Some freebies I found...

From The Silhouette Online Store, The Noel Banner

Merry Christmas

Peppermint

I am not sure how long these will be free, so grab them while you can.

PSST! This is not a freebie but it is a great price. Amazon has the Silhouette Replacement blades at half price! This is an awesome deal and you may want to pick up a few soon!

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive a small commission if you buy through my links at no additional cost to you. 

Another free gift tag

I have another free gift tag for you. I wasn't quite happy with the striped one from yesterday so I modified it slightly.

If you would like to try this second tag (also designed to be cut out with a 1 3/4" punch), you can download it here for the next week. 

Of course, the ones I used were personalized, but the assembly process is the same. After punching out the circles, I punched a small hole in the upper area for the thread and used about 6" of Red Heart Gold crochet thread to finish off the tag. 

Homemade Vanilla.. (and free labels)

If you have never tried homemade vanilla extract, you don't know what you are missing. If well-made (more on that later) it is fabulously better than any store bought (especially the imitation of course!) I made vanilla extract last year for the first time and perfected my technique. I made about 32 oz. this year for gift-giving to my co-workers and friends.

The most important things to know about making vanilla is the concentration (ratio of beans to alcohol) and the time needed for extraction. I used the information from here for the recipe.  It is important to remember that it cannot be called "extract" (by FDA designation) unless there is at least 0.8 oz of vanilla per cup of alcohol (you must use alcohol in order to extract the favor from the bean. But remember that the alcohol bakes off leaving just the flavor behind). I used 1 ounce of beans per cup of vodka, which is slightly more than the required amount.  I aged it for more than 6 months to extract all the vanilla flavor before decanting into bottles.

The very best instructions and information for making vanilla is found on the Vanilla Review blog, so be sure to check it out. I purchased my vanilla beans from Vanilla Products off ebay, just be sure to get Grade B (extract) beans. I tried Grade A, and they did not extract as well. The beans were soft, supple, with a wonderful fragrance, and easy to cut.

You might recognize these bottles, I ...ahem... "recycled" them from Cracker Barrel (they originally had syrup in them). Ask nicely and leave your waitress a generous tip! I ran them through the dishwasher, removed the labels (Goo Gone is your friend here) and then ran them through the dishwasher again.

I also purchased these 2 oz. Boston Round bottles from Amazon but had to use the CB bottles when I ran out of the purchased ones. They are slightly bigger than the CB bottle (2 oz instead of 1.5 oz), and need no prep before use (although I did run them through the dishwasher as well).
On to the labels. I designed these in Make-The-Cut and designed a non-personalized version for you as well. Even if you do not own a cutting machine, MTC is the easiest and most intuitive program for this kind of designing. Way, way easier than Adobe Illustrator. I cannot recommend it any higher. I am an affiliate so check out my link (see sidebar) if you want to try it. You can download it and try it for free to see how it works (It is fully functional other than it cuts a diagonal line though the cuts until your purchase it. You also cannot save to the different formats).

Here's a screen shot of the labels I designed for you. In case you don't have a cuttting machine, they are designed to be used with the Fiskars X-large Oval Punch.

In order to protect the label from dripping vanilla, I covered it with a glossy clear covering (The Duck brand that I found was clear and glossy. Clear Contact paper is matte and frosted, it will work but is not as professional looking).  The covering made them a bit thicker but I was able to punch them out without too much pressure.   I used my ATG gun to attach these to the bottles but any permanent adhesive will work.

You can see the clear covering in this photo. And you can download the non-personalized labels here for the next few days.

I also designed (in MTC again) a round gift tag. I have a non-personalized version for your use as well if you would like to download it (free until the end of the year)!  I drew in the holly and berries on mine but added a printed one for you. I found the holly image (free) here. I traced it in MTC to get solid colors.

Punch holes for the cord (I used a Fiskars hand punch that makes two holes but I can't find a link to it), attach with elastic cord...

or baker's twine (which is easier than the elastic cord).

Place in plastic bags (I used these and they fit perfectly) and tie with a festive yarn.        

  And you are all ready for gifting! 

(Although I have provided affiliate links for the supplies, I actually purchased most of my supplies locally at WalMart, Michaels or JoAnns. I did not receive any free supplies. Links are provided for those who cannot find them locally.)

Crafting with kids...Floating Christmas ornaments

Ever wonder what to do with those clear glass ornaments you see at the craft store around Christmas? Why not make a dated photo ornament to bring back memories of Christmas past every year! These make great crafts for school age kids around Christmas time.  (Thank you, Sarah, for allowing me to highlight your little cutie in this post.)

