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Since I have had quite a few requests for more info on vinyl and your cricut, I will put together a tutorial on how to do it. Does anyone have any specific questions they know they need answered? If not, I will just try to be as detailed as possible.
So I am the proud new owner of a Cricut. I have been wanting one forever and was just about to give in and get one this year. But I held my ground and now I am kind of glad I did. My Mom upgraded to the Expressions Cricut and I was able to inherit her other cricut. WAHOO! Score!
My first order of business was to cut some vinyl. It was perfect that my mom just happened to need help with a vinyl project when she visited. She hauled about 40 tiles with her to my house...poor guys handling her suitcases!! But it turned out to be a great project for both of us. Here is a preview:
They have cute ruby red slippers to glue onto them at the top. Can you tell it's a Wizard of Oz theme? Fitting seeing as how I live in the midwest!
This was a great project to start out with vinyl. It was a lot of prep work of searching for tutorials online to figure out the easiest way to use the vinyl and the cricut. One thing I found that made the whole thing SO much easier, was to use transfer tape. We got transfer tape in clear. I think it comes in clear or white. But the clear made it so nice to be able to line it up and be able to see exactly what it looked like. The transfer tape is great because it can be reused a few times until it loses its stickiness. We used Make the Cut software to design the words with different fonts I already had or ones we found off the internet...LOVE free fonts!! Now I have some extra rolls of vinyl to get some projects going! I have one more to post with a tutorial in the next day or so. Maybe everyone already knows how to do vinyl with the cricut but if not, let me know. I can give even more details if they are needed!
I am a girl who Luh-oves her bags. I can never have too many. I am always up for making more too. When my mom comes to visit, we usually make a bag too. Guess the bag obsession must run in the family! 
We whipped together this sweet little number. I must say, I am lovin' how it turned out. A few guidelines with bags...you can always add a pocket on the inside or outside whether it has that in the pattern or not. 
Make the pockets meet your needs. You can sew down them to make as few or as many as you want. Pockets on the outside of bags can have pleats, ruffles, ribbon, buttons, flowers whatever you want. So go ahead and customize. I am still thinking about a flower for this one, but just haven't gotten to that yet.
Make sure you add plenty of stabilizer/interfacing in your handles. I like my handles plush and sturdy. I made a bag once with not enough and it bugs me every time I use it.
When you are sewing a lined bag, if the lining and the exterior are not sewn together, that can get annoying quick. So find an already done seam on them and line them up. Pin them well and stitch in the ditch. You may think...WHAT?? Stitching in the ditch is just where you stitch in an already sewn seam. You stitch in the same exact place so you don't notice new stitching. I did that with this bag to keep the lining sewn with the exterior so the lining wasn't just flopping around. I like it tacked down inside. Hope that makes sense to you. Let me know if it doesn't and I can elaborate with pictures if it helps.
There are about a million free patterns for bags on the web. Okay, maybe not a million but you know, there are a LOT! If you are obsessed with bags like me and need some inspiration or just don't want to come up with your own, check these out:
These beauties were sent to my Mom for Vday. They sure are gorgeous. But the thing I loved about them even more than the flowers....the bling!
I loved this on the vase! It added such a little something that vases almost need. I think you could add your own bracelets or even create some for this same purpose. It would add such fun bling to flowers and vases. It is just on a stretchy string that jewelry is made from. I tried a few more of my bracelets on it, and it looks fab! So go grab a vase and a bracelet and see how it looks!
Don't forget to go over to 7-3-3 to see our guest post for the day. She has had some fabulous crafters on there this week and some fun giveaways. Don't miss out on all of the fun!!
So I am happy to say I feel like I am back (as far as not feeling sick anymore and with a BUNCH of fun posts for here!!) I am working on getting all the pictures ready for posting some fun things I worked on with my Mom. Luckily, we were both feeling well enough her last few days here that we were able to get some fun projects finished. I can't wait to share them! But until I get that done...
