back into the polish bottle, add your extra fine glitter, plug the top of the ornament up with your thumb and shake to coat the inside. Tap excess glitter back into container. Finally, clean the outside of the ornament with rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball and add vinyl embellishments. :)<div>
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SUPER easy, very rewarding.</div>
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Along with the ornaments, I also made a few tiles to give out as "thank you"s to the receptionists and the nurse at my doctor's office. They've been phenomenal whenever I've gone in there, both before and after Liam came. I wanted to show them how much they were appreciated.</div>
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I love that Rudolph file. And glitter vinyl is becoming my favorite thing EVER.</div>
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Also made a thermos for my dad. (No worries, he doesn't read my blog. Crafting is not his thing and I keep him posted about the family through my mom and Facebook.) </div>
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He wanted a Harley for the longest time and finally got one a few years ago. I remembered growing up how he would always talk about owning one. Now he's got one and he loves it. Harley-anything goes over really well. Dad has always been kind of hard to shop for, but this is right up his alley.</div>
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Finally, today I finally decided that I didn't want to look at my horrible mailbox for one second longer. I picked up some black glossy spray paint and got to work.</div>
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My mailbox went from this:</div>
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A sad, raggedy and generally ugly mailbox.</div>
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To this:</div>
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*cue angels singing*</div>
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I was so happy with how it turned out. Honestly, just a little bit of paint and some sprucing up will really make something old, new again. </div>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889917399851027738.post-56161098971772419302012-11-24T07:00:00.002-08:002012-11-24T07:00:41.672-08:00Santa and Rudolph Canvases I made my first canvases this week! <br />
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There's a blank wall in my entryway that I thought would look good with a little Christmas art. When I saw the Santa file on my Silhouette group, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I went to Michael's and picked up some canvases (value bundle pack) to decorate, prepped them with some white acrylic paint, and then vinyled them. Of course, Santa couldn't be alone, he had to have his buddy, Rudolph, with him.<br />
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So happy with how they both turned out! I may be slightly hooked on this "canvas" thing now. :)<br />
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The Santa artwork is originally from Pottery Barn and someone in the group was kind enough to share the file with us. Rudolph, I created after seeing a beautiful wall hanging in the "Land of Nod" catalog.<br />
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I had a few requests for a tutorial on how I made Rudolph, so I learned how to use iMovie... with the help of my 9 year-old son. Guess I have finally crossed the threshold into "old fart" territory.<br />
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Here's how I made Rudolph:
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8xqeW7GhZvw" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Hope this helps give you all some tips and tricks! Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889917399851027738.post-26183534731624483422012-11-20T11:07:00.001-08:002012-11-20T11:08:20.619-08:00William's Sonoma Knockoff- Christmas Glasses I LOVE, absolutely LOVE Williams Sonoma. However, I rarely shop there because of the price. Their stuff is fantastic and absolutely beautiful, but I just can't bring myself to shell out that kind of money when I still have kids in the house who would take those beautiful things and trash them completely within minutes. :) <br />
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Flipping through their most recent catalog, however, I saw a set of glasses that I loved. They had beautiful pine trees etched into the side and just screamed "Christmas". Price for a set of 4? Hold on to your socks... $69.95. WOW.<br />
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I had a quick thought, though. Those pretty glasses didn't look so hard to make. I had all the stuff to recreate it. Just had to do it.<br />
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In the end, I'm thrilled with how they turned out. The glass on the left is from Williams Sonoma and a set of four sell for $69.95. The one on the right is my recreation, and a set of four cost me a measly $4. SCORE!<br />
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To recreate them. I used 4 glasses that I picked up at the dollar store for $1 each. I also had a free sample of Series 351 Metallized vinyl in silver from Oracal that I had received from their website. (Sign up for an account and you can get 5 samples per month. Great way to try out new vinyl. I'm now dying to get more of this stuff.)<br />
