If you want to see how I made the art in the DIY Blogger House nursery, you’re in the right place.

Lara of Less Cake {more frosting} and I collaborated on this nursery.  When you get a couple of Sound of Music dorks together working on a room, you’re just asking for some sort of movie reference.  And, since clothes made out of curtains don’t make sense in a room that’s not for an actual baby (or ever), artwork it was. 

Lara showed me Copeland’s Colorful Nursery from Project Nursery and we knew we HAD to use that phrase.  And, we knew we wanted BIG.  We looked at canvases, but my signature project budget was running low.  We thought about painting it on the wall, but I was worried about a) screwing up and b) having to spend that much time in the house that last week.  So, inspired by the amazing artwork in Mandi’s entryway, we went with plywood.

I picked up this piece (4’ X 4’, thin…maybe 1/4”, pre-cut) at Lowe’s for about $14.  I went through the entire stack before settling.  I liked the movement of the grain.

Then, I took Lara a Diet Coke and she came up with a sketch/design.

I separated the design in my Silhouette Studio software, and cut the script-y font out of vinyl using my CAMEO.  I applied the vinyl to the board and painted 2 coats using regular old cheap acrylic craft paint.  Then I peeled off the vinyl.

You’ll notice that I jacked up the colors.  Oops.  It still turned out awesome, right?

Once that was dry, I cut the print font out of vinyl with my CAMEO and applied that to the board.  The white paint needed 3 coats, but that may be due to the fact that it had been in the basement for like 5 years.

It needed just a little bit more *something*, so I went with 2 coats of a gloss poly,

sanding between coats (and taking awesome cell phone pics in my garage in the dark).

The total cost for this was right around $20.

And, because I love you, I’m sharing the Silhouette Studio file for your cutting pleasure. 

Sound of Music Art

The scale is HUGE/sized for our 4’ X 4’ board but it can all be cut on 12” vinyl in your CAMEO.

If you’re here to buy a CAMEO + 2 rolls of vinyl and transfer tape for $269.99, go here and use code “CRAP”.

If you’re here to get 40% off any and all Silhouette vinyl, go here and use code “CRAP”.

To see two other projects I made with the vinyl Silhouette sent me this month, check out my Mother’s Day sign and my DIY Vintage sign tutorials.

So, I mentioned yesterday in the glitter glasses post that we are huge fans of Zenni Optical.  Macy recently started wearing glasses and was sorely disappointed in the color selection at the eye doctor.  I was sorely disappointed in the pricing.  So, we gave Zenni a try.  We were extremely happy and have since placed another order.  Or two.

The one thing we don’t love about Zenni?  All the cases come like this,

which is fine if you only have a pair or two.  But when you have 11?  (Did I just admit that?)You are frantically opening case after case after case in search of the orange glasses and you needed to leave for orchestra 2 minutes ago.

So, I sat down with my Silhouette Studio® Designer Edition software (you could totally do this in the regular version, to) and made some labels.

And now?

***I am not affiliated with Zenni Optical in any way.  They made my new glasses wearer much happier about wearing glasses.  And that makes me happy.***

And, because several people have asked, we upgrade to poly-carbonate lenses and anti-glare coating, which adds about $15/pair.  Sometimes they have buy 2 get one free sales.  The bottom line for me is that 11 pairs of glasses from Zenni = less than one pair from the eye doctor.

+

1 roll 12-inch Black Premium Vinyl

1 roll 12-inch White Premium Vinyl

1 roll 12-inch Transfer Paper

=

$269.99

Go here to add the bundle to your cart and use code “CRAP” to take advantage of the savings.  This promo runs through May 16th.

If you already have a Silhouette, you can get 40% off all vinyl using the same link and code “CRAP”!

WANT TO TAKE YOUR CHANCES AND TRY TO WIN ONE?  HERE’S WHAT COULD BE IN IT FOR YOU:

One lucky Crap I’ve Made reader will win her (or his) very own Silhouette CAMEO™

TO ENTER:

Leave a comment on this post.

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:

Follow the Silhouette blog.  Come back and leave a comment ON THIS POST (on the blog, not on Facebook or in response to your email subscription) saying that you did.

Follow Silhouette on Pinterest.  Come back and leave a comment ON THIS POST saying that you did.

