Winter Wonderland Magical Celebration - SVG Cuts project.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Today, I'm so excited to share what I've been tediously working on this month!

I've created a whole party set up all with SVG Cuts files!

I just wanted to do everything...

from invitations, to banners, to garlands...

to napkin holders, crackers, coasters, cutlery holders -

place cards and table lanterns and ornaments...

all the way to the party favors!

Here's a snapshot of the whole party!

... and here's a detailed shot and instructions for each of the projects!

1. Party Invitation: Use the Layered Square from Bicycle Built for Two SVG Collection to create a 5x5 card.  So simple! The Shimmer twine was wrapped around the vertical banner and tied into a bow before adhering. Attach a bell with hot glue. The double frame was adhered using foam tape to add dimension. If you wish to print your sentiment rather than handwriting or using stamps like I have done, you just need to follow these simple steps. Make ‘templates’ similar to the ‘Photo Templates’ Mary explains in various kits to create a frame guiding you where to place the paper to get the perfect cut. Cut out a shape on a piece of paper, lift off the inside cut out, and without moving the paper, carefully insert the sentiment printed sheet underneath framing the sentiment.  Lift off the top paper and cut. For the ‘Eat. Drink. Be Merry.’, I simply printed a black background on white cardstock with white font and added some chalk smear for a chalkboard effect.

2. Merry and Bright Banner: Enlarge the Banner1.svg, banner2.svg and frame2.svg from BicycleBuilt for Two SVG Collection (change to vertical orientation) to a desired size and cut.  For my letters, I used Credit Valley Font to cut in glitter paper and created a shadow in cream to make the letters ‘pop’. Adhere a snowflake from Santa’s North Pole Workshop SVG Collection and top it off with a bell in the center. Attach clothespin on each side of the pennant and use jute twine and Shimmer twine to hold up the banner. (I found it helps to glue the clothespin at the back to add sturdiness)

3. Snowflake garland: These are easy to make and adds so much to a party! Cut as many snowflakes in a desired size from Santa’s North Pole Workshop SVG Collection. Using a craft circle punch, make two holes opposite from each other on the snowflake. String through the snowflakes with Shimmer twine and suspend them between the walls. If you do not have a punch, you may add the circle cut outs to be cut on your machine.

4. Pinecone Place Cards: Enlarge the pinecone from 3D Wintergreens SVG Kit, cut and assemble. Paint the tips with white paint, let it dry and finish off with a glitter paint to add sparkle. Using a large clothespin, clip the bottom portion of the pinecone so it stands up and tie the bottom with a Shimmer twine bow. Make a slit at the top of the pinecone using a craft knife and insert your personalized name banner, using a chalkboard cardstock, alphabet stamp and white ink (this was hand cut).  

5. Cutlery Bag: Set your cutlery inside this fancy holder to impress your guests! Simply cut 5”w by 10”w with a pretty cardstock, and sew on a 5”w by 5.5”w vellum for the top layer.  I added on a lace from BattenburgLace and Crochet Trim SVG Collection on the vellum before sewing onto the backing piece. I added a sentiment stamp, Shimmer twine, and a bell to ‘jazz’ it up.

6. Poinsettia Crackers: Can you believe that the file for these pretty party crackers (under SVG Collections used) is FREE? I love using them for various occasions. Here, I dressed up these crackers with corrugated paper, Shimmer twine and a spindly poinsettia from 3D Wintergreens SVG Kit.

7. Wreath Napkin Rings: Reduce size, simply cut and assemble the wreath.svg from Silent Night SVG Kit. These already have so much detail and dimension that it doesn’t need much more to dress it up. I added Shimmer twine bow and attached them onto a paper strip ring.

