DIY Home Decor

Learn How You Can Make a Kentucky Derby Hat

April 24, 2019 by Tracy Lynn DeGarmo 2 Comments

Whether attending in person or at a watch party with your friends, learn how you can make a Kentucky Derby Hat to be a part of Spring’s fashion spectacular! You can also make Kentucky Derby Party Favor boxes to fill with treats and share with your friends!

Learn how you can make a Kentucky Derby Hat to be a part of the fashion spectacular.

The Kentucky Derby takes place on the first Saturday of May and is one of the greatest spectacles, not just for the race, but for the people-watching. The fashion, mostly the hats, is one of the reasons people attend in person or have their own watch parties each year. Now, you can learn how to make your own Kentucky Derby Hat!

Materials and Supplies

(This post contains affiliate links to one or more of the items I used in this project – which means, if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission. There is no added cost to you!)

Big hat – In the spring, these hats are quite popular in many stores. You can always find a nice selection of big floppy hats on Amazon. Or, you may have one stashed away in a closet that you have always meant to turn into a Derby hat (that’s me!).
Big flowers – This is your opportunity to peruse the floral department in your local craft store until you find the flowers that suit you. I found a bouquet of large white flowers for 50% off. You can even try searching Amazon for something specific such as large white silk tiger lily (or something similar) and see if it returns exactly what you want.
Accent Flowers – I decided I wanted my accent colors to be purple or blue. As I continued my wandering through the floral department, I found a bouquet (also 50% off) of purple flowers with blue accents. They were perfect! The same search technique can be used on Amazon to find something specific, such as blue silk pansies. Try lots of searches until you find the flowers that suit you – or go wild!
Wide Ribbons – I have several wide ribbons from previous craft projects but I did not have a 3″ wired organza ribbon for the main bow. I managed to find one in a dark purple that matched my accent flowers quite well.
Scissors
Hot Glue
Optional – Sewing clips to hold things together while you work (I love these clips!!!)

Materials and supplies to make your own Kentucky Derby party hat

Plan Your Kentucky Derby Hat

I use the word “plan” pretty loosely but I envisioned some basic concepts going in to my project. My Kentucky Derby Hat is not outrageous at all. Compared to many I have seen, my hat tends toward the conservative side. It could also work as a hat to a garden party someday.

Start by deciding if you are going to go wild or go mild. Then, do some online searching for Kentucky Derby Hats to see what people actually wear to the Derby. Some of those hats are crazy, some are elegantly outrageous, and others are beautifully subtle. Add the word “crazy” to your online search to see what some people will wear to the Kentucky Derby. These online searches will help you to define the spectrum of what you can wear.

Use this is an opportunity to spread your creative wings! You could attempt to replicate something you find online. But, why not “own it” and come up with your own design based on things that appeal to you? Again, this is an opportunity to add a little wild to your mild. 😉

My Own Plan

Personally, I’m “mild” when it comes to fashion. I also do not think of myself as a “hat person” — you know, those people who look great in hats. While I said my hat tends toward the conservative side, this is a bit on the wild side for me. I have to tell you, though, I LOVE how this turned out and I cannot wait to wear it to the Kentucky Derby watch-party we are attending!

For my own plan, I opted for a combination of ribbons and flowers, which resulted in the Materials and Supplies list shown above.

The hat is something I already owned. I bought it a couple of years ago off a sale rack somewhere, intending to make it into a Kentucky Derby hat… “someday.” There are so many options for the hat itself. The link I provided in the Materials and Supplies brings up a search on Amazon for big floppy hats that will get you started. Other places to find big floppy hats include (sorry if these are regional store chains) Target, Meijer, and Claire’s.

Colors

I have always been a brunette with medium tone Caucasian skin. The 2019 Kentucky Derby has me at a week shy of turning 58 and more gray hair than brunette now but jewel tones have always been my preference and played a part in my “plan” to look for something in the purple or sapphire range for my hat.

Pick a color scheme that appeals to you, for whatever reason that makes you happy. Own it! If you did the online searching I recommended earlier, you know that the sky is the limit!

Style

Some hats are just ribbons and bows. Others have a combination of flowers and bows. In some you will find feathers of varying types. On the far end of outrageous, you may find hats that have none of the above but are a style unto their own. Seriously, dual pink flamingos as a hat…?

For my style, I chose flowers and bows. I almost bought a bird when I was in the floral department to add as an accent piece but opted not to buy it. I was so close, though. 🙂

Decorating Your Kentucky Derby Hat

Once you have your pseudo-plan in place and your materials and supplies purchased, it is time to decorate your handmade Kentucky Derby Hat.

Center-Front

When working on the outside of the hat, it may not be obvious where the center-front of the hat is located. For many hats, it will not matter. For the style of hats for which it does matter, you will want to somehow mark the center-front of the hat.

For my own hat, the center-front did not matter but, to help you, I marked mine.

Turn the hat over so you are looking at the inside of the hat. Most hats will have a tag. When the center-front matters, the tag is positioned in the center-back of the hat.

Use a piece of tape that will not leave any residue on the hat. Blue painter’s tape works well for this. Place a piece of this tape at the brim of the hat, opposite to the tag. Then, fold that tape over the brim so you can see it from the top of the hat.

Mark the center-front of your Kentucky Derby hat

Decorate Left or Decorate Right?

Mostly, this is personal preference. Do you want the decorations on the right side of the hat or the left side of the hat?

Does it matter? Realistically, no. Practically, it may.

Do you have a “good side” that you prefer for photos? If yes, you will want your decorations on the opposite of your good side. If the decorations on your hat will add significant weight to your hat, that side of the hat may sit lower on your head and hide that side of your head more than the other.

Again this is personal preference. I don’t think I have a side that is better/worse than the other. So, arbitrarily, I picked to decorate the right side of my hat.

Making The Big Bow

The biggest part of my hat is the big purple bow, made from the purple organza wired ribbon. I made this bow in the same way that I made the bow on my Loopy Burlap Wreath… except bigger. This is a Kentucky Derby hat — go BIG!!

Make the Loops

Cut four pieces 30″ long each of the 3″-wide wired organza ribbon and one piece that is 4-6 inches long.

Cut the ribbons to make the big bow for your Kentucky Derby hat

Take the shorter piece that is around 4 to 6 inches in length and remove the wires.

Remove the wire from the center of the bow

Fold this into thirds and clip to hold together. This will be the center piece of the bow that ties all the loops together.

Take each of the 30-inch pieces and find the center. Bring the two ends together so they overlap the center by at least half an inch and clip them together (or you can glue them).

Your bow sections are now ready to assemble. See how handy these clips are?!

The bow sections are now ready to assemble

Gather the Loops

Stack the four sections on top of each other and clip them all together. This is where the sewing clips come in handy. They are like having some extra fingers to help hold things together while working.

Stack the bow sections and clip them all together

Pinch the stack of loops in the middle.

Pinch the stack of bow sections in the middle

Lay the center tie across the front of the pinch, wrap one end of it around the back and glue it in the back of the stacked-and-pinched set of loops.

Wrap the other end around and glue it in place.

Glue the bow center at the back of the bow

Cut off any excess from the center tie.

Poof the Bow

Be sure the hot glue has cooled so your bow does not pull apart. Turn the bow over and start fanning out the loops so they are no longer stacked on top of each other. Un-flatten the loops and poof them out.

Assemble the Pieces to Your Hat

Making the bow was the most time-consuming part of my hat. But, now that it is done, it is time to assemble the pieces to my Kentucky Derby Hat! Let the fun begin!

The Hat Band

For the band around my Kentucky Derby Hat, I used a medium-wide light-green satin ribbon. To me, this represents the “stem” of the flowers on the hat and I love the little added color to the purple. Use a little hot glue to attach the band to your Kentucky Derby hat.

Apply a medium-wide band of ribbon around the base of your Kentucky Derby hat

Attach the Big Bow to Your Kentucky Derby Hat

Since the bow is the biggest element, it needs go on before the flowers. Glue the bow on the side you chose for your decorations. Mine is on the right side of my hat. It is positioned so that the center of the bow is at the top of the ribbon. I used just enough hot glue to secure the bow to the ribbon band and the hat.

Adding the Large Flowers

The number of flowers you add will depend on how big your flowers are. These types of flowers are constructed from parts and often glued together. I did not want any actual stem included with my flowers so I needed to remove the flowers from their stems. To do this, hold the entire flower in one hand, pinching the base of the flower in your fingers. In the other hand, hold the stem, pinching close to the base of the flower. Twist and pull apart. If the flowers are glued, this should easily separate the flower from the stem.

Separate the flower heads from their stems

Much of the placement of the flowers is personal preference. Decide where you want the flowers and attach with hot glue at the base of the flower. If you have a flower that will not stay in place with hot glue only added at the base, try adding a spot of hot glue on the back of a petal (near the base of the petal) and press that against the hat to help hold the flower in place.

Add your largest flowers after the big bow

Adding Accent Flowers

My accent flowers are the purple and blue flowers and they are assembled in small bunches on soft plastic stems that have no wires. I was able to snip these off as I added them to the hat. Run a bead of hot glue along the stem and tuck the accent flowers around the larger flowers.

Separate the small flowers from the large stems

Accent Ribbons

Finally, I added accent ribbons in two colors. I used a light frosty blue wired ribbon and some of the green satin I used as the band around the hat. I cut these into 10-inch lengths, folded in half, pinched the ends and glued in various places by tucking them behind the flowers.

The light green satin ribbons add a little pop of color and represent leaves in the same way the band represents the stem.

I added some green accent ribbons for a little extra color

Once everything is added, you can spend a few minutes poofing the wired ribbons that may have gotten misshapen while gluing the flowers and accent ribbons.

Decorating your Kentucky Derby hat is now finished

Kentucky Derby Hat is Complete!

You now know how to make a Kentucky Derby hat and will be ready if you are fortunate enough to attend the spectacle in person or if you will be going to a watch party. Grab a mint julep and cheer for your favorite horse!

Stay informed about this and all my DIY Crafting projects by signing up for my weekly newsletter.

Remember to pin this to your favorite DIY and/or crafting board on Pinterest!

Whether you attend in person who attend a watch party, you can learn to make a Kentucky Derby Hat and be a part of the Greatest Spectacle on Earth!

Drop Leaf Craft Table

March 24, 2019 by Tracy Lynn DeGarmo 5 Comments

Craft Room Organization – Stage 7 – DIY Drop Leaf Craft Table!

This is the seventh in a series of posts I have been writing about my craft room make over. Here, I will walk you through how we turned two IKEA pieces into a drop leaf craft table on casters. You can go back and read through my whole craft room transformation journey: starting at the beginning.

And the final product - the new drop leaf craft table on casters

In my last craft room remodeling post, I bought IKEA furniture, assembled and set it up around the room but did not use the last two KALLAX units. In this post, I will show you how we used those last two units to make my drop leaf craft table on casters!

My craft room is large enough to have a central work table but, when we have a house full of guests, we set up a queen-sized air mattress in the craft room for extra sleeping space. To continue to do that, we needed a central work table that could be rolled out of the way to make room for a mattress. That was the inspiration for the drop leaf craft table on casters. The craft table, with the leaves extended, is 3-feet by 6-feet and is 3-feet high, which is a great work height for me (I am 5′ 5″ tall). The casters are large so they easily roll around on the carpeting but can be locked to prevent rolling.

An IMPORTANT Word About Table Size!

We made this table to fit what I wanted for a work surface size. I wanted something that was 36″ wide to help with measuring fabric plus a large work surface. The 36″ width meant that the assembly of the table HAD to be done in the craft room because it WILL NOT fit through the door without deconstructing parts of it.

GOOD NEWS! You CAN make some tweaks to the dimensions so it will roll through a standard door. I will let you know where to make these changes later in the post. The alternate (narrower) cut sizes are also included in the file you can download from my resource library.

Materials and Supplies for the Drop Leaf Craft Table

(This post contains affiliate links to one or more of the items I used in this project – which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission. There is no added cost to you!)

2 IKEA KALLAX Shelf Units 2×2 cubes (Link)
A 4′ x 8′ sheet of plywood (cut details are in my resource library). You want a cabinet-grade plywood, not a construction-grade plywood. If you are new to working with plywood, this might be an opportunity to talk with your lumber yard specialist. Explain what you are making and that you will drill into the surface and into the edges of the plywood. This is why you need something that is of a grade that will not split or splinter.
Piano hinges & screws – Piano hinges come in varying lengths. You need to buy enough for the width of craft table you plan to make. For the 36″ wide table, you need to make two that are 36″ long and four that are 13.5″ long. For the narrow table, you need to make two that are 30-3/4″ long and four that are 13.5″ long. Whatever length you buy, you can use a hacksaw to cut to the size you need for this project. The screws for the piano hinges should come with the hinges.
24 2-1/2″ wood screws
2x4s – You need two pieces that are 36″ long (or 30-3/4″ long for the narrower table) and two pieces that are 23-1/8″ long. Better quality 2x4s will give you straighter boards.
4 wood shims
Wood or plywood scrap (mine was 2-3/4″ x 11″ because we happened to have a piece this size in our scraps but the size can vary). This is for some added support after assembling the frame (read ahead to see how this is used).
Thin panel for the “floor” between the two KALLAX units. I used Lauan but you could also use masonite, hardboard, etc. You can use anything that is sturdy and between 3/16ths of an inch and 1/4 of an inch in thickness. (The exact dimension for this may vary within an eight of an inch or so, depending on your specific construction. Mine is 5-3/16″ x 30″). If you are making the narrow version of this table you do not need this piece.
Casters & screws – My casters have 3″ wheels
Drill and drill bits for pre-drilling holes for all the screws
Bit for your drill for screwing in all those screws (or a screwdriver)
Sand paper
Pencil (for marking)
Tape measure
Primer
Paint – I used the leftover high gloss latex white paint I used for the trim in my craft room
Paint brush
Wood filler (if you are not adding the Optional top surface layer)
Wood glue
Straight edge (a yard stick or large level will work)
Carpenter’s square
Optional: Top Surface Layer (discussed later in this post)
Optional: Adhesive for adhering top surface layer (e.g. contact cement, carpet tape)

Cut Materials to Size

The cut pattern for the plywood is in my resource library.

