We are all a Work in Progress

April 3, 2024April 2, 2024Leave a comment

We are all a Work in Progress-How to Upcycle a promotional water bottle

How to Upcycle a promotional water bottle.

A few months ago, I joined a gym.

I did it for a couple of reasons.

The first was for my physical self.

And the second for my mental health.

What I didn’t expect was the community I would find

and the friends I would make.

And while I haven’t seen huge improvements in my waistline,

I have seen improvement in my ability to do more than I thought I could.

I’m still a work in Progress.

We are all a Work in Progress-How to Upcycle a promotional water bottle.

Wanting to be like the “cool kids” and help save the planet from plastic water bottles,

I told my husband I needed a metal water bottle to take to the gym.

“I have one at work you can have,” he said. (he knows I’m cheap)

His company had given them metal water bottles that included the company’s core values.

While the values are good and everything, I wanted something different.

I wanted something more inspirational, more personal.

Being a creative person, I brought out my favorite StyleTechCraft adhesive vinyl.

“This is a sponsored post. As a member of the StyleTechCraft Design Team I have been provided product and compensation in exchange for my creative ideas. The views and opinions are my own.

We are all a Work in Progress-How to Upcycle a promotional water bottle

Here’s what I Used: (*affiliate links)

Promotional Metal Water Bottle (or plain water bottle*)
Always a Work in Progress SVG file from the Silhouette Store
Silhouette Cameo 4 Electronic Die Cutting Machine*
StyleTechCraft Rose Gold Craft Vinyl*
StyleTechCraft Matte Black Craft Vinyl*
StyleTechCraft Vinyl Tool Kit*
StyleTechCraft Vinyl Transfer Tape*
Alcohol or Alcohol Wipe*

StyletechCraft products brought to you by ATSM Craft*

*Disclosure: This blog uses ads and affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog. Thanks for your support!

We are all a Work in Progress-How to Upcycle a promotional water bottle

Directions:

The first thing I did was measure the area I needed to cover.
I used my Silhouette Cameo 4 Electronic Die Cutting Machine* to size and cut a Matte Black Craft Vinyl* square that would cover the promotional design on the bottle. I also cut the “Always a work in progress” design using Rose Gold Craft Vinyl*.
To help the vinyl stick securely to the bottle, wipe the surface of the bottle with the alcohol wipe* to remove any oils.
Cut a piece of Vinyl Transfer Tape* slightly larger than the design. Place the transfer paper over the cut design and gently rub using the squeegee tool.

We are all a Work in Progress-How to Upcycle a promotional water bottle

Remove the vinyl design from the white liner and center the image onto the black square.
Gently rub over the Vinyl Transfer Tape* to make sure the image has transferred.
Slowly and carefully, place the design and black square onto the water bottle. Rub over the design to remove any air bubbles. Remove the transfer tape.
Allow the vinyl to cure on the bottle for a few days before use. (Hand Wash Only)

We are all a Work in Progress-How to Upcycle a promotional water bottle

For those of you who are considering joining a gym,

I suggest starting slow and giving it a try.

You might be able to do more than you think.

WE ARE ALL A WORK IN PROGRESS!

DIY Gold Bunny Silhouette Pillow & Treat Bag

March 5, 2024Leave a comment

DIY Gold Bunny Silhouette Pillow & Treat Bag

Add a little glam this Spring with this cute Gold Bunny Silhouette Pillow.

It’s an easy project to make. Even if you’re a simple sewer, like me.

The Bunny reminds me of a Lindt Gold Foiled Chocolate Easter Bunny*,

and who doesn’t like that?

