Holiday 2020: Dollar Tree Sign-A-Palooza

 

On one of my strategically planned outings out of the house and to The Dollar Tree, I picked up these fun holiday signs to play with and I had tons of fun with them! I'm really happy with how they turned out and how they'll fit in with my Christmas decor!

Supplies: 

• Crafter's Square Signs from Dollar Tree
• Acrylic Paints ( I used Craftsmart and Artist's Loft from Michaels)
• White Glue and Quilling Paper for Snowflake

Merry Sign: 

I have different spots using different colors in my Christmas decor and Black and White fits right in. For this one, I painted the sign Black as a base coat: 

Then taped off my stripes using painter's tape:

and added the white stripes. Once this was dry, I taped off vertical lines (not pictured) and also painted those white. 

TIP: Start your taping in the center of whatever you're working on and work outward / up or downward from there. This helps make your plaid look more even. 

Peace Sign: 

I used the same process except for this one I went with a white and gold palette. This will go perfectly with a Mackenzie Childs Ornament I have and designed it with that in mind to go on a table where I usually place that.

This one I did the base coat white and then following the same process went over with gold. 

Snowflake Sign: 

I had a little accident with this one and broke one of the ends. So I adapted my original plan for this to conceal my glue it back together job, using my tried and true White Glue Crackle technique which you can read more about here. "Happy Accidents" are a Maker's best friend!

I painted this with a couple coats of white, then the glue, then a metallic turquoise. 

See? The "Ooops" is gone. I did another layer of the crackle technique...more glue, then white paint and went in the opposite direction of the turquoise. 

Next I Quilled a bunch of coils in different sizes and arranged them into a snowflake before gluing them to my sign: 

This helps ensure your pattern is what you want before you commit to glue!

I would say this was $3 well spent! 

BFF Open House

 

Happy Friday Eve all! Can you believe American Thanksgiving is one week away?! Me either. And then Hanukkah will be upon us and before you know it Christmas and then we can all celebrate saying goodbye to 2020! 

Let's take a look at some Thanksgiving and Christmas ideas from last week's party! 

Take a look at these GORGEOUS Fallen Leaf Luminaries from Satsuma Designs! 

If you want a different take on an Advent or Countdown to Christmas calendar, Birds Party has you covered with this adorable Christmas Village Advent Calendar! The colors and style are fabulous! 

These Shabby Chic Fabric Hearts from Coastal Bohemian are wonderful as year round ornaments or to make as gifts or could easily be adapted to be Christmas themed!

Finally, this Apple Honey Crisp from Jodie Fitz would be a lovely Thanksgiving dessert and individual servings make it perfect if you're trying to distance! YUM! 

Now let's see what all of you creative people have been up to this week ! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Cricut Foil Tool: Thanksgiving 2020 Cards

 

This week's BFF Open House Link Party continues here

I've had a fun week getting started on some Christmas and Hanukkah projects but today I'm sharing the cards I made for friends and family for Thanksgiving. For us, this year won't be much of a chance. PhD Man hasn't come home for Thanksgiving since undergrad since he comes for an extended stay over Christmas. Hoping that's the case this year! But, I know for many this will be a different Thanksgiving as we continue to make our way through this pandemic. Since I've always been remote from a lot of friends and family for whom I'm thankful, I've always made cards to send to them. 

Supplies: 

• Marsh Flower Stack (Michaels)
• Recollections Gray, Cream, Brown 110lb Cardstock (Michaels)
• Cricut Foil Tool for Cricut Explore Air 2 or Cricut Maker
• Cricut Foil
• Gold Foil Cardstock ( Recollections, Michaels)
• Tape Gun and Foam Tape

I found this paper pad during one of Michaels "Buy One, Get Two Free" promotions on their Hot Buy papers and decided I really loved these colors and patterns for Thanksgiving cards. 

I've been anxious to use the new Cricut Foil Transfer Kit I ordered in October, I'd already done my Halloween cards so I knew I was going to use it for my Thanksgiving cards. If you have a Cricut Explore or Maker YOU NEED THIS TOOL!  It works with the Cricut foil which is pressure based vs some foils that interact with a medium. This kit comes with three tip sizes which easily pop in and out of the housing which in turn pops easily in and out of the machine.  

