Santa-tizers for Nurses

Noah, my son who has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and autism) gets 15 hours of having a PCA (personal care aide) a week. We have had some not so great PCAs in the past several months and I'm kind of not the nicest client when it comes to the not so great aides being in my home and taking care of my son so I decided to make a little RAK (random act of kindness) for three nurses who work in the office and have to deal with my phone calls. 

Here's what I came up with......

It holds a little bottle of hand sanitizer from Bath and Body Works. What nurse (even one who primarily works in an office) doesn't need a little hand sanititzer? I crafted up these hand sanitizers to look like Santa's pants. The perfect combination for any nurse in December! 

Most of my supplies came from Consumer Crafts. They have great prices, arrived quickly, and were packaged well. 

You will need:

Red and yellow cardstock

Black ribbon

Martha Stewart scoring board (I have been wanting one of these for a long time and LOVE it. Review coming soon!) 

Double sided red tape 

Cello Bags

Small Bottles of Hand Sanitizer (mine came from Bath and Bodyworks)

Baker's Twine 

Jingle Bells

What you will do: 

1. Cut your red cardstock to 3 1/2 inches wide by 5 1/2 inches long. 

2. Using the Martha Stewart scoring board, score the paper on the long side at 2 1/4 inches and 3 1/4 inches. Flip it to the short side and score at 1 inch and 2 1/2 inches. 

3. Cut tabs on the long side where the score marks meet. 

4. Use the red tape, to adhere the two sides to one another to make a little box.
5. Add the black ribbon with some of the red tape. Cut a small yellow square for Santa's belt and then cut the middle out using a craft knife, adhere to the black ribbon also using a bit of the red tape.
7. Place the bottles of hand sanitizer in each of the little boxes. 

8. Package in a cello bag. Using the red and green Baker's Twine, tie on a jingle bell or two to embellish and then tie a bow. 

You now have cute little hand sanitizer holders ready to surprise whomever deserves surprising in your life! 

Disclaimer: I was compensated by Blueprint Social and Consumer Crafts for this post but all opinions and views are my own.

Snowflake Pin/Ornament

This is another one of my super easy because life, a kid, a husband, a house, and a bad back get in the way at the holidays - type of projects!

A cute little snowflake face! You can make it as an ornament or turn it to a pin and wear it proudly.

To make your own, you will need: 

White Cardstock

Snowflakes (I used wooden ones purchased at Hobby Lobby but you could cut them with your Silhouette too!) 

Glue (I used E-6000) 

Bakers Twine or Pin Back (depending on whether or not you are making a pin or an ornament)

Mod Podge Dimensional Magic 
Snowy Face File (I created this file myself in the Silhouette Studio Software and I'm sharing it here. While I sized this to fit the snowflakes I was using, you can re-size it to fit yours.)

How to make your own: 

1. Using the print and cut feature in the Silhouette software, cut out as many faces as you need. 

2. Dab a little glue in the middle of the snowflake and glue on the snowy face. 

3. Once it is dry, put on the Mod Podge Dimensional Magic (MPDM). Start with the center of the face and work your way out squeezing slowly the MPDM bottle. Have a straight pin handy and pop out any air bubbles that arise. Let this dry for at least several hours. If you move it before it dries, the MPDM will run leaving your snowy face looking blurry.

4. Glue on a pin back or add some bakers twine and you're done!

Isn't she adorable?!? These make great ornaments, adorable pins, and would even look so cute embellishing a Christmas gift under the tree and best part - minus drying time, it takes less than 10 minutes!

Want to Check Out More Silhouette Projects?

My Silhouette Challenge buddies and I are all sharing projects on our blogs today, so peruse the projects below for a wealth of Silhouette inspiration! 

