Pet food containers

I have had opened bags of pet food (dog, cat and chicken) sitting in the corner of my kitchen.  I didn't know what to do with them, don't have cabinet space to store them in and it was convenient (just sitting by the door).

After I cleaned up my laundry/craft room, Frank said that I had plenty of space to put the pet food bags there.  (I guess it was bothering him, but he was such a sweetie he never said anything until then.)

Since I had just cleaned that room, I didn't want to start cluttering it up again and opened bags of pet food looked like clutter.

I went to Dollar General and bought 3 medium sized trashcans (with lids).  Used my Cricut to label the trashcans, I used navy blue vinyl and cut out the letters then put them on the trashcans (white trashcans w/ navy blue lids were all they had in the size that I needed).

I am pleased with how they turned out.  I think now it wouldn't look so bad in the kitchen corner, but I did put them in the laundry/craft room (hope it makes hubby happy).  I wish I could have gotten different colors to match my laundry/craft room.  I could probably buy spray paint for plastic and change it, but I was not up to that kind of project at this point (after cleaning the room for several days I just wanted things back in order as soon as possible - that may (or may not) be a project for another day).

Monogrammed Coasters

If you saw the tile coasters that I made here, well this is how I did it.

To make some monogrammed (personalized coasters), you will need 4 inch tiles (see below).  I got mine from Lowe's for about $0.33 each (the color is called Misty Taupe).  You will also need 1/4" ribbon in black or brown (to match your vinyl), spray sealant (Hobby Lobby - used 40% off coupon)...

...a Cricut machine will come in handy (but you could do it by hand - a little more time consuming and requires a little more skill - which I do not have - to cut it out with an exacto knife by hand)...

...E-6000 adhesive (the napkin is just to catch the drips in between uses)...

...something to place on the bottom of the coaster to keep it from scratching the furniture (I looked for felt circles - that go on the bottom of chair legs and couldn't find any, since I was in a hurry and saw these, I grabbed a bag).

First I placed the foam stickers on the back corners of the tile to keep from scratching the surface that I was working on.  (I chose 4 small squares in the same color.  You cannot see the foam stickers when it is flipped over.)

I then cleaned the tiles with window cleaner to remove any dust or fingerprints.  (Yes, that is an old sock that I use for my craft projects.  If the boys or hubby get a hole in the sock it goes in my rag pile instead of the trash can.)

I used my Cricut and brown vinyl to cut out letters (in this case the letter "D").  I cut out 4 in the size 3 1/2 inch.

To keep the letters from stretching when I peeled them off, first I removed the extra vinyl around the letters.  (If my Cricut blade was sharp enough, I might have been able to skip this step.)  NOTE:  Make sure you follow the directions that come with the vinyl for the Cricut - that will tell you about the pressure and blade depth that you should use.

This is what it looks like when I removed the vinyl from around the outside (and inside) of the letters.

Place one letter in the center of each tile.  I just eyeballed it, but you could measure it.  Make sure you press it on firmly and burnish it (bone folder might work for this - I just used the top of my fingernail).

Then I sprayed the tiles with the sealant.  It is hard to tell from the picture, but the "D" has not been sprayed yet and it is still matte, but the "S" has been sealed and is shiny.

I measure the ribbon (used brown ribbon to match the brown vinyl letter) to go around the tile with a little overlap and cut it.  (I use a wood burning tool with a wedge tip to cut all my ribbon b/c that will heat seal it to keep it from fraying.)

Then I put some E-6000 adhesive on one side and put the ribbon on top of the adhesive, pressing firmly.  Continue around all the sides...

Slightly overlapping on one side.

Here they all are completed.  From the top you cannot see the ribbon, but that adds a finished touch, if you are sitting on a couch with your coaster and drink on your coffee table, you would be able to see the ribbon then.  If you can find tiles with finished edges, you could skip the ribbon step, but the tiles that I found did not have finished edges.

Buckets of Friendship

A friend of mine saw the bucket (that is pictured next to the finished chair) here and called me to ask where I got it (just at the local Dollar Store) and she went to get some. Then she saw the buckets that I decorated here, here, and here and requested 3 (one for herself, one for her mother and one for a friend).

So this is what the bucket looked like when she bought it (you know, a BEFORE picture)...


And this is one of them finished (you know, an AFTER picture)...


It's hard to tell in the picture, but the bucket is lime green with navy blue lettering. I failed to take a picture of the other two, but one was burgandy with 'Welcome' in black letters and the last (but not least) was candy apple red with black letters.

I primed each bucket with a metal primer in white. Then I put several light coats of color on each bucket, allowing them to dry in between coats. While they were drying, I cut the letters out with my Cricut and when they were completely dry, I applied the letters. Makes a great gift!