***3 possible entries per person***

Giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and over only and closes Monday, May 14th at noon MST.  Winner will be chosen at random using a WordPress Plugin (And The Winner Is…) and notified by email.  Winner has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

I’ve already showed you one of the things I made with the roll of vinyl Silhouette sent me this month:

Vintage sign tutorial here.

I’ll have my latest vinyl project for you tomorrow.  I’ll also be updating this post with links to the other giveaways going on in blog land as I become aware of them, so be sure to check back!

Infarrantly Creative

Skip to My Lou

Crap I’ve Made

I Heart Naptime

House of Hepworths

Craftaholics Anonymous

I do.

Do you love the price of old metal signs?

I do not.

Plus, what are the odds that it’ll be just the right size and color?  Not good, friends…not good.

So, when I had the idea to put one on Macy’s pallet headboard, I knew I’d have to DIY it.

My first stop was the ducting section at Lowe’s.

They sell metal sheets elsewhere in the store (near the plexi glass), but they’re about 2-3 times as much.  Is it “nicer” metal?  Probably, but we don’t need nice for this project.

The sheet measured 24” X 36”, but I wanted a slightly different size.  I cut about 2.5” off one of the long sides so my piece was 21.5” X 36”. You can score with a razor blade/utility knife and then snap the metal along the line, but it takes some SERIOUS patience and massive amounts of scoring.  I went the quick route and used tin snips (WEAR GLOVES) and then used a file to smooth the edge (WEAR GLOVES).

I liked the look of a metal border, so I taped off the edges and then I applied some yellow paint.  I used Jonquil from the new Martha Stewart Crafts by Plaid line.  That paint works on pretty much any surface, including metal.  You don’t need a great coat, because you’re going to sand it and beat it up.  Make sure it’s mostly covered, though.  Peel off the tape and sand.  I used an electric sander with 220 grit.  If you’re doing it by hand, you could use rougher paper (lower grit #).  Here’s a shot after I had sanded:

I put the tape back on and applied some vinyl, cut with my Silhouette CAMEO™, in the center in the shape of a vintage Chevrolet logo.

I traced the center part manually in the Silhouette Studio® Designer Edition software and then used the font “Hood Ornament” to add the lettering.  It’s not quite the same font that Chevy actually used, but only true car dorks would know that.

Once the vinyl was applied, I put on a coat of Martha Stewart Crafts by Plaid paint in carrot.

After I peeled off the tape and vinyl:

And then I sanded some more.  Once I was happy with it, I mounted it to the headboard with a screw in each corner.

I will probably go back and put a clear coat on it, but it’s cold today and I’m a wuss. 

Coming off the awesome insanity that was SNAP! = Mother’s Day totally sneaking up on me

Fortunately, I had all this Martha (yes, THAT Martha) goodness to inspire me:

Available at Michael’s and now also at JoAnn’s

If you haven’t already, you MUST check out the Martha Stewart Crafts by Plaid paints.  You can use them on virtually any surface (glass, metal, wood, terracotta, etc) and the colors/finishes are FAB.  And don’t even get me started on the tools!  The tops that screw directly onto the paint bottles make me WAY happier than they should.

So, what’d I make?  A sophisticated beachy sign/piece of art with my favorite mom saying:

I started out with a board from the hardware store (cheap…$7 or so) that I had BC cut down a bit and 3 colors of paint.

The one on the left is called Sea Lavender (I don’t know).  The one in the middle is Beach Glass.  And, the one on the right is Sterling.

I did a very thin coat (watered it down…is that called a wash?) of the Sea Lavender over the whole board.

Then I picked out one of the stencils, a damask-y pattern from the Flourish set

and used some stencil adhesive spray and the foam pouncer tops

and I did some stenciling.

I applied the Sterling first

and then layered on the Sea Glass.

Once it was dry, I gave it a light sanding.  I wanted it to look old and faded.

The last step was to add the lettering.  I cut the phrase out of vinyl and removed where I wanted the paint to be and then applied it to my board.

I used the Sea Glass with the foam pouncer top to fill in the vinyl stencil as well.

Are you making a Mother’s Day gift for someone that has mothered you?

Will you tell me what it is?  (This isn’t actually for my mom…she reads my blog!)

Find my post disclosure here.

· Twitter: http://twitter.com/plaidcrafts (@plaidcrafts)

· Facebook: http://facebook.com/InspiredByPlaid

· Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/plaidcrafts

I promised the how to on the paint job from the mailbox I used in yesterday’s post, so, without further ado…

The first thing you’ll want to do is remove the flag from the mailbox.  Mine had a nice little pin to pull out and the flag came right off.