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To get the artwork, I uploaded the .jpg image of the Williams Sonoma glasses into the Silhouette software and used the trace feature to select and trace the trees. I don't have a specific formula or set of rules for this, I just mess with it until it "feels" right. Once I had a good trace, I deleted all of the super tiny dots that wouldn't be easy to vinyl on, enlarged the middle tree, and played with the sizing and placement of the other trees until I was satisfied. I then replicated it to have four... one for each glass.<br />
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After that, it was just a matter of sending it to the Silhouette to cut. I used a blade setting of 2 and lowered the speed by one (down to 8, I believe... whatever is one less than the normal vinyl setting) because the cut is very detailed. <br />
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When the Silhouette was finished cutting, I weeded out the part of the vinyl that I didn't want to adhere to the glass. Applied transfer tape, and then transferred it to the glass. Peeled back the tape... and had my new Christmas-y set of glasses!<br />
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Sometimes it pays to be cheap. ;)<br />
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889917399851027738.post-56238858475046291702012-11-18T19:01:00.001-08:002012-11-18T19:08:27.908-08:00T-shirt FAIL... plus "More Cowbell".With Christmas coming up, I wanted to go ahead and knock out some of Travis' Christmas gifts. Since it takes awhile to ship to an APO address, I figured that I'd better get my butt in gear and knock something out. <br />
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I've had a few t-shirt ideas for awhile, so with those in mind, I went to the store and picked up some shirts to bring it to fruition. <br />
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The first shirt paid homage to one of the best films ever... "The Big Lebowski".<br />
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I considered making one that said, "You want a toe? I'll get you a toe." With a line drawing of a toe. However, I discovered that doing a Google image search for "toe" is a painful process that brings up some pretty disgusting and funkified toe anomalies. PLUS, after about 30 seconds of looking through toe pictures, I felt like a complete weirdo and decided to drop it. Therefore, "The Dude Abides". <br />
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My second t-shirt was a tribute to The Lonely Island's "I Threw it on the Ground". (A funny, yet pointless song that makes me laugh.)<br />
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I was so proud of using my new heat press and making some shirts that I knew he would actually wear and appreciate. I packed them up and shipped them the next day.<br />
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UNFORTUNATELY, I guess that size "Adult XL" at Joann's is actually a Young Adult size for teenagers. Yup, the shirts were tighter than what you would see in a Britney Spears video.<br />
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So, of course, I begged for pics to post. If I'm going to flop, at least let me get a giggle out of it.<br />
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I think it was more out of pity for me that he did it. He knew how upset I was about the shirts not fitting, but I did laugh hysterically when I saw this and told him that he could always try out for The Village People if the Army didn't work out. ;)<br />
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After the shirt fail, I felt the need to redeem myself. I had gotten the idea from my Silhouette forum and found the artwork to recreate it.<br />
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"I got a fever... and the only prescription... is more cowbell." <br />
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What he's going to do with a giant cowbell that has Christopher Walken plastered on it, I honestly don't know. But it was fun to make.<br />
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Finally, Cameron ran up to me this past week with his homework folder and asked me to embellish it. When I asked him what he wanted, he said that he wanted the Notre Dame logo. (BTW, Notre Dame is doing fantastic this season. Go Irish!) <br />
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Wishing everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving! This is the first year that I have to make the turkey. I'm hoping that I don't accidentally poison everyone. :)Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889917399851027738.post-38092801809255950652012-11-13T04:51:00.001-08:002012-11-13T05:05:57.721-08:00Give Thanks!<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Everyone ready for Thanksgiving? I'm not. I don't even have a turkey yet! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I did, however, think of something that would be fun for Cameron's class to do as a project. I thought it would be fun for all of the kids to have Thanksgiving cards that they could each write something about their teacher that they are thankful for. In turn, their teacher would have cards to write something she is thankful for about each student.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Spread the holiday love. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> While looking in the Silhouette online store, I saw an adorable turkey cut design. However, I didn't want to have to cut and assemble multiple layers for more than 25 individual cards, so I worked with it in the Silhouette software to make it a print and cut.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Here's how the kids-to-teacher cards turned out:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Aren't they sweet?!</span><br />
