February 2016Occasionally Crafty: February 2016

Thursday, February 25

The Handmade Hangout #90 + 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.
I love these Typography Coloring Sheets from The Scrap Shoppe Blog! Have you jumped on the adult coloring craze? It's so relaxing!

Typography Adult Coloring Sheets - great therapy for adults and can be framed for home decor use! #relaxandcolor #coloringwithMichaels

These Root Beer Float Cupcakes from Shibley Smiles look divine! We are Root Beer lovers in our house!
Root Beer Float Cupcake Recipe

House Homemade made this lovely little desk based on some Ana White plans. I love how it turned out and how she styled it.

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!

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

Link up your projects!

An InLinkz Link-up

Wednesday, February 24

Etiquette Activity and Handout

Etiquette Activity for Girl Scouts, Activity Days, Young Women, or any other class or group. Includes free printable treat tags!

If you've been following my blog for awhile, then you know that I used to be in charge of the activities for the Relief Society (or women's group) at my church. We put on lots of fun activities, like our Christmas Parties (found here and here).
Well, recently my calling, or assignment, changed, and now I am in charge of a program called Activity Days- which is where I work with girls ages 8-11 to prepare them to be fabulous young women! I'm really excited to be doing this.
This week, we had a really fun and easy activity that I thought I'd share for anyone else looking for ideas. We did a "Mind Your Manners" Etiquette Activity.
Sadly I didn't take any pictures because my assistant was gone and I was in charge of the girls all by myself.
We started the activity with a True/False Quiz about manners and etiquette in social situations. You can find the quiz here, but I cut out some of the questions and adapted it to fit my girls.
We went over the answers together, and then I gave each girl a Reese's Egg with a treat label that said "You are an Etiquette Eggs-pert!" Spring is the perfect time for this activity since there are lots of egg treats in the stores for Easter.

I thought I was being pretty clever, haha.
The treat tags are available in PDF form here. If you have a Silhouette, a Print and Cut file is available for download here.
Next, I taught them the proper way to set an informal table. I highly doubt my girls are ever going to need to set a totally formal table, so we used a diagram one step up from what they would do at home, and set a table they might see in a nice restaurant.
We raced two girls at a time, using paper plates, utensils, napkins, and plastic cups. After every girl had a turn, I had them each set their own place setting, then served them some mini muffins, fruit salad, and cookies. If I had more time I might have done an actual meal, but I didn't want to spoil their dinner too much!
The girls seemed to have a blast, and they learned some things they didn't know before.
PS- this activity also fulfills one of the "Serving Others" requirements in their Faith in God booklet.

Monday, February 22

DIY Photo Wedding or Anniversary Gift

Give something meaningful to your friends or your significant other this year with this simple Song Lyric Photo Wedding/Anniversary gift!

Use a vinyl decal with lyrics from "your song" for a special DIY Wedding Gift or Anniversary Gift!

My husband and I got engaged on Valentine's Day, 15 years ago! So this year I wanted to give him a bit of a sentimental gift for Valentine's Day, or "Engagement Day" for us!
I'm sharing how he proposed and the full tutorial to make this special gift over on Kenarry: Ideas for the Home today. This would be the perfect gift for a special friend's wedding or for your own anniversary.
Do you and your significant other have a special song? What would you put on your photo gift?

Friday, February 19

Disneyland Activity and Autograph E-book

I received a copy of this book for review purposes. No other compensation was given. Affiliate links are included. Thank you for supporting Occasionally Crafty!

I love Disneyland! I know some people are haters, but there is something so magical about that place that I love going even as an adult.
Since we live in Phoenix, it's just a short drive to Disneyland. We go every few years.
My very first trip to Disneyland was on my honeymoon. My husband and I got matching ears and had "Just" and "Married" stitched on the back of them. It was fun and we got lots of attention for that.

We love taking our kids, but it is always a challenge entertaining them in line.

