In Case of Emergency, Break Glass

I found this idea on pinterest, and I thought it was super funny & cute, so I decided to make it for my best friend for Christmas.

Materials needed: shadowbox frame made with glass (I bought this one), clear contact paper, Armour Etch cream, sponge brush, an X-ACTO knife, print out in font of your choice that reads "IN CASE OF EMERGENCY BREAK GLASS", & lots of M&Ms (I bought one of those large re-sealable bags and used about half).

I used an 8x8 frame which turned out to be a perfect size. Make sure when you print out the template you print it so it fits well on the frame size you choose. I would also recommend using a very simple font. The more swoopy-ness there is, the harder this project will be!

Step 1: Tape the template on one side of the glass so you can read the saying on the opposite side of the glass.

Step 2: Put contact paper on the side of the glass without the template. It is VERY important that in the step you make sure there are little to no air bubbles in the contact paper. If there are a few air bubbles around the outside (not near the lettering) it should be okay, but try to avoid at all costs.

Step 3: Once the contact paper is smoothed down, you can begin carving the letters out of it. Using an XACTO knife, trace the letters and remove the contact paper where the letter should be. On letters like "A" or "R" be careful to keep contact paper where the hole in the letter should be. Letters with cut outs are definitely the hardest!

Step 4: Once all the letters are cut out, set up a station where you will apply the etching cream. Etching cream is highly acidic and can cause serious skin irritation, so take necessary precautions during application. I used plastic gloves, but was careful enough to not need them. 

Step 5: Once your station is set up, use the sponge brush to dab on the etching cream. Do not smooth it, just blot it on. I applied just enough etching cream so that it was opaque. 

Step 6: Review the directions on the etching cream bottle to be sure about the time you should leave the etching cream on. I left mine on for about 15 minutes to be safe. I do not think you need to leave it on for that long, but it doesn't hurt to do so. After washing off the etching cream with warm water, you can peel off all the remaining contact paper. The last thing you need to do is reassemble the frame and fill it with M&Ms!

Voila! It's somewhat difficult to read the etched message in certain lighting, but I think overall this project was a success! The gift recipient loved it.

Happy Shadowbox Etching!

Penguin Gift Tags

I always put a lot of thought into wrapping presents. I love how they all look under the tree. This year I decided to make my own gift tags rather than buying them. I found this idea on pinterest, but I put my own spin on it.

Materials needed: cardstock in black & white (you can use another color other than black to switch it up a little), orange cardstock or construction paper, scissors, glue or double stick tape, ribbon & a hole punch.

 If you can't tell, I am not the best cutter. This seems like a trivial skill, but in this project I suppose it plays a big role. I think that despite my mediocre cutting skills, my gift tags still turned out alright. I don't think anyone will be inspecting the tags as they are unwrapping their presents Christmas morning.

The first thing I did was make template cut outs so I could trace them again & again to make multiple tags. I arbitrarily drew an oval shape on my black cardstock and cut it out. I did the same with white, making sure it was slightly smaller. Next I cut out 2 small hearts and a triangle shape for the nose.

I laid the pieces in the way I planned to glue them to assure they were the right size. Once I determined they were a good fit, I used them as stencils for the next set of pieces. 

Switch it up a bit by using different colors besides black to make your penguins. 

 I did not use the hearts and triangle nose pieces as stencils since they were so small. I cut each of these free-hand (it's not that hard!). I used double stick tape to attach the white pieces to the black or pink (or any other color you choose) back pieces and I used a dot of Elmer's glue to attach the feet & nose pieces. Then I used a fine tip black Sharpie to dot on the eyes.

The last step is to punch a hole in the top of the penguin and add a ribbon. I chose a Christmas-y looking red & white striped ribbon. I think yarn would also look really cute and work well for this.

The final product!

You can either write on the penguin's stomach or on the back (use a metallic sharpie for the black penguins) to address who the gift is for. I think these will be a perfect addition to all my gifts this year.

Happy Christmas wrapping!

Going Away Present

One of my friends got an awesome opportunity to move to Toronto for a year for a temporary job assignment. Although I was super excited for her, I was bummed she would be leaving. I racked my brain for a cute going away present, and this is what I came up with.

Materials needed: A bag or bundle of suckers, a piece of foam, a mug, some sort of stick (see below, I used a pen!), and paper. 

I decided to use one of the Starbucks "you are here" mugs. I would've gotten a Toronto mug, except it's impossible (maybe not impossible, but expensive) to get one of the mugs if you don't actually go to that city. Since her home was Chicago, I thought it was a good choice. I took the piece of foam that I got and cut it to fit in the mug.

Next I needed to find something to hold the sign that I made. I was not as prepared for this craft as I should've been, so I had to improvise.

I used a pen wrapped in washi tape since it was all I could find.

I stuck all the suckers and the pen into the foam. I tried to mess around with the spacing so that you couldn't see the foam. I used blow pops, but you could also use something like dum dums that may help hide the foam better! If you don't use blow pops you could change the phrase to "The fact that you're leaving totally SUCKS"

I printed a note and taped it to a piece of cardstock. 