1. 2013 Snowman Christmas Card by Please Excuse My Craftermath...
2. Christmas Hoop Art by Lil' Mrs. Tori
3. Silhouette Nativity Advent Candle Box by One Tough Mother
4. Christmas Party Photo Booth Props by unOriginal Mom
5. Another Stenciled Tea Towel by Cutesy Crafts
6. Silhouette Gift Tags by Rain on a Tin Roof
7. Snowflake Pin / Ornament by Coley's Corner
8. State Sign Couple Gift by It Happens in a Blink
9. Mason Jar Christmas Ornaments by Vintage News Junkie
10. Merry Christmas Wall Decor by One Artsy Mama
11. Deer Head Holiday Banner...featuring Santa's Reindeer by The Thinking Closet
12. Restore your UGGS (with PAINT) by From Wine to Whine
13. Monogrammed Snowflake Ornaments by Architecture of a Mom
14. Christmas Countdown Sign by The Girl Creative
15. Elf Chalk Sign: "The Best Way to Spread Christmas" by Weekend Craft
16. Glittery Christmas Subway Art by The Turquoise Home
17. Sketch Pen Labels by Sowdering About in Seattle
18. Snowflake NOEL Sign by My Favorite Finds
19. DIY Holiday Hostess Gift by Everyday Paper
20. Folding Nativity Backdrop by Chicken Scratch NY
21. Recycled Glass Jar Advent Calendar by Nearly Handmade
22. Reindeer Card: Double-Sided Print & Cut by GetSilvered
23. Personalized Block Ornament by Suburble
24. Paper Medallion Christmas Tree by Create & Babble
25. Mini Mid-Century Homes by Tried & True
26. Glitter and Vinyl Minecraft Christmas Ornament by A Tossed Salad Life
27. DIY Countdown to Christmas Refrigerator Style by My Paper Craze
28. Reversible Recipe Holder/Block Frame by The Sensory Emporium
29. DIY: Lettered Christmas Pillows by The House on Hillbrook
30. Simply Charming Christmas Ornaments by Life After Laundry
31. No Glitter was Worn by GiveMeAPaintbrush
32. Make Easy Ornaments from Paper Circles by Bringing Creativity to Life
33. Cutting Machine Embroidery Applique by Terri Johnson Creates
34. "Believe" Christmas Banner by Daily Dwelling
35. DIY Christmas Nativity Card by Pitter and Glink
    
    
    Do you have a Silhouette machine?
Looking for Silhouette inspiration, support, trouble-shooting? Interested in joining us for our group posting event next month? Then, we'd love to have you join our Silhouette Challenge Facebook group. To join, simply fill out the new member request form, and Lauren from The Thinking Closet will get you squared away.

Candy Cane Mice

My Mom has made a TON of these adorable candy cane mice. She'll be selling them at the church craft show this weekend. I think she really enjoyed making them and they are just adorable. They'll make a great gift for a classroom full of kiddos and terrific stocking stuffers. And you could even hang them by the tail on a tree! 

Cute, traditional Christmas colors candy cane mice

Sweet little grey mouse

Of course, I loved the teal one.

A tiger version is a must in our family.

She's selling them all packaged up in a cello bag with a cute little tag. 

Close up of the tag

Aren't they sweet! 

Here's a tutorial and template if you want to make your own! 

DIY Stenciled Mugs

Have you seen all the mugs that people post on Pinterest that are made with Sharpies? I always thought those were neat and have been wanting to give it a try. I'm not the best a freehanding an image, doodling, or writing on something like a mug so I used my Silhouette machine to create stencils! 

I read many different tutorials on how to do these. Some of them are pretty similar, but this is one that I liked best and referenced the most.

First you'll need two inexpensive mugs, permanent markers such as Sharpies or Bic Mark Its, and vinyl stencils of the images you want to put on your mug cut out with your Silhoutte machine. For this project, I chose to make use this mustache image and this lip image that were already in my library. I cut them out of black vinyl because that was what I had in my stash. The color really isn't important.

Wash your mugs really well with soap and water removing any price stickers. Let them dry then just before you go to start writing on the mug, wipe the area you will be writing on with alcohol. Place your stencil on the mug and press it down smoothly. If there is any area of your image that needs to remain white (like the middle part of the lips I used) be sure and place that down too.

Now you simply color in the image using your markers. I used a Red Sharpie and a Black Bic Mark It. I found the Black Bic Mark It worked much better and when I make mugs again, I will use all Bic Mark Its next time. Anyways, I found it easiest to out line the entire image being careful not to go outside the stencil and then fill it all in. I let them both sit for about 10 minutes before I removed my stencil. If you notice that the marker bled outside the stencil any, you can easily clean it up by dipping a Q-tip in alcohol.