Cut the piano hinges and 2x4s to the appropriate sizes, as mentioned in the materials and supplies section above.

This picture is all the cut pieces and the hardware laid out for the drop-leaf roll-away craft table

Prepare the Wood Pieces

Sanding

You will need to sand all the cut edges. Do not round the edges. Just sand them so they have no splinters. Depending on the quality of the wood products you buy, you may need to sand the faces of the wood. I used an old bed sheet to protect the carpeting where I did this messy work.

Primer and Paint for the Drop Leaf Craft Table

I used two coats of primer on one surface of my plywood because I had some color seep through.

After the primer, I used the leftover white gloss paint I used on the trim in the craft room and painted two coats on the four drop-leaf support wing pieces, all of the 2 x 4 pieces, and only the edges of the three work/top surface pieces. I did not paint the top or bottom of these pieces because we are covering the top with a sheet of PVC. If you are not adding this optional layer, will will need to paint the top of the work surface but you should wait until after it is attached to the KALLAX units because you will screw the top to the units and you will need to fill and sand where you have screws before you paint. There is no real need to paint the bottom of the work surface.

After sanding is complete, prime then paint all the wood pieces

Assemble the Drop Leaf Craft Table

With the painting complete, it was time to move all the pieces up to the craft room to begin the assembly. We started, again, with an old bed sheet on the floor to help protect the floor since we would be drilling holes for screws and creating a mess. It just makes for faster clean-up after the project is complete.

Create the Foundation Frame

Start by setting the two KALLAX units in the middle of your work space, spacing them about five inches from each other.

If you are making the narrower version, set the KALLAX cubes flush against each other.

Start by placing the KALLAX units about 5 inches apart

Lay the 2 x 4 pieces on top of the KALLAX units, moving the KALLAX units until they are aligned with the 2 x 4 pieces that will become your bottom frame for the support and casters.

Line up the KALLAX units to the 2x4s that will be the supporting frame for the craft table

This next picture shows you where you will use the 24 2-1/2-inch wood screws.

This picture shows you where you will use the screws to attach the support frame to the KALLAX units

Position the casters over the joint where the shorter 2x4s meet the longer 2x4s and mark the position for the caster screws, then set aside the casters. Pre-drill the holes for the frame’s wood screws and screw all 24 of them through the 2x4s and into the KALLAX units to secure the frame to the units.

Mark where the casters will get screwed into the frame then screw the 2x4 frame pieces to the KALLAX units

After all 24 screws are in, pre-drill the screw holes for the casters and attach them to the support frame.

Attach the caster to the support frame 2x4s

In the list of materials and supplies, I mentioned that you could read ahead to see how this “support piece” is used. This is where you use that piece. The KALLAX units should be pretty stable on the frame without this piece but, because we put this on casters with the intent of this being moved around, we wanted a little bit of extra support. There was no need to prime and paint this piece because no one will ever see it. 🙂 You are certainly welcome to prime and paint it if that appeals to your sense of completion.

Center support for the craft room drop leaf table

Adding the Top Work Surface

It is now time to flip over your drop leaf craft table. This is easier if there are two of you but not required. Lay the assembly towards the side that has the long 2x4s. If you drop to the ends that have the shorter 2x4s, you can torque the screws holding the frame to the KALLAX units and introduce some cracking of the wood fibers.

Flip over the drop leaf craft table so you can start on the work surface assembly portion of the project

Set the table top and one drop leaf, top sides down, on the KALLAX units. Butt them up against each other so they are in perfect alignment. Lay one of the long piano hinges so it is centered over the place where the two pieces of wood come together. Pre-drill ALL the holes and screw the piano hinge to the table top and drop leaf.

Align the first piano hinge to the table top and drop leaf

Fold the leaf onto the table top, shift the table top over and repeat for the other piano hinge and drop leaf. The piano hinges should now be attached to the central table top and drop leaves.

Flip the table top over and let the drop leaves hang over the side. Center the table top on the KALLAX units and attach with screws.

Attach the table top to the KALLAX units

If you are not adding a surface over the wood (like I will do in this project), this is the step where you fill over the screw heads with a wood putty, sand, prime, then paint.

Drop Leaf Supports

With the table top secured to the KALLAX units, it is now time to add the support wings that will hold up the drop leaves.

Start by attaching the piano hinges to the support wings. Align the piano hinges to the bottom of the support wings. Again, pre-drill the holes into the plywood to make your life easier. Do this for all four support wings and set them aside.

Attach the piano hinges to the support wings, align at the bottom

You can either work with the table still in its upright position or lay the whole table on its side so you do not have to work under the drop leaf. Or you may do some combination of this effort (like we did).

Position one of the support wings so that is in its folded position. The short side that is opposite the piano hinge is the outside edge and should be lined up with the outside edge of the KALLAX unit. Make a mark in just the top screw hole of the piano hinge.

Position the support wing and mark the top hole for the piano hinge

Set the support wing aside. Using a carpenter’s square, mark a line that is perpendicular to the table top and passes through the screw-hole mark you made.

Use a carpenter's square to make a line perpendicular to the table top

Once you have that perpendicular line drawn, put the support wing back up and mark the rest of the holes.

Mark the remaining holes for the piano hinge

Repeat for the other three support wings.

This is the point where we tipped the table on its side to work on attaching the support wings.

It may be easier to tip the drop leaf craft table on its side to work on attaching the wing supports

Pre-drill the holes where you marked them then attach all four of the support wings to the KALLAX units.

Pre-drill the holes in the KALLAX unit then attach the support wings

Set the table upright, lift up the drop leaf, then pull the support wings out so that the tip of each wing points toward the corner of the drop leaf. Position a shim between the support wing and the drop leaf so that the drop leaf is level with the table top. This is where you will use the “straight edge” that I mentioned in the materials and supplies. What you are looking for is to make sure there is no gap between the straight edge and the table top… that there is a contiguous flat surface from the table top to the drop leaf. Adjust the shim until you have no gap under your straight edge.

Use a shim to help level the drop leaf with the table top

Use a straight edge to make sure the drop leaves are level with the table top

Use a pencil to mark the outline of where the shims are located.

Apply some wood glue to the shim, place it back in the outline that you drew, and use the wing support to hold it in place while the glue sets. Repeat for the remaining three shims.

Optional Table Top Surface

If you chose to paint the surface of the drop leaf craft table, you can skip this section because you are now finished. However, I wanted a different surface for my table.

My drop leaf craft table has a sheet of white PVC as a layer over the wood. I have seen some people cover their craft tables with a plastic covering that has a grid system printed on it. People who do a lot of sewing crafts would likely benefit the most from something like that. I wanted a smooth matte white surface because, in addition to using the table for my crafts, I may also use the table for some of my photography for my blog and I do not want reflections or the irregularities from a wood surface to distract from the photos. Plus, the PVC sheet gives the craft table a nice surface to work on (and can be replaced if it ever gets damaged).

Where can you get a sheet of PVC?

I have established a relationship with my local sign shop so I can get free vinyl for my Cricut crafts (Seriously! I get free vinyl because they throw away pieces that are bigger than my 12″ x 12″ Cricut cutting mat). Sign shops also carry sheets of PVC. They were willing to sell me a sheet for my project. If you want to learn how to develop a relationship with a local sign shop, you can read my post that walks you through every step of developing that relationship.

PVC can be cut with an X-Acto knife or something similar. We cut the PVC to fit the table top and the drop leaves then attached to the wood with contact cement. We chose contact cement because anything else might allow the PCV that is on the drop leaves to shift due to gravity when the leaves are down.

Mind the Gap

That gap between the two KALLAX units is where I will store large flat things. The piece of Lauan is for the “floor” of this gap. Cut it to fit then slide it in.

Success! A New Drop Leaf Craft Table!

I love my new craft table! Everyone who has visited us (I have a LOT of “crafty” friends) since we built this table now wants one of their own. It turned out great and is perfect for the space in my craft room.

The drop leaf craft table is now complete

To fill the cubes, I bought these storage bins. I was so surprised at how sturdy these are. I have used fabric cubes before in other areas of the house but these ones are so much better. They were available in some solid colors but I thought they were too dark for my craft room. This striped fabric is great in the craft room. I am considering using the white stripe under the handle as a place to apply a label to indicate the contents – maybe via stenciling or heat-transfer vinyl, but I have not decided yet. Next comes filling the cubes to help organize my craft room more.

Use 13 x 13 fabric drawers for storage in the craft table

I have one final picture to share with you. This is the table with the leaves dropped and rolled out of the way.

The drop leaf craft table with the leaves down and rolled out of the way

That gap between the two KALLAX units is where I will store large flat things like all my cutting mats, larger pieces of substrate (such as Coroplast, PVC, foam core, etc.). That’s why I did not paint that piece that is the “floor” to that gap. I will just slide things in and out of that section. Over time, paint will wear away and it will look “worn.” So, I’m just leaving it as is.

I already LOVE this new craft table. I have so much more surface on which to work!

You can get the plywood cutting plans plus all the patterns to my DIY and craft projects in my Resource Library by signing up for my weekly newsletter.

Remember to pin this to your favorite DIY and/or crafting board on Pinterest!

Learn how you can make this drop leaf craft table on casters for your craft room - made from two IKEA KALLAX shelves

Craft Room Organization – Stage 6 – Furniture

March 21, 2019 by Tracy Lynn DeGarmo 1 Comment

After making our own barn door and saving hundreds of dollars, it was time to move on to furnishing the room. What better way that a trip to IKEA!?

This is the completed assembly of the IKEA furniture for the craft room showing four of the work surfaces

Most of the furniture choices were made back in the designing stage of this project and I mostly kept to that plan when making my furniture purchases at IKEA.

I wanted a LOT of work surfaces. I use the craft room for almost all my crafting. There are a few messy crafts that get done in the kitchen (such as glass etching, because I need a sink), or in the workshop (like the barn door, because of the tools available in there), or outside (such as spray painted projects or basket weaving). But for almost everything else, I work in the craft room. My husband does his own sewing when he makes costumes so he also needs some work surface in the crafting room periodically.

Another work surface I need is photography and videography space for this blog.

There were two white cabinets that I already had in the room that I have had for almost 20 years. They were probably Home Depot purchases. They are in great shape and are a part of the final plan for this craft room.

These two cabinets are old but in great shape and will be a part of my new craft room

In my furniture purchase, I bought components to make three work surfaces at which we can sit down, one work surface at which I can stand, and a fifth work surface that we still have to build (the drop-leaf roll-away table – this will be the next post in this series). There are also a few pieces just for storage. All together, I spent almost exactly $1000.

IKEA Pieces Used in This Project:

1 KALLAX Shelf Unit 2×4 cubes (Link)
2 KALLAX Shelf Unit 2×2 cubes (Link)
1 ALEX 9 Drawer Unit (Link)
1 ALEX Wide Unit on Casters (Link)
3 ALEX Drawer Units (Link)
3 ALEX Drawer Units/drop file storage (Link)
3 LINNMON Table Tops (Link)
1 LINNMON Table Top (Link)
4 OLOV Legs (Link)

I made a list of all these pieces that you can print off when planning your own craft room makeover. The list is in a PDF format that you can download and print from my Resource Library.

Additional Items Used

I did not want to permanently attach the LINNMON table tops to the ALEX units because I wanted to be able to easily move them when I wanted to add or change window treatments, to do periodic deep cleaning of the room (where you move furniture to vacuum and dust behind everything), and the “someday” when I rip out that ugly carpeting and put down hardwood floors. So, I bought non-skid pads that completely cover each of the ALEX units. We have had zero issues with the LINNMON table tops. They do not slide around at all, not even with the vibration of a sewing machine.

Home from IKEA

It took me two trips through the store and checkout to get all the pieces (I went shopping alone) and I managed to get everything into my car (a 2016 Ford Escape). Once home, after resting because some of those pieces are really heavy, I got everything into the craft room and positioned the boxes around the room in the places where they would eventually be set up.

This is most of my IKEA furniture still in their boxes and set around the craft room

Some of my IKEA furniture still in their boxes ready to assemble

Let the Assembly Begin!

This was my first ever IKEA purchase and I had no idea how IKEA furniture was assembled. It was so easy! The assembly drawings were so easy to follow. Some people struggle with the assembly instructions and some have no problem with them. I think my analytical mind helped. My undergraduate degree is in Mechanical Engineering. I “get” these kinds of drawings.