Next you need dots.  Lots and lots of dots.  I used vinyl and cut them with my Silhouette CAMEO™ and my Silhouette Studio® Designer Edition software, but you could easily trace and cut them by hand or even use a large punch.  Because I bought an oversized mailbox, I wanted my circles big…1.5”.  I made one and then used Object > Replicate > Fill page in my software to fill my vinyl.  A 9” by 24” piece gave me enough 1.5 dots for my whole mailbox.

I drew a pencil line down the top of my mailbox and found the center.  I placed my first dot there.  I then spaced the dots 2 1/4” apart (from edge to edge) along the top of the box.

To make the next row, I drew a line 2 1/2” from the bottom edge of the dots and placed the bottom of the next row right up next to that line.

I centered a row of dots down the front and back of the mailbox with the same spacing, and then filled in the ends the same way.

Once all the dots were in place, I had a kid run her finger around all the edges to make sure that the vinyl was sealed tightly.  Then, I headed for the garage with a can of Valspar Gloss Exotic Sea.  (Random side note:  I’m enjoying the new Valspar spray paint cans immensely.  The big old trigger button makes the painting much more comfortable.)

My favorite “duh” spray painting tip is to always start with your item upside down.  Get all the bottom edges painted nicely first.  I gave the whole mailbox a couple of coats and then peeled off the vinyl.  I used the hook tool from Silhouette, but again…not necessary.

Put the flag back on and you’re good to go (chains and bird perches optional)!  I’m totally wishing my mailbox wasn’t brick right about now.

Check back tomorrow for a seriously awesome deal on the Silhouette CAMEO™ and the Silhouette Studio® Designer Edition software.

You’ve seen the fabulous pillows made from feed sacks all over the internet, right?  Pottery Barn had some made from coffee bags, even.  I love them, but I don’t happen to have an abundance of feed sacks sitting around.  OK, I don’t have any feed sacks sitting around and I don’t know where to get them either.  So, I came up with this project to satisfy my love of the feed sack.  Desperation is the mother of invention, right?  And, this tutorial *might* even be better than the real deal because you can totally personalize a faux sack.  What are the odds that you’d find an actual feed bag with your last name (or Santa or whatever) on it?  (Hint: none.)

(I went the Santa route, since I originally developed this project for the A Swell Noel series over at Positively Splendid, but this technique would work for any image/lettering.)

SUPPLIES:

Canvas drop cloth, from the paint section.  You can get a 6’ X 9’ one for around $10.  That’d make A LOT of pillows.
Contact paper, vinyl, or freezer paper.  I used contact paper because it’s cheap and can easily be fed through my Silhouette.
Silkscreen ink.  I like Simply Screen by Plaid.
Sandpaper

HOW TO:

Cut your design or lettering out of your contact paper (or vinyl or freezer paper).  I used a Santa silhouette from the Silhouette download store and then cut it with my Silhouette (on vinyl settings but slowed down to a speed of 5 and a depth of 7).  You could easily do this with a craft knife as well.

Apply the contact paper to your drop cloth.  I cut an 18” X 18” square because my pillow form was 18”.

I used that green scraper thing to get a good tight seal around the edges.

I like to stick the vinyl backing under my fabric to keep the ink from bleeding through and getting on my table.

Apply silkscreen ink with a sponge brush.

I like to use a scrap of contact paper to squirt the ink out onto.

Once the ink is dry, you can peel off the contact paper.

Then, take some sandpaper to your design.

Keep sanding until it looks old and worn and like it’s been part of the canvas forever.

Assemble your pillow (I made a simple envelope back).

And you’re done.

BC’s office is the only one in the building that has a window in the door.  Nice, right?  Not so much when EVERYONE in the place has to pass his office on their way to the bathroom.  And they all like to peek in.  I have it on good authority that he occasionally falls asleep at work, so he asked me to come up with some sort of window covering solution.  Here’s what we came up with:

First, we “frosted” the glass on the inside of his office door using clear contact paper and Windex.  There are a bunch of instructions floating around out there, so no tutorial on that, but the gist of it is that you spray both the window and the contact paper with Windex and then you smooth out the bubbles with a credit card and trim the edges with a razor blade.

The main limitation of this technique is that you can only “frost” stuff narrower than your contact paper.  We had to make a seam.  You can see it in this picture:

We put his name directly over the seam to camouflage that a bit.