DIY Gold Bunny Silhouette Pillow & Treat Bag

Materials Used to Make the Gold Bunny Pillow: (*affiliate links)

Gold Flex Turbo Heat Transfer Vinyl* (from StyleTechCraft)
StyleTechCraft Vinyl Weeding Tool*
Silhouette Cameo 4 Electronic Die Cutting Machine*
SVG Files from The Silhouette Store
Fabric
Sewing Machine*
Poly-Fil®*
¼” Gold Ribbon*
Iron*

StyletechCraft products brought to you by ATSM Craft*

DIY Gold Bunny Silhouette Pillow & Treat Bag

How to make the Gold Silhouette Bunny Pillow:

Choose your fabric. Cut the fabric into two squares or rectangles of equal size. (I cut my cream fabric to 14″ x 14″ to make a 12″ pillow.)
Place the two fabric pieces together right-side in.
Sew the edges together, leaving a 2-inch opening along one side.
Turn the pillow right-side out.
Fold the raw edges in and press them flat.
Using the Silhouette Cameo Electronic Die-Cutting Machine* and an SVG file from The Silhouette Store, I created a design for the pillow.
Cut the design using Gold Heat Transfer Vinyl* making sure to mirror the image.
Place the shiny side down on the cutting mat.
After you’ve cut the design, weed the excess material away from the design, leaving only the parts you want to transfer.
Position the design on your fabric. Use an iron or a heat press to apply heat and pressure to the design, following the manufacturer’s instructions.
Peel off the transfer tape.
Stuff the pillow with Poly-Fil®* and sew the opening closed.

DIY Gold Bunny Silhouette Treat Bag

I knew a head of time that I wanted to make a couple of small treat bags. I decreased the size of the bunny and cut it at the same time as the pillow design.

How to make the Bunny Treat Bag:

Cut a piece of gold polka dot fabric approx. 10″ x 14″.
On both ends of the fabric, fold down approx. 1″ and sew a seam across the top. That should leave you with a 3/4″ pocket.
Fold the material in half and sew the remaining sides closed.
Trim excess material on the seams and turn the fabric inside out to reveal the bag.
Iron the gold HTV bunny on the front of the bag. (see above directions)
Cut two small slits on the top pocket of the bag on each end.
Cut two 24″ pieces of gold ribbon.
Attach a small safety pin to the end of a piece of ribbon. Thread the ribbon through the top of the bag, remove the safety pin, and knot the ribbon.
On the opposite end of the bag, thread the second piece of ribbon through.
Pull both ends of the ribbon to gather and close the bag.

DIY Gold Bunny Silhouette Treat Bag

With all the warm weather we’ve had lately, Spring Fever has hit me pretty hard.

I’ve completely rid my decor of anything resembling Winter.

I’m ready for Spring, Bunnies, and Flowers!

DIY Gold Bunny Silhouette Pillow & Treat Bag

“This is a sponsored post. As a member of the StyleTechCraft Design Team I have been provided product and compensation in exchange for my creative ideas. The views and opinions are my own.

Buffalo Plaid Valentine Heart

February 2, 2024March 5, 20242 Comments

How to make a Buffalo Plaid Valentines Heart Door Hanger-Sue's Creative Workshop www.sueeldred.com 4085

How to Make a Buffalo Plaid Door Hanger for Valentine’s Day.

An inexpensive Valentine’s Day project using items found at Dollar Tree*

and my favorite StyleTechCraft adhesive vinyl.

StyletechCraft products brought to you by ATSM Craft*

How to make a Buffalo Plaid Valentines Heart Door Hanger

Materials Used: (*affiliate links)

Large Wood Heart*
Faux Flowers from Dollar Tree*
Valentine’s Day Glittery Heart Foam Pick*
Plaid Acrylic Paint*
Paintbrush*
Silhouette Cameo Electronic Die Cutting Machine*
Heart and Valentine SVG Files from The Silhouette Store
StyleTechCraft Adhesive Red Luster Vinyl*
StyleTechCraft Vinyl Tool Kit*
StyleTechCraft Vinyl Transfer Tape*
StyleTechCraft Matte Removable Vinyl* (any color)

Buy Your Crafting Supplies Now at Dollar Tree starting at $1.25!

How to make a Buffalo Plaid Valentines Heart Door Hanger

Directions:

Remove the twine hanger from the wood heart.
Paint the heart with acrylic paint. I used white.
I created a large heart mask for the center of the wood heart using StyleTechCraft Matte Removable Vinyl*.
Press down the edges of the mask so that paint can’t get under the mask.