I then put my mugs in a cool oven, turned the oven to 450 degrees and put the timer on 45 minutes. When the 45 minutes were up, I turned off the oven and left the mugs in until they cooled. The mustache mug looked amazing straight out of the oven but the color of the lips was more orange than red. So I added more red Sharpie to the mug and baked it all over again.

They turned out pretty cute! I washed them a couple of times just to be sure nothing scrubbed off and all was good.

With the holidays right around the corner, you could easily turn these into gifts for teachers, co-workers, friends, etc. by adding a couple of packages of hot cocoa and candy canes inside the mug, tie them with some pretty ribbon and add a jingle bell embellishment and you have a cute gift!

This post is part of the monthly Silhouette Challenges hosted by Lauren at The Thinking Closet. 

Check out other posts by Silhouette Challenge participants below: 

DIY Ironing Board Hanger by The Turquoise Home
Silhouette Challenge: Time Zone Bathroom Art by Nearly Handmade
Santa's Christmas Countdown by Tried & True
Nautical Anchor Pillow Tutorial by The Thinking Closet
Christmas Card Ornament with Free Cut File by unOriginalMom
Thanksgiving and Christmas Dual Sign by Architecture of a Mom
Itching to Etch by Get Silvered
Snowman Tag ~ Silhouette Challenge by Whats Next Ma
Thanksgiving Sign by Chicken Scratch NY
DIY Horse Silhouette Pillow by Rain on a Tin Roof
Sketching on Fabric by The Sensory Emporium
Paper Leaf Garland by Lil' Mrs. Tori
DIY Blessing Board - Silhouette Challenge by One Tough Mother
Christmas Pillow by Create & Babble
Glass Painting with Reverse Stencils by Givemeapaintbrush
Chalkboard Thankful Tree by Cutesy Crafts
Bottoms Up! MYO Wine Tag by From Wine to Whine
'Happy Holly-days' Tags for the Swap by An Elegant Touch...
Thank You for Dinner (Card) by Everyday Paper
Advent Star Christmas Countdown by My Favorite Finds
Geometric Fabric Bowls by Please Excuse My Craftermath...
Paper Carnival by Home At Eight
Silhouette Cameo Tutorial: Dual Sided Business Cards by Black and White Obsession
In Case of Emergency Baby Bag Tags by Tossed Salad Life
Christmas On My Mind by Creative Turn
Jingle all the Way! by My Paper Craze
Christmas Lights Garland by Making Home Base
We Are Thankful by 4 You With Love
Seattle Skyline Silhouette by Sowdering About in Seattle
DIY Stenciled Mugs by Coley's Corner

Interested in joining us for our group posting event next month?  We'd love to have you.  Simply fill out the new member request form, and Lauren from The Thinking Closet will get you squared away.

Fall Decor with the Silhouette

I am so ready for fall! While it's still pretty warm outside, I recently took down the summer decor and am slowing putting out the fall. Maybe if I get ready for fall, Mother Nature will follow! 

I was a little bored with my fall decor so I decided to make a couple of new things and am sharing these cute fall luminaries with you today. 

These luminaries were super easy to make thanks to Silvia, my Silhouette machine and took less than 20 minutes. I started off with this file for autumn luminaries from the Silhouette store. I then cut it out of a rust and olive colored card stock. I put some vellum on the inside of the luminary where the leaves are cut out. Then I assembled my luminaries securing them with a strong adhesive, popped a battery operated candle inside, and was done! 

Super easy and cute on the mantle! 

This post is part of the monthly Silhouette Challenge hosted by Lauren at The Thinking Closet. To see more posts, check out the posts by some of my Challenge buddies below.

Organizing for Preschool by Life After Laundry

Strawberry Shortcake Party Favors with Silhouette Seed Packets by It Happens in a Blink