What you need:

- plastic or glass ornaments, 2 5/8" *
- clear acetate or a transparency with the design printed on it *
- your photos printed out *
- 1 3/4" punch (I used the EK Success punch)
- red sticky tape or other clear adhesive
- scissors
- glue dots (I used medium but mini would be better. These were used to attach the bow to the glass)
- various ribbons for hanger, bows, embellishment
- clear bag for packaging
- tweezers are very useful
                                            * more info below

The Down-and-Dirty (just the instructions, ma'am):
1. Cut out the design from the transparency, cutting slightly within the black line.
2. Punch out your photo and adhere to the back of the transparency with clear adhesive. There will be a thin line of red beyond the photo to frame it. Adhering the photo to the back of the design makes the ornament two-sided, one side will be the picture; the other, the year. The white from the back of the photo helps to highlight the design in red.
3. Remove the top from the glass ornament. Roll up the transparency - carefully - and place it into the glass ornament. Rolling the transparency with the photo on the outside seems to work better. You may need to use the tweezers or a thin instrument (we used the handle of a plastic spoon) to arrange the insert correctly. Replace the top when you are happy with the appearance.
4. Embellish as desired. I used a bow on the front, and a thin gold ribbon as a hanger. Place into a plastic bag (this decreases the chance of breakage) and tie another ribbon around it. Ta-da, you're done!

*The Nitty Gritty, or all the other info that you may need to know (or maybe not?):

- glass ornaments.  I got these at Hobby Lobby for 50% off, so $4 for 12.  Or get these these: clear glass ornaments. If you can find plastic ornaments, this is even better. Micheal's usually has them early in the season for .99 each (often marked 50% off). I had a few but did not buy enough so I had to get the glass ones instead. We did break one (out of 20, not bad!)

- transparency with the design. I will be providing a link to my design at the end of the post. Or you can design your own.
   I designed this one in Make-The-Cut and exported it to a jpg file. I checked on the prices at Staples, and they charge 1.99 for a color transparency or .99 for a black one. You may want to check prices at other office and print centers as there may be a better price elsewhere. I was fortunate in that my school had a laser copier that we used to print out both the transparencies and the photos. Color photo copies at Staples are .49 if you need that as well. They can print from either a copy or from a flash drive.

You can see in this photo (above) that I intentionally made the outer red ring slightly larger than the 1.75" photo so there would be a red border. The clear allowance beyond that allows for imperfect cutting (the kids did their own cutting, even the 5 y.o.) and makes the photos appear to float in the ornament.
     No access to a color laser copier? No problem! You can use any clear acetate and attach the photo directly to it. See the clear acetate window on the box of ornaments? Yuppers, that works too, if you are just attaching a photo. Just don't try to run it through the copier!

I bought these bows at the Dollar Tree last year. We attached them to the ornament with a glue dot.

I also made some bows from red grosgrain ribbon for some of the ornaments.

I used PhotoShop Elements to print out the photos and was able to get 20 per page. But printing out wallet size photos (2" x 3") will also work. Many printers have a setting to allow you to do this, I know that Canon has a printing utility that will allow you to do this.
     And here is what you've been waiting for, the link to the jpg file for the transparency sheet. Enjoy! I would love to see your projects if you make them!

This post may contain affiliate links but all items were purchased by me and all opinions are mine alone!

Paperclip bows (and free MTC file)

Don't ya just love that bright, colorful, idea-filled catalog that Stampin' Up puts out? I just revel in the card ideas, projects, and the papers.

Take a look at the top of page 152 of the latest catalog and check out the cute paperclips! I just had to give these a try and went on a search in YouTube. Sure enough there are six different videos that show how to make these. So I watched a few, took down measurements, and designed a MTC file for the paper bow. 

These were not difficult to assemble (see the videos for instructions) but I didn't like the squared off top near the paperclip. I tried angling the corners but still was not satisfied. (And just because you can  in MTC) I redesigned the file for a pattern with a true bow curve. I love working in MTC, so intuitive and easy!

The dimensions are the same as the original, and you can get 16 or 17 bows on one piece of 8.5 x 11 paper. I cut these on the Silhouette Cameo using MTC. 

Isn't it the cutest? I added a little bling in the middle and -voila!- the cutest bookmark ever. These were printed on both sides of Epson Premium Presentation Paper (matte, 44 lb) from the MDS download of the Quatrefancy paper (available through SU's website), assembled with tacky glue, and attached to the paperclip with a medium glue dot. Be sure to use the jumbo paperclips for these.

 My design is a bit more sturdy (and I think cuter) than the original. They look smooth and svelte rather than chunky and boxy IMHO. 

For those who don't like to design, I have a free MTC file for you here (free for the next week). expired   Enjoy, and please, if you make some I would love to link to your photos of them!