8. Cardinal Wine Glass Rim Topper and Coaster: Mini cardinals were made using the Cardinal Hideaway bag from the Christmas Gift Bags SVG Kit. A small slit was made at the bottom, and adjust the slit width to fit your glasses. Don’t make the slit too wide as it will not hold its position.  You can also add names of the guests on each of the cardinals to use as wine 'markers'. A mini doily from Doilies SVG Collection makes elegant coasters in no time! Size the doilies making sure that it is bigger than the base of the glasses you’re using for your party.

9. Etched Snowflake Wine Glasses: see Winter Wonderland Etched Wine Glasses blog post for detailed instructions.

10. Tree Ornaments: Make some beautiful ornaments that coordinate with your party theme and hang them on a miniature store bought tree to create a stunning dinner centerpiece!  Reduced size Ball Ornament from Silent Night SVG Kit and Spindle Ornament from Christmas Ornaments SVGKit were used here. Simply add some Shimmer twine, glitter dots and a bell for a festive look! You may use the commercial ornament hangers or simply make them out of wire or use twine to hang them on the tree.

11. Table Lanterns: Add a bit of a glow to your dinner table by adding in some luminaries. I used a lantern from the Stars and Stripes SVG Kit and accented with ferny evergreens from 3D Wintergreens SVG Kit, Shimmer twine and a bell. Inside is a LED flameless candle surrounded by pinecones, mini cinnamon stick and bells.

12. Crate Party Favors: Adjust the size of the crates from Caramel Apple Pie SVG Kit to make mini sized ones. I stamped a sentiment on the chalkboard cardstock and adhered on using a clothespin. Fill them up with bags of cookies tied up with Shimmer twine and a tag for a special gift your guests can take home. 

That's it! 

Thanks for coming to my party!

I hope that you enjoyed my projects and how I customized each of the items 

to make them special! 

Merry Christmas everyone!

Winter Wonderland Etched Wine Glasses TUTORIAL - SVG Cuts project.

Hey all!

I have a TUTORIAL to share with you today!

I'm pretty sure many of you have tried doing this already,

and for those that haven't tried it - it's because you're probably afraid of vinyl!

(Well, at least for me, that was!)

So, all these pretty etched glasses that you see in stores -

they get pretty expensive don't they?

Well, I'm pleased to inform you that they are pretty easy to make,

and really don't take as long as you think!

I've made a set of 6 wine glasses all etched with SVG Cuts snowflakes...

and ta-da!!!

So festive, right?

These are cheap Ikea glasses - ones that you can get them for $5.00 for six!

... and after etching them, no one can guess it's from Ikea!

(Well, until they read this post, that is)

Ready for the TUTORIAL?

Well, first of all -

here's a pic of the MATERIALS:

1. Armour Etch cream (Martha Stewart one is fine as well!)

2. Vinyl (any color will do as it will only be used as a stencil)

3. Transfer vinyl

4. Cutting machine and a mat

5. Scraper (credit card or thin plastic object will do)

6. Paint brush

7. Craft knife

8. and of course, wine glasses! 

Instructions:

1. On your cutting machine software, open various snowflakes and resize them. 

You will need to make a ‘frame’ around each one to create a stencil that can be used individually. 

Using Basic Shapes Library, place a circle around each of the snowflakes, making sure the snowflake is centered. Group each snowflake with its frame. Make copies of these snowflakes on the mat. 

For my six glasses, I used two of each snowflake, resulting in 12 snowflakes each.

I used the following snowflakes:

Christmas Gifts Vinyl SVG Collection
Extras folder
snowflake.svg	0.90"w with 1.20"w circle
Christmas Cookie Party SVG Collection
snowflake.svg	0.90"w with 1.15"w circle
Cookies folder
snowflk_white.svg	1.40"w with 1.70" circle
Santa's North Pole Workshop SVG Collection
snowflake3.svg	1.10"w with 1.50"w

2. Apply vinyl sheet on the mat. Using the scraper, starting from middle, slowly apply light pressure moving towards the end of the vinyl getting any possible bubbles out. Cut. 

