Meet the Lollipop Critters

 

The Girl Scout Christmas party was a raging success!  It was such a blast we ran out of time and sent the Lollipop Critters home for completion.  But, here's a little picture of each critter and how they turned out. 

I used dum-dum suckers and I think they would have been cuter with a little bigger, rounder sucker.  I'm now wondering if Tootsie-Pops would have worked? 

I was a little disappointed with Santa, he just looks a little rough around the edges.  It's probably because I just unrolled a cotton ball and glued it on.  I'm sure giggly girl scouts could have had way more fun gluing on the cotton for his hat and beard! 

But, those googley eyes really make these little critters pop, don't they?

And I did shrink them down quite a bit from the original version, so maybe next year we'll make the full sized ones instead!  Happy Holidays!




Update: November 29, 2015
I've gotten a handful of emails requesting these cutting files since posting these little critters, and I rarely check my email so a handful of folks have been left waiting for a reply that never came - sorry folks.  I've uploaded the SVG files to Dropbox and you can access them via this link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/k9ap80dwuvm2h6w/AAAuy2imBdxGGyPd2cXkv0xSa?dl=0  If you use the link and are able to use the cutting files, please leave a comment so I know it's working.  Happy Holidays!

Silhouette: DIY Reindeer Lollipop Card

Do you call it a sucker or a lollipop?  I call it a sucker, but the tutorial where I got this idea refers to it as a lollipop so I guess I better do that too.  Maybe it's a regional thing becase the tutorial came all the way from Australia!

So, as I browsed Pinterest last night I came across the Pin for these really cute Reindeer Lollipop Cards from a blog called Missy Mac Creations.  Lately I've been looking for two things when reviewing craft projects: 1.) things I can make with my new Silhouette and 2.) things that will be a Girl Scout friendly craft.  And these little lollipop cards fit the bill perfectly!  With one exception.  The template is a PDF.  That means the Silhouette can't cut it out.  But that's where Photoshop comes in really handy!

First things first, you'll need to head over to Missy Mac and download the template.  I opened the template in Photoshop Elements, which let me have each of the designs (Santa, reindeer, elf) as an individual "page".  Then, I simply deleted the background, cropped the image as tight as possible, and saved it as a .PNG file.  A .PNG file will keep a transparent background.  To make life a tad easier I went ahead and duplicated the image and flipped it so they were mirrored.  It's just easier for me to do that step in Photoshop.



Next, I opened the .PNG file in Silhouette Studio.  Here's where you'll want to find a good tutorial on using the "trace" feature, if you're not familiar.  I got really lucky that I didn't have to do much to get a "cuttable" line for these Lollipop cards.  I selected "trace outside" from the selection menu. 

Then, I used the circle tool to make a cuttable circle for the nose and the tiny little hole for the sucker stick.  I also added a line and made it "perforated" where the two halves will fold.  I did a test cut on a piece of card stock and all went well!

I also wanted to be able to use Dum-Dum suckers, so I rotated and duplicated the card so I could have two per 8.5x11 sheet.  I was able to get three Santas and Elves on one sheet, but the Reindeer antlers would only allow two per sheet.  I'm so tickled with how this turned out!  And I'm even happier that I didn't have to use a pair of sissors!

I would love to share these cuttable files with you.  But, sadly I'm not savy enough to know how to upload these so that you can download them!  I did share them with Missy Mac in the hopes that she would pass them on to you!

Update:  I received an email from Missy Mac and sadly she couldn't open the file!  But, she did say I could share!  If you're reading this and have a Silhouette and would like the cutting files, send me an email and I'll try to figure out if those files can be sent by email!   meetthecottons@gmail.com

I Love My Silhouette, I Loathe My Silhouette

I invested in a Silhouette Portrait about a month ago and have had very limited luck getting it to do what I want.  Basically, I think it should do one thing and it has consistently proven me wrong.  Really, I read raving review after review before I received the thing in the mail.  But, then, all I found were tons of folks having similar problems and one very entertaining YouTube video about how much a lady hated her Silhouette.  I really did have an "oh crap" moment thinking I had just tanked $140 down the drain. 

But, me and my can-do attitude just could not accept defeat.  I scoured YouTube and the Internet for helpful videos and tips or tricks to make this little electronic cutter do what I wanted.  I had two main issues to overcome:  the new software to make the thing work, and getting the paper off the cutting mat after I cut something.

I have been a happy Photoshop Elements user for about six years and the Silhouette Studio software pales by comparison.  Like, seriously doesn't hold a candle to Photoshop.  But, just like learning to navigate Photoshop, well, you have to learn to navigate the Silhouette Studio.  It does get easier and YouTube will become your very best friend because there are tons of tutorials to help you.  I've never spent much time on YouTube, but I'm now a happy follower of several YouTube channels and have several tutorials saved in the "watch later" category. 