Look At Me! Vinyl Decal with Free File by Get Silvered Craft

Stamped Wrapping Paper Tutorial by The Thinking Closet

Titi's Freezer Paper Stenciled Butterflies Onesie! by TitiCrafty

Gender Reveal Fabric Banner by Create & Babble

Monster Crossing Test Tube Holder by My Happy Place

Preschool Lovey Book by A Tossed Salad Life

Front Door Sign by Cutesy Crafts

Paper Pumpkin Banner by Chicken Scratch NY

A Stache Bash Shower by Home At Eight

Fall Decor with the Silhouette by Coley's Corner

Happy Fall Y'all by Tanya's Creative Space

Crafting for Disney: Stroller Signs & Kid Shirts by From Wine to Whine

Halloween Lights by Lil' Mrs. Tori

Customized Disney T-Shirts by DailyDwelling

Craft Room Labels by Super Sweet Life

Tried & True Coloring Print In 3D! by Tried & True

Clean Eating Menu Planning and Magnet Board by The House on Hillbrook

Toddler Growth Chart by Joy and Gladness of Heart

DIY Anthropologie Inspired Chalk Board Storage Jars by 4 You With Love

"Let's Hear it For the Boys!" by An Elegant Touch

Feeling Blue Card

I'm participating in another sketch challenge over at the CAS(E) this Sketch blog. 

This is this week's sketch. 

And here is my interpretation of that sketch. 

As soon as I saw the sketch, I knew what I wanted to do with it.  I used ink sprays to create the splotched paint effect. The paintbrush bundle is from a Love Elsie stamp set. I wrapped a little pink and white baker's twine around it and matted it on black cardstock to help it pop.

The sentiment is from the same set I used in last week's sketch challenge, Friendly Advice, Kid's Quotes by Inkadinkadoo.

If you'd like to see more cards made with this sketch, head on over to the CAS(E) Sketch blog.

Stamped Gift Boxes

I once again combined two crafty things I love; my Silhouette machine and stamps to create a cute little gift box. These boxes are great for holding gift cards, jewelry, or other small gifts.

I started off with this pillow box cut file from the Silhouette store which I cut out of card stock. The great thing about the Silhouette is it not only cuts but creates score lines too. They are a faint dashed line but it's easy enough to see where to make the folds. 

Before I folded and assembled the box, I stamped all over the box. I typically choose two different stamps that work together and two different coordinating ink colors. There's no real pattern to my stamping. I just stamp with the first stamp in one color then fill in with the second stamp in a different color. I always make sure to stamp off the page because I think it looks more natural that way. 

I then fold the box on the score lines and secure with sticky strip, add the gift, and then finish it off with ribbon or baker's twine. 

They turned out cute! I think they'd be really fun for Christmas too!

This post is part of the monthly Silhouette Challenges hosted by Lauren at The Thinking Closet. 

Check out other posts by Silhouette Challenge participants below: 

DIY Paper Star Lanterns by Me & My DIY

A Jar of Gratefulness by We ♥ Cards

Adding Easy Sketch Pen Detail to Silhouette Cuts by It Happens in a Blink

Laundry Room Labels by Unoriginal Mom

Kids Step Stool with Sass by Joy & Gladness of Heart

Magnetic Perpetual Calendar by Everydaypaper

Silhouette Fabric Ink {An Experiment} by Create & Babble

Playhouse Signs: Who Will We Be Today? by Suburble

How to Get a Second Wind Out of Your Gel Manicure by The Thinking Closet

DIY Graduation Gift by Super Sweet Life

A Silhouette Challenge by Home at Eight

Oval Coffee Table Reveal & More! by Give Me a Paintbrush

Stamped Gift Boxes by Coley's Corner

Monsters University T-Shirt by Tried & True

A Silhouette Challenge Project by Mel Stampz

Travel Accessories for Vacation Mementos & Business by An Elegant Touch

Interested in joining us for our group posting event next month?  We'd love to have you.  Simply contact Lauren from The Thinking Closet by email

Count Your Rainbows Card

I'm participating in another CAS(E) Sketch Challenge this week. 

This is the current sketch. 

And this is my interpretation of that sketch. 

Bright and cheery, isn't it? 

Here's a close up of that quote from a set called Kid's Quotes by Inkadinkadoo.

Ironically, I used a quote from that set as a quote of the week a few weeks back not knowing it was in a stamp set and when I saw the set I had to have it! 

If you'd like to see more cards made with this sketch, head on over to the CAS(E) Sketch blog.

Patriotic Owl

Recently I went to an event at church where we made cards for wounded soldiers. Before the event, I was telling my BFF about my plans to make patriotic owls on some of the cards using my favorite Hero Arts owl stamp. As I was talking about it, we issued myself a challenge; I'm going to use the same stamp to make a card for each month starting with this month. It'll be fun, don't ya think. 