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To make the turkey file a print and cut, c<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">lick on each part of the turkey and fill it with the color you want, starting with the biggest part of the tail feathers and working your way forward through the layers. Also, make all of the lines transparent. (Just select the turkey part, then "line" and "transparent".) Do the fill and line transparency for each of the turkey parts until it's totally colored in. Once it is, "Group" the image and then start from the beginning of the <a href="http://underacherrytree.blogspot.com/2012/10/beginners-tutorial-how-to-print-and-cut.html" target="_blank">"Under a Cherry Tree" tutorial</a>. The image will act like a print and cut image while it's grouped and you can personalize it from there.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;"> After making the turkey cards, I designed my own file for the teacher cards using Silhouette Designer Edition software. I love the fill background selections they have! It was a lot of fun to play with the new software and start to learn the ins and outs.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Teacher cards (left) and student cards (right).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;"> When I finishe</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">d with the cards, my younger son saw them and begged me to do them for his classroom as well. We decided to make his different from his brother's and used Lettering Delig</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">hts' Kanshasai file to do the same project for his class.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;"> Definitely enjoying the new software!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;"> Hope you all have a very happy Thanksgiving!</span></span>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889917399851027738.post-6855712756940777182012-11-07T16:19:00.001-08:002012-11-07T16:19:50.350-08:00Vinyl-Embellished Bento Lunch Boxes I love bento boxes! I've had some in my Amazon wishlist for a really long time, but just recently, I was lucky enough to come across some of these great bento boxes at Tuesday Morning. While the colors were bright, they were missing some pizazz... so I asked the kids what they wanted.<br />
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Kai, of course, chose Batman; and Cameron chose Pokemon. I'll admit that the Batman one was much, MUCH easier to accomplish. The Batman logo was in the Silhouette store and after I downloaded a free Batman font from dafont.com, all I had to do was add Kai's name, cut and vinyl.<br />
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With Cameron's, well... it was just a nightmare from the get-go. I couldn't find any Pokemon files that I wanted and he was very specific about wanting Zekerom on his lunchbox. I was able to find a pretty clear image of the dragon/bumble bee guy, trace it, and then start cutting and layering the vinyl. It took a total of 5 colors to complete him. A base layer of black, then light gray and dark gray for the body, blue tip on the horn, and a teeny tiny red eye.<br />
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For the Pokemon logo, I was able to trace and cut with no problem. Cameron's name, however, took a bit more work. I won't go too into detail, but I noticed that the Pokemon font didn't have the vowels overlapping and cutting into the other letters like the logo did. With my crafting OCD, this was unacceptable and I spent a good hour to an hour and a half playing in the Silhouette software to cut chunks out of the letters surrounding the vowels and crowding the letters to look more "authentic". Finally, I was able to put everything on there and proudly show my project to the children.<br />
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The kids, of course, nodded and said, "Nice, Mom. Thanks." Hmm.. not exactly the whooping and screaming reception I was hoping for, but I was happy with how they turned out anyway.<br />
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889917399851027738.post-16442530020543705612012-11-02T10:51:00.000-07:002012-11-02T10:51:13.423-07:00Halloween Pics and Angry Bird Cups <br />
I hope that everyone had a happy and safe Halloween! We had another fun year and it was Liam's first Halloween, so he was able to continue our family tradition of wearing the infant lobster costume.<br />
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Usually the lobster costume brings on the baby screams, but Liam had shots that day, so I think he was just happy to stay warm and wrapped up. Poor little guy never made a single discontented peep.<br />
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This year, aside from Liam the Lobster, we had Cameron as Lord Voldemort, Kai was vampire Spiderman, and Scarlett was... of course... a princess.<br />