I used vinyl setting as the material being cut on the Sizzix eclips (Speed 4, Pressure1) and set the blade depth to 2. However, it does vary from machine to machine, as well as the age of the blade can play a role, too. To be safe, start out with a lower blade depth setting, and do a litle test cut to make sure that it is cutting through only the vinyl, but not through the backing.   

3. Peel off the vinyl around the frame,

and using craft knife, gently also peel off the inside snowflake  Discard the snowflake.

4. Apply a small sized transfer vinyl to cover the snowflake frame.  Using the same technique 

used in step 3,  release any bubbles between the vinyl and the transfer vinyl.

5. Start from one edge and peel off the transfer vinyl. The vinyl image should be attached onto the transfer vinyl.  It may help to use a craft knife to lift up the edges of the vinyl image.

6. Apply this directly onto a clean glass surface (you may use alcohol or glass cleaning solution prior). Any dust or oil residue may interfere with the etching quality. For wine glasses, it is inevitable to get a bit of vinyl bunching as the glass surface is curved. Some people make a small slit to allow the vinyl to sit flat. Whatever you may do, just make sure that every snowflake edge of the vinyl is sealed to the glass in all areas. Otherwise, the cream may leak out into the air pockets causing image blurriness.

7. Work on etching one half of the glass surface first instead of doing the whole glass. This allows you to hold the glasses sideways to prevent etching cream from leaking out of the image. Apply rest of the snowflakes needed for the first half.

8. Apply the etching cream. Stir the mixture well before applying. Using a brush, apply a good amount onto the inside snowflake making sure every part is covered.  Thicker coat gives a better result, but too much may cause the cream to leak out of the stencil.

9. Leave it on for at least 5 minutes. The longer you can wait, the more defined your etching will be. You can scrape off any cream with your brush to put back in the container as the etching cream is reusable.  Rinse under water, making sure all the cream is washed off.

10. Peel off the vinyl and repeat the other half of the glass.

11. To add little dotted snowflake, take a fine brush and hand apply random dots around the glass. 

Wait another 5-10 minutes and wash off.

...and that's it!

Once again, here is the completed project!

Just imagine the possibilities with a cutting machine and SVG Cuts files!

You can pretty much take anything and make an etched glass with it!

A great gift idea, and you can even customize it, too!

Just a few things: 

Smaller sized designs will be easier to etch on any surface that is curved, such as glasses, bowls and jars. The less area the stencil needs to cover, the less likely chance you’ll see vinyl bunching. 

Same concept as above, if the ‘frame’ is too thin, you would need to be more careful in applying the etching cream as it may leak into the ‘outer’ area. However, if the frame is too thick, it will be harder to apply the vinyl onto the glass as it is curved and more likely to ‘bunch’ up.

Take your time. Don’t rush trying to apply the vinyl onto the glass as it creates air pockets and loose seal. Don’t rush applying the etching cream, as it increases the chance of making a mistake. Allow enough time for the cream to etch into your glass. By following these instructions, you can create professional results.

Just like making a layout or a card, even a 3D object, the design is very important. Think ahead and make sure that your images are balanced and spaced out well on the glass.

That's it!

Easy Peasy!

I hope that I inspired you to try something new today! :)

Oh, and while you're here, 

don't forget to grab that new kit from SVG Cuts!

It's FREE!!!! (for a limited time!)

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY!

(Can't get better than that!)

Thanks for coming by!

Have a GREAT weekend!

  

Friends and wine Unity hop.

Hello friends!

Hopefully by this stop, you've got a cup of wine in your hands,

and enjoying this inspirational hop :)

What better way to enjoy this holiday season, right?

You should be arriving from Shemaine's blog -

and here's a list for your reference.