As they've gotten older, they've gotten much more patient, but man do I wish I would have had this awesome Disneyland Activity/Autograph Book from Busy Moms Helper!
It is simply awesome. There are 66 pages of darling activities, including a ride checklist for each land, height requirements included, so you can plan your visit to the park easily.
Some of the activities that are included are as follows:

Games
Mazes
Connect the Dots
Matching
Crosswords
Create your own map, super hero suit and treehouse
Coloring
Jokes
Trivia
and more!

No more boring lines at Disneyland - grab our 2016 'Unofficial' Disneyland Activity & Autograph book to keep the kids happily entertained!

source

There are also some sweet pages dedicated to writing down memories- which is why we take vacations, right? You or your child can write what your favorites were, what you didn't like, who was with you, how old everyone is, funny things that happened, etc. What a treasure that will be to look back on! It's fun to see how things change over the years!

source

There are darling autograph pages as well. We typically don't spend much time waiting in lines for characters, but we always do a character breakfast. This would be a great, affordable way to keep track of those fun character autographs!

You can get your book in two different ways: Printable PDF Download: Great for multiple children or multiple trips Professionally Printed Book: Already bound with a beautiful cover via Blurb
I'll definitely be using this activity book on our next Disneyland trip.
Planning a trip to Disneyland? Check out these posts before you go:
Going during peak park times? Find out How To Survive Disneyland's Busiest Times!

First timer- or just want to make sure you're getting the good stuff? Here's 10 Things You Can't Miss at Disneyland!

Finally, I highly recommend booking travel through Get Away Today. They always have a great deal going on, have a great layaway program for those of us who don't have a few thousand sitting in the bank for a vacation, and take care of every detail. Plus, use code OCRAFTY for 10% off a 2 night stay (hotel and tickets- restrictions apply).
I'm an affiliate, but I have used them personally the last three trips and it's been awesome!

Let the magic begin!

Tuesday, February 16

Don't Blink Doctor Who Graphic Tee

Show your Doctor Who love with this creepy "Don't Blink" shirt

Hey everyone. I'm Valerie, and I'm a nerd.
I'm showing off my nerdy side today with this creepy and cool Doctor Who tshirt. This is so easy to make with a vinyl cutter, and I am including the .studio file for anyone who wants it. Download yours here.
You will need some Heat Transfer Vinyl (I used white smooth Easyweed Siser brand) to cut. A 12x12 piece is plenty.
Simply cut the design as pictured in the file. (yes the file is backward. Anything with HTV must be mirrored.) Make sure to put your HTV in your machine with the shiny side down!
Weed away the extra HTV, leaving the design on the clear backing.
Prepare your t-shirt by placing a cardboard piece or something similar in between the front and back.
Place on a hard surface. I use a large cardboard piece on my tile floor for pressing t-shirts with an iron, since I don't have a heat press. Super classy, I know.

Place your design as desired on your tee. I had to do mine in 2 pieces because my Cameo was being a pain.
Cover the plastic backing with a thin cloth, and press for 30 seconds in each area. I put my whole body weight into it to really get it into the fabric.
Let the backing cool slightly, then peel away from the shirt, leaving the HTV behind. If desired, replace cloth and carefully press design again.
That's all there is to making your own custom shirts! You can do this with any design!
P.S. I promise my design is on my shirt straight, but when I stand my shirt twists and it looks funky. Guess I should have chosen a different shirt!

If you don't have Silhouette Studio, you can make this design using the "Destroy" font and tracing a weeping angel image from the internet.
I can't wait to wear my shirt out and find some fellow Doctor Who fans!
Make sure to check out some of my other "nerdy" projects, like these Easy Avengers Pillowcases:

Or this easy Star Wars Stenciled Shirt and Pillow

and of course this Harry Potter "Always" Tee

Do you have a nerdy side? Are you in a fandom? I want to hear all about it!

Thursday, February 11

The Handmade Hangout #88 + 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. Winter Fireplace Mantel from Worthing Court: It's been 87 degrees here this week, and I am so not ready for the heat. I love anything that makes "winter" linger a little longer, and this mantel and hearth is just gorgeous!