Starting Slow

I started with the easiest thing to assemble. I did the smaller LINNMON table top with the OLOV legs. It was just a matter of screwing the leg plates to the bottom of the table and attaching the legs to the plates. The legs are adjustable so I set them at their tallest height because this is the table on which I will do my photography while making things. It is a height at which I can stand to do my projects while taking photos and videos. With the table top attached to the legs, the table is 36 inches high.

Learning IKEA Drawers

The wide ALEX unit on casters came next. I picked that to be next because that unit slides under the photography work surface. In that ALEX unit, I store big flat things. Right now, it holds large stencils, rolls of decorative papers for photography backdrops, some rolls of vinyl (until I make vinyl storage), my 12 x 12 cutting mats for my Cricut (those are in the top drawer and quite handy there). Large pads of paper such as 11 x 17 grid paper and vellum (for doing hand sketching during design). On top of that ALEX unit sits poster boards of various colors and designs for more backdrops.

Assembling the drawers was easier than I expected and that unit went together quickly. I tucked it under the photography table and moved on.

Narrow Drawer Units

I put together just one of the smaller ALEX units, the one with the file storage, so I could see how that assembly was different from the wide ALEX unit. That was fine and I didn’t have any issues. What I really wanted to do was the tall unit!

Tall Narrow Storage – All the Drawers!

I do not know why I was most excited about this unit. I think it was probably because I was now going to have all those drawers for all those smaller things that just ended up in multiple places all over the craft room and other rooms.

This 9-drawer ALEX unit sits in the corner. It contains things that do not get used every day but now all the things that are in there are all together. I have a drawer that is all machine embroidery thread and another this is all my serger threads. My husband has one drawer for all of his small plastic drafting tools like triangles, rulers, templates, guides, and so on. Those were always all over three different rooms before. Anyway, you get the idea.

Yes that unit is tucked away in a corner. Again, we do not need to get to it all the time so having it out of the way is not an inconvenience.

The 9-drawer ALEX unit fits perfectly in the corner of the new craft room

Shelves!

Moving to the other side of the room, I assembled the larger KALLAX unit, the one that is 2 cubes by four cubes. That was pretty straight-forward and is a perfect fit against that wall. Someday, above that unit will be a peg board. I will get some 13 x 13 fabric drawers for some of the KALLAX unit openings.

This is the KALLAX shelving unit that is 4 cubes by 2 cubes

Completing the Work Surfaces

The last pieces to assemble were all of the smaller ALEX units. These units are the supports for the three larger LINNMON table tops. By this time, I’m a wiz at assembling these drawer units and they went together quickly!

These next few picture show you all the work surfaces.

Final assembly of my craft room IKEA furniture looking into the southwest corner of the craft room

This is facing south in the craft room, showing the IKEA furniture assemblies and little more directly

And this is one last picture that shows you my set-up for doing photos and videos of my craft projects.

For a peek behind the curtains, this is where I do my photos and videos

The Rest of the Assembly

Yes, there are still two more pieces that I have not shown you. They are the two KALLAX units that are 2 cubes by 2 cubes. While I did assemble them the same day. They are parts of the next project where we transform them into a drop-leaf roll-away work table. That post is next!

You can get the furniture listing/checklist of everything I bought at IKEA plus patterns to all my DIY and craft projects in my Resource Library by signing up for my weekly newsletter.

Remember to pin this to your craft room organization or home decor board on Pinterest!

See which pieces of IKEA furniture I picked out to add lots of storage and work surfaces in my craft room organization

Vinyl for Cricut: Free (or Almost Free)

February 28, 2019 by Tracy Lynn DeGarmo 25 Comments

Learn how you can get vinyl for Cricut projects for FREE or nearly free!

Now that you own a craft machine such as a Cricut (or are considering buying one) and are falling in love with all the things you can do just with vinyl, how do you acquire vinyl for Cricut projects without breaking your crafting budget?

Plus, where do you get the more unusual vinyl and other adhesive films more affordably?

And, finally, I give you information about the types of vinyls that are available including the pros and cons of each.

Learn how you can get vinyl for Cricut projects for FREE or nearly free!

If you are a regular reader of my blog then you know that I own a Cricut. Specifically, I own a Cricut Maker because I want to make ALL THE THINGS with all the materials. But, if you are interested in only things that can be cut from vinyl on any of the Cricut machines or other branded craft machines, and want to learn how to acquire affordable vinyl, this blog post is for you!

My Secret to Free or Nearly Free Vinyl for Cricut Crafts

I love Cricut. I love their materials. The fans of other craft machines love their branded materials, as well. But, let’s face it, the craft-machine-branded materials are a little pricey. For the one-off projects, the price point isn’t so bad. And when you find them on sale or clearance, if you are like me, you dip a little deeper into the crafting budget to buy what you find on those sales tables because you know you will use it… someday.

Unfortunately, you do not always have the luxury of a sale and sometimes you need vinyl in volume. Sometimes you want something expendable for a test cut instead of the possible ruin of an expensive product. Maybe you want to use a cheap piece of vinyl for a single-use stencil.

I do buy Cricut-branded products the first time I try something new but, for long term or high-volume projects, I look for something more affordable.

When it comes to vinyl for Cricut projects, I rarely buy vinyl at the craft stores unless I need something specific or need it NOW.

Seriously, you can save money, lots of money, on vinyl for Cricut crafts.

How Does She Do It?

How can YOU make your cut vinyl Cricut crafting projects without spending a lot of money on the vinyl for Cricut crafts?

Make a New Friend

It is really that simple. I will walk you through the 5 Ws + H of how to make this work for you.

What are the 5 Ws + H?

Where can I get FREE or nearly free vinyl for Cricut?
Why should I do this?
When should I do this?
Who should I talk to?
What can I expect?
How do I do this?

Where can I get FREE or nearly free vinyl for Cricut

Go to your local sign shop. Wait! Don’t close this yet. Later in this post I will tell you all the steps to making this happen.

The people who work in sign shops work with vinyl every business day and their scraps are often bigger than the 12″ x 12″ size of your cutting mat. These scraps often end up in landfills. :: GASP! ::

Sign shops are often found in “strip-malls” or small commercial parks. You are likely to have the best response from an independently owned sign shop but you may also find a good relationship with your local large-chain franchise.

The common national retail chain franchises are listed below. Each of these websites has a store locator to help you find one in your area.

To find a local independent sign shop, go to Google and search for sign shop near me then allow Google to know your location. Visit their websites. If it looks like they are making very large signs or billboards that you might find on the tops of buildings, these are NOT the businesses you want. Avoid the ones that show you pictures of their extensive warehouse. You want the independent shops that are making signs for the local businesses. They make smaller signs, banners, and especially, vehicle graphics. These are the shops that are using the vinyls you want on a day-to-day basis.

I wish I had a wall of vinyl for Cricut like this!

Why should I do this?

The primary reason you are reading this blog post is because you want to save money on vinyl for Cricut crafts and projects.

There are some other reasons you should make friends with a sign shop:

They have access to so many possible types of adhesive films including Mylar and translucent films plus substrates (things to put vinyl on).
You are helping to keep some vinyl scraps out of landfills.
You may be able to acquire (buy) large volumes of vinyl and transfer tape through them.
They may be able to put you on to new tools and techniques as you develop your relationship with them.

When should I do this?

Once you have found a few local sign shops, you need to make a plan to go visit them — in person.

Yes, this is hard for those of us who are introverts (I am in the introvert camp). You need to weigh the benefits of this new potential relationship against your comfort level (and your budget). For you extroverts out there, this is yet another cool friend to drop into your back pocket.

Date and Time to Visit

The best time to visit these businesses is Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings. Fridays are usually bad because of their customers (other business owners) who have realized a need at the last-minute, including signs they need in their stores for the weekend. Mondays are usually bad because of the last-minute jobs that came into their shops on a Friday that they need to get out on Monday.

Not every shop is the same and I cannot speak for every sign shop out there. Some sign shops have a morning production meeting to go over the day’s workload, some have their meetings once per week. Some have no meetings at all. No matter when (or if) they have production meetings, they will talk with whoever walks in. Your best bet is a mid-morning time-slot. In other words, shoot for around 10:00-11:00 am to walk in their front door.

Who should I talk to?

The person you want to talk with is either the owner or general manager. In the smaller shops, the owner is probably the general manager. He or she probably also does sales, design, and some production work. It is possible that the owner may be out at an installation location or on a sales call. If this is the case, ask if you can come back tomorrow morning (or another morning you know you can get there).

Do not call ahead. Show up. Yes, you are cold-calling on them. Don’t panic. We have more to discuss about HOW to do this later.

What can I expect?

Vinyl

For the most part, if (or when) you establish this relationship, you can expect vinyl scraps. A piece of vinyl that is 12″ x 18″ or smaller is considered scrap to most sign shops. Seriously! It often gets tossed onto a shelf or into a bin for “someday” that they might need something small. Those piles eventually get so large they just throw them out and start over. They THROW THEM AWAY! I know you are cringing right now!

Scraps!

The day I visited to take these pictures, this was their pile of scraps of vinyl and pretty typical.

Look at all those vinyl Cricut crafts just waiting to happen!

Free or nearly free vinyl for Cricut crafts can come from the scrap bins of your local sign shop

You are not likely to find a wide selection of colors in their scrap bin. Mostly, they work in primary colors. For example, it is possible that they worked on a huge job all week and all their scraps are white that week. But, they will have scraps of all sorts of vinyls and other adhesive films over the course of time.

Today’s Vinyl Haul for Cricut Projects

Today, this is what they gave me.

Orange (in two shades)
Gun metal gray
Navy (Oracal 970)
Translucent Blue (can’t wait to do something “stained glass” with this!)
Teal
Red (3M ControlTac)
Dark Red
Prussian Blue

Example of free vinyl for Cricut crafting from a sign shop

I mentioned the brand and model where it was indicated on the back of the carrier paper. As you can see from the list, many of them are unidentified. I will tell you later how to identify these when I explain more about types of vinyl.

Variety of Vinyl

The sign shop will have a LOT of vinyl. This is the WALL of vinyls and other adhesive films they had in their stock today. The machine in the foreground of the picture is their vinyl cutting machine.

This is a wall of vinyl and other adhesive films at a small sign shop. Just imagine what you could do with all that vinyl for Cricut crafts!

Do not go into this expecting this to be free. Free is great and I am fortunate to have developed this relationship that I get scraps for free. Nearly free is also great. If you get scraps for free, be generous with your gratitude and appreciation. NEVER be picky unless you are specifically invited to do so.

Of note, I found it interesting that, for this particular wall of vinyl, they use shelf brackets to store their rolls of vinyl. You can consider something similar for storing your rolls for vinyl for Cricut crafts.

Storing rolls of craft vinyl using shelf brackets. You might consider something similar for storing your vinyl for Cricut crafts and projects.

Transfer Paper

In almost all of my pictures where I am working with vinyl in my Cricut crafts, you will see me using a transfer paper that looks more like masking tape. It is not clear. Sign shops order this stuff in 100 yard rolls. I acquired my 12″ x 100 yard roll from a sign shop for almost nothing. I doubt I will have to buy transfer paper any time in the foreseeable future. This is a picture of the transfer papers a sign shop uses:

Substrates

Anything you put vinyl on is your substrate. A sign shop will have access to so many flat substrates (flat because they’re used for signs) and will often end up with scraps of those, too. The common ones are Coroplast (corrugated plastic) and PVC board. But, you may also find they have aluminum sheets in various thicknesses and aluminum composite panels (plastic sandwiched between aluminum) — both of which are great for outdoor use. In the next section I show some examples of substrates you may find they have in their scrap bin.

You can use these for small signs that you can put into frames or make them a component of some other project. If they offer you scraps of substrates, then there is no reason to turn those down. You are a crafter! You can turn that into anything!

Coroplast

Coroplast is a corrugated plastic. It is very inexpensive but it will break down faster than other materials (will withstand being out in the weather for about 1 to 3 years). Very often you will see this used for political signs, large community yard sale signs, etc. It comes in several thicknesses and colors. The most common color is white and likely to be the color your local sign shop has readily available. They may have some scraps of another color left over from a custom job. This is easily cut with a knife or scissors.

PVC

PVC (PolyvinylChloride) is a very durable plastic. It is one of the world’s most widely produced synthetic material. If you want to make a craft project with something that will stand up well to weather, PVC will work well for several years but not indefinitely. A sign shop will have PVC in some pretty standard colors and a few different thicknesses. The common thicknesses are 3mm, 6mm, and 10mm. You can cut PVC with a knife (it is too thick for your Cricut).

Common colors of PVC to be used as a substrate onto which you can apply your vinyl for Cricut projects

The picture below shows several colors in the 3mm thickness that is commonly kept in sign shops.

Common colors of PVC to be used as a substrate onto which you can apply your vinyl for Cricut projects. This standard thickness is 3mm.

Aluminum Sheets

Aluminum sheets are available as finished and unfinished. In the picture below, the pink/peach color is actually white coated aluminum protected by a pink/peach protective film. The green has a green baked-on colored coating (and protected by a clear protective film until ready to use). The blue and white that you see is the protective film over a white-coated aluminum sheet. And, the last sheet is a raw aluminum sheet. If you are given aluminum scraps, you will need to have a way to cut them before you can use them for your vinyl Cricut crafts.