The second hurdle is the cutting mat and how sticky the darn thing is.  Don't even think about cutting stuff out of regular ol' copy or printer paper.  Thin paper just sticks to the mat and rips when you try to peal it off.  Not only is it a mess, it's a frustrating mess to deal with.  I found a recommendation on a blog (I don't know where) that the Cricut cutting mat is less sticky and works in the Silhouette machine.  The thing to keep in mind is the size of your Silhouette.  As far as I know there are two Silhouettes, the Portrait (which is less expensive) and the Cameo.  The Portrait can only handle cutting shapes that are 8 inches or smaller, the Cameo can do 12 inches or smaller.  I think they can cut things that are 10 feet long, but I am no where near cutting any project that large.  I ordered my 8.5"x12" Cricut cutting mat from Joann.com.  I completely agree with that blogger who said the Cricut mat is more user friendly and less sticky.  It's still too sticky for plain copy paper, though.

When I searched for the Cricut mats I saw that the Cricut tool kit was also on sale at Joann.com and I went ahead and ordered it.  I really didn't want to invest any more money into this fiasco because I thought it was the worst possible idea.  But, the special tools definitely make life easier when trying to get the paper off the cutting mat.  That little metal spatula is a god-send.

So, I'm slowly growing to appreciate my Silhouette and what it can do.  I really like the print-and-cut option and see limitless possibilities for it!  If you're a paper scrapbooker, which I have never been (I'm all digital) you'll probably be head over heals for your Silhouette.  But, it's definitely taking me a little longer to fall in love!

Upcycled Gift Bag

I wasn't too happy when Patty's binder bit the dust after not even three full weeks of school!  And what kind of binder did she want as a replacement?  And what kind of binder was I unable to locate?  Yep, Barbie. 

Thankfully, being the easy going daughter she is, Patty was completely happy with the solid pink binder I found at Walmart.  But, fate intervened and her first birthday party guests walked in with the most awesome Barbie gift bag and I knew instantly what would become of it!  Thanks Bobbie and Dennis!

Have I ever mentioned how much I  love the binders with insert able covers?  I'm surely not the first person to do this, but I gotta tell you I am one proud momma tonight!

A Birthday Fit For A Princess

Oh my, where does the time go?  I simply can not believe my little girl is turning seven soon!  It seems like only yesterday I was swooning over that precious little bundle in the hospital!  Fast forward seven years and we are gearing up for the ultimate princess birthday experience. 

Naturally, I turned to Pinterest for inspiration.  Oh my goodness there are some super cute ideas out there!  At this point I think my lists have started making lists.  Man, I wish I really knew how to use that sewing machine I have hoarded away.

Thankfully, where my sewing skills are lacking, I can somewhat compensate with Photoshop skills.  I found a great DIY crown shared by The Path Less Traveled (love that blog name!) and fiddled with Photoshop until I was happy with the dimensions.  I had already found Princess Sofia-esque clipart on Etsy (love Etsy!) and used them for a cute invitation.  Filling in the crown was easy since I had finished the invitation last weekend.  Now I can easily print the crowns onto cardstock and cut them out while I wait in the car rider line at school!

Totally adorable, am I right?  I probably need to make a boy crown with a little prince, too.  Then I can check "party hats" off my to do list!

Gettin' Crafty: Paper Plate Snow Globes

Patty has Girl Scouts once a week and each week the girls complete a craft. 
I spotted really cute snow globes here, but couldn't find the tutorial on how to make them.  Turns out, creating this fun craft is pretty easy. 
Here's what you'll need.

Supplies

• Clear Plastic Plates (Dollar Tree)
• Paper Plates, any color you want (Dollar Tree)
• Glue, Scissors, Hole Punch, Stapler
• Yarn
• Confetti (Hole Punch circles) or Glitter

For each snow globe, you will need one clear plate and three regular paper plates, so keep that in mind while you're shopping.  I had to buy two packages of the clear plates and one pack of the paper plates.  And you'll want to be sure the clear plate will fit inside the paper plate.  Our paper plates were the 7 inch desert plates.

First. cut out the center of two paper plates for each person.  This creates a frame or window for your snow globe.  I only used one paper plate, and I found out that white glue is not strong enough to secure the plastic plate to the paper plate frame.  So, be sure to use two paper plate frames and sandwich the clear plate between them.  Use the glue sparingly because if it seeps out onto the "window" of your snow globe you will be left with a gluey haze.  I perched my frames on top of cups overnight to dry.  I did this ahead of time so the snow globes would be ready to go home on the same day.