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And here is Kai in all of his decked out "vampire Spiderman" glory. Yes, we actually trick-or-treated this way, which brought on a lot of weird looks and people cracking up.<br />
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That's my boy!<br />
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While the boys were at school, I used my Silhouette to make the Angry Bird cups that I've been wanting to make for the kids. Unfortunately, I didn't have the right color orange for the yellow bird, so I had to wait on that, but here's how they turned out.<br />
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All of the files, with the exception of the black Angry Bird, were shared files that were shared on the Silhouette group that I'm a part of. The black Angry Bird was my first attempt at creating my own layered vinyl file and I'm super happy with how it turned out. The kids were thrilled with their cups. We're big "Angry Birds" fans here. :)Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889917399851027738.post-57984162184517982972012-10-29T10:23:00.001-07:002012-10-29T10:23:51.693-07:00Bat Snacks It was Kai's snack day today. With it being so close to Halloween, I decided to embrace the Halloween spirit and make... BAT SNACKS!<br />
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I made 17 bat snack boxes with googly eyes.<br />
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Had Kai help me mix together some animal crackers and bag them.<br />
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Then we stuffed them...<br />
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And the kids went to bed. After they'd left for school in the morning, I decided to take the whole "bat" theme and just go with it. I ripped the labels off the water bottles, designed some of my own (the goofy-eyed bats were a "cut" file from the Silhouette store that I filled the color in with in the design software and removed the "cut" feature)... and transformed them into bat juice.<br />
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I dropped it off at his school for today's snack, and I'm waiting for him to come home to hear the verdict. Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889917399851027738.post-25769183048164198632012-10-28T11:34:00.000-07:002012-10-28T11:48:03.725-07:00Vinyl and the Giant Pot I've had an idea for awhile now about some onesies that I wanted to start carrying in the shop, so over the past few weeks, I was able to start ordering the supplies to start getting the project underway. Heat transfer vinyl came in first, and while looking through a Silhouette group, I discovered permanent vinyl as well... which led to an order of a variety pack of that... as well as a heat press to top the whole thing off. <br />
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Thank goodness I have an understanding husband. My crafting addiction not only makes me pick up new hobbies left and right, but to dive in headfirst. I do not know the meaning of dipping my toes in the water.<br />
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So anyway, my heat press came in last week! I was so excited (and, frankly, a little intimidated) to get started. Usually, it takes me awhile to let the idea of using new equipment, but with this, I just went for it. So glad I did. <br />
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I started off by using the Silhouette to cut some heat transfer material, then booted up the heat press and knocked out some onesies with the artwork I had chosen. <br />
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The kiwi bird shirt, I kept for Liam and used it as a tester.<br />
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That poor shirt endured more wash and abuse in the past few days than you would believe. However, I wanted to test the limit of the heat transfer material and I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with the durability! <br />
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After trying out the heat transfer material, I wanted to give the permanent vinyl a shot. My first project was a travel mug for Cam's swim coach. Cam's coach has been a phenomenal teacher and really made a difference in his self-esteem. He went from not being able to swim at all, to being ready to go on the swim team! Unfortunately, his teacher is leaving soon, so we wanted to show our appreciation with a gift he could remember Cam by.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front of travel mug (with white paper so you can see the design better).<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbH1Uo28P4Gmj3kSVcnKp2m7soDodVvxW80vuwU5TxUE9q3hxXFlrxkA42VXXr4DV9PkUJMQaiYwiAhuoBAQp_gK6dMi8gDsIsT2R1qgvwuKntz9-IghBAQovmbol-HiX5FB_21-e-OM/s1600/643901_483511838355950_1166558649_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbH1Uo28P4Gmj3kSVcnKp2m7soDodVvxW80vuwU5TxUE9q3hxXFlrxkA42VXXr4DV9PkUJMQaiYwiAhuoBAQp_gK6dMi8gDsIsT2R1qgvwuKntz9-IghBAQovmbol-HiX5FB_21-e-OM/s320/643901_483511838355950_1166558649_n.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back of mug.<br /><br /></td></tr>
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He seemed really happy when Cam gave it to him, so I'm happy that it was well-received! Cam took his swim test and passed with flying colors. So proud of him!<br />
