4 Easy Heat Transfer Vinyl Projects

1. Graphic Tanks 

2. Summer Tote

3. Tea Towels 

4. Graphic Tee

Personalized Tea Towels

I'm posting late because I had a busy weekend of errands, housecleaning, and Vacation Bible School decorating.

I want to share these fun tea towels I made. While shopping at Ross I found a set of 4 tea towels with a red stripe for only $2.99. I am all about a bargain!! I still had 2 red sheets of heat transfer vinyl (HTV) from a bundle pack I bought from Expressions Vinyl so I knew exactly what to do with them.

Au Revoir Graphic Tee

I am loving the graphic tees that are so popular right now. When you can make them yourself it's even more fun because the possibilities are endless.

One of the advantages of being crafty is that when I see something I like I can make it. And usually I can make it for a fraction of the price. As I took my daily stroll through the photos on People.com I saw this t-shirt worn by Kate Bekinsale and my daily mantra of "I can make that!" ran through my head. The shirt she has on is $78. I made mine for less than $5!

Source: People.com

Wild Graphic Tanks

I recently worked on a tie-dye graphic shirt project for Rit Dye. I ended up with 6 designs but only needed 2. I loved all the designs so I am slowly using all of them on various projects.

I have a good blogger friend who volunteered to edit my wordier posts. As a thank you I created these shirts for 2 of his daughters. I let them pick the design and colors they liked best.

Perfect Summer Tote

Meet my new love: Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV). HTV may seem a little intimidating but, let me tell you, it's a cinch!

I worked with Expressions Vinyl to create this Perfect Summer Tote using the Pacific Ocean HTV Pack. It's the perfect mix of blues and just encompasses summer to me.

Materials: HTV Pack c/o Expressions Vinyl // Liquid Rit Dye in Lemon Yellow and Kelly Green // Canvas Tote via Michael's Stores.

Silhouette Sketching

 

Today is a blah, headachy kind of day for me. You know that kind of day, right? I'm totally unmotivated to do even the smallest things. So rather than a tutorial, I thought I would just share with you a few sketches I have done while playing around with my Silhouette Cameo.

While I consider myself creative, I am not particularly artistic. My drawing abilities are along the lines of a preschooler. To have the ability to "draw" whatever I want using the Silhouette makes me supremely happy.

Mixed-Media Collage & Embellished Candle

 

Tonight is one of those nights when everything has gone wrong. I spent 2 hours working on a project I was really excited about only to realize the spacing was off. This, of course, put me in panic-mode and made me very grumpy.

But that just goes to show how quickly a project like this can be put together. From start to finish, both pieces were done in an hour.

I put together this mixed-media collage from some items I had in my crafting stash. I found the keys on clearance for $1 at Michael's. Major score in my opinion! The wording is part of a stamp set and I always have one or two of these burlap panels laying around. The doily came from an antique mall I visited a while back.

First, I glued the doily on the panel. Then I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut a simple label shape out of card stock and added the stamp in the center. Next, I glued on the two keys. I used Weldbond glue for all of this since it works on all mediums.

Tie-Dyed Graphic Tees

Summer is here and that means it's time for cool and comfy clothing. But this doesn't mean you have to do without style. Tie-Dye is everywhere in stores and online but the prices can be outrageous.

I decided to make a couple t-shirts myself. This way I could customize the entire process from the color of the shirt and tie-dye method, all the way through to the design. And it was much more budget-friendly this way too!

To see the full tutorial, go to my Rit Studio page here.

**This post was sponsored by Rit Dye**

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Enjoying the Ride (and Photobombing)

Enjoy the ride. We hear that a lot, but what does it mean?

What is the ride? I see it as our journey through life. We maneuver through the twists and bumps along the path. For some, it's straight and even. For others, it's a roller coaster of ups and downs. For most, it's a combination.

But, do we enjoy it? Do we savor the journey? Do we appreciate our spot on the map right now, or do we crane our necks to see around the next turn?

Photo Display Board

I was recently invited to join the Rit Dyesigner Network. This was really exciting for me because it means I learn about the new products coming out more quickly and I'm able to experiment with them. It also means I get to share these fun and new products with you. Win-win!!

Rit Dye can be used for much more than just fabric. One of my favorite uses for it is as a stain for wood. It adds gorgeous color while still allowing the natural beauty of the wood grain to show through.

For this project I used a 12x12 pressed cardboard plaque, a 12x12 piece of glittered scrapbook paper, a scrolled laser-cut plaque, a tiny clothespin, Aqua Blue craft paint, and Kelly Green and Lemon Yellow Liquid Rit Dye. I always find the most beautiful paper from Michael's!!