Some sign shops may have aluminum substrate materials in their scrap bin onto which you can apply your vinyl for Cricut crafts

Aluminum Composite Panels

Aluminum composite panels are a plastic panel sandwiched by two sheets of thin aluminum. This is a popular material with sign shops because of its durability and weather resistance. It will last longer than you. They buy these in 4′ x 8′ sheets and in pre-cut panels such as these.

Pre-cut aluminum composite sheets almost make great long-lasting substrates onto which you can apply your vinyl for Cricut crafts

You can see from this picture how it is a piece of plastic that is sandwiched between two thin sheets of aluminum. Again, you will need a way to cut aluminum before you can use scraps of these for your vinyl Cricut crafts.

Close up of an aluminum composite sheet that you might use in a Cricut craft with vinyl

It comes in several colors. Mostly, they will have white but may have other colors if they had some special jobs come in.

Colors of aluminum composite materials that you can use for Cricut crafts

While We are Here…

I thought you would find it interesting to see a professional vinyl cutting machine. Look familiar?

A professional vinyl cutting machine looks very much like your Cricut cutting machine

It looks a LOT like my Cricut but significantly wider. I’m a little envious of their tools. Can you imagine being able to cut vinyl for your Cricut crafts on something this wide!?

Vinyl cutting machine at a sign shop - wider than a Cricut but the same principle

This is what else you may expect to see in a local sign shop. This is my local shop’s wall of tools. I really do have tool-envy!

Sign shop wall of tools. Use this as inspiration for your craft room organization.

Specialty Materials

The sign shops will have customers who come in wanting something specific. It may be a specific color that is not kept in stock, it may be a paticular type of vinyl that is not normally kept in their stock, or it could be some other type of adhesive film that was used for a special order.

These materials do not often end up in their scrap bin but they do tend to sit on the shelves taking up space. As you develop your relationship with your local sign shop, this is something about which you can inquire (later). You might approach the subject by asking if they have any aging materials on which you could make an offer. Some vinyls have a “short” shelf-life (1-2 years).

Large Orders

Depending on how much of a relationship you develop with the sign shop, you may be able to order some bulk materials from them in the future. This is a conversation you can have with them well after you have an ongoing relationship. For example: your cousin asked you to make decals for the back of all the rented folding chairs for her daughter’s wedding and knows you have a craft machine. But she wants it to be a specific color and you will need a LOT of vinyl. Explain this to the shop owner and ask if they have a recommendation. Give them the opportunity to be the expert for you and the opportunity to be generous with you.

How do I do this?

Now we will get into the details about how you are going to make this new friend so you can get vinyl for Cricut crafts for free (or nearly free).

Introduction

When you walk in the door, you will likely find yourself in some sort of lobby with a counter. Have a polite and friendly smile on your face then walk up to the counter and ask if you can speak with the owner.

If you have business cards, leave them at home. You want to present yourself as a hobbyist, not a business owner.

When the owner comes out to greet you – or if it was the owner at the counter – offer your hand and tell them your name. No limp-fish handshakes but don’t try to out-squeeze the owner either. Remember, you are trying to make a new friend!

But what do I say?

This is an example of how you can start this introduction, “Hi, my name is [your first name]. I am an amateur crafter and I sometimes work with vinyl on my Cricut [or other home craft machine brand].”

Your friendly demeanor should elicit a polite response from the owner asking how he or she can help you.

How to Ask

The owner is likely busy so you want to get to the point pretty quickly.

Ask like this, “Do you have a build-up of vinyl scraps or substrate scraps you’d like to get rid of that I could cart away for you?”

Note: If you are a teacher, you can ask in terms of a donation for use by your classroom students.

How to Sweeten the Deal

Who doesn’t like a treat? Especially mid-morning when lunch time is still an hour or more away. Walk in with a plate of cookies (or box of doughnuts) and present them after introducing yourself. “I brought these cookies to thank you for taking time to talk with me.”

At this point, the owner will either turn you down (hopefully politely) or will consider what you have asked. If you are turned down, then thank the owner politely, shake hands again, and make sure they know they can keep the cookies as your thank you for talking with you. Then, try again at another shop.

If the owner invites further discussion, you may well be on your way to having a new friend!

Negotiating

There is no standard way this is going to go.

The owner may ask if you’re looking for something specific. Don’t be specific. Explain that you love experimenting with different materials. You’re a crafter, right? If you ask for something specific, that is all you will get (if you get it at all). You have to make this easy for the sign shop owner.

The owner may go to a different room and come back with a handful of scraps or a whole box full of scraps. The owner may ask what you will offer for what he is presenting to you or he may just hand them to you without asking for anything. Hopefully you get the latter.

If the owner presents you with scraps and asks if these will do, then this is your opportunity to ask the owner what you can offer in return for these scraps. You want this exchange because it gives the owner the opportunity to be generous and just give them to you, especially if you are doing him a favor by taking them off his hands (and he likes cookies).

What if I have to make an offer?

This is the scary part, right?

If the owner asks you what you will offer then you need to be able to quickly eyeball the square-footage of the pile and offer a price that makes all this worthwhile to both of you. Think about the vinyl you can buy at the craft stores. At full retail craft store pricing, you pay around $1.25 to $2.00 per square foot. What price will make this worthwhile to you? Is it half that price, a third, a quarter? That’s going to be up to you. Keep in mind, the owner probably paid somewhere between $0.40 and $0.60 per square foot for their most-used vinyl.

Something else to consider, the vinyl in that scrap bin came off of projects they did for other customers. Those customers had to pay for all the vinyl in their project, including the scrap, because a shop has no guarantee they will ever use that scrap. Throwing out those scraps (or giving them away) is no financial loss to the shop owner. This is why you are likely to get them for free.

If they are amenable to you taking scraps off their hands at this introductory visit, then you can ask, “Do you have scraps that build-up enough that I could drop by every week or two to cart them away for you? I can leave a bin for you to make it more convenient.”

YOUR Responsibilities

Assuming you have met with success, it is YOUR responsibility to keep up your end of the deal. If the deal you come up with is for you to do a pickup every week, be there every week. The minute this becomes inconvenient to the sign shop, they will not be interested in helping you.

I cannot stress strongly enough that this has to be no trouble for the shop. YOU have to make this easy for them.

If it seemed like the sweet treats were well-received, take another batch with you every so often. You want them to smile when you walk in the door.

Congratulations!

I hope you are able to get out there then establish this relationship with your local sign shop.

A Few Words About Vinyls

Sign shops have some standard vinyls they work with on a daily basis and they are of, primarily, two types, based on two manufacturing processes. Since you are going to receive scraps, you may not know exactly what you received. This section is going to teach you how to determine what kind of vinyl you have in this collection of scraps. I have a chart of these in my resource library that you can download and keep handy along with several tips on working with vinyl.

Calendered Vinyl

Most of the vinyl you are buying at the craft stores is calendered vinyl. Cricut’s standard vinyl is a calendered vinyl. Many crafters talk on the various social media about Oracal 651, 641, and 631. These are calendered vinyls of varying thicknesses.

Calendered vinyl starts with a mixture of ingredients (often plastic pellets) that are then extruded (through heated rollers) to force/press the ingredients into the plastic films.

Best used for:

Flat surfaces
Simple curved surfaces
Can be used on a variety of types of surfaces

Pros:

More scratch-resistant
Less expensive
Excellent for flat surfaces
Can be made in heavier/thicker sheets (3-6 mil) making them easier to handle
Wide range of colors and gloss levels
For some small projects you can get away with not using a transfer tape (such as the “locks” in my paper treasure chests)

Cons:

Less dimensionally stable (wants to return to its original pre-extruded shape)
Does not conform to shapes as well as cast vinyl
Not well suited to tightly curved surfaces
Tends to shrink when exposed to heat
Becomes brittle, cracks over time, especially in conditions with temperature changes
Durability falls in the 1 to 5 years depending on the quality, usage, and environmental exposure
Fewer metallic colors than cast vinyls

Cast Vinyl

In the sign-making industry, this is the premium vinyl. Cricut’s Premium Vinyl is a cast vinyl. The vinyl that crafters talk about in terms of the Oracal brand, Oracal 751 and 951, are cast vinyls.

Cast vinyl starts as a liquid, poured onto a surface then baked. This makes a “relaxed” vinyl which can be made into thinner, and more flexible, sheets.

Best Used For:

Complex curved surfaces
Exterior/weather-affected applications
Vehicle wraps

Pros:

High durability – usually 5 to 12 years
Dimensionally stable – Least amount of shrinkage of all the vinyls (it doesn’t have a state to try to return back to like calendered vinyls)
Retains color better than other vinyls, which is good for outdoor use
Flexible – Can be made very thin, which allows it to cover complex curves
Available in many metallic options

Cons:

Some may find the thinner material (1-2 mil) more difficult to work with (must use transfer paper)
Fewer gloss level options

How to Tell the Difference between Calendered and Cast Vinyl

Since you will receive scraps, you may not know what you are receiving. Some vinyl manufacturers print their product information on the carrier paper. Oracal tends to do this. 3M sometimes does this. But, there are a few manufacturers of vinyl and there is an easy test to determine the type. I even have a short video that shows you how to determine the type of vinyl.

If you separate a corner of the vinyl from its carrier paper, press your thumbnail into the vinyl as you pull on it, calendered vinyl will snap/break and cast vinyl will stretch and deform before breaking. Here is a little video of me performing this test on a few pieces of vinyl. At the end, I show you the difference between metallic in calendered and cast.

Clean and Dirty Dishwasher Magnet

February 22, 2019 by Tracy Lynn DeGarmo 6 Comments

Learn how you can help your family members know whether the dishes in the dishwasher are clean or dirty with a clean and dirty dishwasher magnet.

Let family members know whether the dishes are clean or dirty in the dishwasher with a decorative magnet

Does your kitchen need a clean and dirty dishwasher magnet? Do you have someone in your household who doesn’t look in the dishwasher to know if the contents are clean or dirty? They leave their dirty dishes on the counter or in the sink, just assuming the dishwasher is full of clean dishes or they sometimes put their dirty dishes into the dishwasher full of clean dishes. Maybe there is someone in your home who would help with loading and unloading but they cannot tell if the dishes are clean or dirty so, they just don’t bother.

I have lived with these people and needed a solution.

We solved the issue with a clean and dirty dishwasher magnet to make it clear to everyone, including kids, spouse, and house-guests, the exact condition of the contents of the dishwasher. It even helped to change some of our habits!

You can make this by hand or cut it on your craft machine, such as the Cricut. I was able to use vinyl that I got for free, too!

Materials and Supplies to Make the Clean and Dirty Dishwasher Magnet

(This post contains affiliate links to some of the items I used in this project. It just means that you will help to support my blog if you make a purchase after clicking the links. There is no added cost to you!)

Design from my Resource Library
Printable Magnetic Sheets – I bought the Avery 3270 Printable Magnetic Sheets – There are five sheets in the pack so you can make more magnet projects later
Two sheets of complementary colors of vinyl
Transfer tape

Materials for the clean and dirty dishwasher magnet

Note: If you want to learn how to acquire vinyl for free, you can read my post about how to talk to a sign shop to acquire their vinyl scraps. They throw away scraps that are larger than your cutting mat.

Make the Clean and Dirty Dishwasher Magnet by Hand

Before we even get started, before you buy the magnetic sheets, test your dishwasher to see if it will accept a magnet. While most dishwashers, like most appliances, can hold a magnet, some do not. Just do a quick check first.

The printable magnetic sheets in this project can be used in an inkjet printer. You can then print the design from the PDF in my resource library directly onto the magnet sheets. The PDF has the outlines for the design, then you can paint the parts of the design the colors you prefer. The magnetic sheets are easy to cut with an X-Acto knife or a pair of scissors.

Make the Clean and Dirty Dishwasher Magnet with a Craft Machine

I did all my work for my magnet with my Cricut. Use the fine point blade to cut the magnetic sheets. The magnet sheets are 8-1/2″ x 11″ (so they can go through a printer). The back side is the magnet material and the front side is a printable surface that is bonded to the magnet. They do print nicely but I wanted to use up some of my vinyl left over from a previous project.

I laid this out in two ways in the design file and both of these are in the files in my resource library.

4-up: Designed for 4 magnets per sheet (one for you, three for friends)
1-up: Designed for a single magnet

These steps are to make four magnets from a single sheet: one for me then the rest will be given as gifts to those who said, “That magnet on your dishwasher is brilliant!”

About the Cut Design

When I sat down to design the clean and dirty dishwasher magnet, mostly I wanted something functional, something I needed. But, since I have this blog and part of what I do is teach you how to do things, I also wanted to be able to demonstrate some techniques for you to help you learn how to work with vinyl.

Options for The Clean and Dirty Dishwasher Magnet

These are some options to do instead of a layer of uncut vinyl. If you do any of these then skip Step 2.

You can pre-print the magnet with a colorful design and apply the cut vinyl over the printing.
You can pre-paint the magnet sheet on the printable side. For example: Use a couple of different colors of spray paint for some creative coloring.
Brush on the leftover paint from painting your kitchen walls to make something to match your kitchen.