How to make a Buffalo Plaid Valentines Heart Door Hanger

Cut 1″ strips of Removable Vinyl*. Lay the strips across the wood heart.
Rub your finger over the vinyl strips to make sure that they are secure and have no gaps.
Paint inside the stripes with a thin coat of acrylic paint. Be careful not to apply the paint too thick. Only one thin coat of paint is needed.
Remove the vinyl strips.
Allow the paint to fully dry before continuing to the next step.

How to make a Buffalo Plaid Valentines Heart Door Hanger

Next, add strips of removable vinyl vertically over the heart.
Make sure the tape is flat with no gaps.
Paint over the heart with a thin coat a darker pink paint.
Carefully remove the tape. Allow the paint to dry.

How to make a Buffalo Plaid Valentines Heart Door Hanger

Remove the strips and the heart mask. Allow the paint to dry.
Lightly sand the wood heart. Sanding smooths the paint and helps to hide any little imperfections.
Wipe with a clean cloth.

How to make a Buffalo Plaid Valentines Heart Door Hanger

For the center of the heart, I created a Valentine’s greeting using StyleTechCraft Adhesive Red Luster Vinyl*.
I cut the words “Happy Valentine’s Day” using a SVG cut file from the Silhouette Store and a Silhouette Cameo Electronic Die Cutting Machine*.
I removed the extra vinyl in and around the image words using a Vinyl Weeding Tool.
Lay the StyleTechCraft Vinyl Transfer Tape* over the vinyl words and gently rub with a vinyl scraper tool. (Included with the StyleTechCraft Vinyl Tool Kit*).

StyletechCraft products brought to you by ATSM Craft*

How to make a Buffalo Plaid Valentines Heart Door Hanger

Place the Vinyl Transfer Tape* and vinyl onto the wood heart.
Rub over Vinyl Transfer Tape* and gently remove transfer tape from the vinyl.

How to make a Buffalo Plaid Valentines Heart Door Hanger

Hot glue faux flowers, glitter heart pick, and ribbon bow to the top of the heart.
Add ribbon to the top two holes for hanging.
Hang the Wood Heart on a Door or add it to the center of a Wreath.

“This is a sponsored post. As a member of the StyleTechCraft Design Team I have been provided product and compensation in exchange for my creative ideas. The views and opinions are my own.

My Nutty Valentine

January 5, 20242 Comments

My Nutty Valentine

My Nutty Valentine is fun spin on the traditional Valentine’s Day gift.

It’s for people like me that are not mushy Valentine’s Day gift-givers.

My Nutty Valentine

My inspiration came from a small can of peanuts* that I found at Dollar Tree*.

My husband is a peanut-loving guy who I’m nuts about.

So, I thought I would make something fun with a can of peanuts*.

My Nutty Valentine

Materials Used: (*affiliate links)

Nuts About You SVG Cut File from The Silhouette Store
Silhouette Cameo Electronic Die Cutting Machine*
StyleTechCraft Adhesive Gloss Craft Vinyl*
StyleTechCraft Vinyl Tool Kit*
StyleTechCraft Vinyl Transfer Tape*
Blue Gingham Scrapbook Paper
Small Can of Peanuts*
Double-Stick Tape Roller*
Blue and White Twine*

StyletechCraft products brought to you by ATSM Craft*

My Nutty Valentine

Directions:

I cut all the pieces of the squirrel using StyleTechCraft Adhesive Gloss Craft Vinyl* and a Silhouette Cameo Electronic Die Cutting Machine*.
I removed the extra vinyl in and around the image using a Vinyl Weeding Tool.
Next, layer the pieces to make the squirrel.

My Nutty Valentine-Sue's Creative Workshop www.sueeldred.com 3764

Cut a strip of decorative scrapbook paper to fit around the peanut can.
Adhere the paper to the can using a double-stick tape roller*.