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After using and abusing the kiwi bird shirt, I felt ready to knock out the onesies for the shop.<br />
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Please excuse the horrible lighting, it was 11 o'clock at night and I was wiped out. They look a LOT better when you can actually see them....<br />
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...and even better when being worn. ;)<br />
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I fell in love with the brown sugar glider onesie and decided to keep it for Liam. I think he liked it too... at least he didn't scream like he did with the Dr. Seuss hat. <br />
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To finish up the week, I took the kids to the new TJMaxx store that just opened up. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot there, but we did discover the biggest pot I have ever seen in my life. <br />
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As any good mom would do, I stuck my kids inside, pretended to make "children soup" and snapped some pictures. <br />
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Of course, Cam was too "cool" to get into the pot; however, the little guys had a BLAST!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889917399851027738.post-72914693449496045682012-10-22T16:20:00.000-07:002012-10-22T16:20:59.235-07:00Random Projects Liam is growing so fast! The kids all adore him, and the cats are really starting to love hanging out with him as well.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Booger "kissing" Liam.<br />
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He's even starting to smile!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liam's gummy grin.</td></tr>
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With four kids and almost zero free time when they're awake, I've made nap time my crafting sanity saver. I created my own hat pattern that makes double-layered hats with hidden seams and worked it until my crafting-OCD tendencies were completely satisfied. So I made some hats to add to the shop:<br />
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And then I made some more:<br />
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And then I made a million more. :) All-in-all, I came up with a nice selection for the shop.<br />
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In between hat-making and various other craft projects, I've been trying to figure out creative ways to use up all of the eggs that our ladies are now laying. With five chickens, we're averaging 4-5 eggs a day. That means a LOT of scrambled eggs, hard-boiled eggs omelets, quiche, egg soufflés and whatever else I can think of.<br />
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I really wanted to start carrying a variety of onesies in my shop as well, since my favorite, absolute FAVORITE, thing in the world to make is baby stuff. If I hear that someone is having a baby, it's ON.<br />
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So I placed an order for onesies, and I plan to add them to the shop after they've received the Spicy Pinecone treatment. ;)<br />
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I also have a friend that is an absolutely fantastic artist. I asked him if I could use his artwork for my kids (just my own personal use) so I could use it to make them some t-shirts. He was totally cool with it and gave me the go-ahead, so I took an afternoon, my Silhouette and some printable heat transfer paper and went to town.<br />
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Optimus Prime, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Wall-E. Each kid got 3 tees and all of the older kids (unfortunately, while Liam will look fantastic, he does not appreciate fine t-shirt art as of yet) just completely lost their minds when they saw them. Scarlett immediately had to put on her TMNT shirt and get her picture taken.<br />
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Finally, just today, I went to Cam's school because they were having a Locks of Love donation today. I didn't know that we'd be getting our hair chopped off in front of hundreds of students and almost the entire school faculty! I was a little surprised, but the kids got a huge kick out of seeing all the hair getting lopped off. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the event because I was juggling a baby and a toddler and my son was in the crowd, but trust me when I say that it was horribly crowded, bright, and HOT outside. <br />
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I did, however, get a picture of Scarlett holding up a bag of my hair afterwards, once we were allowed to come inside.<br />
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And a nice crossing guard was kind enough to snap another picture of me after the donation, while a hairstylist cleaned up my new 'do.<br />
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At this point, Liam was NOT happy in his carseat and insisted on being held throughout the haircut. I swear, I think that every woman at the event passed by and tickled his toes. He adored it. Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889917399851027738.post-77841432048074683182012-10-02T04:57:00.003-07:002012-10-02T04:58:33.237-07:00Playing Catch Up It's been a crazy few weeks! Between dealing with a newborn, trying to keep the house from looking like it was hit by a tornado, and getting everyone off to school and set in a routine... we've been busy!<br />