Step 1: Cut the Top Vinyl Layer

In my design, the uncut layer becomes the background for one side of the magnet and the letters of the other side of the magnet. And, by making 4 magnets, I also got to switch which was which. What this means is that it did not matter which color was the cut layer. I chose the gold color as the cut layer and the matte black as the uncut layer.

Place the vinyl on your mat then load up the design and cut. There is nothing special you need to do with the file.

Remove the vinyl from the mat then weed off the 8-1/2″ x 11″ outside piece.

After weeding the outside vinyl that reveals the 8-1/2″ x 11″ section, you can then weed the rest of this vinyl layer. You can weed as I did so that you have two different color combinations or weed them all the same.

Do the rest of the weeding for the clean and dirty dishwasher magnets

Apply the transfer tape. Do not pull the carrier paper off the vinyl until you are ready to apply this layer in Step 3. You can now remove this from your mat.

Apply transfer tape to the cut vinyl layer of the clean and dirty dishwasher magnet

Step 1: Apply the Uncut Vinyl

This design for the clean and dirty dishwasher magnet uses two layers of vinyl. The first layer is not cut in the craft machine. You need to cut this sheet to 8-1/2″ x 11″ because it will completely cover the magnetic sheet.

Cut the base layer of vinyl to 8-1/2" x 11"

I will use the hinge method to apply this layer of vinyl to the magnetic sheet.

Lay the magnetic sheet on your cutting mat with the magnet side down.

Make sure the black magnetic side is down

Align the magnet sheet so the top and left side of the sheet is perfectly lined up to the top and left sides of your mat. Note: the picture below shows the top of my mat on the left side of the picture.

Place the magnet sheet on the cutting mat

With the vinyl still on its carrier paper, lay it on the magnet and line it up so the top and left side of the sheet is perfectly lined up to the magnet sheet.

Line up the first layer of vinyl to the magnet

Place a strip of tape along one side. In the picture below, the tape is along the top edge of the mat but the top of the mat is in the left side of the picture. This is best for those working left-handed. If you are right-handed, rotate the mat so the taped edge is on your right side.

Pull the vinyl and its carrier paper away from the magnet.

Lift the vinyl and its carrier paper away from the magnet

Continue to pull back all the way to the tape “hinge.”

Fold back the vinyl until you get to the taped edge

Again, if you are right-handed, rotate your mat so the tape-hinge in on your right. I’m giving some love to my left-handed friends in these pictures.

Begin to pull the carrier paper away from the vinyl.

This is how it will look for the right-handed folks (and how you’ll see me work in the video).

For the right-handed view of pulling the vinyl from the carrier paper

Yes, there is a short video! This is a video of getting the vinyl down on the surface of the magnet.

If you have debris on your cutting mat then it may translate to looking like bubbles under your vinyl because it is pushing up on the magnet. There may also be imperfections in the printable layer of the magnet that will make your vinyl look like it is not completely pressed onto the magnet. Pulling the tape off the vinyl may cause a bubble or two.

Bubbles can often be pressed out. The imperfections of the magnetic sheet are there and you can’t get rid of them. Maybe your cut layer of vinyl will mask them.

Step 3: Apply the Cut Vinyl Layer

Start with the magnet that you still have affixed to your cutting mat (that is now covered with vinyl or that you painted) and your cut vinyl that should already have the transfer tape applied from Step 1.

There are straight edges in this layer of cut vinyl that you can use to align this layer to the vinyl-covered magnet. If you have the more opaque style of transfer tape as I have, then you may want to trim some of it away to help you with aligning this layer.

Align to the edge of the magnet and tape the edge

In the picture above, I trimmed around the word “dirty” so I could see that corner of my work surface and I trimmed along the entire side (hidden under the tape in the above picture) to help me align this layer.

And here is a picture for the left handed crafters reading this.

Left-handed view of the vinyl hinge method readiness

Instead of trying to talk you through applying the vinyl, I made a short video.

To be honest, I almost re-recorded this video. The cut on this vinyl was a little deep and it cut into the carrier paper enough that I had to “baby it” as I separated the vinyl from the carrier paper. I hate it when that happens but it sometimes does. It was a bit of a pain but I’ve dealt with this sort of thing before.

Perhaps it’s a good thing that you get to see that it’s not perfect every time. Even people who work with vinyl every day as part of their regular 9-to-5 job encounter this. So, I decided maybe it’s better that you see that it happens and you just have to be patient with it. I got through it but I won’t make you sit through it in real time. I sped up this video for you plus it has happy music in the background for your enjoyment.

After the vinyl is applied and burnished down then you can remove the transfer paper. Do not pull the transfer paper straight up. Instead, pull at an angle. You can see in the above video that I drag it along the surface of the project. You will now have all your layers stacked then ready to cut the magnets.

The clean and dirty dishwasher magnets are ready to be cut

Step 4: Cutting the Clean and Dirty Dishwasher Magnets

To cut the magnets, upload the cut file that has the four rounded corner rectangles then click Make it in Cricut Design Space.

Design Space will automatically put the edge of the cut file in the upper left corner of your cutting mat. This is the corner where you have aligned everything else and the cut vinyl layer has enough border to deal with the quarter-inch space where the Cricut won’t cut.

Note: Materials Setting

If your Cricut has a dial for the materials setting then change it to Custom. From the materials selection screen, type in magnet to narrow the selection then select printable magnetic sheet. The name of this material can (and has) change over time in Design Space — just look for a magnetic material that uses the fine point blade and a single cut until you know your own materials. In other words, err on the side of under-cutting vs. over-cutting. This setting uses the fine point blade. The Avery brand of printable magnet plus the two layers of vinyl took four passes. Your specific materials may vary.

Start by loading the project into your machine then start the cutting. When it finishes, do NOT eject the mat. Leave it there in your Cricut then lift a corner of the magnet to see if it cut all the way through. If not, press the button with the Cricut logo (not the flashing double-arrow).

Repeat until the magnet is cut all the way through. Again, on my machine, it took four passes. When it has cut through then you can eject it from the machine and weed the outside of the magnet off of the mat.

When you make this, you can leave a note in the comments of this post with the brand of magnetic sheets you used and what settings worked for you. Then others can benefit from everyone’s experiences.

Weed the outside of the magnet then remove the completed magnets

Step 5: Time to Use Your NEW Clean and Dirty Dishwasher Magnet

Remove your magnets from your cutting mat.

Your clean and dirty dishwasher magnet is ready to use. This is a picture of my new magnet on our dishwasher.

This is way we use the clean and dirty dishwasher magnet in my house…

Position 1: Dishwasher is Running

When the dishwasher is running, it is too quiet. We often do not even remember that it is running. Seriously, it’s that quiet! So, whoever starts the dishwasher puts the magnet with the clean side up above the dishwasher handle. Anyone who reaches for the handle can’t miss the magnet and should see that they should not open the dishwasher.

Clean and dirty dishwasher magnet position when the dishwasher is running

Position 2: Dishwasher is Clean

Once the dishwasher is done running, whoever pops open the dishwasher to let moisture escape so the dishes can complete their drying, that person moves the magnet to the right side of the dishwasher with the word clean on top. We also let the magnet hang off the edge by a small amount, just because it is easier to grab.

Clean and dirty dishwasher magnet position when the dishwasher is clean

Position 3: Dishwasher is Dirty

Whoever empties the dishwasher moves the magnet to the left side of the dishwasher and flips the magnet over so the word dirty is on top.

Clean and dirty dishwasher magnet position when the dishwasher is dirty

You can get the patternsto this and all my DIY and craft projects in my Resource Library by signing up for my weekly newsletter.

Remember to pin this to your favorite DIY and/or crafting board on Pinterest!

Help your family know if the dishwasher is clean or dirty with a clean and dirty dishwasher magnet | #diy #craft #cricut #clean_dirty_dishwasher_magnet #dishwasher_magnet

Shadow Box Heart Art – You Make My Heart Soar!

February 9, 2019 by Tracy Lynn DeGarmo 10 Comments

Tell someone you love that they make your heart soar by giving them this shadow box heart art that you can make yourself. There are many different color combinations and layering effects to give it your own flair!

You make my heart soar - Tell someone you love that they inspire you with this Shadow box heart art

Materials and Supplies Used in this Shadow Box Heart Art

You can be creative in the use of colors for the shadow box heart art by selecting colors that suit you or your loved one. I made two of them so you can see some differences. You will need the following:

8″ x 10″ shadow box (whatever I could get with my 50% off coupon for the local craft store)
Designs – in my Resource Library
Background sheet (paper or card stock, solid or print) cut to 8″ x 10″ – I found an interesting high-resolution picture of the sky and printed that. I cannot provide you the image due to copyright laws.
White (or contrasting) card stock — for the heart cutout sheet and the wings (though, you may choose to do the wings in a different color)
Red (or your preferred color) card stock for behind the heart cutouts and for the soaring heart
Vinyl – in a color that matches the background sheet I used a blue Cricut Premium Vinyl that almost perfectly matches the blue in the sky image. For the green, I used one that I had in my stash of vinyls that I get for free.
A craft machine such as the Cricut® to cut the vinyl
Transfer tape
Glue, double-sided tape, mounting squares, and/or double-sided foam squares
Optional: X-acto® knife or scissors
Optional: Markers (for edge-coloring some of the papers) I used the Metallic Sharpie® for edge coloring the wings

Materials and supplies for the shadow box heart art - You make my heart soar

About the Cut Files

The cut files in my Resource Library are designed to fit into an 8″ x 10″ shadow box frame. For these kinds of projects, you should use a plain frame. It’s all about the artwork, not about the frame.

I have provided .SVG and .DXF files so you can cut them on the Cricut, or other craft machines, and a .PDF if you want to cut them by hand.

There are four files.

In the picture above and looking left to right:

The first is the recommended white card stock from which the heart shapes are cut out so the red (or your choice of color) shows through the cutouts.
The big red square is the color that is behind the heart cutouts (showing from behind the white card stock). The loose hearts are for making the soaring heart. I provided three hearts so you have options such as stacking layers of hearts for dimension, or folding and gluing them to really make them pop (I have a picture of this later).
The wings. I made mine from white card stock so I added this cut file on the same sheet as the first sheet with the heart cutouts. I also experimented with cutting the wings from silver glitter (I have a picture of this later) which is why I included it as a separate cut file.
This last file is for cutting the vinyl. The design contains registration marks so you can perfectly align it to the heart cutout sheet.

Cutting the Designs

I cut all my pieces on my Cricut Maker using the fine point blade. You can cut this on a Cricket Explore or “higher” or any craft machine that will accept .SVG or .DXF files.

After cutting the vinyl, weed it then apply the transfer tape.

You can also cut the pieces by hand. None of the main pieces are too complex. The heart cutouts will be easier to cut with a knife-style cutting tool such an an X-Acto. I have never cut vinyl by hand and I think it would be challenging to only cut through the vinyl and not the carrier paper. You could print the phrase “You make my heart soar” onto a piece of card stock then attach to the finished product or hand-letter it, or use press-on letters.

Using an X-Acto knife, I trimmed my background piece to 8″ x 10″ to fit the shadow box.

Assembling the Shadow Box Heart Art

At this point, you should have all your pieces cut out and ready to assemble.

The shadow box heart art pieces are cut and ready to assemble

I will now take you through the steps on how I put together my shadow box heart art then give you tips and alternatives for how you can make your own.

Step 1: Embellish or Enhance the Wings

I put this as the first step so you can “get it out of the way” because it is the most tedious part of this project. It is completely optional, too! It all depends on how you want this to look. I strongly encourage you to make these designs your own. Take what I have provided and apply your own style.

I used a silver Sharpie® to edge-color the wings but you don’t have to do the entire edge. Mostly, you want to do the leading edge of the wings to help them stand out against the white card stock. I did a second Shadow Box Heart Art project and used a little gold Sharpie on the edge. Again, it’s not “in your face” but it’s just enough to give it some contrast.

Use a metallic Sharpie® to edge-color the wings for the shadow box heart art

You can completely skip the edge-coloring by making the wings out of something else. In one of my early experiments, I cut the wings from silver glitter card stock. They looked pretty cool but wasn’t really the look I was going for so I did not use them in my final design.

Something else you can do is extra feathering on the wings. The cut file will separate the wings into 5 “feathered” sections. You can use an X-Acto to further divide those sections into more feathering.

To give the shadow box heart art wings some extra flair, you can cut extra feathering into the wings with an X-Acto knife.

After you have finished embellishing the wings, you should shape them. I provided two sets of wings in the cut file in case you want to stack two of them for more dimension. You could do the additional feathering on the top layer and leave the bottom layer with the cuts in the cut file. Either way, you should shape the wings. You can do this by “scraping” the paper with your fingernail (or a tool) to encourage a curl to the card stock. Keep working at it until it has a shape you like.

To give dimension to the wings in the shadow box heart art, "scrape" the paper to encourage a curve to the wings

An alternative I considered for this project was to use actual feathers instead of the wings.

In one of my test cuts, I made the wings from silver card stock. I have a picture of that later.

Step 2: Attach the Color Behind the Hearts

I used red for the color behind my hearts cutouts. You really can do any color that suits you. Have fun and make it your own style!

