The Back Story As I am searching for projects to do on the Cameo I find projects where the author offers a pdf template for the project. Unfortunately pdfs cannot be imported into Silhouette Studio but if you convert the pdf to a JGP or PNG it can be imported. Since I don't have gobs of money to buy Photoshop, I using GIMP for all my photo editing needs; and so far it has been able to do everything I have needed to do. Converting pdfs to jpg If you don't have GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation … [Read more...]
Silhouette Tutorial: Checker Board
My wife and I have wanted to get a Silhouette Cameo for a really long time, so when Black Friday came around and we saw that the Cameo was on super sale, we thought it was too good to pass up so we bought one. Here is a tutorial for one of our first Silhouette projects.The Back Story One of the classes that my wife took in college talked about human development. In the section that talked about babies, she learned that when babies are first born they can only see black, white and red … [Read more...]
Creating a Baby Shadow Box
The arrival of a new baby is an exciting time and definitely one that needs to be documented. Most of the items such as baby announcements and then the birth announcements will be arranged in a scrapbook. However, some items will not fit in a scrapbook. A shadow box is an ideal solution for displaying memorabilia such as these. A shadow box is simply a shallow box with a frame on the front. Items are arranged inside and a glass panel is placed across the front within the frame like a window … [Read more...]
Quick Christmas Crafts
This week we all were sick so we had a couple sick days and a we had a snow day. Needless to say I had some time to kill with the kids! Luckily I also have some random crafty things hanging around the house so we were able to come up with a couple fun activities.First we made Santa hats. This is super easy, all you need is red construction paper,cotton balls and glue. Since our refrigerator isn't magnetic we decided to hang … [Read more...]
Time to Make the Gingerbread House! Psych!
Every year at Christmas, we make a gingerbread house. This year, when I bought our kit, I was rushing. 2 weeks later, when I pulled it from the cabinet for the kids to work on it, I figured out it wasn't gingerbread! It was chocolate! At first, I was disappointed, but really, it was SO much better! Sometimes the fact that I'm an airhead works out to my advantage!So in this kit, it gives you the milk chocolate to melt and then you pour it into the molds to make the sides and roof. Then you … [Read more...]
DIY Candle Project
Wondering how to make a great-looking present for birthdays, holidays or housewarming parties? Making your own floating candles at home is an incredibly simple project that looks fantastic and can be done with ingredients you likely already have around your home!To get started, you'll need:Paraffin wax or old candles. Play dough. Cookie cutters. An old, clean tin can. A saucepan or pot. Candle wicks. A pencil, pen or Popsicle stick.1. Shape your can. Pinch the sides … [Read more...]
Christmas Crafts in Santa’s Home Workshop
It is that time of year again. The children are getting restless with excitement and you probably have a long list of names to find presents for still. Where to begin? You have to think of things to send to distant relatives, that is, relatives who are both distant in relation and live far away. Finding the perfect gift for them is tricky not only because shipping can be so expensive. Small handmade ornaments offer the best solution. They can be small, light-weight and non-breakable, … [Read more...]
The Happy Trunk Giveaway
Welcome to The Happy Trunk Giveaway! I have teamed up with some great blogs to bring you the chance to win a special holiday prize: The Happy Trunk3 Month Subscription($58.95 value) The Happy Trunk is a mom-owned, monthly kids subscription service, founded to combat those 'I’m bored’ moments that every parent gets! Every month your child will receive a carefully curated box filled with art, craft and science activities for hands-on … [Read more...]
Kiddy DIY: 5 ways for the kids to get crafty
The best craft projects are always simple, cheap and don’t leave an aftermath of dried PVA and glitter in their wake. Whether you’re looking for some school holiday activities for your kids or just want to entertain them over the weekend, these ideas are guaranteed to be loads of fun and won’t make a mess – it’s as simple as laying down some newspaper and throwing it in the bin when the kids are done. For an added bonus, you can put a Christmas spin on all these activities, so their designs can … [Read more...]
Christmas on a Shoestring Budget
Make no mistake about it, Christmas is expensive. Between holiday cards, gifts, decorations, lavish dinners, family get-togethers, and seasonal travel, many find themselves simply overwhelmed with the high costs of Christmas. If you happen to be one of them, you’ll be looking to cut corners wherever possible this year. To help, we’ve compiled this simple guide for surviving Santa’s annual financial assault. Here’s how to get through Christmas on a shoestring:Create a Bit of Breathing … [Read more...]
Bowling Pin Snowman Tutorial
I like to have a mixtures of holiday themed and winter themed decorations in my home as we head into the winter months. I know Snowmen are pretty popular with a lot of people so I wanted to share this darling craft my sister introduced me to. It was easy to make. After gathering the supplies it doesn't take long. The longest part is waiting for the paint to dry.Check out this bowling pin snowman. Hopefully you have some left over bowling pins from making the Halloween Mummy and Ghost I … [Read more...]
Poinsettia Craft
Getting in the mood for Christmas!! Here's a cute craft for ya!What you'll need: Green Paper, Red Paper, Yellow Paper, Paper Plate, Scissors, Pencil (or marker, pen, etc), Glue (or tape or stapler) First thing they'll need to do is trace their hands several times on both green and red paper. Depending on the their hand size- I'd say they'll need 10-12 of each color. My kids got seriously sick of cutting out hands, so I cut the plate to … [Read more...]
Decorating for Christmas
We have started to decorate for Christmas at our house. We actually started before Thanksgiving but only did one thing here and one thing there. I am finally done with my fireplace mantle. We have a couple Christmas trees up, but no ornaments on them yet. Tonight my husband wants to put some lights outside in the bushes, and the columns on our front porch. I wanted to share an easy Christmas craft with you. First here is our mantle.The craft I wanted to share with you in the "JOY" in the … [Read more...]
Icky Sticky! Fun craft things you can do with your kids for those cold winter days when they are stuck indoors
Winter can be a difficult time for a parent as children spend last time playing in the garden and more time indoors stuck for things to do. Instead of popping on their favourite DVD or computer game why not get creative with some fun arts and crafts? Not only will it keep them entertained for hours but it will also improve their learning skills and give them something to be proud of! Christmas Crafts Christmas is on the way and what better way to celebrate than by making your own … [Read more...]
Homemade Bingo Cards
Over the next several posts I will be showing you the different games I made for my daughter's birthday party. We decided to have a Halloween carnival since her birthday falls a few days before Halloween. Our first game was going to be BINGO. I want to print my own BINGO cards and have a big group game to start the party off. After the game of BINGO we would then separate into different activities. The first group would start on the caramel apples while everyone else played the different … [Read more...]