My Nutty Valentine-Sue's Creative Workshop www.sueeldred.com 3765

Lay the Transfer paper over the vinyl and gently rub with a vinyl scraper tool.

My Nutty Valentine-Sue's Creative Workshop www.sueeldred.com 3778

Place the Vinyl Transfer Tape* and vinyl onto the peanut can.

My Nutty Valentine-Sue's Creative Workshop www.sueeldred.com 3782

Rub over Vinyl Transfer Tape* and gently remove from the vinyl.

My Nutty Valentine

Don’t forget to decorate the top of the can.
I cut a 3″ circle from bronze vinyl and adhered it and a small red heart to the top of the can.

My Nutty Valentine

Wrap Blue and White Twine* around the top of the can and add a small white tag.
And just so my husband knows, I added “I’m Nut’s About You” on the side of the can.

My Nutty Valentine

A Cute Alternative to the Traditional Valentine’s Gift.

“This is a sponsored post. As a member of the StyleTechCraft Design Team I have been provided product and compensation in exchange for my creative ideas. The views and opinions are my own.

Gnome Themed Christmas Party Ideas

December 1, 2023February 2, 2024Leave a comment

Gnome Themed Christmas Party Ideas-Sue's Creative Workshop www.sueeldred.com

Gnome Themed Christmas Party Ideas.

Are you hosting a Christmas Party this year and looking for a fun theme?

How about a cute Gnome Themed Party?

Gnome Themed Party Ideas

From Gnome Party Goods on Amazon* to decorations from Dollar Tree*,

Gnomes are so popular you can find them everywhere.

Seriously, who can resist these Whimsical Woodland Creatures?

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I’ll be Gnome for Christmas Holiday Workshop…

For the last several years, I’ve hosted a Holiday Crafting Workshop.

Because I was feeling a little Gnomish this year, I went with a Gnome theme.

We made Gnome themed cards and Holiday Decorations.

It was so much fun planning the projects and decorations.

(If you would like to learn more about the Holiday Workshop click here.)

Gnome Themed Party Ideas

Personalized Gnome Themed Gift Bags

When hosting a party or event, you need a few gift/loot bags to match the theme.

I created these Gnome themed gift bags using a

Silhouette Cameo Electronic Die Cutting Machine*

and StyleTechCraft Adhesive Vinyl*.

The bags held everything they would need to make the projects.

The Gnome SVG Cut files came from The Silhouette Store.

“This is a sponsored post. As a member of the StyleTechCraft Design Team I have been provided product and compensation in exchange for my creative ideas. The views and opinions are my own.

I'll be Gnome for Christmas-Sue's Creative Workshop www.sueeldred.com 3163

Gnome Themed Aprons

Keeping with the theme and making a statement!

How cute are these?

We made matching Aprons using Heat Transfer Vinyl from StyleTechCraft*.

StyletechCraft products brought to you by ATSM Craft*

Gnome Themed Party Ideas

Using Heat Transfer Vinyl…

It was my first time using HTV vinyl*, and I was pleasantly pleased

with how easy it was. I used a regular iron to press the vinyl

onto the Black Aprons* found on Amazon*.

Tip: Remember to mirror the image if it has words.

Gnome Themed Party Ideas

Gnome Christmas Cookies

No Holiday Gathering would be complete without a few Christmas Cookies.

I found this cute Gnome Cookie Stamp at Homegoods and couldn’t resist.

The Gnome Cookies turned out adorable and tasted so good.

Gnome Themed Party Ideas

Are you looking for a yummy Christmas Cookie Recipe?

Here’s the recipe my mom gave me as a new bride many years ago.

I have made them every year since. (A Family Favorite!)

Enjoy!

SUE’S FAVORITE SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE

1- 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 c. butter or margarine
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2- 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda

Cream sugar & butter, add egg & flavoring, mix thoroughly.
Sift dry ingredients together and stir in. (I dump)
Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours.
Heat oven to 375°.
Divide dough in half & roll out on lightly floured pastry sheet.
Roll thin, but thick enough to pick up the design with the cookie cutters.
Dip cookie cutter into flour before each cutting. Cut as many cookies from each rolling as possible. The least amount of working with the dough gives the best cookie.
Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake 7 to 8 min. or until delicately golden.

