July 2015Occasionally Crafty: July 2015

Thursday, July 30

The Handmade Hangout #59 and FEATURES!

Welcome to the Handmade Hangout- where you can link up all things made by YOU!


This week I'm featuring three of my favorite projects from last week's linky.

1.  Easy No-Wiring Driftwood Lamp by Scavenger Chic- gorgeous!

Driftwood Lamp diy, no wiring required

2.  Gold Stenciled Bedroom wall by Albion Gould- Stunning!

Golden Stenciled Wall

3.  DIY Hanging Planters from Lemon Thistle- so cute and smart!

DIY Hanging Patio Planters

Please visit these blogs and check out their tutorials!  Now on to this week's link-up.  Remember- we have just a few teeny tiny rules!

1.  Become a follower of the blog where you linked up.  Of course we'd love it if you follow all our hosts on whatever platforms you use most!

Allison from A Glimpse Inside

Christina from Christina's Adventures

Becca from From Gardners to Bergers

Kim from Too Much Time on My Hands

Heather from Twin Dragonfly Designs

Valerie from Occasionally Crafty

Tracie from Cleverly Inspired

Alli from Made with HAPPY


2.  Share our button or party link in your post or wherever you share your linky parties

Occasionally Crafty

 




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Wednesday, July 29

DIY Wreath-inspired Wall Art


EEK!  I am thrilled to be guest posting over at one of my all-time favorite blogs today, Tatertots and Jello!



Turn these beautiful scrapbook papers from Jen Hadfield's new line of materials into a beautiful wreath-inspired DIY Wall Art featuring your favorite photo or quote!

Please, please, please click through and check out the full tutorial, including a downloadable template for those lovely paper bows!  Let me know what you think!



Tuesday, July 28

"Thinking of You" Friendship Gift

 This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SendSmiles #CollectiveBias

Let your friends know you're thinking of them with this "Thinking of You" Gift  and Hallmark Card, featuring Hallmark's Cards starting at 47 cents!

Summer is the hardest time for me to connect with my friends.  We all have kids at home all summer, and getting away from them for some girls time is really tough.  Not to mention, someone is always on vacation!

So, I put together a sweet little gift  letting some of my friends know that I'm thinking of them!  If nothing else, I can certainly drop it off on my way to swim lessons, summer camp, or whatnot!

I love Hallmark cards, and I love that Walmart exclusively stocks Hallmark cards starting at 47 cents! There are tons to choose from, and they aren't cheap, boring cards either!  


I picked out some lovely blank and friendship themed cards. 


I also picked up some matching Hallmark gift bags and some goodies, all also found at Walmart.  I pretty much live at our Supercenter, so.....



I think my favorite is this gorgeous peacock card.  It's blank inside, so I could write my own message.


Then each set of goodies stack into the gift bag, which I embellished with some of my paper stash.


I hope my friends like their treats!  What gift would would you give with a Hallmark card?
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Monday, July 27

Shabby Chic Interchangeable Photo Display

Happy Monday!  
Today's project will give you an easy and beautiful way to display your photos while still being able to easily switch them out.  
This Shabby Chic Photo Display, made with DCWV Project Paper is definitely a new favorite!
A little paper, a little glue, and a little wood come together in this easy-to-make project. You can find the full tutorial over at Kenarry: Ideas for the Home where I am a monthly contributor.  See you there!
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Thursday, July 23

The Handmade Hangout #58 + FEATURES

Welcome to the Handmade Hangout- where you can link up all things made by YOU!



This week I'm featuring three of my favorite projects from last week's linky.

1.  Ladder Back Scarf Rack from Sadie Seasongoods- brilliant!

Ladder Back Scarf Rack

2.  Fabulous Print by Designs by Miss Mandee- so fun and pretty!

Darling, You Are Fabulous

3.  Pineapple Raspberry Popsicles from A Burst of Beautiful- refreshing and gorgeous!



1.  Become a follower of the blog where you linked up.  Of course we'd love it if you follow all our hosts on whatever platforms you use most!

