Easter Mantel, with the Epic Letterpress

easter mantel

Remember how I mentioned that my Epic came without a cutting mat? One call to the folks at Lifestyle Crafts and they got one out to me ASAP! I decided to use the die cut feature to make this Easter banner. I printed the damask background that I showed you here on several squares. Then, I used a square die with rounded corners to fancy them up.

DSC_0028-1

I used a circle die to cut pieces of white cardstock. The lettering is black vinyl I cut with my Silhouette. I only did this because my printer was out of ink. My initial plan was to print directly on the cardstock and then die cut around each letter.

DSC_0008-1

The letters circles are attached to the damask backgrounds with glue dots. I punched holes and tied the squares together with ribbons. And then I used thumb tacks to attach them to the mantel. I’m classy like that.

DSC_0009-1

The grass came from Hobby Lobby in sheets like this:

DSC_0023-1

I cut them in half and laid them on top of the mantel. I used a little bit of that white tacky stuff that I cannot think of the name of right now to keep them from moving around.

DSC_0012-1

The wreath details are here and the chick came from Pier 1. The carrots are from Shopko. The plastic white eggs are also from Hobby Lobby.

DSC_1034

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY to pick up your own Epic 6 (letterpress/die cut machine from Lifestyle Crafts for 25% off. Use code “BLOGCRAP” to take advantage of the deal!

Check back tomorrow to see a fun project using Silhouette’s new fabric interfacing and to get the details on this month’s Silhouette promotion!


Please follow and like us:

I’ve created a monster

I was out with some friends last night. I got home well after bed time. Campbell was still up. “I need you to make me a shirt for Leprechaun Day.”

“Um, can’t you just wear something green from your closet?”

“No. I need you to make me one like for Valentine’s Day…with leaves on it.”

And since I’m a sucker…

DSC_0906

DSC_0911

DSC_0913

I think I’m single handedly keeping the Tulip Soft Fabric Paint division in business.

Don’t even get me started on the part where I had to go to 2 stores this morning to find corned beef since it’s suddenly everyone’s favorite meal of the whole year. Winking smile

Please follow and like us:

More on the Epic Letterpress

I wanted to try something else (i.e. not a thank you card) with my letterpress. The printing plates that Lifestyle Crafts sent me were this set

tiles

and a wedding set, which I cannot find anywhere on their site.

I’m not actually getting married again, so I don’t need any “save the date” cards. I decided I’d rather print some stuff I could enjoy, even if that meant spending a little money (just keeping it real). My pal Lara (who also has the Epic) mentioned that Hobby Lobby had supplies, so I went to check them out with my 40% off coupon in hand.

The heavens parted and angels sang when I found ONE of this set on clearance:

damask

I’m not sure what that was all about, because none of the other identical sets were marked down. SCORE! All the letterpress papers were 40% off, too. SCORE! So, I picked up a couple of different ink colors and came home to play.

DSC_0896
There’s the plate all inked up and ready to go. It doesn’t look like it has enough ink, but it totally does. Putting much more than that will give you a design that bleeds.

I’m not sure if there’s a learning curve and I’m getting better or if the bigger plate is easier to work with (although way way WAY harder to crank through the machine). Maybe it’s a combination of the two? Look how awesome the damask pattern prints!

DSC_0898

If you look really closely you can see how the printed part is actually indented. LOVE that.

And I did the same thing in a couple more colors:

DSC_0902

I took this shot to show you that the ink color on the label is a very accurate representation of the print color. You can also mix ink colors to get a custom shade. I haven’t gotten brave enough for that yet…

So, what am I going to do with all that damask-y goodness?

Stay tuned.

And remember that if you’re interested in picking up your own Epic and/or supplies, Lifestyle Crafts is offering all Crap I’ve Made readers 25% off through March 20th using code “BLOGCRAP”.

Please follow and like us:

Spring Wreath

This week is a little post heavy, I know. If you hate posts, I apologize. Winking smile

In addition to 3 posts here yesterday (Epic letterpress, Spring at Pier 1, and winner of the GiftCardRescue giveaway), I also did a guest post on the blog for Abode, a local consignment store. I talk about my love affair with shutters. I know a bunch of you have asked about the ones above my fireplace, so head on over to the Abode blog to check that out, if you’re so inclined.

****************

So, I mentioned that I got a couple of things for myself at Pier 1. I could not resist these mossy bunnies:

DSC_0800

I picked up a grapevine wreath at the craft store along with some faux forsythia. That’s fun to say, no? And, I already had some hilariously awesome fake carrots. I don’t know what they’re made out of, but I got them at Shopko in a bundle.

I put it all together and came up with this:

springwreath

I also found this chick at Pier 1:

DSC_0806

The current state of my spring mantel:

springmantel

It still needs a little somethin’ somethin’, but I’ve got time. Spring doesn’t start until Saturday, right?

Please follow and like us:

GiftCardRescue Winner

First up, this is the LAST CALL For Lisa and Kelly to claim their LUCKY pillow patterns.  I’m drawing new winners tomorrow (Tuesday).

The winner of the $50 credit to GiftCardRescue is:

GCRwin

#82, aka Ms Mae!

Shoot me an email to [email protected] to claim your prize.