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Anyway, here's a look at what we've been up to around here.<br />
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First, the kids had to start the school year. The first day is always the most exciting!<br />
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It was Kai's first year of school and he was over the moon about riding the bus. We love our bus driver to pieces. That man is great! Always in a good mood and ready with a wave and a smile. The boys adore him.<br />
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Also, our chickens are laying eggs like you wouldn't believe. I expected a few eggs here and there, but we're getting 5 a day! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scarlett's chicken, "Ballerina".<br />
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The chickens do have kind of a prankster side to them. They love to escape from their chicken enclosure and walk up to the back door to tease our cat, Rango. I swear sometimes that chickens really can and DO laugh.<br />
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With all these eggs, we have to find creative ways to use them. Omelets for dinner, hard-boiled eggs for snack and packed in lunches, and an egg-souffle' creation that actually turned out quite yummy!<br />
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Between all the running around, there is still time for us to goof around. This mustache is still something that we love to run around with. Who would have thought you could get so much enjoyment from a little piece of felt? I recommend felt mustaches and glue dots to everyone. :)<br />
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Luckily, I've been able to catch a few spare moments here and there to keep up my crafty addiction. First, I wanted to whip up a Dr. Seuss hat for Liam. The first fitting didn't go so well.<br />
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Liam kept moving and it slid down over his eyes. Being the great mother I am, I had to snap a photo before quickly removing his unintended blindfold. ;)<br />
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When I finally finished, I was so proud and excited to finally get some of those adorable baby shots I've always admired online. I had visions of sweet, sleeping Liam with an adorable Dr. Seuss hat. Instead, I put it on and he hated, HATED this hat.<br />
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Once he calmed down, he then wouldn't stop trying to eat the pom-pom.<br />
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You wouldn't believe the amount of "outtake" photos that I have with this hat. I tried everything. Finally, I was able to snap a quick shot of him being peaceful and calm. Success!<br />
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We haven't touched the hat since.<br />
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I have gotten some sewing done. A few of my friends are having babies and I wanted to make them presents as a surprise. Everyone loves non-bill related mail!<br />
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So I made some hats for my friend having twins.<br />
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And a blanket for my friend having a little girl.<br />
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Then, I got all hopped up on a sewing high and whipped up swaddles and burp cloths to put into the Etsy shop. I adore bright colors and beautiful patterns.<br />
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So that's what we've been up to. I'm back into a routine and should be posting with more regularity now. Hope everyone else is doing well too!<br />
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889917399851027738.post-27146947246168525502012-08-18T13:46:00.000-07:002012-08-18T13:46:51.995-07:00New Helper at Spicy Pinecone I suppose that my idea of nesting manifesting itself in the form of craftiness was pretty spot-on. The crazy crafting week I blogged about in my last post led up to me going into labor that night. Thank goodness that I had finished up the big brother/sister shirts a few hours before. Otherwise, they may not have ever gotten done.<br />
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Anyway, on August 7, 2012, Spicy Pinecone got a new helper. Meet Liam. <br />
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And all of the Spicy Pinecone munchkins together (modeling those snazzy shirts that were finished in the nick of time). :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VG_uKUH77FtCw658i1vZqIVNAzFtkGlLt5DgO2fpRRP8WE41Gve0g2CK7vLUwbH49PwhUQ35fm6jKe6FksJLLEtjPabHmpuTDV3bEHVy3CAwzNTVMIqhsqcUP2KOzP8helejEa6FM-U/s1600/helpers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VG_uKUH77FtCw658i1vZqIVNAzFtkGlLt5DgO2fpRRP8WE41Gve0g2CK7vLUwbH49PwhUQ35fm6jKe6FksJLLEtjPabHmpuTDV3bEHVy3CAwzNTVMIqhsqcUP2KOzP8helejEa6FM-U/s320/helpers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And last but not least, the newest addition taking a nap in one of the cotton gauze swaddling blankets I made for him. Crafty nesting rocks. I think Liam agrees.<br />
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Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09514286339658793937noreply@blogger.com4