I used a hot glue gun to attach the sign to the pen.

The result turned out super cute!

So, there you have it! A cute going away present that acts as a little reminder of home when dismantled. I highly recommend these Starbucks "You are here" mugs, but they may be difficult to find at this point.

Here is a version I made for a male co-worker who was leaving the company for a new position. I used all the same materials, except I used a cylindrical piece of foam and I actually got some craft sticks instead of using a pen ;)

Happy well-wishing!

Yarn-Wrapped Pinecones

I found this idea for a holiday table decoration on pinterest and decided it seemed easy enough to try. I only needed a few materials: pinecones and yarn. 

I bought 2 bags of pinecones (I know it seems silly to BUY pinecones...but if you get them from outside they could have bugs, etc. These were cheap, so I figured it was a safer bet) These are from Joanne Fabrics and they were only a couple bucks. 

I bought 2 different colors of yarn to add some variety to my project. Since this is a Christmas decoration, I picked red & white. Both of these bundles (is this the correct terminology?) were under $5. 

Next comes the easy part - wrapping the pinecones in yarn.

I started wrapping and tried to tuck away the end by continuing to wrap around the same spot for the first few rotations.

I wrapped in a variety of different pathways so as to cover all of the pinecone. When I decided it was enough, I tucked the end of the yarn in the bottom part of the pinecone where the crevices are tight and can therefore hold the yarn so it doesn't unravel. 

When I was done, I put all my pinecones in a clear circular bowl. You can obviously put them in any sort of arrangement, but I think it looks nice in a clear vase so you can see all the colors, shapes and sizes.

Happy holiday crafting!

Etched Pyrex

Keeping with the wedding gift theme, this post is all about how to etch a glass 9x12 Pyrex casserole dish. 

What I used: a 9x12 glass pyrex casserole dish, clear contact paper, Armour-Etch cream, an Xacto knife, a foam paint brush, a print out of the words you are trying to etch, and some newspaper to lay down underneath you. 

Unfortunately I don't have more step by step pictures, but I will do my best to explain.

After laying down newspapers under me, I set the pyrex upside down. The etching is done on the bottom of the pyrex, not on the inside. I printed out the last name "McAdam" in the largest size font that would fit on a 8.5x11" sheet of paper. I cut a box around the last name and figured out where on the pyrex would be the best place to etch. I didn't choose the middle since Pyrex put their name smack dab in the middle of the dish. Then, I took the clear contact paper and used it to secure the name cut out to the pyrex. Make sure there are no air bubbles when you stick the contact paper to the pyrex, it could mess with the shape of the letters.

Next comes the hardest part. Take an Xacto knife and cut out each of the letters. You have the paper cut out as the stencil, but the important part is to cut through the contact paper, since this will be what controls where the etching cream goes, and therefore where the etch appears. I think the cut out part took about 30-45 minutes. Make sure you take your time and try to make the cuts as smooth as possible. Once you've cut out a letter, peel away the contact paper so that the glass is exposed just around the cut out of the letter. Letters with middle areas, such as the A and the d in this case, are much more difficult. Be careful to keep the center triangle or circle (A and d, respectively) in tact so the letter turns out.

After you've outlined and peeled off all of the letter cut outs, it's time to etch! Take your spong brush and the etching cream and start dabbing it over the cut out letters. Make sure you cover all the letter areas evenly so that the etch turns out uniform. Also, be very careful not to get the etching cream on your hands! If you are worried, wear some gloves. Although I can't speak from experience, it is said that the etching cream is very acidic and can burn your skin. You've been warned!

I left the etching cream on for about 20 minutes before I washed it off under hot water. When I first started washing the cream off it didn't look like anything had happened! The etch was very subtle at first, but once you peel off the rest of the contact paper and see the free standing etch, it looks amazing!

This was my first try so there were some small noticeable errors I made in some of the letter cut outs, but as you can see, it isn't noticeable when you look at the dish from a foot or so away. Don't be too hard on yourself, and have fun with it!

Happy Etching!

Bushel & a Peck

Although this isn't my craft, I just had to share it because I am so obsessed. I got this as a Christmas gift (I practically begged for it!). Since this is a craft blog I am going to shamelessly promote the etsy shop that this was purchased from. The product is high quality and absolutely beautiful. 

Also, if you were wondering - the quote is from a song from Guys & Dolls. 

Happy Esty Shopping!

Baby Shower Crafts

Okay, so I can't take credit for this one at all. This was my cousin's idea. She found the idea for an alphabet wall in the nursery on pinterest, and thought it would be fun if at her baby shower, all of the attendees painted/decorated a letter of the alphabet to put up in the nursery. Super cute idea, right!? Anyways, even though I didn't do any of the planning/supply purchasing for the project, I wanted to share since it's such a fun idea!

My cousin and aunt bought a variety of all the letters needed to complete the alphabet. In order to make the alphabet wall look unique, they didn't just buy all of the letters in the same font/style/material. Some of the letters were made of particle board and were relatively flat, while others were made of cardboard and were quite three dimensional. Take a peek in the photos below. 

Some of the items my cousin and aunt purchased to help decorate the letters were: modge podge, stickers that matched the theme/colors of the nursery, paint, paint brushes, buttons, other larger embellishments (flowers, etc.), and scrapbook paper. 

Here are some of the letters drying after guests at the shower painted them. You can see the A covered in hot glued buttons, the I painted on the sides and then modge podged with scrapbook paper to add a pattern. The R and the G were carefully painted with designs, while the V and the U have a few stickers stuck on them. Some turned out much cuter than others...obviously ;)

This is the letter I painted. I used the pink paint that you can see in the photo. Once that dried, I painted it with a clear glitter paint. Finally, I added a flower embellishment and a few pearl stickers to the ends. Elegant and simple!

Happy Baby Shower crafting!

Wedding Invitation in an Ornament

Wedding season is upon us! I always feel like giving cash is so impersonal. I know that more often than not, that is exactly what the couple wants/needs, but I can't help but want to give a little something else! My cousin received a Christmas ornament with her baby shower invitation in it, and I thought it was a super cute keepsake. So, I thought, why not do this for a wedding invitation! Not only did the ornament turn out really great, but it was super cheap, too!

What I used: a plain glass ornament, scissors, my cutter glide tool, the wedding invitation, and a pencil.

I found this 4 pack of ornaments at Hobby Lobby for $6.99. Plus, I used this 40% off coupon!

The ornaments are about 3 inches in diameter.

Are you ready for the hard part? The first step is to cut about a centimeter in width piece of the invitation and roll it around a pencil. I tried to cut each line of text as 1 strip. This way, you can shake the ornament around and find different lines like names, time, place, etc. 

Once you roll the strip of paper around a pen or pencil, you can fit it through the opening at the top of the ornament (you have to pull the top off first, obviously)

I will note that since many invitations are printed white paper on top of cardstock, you may have to gently pull the printed paper apart from the cardstock. It's kinda hard to see in this picture since the cardstock was silver and the printed paper was white, I did cut strips of the cardstock to put in the ornament, too. This adds some color and variety to the ornament. I also tried to cut slightly different widths of paper to allow for some variety.

And there you have it! A finished product. You can even see the line that shows the brides name and the time of the wedding in this picture! 

Happy Wedding Season!

Desserts in a Jar

What do you get for someone who has everything or enough money to buy whatever they want? This is the issue I was facing when I decided to create these desserts in a jar. They are a nice thoughtful, simple gift for someone who enjoys baking. I made these as a retirement gift for my boyfriend's aunt.

I found a bunch of different recipes on various websites and I picked the ones that sounded the yummiest. (Please excuse my dirty kitchen in the background of my photos!)

I ended up making the following 4 recipes:

• Cranberry Hootycreeks
• M&M Cookies
• Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• Sand Art Brownies

I used a funnel to get all of the sugar, flour, etc. in the jars. In order to make them look pretty, you have to strategically layer each ingredient. Alternate between ingredients with contrasting colors. All ingredients are meant to fit in regular sized mason jars. Basically the idea behind these is that all of the dry ingredients are included in the jar, they would just need the wet ingredients to complete the recipe. In most cases that is butter, eggs, milk, vanilla.....all things most people would already have around the house. The complete recipes should be attached to the jar. I included all of the tags I used for mine below. 

Ingredients (layered in this order!): 

1 1/8 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

I got this recipe & tags here.

Ingredients (layered in this order):

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup M&Ms

2 cups sifted flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp baking powder

I got this recipe & tags here.

Ingredients (in this order):

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chunks or chocolate chips (per your preference)
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

I got the recipe here. For this one I made my own tag.

Ingredients (in this order):

2/3 tsp salt

1 1/8 cup sifted flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

2/3 cup brown sugar, packed

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

I got the recipe for this one here. I made this tag myself, also. 

I chose the same type of nut for all 3 recipes so that I didn't have to spend a ton of money on ingredients. Here is what each jar looked like before I did all the decorating. You can see all the layers, which really looks cool!

For the decorations, I used a lot of stuff I already had in my crafting collection. I did go to Hobby Lobby and buy 1/2 yard of white fabric to put over the tops of all the jars. Much more economic than buying a bunch of different fabric types. I also bought the yellow and white/red string from Hobby Lobby. The red/green/white/blue ribbon is actually from the Dollar Tree, along with the blue bow that I put on top of the Chocolate Chunk jar. I used card-stock and scrapbooking paper for all of the tags.

Since these ended up being pretty heavy, I used one of those cardboard half boxes that come in the bottom of large packs of soda from Costco. I cut it in half and folded up one of the sides so all the jars fit snug. 

The gift recipient loved the gift...she said the Cranberry Hootycreeks were her favorite. :)

Happy crafting!