Tag Archives: craft

Easy DIY Thank You Card Set

6 Mar

So I still have a fascination with this whole “measuring” feature on my paper cutter. If I could go back to the days when I measured with a ruler and cut with an exact-o knife…I wouldn’t.

DIY thank you cards

A few weeks ago I whipped up this set of thank-you cards. I already had the ‘thank you’ part printed out since I used them for my niece’s birthday party, and I hoard save things to “use them later.”

The blue paper was left over from my ombre Tiffany card project, and the dashed line cardstock I already had in-house.

Thank you cards

A little slicing, a little glue stick action, and it’s thank you card game time.

I really like how these cards coordinate as a set.

Finished DIY thank you cards

Oh, and I still have more of the ‘thank you’ pieces to use up, so I’m sure you will see another variation of these on CP soon.

And who knows? Maybe I’ll even bake some cupcakes again soon, once I get this whole “work life balance” thing to stop being such a myth. Green velvet for St. Patrick’s Day anyone?

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DIY Tiffany Blue Ombre Stationary

27 Feb

So I finally figured out that my paper cutter has this amazing feature, where it measures paper right as you cut.

Paper cutter with measure feature

That Martha Stewart, she thinks of everything.

And don’t judge, I would have figured this out sooner if I had actually read the directions…

Anyways, this is a vast improvement over measuring everything with a ruler.

So slicing and dicing custom cards is now pretty quick. Which is good when you’re getting ready for girls night out breakfast at tiffany’s birthday dinner and still haven’t started the cards…

But these went quick. I started off with 4 different shades of Tiffany blue for an ombre effect, in 12 x 12 paper.

Trim these down to fit in A6 envelopes.

A6 trimmed Tiffany blue cards

Then a quick run through the printer to customize.

Tiffany blue diy stationary

And done.

(For reals, I need to learn how to do letterpress to uplevel the wow here.)

I even got these sweet transparent envelopes to make sending the cards super fun.

Transparent vellum envelopes

But seriously? This whole “distance to the blade” feature is changing my life.

It’s the little things these days, really. 

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And My Kraft Paper Obsession Continues…

6 Feb

We all know that I sort of, well, enjoy kraft paper. A lot.

Here’s the roundup of my holiday projects that involved kraft paper. And yes, I know it is well over a month since Christmas passed, but considering that I just took down my tree last weekend…it’s still holiday time here.

You can use it to make table runners, like this.

Kraft Paper Table Runner

I really love this idea. Plus, you can do fun things like handwritten place settings or scrawl the menu out. (I did not do those things because it was only Christmas Eve and I needed to keep my over-the-top-ness to a minimum. Which was hard.)

Kraft paper also makes great invitations. Like the one for my Christmas Eve Spectacular.

Kraft paper invite

(Yes, I send out invites to Christmas Eve dinner…hence the reason I had to keep the table runner simple.)

Or, you can use it to make Christmas cards.

Cowboy Christmas Card

This one was for my boss. She reads a lot of romance novels, which we jokingly refer to as “The Cowboy and the Princess.“

And it’s a great way to wrap presents. Plus, yarn is an easy upgrade from your basic ribbon.

Kraft wrapping paper

Alright, I’m back to krafting. I mean, crafting.

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DIY Window Leaf Cupcake Flags

5 Jan

So a while back (and by ‘while’ I mean in September, #shamerattles), a friend came to visit and we got into some serious Cricut action.

The result?

DIY Window Leaf Cupcake Flags on Carrot Cake

These super-sweet window leaf cupcake flags. Perfect for fall. Displayed on carrot cake and my-favorite-ever-cream cheese frosting.

Just cut out all the shapes, assemble with glue, and then attach the finished flags to toothpicks.

Window Leaf Cupcake Flags

I like to use glue sticks for this type of work, hence the magazine laid out for scrap paper / workplace protector. I’ve tried rubber cement and liquid glue, but I remain a big fan of my first-grade glue stick method.

And seriously, get a Cricut. It’s awesome.

Because when you give a girl a Cricut, she’ll probably do a lot of crafts…like a lot a lot.

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Festive Holiday DIY: Glitter Mason Jar Candles

27 Nov

Nothing says “Christmas” like glitter putting up the tree and setting up the nativity scene.

Well, that and the trifecta of epic Christmas albums (Mariah, Bieber, N’Sync. Duh.).

But seriously. The holidays are one of the only times where it’s socially acceptable to use glitter as an adult.

If you’re looking for a quick, easy, festive holiday DIY with glitter (who isn’t?), then pull out a few mason jars and make glittery candles.

It’s sort of like snowflakes, in a jar.

Just make a glue wash (glue + water) and brush the inside of the mason jars. I used regular ol’ Elmer’s glue, and adding the water helps it brush on easier.

Add glitter of your choice (I like silver) to the inside of the jars, and roll/spin the jar around until the glitter coats the sides.

Let dry, and….done. Simply add a tea light, and you’re good to go.

I brushed the glue almost all the way up to the top, but you could do it at various levels for the mismatched-yet-chic look.

These take about five minutes to make, and definitely give the house a festive look, even when they aren’t lit.

Seriously, iloveglitter.

