DIY Patriotic Nails Tutorial (And More Patriotic Silhouette Projects)

Let's just get one thing clear... I'm really being vulnerable today.  I am very self conscious of my feet and hands (why won't my nails EVER grow? Why are my knuckles so wrinkly? What are those bumps?).  Anyway, I think enough of you guys that I decided - even though I will never have a career as a hand or foot model - I will put it all out there on the blog today (as long as you don't look too close).

Now that that's out of the way...it's less than a month until July 4th already and I'm sharing my first patriotic Silhouette project today.  This one was kind of a challenge for me (not only because it's my monthly contribution to the Silhouette Challenge group), but also because I'm terrible at painting my own nails (as you'll see), let alone blinging them out with special designs. Thankfully, my Silhouette made the job sooooo much easier!

The first thing I did was get my red, white, and blue nail polish. I picked them at the dollar store only because I can't really see myself wearing white or blue nail polish any other time of the year and I wasn't willing to shell out more than buck for a bottle.

Let's talk toes first since they were the easiest.   I painted my big toes blue and then cut stars out of white permanent vinyl (651) and stuck them directly onto the the nail.  I found that a design that's just about .75 square inch works well.  Easy peasy and made even easier because I'm giving you the free cut .studio cut file to download. I planned to paint each of the other four toe nails red and white striped, but they were just too tiny...so I cheated and painted each nail a solid color.

Elf on the Shelf Clothes Silhouette Tutorial & Patterns (Plus a HUGE Silhouette Giveaway)

Let's talk elf clothes because a night last week I spent the evening making elf clothes...with my Silhouette.

Seriously, I have 8,000,000 things to do and this is how I spent about 3 hours. Why? I'll tell you why because I had a lot of experimenting to do so I could tell you all the best way to make your elf (because I know you have one) a new wardrobe. Ain't nobody got time for an unstylish, nakey elf!

So...I raided my scrap fabric supply..and by that I mean the crumpled up stuff under my desk and clothes that my kids have outgrown (more on that in a second), to find the perfect fabric to make some elf pajamas (err...tunic), a jean skirt, and a super hero cape and mask.

Yes, you read that right, this elf is Santa's finest dressed helper...ready for all occasions be it the elf prom or saving Santa from the bad guys.

The great thing about making elf clothes is they're super small so they fit right on the mat, even my Portrait mat. (Yes, I got the CAMEO, but I still love my Portrait and since it's a little more portable I moved it to the living room temporarily so my littles didn't hear me making elf clothes....although my daughter swears she heard my sewing machine 'buzzing' in the night).

Custom Ring Holder (And 20+ DIY Gifts)

It's Silhouette Challenge time again and this month's theme is DIY Gifts. It's something that's near and dear to my heart as it's what my Etsy and customization business is based on handmade, custom gifts.  Today I thought I'd share a really easy tutorial on making DIY ring holders. These are the perfect gifts for ladies for pretty much any occasion - bridesmaids gifts, teacher gifts, a co-worker holiday gift exchange, a neighbor...

While these are transformed into beautiful ring dishes in just a few minutes, they don't start off that way.  In fact Target, which sells them for about $2 a piece, has them labeled as dip dishes (the nerve!)

DIY Nursery Art: Silhouette Tutorial

A few weeks ago a box showed up at my door. It was from Silhouette America and it was my challenge box containing four items that I would need to use to create a single project.  Inside my box was: Silhouette Adhesive Washi Sheets, a roll of Silver Silhouette Heat Transfer Vinyl, Printable Cotton Canvas Sheets, and Glitter.  Instantly my brain was going in 133,566,442 different directions.

I finally decided that this special delivery would be perfect for another special delivery - a set of girl twins my cousin is expecting later this summer.

Baby Boy Onesies Using Heat Transfer Vinyl (Free Studio Cut File)

A few weeks ago I shared a sneak peek on the Silhouette Facebook Page of a set of twin baby boy onesies I quickly made using heat transfer vinyl.  Apologies for the delay...but I'm finally getting around to sharing the tutorial and the free cut file!

I made these newborn onesies for one of my college roommates who recently welcomed twins! I usually skip right over newborn size because the kiddos grow out of them so fast, but these little gents were a few weeks early and I figured they didn't have much to wear being 4 pounders.

I wanted the onesies to be different, but still similar. And since I'm slightly obsessed with monograms, of course, I had to work the boys' initials in there, too!

If you haven't caught on by now, the Silhouette Online Store is pretty much the last place I look for designs.  I'll do anything to save my .99! So, I started by doing a google image search for baby bow ties and ties.  When I found a few I liked, I brought them into Silhouette Studio and did a trace.  If you need a reminder on how to turn a jpeg into a cut file click here.

Dingbat Font Flower Garden Flag (Free Studio Cut File)

In case you haven't noticed I've been happily doing outdoor projects recently - ahem, my vinyl window garage door makeover.   Today I'm going to share another outdoor project, this one not nearly as involved...or as much of a commitment.  I made this flower pot garden flag using nothing more than a scrap of burlap, a piece of freezer paper, a dingbat font and some paint.

'Spring' and Flowers Paper Banner

Was the weekend weather a-maz-ing where you are? Here in Delaware we had two gorgeous spring days. They were much needed after the brutal winter we were handed, I might add. So in honor of all things spring I am sharing a tutorial on putting together a fun spring banner, today.  But that's not all...I also have 39 other awesome spring Silhouette projects from some of my blogging buddies further down in the post.