Easy Stenciled Burlap Place Mats

Still looking for a fun Mother's Day gift? These place mats are a quick and easy project that would make a perfect gift.

I found this laminated burlap a while back at Michael's. I knew it was a cool product but wasn't really sure what to use it for. Then I found one of their free project sheets with a tutorial for the place mats. I had to try it!

Rit Dye Mother's Day Card and Secret Gift

Looking for an awesome Mother's Day card and gift all-in-one? Check out this project posted in my Rit Studio to get the tutorial featuring Rit Dye and Elmer's Gel Glue!

*This post is sponsored by Rit Dye.


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Easy Embellished Gift Tags

So what happens when you take too much non-drowsy cold medicine? You end up wide-awake at 10:00 at night and decide you may as well start on a project! I know we all focus on finding the perfect gift but the wrapping and presentation can make that gift even more special.

When I was shopping at Michael's this weekend I came across this embellishment set in the clearance bin. I thought it would go well with the scrapbook pad I picked up from there a couple weeks ago, also on clearance. The pad and embellishment set combined were less than $6 making each tag just a few cents each! That's my kind of budget.

Last-minute Easter Decorations

What??!! Easter is THIS Sunday? Don't worry. I have some easy, last-minute decorations you can make using items you may already have around the house.

Bunny Silhouette:

Remember this Applique Bunny project? I still had the stencil I used to cut the felt. With a bright green chevron piece of cardstock layered underneath and a burlap canvas from the Spring Chicks project it's a quick and easy piece of artwork. I added a matching green polka-dot bow and it was perfect.

Kid's Craft: Spring Chick

My nieces came to visit over the weekend and I wanted to have something fun for them to do. They are crafty like me so I decided to create a project they could make and take home with them.

Supplies: pink, yellow, white, green, and orange felt; burlap-covered canvas; craft glue, chick and letter templates to trace; and googley eyes. All of my supplies came from Michael's.

I found this Spring Chick template on the Silhouette Online Store site (on sale through April 20!!!). I was going to make it myself at some point but it was perfect for the girls' project.

First, I created templates for the chick and egg by using the Silhouette to cut them out of cardstock.

Burlap Initial Plaque

 

My sweet friends Cortny and Ben are getting married very soon. We recently held a bridal shower for Cortny and I immediately knew what I wanted to do for her as a gift. She is a fun, crafty, DIY lover so I knew she would appeciate what I made for them.

This was the FIRST project I made using my Silhouette Cameo! I bought the W template from the Silhouette Online Store and added Cortny and Ben's names. Then I loaded black adhesive-backed vinyl into my machine and let it do all the work.

DIY Paper Flowers

I recently bought a template for a multi-layered flower. I didn't have any real plan for it, I just thought it would be fun to try. And I was right! This may be my new addiction.

To look at it, you would think it was very complicated to assemble. There are a few steps but the process is fast. I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut the pieces but it could be done by hand also.

I ungrouped the images of the template because I wanted the stamen pieces to be a contrasting color. I simply moved them to the side and formatted the flower pieces to fit a letter sized sheet of paper.

Pottery Barn Inpired Easter Eggs

When I saw these Pottery Barn Easter Eggs I knew I had to make them. Now, at $20, they are a great deal but I can never resist the challenge of re-creating something I love.

I am making a Spring Wreath and decided these eggs would be the perfect accent for it. Of course, I have to put my own spin on things! I used real eggs, blown out, and I dyed them using RIT Dye.

 

The idea to use RIT Dye came late one night when I was trying to fall asleep. Does that happen to anyone else? I found a post from the RIT Dye blog that included custom color recipes (how beautiful are they??!!) I had such a hard time deciding on a color. I finally went with Aquamarine because it would really pop against the colors of the wreath and the lettering would show well on it.

Cottontail Bunny Garland

 

I have been dying to try cutting fabric with my Silhouette Cameo for a while. Since Easter is coming up, I decided to make this adorable cottontail bunny garland using paper-backed burlap.

First, I downloaded a bunny template from the Silhouette Online Store. This template was a bundle of 5 bunnies, so I ungrouped them and selected the bunny that was facing away. 

Repurposed Canvas Wall Art

I have had this canvas painting for years and was starting to get a little tired of it. When looking through the One Kings Lane website I came across this painting and it ended up being the inspiration for this project.

The first step was the spray paint the entire canvas gold.