Next, I imported the company logo into my Silhouette software and used the trace function.  I found a copycat font and retyped the smaller lettering, because it did NOT trace well.

I used Silhouette premium vinyl and applied the logo on the outside of the glass.

And now he can sleep in peace!

MARCH SILHOUETTE PROMOTION:

Silhouette SD, one of each fabric interfacing (clean cut & sewable) and a roll of white flocked heat transfer material for $229.

If you already have a Silhouette and want to try out the interfacing, you can get 25% off.

The March promotion will run from the 21st through the 27th.

Code “CRAP” will let you take advantage of either of the deals.

Silhouette sent me some of their new frosted glass premium vinyl to try. And I LOVE it. It’s the perfect way to fancy up your glassware without any sort of commitment.

See?

(That kinda looks like a urine sample.)

Also?

And, I couldn’t get a good shot of this one, but I think it’s my favorite:

Silhouette is offering 2 promotions for January:

25% off all premium vinyl

and/or

A Silhouette SD, 2 rolls of premium vinyl, 1 roll of transfer tape, a home décor CD for $225 (a $395 value!!!)

Use code “CRAP” to take advantage of either of these offers now through the 22nd!

(Part 1 is here.)

Between Pier 1 events on Wednesday (more on that later), we put the finishing touches on Macy’s violin.

Her orchestra teacher is a DARLING lady who puts her heart and soul (and eardrums) into teaching elementary kids how to play. She’s got patience I can only dream of and is always happy and positive and encouraging. So, here’s what we did:

I think Bonnie liked it. She made Macy take off the shoulder rest and hold the violin up during the performance. And I heard she took a picture of it, too.

I used my Silhouette to cut the vinyl. The tree and star are a download and the heart comes with the machine. I love that it’s so easy to stretch/change a design to fit your space…even if that space is the bottom of a violin.

Silhouette is offering 10% off all vinyl purchases using code “CRAP” through the end of the month.

Also don’t forget about the Nativity Parade I’m hosting beginning TUESDAY!

Here’s a quick and easy vinyl project that can be done without the use of a cutter. You can do simple rectangles or fancy it up a bit. I used regular old black vinyl and wrote with a chalkboard marker for this:

And white vinyl and a dry erase marker for this:

(So what if we ate all the treats?)

The reindeer food = just oatmeal and glitter. We have the kids sprinkle it on the lawn on Christmas Eve. If you want to gift some, you can attach this cute little poem that goes along with:

Sprinkle on the lawn at night
The moon will make it sparkle bright
As Santa’s reindeer fly and roam
This will guide them to your home.

You all know of my love for the IKEA as-is section, right? When I picked up the cabinet door for this project, I also found a whole shopping cart full of smooth black cabinet doors. And they were 99 cents a piece. I bought 3 in assorted sizes and decided I’d figure out what I was going to do with them later. BC was thrilled!

I tried to come up with a newspaper-y title for our board. Coester Chronicles was as good as it got. I cut out some white vinyl with my Silhouette and applied it to the top of the board (the font is Cloister Black). I put a saw tooth picture hanger on the back and hung it up right next to the front door.

Remember those wet erase chalk markers I mentioned a week or two ago? They work like a dream on my cabinet door turned chalkboard.

In honor of the Expressions Vinyl giveaway this week (go here to enter), I have another vinyl project for you today.

You don’t need a vinyl cutter to do these. You can use a craft punch (my recommendation) or scissors or an Exacto knife or whatever.

My Christmas tree this year looks like a whole lot of crazy threw up on it. I let the kids go nuts with it….and I kind of like it. OK, I really like it. Here’s a little glimpse of the crazy:

Regular ornaments? Obviously not quite our style.

(Green ornament with red vinyl circles punched in various sizes)

(Aqua ornament with red vinyl snowflake)

(Green ornament with red vinyl snowflakes. Also? A prime example of why you shouldn’t worry about getting out or the reflection…you’ll just look like an idiot squatting and holding the camera like that!)

What about a red ornament with a black vinyl “belt” and a little gold buckle?

Think of the possibilities!

They’re $14.99 for the 2 pack. I like them, but wanted to perk them up a bit.

I cut some vinyl with my Silhouette ($100 off through the end of the month using code “CRAP” ) into snowflake shapes and applied it to the inside of the glass. You could do the outside, but I wanted a little more subtle look.

