Xyron and StencilGirl Blog Hop - Cookies and Cupcakes

Me:  Sweetie, what do you want to be when you grow up?

C:  A baker.

Me:  What should I be when I grow up?

C:  A baker too.  You can help me.  I'm going to have a bakery.  I will make the cakes.  You will make the muffins.  Pink muffins.

Me:  Really?  And what is the bakery going to be called?

C:  Open and Close.

Me:  That's a good name.

C:  I know.  It's a good bakery too.

My daughter never ceases to amaze me.  And she has stuck by her Open and Close Bakery story for a few months now so maybe she really will grow up to be a baker one day.  So you can imagine how excited she...um, I mean, how excited I was to see that I would be working with this awesome StencilGirl stencil for our blog hop with Xyron.  

The circle images in this Cupcake and Sprinkles Stencil reminded me of sprinkles on top of a frosted cookie.  So, running with that inspiration, I made these play cookies for my little baker.  

OPEN AND CLOSE SANDWICH COOKIES

Supplies: StencilGirl Stencil (Cupcakes and Sprinkles); Adhesive (Xyron 2.5" Create-a-Sticker, Xyron 1.5" Create-a-Sticker); Cardstock (Core'dinations, American Crafts), American Crafts Ribbon, American Crafts Stamp Markers; Lifestyle Crafts Embossing Folders; Core'dinations Sanding Block.

And here is how I made them...

1.  Gather Ribbon Spools.  For the base of the sandwich cookies, I collected a couple of American Crafts Ribbon Spools.  They are sturdy and perfectly sized for toddler hands.

2.  Cover the Ribbon Spools with Paper.  Trace the circle shapes on cardstock.  Plan on tracing two circles for each cookie.  I used some deliciously textured and thick Core'dinations cardstock for my project.

Cut out the circle shapes using your favorite scissors.

Emboss half of the circles with a smaller format pattern.  I used a hearts embossing folder by Lifestyle Crafts.

To create dimension to the embossed circles, sand the little embossed images with a sanding block. Here's an image of the before and after sanding.

Run all of the circle shapes (embossed and not embossed) through the Xyron 2.5" Create-a-Sticker. Since these cookies are meant for play, having edge to edge adhesive is very important and the perfect project for your Xyron sticker maker.

Then, adhere the circle pieces onto the ribbon stools (there should be a side that is covered in plain cardstock and another side covered in embossed cardstock) and sand down the edges.

3.  Create Frosting and Sprinkle Layers.  For this step, I create "sprinkles" by coloring inside the StencilGirl Cupcake and Sprinkles stencil on white cardstock.  I used American Crafts stamp markers to color inside the sprinkles.

Using a circle punch, punch out the circle image to create a perfect layer of "frosting" around the edge. Just like with the cardstock layers, run the frosting layers through the Xyron 2.5" Create-a-Sticker and adhere onto the side of the cookie which is covered in plain cardstock.

4.  Create the Cookie Filling.  Since the ribbon spools have a middle, I thought it would be perfect area to create a cookie filling.  To make the filling, measure out just enough ribbon to wrap around the ribbon spool.

Run the ribbon through the Xyron 1.5" Create-a-Sticker.

Then simply adhere onto the ribbon spool.  And just like that, you've now created some delicious looking cookies perfect for some pretend play.  In my daughter's case, they were ready for their debut at the Open and Close Bakery.  :)

And here she is putting them up for display.

CUPCAKE TO CELEBRATE CARD.  Since I HAD to do something with that awesome cupcake stencil, here is a card made using the Cupcake and Sprinkles Stencil and some ink daubed onto cardstock with some foam makeup sponges.

Supplies: StencilGirl Stencil (Cupcakes and Sprinkles); Adhesive (Xyron Mega Runner, DIY Foam Tape); Cardstock (Neena Paper, My Favorite Things); My Mind's Eye Patterned Paper; My Favorite Things ColorBox Ink; American Crafts Ribbon; WRMK Corner Rounder.

Make sure you check out the Xyron blog all this week for some awesome inspiration and giveaways!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Tutorial - Glow in the Dark Stars

Those who follow this blog know how much I absolutely adore my Xyron adhesive machines for everything from scrapbook layouts to craft projects with Charlotte.  I was reading this Fancy Nancy book to Charlotte the other night and it got me thinking...hey, I can make glow in the dark stars!  So if you want to make your as well, here's a little tutorial.

You will need the following supplies:  Cardstock, Xyron 2.5" Create-a-Sticker (Permanent Adhesive and Repositional Adhesive), Glow in the Dark Glitter.

1.  Cut Out Star Shapes.  Either by hand or using some sort of die cutting machine, cut out star shapes from the cardstock.  I used these Xyron/ Spellbinder Dies and ran a few pieces of scrap cardstock through my Xyron Creatopia - Shapez Component.

2.  Adhere Permanent Adhesive on Stars.  Using a Xyron machine fitted with permanent adhesive (I used my 2.5" Create-a-Sticker), cover each star shape with adhesive.

3.  Cover Stars with Glitter.  Carefully peel each sticker off of the backing and then cover with glitter.  For some tips on how to do this, check out this Xyron Video.