Andrea Murdock - http://www.mystampingheaven.blogspot.com/

Stephanie Muzzlin - http://handmade75.blogspot.ca/

Jen Erickson - http://shut-up-its-true.blogspot.com/

Jimmi Mayo - http://www.stampingwithjimmi.blogspot.com/

Karen Maldonado - http://reallifeinpictures.blogspot.com/

Laurel Seabrook - http://want2scrap.blogspot.com/

Lisa Henke - http://www.mylittlecreativeescape.blogspot.com/

Robyn Weatherspoon - http://robynweatherspoon.blogspot.com/

Shemaine Smith - http://shemainesmith.blogspot.com/

Thienly Azim - you're here.

Renee Aslette - http://www.reneeaslette.blogspot.com/

Erin Schreiner - http://www.erinleecreative.com/

Mandi Mance - http://faithhopecrafts.blogspot.com/

Lots of fun friends and wine releases today!

But before we get onto that -

I've made a few fun cards with the new Sentiment Kit - also released today!

All new{Be inspired} challenge is also starting up today,

so make sure that you come and join us this month!

So, here's the challenge inspiration photo and sketch:

Don't you just love the new color scheme?

Probably my fave so far!

So the rules for the challenge are - 

use the color combo and/or the sketch.

There's no other rules... 

except to use Unity stamps.

Makes sense, and easy enough?

To see the new sentiment kit - click here. 

Using that - I've made two quick cards today for the challenge!

Made each of the hearts into balloons.

I simply layered them, adhered foam on the foremost one, 

each with jute twine attached,

and tied them together with a red twine.

Simple but cute!

Next up is a washi tape card!

Since I love these colors so much, 

I was able to find enough to cover the whole lengthwise amount for the card base.

I adhered them at random lengths one beside another,

and then ran through the cutting machine to make heart cuts.

I backed the opening with a vellum and stamped the sentiment right on it.

The last up is the only new wine stamp release that I had a chance to make.

This one jumped at me and thought that it would be fun to make!

Let's get SIP FACED!

For this one, I stamped the wine image onto the white paper,  

cut out inside bottle portion of each of the bottle,

and backed it with transparency and various colored cardstock.

It's really fun to see this in person!

Don't forget to check out all the other fun wine stamps -

including a new ANGIEgirl, Fashionista girls and lots more!

Anyway - this feels like such a short post compared to my usual!

Been busy with the holidays - which is a good thing!

Don't forget to leave some love as TWO LUCKY WINNERS will receive:

Such a fun array of itty bitty stamps, right?

Also - HAPPY HOUR WINE DOT SALE IS ON!

Go check it out - don't miss out on the good deals!

Now, onto your next stop - 

Renee Aslette!

I know she's got some beautiful projects to share today!

Christmas Yuletide Log Cake Gift Box - SVG Cuts project.

Hello all!

I'm here today with a new Christmas project to share!

Totally excited for this one -

never have seen this made with paper,

and I'm happy with the way it turned out!

I just took two cylindrical containers -

put a hole in the long one midway,

inserted a shorter one at the side...

and voila!

You've got a log cake!

It's really that simple!

The rest is all fun stuff -

decorating the cake!

I came across this shimmery woodgrain papers at Michaels,

and was perfect for it!

I also sprayed with an adhesive to add on extra white glitter for icing sugar.

I used some flower trim to mimic the whipping cream texture.

This focal point of the cake was important that I do it right.

I went and researched what size, items are commonly used,

and tried to add various other embellishments to spice it up.

So, like I mentioned - 

this cylinder is a container so it opens like a gift box!

You can stuff some goodies in there,

and you'll have a yummy gift within a yummy looking gift!

For you to make this, you'll need:

Stars and Stripes SVG Kit (bigger log)

December Gifts SVG Kit (smaller log)

3D Wintergreens SVG Kit (holly and pinecones)

Santa's Visit SVG Kit (sleigh)

Swirlies SVG Collection (cake swirls)

Santa's North Pole Workshop SVG Collection (Santa, rudolph)

...and then head on over to the SVG Cuts blog for further instrucions on how to make this!

Oh, and don't forget to pick up the awesome first ever vinyl kit from SVG Cuts!

Pretty amazing, isn't it?