Here it is turned off:

And illuminated:

Supplies:
Two 5.5” pieces of a 2X4
1 wood screw (2” or longer)
1 screw-in hook
Drill and drill bit for making pilot holes
Whatever paint, paper, pictures, etc you want for embellishing

You may want to sand your 2X4 pieces first. Or, just cut them straighter than I did. You decide.

Embellish as desired. For the gingham looking one, I cut pieces of scrapbook paper the same size as the sides of my 2X4 and Mod Podged them on.

I just painted the red one with acrylic craft paint.

I applied a red paper C that I cut with my Silhouette to the gingham one and a silver vinyl C (also cut with my Silhouette) to the red one. You absolutely do not need a Silhouette to make these, mine’s just made me lazy. You could trace and cut by hand or print or paint or leave letters off completely. I think these have some hilariously awesome potential with family members’ faces on them.

I sanded the edges and used stain on one (gingham) and Ralph Lauren glaze on the other (red).

Using a straight edge, make lines connecting the corners of both pieces. This will give you the center/location of your pilot holes. Because my children have stolen all the rulers, I used a paint stick.

Drill all the way through the board for the bottom piece and an inch or so into the board for the top piece.

Drill another pilot hole on the center front. This picture shows the boards already assembled because I forgot to drill the hole for the hook the first time around.

Put your screw all the way through the bottom board, so it sticks out just a little.

Line up the screw with the hole in the top piece and finish driving the screw in. You’ll want to sink the head of the screw in just a little so that the boards will lay flat on your mantel, like this:

Here are what the hooks that I used looked like:

You won’t need the plastic wall anchor part, just the hooks.

Screw them in, and you’re finished!

***Only use for hanging EMPTY stockings!***

This project is another hint about next week’s giveaway. Sorry, it’s not a Silhouette, you don’t even need one for this project, but you can buy one for $100 off plus a free home décor CD using code “CRAP” through the end of the month.

I started with a boring old candle plate from IKEA.  It’s metal and was 2 or 3 dollars.

You could really use ANY plate or charger or cake stand.

Then I drew a pepperminty swirl shape on newspaper and cut it out.  You don’t have to do that, because I’ve uploaded it as a PDF for you.

Peppermint Swirl Template

I used the template with the line down the middle in both of my examples.  I just eyeballed the gap between the 2 pieces when I placed them.

Trace the template on some vinyl and cut it out.

Arrange the pieces on your plate to make sure you like how it’s going to look.

Then start sticking.  Trim any weird edges or overhang with an Exacto knife.

Love it so much you repeat the process on your red cake stand.

The best news?  You can peel it right off once the holidays are over.

I’m thinking of attempting a pillow using the same template.  Stay tuned for that.

Don’t have a mantel? No problem!

I started with a cabinet door from the as-is section at IKEA.

As you can see, I spent A LOT of money on it.

I gave it a coat of off white spray paint that I found in the garage and then glazed it using Ralph Lauren glaze in Tobacco.

I applied some vinyl lettering I cut with my Silhouette (using painters tape for transferring small stuff/text is my new favorite trick). The font is called St. Nicholas…appropriate, right?

And then I drilled a few holes along the bottom and installed these fabulous knobs from Hobby Lobby.

Total cost? $21, and that’s only because I spend $5 a piece on knobs. You could make this for WAY less.

Do your kids change their minds approximately 8754 times before Christmas? Mine do. And that was precisely the reason I came up with this project.

It’s SUPER SIMPLE, so I didn’t photograph all the steps. I know you can figure out it.

Supplies:
Frame
Decorative Paper
Vinyl lettering (I cut mine with my Silhouette) –or- you could run the decorative paper through your printer or write it by hand

I chose these lightweight IKEA frames because I originally wanted to put magnets on the back and stick them on the fridge. I still might do that…

Give your kids a dry erase marker and have them make their lists.

Laugh for 20 minutes when your four year old asks for fake teeth.

Emily sent me one of Scentsy’s DIY Warmers. Here it is straight out of the box.

Scentsy has a bunch of different theme packs (seriously…20+). However, given my current orange obsession, I decided to pimp my warmer on my own.

I busted out my Silhouette and started cutting.

I’m not thrilled with the circle-y border up top, but the good news is I can change it easily. I’m loving that I can change it up any time I want. I’ve got big plans for Christmas already!