MOPS Retreat

We just had our MOPS Steering Team Retreat this past weekend. That is our planning session. We work for about 24 hrs (with just a few hours of sleep) to plan our whole up-coming MOPS year.

It's pretty intensive, but it is also fun. We (the Steering Team) really get to know each other (which makes working together the next year easier).

As Coordinator for our group, I want to thank the ladies that are willing to take on the responsibilities of the ST and are willing to server other mothers and make MOPS possible. They also give up a weekend in the summer to plan the next year (thanks girls - I really appreciate it), plus so much more. So here is what I did for my ST.

I personalized buckets (using my Cricut) with their last name and crocheted a cotton dish cloth to go with it.







It's hard to tell from the picture, the colors of the buckets are cherry red, hot pink, teal, and country green.

I also personalized totes (embroidered their first name on the tote) so they could have something to carry their MOPS stuff back and forth to MOPS meetings, ST meetings, etc.







In the totes, I had their notebooks (used Cricut to make the cover). Each notebook had the title of their position, our theme for next MOPS year (starts Sept. 2011) and inside I had a pencil pouch with pen & pencil, a gift card, a coupon for a free hamburger, and post it notes. Inside each binder was the handbook for their specific position, our meeting dates for the next year, a calendar with all pertinant info (ST b-days, MOPS meeting dates, ST meeting dates, etc.) filled out and highlighted. There was paper for them to take notes at the ST Retreat and anything else that they might need. They should be able to use the notebook through out the whole next year.




I want my ST to know how much they are loved and appreciated. I have a fantastic group, otherwise I would not be able to be a Coordinator. They make my job easier. This is just a small token of my appreciation. There just aren't words to express what I feel for this special group of women.

Summer Fun

Still having fun with my Cricut!

I bought this cute red tub at Lowe's and I used the vinyl for the Cricut machine and this is what I came up with.

I used the Plantin Schoolbook Font cartridge (that came with my Cricut) and cut out Happy 4 in navy blue vinyl using 2 inch letters with the shadow effect. I cut the th (in 4th) out in 1 inch letters - the rest being the same.

Then I used the Plantin Schoolbook Font and cut out Happy 4 in white vinyl using 2 inch letter w/o the shadow effect. I cut the th (in 4th) in 1 inch letters - the rest being the same.

I then layered the white over the blue. I measured the center of my bucket with a measuring tape and marked it with a dry erase marker. Still using the dry erase marker and measuring tape, I drew a line so that my letters would be straight.



Using the Accent Essentials cartridge (that also came with my Cricut) I cut some stars out of the white vinyl and the blue vinyl. I did some plain with each color and some using the shadow effect also of each color. I layered some stars and others I did not as I placed them randomly around the words 'Happy 4th'.

This can be used for self-service while picknicking, by filling with ice and drinks. Another great thing about it is, after the holidays I can remove the vinyl and have a plain bucket or add other decorations on it (eg. Merry Christmas in green vinyl letters and put poinsettias in the bucket - you get the idea).

Wall Art

I am so excited. I got a Cricut Expression for Mother's Day (I ordered it before MD, but just before, so it didn't arrive until like 10 days after MD, but I got it and that's what counts).

I scrapbook (some - I am really behind, haven't scrapbooked much in a couple of years), but I don't really consider my self a scrapbooker (see the above parenthesis and you will understand why).

Really I consider myself a crafter, I like so many different crafting mediums. And I am willing to try just about any crafting medium at least once. So I have put off getting this machine. I have wanted one for years, but it is primarily marketed to scrapbookers. I finally broke down and purchased one (for crafting) and I am loving it.

This was one of my first projects (not the first, I gave them away as gifts and forgot to take a picture - but I like it so well, I am going to make myself one and I will take a picture of that).



I used the brown vinyl (my walls are a light tan, with dark stained trim) and cut out a saying/quote that I liked and put it on the wall. I used the Plantin Schoolbook Font that came with the machine. I cut the letters out in 3 inches, except for small and big. I cut small out in 2 inches and I italicized it. I cut big out in 4 inches, all caps and italicized it also.

Yes, the "o" in one is crooked. Guess what, I took it off and fixed it (after the picture was taken). I have also added a fleur de lis to the bottom of it. Will have to take a new picture of it soon. I am debating on whether to add quote marks to the beginning and end? Not sure, I kind of want to, but hubby liked it the way it was. What do you think?

Hey, I saw that the Cricut has a cartridge for cupcake wrappers. That would go great with this project. Can't wait to get my hands on that cartridge!