Showing posts with label vinyl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vinyl. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Home Decor: Family Chinese Zodiac Wall Art

 


Lunar New Year, most popularly known as "Chinese New Year" (but celebrated in other Asian countries) is this coming Sunday. This year is the Year of the Rabbit which is my Chinese Zodiac sign and also happens to also be a milestone year for me. For as long as I can remember, I've always loved rabbits. Even before I knew I was one! In thinking about doing a project I decided to do one that incorporated my sign, as well as my husband's and son. Since this is the first project I'm sharing in the New Year, it makes sense that it's a New Year project, right? 

Supplies:
  • Wood Art Boards (I used 11x14 and 8x10)
  • Acrylic Paint
  • Chinese Zodiac Images (Designbundles)
  • Vinyl (Cricut Glossy Black)
  • Cutting Machine (I used my Cricut Explore Air 2)
  • Gold Leaf Adhesive and Gold Leaf (I used Mona Lisa)


You can find wood art boards in the fine arts sections of craft stores and at art supply stores. I have a few leftover from when I found them on clearance in the arts and crafts section at Target. I wanted a clean graphic look so while red is customary, I chose to match my neutral home decor and painted the boards white and used black vinyl with gold leaf accents. 


A couple of coats of paint (Apple Barrel, White) and you're all good. Allow to dry thoroughly or else your vinyl won't stick properly and the transfer tape will pull up the paint. 


Confession time! I initially planned to put all three Zodiac signs on one board and thought I'd given myself enough space between when I sized the images. I didn't. So after cutting and weeding and not wanting to do that over, I just painted the smaller board and put mine and my husband's on one, and our son on it's own. The two of us made him so this worked in my brain! 


This was a great project that let me test some new skills I learned in a workshop by Abbi Kirsten which was how to use a PNG file to create an SVG file in Inkscape! I bought the graphics from designbundles.net.  


Since gold is another color you see in Chinese art, I decided to add some splashes of gold leaf. I love the Mona Lisa products (Michaels) which are easy to use. I just did some freehand brushstrokes where I wanted to gold leafing, let dry per the instructions on the bottle (actually a little less since the air is so dry where I am) and then applied the leafing using a strong bristled stencil brush. 




Wishing everyone health, peace, and prosperity in the Year of the Rabbit / 2023!

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Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Home Decor: Easy Wall Sign

 


Finally found a few minutes to make something, my first real project of 2022. I saw a sign with this sentiment in an office and knew immediately I needed to make something with the sentiment. It doesn't always feel like this is true, but if not "everything" I think almost everything is "figureoutable". 


Supplies: 

  • Wood Art Board
  • Acrylic Paint
  • Vinyl, Transfer Paper
  • Digital Cutting Machine



I bought a bunch of these art boards sometime last year when they were on clearance at Target. Art Stores and Craft Stores sell similar. This is a simple project that requires only a little paint and some vinyl. I used Oracal silver, Black CraftSmart acrylic paint, and Cricut Transfer Tape. 


The first thing I did was paint my board, sides and front. 



I only did one coat because I didn't mind if some of the natural wood bled through but you can do more than one if you want. Just remember to let your paint dry thoroughly between coats. As I was waiting for my paint to dry, I created the sentiment in Cricut Design Space, then cut and weeded the vinyl. 


I used a Design Space font called "Annie Leu" and sized to fit my board. 




Weed the vinyl and then cut a piece of transfer tape to match the size.




When I first started working with vinyl ( and I am still FAR from a pro at it ) I was afraid to play with placement fearing it was going to stick and when I placed it it had to be perfect the first time. If your surface is truly dry ( eg paint ) you can lightly lay it on top and still be able to re-position it. I got it to where I was satisfied and then used my scraper tool to apply the needed pressure for the vinyl to stick. 



And done! On dark surfaces, I wipe with a dry cloth when done just to remove any smudges from applying the transfer tape. The wall I have it on doesn't allow for room to take a head on pic but I'm very happy with it! 




Easy Peasy! 


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Monday, December 6, 2021

Christmas: DIY Acrylic Ornaments

 


I had so much fun with these easy to make ornaments! I found these plain acrylic disc ornaments at Michaels and they were a must get! They can be painted, papered, or as shown here, are the perfect surface for vinyl. 

Supplies:
  • Acrylic Disc Ornaments (Michaels)
  • Assorted Vinyl and Transfer Tape
  • Assorted Beads
  • Snowflake Ornament Hooks (Walmart)
  • Misc Jewelry Supplies (Jump Rings, Head Pins, Pliers)
  • Design
  • Digital Cutter (Cricut, Silhouette, etc. )




NOTE: This project assumes a digital cutting machine and familiarity with applying vinyl but you could use a die cutter to cut the images or cut images using an X-Acto knife. 


