Charger Plate

These are super cheap and when decorated properly, make excellent presents. As you can tell, I'm getting my Christmas started a little early.

I cut this using white cricut vinyl, using my Sure Cuts A Lot. I do love that little machine!!

Cupcake Bouquet

Not bad for a first attempt....

Dinosaur Fun with Adams Acres

My nephew had his 4yo birthday last week, and these little dinosaurs were just perfect to use for party favors.

Super easy to cut.

and really adorable!!

The files are available at Die Cut Designers.

Now I know why I never throw anything away

So my DH has been gently nagging me to clean up my craft space. We are on opposite ends of the clean spectrum, and sometimes my version of cleaned up, does not match with his. :-) I was going through all my paper, when I came across a bunch of colorful scraps. I hate throwing scrap pieces of paper away. It makes me batty, because I know as soon as I throw it away, I will have a project where I need it. Sound familiar to anyone?

I have been looking online for different ways to make paper flowers when I came across THIS tutorial. Simple and easy, and the arrangement looked great. I will admit that I cheated a bit though. I took his picture he uses to demonstrate the folds, and uploaded it into SCAL. Perfect cutting template.

What you need:

Paper Scraps at least 3x3 size

Glue

Flower wire or pipe cleaners

This is what I came up with. I think I may bling them up a little with some glitter dust later today, but I think they're super cute. Perfect gift for teachers, grandparents etc.

Spilt Letter Tile

I have been dying to try one of these out ever since I saw one on the SVG Cuts Forum. They looked terribly complicated, but looks are deceiving.

What you need:

12x12 Laminate Tile (I got mine from Lowe's for about $1.00)

Vinyl

Cricut or some kind of cutting machine

Transfer tape

A decorative font

SCAL

Hot Glue Gun

Ribbon

So first you open SCAL, and choose your font. I used Regal. It already has the leaves and swirly stuff built in. Choose your letter and size it appropriately. Be sure you align it in the center of the page, using your H-Align and V-Align.

Next, go to your shapes library and choose a horizontal rectangle. Then uncheck the proportions box on the right, so that you can size it the way you want. Drag the rectangle to about the middle of your letter, and then you can size it all the way across.

Then up at the top, you go to Edit, then Select all so that everything is highlighted. Now everything on your page should be selected. Then at the top select Path, then Back Minus Front.

Voila! You have a split letter.

Now, we have to make the space a little wider for the names in the middle. Right click on your letter and select Break Apart. Draw a box around each section of the letter, then right click and select Group. This will allow you to select your top and bottom sections and move them separately. You want to be sure you use the Nudge indicators on the top right. This will allow you to move the sections up and down directly, so everything stays lined up.

Now move each section until you have enough room in the center. Then add the names you want to use. My friend Suza is getting married, so I thought this would make a neat wedding present..

You're ready to cut. Be sure you adjust your machine settings to do a "kiss cut". That way you can cut through the vinyl, but not the backing. It makes life easier when it comes to the weeding and transfer tape part. Weed out the excess vinyl, and apply your transfer tape. Be sure you smooth the tape down well so everything sticks well. Then carefully line up your letter on your tile. Press the transfer tape down, being sure to get the edges. Remove your transfer tape and TA-DA! You have a split letter tile. I hot glued a ribbon to the corners so that it could be hung up.

Coasters

This is another project that I was super excited about how it turned out. It's super simple, and turned into a great gift.

What you need:

4 plain bathroom tiles

4 pictures

 (I used brochure paper to print them on. Made them sturdier)

Mod Podge

Foam Paint Brush

Spray Sealant

Be sure you size your photos so they fit on the tiles. These tiles are 4x4. Paint a thin layer of Mod Podge on the tile, then lay your picture on it. Mod Podge dries super quick, so be sure to be as accurate as possible with the picture. It can be kind of difficult to adjust it. Once your picture has adhered, cover the whole thing with another coat of Mod Podge, then let it dry. Repeat. I usually do at least 3 coats. Then once all your tiles are completely dry, spray them with the sealant. It gives them a nice glossy look, and helps to make them water proof.  VOILA! A great gift for any occassion!

Ray's Word Book

So a dear friend of the family celebrated his 80th birthday this year, and I've been dying to try out a word book. So, I thought, here goes nothing.

I used a tutorial from mycricutscrapbooking, which you can get to by clicking on the link. Very easy to follow. All you need is some paper, bling or pretties, Inkscape, and SCAL.

I love this picture. Ray is the most conservative guy I know. The bucket on his head is just greatness!

I welded the word family together using SCAL.

and