Allison from A Glimpse Inside

Christina from Christina's Adventures

Becca from From Gardners to Bergers

Kim from Too Much Time on My Hands

Heather from Twin Dragonfly Designs

Valerie from Occasionally Crafty

Tracie from Cleverly Inspired

Alli from Made with HAPPY


2.  Share our button or party link in your post or wherever you share your linky parties

Occasionally Crafty

 




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Wednesday, July 22

Harry Potter "Always" Graphic Tee

I'm so excited to be part of Rae Gun Rambling's Happy Harry Potter Series with this Harry Potter-inspired "Always" Graphic Tee!  Get the details on her blog.


I love Harry Potter.  I wasn't introduced to the books until Book 4 came out when I was in college.  My younger roommate let me read her first one, and I was hooked!  From then on, I spent breaks in my class schedule holed up in the bookstore, reading a chapter or two at a time (since I was too poor to actually buy books for fun in college).

I of course, love the movies as well, even though the books are better!  And I am so proud to have three Harry Potter-loving children.  It makes my heart happy to see them reading the books over and over.

For my project, I created this "Always" Graphic Tee.  In case you need a refresher, this comes from this portion of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:
 
      "But this is touching, Severus," said Dumbledore seriously.  "Have you grown to care for the boy,        after all?"
      "For him?" shouted Snape.  "Expecto Patronum!"
       From the tip of his wand burst the silver doe; She landed on the office floor, bounded once 
       across the office, and soared out of the window.  Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her
       silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears.
        "After all this time?"

        "Always," said Snape.
-J.K. Rowling

Oh, Snape.  He is a flawed man, for sure, and certainly a questionable hero.  And yet this scene gets me every time.

Easily make this (or any) graphic tee by opening up Silhouette Studio, and creating your design.  You can download the file for this shirt here (in .studio format only).

Make sure to reverse the image before cutting on HTV.   

Load your HTV, shiny side down, and cut your design.

Weed or remove the excess HTV, leaving behind your mirrored design.




Place your image on your T-shirt with they design side down.  It should now look proper.


Place a towel or sheet over the carrier sheet (shiny clear plastic piece).  Iron firmly for suggested time.  Remove the backing, leaving behind your finished tee.


Now you can show your Harry Potter love anywhere you go.  People who aren't Harry Potter fans will just think it's a cute tee, but you are guaranteed to make some new Potterhead friends as they recognize your shirt!

Now, make sure to hop around to the other Harry Potter projects this week, and don't forget to enter the giveaway below!
The winner will receive the following awesome Harry Potter and bookish prizes! 
  • The September Bookish Box from Appraising Pages (includes a shirt by Appraising Pages Shop and 3-5 feminine home, beauty, and fashion items
  • The August Owl Crate from Owl Crate (this will include an upbeat mystery novel, as well as a bunch of items paying homage to literature's most-loved detectives)
a Rafflecopter giveaway



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Monday, July 20

Arizona State of Mind Glitter Vinyl Sign

I received a gift code towards product from my favorite place to buy vinyl,  Expressions Vinyl, in order to make a project for this blog hop.  No other compensation was given, and all opinions are my own.  #Vinylprojects #ExpressionsVinyl

Show your love for your home state with this Glitter Vinyl Sign!


Wow- I could not believe my luck when I found this MDF plaque in the shape of my state, Arizona, at Walmart of all places!  Our local store has an aisle of craft supplies in the back of the store, and I always stop by to see what they have.  You never know what you might find!  I knew this would be perfect for a vinyl project.

I gave the state sign a quick few coats of Vanilla paint.

I ordered Glitter Vinyl in "Cinnamon" from Expressions Vinyl to make this project.  I was looking for a copper-y color of glitter because one of Arizona's main industries is Copper!  Do you know the other three?   

The glitter doesn't photograph well because it is very fine glitter, but it looks amazing and is exactly what I pictured in my mind.



I'm hoping that because you're checking out a vinyl blog hop, you already know how to work with vinyl.  But if you don't, here's a quick primer:




  • Create or open your design in your cutting machine software.  I use Silhouette Studio.
  • Feed your vinyl into your machine and cut according to the suggested settings.
  • Weed, or remove, the extra vinyl from around your design.



  • Place transfer tape over your design.  Rub it firmly so it picks up the entire vinyl design.
  • Place it on your surface.  Rub again with a scraper or credit card so your design stays on your surface.
  • Carefully peel away the transfer tape, leaving behind your design.  Go slowly and use your tool to help push down any edges that may come up.