The ornaments come 18 pieces to a package. Regular price is $9.99 w/out sale or coupon. I used Cricut Glitter Vinyl and a metallic turquoise vinyl I had in my stash. The images I used were various ones I had in my collection. 

First step is to size your images to fit the ornaments. These are 3 inches in diameter so you want to size your image slightly smaller. Then cut and weed your vinyl. Set aside and prepare your surface. 


I used glass cleaner and paper towels but you could also use alcohol to clean them. You want to make sure you remove any residue plus you want a clean surface! Then apply the transfer tape and apply your image to the ornament. 


Once you've positioned your vinyl then use your scraping tool to apply. Remove transfer tape. Now it's time to embellish! 


I added some iridescent rhinestones to the trees on these, and some black ones on the gnome. 


I picked up these cute snowmen beads at JoAnn's when they were having a great sale. They were perfect for the turquoise. I also found these snowflake ornament hangers at Walmart. I wish I'd bought more! I strung the bead onto a head pin, closed, then  used a large jump ring to attach the ornament hanger to the ornament and a smaller jump ring to attach the bead. Same process for the others shown using coordinating beads. 


And there you are! 


One of my friends did a Krampus tree this year so I had to make her an ornament for it! 


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Monday, February 22, 2021

Vinyl on Enamel Sign : Forever Incomplete


This will be less of a tutorial post and more of a confessional one I guess the best way to describe it. If you want to skip to the creative part, it's at the bottom!

We were going through CDs, DVDs etc. deciding what to keep and get rid of and one of my favorite ones I kept was Alanis Morisette's "Flavors of Entanglement" which I hadn't listened to recently. It's fun to re-discover why you bought something and as I listened to it, purchased at a different time in my life, I realized why it spoke to me then, but I also realize how much I've grown and why it speaks to me still. 

In particular, one song stands out and it was the inspiration for this project: "Forever Incomplete". I'm now a "woman of a certain age". Young at heart but approaching 60. Seems so weird to write that since I'm fortunate that I get second looks when I give my birth date at the doctor or pharmacy. But facts as they say "is facts". I'm not a person who looks back with regrets but that doesn't mean I don't look back. 

Thirteen years ago when this album came out, I was at a different stage in my life. My son was just starting high school and I was then about 20 years into my career. Because of how life goes, my focuses and priorities were different then than they are now. I was still balancing work and family life. I was also still grappling with the self doubt and insecurities that had plagued me my whole life. 

I grew up, like many of us, with high expectations that I internalized A LOT. I put immense pressure on myself. To achieve academically. To be the best daughter, then wife and mother. To do well in my career and keep rising. To do and have it all and not realize what I was doing to myself in the process. 

It was around that time that I removed myself from my then company's "Top Talent" list. Something I'd been on virtually since I'd joined. I stopped being concerned with awards and recognition. OK a little...I'll always be competitive. That didn't mean I checked out workwise. Oh no. I was still putting in the hours, still hardest on myself, still afraid, as I have been my entire life, of failure. Pressure. Constant pressure. Put there mostly, but not entirely, by me. 

At that time, some of the songs on this CD spoke to me as someone struggling to figure out my life. If I wasn't going to push to become an Executive (the path I was on) then what? My child was getting older, my marriage was stable. I told myself my creative outlets were my therapy. But still...some confusion. some resentment, some sense of loss but of what, I didn't know. And I pushed those things out of my mind because who had time for that kind of self indulgence? So years went by. I continued to try to be the best of all my roles. 

When I turned 50 I said I would focus on me. Fits and starts and feelings of guilt and selfishness but slowly I kept at it. I'd get there right? There was an end point. Until there wasn't.  About 7 years ago, work, which had always been intense, went off the charts. Nothing was consistent except the constant change of leaders, teams, etc.  But hey, our family had its health, we were comfortable, son excelled in college and got accepted to five top tier PhD programs. Three years ago a major move to be closer to my mom. I just kept going. 

Last year  COVID came and really forced most if not all of us to really take a hard look at our priorities. Then my company moved almost all of the remaining jobs in my organization offshore and I found myself in retirement a couple of years earlier than planned during a global pandemic. Where am I going with all of this? 

That regardless of the plans we make or the direction we think we're headed life is never an orderly, bulleted list with a finite end point (OK yes, death!). And that is where I come back to this verse of the song "Forever Incomplete" that hit me and made me shout "YES!" in the car. 