To make my patriotic owls, all I did was stamp then on white paper, cut them out, and add an Uncle Sam hat sticker and a flag sticker and voila; patriotic owls!

USA Art

I wish I could take credit for being the brains behind this adorable USA themed art but it's actually an idea I saw created by the fabulously talented Jen at Craft-O-Maniac. When I saw it, I immediately knew I wanted to create something similar.....

 I had already decided that I was just going to do one mantle this summer instead of doing a summer mantle then a patriotic mantle then go back to the summer mantle. I would make my life a little simpler by just doing one mantle for the entire summer. I knew I would use the blue, red, and yellow color scheme because I already have things in that color scheme from last year. But I also wanted to somehow incorporate something patriotic into the mantle and color scheme so when I saw Jen's art I knew it would be perfect. 

I already had a blank canvas panel and all the paper in my stash. The USA map file was a free file from the Silhouette store that I had downloaded last year. I just threw it all together and voila! 

(linking to the parties listed in my sidebar)

Create your own "Rubber" Stamps

Recently, I have been really into stamping, making cards, and what not. I used to do it years ago but stopped for awhile and lately I have picked it back up and fallen in love with stamping and card making again. I really enjoy it and I love that I can create a card in 5 - 10 minutes. It's a great way for me to feed my creative soul when I don't have a ton of time or energy for a bigger project.

I was making a card and I really wanted a bigger polka dot stamp for a background than the polka dot background stamp I own. So, I grabbed my hand held circle punch and some craft foam and made one. That got me to thinking, I bet I could make stamps with my Silhouette. So, I gave it a try and it worked! 

Because I was a little hesitant to cut foam on my Silhouette (I don't want to mess it up!) I decided to try a thinner foam from my local dollar store. I started with a simple mustache shape because I have a friend who adored all things mustache related and I thought it would be fun to make her a set of cards. I double cut it with the blade on 9 and speed on 1. It worked perfectly! Because it was a thinner foam, I cut three mustaches out and glued them together using E-6000. I let them dry for a little while and then I attached them to my acrylic block I use for stamping with clear stamps by just adding a piece of removable tape to the block. Then I inked up my stamp and stamped away! 

Top image is the stamp on my acrylic block and bottom image is a stamped card.

I made a set of cards with the stamp and then boxed them up in a cute little window box I made. 

I have made other "rubber" stamps since making the mustache and they all have worked well. I will tell you though, if you give this a try, you'll need to use shapes that are a good size and do not have a ton of detail. I have tried a smaller, more intricate shape and it just didn't turn out well and resulted in an un-clean, smudged stamped image. 

This post is part of the monthly Silhouette Challenges hosted by Lauren at The Thinking Closet. 

Check out other posts by Silhouette Challenge participants below: 

DIY Business Cards {Silhouette Tutorial} by Create & Babble

Where Home Is: A Gift for a Military Family by Suburble

This Month's Facebook Silhouette Challenge by Tanya's Creative Space

3D Tea Gift Box Download by Creative Turn

File Cabinet Makeover by Super Sweet Life

Jewelry Box Creation by Joy & Gladness of Heart

Retro Chair Silhouette by Tried & True

Toddler Train T-Shirt by The Thinking Closet

First Silhouette Project! 3-2-1 Blastoff Shirt by de Jong Dream House

Placecard & Card Medley by An Elegant Touch

Using my Silhouette in the Shower (Bathroom Organization) by Whole New Leaf

Pretty & Personal Birthday Bundle by The House on Hillbrook

Binder Clip Photo Holders

I love these little binder clip photo holders.

I actually made these way back in January but I knew we were going to use them for the group craft at the BirthMom Buds Retreat so I didn't post them. 

These are just large binder clips (I found mine for 4 for a dollar at the Dollar Tree) that I have been decorated. They'll hold a photo, a note card, a recipe, etc. 

Decorating them is a cinch. You simply cut scrapbook paper of your choice to fit the binder clip, then adhere it to the binder clip. Then, embellish! You can embellish with ribbon, flowers, die cuts, or whatever your heart desires. 

They are pretty quick and inexpensive to make and make a great group craft for women's groups or organizations.

(Linking to the parties listed in my side bar)