This is the perfect piece of decor for my home.  If you live in Arizona (or know someone who does) and would like the file, you can download it here (in .studio form).  


Thanks for stopping by!  Now, hop around to all the other awesome vinyl projects made by my creative blogger friends:

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Thursday, July 16

The Handmade Hangout #57 + FEATURES!

Welcome to the Handmade Hangout- where you can link up all things made by YOU!



This week I'm featuring three of my favorite projects from last week's linky.

Wednesday, July 15

Dr. Seuss Girls Camp T-Shirts


Every year, the teenage girls in our ward/church congregation go to a 3-day Girls Camp.  I absolutely loved Girls Camp as a teenager.  I went all 6 years that I could as a camper, and then 1 year as a staff member. 

I am so thrilled to be the camp director for our girls this year!  The other leaders and I decided that our theme would be "Oh, The Places We'll Go", with an emphasis on believing in ourselves and making good decisions along the way.

Of course, all our cabin decorations and goodies we hand out will be Dr. Seuss-themed.
I've been working overtime to get things ready.  Thank goodness our camp is late this year (I've got a few weeks to go!)

I wanted to share with you the T-shirts I made for our girls this year.  I can't take credit for this design- it is something I found on Pinterest with no direct source.  But I loved it so much I knew I had to recreate it.

Thursday, July 9

The Handmade Hangout #56

Welcome to the Handmade Hangout- where you can link up all things made by YOU!



Show off what you've been up to this week for a chance to be featured on all 8 blogs!  Just a few quick rules:


1.  Become a follower of the blog where you linked up.  Of course we'd love it if you follow all our hosts on whatever platforms you use most!

Allison from A Glimpse Inside

Christina from Christina's Adventures

Becca from From Gardners to Bergers

Kim from Too Much Time on My Hands

Heather from Twin Dragonfly Designs

Valerie from Occasionally Crafty

Tracie from Cleverly Inspired

Alli from Made with HAPPY


2.  Share our button or party link in your post or wherever you share your linky parties

Occasionally Crafty

 
Link up your projects!



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Wednesday, July 8

Cute Cork Board Makeover- Back to School

It's Craft Lightning week, and I'm sharing this Easy Cork Board Makeover for a quick and easy Back to School Project!

Cork Board Makeover
Does talking about Back to School mess up your summer vibe?  Sorry in advance if it does!  My kids go back in 4 1/2 weeks.  And, we will be out of town for a week and a half right before school starts!  That means with only 3 weeks to prepare, I'm already in school-shopping, uniform-buying, getting ready for fall mode!  

Today I'm sharing a quick and easy project that will help you get organized for the school year.  If your kids bring home tons of art projects, notes from friends, and other things that you don't want to throw away, but don't want to have piled up in your kitchen, then you'll love this Easy Cork Board Makeover.


Cork Board Makeover

You'll need:
a cork board (try thrifting for one)
wrapping paper 
Duct tape, washi tape, or other decorative tape
Stapler (not pictured)

Cork Board Makeover

Back when I first started blogging, I made this Ballard Designs-inspired pin board, which was really just a cork board covered in burlap with a decorative bow and hanger.

Cork Board Makeover
It's been collecting dust in the corner of my craft room for quite some time.  So, I finally pulled it out and removed the burlap and ribbon.

Cork Board Makeover

Once you have a nice and clean cork board, cover the cork with wrapping paper.  I just stapled the end of the roll to the edge of my cork, then used an X-acto knife to cut the paper to size, using the wood edging as a guide.

Cork Board Makeover

Staple your paper in place.

To make it extra cute, pull out your decorative tape.  I used decorative Packaging Tape from Scotch that I got at SNAP in April.  Cover your wood frame with strips of tape, simply folding the excess over the edge and securing on the back.

Hang where desired, and you've got a perfectly cute place for your kids to keep their mementos.  You could also use this idea in your command center if you have one.  I like to keep one to pin all the things that need to go back to school right away so they don't get lost.

Cork Board Makeover

Make sure to click on the button below to see what else is going on this week for our Back to School Craft Lightning!



What is your favorite thing about heading Back to School?
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