4.  Adhere Repositional Adhesive on Stars.  Finally, adhere repositional adhesive on the non glittered side of each star.  I used my Xyron 5" Creative Station with Repositional Adhesive but Xyron makes repositional adhesive cartridges for almost all of their machines.  Also, remember to place the glittered side of the star facing up.  This effectively creates a wall sticker!!

5.  Adhere Stickers to Wall.  Finally, stick those stars onto the wall...

...and turn off the lights!  Glow in the Dark Stars!!!!

As always, thanks for stopping by!!!

Tutorial - DIY Love Message Board (Silhouette Cameo and Adhesive Vinyl)

I originally posted a photo of this love message board on the Valentine's Day blog post.  

The idea originally grew from this project I saw on pinterest which simply has a printed sentiment on patterned paper (you can totally do that without a fancy die cutting machine)!  But for mine, I went a tad bit fancier by cutting some adhesive vinyl with my Silhouette Cameo.  Here's how I did it.

1.  Buy a Frame.  I got this one with a weathered wood look from TJ Maxx for $8.  If we weren't living in such temporary accommodations, I'd probably swipe the frame my mother has with my hideous second grade photo.  

2.  Cut Patterned Paper to Fit Inside the Frame.  I used this adorable heart argyle paper from We R Memory Keepers.  While this paper is relatively busy, I would steer clear of anything too busy or dark.

3.  Cut a Sentiment out of Adhesive Vinyl.  I used a sentiment from Kerri Bradford's "All About You" digital shape set.  I simply opened the image in my Silhouette Studio software, loaded up my Cricut adhesive vinyl and cut away.  I personally found that setting the blade to a setting of "2" (versus the "1" that the software suggests) gave me a much cleaner cut.

4.  Adhere Transfer Tape onto the Cut Image.  Cut down your transfer tape to fit your cut image.  Peel the backing off and place the sticky side down onto the vinyl image.  (Remember to not throw away the backing though - I use my transfer tape about 3-4 times before I throw it out.)  Using transfer tape ensures that your image doesn't get all warped while "transferring" it from the vinyl backing to whatever surface you are adhering it to.  I would also use a popsicle stick or credit card to burnish that tape well onto the image just to make sure it's completely on.

5.  Peel Off the Adhesive Vinyl Backing.  The stick side of the vinyl should now be facing up.  

6.  Transfer the Vinyl Image onto the Glass.  I first place the image down where I want it then burnish it to make sure that the vinyl is actually sticking to the glass where you want it.

Once you're sure that the image is adhered to the glass, slowly peel back the transfer tape.

Then... viola!!!  A beautiful vinyl image right on your frame!

To make "love" stand out a bit more, I cut out just that work in a coordinating colored paper and then taped it right on the vinyl.  

Seriously easy and this idea/ technique can be applied for so many different projects.  Think menu boards, decorated photo frames...possibilities are endless.  So stay calm and craft on.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Tutotrial - DIY Iron On Transfer T-Shirt

Since coming back to Rhode Island after two glorious weeks in San Diego for the Christmas holiday, the first thing Charlotte asks for in the morning is her cousin.  Where's Vivi, she asks me?  When the phone rings, she asks, "Vivi?"  It's really heart-breaking.  She is just obsessed with her older cousin and I so wish we could go back home so they could play together again.

So, inspired by this adorable cousin friendship, I decided to make Charlotte this photo t-shirt using some iron-on transfer sheets.

 

Want to make your own?  It's SUPER simple and fun.  First off, you'll need the following supplies:  

• iron-on transfer sheets (there are a lot of different brands on the market so shop around)
• ink jet printer
• white t-shirt
• iron

1.  Design your t-shirt image.  I created my design using Adobe Photoshop but I'm sure any program will work.  I simply embellished a photo of the cousins with a digital border frame that says "friends."  I resized the image to fit onto Charlotte's t-shirt and then flipped the whole image horizontally.  This creates a mirror image. 

2.  Print your image.  When you print your image onto the iron-on transfer sheet, make sure you change the printer settings according to the manufacturer's instructions.  Then trim very closely around your image.  (NOTE: I DO NOT recommend the brand of Iron-on Transfers photographed below.  It works fine but I noticed that it fades a bit after the first wash.)

3.  Iron your image onto the T-shirt.  Once you figure out where you want your image on the t-shirt, place the image face down and iron it on!  It is seriously that easy.  I personally set my iron to the cotton setting and ironed back and forth for about 3 minutes.  Just check the manufacturer instructions.

4.  Wear and Enjoy!  Viola.  Just like that, you have a totally custom t-shirt to show off to all your family and friends.  Charlotte kept point to her shirt and saying, "Vivi.  That's Vivi."  So ridiculously cute.  I showed my sister and since she loved it so much, I made another matching shirt for Vivi too.  :)

I also used this same technique to make Charlotte's birthday shirt to perfectly match her invites and birthday banner a few months back.

Hope this shows that you don't need a fancy die-cutting machine or a ton of crafting supplies to go DIY.  As always, thanks for stopping by!

Project 100 Update:  33 down, 67 to go.  Since I already had these iron-on sheets and they utilized my digital scrapbooking files, I'm counting the two cousin t-shirts as two projects.