I have been running so sweaty my whole life

Urgent for a finish line

And I have been missing the rapture this whole time of being forever

incomplete


 


I realized that for as long as I can remember I've been chasing things. Running. HARD. Being a good student. Getting a good job. Getting married, having a family, doing well, etc. And life, at least mine, doesn't work like that. I've been on a journey  that may never be complete. I may or may not ever do all the things I want or am supposed to do. And it's OK. I realized that focusing on the next thing, I've at times along the way missed the joy aka the rapture of knowing that it may never be and just live. I say none of that to suggest that I haven't had a joyous life, but it lifted some inexplicable weight. Maybe pressure on myself that was always self inflicted. I've given myself the permission and freedom to just "be" and be incomplete. And it feels great!  

OK now to the project! 

Supplies:
  • Blank Enamel Sign ( Artist's Loft)
  • Silver Foil (JoAnn)
  • Oval Frame (Designbundles.net)
  • Electronic Cutting Machine (Cricut Explore Air 2)

 


I actually bought this blank sign a couple of years ago at Michaels so it's not a current item but there are similar ones online. It ended up becoming the lid of my trash can to keep my then very nosy puppy out because she was obsessed with anything inside! 


I purchased a collection of frames from Designbundles.net which included this one. I flipped the image in Cricut Design Space and then chose a font, wrote out the lyrics I wanted to use, and cut using silver foil from my stash. 


Weeded and then applied the transfer tape and eyeballed the positioning on the sign and then that moment of pause before you adhere it, deep breath, hoping you got it centered! 


Peeled off the transfer tape and done!




Monday, November 30, 2020

Holiday 2020: Using Creativity to Give Back

 


Happy Crunch Time Makers! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and now we are full speed ahead towards the December holidays! I've been having such fun Elfing in my workshop and once I get a few things off in the mail can share some more projects but I can share a few things I've made to show our appreciation to some of our local favorites. This year with the pandemic especially, I am passionate about being grateful and showing appreciation to people who've been there and kept us going. 


I'm also going to share my latest obsession...making Quatrefoil Tile Ornaments. I know these have been popular this season and I too am hooked! 


Like so many, we've limited our eating out because of COVID but we have a local place that offers to go or outside dining. It's been important to us since we live in a small town to support local businesses so this set is for our fave little place called The Grotto Cafe which is part of an art enclave called The Red Truck Trading Company so you can see the obvious theme here! 



We also have a local coffee roastery called ROC2 or Roastery of Cave Creek where my husband gets his coffee beans. They do all of their roasting on site and small town living being what it is, they even use an honor system for their coffee locker. You pick up your beans and slide your money through the slot! 



Being a Seattle girl, Starbucks is in my blood. Literally. If you cut me, I will bleed a non-fat iced mocha, no whip. So while not a local company, my local go to location has the nicest baristas who always have my mobile order ready and are always so cheerful!


I have a few more of these to make but wanted share. Retail and restaurant workers have hard jobs, made harder this year by extreme conditions. I know these are small things but hopefully they will know how much we appreciate them! 

OK now for the tutorial on the ornaments! 

Supplies: (This is going to assume some basic knowledge of working with vinyl) 
  • Digital Cutting Machine and Cut Files. I used my Cricut Explore 2. For the Red Truck ornament and card, I had this image already in my Design Space software and created the sentiment using same. For the Coffee themed ornaments, I used this SVG file from Creative Fabrica
  • Vinyl and Transfer Tape (Green and red vinyl, Expressions Vinyl ; Black Cricut Glossy)
  • Satori Quatrefoil Ornaments. Lowes, $5.98 for a sheet of 15! 
  • Ribbon for bows and hanging
  • Glue gun and glue sticks


These are the Satori tiles I used. They come on a netting that pulls right off the back easily. If you look on Pinterest or different SVG and Graphics sites, you may also see them referred to as Arabesque tiles. They're glazed porcelain so you get a very smooth finish on which to apply the vinyl. They could also be painted or you can use paint pens or Sharpies with a sealer. 

Clean your tile with alcohol or glass cleaner to remove any packing residue, fingerprints etc. Size, cut, and weed your vinyl in your machine's software (eg Design Space or Silhouette Studio).




 Apply transfer tape and position on the tile before you use your scraper to apply pressure to ensure the vinyl transfers. 



There are many ideas of how to apply hangers to these tiles. I remembered too late that I had some flat bails in my jewelry making supplies which would work or you can use wire or as I did, ribbon. I've read some tutorials of people who drilled holes through them but you need special drill bits etc. and I didn't want to deal w/ that! I also didn't finish the backs of my tiles.  I thought I was going to but when the netting came off easily and the back wasn't messy looking, I skipped it. Others have painted, applied vinyl or felt to the back. 


I cut a length of 1/8" ribbon and hot glued to the center of the tile as shown. Then using another piece of ribbon (the black ribbon shown below), placed a dab of glue on the front of the tile, wrapped it around to the back and glued down. To finish, I made a ribbon bow and hot glued to the front. 




I love the shape of these tiles and trust me, there are a TON of cut files out there designed specifically for these! 

Until next time!