It was very straightforward to use. Follow the instructions that come with it or there are multiple tutorials on You Tube. 

The first thing to decide is your design. I went with a simple "Thankful" word and simple leaves and designed this in Cricut Design Space. Right in the SW you can choose "Foil" which makes things easy. 

The kit comes with a selection of different foils but I also bought a standalone pack of 12x12 gold foil since I knew I'd be foiling all the things! You place what you want to foil, in this case I used a self adhesive cardstock on your mat then this is the only tricky part: you lay the foil on top and then tape down the edges either with the tape strips that come with the foil packs or you can also use Washi tape. It is important to make sure your foil is taut since the tool will tug on it a bit so lock it down! 

Once your machine is done, peel back the foil and look how cool!  I then cut these into the sizes I needed for my cards, mounted on gold mirror panels, and mounted in the middle of my cards. 

The Marsh Flower paper collection already had some foiled papers so these coordinated nicely. I selected my papers and cut out panels to make my cards: 

• 5x7 Cards made from 110lb cardstock
• 4.75 x 6.75 panels made from selection of papers with another layer cut 3.5x5.5 and mounted on gold foil panels cut 3.75x5.75
• "THANKFUL" focal adhered with foam tape
• Layer as shown 

This tool is a game changer for me and I'm sure I don't yet know in how many ways! 

BFF Open House

 

Happy Friday Eve all! It's hard to believe that two weeks from now is the annual stretching of the pants day known as American Thanksgiving wherein we cook for two days to consume a meal in 20 minutes! It's tradition, and wouldn't have it any other way. I know it will be different for many this year, being unable to gather with all of the extended family so hopefully by next year that can return. 

In the meantime, let's take a look at some ideas from last week's party! 

Whether as an addition to your own decor or to make as a gift, Lisa, from Fresh Vintage by Lisa S has the cutest idea for a repurposed alarm clock. 

I think nothing makes a tablescape stand out better than having some depth. Stillettos and Shiplap shared how to make this fabulous table riser to take your festive tablescapes up a notch. 

If you're a jewelry maker and looking for a great gift idea ( or for yourself!) check out this beautiful Rope Necklace from Michelle at My Bijou Life.  She's got a step by step tutorial. 

Finally, from The House on Silverado, check out these decadent and delicious looking Milk Chocolate Toffee Shortbread Bars! I can't stop staring at them.  

Now let's see what everyone's been up to this week! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Holiday 2020: Peppermint Crackle Framed Printable (Plus Hanukkah Printables)

 

Happy Hump Day Makers! Excited to show you how I used one of the Christmas Printables I shared yesterday and below, you'll find some Hanukkah themed ones I also made. 

Supplies: 

• Frame. New, Thrifted, or Stash. Mine was one I had on hand
• Acrylic Paints. I used Apple Barrel Bright Red and Craftsmart White
• White Glue. I used Elmer's
• Painter's Tape
• Printable

The frame I used has a beveled inner edge and I decided that I would leave the outer edge black so I taped this off using painters tape. Painted the remaining exposed frame with the Bright Red. This took a couple of coats. You can make this completely opaque with additional coats but since I was going for a crackle finish, I was fine with some of the black streaks showing through. 

Next you'll apply a medium coat of white glue. This is the same process I used for some Halloween Girlfriend Gifts so you can click here for the detailed instructions.  

The key here is to have your brush strokes go in the same direction. When your glue is not fully dry, brush on the white paint in the same brush stroke direction as your glue. 

You will see the crackles start to form as the paint dries or you can speed it up with a warm ( not hot ) blow dryer. DO NOT USE A HEAT / EMBOSSING GUN. Your paint will bubble.  Once your top coat is dry, remove the painter's tape. 

Here you can see the remaining black outer edge of the frame. 

I imported my printable into my graphics program, sized accordingly and printed on a transparency. You can also print on paper. I chose a sheet of cardstock from the White Satin paper pad by Recollections (Michaels) that wouldn't be too busy behind my transparency but still give it a little more depth if that makes sense! Trim transparency and cardstock to fit inside your frame. 

Et voila!

As I mentioned above, I also made some similar Printables for Hanukkah!

Hanukkah

Dreidel

Menorah