I have also had requests for svg files of some of my products. I have started an Etsy shop and this file is available as a svg there for just .99.  And as a bonus, the first 20 buyers (be sure to use this link) get a 50% discount, just .50!

Back to School sale...and freebie at LD

Be sure to get the Friday freebie at Lettering Delights this week.

And check out the new Dear Diary set, super cute for starting a new School year Smash book!

Don't forget this freebie if you make a purchase....

 And you can fill up your basket with so much more cuz things are on sale for just a dollar.

Thrifty crafting with Crystal Light containers

I am always looking for crafts ideas for the lower Learning Center students at our church school (grades 3 and lower). A friend of mine has a quantity of empty Crystal Light containers that she offered to me. Honestly it is such a nice little plastic container, just begging to be used in some way. I did a Pinterest search and saw a few ideas but the one I am using in the post is redecorating the container for use as a pen/marker/pencil case. Unsharpened pencils are a little too tall to use with the lid, but pens and markers fit well right off.

To make it as easy as possible for the younger kids, I decided to allow them to decorate it with colorful stickers. I used colored contact paper and cut lots of circles as well as the word "Pencils" for them to attach. I used MTC and my Silhouette Cameo for this project. I suppose you could also try using a punch if you do not have an electronic cutter. Or maybe those labels you can buy for pricing garage sale items?

I choose a thick bold font, Postino Std, and cut these at 0.5". This font was installed on my computer and I did not realize that it was so expensive! Another good choice would be SNF Universal from Lettering Delights. Or any bold font that you have installed on your computer. I did try using a "ball and stick" font like LD Delightful but I am afraid the kids will have too much trouble getting them on the container. It would fine for older kids though.

The circles are just under 1/2 inch but any size you like would be fine. I used about 25 stickers on the pictured container. I purchased my Con-Tact brand paper at a local Education store but it looks like they carry the same brand (by Kittrich) at Amazon if you cannot find it locally. There was some discussion on Amazon about the color not being red, but mine is very red.  It seems to be the same color as the one linked above at Amazon (see the item number above, almost exactly the same). I placed it up against a Staples bag so you can get an idea of the shade of red. This is a thinner vinyl but it is not transparent and sticks well. It is listed as repositionable which is great for the kids in case they want to rearrange initially.

The circles are easy to place but I did make use of a straight pin to help with placement, especially the letters. Just slide the pin under the vinyl and pull the letter off the backing sheet and place where desired.

Slide the pin out, smooth down the vinyl and you are good to go!  (sorry about the glare it's hard to take a picture with your non-dominant hand!)  You could also use transfer tape, but I wanted this to be easy for the smaller kids; they usually make a mess of the transfer tape. Also the pin keeps the oils from their fingers off the adhesive of the letters so they are more likely to stay stuck. That's more important with little pieces of vinyl.

Pencils will fit if you don't use the lid. Markers fit well, just put a lid on the top for storage.

There's room for all ten markers with a little space left over.

I did make some labels with stenciled (cut-out) letters but I made them way too small! I don't think I'll even offer these to the kids. Well, maybe for the lid but not the container itself.

(trying out my new "walk-around" lens that I got at Amazon with the photo above. It has macro, a feature that I was missing with my other two lenses and a great zoom area, 18-250. Not super fast but so far, I am liking it. Colors are true, focus seems sharp. Not a lot of bokeh but that was not what I was looking for in this lens. I think it's a winner for blogging! Love that macro ability.)

I used scotch tape to get the small pieces of the stenciled letters out. 

Christmas in July sale at Lettering Delights...products $1-$2....and freebies!

And there are some freebies as well!

Images are linked. 

Disclaimer: I am a Lettering Delights affiliate so any proceeds support maintaining this blog.

A few good deals at Amazon on Silhouette supplies....

It's always nice to find a sale. Here are some great prices on Silhouette products at Amazon.

Silhouette Replacement Blade just $8.50 (and free shipping on orders over $25)

Silhouette Fabric Blade just $8.98 (and free shipping on orders over $25).

And it is really odd because I could not find this product when doing a search for "Silhouette fabric blade" in Amazon, so you will need this link to find it. These are both exceptional deals. A few other items are on sale as well, although the items may not be as reduced as much.

Silhouette Cameo Replacement Cutting Mat for $11.51 (and free shipping on orders over $25).

Silhouette Cameo 12-Inch By 24-Inch Cutting Mat for $15.95 (and free shipping on orders over $25).

If you do purchase the Cameo itself, be sure to use the link below - it includes a starter kit for the same price as just the machine. 

Silhouette Cameo Starter Kit Bundle Cutter $269.99 (free shipping).

Please be aware that I am affiliated with Amazon, so use of these links help support this blog.