2. How To Plank Walls from Lauren McBride: I love the "shiplap" look but we don't make homes that way here in Phoenix. This tutorial will get you the same look for cheap, and it's gorgeous!
How to plank walls like shiplap for cheap!

How to plank walls like shiplap for cheap!

3. Red Velvet Mason Jar Cakes from Sunny With a Chance of Sprinkles looks like the perfect Valentine's Day Treat! Or really, any special occasion :)

Thanks for sharing your awesome projects each week! Now- for this week, just a few little "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

Blog - Facebook - Pinterest - Instagram - Twitter - Google+

Becca from From Gardners to Bergers

Blog - Facebook - Pinterest - Twitter - Hometalk - Google+

Kim from Too Much Time on My Hands

Blog - Facebook - Twitter - Pinterest - Google+ - Hometalk - Instagram - Bloglovin

Heather from Twin Dragonfly Designs

Blog - Facebook - Twitter - Pinterest - Google+ - Instagram

Valerie from Occasionally Crafty

Blog - Facebook - Twitter - Pinterest - Google+ - Instagram - Hometalk

Alli from Made with HAPPY

Blog - Facebook - Twitter - Pinterest - Google+ - Instagram - Hometalk - YouTube - Bloglovin

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

Link up your projects!

An InLinkz Link-up

Wednesday, February 10

No-Sew Fitbit Charge Fitness Tracker Cover

Do you wear a fitness tracker? Want help making yours a little bit cuter? Style your Fitbit or other tracker with this Interchangeable Elastic Wrap!

Style your Fitbit Charge or other Fitness Tracker with this cute, no-sew Fitness Tracker cover!

Affiliate links to follow. Thank you for supporting Occasionally Crafty!
Have you jumped on the fitness tracker craze yet?
I had a Fitbit Flex that I loved and wore so much that I wore it out. Actually, I think it went through the wash because it fell off in my sleep and I didn't realize it was in the sheets when I washed them.
Oops.
Once I upgraded to the Fitbit Charge, I was really sad that there is no interchangeable cover for it. I'm just going to be honest here. It's kind of ugly.
It's big, it's basic, and it shouts "FITNESS TRACKER" when I wear it.
The options I saw online for covers were basically people wearing a very chunky bracelet over the tracker to cover it. That might work for some people, but not for me.
A chunky tracker is enough bulk on my arm.
I decided a quick no-sew cover that I could change to match my outfit was the answer.
I ordered some super-cute fold over elastic and made bunch of covers to wear with my FitBit.
Want to know how to make one of your own? It couldn't be easier.
Measure your tracker (when clasped on your wrist), then cut a piece of elastic to that length, plus a few extra inches for a knot or a bow.
I cut mine 14 1/2 inches so I could tie a bow. Cut yours slightly shorter if you only want a knot- or just trim the ends when you are done.
Then, simply fasten your tracker on your wrist, tie your elastic around it, and finish off with your bow or knot. It takes all of a minute or two :) Once you have it tied, you can simply slide it on and off when you want to change out the cover.

Close up, you can see that the sides of the tracker will show since it is wider than the elastic. That doesn't bother me. I am not an obsessive step-checker, and I only wear the wrap when I'm not working out, which is when I check most often. If I want to see my steps or check the time, I can just slide the elastic over for a second.
From a distance, it looks like any other cute bangle bracelet.

Thanks for stopping by today! Don't forget to stop by tomorrow to link up your amazing creations to the Handmade Hangout, starting at 6pm ET!

Thursday, February 4

The Handmade Hangout #87 + 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. Gorgeous Headboard from BiFold Doors (I Should Be Mopping The Floor)- this room is so dreamy, and I love using something surprising for a headboard!

How to Make a Headboard Out of Bifold Doors | Tutorial on creating a large headboard with old doors.

2. Shabby French Painted Mason Jars from Dreams Factory- I love mason jars, and the addition of the label on these really makes them stand out!

3. DIY Candy Heart Decor from CarrieElle- I love these sweet little decorations for Valentine's Day! This is a great way to use up those conversation hearts!

Thanks for sharing your talent with us each week! Now on to this week's linkup-- remember, just two little 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!