Thanks to GiftCardRescue for the giveaway!

Please follow and like us:

Is it Spring yet?

This post brought to you by Pier 1. All opinions are 100% mine.

 

Did you know that the official first day of Spring is next weekend?  Does it feel like it in your neck of the woods?  We had more snow last week.  I’m over it.  I’m ready for Spring.

So, I put on some Spring-y shoes

DSC_0781

and I headed to Pier 1.

See that ice melt residue on the sidewalk?  Told you it’s still yucky here!  It’s definitely Spring in Pier 1, though.

DSC_0783

See?

DSC_0794

Let’s take a closer look at that pillow (on another chair):

DSC_0785

THAT, my friends, is outdoor fabric.  And because I didn’t believe the tag, I manhandled it just to make sure.  Awesome.  Put it on your couch so you can enjoy it all the time and then take it outside when you’re barbecuing to show the neighbors just how fancy you are!  Plus, it’ll smell like meat when you bring it back indoors!

The other indoor/outdoor thing that blew my mind?  This rug:

DSC_0796

It’s so pretty I don’t think I could stand to take it outside.

Are you ready to celebrate the official start of Spring next weekend?  Pier 1’s got a special in-store offer to help you do just that.  Sign up for the Pier 1 Outdoor newsletter to get the scoop.

DSC_0792

I think I need those napkin rings…to wear.  So, so cute!

Whilst I’m taking about Pier 1, remember the bloggers night out in the Salt Lake City area in December?  There are more headed your way.

Dallas: March 22nd 
Atlanta: April 5th 
NYC: April 20th

Visit the Pier 1 Tweetups page for the details, because a moment like this when you win a $500 gift card is too good to pass up!

DSC_0535

I picked up a couple of things for myself.

DSC_0801

I’ll show you how they play into my Spring/Easter mantel tomorrow.

Visit Sponsor

Please follow and like us:

Meet the Epic

First of all, if your name is Lisa or Kelly, you should check this post to see if you’re one of the LUCKY pillow pattern winners.

Second, I’m closing down the GiftCardRescue giveaway around noon MST. GO ENTER NOW if you haven’t already.

***************

Lifestyle Crafts contacted me recently and asked if I’d like to review their Epic Letterpress and Die Cut machine. I love crafty gadgets, so I jumped at the chance.

epiccombo

My box was missing a cutting mat, so I haven’t tried the die cut function yet. Hopefully I’ll be able to talk about that later this week! Today we’re talking about letterpress.

Letterpress is so fancy, right? And I am so not! What’s a girl to do?

Well, I checked out the Lifestyle Crafts blog and read up on how to ink.

DSC_0842-2

I love the little legs on the brayer so you can set it down!

And then, I recruited help. I put Macy in charge of the Epic.

DSC_0838-2

She took her job VERY seriously. Note the tongue sticking out of her mouth.

Our first attempt was pretty good:

DSC_0843-2

See that part where the arrow is pointing? My printing plate actually had a little plastic chip missing. None of the others did, so I think that was a fluke.

DSC_0846-1

After the purple ink had dried, we used some charcoal ink and added a “THANK YOU” along the bottom.

DSC_0847-1

And then since we already had the charcoal ink all rolled out, we made some envelopes to match.

DSC_0849-1

WAY cute with the recipient’s name in that little shape, but you’ll have to trust me. I didn’t manage to take a picture of that.

So, are you intrigued?

Stick around for a couple more Epic projects this week.

Have you had your eye on the Epic?

Lifestyle Crafts is offering all Crap I’ve Made readers 25% off March 14th-20th using code BLOGCRAP.

Please follow and like us:

You might spend too much time blogging if…

Your latest plan for your living room color coordinates with your blog header.

DSC_0780

I’m thinking about making one of these pillows, just for comedic effect.

rss-icon-designed-throw-pillow
Image from infmetry.com

Please follow and like us:

LUCKY pillow pattern winners!

Winner #1

kirwin1

#9, Mandi @ CRUSH

Winner #2

kirwin2

#5, Lisa

Winner #3

kirwin3

#38, kelly

SHOOT ME AN EMAIL ASAP ([email protected]) WITH YOUR MAILING ADDRESS SO KIRSTEN CAN GET THE PATTERNS IN THE MAIL!

Please follow and like us:

Feature Friday

There’s no Flickr or Facebook involved this week. There is, however, FrogTape. Maybe I should have called it FrogTape Feature Friday? Too late. Winking smile

Sara (who is blog-less) emailed me after I posted about how I painted this mural with pretty much no artistic talent whatsoever and some FrogTape.

UtahJazzRoom1
Part 1, Part 2

Sara took this $5 dresser (jealous…I never find anything that good for $5)

DSC03227

added some FrogTape

DSC03244

and turned it into this:

DSC03579

DSC03581

Thanks for sharing, Sara!

Friday features usually come from the Flickr group or Facebook page but feel free to email me ([email protected]) like Sara did, too!

Please follow and like us:

Creative Commons License
Crap I've Made by Char is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.crapivemade.blogspot.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at www.crapivemade.blogspot.com.

MyFreeCopyright.com Registered & Protected
BLOG DESIGN BY: