Birthday Gift for Dad

My husband's birthday was about two weeks ago (HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUN!!) and every year he says "Don't get me anything." and genuinely means it.  He doesn't like for me to spend money on him...although he spoils me rotten.  Ha! Men...

I decided to make him something. Making a man something isn't as easy as I thought, then I remembered I had seen some cute father's day gifts around blogland, that had pictures of their kiddos holding letters to spell out dad.  I recently scored a great deal on a DSLR camera, (thanks Jessica!) and I have been dying to test out my photography skills! So, I cut out some letters with my trusty ol' Cricut, then took the kids out and gave it a try. Within 15 mintues I had what I needed.  I came home and got to work editing them and aging the photos. (I don't have photoshop, so I went here, and it did the trick.) 

I printed them with our photo printer and tried to decide what I was going to do from there.  I went to wally world and found a 3 pack of 8x10 canvases for $4. Perfect! 

After trimming the edges of the pictures, and a little spray adhesive (I did this outside...that spray adhesive is messy and STI-cky!), I had canvas mounted photos.  I was worried about finger prints on the pictures, so I sprayed a couple of layers of Mod Podge Matte Clear Acrylic Sealer on them. 

I decided to hang them with ribbon.  I put lines of E600 where I was going to put the ribbons and put them on there.  I glued several inches to the canvases, thinking it would add more support and hold longer. I allowed it to dry for a couple of hours.

After the glue dried, I tied the ribbons, and hung them on our wall. I am really happy with how they turned out...not bad for an under $5 project! :) 

(That tute on Kanzashi flowers is still in the works! I have been too busy to finish all of the flowers, much less sit and write a long tute...  Hopefully I will get it posted soon!)

Today I am thankful for my wonderful husband.  I don't think he will ever know how much he means to me!

Fun with vinyl!

I love vinyl.  LOVE. IT.  There are so many things you can do with it.  I thought I would share a few with you that I did while I was on my break from the blogging world.  The first time I used vinyl, I made the cute mother's day blocks, then the flower pots.  Next up, were these little cuties.  Thanks Alison from HowDoesShe for the awesome ideas! I just love these!

I made several so I would have a few baby gifts on hand.  It seems like everytime I put my kiddos down for a nap, someone rings the doorbell. So at naptime, I hang my little sign and viola! people stop ringing the baby-waker! Thanks for sharing  Alison!

Next, I made little vinyls for my kids' rooms.  Ya know, in case I forget who has a pink Paris room, and who has a Michigan Football room...

(Please forgive the icky pictures.  I have a new camera, no idea how to use it, and can't get my hands on the manual! :)  I used Cheri font in navy vinyl for the B, and Mandingo font in signal yellow vinyl for Brady's Room. 

Here is Miss Mazi's.  I used 101! Abstract DeZign font in black for the Eiffel Tower, and Cheri font in (I believe) lipstick vinyl for Mazi's room.  I have 3 shades of pink, and I don't know which is which. Ha!

I bought Mazi some great labels when she was using sippy cups that are little bands that go around the cup, are dishwasher safe, and awesome.  Anyways, with shipping, the little boogers are a little more than $20 for 4, and I'm rediculiously cheap frugal, and didn't want to pay that when I could surely come up with a solution.  I had some permanent vinyl laying around, and my hubs suggested I use it!  I have ran these babies through the dishwasher (top rack) several times, and the vinyl has lasted each time!  I love cheap solutions. And my husband...I think my crafting and vinyl addiction is rubbing off on the poor guy. Oh, and the font is Mandingo again.  It's boyish, yet still cute!

Can't forget Nana!  I had some scrap wood from making the please knock signs that I had gone ahead and cut, sanded, and stained-one a few inches larger than the baby signs, and 2 the same size.  I used the larger one for this, mod podged some paper on, slapped some vinyl on there, and this is what I ended up with.  I used Smiley Monster font (one of my FAVORITES) for the top and bottom, and Ms to try a bon? font for Nana. Easy, and Nana loved it! 

 

Lastly, I made this calendar.  I put the vinyl on the inside of the glass, so that the vinyl wouldn't interfere when writing on it with the dry erase markers, and cleaning it is a breeze.  I found the svg file for the calendar here.  I googled "free svg calendar" and it led me there.  Thank you google!  I used Bosshole font for The Smith's, and Dear Joe 5 CASUAL font for the days of the week.  I did all the cutting with my SCAL (if you don't have it, I recommend it...it's the best thing EVER!). I used a 14x18 picture frame, so I fugured out what size I wanted everything to be, how I wanted everything placed, and flipped the design so it looked backwards. This made the vinyl sticky on the opposite side so that once it was cut, I could place it on the inside of the glass. I have been using a cheapo dry erase calendar on the side of my fridge, so I am really enjoying having a cute alternative! Here are a couple more pictures of it:

I also used some vinyl as a stencil to etch a set of glass bakeware for a wedding gift.  (I forgot to get a picture of it!! :( )  Ashley over at Make it and Love it had done some and they were so cute I just couldn't stand it!  I did their last name on several peices (on the largest cake pan, I did their name on one side with "made with love" on the other) their initial on a measuring cup, their last name in an arch 2 times on the bottom of a pie dish, separated by little circles (so that when you looked through the dish, you could read their name in a circle), and their last name on the glass bowl that came with it. When I was done, the entire set matched.  I also added some fabric to some hand towels, printed my 12 favorite recipes on index cards, tied it together with a cute ribbon for a complete gift!  It was the hit of the shower!  The entire gift cost me less than $35 (for the dishes, towels, and recipe cards) and I had people asking me where they can order a set for themselves! I had etched several things before, but this was definitly my favorite.  As soon as I make myself a set, I will post pictures!

Before I forget, I get my vinyl from Expressions Vinyl. They by far have the best prices I have found, super fast shipping, and it is the EXACT same stuff you buy from Cricut. Happy shopping, and ask your husband for my forgiveness when he finds out how much you bought! It's hard not to go crazy when the prices are so good. (Expressions vinyl is not aware that I am endorsing their product-I'm doing this on my own!  I love sharing a great deal! While you are there, sign up for their mailing list-they email you great offers and coupon codes!)

Also, my favorite place to download fonts is http://www.kevinandamanda.com/. They have TONS of super cute ones.

Blessings to you and yours!