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Quick Gifts: DIY Printed Notecards

22 Jul DIY Greeting Cards

Yesterday I had one of those “crap I need to bring a gift” moments. You see, I was invited to a graduation party for the sister of a friend. So, I didn’t want to show up empty-handed, but my willingness to pay for this type of gift was about $10 or less. And the moment this “you need to bring a gift” realization hit me was the moment I was leaving the house. And since giving booze to teenagers is frowned upon, I couldn’t do my standard grab a bottle of wine out of the rack and call it a day moves.

Which is why it’s handy to have blank stationary in my craft kit and notecard design pdfs saved on my computer. Open one of the card designs, load notecards into the printer, and hit print. Quick, easy, DIY notecards.

I have a variety of designs that are my “go-tos” for gifts. The ones above are my ‘hello cards.’ Hola, bonjour, ciao bella.

I also have thank-you cards like this.

I really like the old-fashioned type key font on this one. And the accent letter.

For notecards I use 4.5 x 5 inch folded cards, but you could easily use flat cards or a larger size as well. I like the folded notecards because they strike me as more formal.

Quick, easy, inexpensive to make but impressive to give. Which is the way I like it.

What is your go-to gift when you’re in a rush?

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More than sugar.

19 Jul More than Sugar Notecard & Envelope Liner

I love you more than sugar.

Which, is saying a lot for me. Because I really, really, really love sugar.

I also really enjoy envelope liners, like the pink stripe one on I put inside the love sugar DIY card. It really gives stationary something extra. Most people won’t notice envelope liners, but for the ones that do, I like to think they are a nice little surprise when you open the envelope.

Envelope liners are an easy DIY. Create a stencil from a piece of cardstock—for these A7 envelopes it’s sort of a trapezoid shape. You don’t need to line the whole envelope—the top flap and a bit into the bottom area. Trace your stencil onto patterned paper and then cut out the liner. Using thinner weight paper is best; I would avoid anything that is cardstock weight or heavier. When you glue in the liner, make sure you don’t glue over the envelope seal part. Lesson #567 that I learned the hard way…

And then you’re done! An easy DIY addition to a homemade card, or to store-bought cards as well.

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Happy Birthday America!

4 Jul

What I’m really loving this Fourth (besides having a day off from work…OBVI) is the latest installment of Here’s to the American Spirit from Jack Daniel’s.

For the past few years, JD has commissioned independent artists from across the United States to create posters around the theme of Independence. This year’s collection is beyond amazing.

No fancy computer graphics or Photoshop here.

For obvious reasons, this one is my favorite.

You can view the entire collection and watch behind the scenes videos here, and there’s a fun Facebook app where you can create your own poster here.

Happy Fourth!

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DIY Roundup: Triple Crown Onesie and Notecard

26 Jun Three Kings Notecard

Okay, I know the Triple Crown didn’t happen this year.

And yes, technically this baby onesie was a christening gift, so technically a more appropriate title would be something like gifts of the magi.

But after carefully considering the fact that earlier this year someone told me that he “couldn’t go out with me because I was too religious,” I’ve decided to go with Triple Crown.

(When you’re done laughing over the fact that someone would EVER describe me as “too religious,” continue reading.)

As per usual, I DIY’d the stencil for this bit of baby onesie glory on my Cricut. The crowns are from the wall art cartridge, sized at one point five inches. If you want full instructions for fabric paint projects and stencils, click here.

The fabric paint is a pink pearl, which means pink glitter. Because pink glitter totally screams “Jesus,” don’t you think?

Normally I feel super-guilty when I cut out stencils for DIY projects, because a) I drive a Prius and b) what do I do with all the insides?

I can’t throw them away because I’m a paper hoarder I might need them in the future…so now I have a drawer full of mismatched letters and cutouts in various shapes and sizes. I CAN QUIT ANYTIME. I SWEAR.

Luckily, this time I around I “got smart” as they say. Being that I needed a card for one of my fav coworkers, I used the crown center cut-outs as the decoration on the card. FREAKING BRILLIANT.

Not to mention eco-Prius-friendly. And efficient. It’s like craft multi-tasking.


Freaking brilliant.

Does anyone else have a favorite way to craft multi-task?

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L<3VE Onesies

23 May L<3e DIY Onesie

Whenever I’m frustrated with people, I think about my niece. She is honest, reliable, and will always voice what’s on her mind. When she’s upset, you just know. And I don’t have to play it cool around her. I can tell her that I’m totally obsessed and that is totally normal.

Yeah, she pretty much just chills on the corner of awesome and bombdiggity. And she’s not even 7 months old.

Which, also means that I still have at least 7 years of being able to DIY and craft amazingly fun things for her to wear. Like this.

And, she still has a few more years of being obnoxious where she can get away with doing things like this. Hands off the tresses girlfriend.

I DIY’d this onesie for Mother’s Day—it took about 30 minutes to complete, start to finish. The trickiest part is sewing on the letters…and remembering to trace your design in reverse. Must remember to trace in reverse…

If you want to make your own felt applique onesie, you can find detailed directions and photos here. Or, if you’re not in the mood to click over, here’s the brief recap.

  1. Trace design onto Heat n’ Bond or similar two-sided iron-on transfer paper. Be sure to trace your design IN REVERSE.
  2. Iron first side of paper onto felt.
  3. Cut out design.
  4. Peel off paper backing and iron onto clothing.
  5. Stitch design down with sewing machine.
  6. Impress your friends with your mad crafting skills.

And seriously, how cute is this baby?

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