Check out this StInKiN' cute St Patty's decor at lulu's Tiles. It is so cute! I can't get over it!! I think I may just have to get some green in around here after seeing how cute this stuff is. She also made a darling tee for her little girl. Oh I want one!!
Some of you may remember the 8 week meal plan I have from this post. I finally came up with the "plan" of how to organize it and make it cute for my kitchen but yet still functional. Then we got sick. So the project still lives in my mind but that is about it. Hopefully it will come to life in the next week or two and I can share it with you.
But in the meantime, I saw this today. I thought it was a great idea! They found the idea from Pocket Full of Posies which has a video tutorial on the whole system here.
They too are using an 8 week meal plan idea. You pick out 4 weeks worth of meals for the month and put it into your pocket planner. Then they have ingredient lists for each week. I am doing this for my meals too but I don't think mine will be as detailed as theirs. They have it divided up by meat, spices/extras, stock, fresh and frozen. Mine will probably just be an all encompassing list. Anyway, just wanted to share with you all. Cute idea and seems pretty easy to use. I am hoping the one I do is just as easy. I think the easier it is, the more likely you are to stay with it!
I know my lack of posts this week has been a little boring but in my defense, we have all been sick for about 2 weeks straight and my mom is visiting from out of town for the week. I thought I would have a HUGE amount of projects and tutorials to post because usually a week with my mom means a TON of projects. But we have been mostly relaxing around here but there are a few projects and tutorials I will have to post in the next few days. So stay tuned...
In case some of you aren't aware, you can get your blog printed into a book. I do this every year with my personal blog. I think it's to make up for the lack of journaling that I do lately. Something to keep the guilt away. I am sure there are a few places to get it printed but I get mine from Blurb. It is fantastic quality. You get them back super fast and I like the versatility of being able to put it together the way I want it. So in case any of you are feeling the need to print your blogs, go check it out. Are there any other places you print your blog at?
Here is the tutorial for the Camera Strap with Frills. First you want to measure your camera strap and create a pattern for it. If you fold it in half, you can just fold your fabric in half and cut it out that way. Be sure to add 1/2" for your seam allowances.
Pin it to your fabric and cut it out. Cut a slimmer piece for your "frill." Be sure your frill piece is at least 1 1/2 times as long as your fabric so you have plenty of extra to ruffle up.
Iron your frill piece in half the long way and then take each side piece and put that to the center iron mark and iron them both in.
Meanwhile, cut out a strip of fabric that is wide enough for the pocket and the length you want. I cut mine about 3" wide and 4" long. Then turn under the top and bottom to create a finished edge for the pocket. 
Then sew close to the top and bottom edge and cut the extra fabric off in your seam allowance to about 1/4".
Next pin the pocket to the right side of the fabric where you want it to go and sew a basting stitch (longer stitch) to keep it where you want the pocket.
Then take the frill fabric and start making pleats randomly along the strap. It ended up being about 1 1/2" wide. Then sew down each side of the frill to keep it in place. The nice thing is you don't have to worry about a really straight seam because you can't even tell!!
This would be when it would be a great time to turn under the ends to create a finished edge at the smallest top and bottom of both the minky fabric and the main fabric. Then take your minky fabric and put the right side of the fabric and line it up with the right side of the other fabric. Pin it together on both long sides.
Sew them together using about 1/4" seam. Then for extra sturdiness, zigzag on the edges to keep the fabric from unraveling.
Turn the fabric right side out and check it all out!
Then work it onto your camera strap. The cover is wider than the strap to accommodate the lens cover pocket so it should be fairly easy to work onto the original strap.
That is it! It took no time at all to make and was made using scraps I already had. So easy and it changes the whole look of your camera strap, plus makes it more comfy and now you have a place for your lens cover, business card, extra battery or card, etc.
For our first giveaway for the Camera Strap Cover with Frills, I used random.org to predict the winner:
It picked Jaime who said:
Congratulations Jaime!! I will be contacting you to get your address so I can mail out your camera strap cover!! Thank you to everyone for participating and following Fun to Craft! Stay tuned for our next giveaway!