I did this two different ways.

The first was to use double-sided tape to attach the red to the back of the white so they were flush against each other.
The second method was to use something more dimensional to leave some space between the white and the red. I used the foam squares for this.

Attach the heart color behind the white cutouts of the shadow box heart art

Step 3: Attach the Heart Cutouts to the Background

Note: If you are doing something more dimensional, you should probably attach the vinyl to the heart cutouts piece (Step 4) before this step.

The hearts cutout piece (the one I cut from white card stock) can be centered onto the background piece by leaving an equal border around the entire project. You should have a 3/4″ border of the background paper all the way around the white card stock.

I attached this two different ways;

In the “sky” version, I used the double-sided mounting squares, which made everything flush.
In the “green” version, I used the double-sided foam squares that I cut into small pieces and placed into the corners before attaching. This lifted the white card stock a little above the green background.

Attach the hearts piece to the background piece as the next step of the shadow box heart art

Step 4: Apply the Vinyl to the Heart Cutouts Piece

You should already have weeded the vinyl then applied your transfer tape to the vinyl. It is now time to apply the vinyl to the white card stock.

Remove the vinyl from the backing/carrier paper by peeling the transfer tape away.

Remove the vinyl lettering from the carrier paper using the transfer tape

The vinyl cut file includes registration marks. These are the angled pieces to each side of the design. These mark the lower edges of the white card stock. Line up these registration marks so that they are just outside of the white card stock.

For the next step of the shadow box heart art, align the registration marks for the vinyl layer against the white card stock

Burnish the vinyl layer except the registration marks. You want those marks to come up off the project with the transfer tape. They are just there to help with alignment of the text so do not try to push them into the paper layer beneath them.

Pull the transfer tape away. Do not pull up (perpendicular to the work surface). As closely as possible, pull so that you are pulling the transfer tape parallel to the work surface. The registration marks should pull up since you did not burnish them down with the rest of the lettering. If the registration marks are sticking, gently encourage them to come up with the transfer tape using your weeding tool.

Remove the transfer tape from the shadow box heart art project surface

You may want to lay the carrier paper over the top of the vinyl and give it a little extra burnishing after you remove the transfer tape. This will help to establish a good bond between the vinyl and the white card stock.

Step 5: Attach the Soaring Heart

There are a few different ways you can do the soaring heart. I have mentioned a couple of times that I would show you the silver glitter card stock wings and the red glitter card stock heart so I will show you those first, though I chose not to use them in my final project.

Glittery Soaring Heart

I had red and silver glitter card stock left over from some of my 24 Days of Christmas Crafting projects. It is these scraps that I used to make a glittery soaring heart. I did not end up using it but I am including it to inspire you to try different things.

To make the red heart, I cut three hearts, folded each heart down the middle, then glued all three together.

After the glue was set, I used a red Sharpie® to edge color the card stock (to hide the white core).

One way to make the soaring heart for the shadow box heart art is to glue three hearts together to give it dimension

I then glued the red heart to wings I cut from silver glitter card stock. Again, cut but it didn’t end up fitting the look I was going for.

If you want to make a glitter heart for your shadow box heart art, glue the heart to the wings

Single Heart and Curved Wings

For the heart and wings combination I used in the blue-sky-background version of this project, I used the curved wings (without the extra feathering) and I attached the heart to the wings with the double-sided mounting squares. The wings were then attached to the white card stock with a single layer of the double-sided foam squares.

Attach the silver-tipped soaring wings to the shadow box heart art project

When positioning the soaring heart, set it so that it is peeling away from the rest of the hearts, soaring higher than all the rest.

Shaped Heart and Feathered Wings

For the version of this project that I did with the green background, I curved the heart. Using a fingernail, I “scratched” at the card stock to encourage a curve in the paper. I also did a slight crease a third of the way down the center of the heart, as if I was giving it a little cleavage. It might be hard to see in the picture but it helps to give the heart some added dimension.

When I attached it to the white card stock, I used two layers of the double-sided foam squares between the wings and the white card stock to lift the heart a little higher off the paper surface.

By "scratching" at the card stock, you can encourage a little curve and dimension to the heart before attaching it to the shadow box heart art.

You could also stack the soaring heart with the additional cuts of the heart that I provided in the cut file. Put a layer of foam tape or scrapbooking dots between the layers to give it the dimension you want.

Other Options for the Wings

You could try feathers
A shimmery vellum might look interesting
One of Cricut’s foil acetates might be pretty

What else…? Let your imagination and creativity (and your scraps) help you decide! Remember to show off your pictures on Facebook!

Completed Shadow Box Heart Art Project!

I made two of these so I will show you both of them. But, there are so many possible combinations of colors, dimension, and positioning. You could even skip the vinyl lettering cut file I provided and do your own phrase that has meaning to you.

Shadow Box Heart Art with the blue sky background

Shadow Box Heart Art with the green background

You can get the design files and patterns to all my DIY and craft projects in my Resource Library by signing up for my weekly newsletter.

Remember to pin this to your favorite crafting board on Pinterest!

Tell someone you love that they make your heart soar. This shadow box heart art makes a great gift for Valentine's Day, an Engagement, or just because...| #love #valentine #valentines_day #heart #cricut #paper_craft #i_love_you #my_heart #you_make_my_heart_soar #3d_paper #shadow_box #free_svg #free_dxf #free_pdf

Kitchen Canister Labels: Organize Your Kitchen

February 3, 2019 by Tracy Lynn DeGarmo 12 Comments

One of my daughters received a set of large square glass canisters as a gift and brought them to me because she wanted kitchen canister labels. We looked for a font she liked and she chose a matte black vinyl for the labels. The finished result is this set of four kitchen canisters that will help her keep her most-used kitchen baking staples within easy reach and able to easily tell them apart when rushing through making baked goods in her busy life. The matte black vinyl is one of the ones in my stash of vinyls that I get for free. I made a total of 20 different ingredient labels that you can have for free in my resource library.

You can make your own kitchen canister labels to help organize and decorate your kitchen

The 20 ingredients cover the usual ones but also include some of the common ingredients for those on low carb diets. I made them available as free cut files (formats: .svg, .dxf, and .png in my Resource Library) for today’s craft machines such as the Cricut.

These are the labels included in the cut files:

Sugar
Powdered Sugar
Plain Sugar
Brown Sugar
Flour
Almond Flour
Bread Flour
Coconut Flour
Rice Flour
Whole Wheat Flour
Powdered Swerve
Granulated Swerve
Oat Flour
Rolled Oats
Steel Cut Oats
Stevia
Stevia Blend
Loose Leaf Tea
Tea Bags
Coffee

If you have an ingredient not included, post it in the comments. For each 4 new ingredients I see posted, I will make an additional cut file and add it to the Resource Library.

Materials and Supplies Used in This Kitchen Canister Labels Project

Set of canisters (the ones used in this project are the 4-piece 1-gallon Anchor Hocking Cracker Jar)
Cut files from my Resource Library
Vinyl — you need to use a vinyl that is intended for permanent use that will be robust enough for occasional hand-washing (it is not recommended that you place your vinyl projects in a dishwasher). I mentioned earlier that I used free vinyl. I have a whole post on how you can get free vinyl from sign shops who throw away scraps bigger than your cutting mat!
A craft machine such as the Cricut to cut the vinyl
Transfer Tape
A tape measure to help you find centers for aligning your labels

About YOUR Kitchen Canisters

You may already have your own kitchen canisters that you want to label instead of the ones I show for this project. You can still use these labels! Vinyl will adhere nicely to smooth surfaces. Your glazed ceramic canisters, metal canisters, or other glass canisters with smooth surfaces (nothing with molded-in bumps or designs) will all work well.

For kitchen canister labels made from vinyl, you will need to use containers that have smooth surfaces such as glass, glazed ceramic, or metal

The size of your canisters may determine if you need to resize the cut files in Cricut Design Space or the application for your cutting machine. I will go over that next.

About the Cut Files

The cut files I included in my Resource Library can be resized to fit your canisters.

The files are designed to fit a space that is 4 inches wide and 4-1/4 inches high. The zip file that contains the cut files has a separate layer for each “ingredient” so you only need to cut the ones you want. I will explain how to cut only the ones you need later.

If your kitchen canisters are the same as the ones in this project or have a similarly sized area in which you want to place a label, then you can proceed to cutting the labels. If you want to increase or decrease the size, measure the width and height of the space you want to fill then scale the cut file to fit within that space for each of the labels after you upload the file.

Prepare Your Kitchen Canisters for Labeling

As I said earlier, vinyl adheres nicely to a smooth surface. The surface also needs to be very clean.

If your canisters have been in use in your kitchen, they likely have been handled (which means skin oils get deposited on the surface) and have been exposed to cooking oils that get into the air in our kitchens.

If they are new, they may still have oils from handling at the factory or the oils in the air or dust from the factory. It is still a good idea to wash before proceeding.

Thoroughly wash the area where you plan to place the labels. Wash with a soapy water that will cut through grease (such as Dawn). Do not use an ammonia-based product such as Windex. This leaves a residue that may cause the vinyl to not stick as well. You should also wipe down the area where the label will be placed with rubbing alcohol to cut through any remaining residue. Let the alcohol dry completely.

Try to work in an environment that does not have a lot of dust flying around (including pet hair). You do not want that to get stuck between your canisters and the vinyl.

Clean your kitchen canisters then wipe with rubbing alcohol before applying vinyl

Cutting the Vinyl

I have only worked with Cricut machines so I cannot comment on other brands of craft machines. Hopefully, the other craft machine owners can interpret these instructions for their applications. I have provided multiple file formats (.SVG, .DXF and .PNG) in my Resource Library’s ZIP file for this project.

Upload the .SVG file to Cricut Design Space add it to your project. When you do so, all of the “ingredients” will be grouped together. You will need to ungroup the full set of labels. This will separate all the “ingredients” into separate objects or layers. For the ingredients you do not want, select them and delete them. They will still be in your upload but removed from this project.

Reminder: If you want to learn how to acquire vinyl for free, you can read my post about how to talk to a sign shop to acquire their vinyl scraps. They throw away scraps that are larger than your cutting mat.

Step 1: Upload the Cut Files

The file in my Resource Library has labels for 20 types of ingredients you may have in your kitchen canisters. Personally, I do not use flour or sugar. I eat a ketogenic diet and have other ingredients. These include almond flour, coconut flour, and both powdered and granulated erythritol sweeteners (Swerve). These are also in the cut files.

After you upload the cut file to Cricut Design Space, increase or decrease the size of the labels to match the space you want to fill on your canisters.

To have a little bit of space around the words for handling the labels after cutting, position them in Design Space with one to two inches between each label. For the size of my own four labels in this project, they will all fit on a 12″ x 12″ mat.

When you have them sized and positioned, select all and, click the Attach button so Design Space does not rearrange them for you when you go to Make It.

Before cutting your kitchen canister labels, select all and click the Attach button

Step 2: Cut the Kitchen Canister Labels

With your labels “attached” you can now click the Make It button. Now you can move to the cutting part of the project.

Your labels are all still grouped together. Design Space probably shifted the group of them all the way into the upper left corner of the mat. This will be okay. You can adjust the group if you want a little extra space along those edges but it is not necessary.

If you have a Cricut Explore, you can opt to use the dial on top of your machine to select the material. Optionally, turn the dial to “Custom” and choose from the many materials options in the next step. Cricut Makers do not have this dial and always choose their materials in the next step. I really think this is the best way to work with the various materials.

Click the Continue button to select your materials. You should select the material that most represents the vinyl you are using. To narrow down the list to only show you the vinyl selections, type the word vinyl into the search box and click on the search icon. For most vinyl projects (including this one), I select “Premium Vinyl.” If you want to learn about the various types of vinyls (the differences, pros, cons, etc., you can read about them in the “A Few Words About Vinyls” section in my post on how to get free vinyl.

You can now start cutting the vinyl! When craft machines cut vinyl, it only cuts through the vinyl. It does not cut through the carrier paper that is on the back of the vinyl. You place your vinyl sheet on your cutting mat so that the carrier sheet is the part that is stuck to the mat and the vinyl is on top.

Load the cutting mat into your craft machine and start the cut. This part is still fascinating to me to watch. 🙂

The vinyl is now cut and ready to be weeded

Step 3: Weeding the Kitchen Canister Labels

Once the cutting is complete, you will need to weed the vinyl to remove everything except the letters for the labels. Weeding is the process to remove everything from the carrier paper except the parts of the vinyl that comprise your project. In this case, weed all the vinyl except the letters.

After weeding the outside of your kitchen canister labels, you will be left with letters that still have the inside vinyl pieces remaining

Remember to weed (remove) the centers of letters.

Remember to weed the interior of letters from your kitchen canister labels

Step 4: Apply the Transfer Tape

The transfer tape may also be called transfer sheet, transfer medium, transfer paper, etc. It is a sticky sheet that will stick to the face of the vinyl, allow you to lift the vinyl off its backing/carrier sheet, and transfer the vinyl to the intended project surface.

Some transfer tape is clear, some have grids printed on them, and some are opaque like masking tape. Mine is the masking tape style.

Cut a piece of transfer tape that is large enough to cover the vinyl plus a little extra for you to hold on to.

