March 2018Occasionally Crafty: March 2018

Monday, March 26

No Birthday Party? Try this Birthday Tradition

Today is my son's birthday.  My middle child is smart, athletic, funny, a peace-maker, and such a loving person.  He always wants to do what's right and make others around him happy.  I can't believe this little baby is 11 years old!



Back when my kids were old enough to start having real birthday parties with their friends, I got overwhelmed pretty quickly.  My daughter's birthday is in 2 weeks, and Easter is usually right around one or the other's birthday.  That's a lot of celebrating in a short amount of time.

So, I made a new tradition.  We don't do birthday parties every year.  We take turns!  I have two boys and one daughter, so one year is "Boys Party" year and the other is the "Girl Party" year.

When it's not his or her turn for a party, the birthday child gets to pick a friend to take out for birthday dinner, and they get to choose the restaurant!  Then we bring the friend back to our house for cake and ice cream.

My kids all love doing this!  They love having a friend with them to celebrate their special day, and I love not having to plan a party!

Here's the invitation we dropped off to his friend this year, printed on 5x7 photo paper (although ours had more personal information). 


You could just invite the friend with a phone call or in person, but kids love getting invitations, and when it's a friend you may not know as well, it helps the invitation sound more legit to the parents.  Or, am I the only one that gets "invitations" like "my friend said I could come with them to Six Flags" when you KNOW they haven't asked their parents?



We're off to enjoy the birthday festivities!  Do you throw your kids parties?  Every year?  Every other year?  I'd love to hear what other parents do!


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Thursday, March 1

Spring Chalkboard Subway ARt

Bring spring inside with this colorful Spring Subway Art Chalkboard!

Bring spring inside with this colorful Spring Subway Art Chalkboard!

Wow, it's been awhile since I posted.  To be honest, when it's cold and snowy/rainy/foggy, I have very little motivation to do anything except sit on the couch in a warm blanket, reading a book.  Of course, I have to participate in real life, but in my down time, I haven't been able to muster up the motivation to create.

Well, now that March is just about here, I figured it's time to get creating again.  One of the things on my to-do list is to replace one of my favorite decorations.  I made this Spring Subway Art Plaque a few years ago and love to display it each spring.  Unfortunately, it got destroyed in our move!

Spring Vinyl Sign


So, I decided to make a new project with the same design, but with a totally different spin.

Bring spring inside with this colorful Spring Subway Art Chalkboard!


I used this cute scrolly chalkboard from Hobby Lobby, and adhesive vinyl from Expressions Vinyl.  Oracal 651 is the best to use on this project, as the chalkboard has kind of a slick surface, but honestly I used scraps, so some colors are 631 and some are 651.  Use those scraps!

First, I imported a photo of the plaque to Silhouette Studio so I could make sure my design would fit the way I wanted.  I changed the page sized to match the actual dimensions of the plaque.  Then I imported the shape (you can find it here) and filled the words with the colors I wanted to use when I actually cut the vinyl.


Then I just cut by color.  Since this image isn't really layered, I can push the same colors close together to cut and just place each piece by hand, eyeballing it as I go.  If it was a true layered image, I'd keep each color in it's correct spot as I cut, then layer it all together.


Here are some progress photos as I transferred each line to the plaque.




And here's the finished project!

Bring spring inside with this colorful Spring Subway Art Chalkboard!


I can either hot glue a ribbon to the back to use as a hanger, or display this using a plate stand.  I'm thinking I have a perfect spot for this on my built-in shelves!

Are you ready for spring yet?  Someone please send me some sunshine!


Note: This post may contain affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing products through my links, I receive a small commission. That's what helps fund this blog so I can keep bringing you fun new craft projects to try at home!
Never miss a post! Subscribe here to get all my projects delivered right to your inbox!