**I will also have a tutorial on how to make your own camera strap cover if you weren't the winner! A bit of a consolation prize to everyone ;)
It seems like lately, just about everyone I know is having a baby. Or just had one or is about to have one. No, this is not a confession post. Mine is barely 7 months old and I am not about to jump on that bandwagon so soon. But with babies, comes showers and gifts. So I have been making some fun gifts for friends expecting their own sweet bundle of joy. 
And if you haven't jumped all over these car seat covers yet, then here is your chance! I made one last year about this time for my baby and everyone was ooohing and ahhing over it. Not that I made the idea of it up. Heck no! But it is a fun thing to have for your new baby!
Car seat covers are a fun way to change up the look of your car seat and personalize them. They are also great to keep strangers from touching your baby, from blocking the sun out of their eyes while driving, or creating a dark atmosphere where they can sleep while out and about!
You can purchase this pattern in my shop:
Have you ever been working on something and just couldn't find the right button to match? I have had this same issue with a few projects I have done recently. Plus sometimes, there just isn't the right button out there. The solution: Fabric Covered Buttons!!
I know these can seem a little overwhelming or too hard but really they are SO easy! Plus, at just a little over a couple bucks a pack, not too expensive either...especially when you get them on sale or use a coupon. Just make sure you buy the package that is the Cover Button Kit. The buttons come in different sizes, so check them out and get the right sized diameter button for your project.
This is what the container holds: the backs of the buttons, the round part, the button "mold" and the pusher. 
On the back of the package, it will have a pattern for the size to cut your fabric. Cut this out of the directions and use it on a folded piece of fabric so that the long edge is on the fold to make a circle after it is cut out.
Cut out the correct number of circles you need for the buttons. One per button.
Take the button mold and put your fabric right side down.
Then place the rounded part of the button on top of that with the rounded side going against the fabric. This is the part that will look like the button when you are finished.
Fold in all of the ends of the fabric and place the back of the button over it to cover it up.
Then use the pusher to push the back of the button into the form of the rounded part of the button. It is really easy and once you push it in, you will feel it pop into place.
Then the back of your button will look all clean like this. You won't see any of the excess of the fabric. 
Now buttons can look however you want, with any type of fabric. These are so versatile and SO easy to make!
A lot of big scrapbookers have stayed true to the paper aspect of scrapbooking, but there are also a lot (and some newbies too) who have delved into the world of digi-scrapping. I have scrapbooked a bunch of things, but with my hubby in school and little ones at home, I found I didn't have the funds or the place to really dive into scrapbooking the way it deserved! So I took up digital scrapbooking a few years ago. It started out as just something fun to do but it quickly became something useful! I have used it to create digital scrapbooks for my kids, ones that can easily be reproduced for multiple copies. Plus, I make our Christmas cards and other holiday cards with it. I also use it to make invitations. I was recently asked to make an invite for something at church. I knew I was short on time and with only one car to get around, it is not always easy to get to the store. Plus, my kiddos have been major sickos lately which makes me feel like I am trapped inside!!
I decided rather than to make 70 invitations by hand, I would just design one with digital products I already had on my computer. Once you design it, you can have it printed as a 4x6 print for around 20 cents at Walmart, Walgreens or some other picture place.
Back in the day, I was AMAZED at the plethora of sites online that carried free digital scrapbooking kits to get you started. There are some amazing things you can purchase too. But if you are trying to get started fairly cheap, there is hope out there! This invite did not take me too long once I got my vision going. Our theme is My Fair Lady so I wanted to do something a bit feminine.
So if you are interested in getting started in digital scrapbooking, there are different programs you can use. I use Photoshop, but I know there are trial versions online of Photoshop Elements and other less expensive programs.
A few sites to check out for digital scrapbooking are:
Two Peas in a Bucket, Peppermint Creative, Shabby Princess, Oscraps
Have you tried out digi scrapbooking? Any tips?
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