Starting at one side of the vinyl sheet, secure the edge of the transfer tape along that side of the vinyl.

Adhere the transfer tape to one side of the cut vinyl

Begin working toward the opposite side by pressing the transfer tape onto the vinyl.

Move toward the opposite side of your vinyl to adhere the transfer tape to your vinyl

Using a burnishing or squeegee tool or something equivalent (such as the edge of a credit card), secure the transfer tape to the vinyl.

Use a burnishing tool to secure the vinyl pieces of the kitchen canister labels to the transfer tape

Step 5: Remove Vinyl from Carrier

Cut this “sandwich” of carrier paper — vinyl — and transfer tape into the separate labels. Set aside all but the first one you want to apply.

Begin pulling up the transfer tape to pull the vinyl off of the carrier paper. Slow down when you get to the letters to make sure they come off the carrier paper.

If you have a low-tack transfer tape, you may need to help the vinyl separate from the carrier paper by using your fingernail or your weeding tool to gently lift the edge of the vinyl, press the tape back on it, then pull on the transfer tape again.

Peel the vinyl off the carrier paper using the transfer tape

Continue until you have lifted all of the vinyl off of its carrier sheet.

Vinyl-handling tip: Do not set this aside and come back to it later. You do not want dust or pet hair to float onto the adhesive of the vinyl. Only do this step when you are ready to move to the next step.

Step 6: Applying the Vinyl

There are a handful of ways to get your vinyl on to your project so that it is straight. I’m only going to walk you through one method in this post.

Just an FYI here… My husband is a graphic designer in a sign shop and works with vinyl EVERY DAY, and has done so for the past 20-something years. He is the one who has taught me the tips for working with vinyl that have made my life easier when working with vinyl for these Cricut projects. I am happy to pass along these tips as I write these blog posts.

If you have a good eye for this sort of thing, you can center your kitchen canister label over the space you wish to fill and apply it. I’m not as good with the eyeballing method. I need to make sure it really is centered. This is what I did for this project.

These Anchor Hocking canisters have flat spaces that are 4-inches by 4.25-inches. I used sticky notes to mark the centers on each of the four sides of that nearly-square flat space.

To help center the kitchen canister labels, mark the horizontal and vertical centers on your canisters

I then marked the horizontal and vertical center for each of the kitchen canister labels.

Mark the horizontal and vertical centers of the kitchen canister labels

After removing the carrier paper, I hover the transfer tape that is holding the vinyl labels over the space for the labels. I can then eyeball the horizontal and vertical centers of the label so they align with the centers I marked on the glass canisters using the sticky notes.

Align the labels to the horizontal and vertical centers of the canisters

As you get close to the glass, it may stick. You can lift it off and adjust until it is as close to being level as you think you are going to get. Lay the vinyl down at the center of the label.

These kitchen canister labels are pretty small so the above should work satisfactorily for you. There are other methods for working with much larger pieces of vinyl and I will go through those techniques in future posts.

Once you have the label laid out on the canister, burnish or squeegee so that the vinyl gets a good seal with the canister. You can use a firm-edged tool or something similar like the edge of a credit card.

Burnish or squeegee the vinyl to the surface

When you have finished sealing the vinyl to the canister, you can lift off the transfer tape. Pull the transfer tape at a sharp angle. To not pull up. Pull to the side.

Pull the transfer tape to the side to remove and not pull up the vinyl

Repeat these steps for all of your canisters.

Mistakes Happen: I know mistakes happen. You may have mis-measured your center lines or decided to eyeball it and missed it… whatever. Something might have happened that makes you want to start over. It’s okay.

Don’t panic when you make a mistake.

Take a good look at it. Is it off by so much that it will bug you every day or can you live with it? If you need to replace it, pull up the vinyl and start over for that canister. If your vinyl leaves any residue, scrub it off with a paper towel and rubbing alcohol. The residue WILL eventually come off (just keep at it) and then you can reapply your vinyl.

Your Kitchen Canister Labels Project is Now Compete!

The kitchen canister labels are now complete

After you have applied all your kitchen canister labels, the only thing left to do is fill them with your kitchen staples and start using them.

You can get the patterns to this and all my DIY and craft projects in my Resource Library by signing up for my weekly newsletter.

Make a Loopy Burlap Flowers Wreath

January 18, 2019 by Tracy Lynn DeGarmo 4 Comments

Are you ready for Valentine’s Day? You can get started now and make this Loopy Burlap Flowers Wreath for your Valentine’s Day decorating!

Your Loopy Burlap Flower Valentines Wreath is now ready to hang on your door

Materials and Supplies

Grapevine Wreath – 15″ to 18″
1 roll of 5″ x 15′ red burlap (This will make 10 flowers) — If you did not pick these up in the after-Christmas sales, you can always buy them on Amazon
Tacky Glue — for making the loopy burlap flowers
Hot Glue — for attaching things to the wreath
Red and/or White embellishments – I found red and white beads/berries on stems after Christmas. When looking in the craft stores today, I saw all sorts of red and white items that would look quite lovely in a Valentine’s wreath. I almost bought white feathers! Pick something you would enjoy.
“Love” sign
- You can cut your own from chipboard if you have the Cricut Maker or a fine saw. The pattern is in my Resource Library. I cut mine on my Cricut Maker from 2mm chipboard.
- You can buy these pre-made around Valentine’s Day made from wood such as:
White craft acrylic paint & a paintbrush
Optional: Ribbon or lace

Loopy Burlap Flower Valentines Wreath - Materials

The “Love” Sign

I already had the chipboard on hand from a chipboard project I made for Christmas so I opened up my drawing program and created the word Love as an SVG file. I widened the letters in their thin spots and pushed the letters together to give the whole word a little more strength, then converted it to a single object to cut on the Cricut Maker.

The font I used is called Dulcelin and is the same font that I use in my logo.

I am happy with the result. The Cricut Maker cut the Cricuit brand 2mm chipboard without creating any debris.

Loopy Burlap Flower Valentines Wreath - Cute the LOVE letters from chipboard on the Cricut Maker

Finding a pre-made sign in your local craft store at this time of year would be fast and easy — assuming the local crafters have not snatched them all up by now. And, of course, there is always shopping online for such signs.

Making the Loopy Burlap Flowers

The flowers in this project are larger than the flowers I have made in previous projects. Because I used the roll of burlap, I made them the width of that roll. The roll is 5-inches wide and 15-feet in length. This makes 10 flowers from 5″x18″ rectangles of burlap.

As you work with the burlap on a roll, you will notice that the edge of the burlap is serged, which means you can work a little closer to the edge (as you will see in my video below). Working closer to the edge allows the flowers to lie closer to the wreath instead of having the bulky base.

I have made loopy burlap flowers for a few projects on my blog. You can go back and read through those posts to learn more about how to make them…

…or watch this short video to get a quick refresher on how to make the flowers.

Note: The flowers for this project are larger than the ones I have made for previous posts. Pulling the first couple of strands of fiber out of the cloth takes a little more effort but it is just as easy after that.

Assembling the Valentine’s Wreath

The first thing I positioned was the word “Love” that I had cut on the Cricut and painted with white craft acrylic paint. I used hot glue at each end of the word and in the middle to hold it in place. The chipboard is very lightweight so it didn’t need much to keep it secured to the wreath.

Loopy Burlap Flower Valentines Wreath - First attach the LOVE letters

How you assemble the flowers onto the wreath is up to you and your personal style. I tried evenly spacing them around the wreath and I tried grouping the flowers together and preferred them grouped together.

Try a few arrangements using just a dab of hot glue to hold the flowers in place until you find an arrangement that suits you.

Tip for rearranging the flowers: If you don’t like where you positioned a flower, hold the flower securely by its base and twist to remove it from the wreath. It will come off easier if you twist it than if you try to pull straight off the wreath.

When you have the flowers laid out the way you like, use more hot glue to hold the flowers in place.

Loopy Burlap Flower Valentines Wreath - Add the flowers to the wreath

If you have something to add to the center of the flowers, you can glue those in place at any time. I used some of the white “berries” as the centers of my flowers.

Add a Bow to Your Wreath

After all but two of the loopy burlap flowers were in place, I made a big bow. To make the bow, I started with 4 strips of 24″ ribbon. The ribbon I used is wired ribbon that is 3″ wide.

Step 1: Make the Loops

Take each of those 24-inch strips and glue the ends to each other to make four loops.

Loopy Burlap Flower Valentines Wreath - Create the bow loops

Making sure the overlapped/glued edge is in the center, flatten each loop and stack them into a pile.

Cut a shorter piece of ribbon that is four to six inches in length and remove the wires.

Loopy Burlap Flower Valentines Wreath - Remove the wires from the ribbon that will become the center of the bow

Fold this lengthwise into a tube and secure the overlap with glue. This will be the center piece that ties the loops together.

Loopy Burlap Flower Valentines Wreath - Make the center for the bow by making a tube

Step 2: Gather the Loops

Take the stack of flattened loops and pinch them in the middle. Wrap that tube-shaped piece around the middle of the pinch and glue it in the back. You may have leftover ribbon from that wrap piece. You can cut off and discard the extra.

Loopy Burlap Flower Valentines Wreath - Pinch the loops and wrap the center around the pinch

Step 3: Poof!

When the glue has hardened, turn the bow over and start fanning out the loops so they are no longer stacked on top of each other then un-flatten them. Poof them out.

Loopy Burlap Flower Valentines Wreath - Separate the loops of the bow and poof them out

Step 4: Ribbon Streamers

Cut two more pieces of ribbon around 15 inches in length each. Clip one end of each to give it a fan-tail. At the opposite end of each, gather up in a pinch and secure to the back of the bow with some hot glue.

Loopy Burlap Flower Valentines Wreath - Clip the ends of the ties and glue to the back of the bow

Your bow for the Loopy Burlap Flower Valentines Wreath is ready to attach

Step 5: Attach the Bow

Glue the bow to the wreath and use the last two loopy burlap flowers to fill in where they look best to you. I tucked my last two flowers up against the bow.

Loopy Burlap Flower Valentines Wreath - Hot glue the bow to the wreath and add the extra flowers

I then took my red and white berry embellishments and tucked those into the wreath around the flowers and the bow. They fit into the grapevine quite snugly so I did not need to glue those in place.

Now the wreath is ready to decorate your home for Valentine’s Day!

Loopy Burlap Flower Valentines Wreath is now complete

You can get my 5-page set of tips for working with burlap plus get the pattern for this and all my DIY and craft projects in my Resource Library by signing up for my weekly newsletter.

Remember to pin this to your favorite crafting board on Pinterest!

Make these adorable loopy burlap flowers then attach them to a wreath to decorate for Valentine's Day| #diy #burlap #burlap_flowers #loop_burlap_flowers #loopy_burlap_flowers #valentines #wreath

Paper Lighthouse That You Can Make!

January 12, 2019 by Tracy Lynn DeGarmo 20 Comments

I recently asked people what they wanted to learn to make this year. One of the early responses to my survey was from a woman who likes to make 3D paper items and was interested in lighthouses. This was the perfect idea for my next project – a paper lighthouse!

I live in Michigan. We have a significant amount of coastline along the Great Lakes and a significant number of lighthouses. After searching online and looking at several, I opted to make a paper lighthouse that has a very traditional design.

This week’s post is a 3D paper version of the Belanger Park Lighthouse. Belanger Park is about an hour from where I live and close to where I work. I like the shape of the lighthouse and thought it would work well as a 3D paper lighthouse.

3D Paper Lighthouse - Compare the actual lighthouse to the paper version

You can light up the 3D paper lighthouse version of the one at Belanger Park with an LED tea light, too!

About Belanger Park Lighthouse

Wedged between mighty steel mills and the towering DTE River Rouge Power Plant, Belanger Park in River Rouge is a fascinating island of calm amid the industrial expanse of downriver Detroit. The lighthouse is a recent addition, a product of community volunteers and donations. Its 20 watt light when passed through the lens can be seen for ten nautical miles…
https://www.detroityes.com/webisodes/2005/02-downriver/03-ballengerpark.htm

Materials and Supplies

Designs from my Resource Library
Main Lighthouse: 1 sheet white card stock (12″ x 12″)
Railing and Trim: 1 sheet redwood-colored card stock
Roof: 1 sheet brown or slate card stock
Lower Windows: 1 sheet or scrap of Yellow paper
Stonework: 1 sheet light brown paper
Glue
LED tea light (4.5″ circumference maximum) – I found these cool white tea lights!

Cutting the Paper Lighthouse

I have tried to design the Belanger Park Lighthouse pattern so that it can be cut by a craft machine or by hand.

The hand-cut pattern is in the PDF that is my Resource Library
The craft-machine-cut pattern is the ZIP file of the .SVG files in my Resource Library

There are five .SVG files:

The main portion of the light house (the white wood slats from the photographs)
The red-tone trim and railing
The light brown stonework along the bottom of the walls
The darker colored roof
Yellow for some color behind the windows on the lower walls

The files have both cut lines and score lines. Scoring makes folding easier and gives you crisper folds.

When you pull the .SVG files into your software, you should see shapes and lines. Anything that is a line is a score line. If your machine does not score, then delete all these stand-alone lines.