Yours free with a purchase of $9.98 or more!

Hope that you enjoyed my project today!

Thanks for coming by!

Handmade Valentines - Unity Hop.

Hello all!

It's December 4th and just put up my tree tonight.

Don't usually delay it this long, 

but realized a little while ago that our pre-lit lights doesn't work.

It was frustrating, 

and the kids were getting a bit worried if we were going to even have a tree...

but in the end - because of that -

we finally got a bigger and better tree.

I shall be thankful that our other tree lights died!

On the other note...

while I'm trimming the tree,

I'm back and forth in the craft 'room' (more like a space)

finishing up my Valentine projects.

Yep - we're thinking ahead for you!

We've got some pretty amazing releases this week -

Handmade Valentine Tag Kit and a Handmade Coupon Book!

You should be arriving from Andrea's blog,

and as always - here's a list for your reference.

Angie Blom - http://www.angieblomdesigns.blogspot.com/

Alyssa Bennett - http://mythoughtsexactlystamps.blogspot.com/

Erin Schreiner - http://www.erinleecreative.com/

Jolande van Oosterhout - http://www.justjolande.blogspot.com/

Joslyn Nielson - http://hereiswhatido.blogspot.com/

Lisa Arana - http://dahlhouse-designs.com

Renee Aslette - http://www.reneeaslette.blogspot.com/

Shilo Miles - http://papermeetsglue.blogspot.ca/

Stephanie Muzzulin - http://www.handmade75.blogspot.com/

Andrea Murdock - http://www.mystampingheaven.blogspot.com/

Thienly Azim - you are here.

Robyn Weatherspoon - http://robynweatherspoon.blogspot.com/

Lisa Henke - http://www.mylittlecreativeescape.blogspot.com/

Jen Erickson - http://shut-up-its-true.blogspot.com/ 

So, I made a few things - 

the first up is a set of Handmade Valentine gifts using the new kit!

Soooo fun, isn't it?

and it's super easy and makes your gifts look so good!

Getting a close up of each of the projects...

Here's a TAKE OUT BOX!

You can even put in some fortune cookies or chocolates for your loved one!

There's a couple of 'to' and 'from' stamps, so you can make your own tags!

The next up is a CANDY BOX! 

(I couldn't get those candy hearts at this time of year, so I filled it up with buttons. 

I would much rather receive buttons than candy! lol.)

The stripes are background stamps from the kit - 

I stamped it and cut it out!

Then we have a PENCIL HOLDER VALENTINE - great for school class gifts!

I did the same thing here to the background stamp.

Here's a VALENTINE CRACKER - fill it up with sweets for a cute gift packaging!

Even though this is 'one' stamp - 

you can stamp it twice, cut the inside out and use a foam tape to give dimension.

Lastly, but not least - is a CARD shaped like a STAMP!

Here, I used all sorts of stamps - 

background, heart, arrow, and the sentiment.

So many possibilities with this kit!

My next little project is a COUPON BOOK!

With this purchase, you can get set of SVGs to match your stamps!
(just write in the comment section when purchasing that you'd like the files sent!)

So, you can cut the shapes out with your fancy machine if you have one, and voila!

Just stamp it right on - 

and you've got yourself a coupon book that makes you look like it took hours to make!
(*the inside 'reward' stamps are add-on packs)

I've kept this pretty simple, but you can totally use this kit in many ways!

I think making a magnet chore board with these stamps is a super cute idea - 

have to make that sometime!

I made this book for the kiddos - 

thus, I kept the stamps 'clean'. lol.

You can also make a one for your loved one,

and that can get pretty 'fun' to make! 

So, that's it!

Don't forget to pick up the new tag kit as they are marked down to a good price right now!

Also - Unity is having an inventory sale, so what you've been wanting may be marked down way down low! 

Go take a look!

That's it!

Thanks for coming by - 

don't forget to comment as there's going to be two lucky winners receiving this prize! 

Now, I'm sending you off to Robyn!