Second, decide on a picture for the inside of your snow globe.  Initially I thought the kids could draw a picture.  But, in the essence of saving time, I used a coloring sheet from the Internet to make a circle shaped insert the kids could quickly color.  We only have an hour each week, and that includes working to earn patches and snack time.  Crafts have to be fun and quick!  I measured the inside of the paper plate and made the circle just slightly smaller so everything would fit, printed three to a page, and cut them out ahead of time.

Third, decide how to color the pictures.  I wanted to have the girls use water colors but I had trouble finding a package of paint brushes.  I know, I thought it was weird, too.  But, I forgot to look for them at Walmart and I struck out at Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and Big Lots.  So, what's a girl to do?  Use eyeshadow instead!  Seriously, those girl scouts screeched with excitement!  It was adorable.  I grabbed five of the least expensive eye shadows I could find at Dollar General.  It worked out so two girls shared one set of eye shadow with five shadow colors to choose from.  I'll admit, it was a little messy and the eye shadow did not go as far as I thought it would!

Fourth, the assembly.  Once everything was colored, the girls used glue sticks to adhere the coloring page to the inside of the third paper plate.  We sprinkled a little confetti (made from hole punch circles) into the plate and stapled the frame on top.  Then, used the hole punch to make a hole at the top for hanging.  You could use glitter instead of confetti for your "snow" but I was afraid it would come out of the snow globe and make a mess.  Some of the confetti did manage to escape through the cracks, too.

Last, and I did not anticipate the need for this, have cleaning wipes handy because coloring with eyeshadow is a messy task!  But, I thought the plates turned out great and the girls seemed to have a really good time!

DIY 12 Year Journal

I originally saw this idea, I think, in a Pottery Barn catalog about five years ago.  Being the procrastinator that I am, I finally got around to making a DIY version today that will last for the next 12 years!  Actually, I'll have to purchase more composition notebooks, but this one will get me started!

Here's what I did.  I purchased a black and white composition notebook at Dollar General ($1), a pack of colorful pens also at Dollar General ($2), and a handful of Sharpies at Office Max (on sale for 50-cents each).

I used the Sharpie to divide the page into sections for each year.  As you can see, I allowed four lines per year and that gave me space for six years per page.  I'll do this on the back side of each page so I'll have an additional six years.

I put the month and day in the upper right hand corner of each page.  I'll be able to record four lines about my day each year for the next twelve years!  Of course, each comp book has only 100 sheets.  So, I'll have to add three books to my collection.  The plan is to use packing tape to tape them cover-to-cover so that I have a nice "bound' stack of composition notebooks.  You could use any kind of tape, but I have a nice big roll of packing tape so that's what I plan to use.  In the end, I'll have invested three-bucks into a 12 year journal.  Not counting cool pens and Sharpies, of course.  Note to self, the Sharpie did bleed through a little, so I used a piece of card stock between the pages to prevent marking up the other pages!

New, Uber Colorful Front Door

There's a website called Favorite Paint Colors and I am in love with it.  It's perfect for someone like me who can not visualize what a room is going to look like when starring at that tiny little paint swatch.  So, when I saw this front door, I knew I'd found the perfect color for my own front door.  Or, so I thought.  I was a little confused when I got to the store and saw the swatch up close and personal.  That door doesn't look anything like that paint swatch.  I was confused.  And, as per usual, my phone would not connect to the Internet so I could pull up the picture for reference.  Note to self, I learned this from my cousin Amy.  Take a picture of the web page on your phone, like a screen shot.  Comment if you need directions on how to do this.  I learned it from my kids. 
What can I say, they are talented.

Now, here's something you probably don't know about me.  I should never be allowed into a paint store without a chaperon.  And, no, JT doesn't qualify as a chaperon.  See that picture on the left?  That's what happens when I am left alone to my own devices in the paint store.  It's pretty amazing how my mental picture was so way off the actual color of that inspiration door!  The good news is that I don't totally dislike my new Cruising blue front door.  In fact, I am hoping that it looks really good with the new wreath Amy has made for me!  Fingers crossed, really tight!

Earn and Return Cards for Kids!

This is a strange thing to share since it's been another whole month since my last blog post! 

But, I came across Earn & Return cards in a teaching supply magazine and thought: hey, those are totally DIY-able!  (Many things in those magazines are totally DIY-able).  The catalog had them priced around 13-cents EACH plus shipping and handling.  Yikes, that's expensive!  So, I headed to my favorite computer program and did a DIY version.