The Cut Pieces

When all the cutting is done, you will have the following:

3D Paper Lighthouse - All the pieces are cut

White Card Stock

Lower part of the paper lighthouse
Top portion of the paper lighthouse

Red Tone Card Stock

Railing
Front door
Awning over front door
Window frames for top windows
Window frames for lower windows

Brown/Slate Card Stock

Roof

Light Brown Paper or Card Stock

The lower portion of the bottom section of the real Belanger Park lighthouse is made of stone. This paper represents that stone.

Yellow Paper or Card Stock

This is the backing color behind the windows on the main portion of the lighthouse.

Assembly

I will walk you through each section of the Belanger Park Paper Lighthouse in the order I made mine.

Add Backing Color on the Lower Windows

Before you fold the lower section, turn the paper over so you are looking at the inside of the lighthouse. My white card stock is a dark slate color on its back side (the inside of my lighthouse).

3D Paper Lighthouse - Set out the lower portion and the window backings

Apply some glue around the outer edges of the 6-pane windows and attach the little yellow pieces of paper. This is the color that shows through the windows when looked at from the outside of the lighthouse.

3D Paper Lighthouse - Glue the window backings to the inside of the lighthouse

Lower Window Frames and Door

Turn the lower walls section of the lighthouse over so you are looking at the outside of the lighthouse walls.

3D Paper Lighthouse - The window backings

Set out the thee matching widow frames and the door.

3D Paper Lighthouse - Set out window frames and door

Using the three matching window frames, add glue to the frames and center them around the 6-pane windows.

Apply glue to the back of the door and center it over the one stone cutout that has part of the paper left uncut to accommodate the door. Line up the bottom of the door with the bottom of the “stonework” cutout.

3D Paper Lighthouse - The window frames and door

Lower Walls “Stonework”

Note: if you are using a glue that doesn’t set fast, you may want to wait a little before moving on to each step.

Turn the main part of the lighthouse so that you are once again looking at the inside of the lighthouse. Fold along all the score lines, folding toward the interior of the lighthouse.

Fold the light brown sectioned-arc that represents the stonework of the lower walls.

3D Paper Lighthouse - Fold the lighthouse walls and the stone colored paper along the score lines

Lay in some glue along the top edge and the left and right edges of the openings for the stonework. Line up the light brown piece so that its lower edge lines up with the bottom of the cut openings and the folds align with the folds of the lighthouse walls.

3D Paper Lighthouse - Apply the stone color to the inside

Set this aside so all the glue on this lower section of the lighthouse can set.

3D Paper Lighthouse - The lower portion is ready to set aside to let the glue set

Top Windows of the Lighthouse

The window openings on the top part of the lighthouse do not have backing paper. You could back these with a translucent paper but I wanted my cool-white tea light to be clearly seen from ten nautical miles… I mean feet. 😉

3D Paper Lighthouse - Set out the top portion of the lighthouse and the six matching window frames

Working on the outside of the top portion of the lighthouse, glue the six window frames around each of the windows. Make sure your frames are evenly centered over the windows and do not extend beyond the score lines.

3D Paper Lighthouse - Glue the window frames to the top windows

Set this aside to let the glue set.

The Roof Shape

All of the folds for the roof piece are to be folded toward the interior of the roof.

3D Paper Lighthouse - Fold the roof piece along all the score lines

Make sure your folds/creases for the bottom tabs are sharp/crisp.

Apply glue to the vertical tab of the roof and join the roof into its cone shape. Set aside to dry.

3D Paper Lighthouse - Apply glue to the roof tab and close the cone shape of the roof

The Railing

The railing is the most delicate piece in this lighthouse. The folds will take a little patience.

There is a score line that is near the edge of the main hexagonal shape of the “floor” of the railing piece. This is the fold line for the railings. On each railing piece there are two narrow tabs. Each of these has a fold line, too.

3D Paper Lighthouse - Railing fold lines

To help with folding the bottom edge of the railing, I pressed my thumbnail into the fold line as I fold toward the inside. I shift a little and press again.

Continue until the whole length of the railing is folded.

3D Paper Lighthouse - Railing fold on one section

Repeat for all the railings. Fold in all the tabs on the railings.

Go back and make sure your folds are nice and crisp using either a fingernail or a burnishing tool (or the edge of a credit card, etc.).

3D Paper Lighthouse - Give the folds a sharp crease

The only glue for this piece is to glue the tabs to the adjoining railing.

3D Paper Lighthouse - Apply glue to the tabs on the railing

I hold these together with my Sewing clips (I love these!) while waiting for the glue to set.

3D Paper Lighthouse - Clip the railing pieces until the glue sets

Lower Portion Folds and Assembly

Go back to the main lower portion of the lighthouse. All of your folds should already be folded. Apply glue to the long vertical tab and join it to the opposite side of the lighthouse body. You may need to hold on to this as the glue sets. This lighthouse is small enough that I can fit a finger into the inside at each end to help pinch the tab to the body as the glue sets. I used Tacky Glue and only had to hold this for a minute before moving on to the next step.

3D Paper Lighthouse - Apply glue to the tab and close the lighthouse walls

Apply glue to the lower tabs, fold in the base hexagonal shape, and line up the edges of the lighthouse to its base.

3D Paper Lighthouse - Apply glue to the bottom tabs to attach to the base

Set the lighthouse on your work surface.

Use a pen, a chopstick, or some other similar long object, reach inside the lighthouse to press the tabs to the bottom hexagon.

3D Paper Lighthouse - Use a pen to set the bottom tabs

Set aside.

Upper Lighthouse Folds

Go back to the upper section of the lighthouse. Fold along all the score lines.
There is a set of three tabs along the bottom of this piece. Do NOT fold these three tabs. Fold along all the score lines toward the interior of the lighthouse.

3D Paper Lighthouse - Fold along score lines of upper section

Apply glue to the vertical tab and attach to the opposite side of this lighthouse section.

3D Paper Lighthouse - glue the top section side tab

Roof Base

Apply glue to the tabs on the roof. Fold the hexagonal base of the roof and align the edges of the hexagon base to the edges of the roof. lightly pinch along the edges so the tabs are affixed the roof base. Work around the roof with your pinches until the glue is set enough to let go of it. If you are using the Tacky Glue, this should not take too long. Or, you can set it aside while you go do something else for a few minutes.

3D Paper Lighthouse - Apply glue to the tabs on the bottom of the roof and fold in the roof's base

Attach Roof

Apply glue to the top tabs of the upper portion of the lighthouse. Press the upper portion of the lighthouse onto the base of the roof. Align the hexagonal shapes of the roof and the lighthouse section and center the lighthouse section onto the roof.

3D Paper Lighthouse - Apply glue to the upper section tabs and affix to the roof

Hold this until it is set enough that it does not shift on its own.

Attach Railing

In my tests on this design, centering the railing was a challenge. I came up with a method that does not rely on you trying to “figure it out” or eyeballing it.

The railing floor has three slots cut into it that align with the bottom three tabs of the top portion of the lighthouse.

3D Paper Lighthouse - Align the tabs to the slots on the railing piece and insert

Press the tabs into the slots and set to the side.

3D Paper Lighthouse - The top tabs inserted into the slots in the railing

Take the bottom portion of the lighthouse. Make sure the tabs are slightly raised from the horizontal. You want them sticking up a little vs. pressed into the interior of the lighthouse. Apply glue to the top three tabs. Be sure to not add too much glue. The top three tabs are at every-other wall of the bottom portion of the lighthouse.

3D Paper Lighthouse - Apply glue to the lower portion tabs

While holding the top portion of the lighthouse and the railing, line up the bottom tabs of the top portion of the light house with the wall sections of the lower part of the lighthouse that do not have tabs. Insert the tabs into these sections and press together.

3D Paper Lighthouse - Slide the tabs into the openings

Attaching in this manner will perfectly center the railing and top section onto the bottom section of the lighthouse.

3D Paper Lighthouse - The bottom attached to the railing

While this glue is setting, periodically lift the top section of the lighthouse to make sure it is not getting stuck to the railing. If you did not over-do the glue, you should be fine. You want to keep the top section so that it can be separated from the bottom section but leave the railing attached to the lower portion of the lighthouse.

Door Awning

There is a tiny rectangle cut from the red colored cardstock that has a score line down the middle. Fold along that score line so that the awning is at somewhere around a 90-degree angle.

Run a bead of glue along one edge of the awning. Set the awning above the door. This piece is small enough that you should be able to eyeball it.

3D Paper Lighthouse - Apply a bead of glue along the edge of the awning and affix over the door

Light up the Lighthouse!

The assembly of the lighthouse is done.

Lift off the top section of the lighthouse. Turn on your cool-white LED tea light and set it on top of the railing, centered between the cut slots in the floor of the railing.

3D Paper Lighthouse - Add the LED tea light and cover

Re-insert the tabs from the top portion of the lighthouse into the slots in the railing.

Your lighthouse can now warn all the paper ships nearby not to run into the shelves.

You can get the patterns to all my DIY and craft projects in my Resource Library by signing up for my weekly newsletter.

Remember to pin this to your favorite crafting board on Pinterest!

Make your own 3D paper lighthouse to light the way| #diy #cricut #paper #paper_crafts #lighthouse #belanger #belanger_park

You can make your own 3D paper lighthouse to decorate your paper village | #diy #cricut #paper #paper_crafts #lighthouse #belanger #belanger_park #light_house #free_svg

Happy New Year! 2019 Foil Spirals

December 28, 2018 by Tracy Lynn DeGarmo 2 Comments

Ring in the New Year with these party foil spirals to make your party shiny and festive!

Make these party foil spiral streamers for a festive addition to your holiday decorating

Are you ready for festive decorations to help welcome 2019 and the hope of an exciting new year of crafting? I am!

Whether you have a craft machine or not, you can make these spirals to decorate for your New Year’s Eve party or any festive occasion. You can make them from party foil or decorative paper. I did all my test cuts from decorative paper and made the final version from party foil to decorate our house for our New Year’s Eve party.

Materials and Supplies

1 or more sheets of Party Foil or decorative paper
Pattern from my Resource Library

To make the party foil spiral streamers you only need party foil

Note: The Party Foil I bought comes in a 12″ x 48″ roll and the roll is taped closed. If adhesive residue is left behind on the Party Foil from the tape, use rubbing alcohol to remove the residue.

Remove tape residue with rubbing alcohol

Cutting the Spirals

Craft Machine Cutting

If you have a craft machine, upload the .SVG file to your design application and cut the spirals. The design in the .SVG has four designs of the spirals laid out for using on 12″ x 12″ party foil or decorative paper.

The Cricut cutting the party foil spiral streamers

You can ungroup the four designs and make however many of whichever design you choose. One of the designs has a blank tab so you can write on the tabs for other occasions or lay another cut onto those tabs.

Carefully remove the party foil from your cutting mat when cutting is complete.

Your cut party foil spiral streamers are now ready for hanging

Hand Cutting

If you do not have a craft machine, you can cut these by hand using the pattern in the PDF that is in my Resource Library. The PDF contains each of the four designs.

Decorate!

Once the spirals are cut, there is nothing else you need to do except to hang them for your party and enjoy the festivities!

You can get the patterns to all my DIY and craft projects in my Resource Library by signing up for my weekly newsletter.

DIY Home Decor

Materials and Supplies

Plan Your Kentucky Derby Hat

My Own Plan

Colors

Style

Decorating Your Kentucky Derby Hat

Center-Front

Decorate Left or Decorate Right?

Making The Big Bow

Make the Loops

Gather the Loops

Poof the Bow

Assemble the Pieces to Your Hat

The Hat Band

Attach the Big Bow to Your Kentucky Derby Hat

Adding the Large Flowers

Adding Accent Flowers

Accent Ribbons

Kentucky Derby Hat is Complete!

Share this:

Like this:

An IMPORTANT Word About Table Size!

Materials and Supplies for the Drop Leaf Craft Table

Cut Materials to Size

Prepare the Wood Pieces

Sanding

Primer and Paint for the Drop Leaf Craft Table

Assemble the Drop Leaf Craft Table

Create the Foundation Frame

Adding the Top Work Surface

Drop Leaf Supports

Optional Table Top Surface

Where can you get a sheet of PVC?

Mind the Gap

Success! A New Drop Leaf Craft Table!

Share this:

Like this:

IKEA Pieces Used in This Project:

Additional Items Used

Home from IKEA

Let the Assembly Begin!

Starting Slow

Learning IKEA Drawers

Narrow Drawer Units

Tall Narrow Storage – All the Drawers!

Shelves!

Completing the Work Surfaces

The Rest of the Assembly

Like this:

Learn how you can get vinyl for Cricut projects for FREE or nearly free!

My Secret to Free or Nearly Free Vinyl for Cricut Crafts

How Does She Do It?

Make a New Friend

Where can I get FREE or nearly free vinyl for Cricut

Why should I do this?

When should I do this?

Date and Time to Visit

Who should I talk to?

What can I expect?

Vinyl

Scraps!

Today’s Vinyl Haul for Cricut Projects

Variety of Vinyl

Transfer Paper

Substrates

Coroplast

PVC

Aluminum Sheets

Aluminum Composite Panels

While We are Here…

Specialty Materials

Large Orders

How do I do this?

Introduction

But what do I say?

How to Ask

How to Sweeten the Deal

Negotiating

What if I have to make an offer?