Decorating With Vinyl

As much as I love Christmas and enjoyed the decorating and making gifts, I am ready to get back to blogging about home decor projects and finds.  

So excited about what I got for Christmas!!  My daughter had asked me what I wanted a month or so ago and I told her I would love the Sure Cuts A Lot software for my Cricut.  This great program lets you cut any font or dingbat on your computer with your Cricut, no expensive cartridges needed .  So awesome, since I am a font-a-holic and have downloaded a million from the internet!

So my first project was making some vinyl numbers and the frenchy crown for these plates.  The white vinyl is just contact paper from Dollar Tree.  The black is the Cricut vinyl.

I also did this quote for my craft room wall.  I'm not sure where it's from, but I love it!

I know it looks crooked in the pic but it  must be my camera distorting it .  I measured carefully and it is straight on the wall.  Weird!

Thanks for stopping by.  Your comments are so appreciated!  See you at the parties below.  



Pomegranate Sugar Scrub ~ You MUST make this!

A few of my friends from work were here Wednesday night for a little Christmas party and we made these great gifts.  I had been looking for a great sugar scrub and came across  this recipe on  greenbean's crafterole.  It is really fantastic!  I also modified it to make what I like to call MAN SCRUB.  It's a nice gift for the guys and honestly, isn't hard to come up with something to make for men? 

So you'll start by aquiring some containers.  I bought the 12 pack of jelly jars at the grocery store for $6.96.  Mine have plain silver tops.

Next you'll need a bag of sugar and a bottle of this:

It's hard to see in the pic but it has Oil of Olay in it and promises to soften your hands with just 5 uses!!!   Well, maybe.  But it does moisturize and the scent is Pomegranate, smells amazing!

So you'll take a mixing bowl and measure in 1 1/3 cups of sugar.  Now add some of the dawn, a couple of tablespoons or so and start mixing it in.  Add more a little at a time until you get the consistency of wet sand.  Spoon it into your jelly jar and seal with the lid. 

Add a pretty label and a bit of jute or ribbon and you're done. 

For the guys, I bought some of this shampoo/conditioner/bodywash stuff.  It smells really nice and after shavey and has added moisturizer.

Mix it with sugar the same way (in a different bowl) and since it's white, you can add a couple of drops of blue food coloring.  It gets a grungy stamped label and no ribbon or jute.  You can tell them it's for after they' ve worked on the car or in the yard.  Or if they're in touch with their feminine side, tell them it's great in the shower on the rough spots.  LOL!

Be sure to keep a jar for yourself.  It really leaves your hands so soft and smooth and if you use before shaving you'll get a much closer shave, since it removes the layer of dead skin cells.

Thanks for visiting!    Your comments are treasured! Linking up to the fun parties below!

Burlap & White

What is it about burlap that makes me love it so? It makes me itch and I don't like the feel of it but I love so much pairing it with white and the end results are just gorgeous.

This little project was so fun and came together in about 1/2 hour. I found the cute little oblong frame for a dollar at the thrift store. I had planned to make it into a chalkboard but after painting it heirloom white it just sat for awhile.

I have really been wanting to get some of my old black and white photos of my parents up and thought how great they would look against the burlap.

So I cut a piece to fit the frame back and glued it down then just added my photos with double backed acid free tape. These pics are from their wedding day in 1952 and their first few years of marriage. They're both with the Lord now but I love keeping their memory alive and seeing the joy of their wedding day. If you could see up close my mom is laughing as my dad feeds her the cake. Just makes me smile to look at it.

Another recent burlap & white adventure.   But I sold it in my etsy shop so now I get to make another!

Linking up to the fun parties below. Have a great weekend!



Little French Number Bottles

When life is crazy busy, as it is right now~ Christmas shopping, finishing up the gifts I'm making, basketball games, choir concerts.... my therapy is going into my craftroom, turning on my music, lighting my favorite candle and creating something.  So after 3 super busy days, I took Maddy to school and came home put my jammies back on and got to work.

I saw some gorgeous little french labled bottles in a boutique awhile back and thought I must make those sometime.  So I started out with these:

Next I played around in MS DIP and came up with my design:



I used a permanent glue dot runner to attach the labels and here are my pretties.  What do you think, burlap tie or no?   

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Caramel In A Can

I am having some girlfriends over next week for a little Christmas party and gift crafting.  One idea I'll be sharing is the Caramel In A Can.  I am sure alot of you have seen this idea before but if not, it is such a fun gift to make.

You'll start with a can or cans of sweetened condensed milk, like Eagle brand, though the store brands are great too.  Just be sure it's NOT plain evaporated milk! 

Remove label from can. Place UNOPENED can in the bottom of a VERY DEEP pot, like a stock pot. Add enough water to cover can or cans by at least 3 to 4 inches. Bring the water to a boil and boil gently for four (4) hours.

BE SURE THAT THE CANS ARE ALWAYS UNDER AT LEAST 3-4 INCHES OF WATER THE ENTIRE TIME.  IF THE CANS ARE NOT COMPLETELY IMMERSED THEY CAN EXPLODE.   Add very hot tap water as needed to keep them under under 3-4 inches of water at all times.   I set my oven timer to go off every 30 minutes to remind me to check water level.

You can boil several cans at one time.   When 4 hours are up, carefully remove pot from heat and allow to cool several hours.  Remove cans to a rack and allow to further cool til room temp.  DO NOT OPEN while hot unless you want to be sprayed in caramel!

The sweetened, condensed milk will have turned into the most delicious caramel inside the can.  It is great for apple dipping, ice cream topping, any dessert or treat you can dream up! 

Now, I know you'll be skeptical, I was too!  So make a can, and after it cools open it up and place in a dish.  Stir in 1 tsp vanilla and nuke it for a few seconds.  Now dip some apples, or cookies and you'll be a believer!   After you have inhaled it, go buy some to make for gifts!

To give as a gift, dry cans well and glue on a label you've made.   Here are my creations from last Christmas.  You can make a fun gift basket by adding an apple cutter and some apples.  Makes a great hostess or teacher gift!

Here is the label page.  If you'd like a copy, I can send as a png file so you can make it your own.

Thanks for dropping by!  Your comments are treasured. See you at the parties below!