For the Glaze I dump around a cup of powdered sugar into a bowl. Add a dash of vanilla. Add milk one tablespoon at a time until you get the consistency you want. (hint: not too runny)

Gnome Themed Party Ideas

Supplies Used to make the Gift Bag and Apron: (*affiliate links)

How to Create a “Merry” Holiday Banner

November 3, 2023November 2, 2023Leave a comment

How to make a “Merry” Banner to add to your Holiday Decorations.

Now that the weather has turned cooler, I’m starting to plan my Holiday decorating.

If you love banners and quick and easy projects, this one’s for you.

Materials Used: (*affiliate links)

StyletechCraft products brought to you by ATSM Craft*

Directions:

Cut the scrapbook paper slightly larger than the wood banner pieces.
Place the scrapbook paper design side up in the Xyron Creative Station®*.

Turn the handle of the Creative Station to run the paper through. As it runs through, it adds complete adhesive covering on the underneath side of the paper.

Adhere the paper onto the front of the Wood Banner.
Place the Wood Banner onto the Cutting Mat* and cut the excess paper using a Craft Knife*.
Use a Sanding Block* to smooth any rough edges.

I cut the letters “MERRY” using the Fresh Mix Font from the Silhouette Store and a Silhouette Cameo Electronic Die Cutting Machine*.

Lay the Transfer paper over the vinyl and gently rub with a vinyl scraper tool.

Place the Vinyl Transfer Tape* and vinyl onto the banner.
Rub over Vinyl Transfer Tape* and gently remove from the vinyl.

Paint the wood beads with red and green acrylic paint.
String the banner and wood beads onto ribbon or twine.

I wanted to keep the banner pieces simple.

But you could add Holiday Flowers and embellishments to make it special.

“This is a sponsored post. As a member of the StyleTechCraft Design Team I have been provided product and compensation in exchange for my creative ideas. The views and opinions are my own.

“Autumn Leaves & Pumpkin Please” Album

October 22, 2023October 20, 2023Leave a comment

Autumn Leaves & Pumpkins Please Album

Autumn Leaves & Pumpkins Please

I love all the beautiful colors of Fall.

As the saying goes, Fall is my favorite color.

They make such a bright and cheery Fall album.

This simple album is the perfect place to add all your apple picking,

leaf peeping, trick-or-treating pictures this Fall.

The “Autumn Leaves & Pumpkins Please” album was made using

Eileen Hull’s Field Notes Journal Die by Sizzix*.

I used paper from Echo Parks “Fall Fever” Collection*.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. As a member of the Eileen Hull Educator Team, I have been provided product in exchange for my creative ideas. The view and opinions are my own.

Autumn Leaves & Pumpkins Please Album

Materials Used: (*affiliate links)

Autumn Leaves & Pumpkins Please Album

A few tidbits of information:

Before I die-cut the mat board, I like to use the Xyron Creative Station* to add adhesive to the back of the paper. It gives the paper a complete layer of adhesive with no bubbles. It really is easy to use.
The spine of the album comes with three sections. I cut the first section off to make the album thinner. It leaves two holes to add binding.
I wanted to try something different with how I added the pages to my album. I inserted two mini book rings through the holes to hold my pages.
The mini book rings are approx. ¾” and with a little maneuvering they fit in the two side holes.
I used the cut off section to mark where I would need to punch the holes on my pages.

Autumn Leaves & Pumpkins Please Album

I wanted to make my album vertical instead of horizontal.

I love how versatile the Field Notes Die* is.

Autumn Leaves & Pumpkins Please Album

I created the word “autumn” using a Silhouette Cameo Electronic Die Cutting Machine*.

I cut it the letters out using StyleTechCraft Gold Chrome Vinyl*.

StyletechCraft products brought to you by ATSM Craft*