I have not posted to this blog in forever. I am still involved in crafting but with graduate school and then a new career as a Family Nurse Practitioner I have not had the time nor energy to devote to the blog.  If you want a career to take over your life you may want to go into medicine.  Not nursing, I was never this consumed by my career until I started as a FNP.  14 hour days and still working on my day off to finish charts

I am currently helping out in the children's Sunday School at my church and produce a craft almost weekly for the students.  In the last few weeks we have been studying creation, including animals.  Each child choose a favorite animal and I cut them out from HTV on my Silhouette and a helper helped them to transfer it to the small tote bag.  I used the 2/1.25 tote bags from the Dollar Tree.  Of course I still had to do all the weeding and prep. 

Here's a quick peek at my design board for the animal transfers. 

I did not get a pic of the finished totes or the kids but here is one of my mistakes (I accidently got the heat press on the tote not covered by the parchment paper) to give you an idea how they turned out.

I use HTVRont vinyl and I really like it.  It is usually less than $1 for a square foot (even less in larger amounts) and weeds well.  

Here is my first/trial bag.  I used HTV vinyl from Dollar Tree (did you know they had HTV Vinyl?).  The vinyl is very thick but also pretty easy to weed. 

There are 3 colors, neon yellow, green and pink.  At least that is all I could find.  the price is more than HTVRont vinyl but - get this - it is thick and does not stretch much.  It is stable enough so that I was able to take the shadow parts and do an image on the reverse. BONUS!

This was not intentional but I nice little bonus.  In fact I think I may like it better than the original.  

Well that's all for today.  I hope to start posting more soon.  As I am getting closer to retirement age I will be cutting down my hours to one day less.  so maybe I will get my blogging vision back again.  Here's hoping! 

The FitDesk: Working a little exercise into a busy schedule

It is sad that I have not been on this blog for so long....sorry about that. It was so long that I had even forgotten my password.  That's bad!

Some of you may know that I had returned to school for a second Master's certification in Family Nurse Practitioner. It has been a busy, busy two years (with very little crafting, sigh) but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel: graduation day is May 2 and I am planning to sit for my boards in early June. I may soon have a life after that!

I will also (God willing) be switching to day shifts instead of nights.  This should make my life a little more "normal" hopefully.

So my opening post as I return (more faithfully I hope) relates to how I was able to work exercise into a very crammed schedule, one that often had me burning the candle at both ends night after night, working on papers and doing research.  I found a wonderful exercise option called the FitDesk.

Honestly I am going to sound like a commercial. I can't say enough about how useful this has been during my computer sessions! This was the perfect option for me because anytime I was on the computer I could get on the FitDesk to get some low-impact but metabolism boosting exercise.

My set-up is a little different than the picture here, I placed my 23" Acer AOI computer on a stand in front of the bike, and placed the wireless keyboard and mouse on the desk.  I have old eyes and needed a bigger screen than the one on my laptop.  They don't make my model any more but it is similar to this one but looks more like the one below. 

I bought this computer about 2 years ago at Staples for about $500. At first, I was hesitant about the Acer brand since I had not used it nor seen it before.  But a little research convinced me to give it a try and I am glad I did! My desktop runs Win 8 but I even bought a Acer 12" laptop (back when you could still get Win 7) to lug around at school. I have not regretted either decision.

So my set-up allows me to have a big screen to use for research and writing and the occasional Netflix show. No TV for me, just no time for that but I can watch and pause a Netflix show anytime I want. And I am exercising the entire time!  If you read about the FitDesk, you will see that the goal is to get in exercise almost effortlessly while working on the computer, watching TV, playing video games, or reading. All of the activities are easily accomplished while pedaling.  As a matter of fact, I am using it right now as I write this post!  Some days I have logged in more than 3-4 hours of time. just pedaling as I studied.

Of course, at first I started slowly and I did notify my physician about my plan.  Not only did she give me the OK, she thought it would be great for her boys to use while playing games. I am using an older version, and the bicycle seat may take some time to get used to.  The newer one is said to be much better. I did have one problem with it (a part was bent) and customer service was awesome - they sent out a new part in a matter of days. I have been very happy with this purchase!

So if you don't have an regular exercise r routine and use the computer a lot, this is definitely an option to consider.  Check the FitDesk out!

(The links in this post do support me as an Amazon associate -at no additional cost to you- but you can also easily find the FitDesk with a Google search.  I purchased my FitDesk more than two years ago out of my own funds and the opinions expressed are all my own)

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!