Crafts

Designer Marquee Letters with Lights

13 · Jul 3, 2013 · 32 Comments

DIY Marquee Letters // Today is the BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!! I'm guest posting over at Today's Creative Blog and I've created something rather fun. It's a two part post on how to make your very own Designer Marquee Letters. Part One, Designer Letters is over with Kim at TCB and Part Two, how to create Designer Marquee Letters with Lights is here on WhipperBerry.

I have been in love with old marquee letters forever. I've collected several fabulous can lights over the years, but I really wanted some Broadway style marquee letters. To purchase a Broadway style sign would cost a fortune so, I thought I would create a sign of my own with parts that you can find at a couple of local stores. First, I needed to create my letters…

For this tutorial head on over to Today's Creative Blog, while you're there say hello to Kim for me. She's one of my favorite blog friends!! The cool thing about making your own letters, is that YOU get to pick what your sign says. You can do just one letter or and entire word, heck… write a whole paragraph if you want. the sky's the limit!!

Now that I've created my letters, it's time to add some lights to these babies!!

Supply List

designer letters
hole punch
self-healing cutting mat
globe string lights

Instructions

First you need to punch some holes into your letters…

Now, this proved to be a bit of a challenge for me. I started the sign using my Martha Stewart Screw Punch which worked great. I just had to make several punches to create the circle that I needed for the light bulb to fit through. Which was fine, but later I decided to use a grommet punch and a mallet. It worked a little better. It was nosier, but did the job a little quicker. It's up to you how you decide to make your holes.

Space your holes carefully. I'm not going to give you specific measurements because it will depend on what type of lights you select. Basically, work slow and careful. Punch a hole and place a light bulb in the hole and then eye ball where the next hole should go.

Once you've created all your holes, it's time to add the lights…

Unscrew the light bulbs and place them through the holes and screw the bulb back in the socket with the cord on the back of the letter… Keep in mind, before you start to place the cords, think about the most logical way to wire the letter. Where do you want the cord to start and end? Just think things through a bit and you won't have to go back and start over.

The lights that I used from Target had nice little clips on the light sockets that made it really easy to tuck the cords in so that they didn't peak out from behind the letters. They were perfect!!

Once everything is wired up all you have to do it light it up!

Isn't it fun?! I plan on using it as part of a gallery wall in the near future. It will also be a fun way to dress up an event or dessert table. I can dream up all kinds of fun ways to use this sign.

Now keep in mind… the sign is made out of paper. DO NOT leave the lights on for a long period of time or leave unattended. I've turned mine on for quite awhile and nothing has happened, but the lights do warm up and I don't want any fires started with this fun sign.

Soooo, now that you know how to make your own Marquee Letter Sign… What word would you light up?

Hello I Love You Wood Sign // Silhouette Promotion and GIVEAWAY

0 · Jul 1, 2013 · 308 Comments

Silhouette Promotion Affiliate Team Member // Can you believe it? It's JULY already!! The fire flies are a blaze here in Lincoln and I am LOVING the summer so far. It's so green and lush here and did I mention the fire flies? For a girl who has never lived in an area with the luminescent bugs… this is just magical!

Well, with a new month we have a new Silhouette promotion… and I've created a new sign with the help of Rhonna Designs mad design skillz and the Silhouette Designer Edition Software…

Before I dive right on into the project I want to let you know about his month promotion… You know, just in case you are like me and have the attention span of a gnat. This way if you are dying to get a new CAMEO, Portrait or just the Designer Edition Software you don't have to muddle through my boring old tutorial on how to make this aaaaamazing sign. So, here are the details…

SMOKIN' WHITE HOT DEAL, right?

Click here to visit the Silhouette Shop to check out all of July's special deals!

Now, before we get to the GIVEAWAY… Let me tell you a little bit about the sign I made this afternoon. It is a super slick, super easy sign to make. I bought the wood at Lowes and it was already cut in the 6×24 length with is perfect for making signs. Then I grabbed a couple of wood shims to secure the wood planks together and that was it…

I laid the boards out and placed the wood shims on the back and secured the boards with come short nails and I was good to go.

I primed the wood with some Kilz Spray Primer and then painted a few coats of Krylon Catalina Mist. Then while it was drying I prepared my stencil with my Silhouette Designer Edition Software.

The Designer Edition Software is a must have addition when you have a Silhouette machine. It just gives you greater design options that with the basic software that comes with your machine. With this image above, I was able to convert a PNG file from Rhonna Designs into a cuttable file. That means that your design options are limitless with the CAMEO or Portrait!

Once my design was complete I cut the vinyl and used it as a stencil to then paint my sign with Krylon Sun Yellow. I also made a sign where I just added the vinyl to the sign rather than using the vinyl as a stencil. They both look great!

Here's a post that I created awhile ago with a video on how to convert a PNG file in the Silhouette Designer Edition Software.

Want to compare the Design Studio options? Here is a breakdown…

The best part… You can grab the Designer Edition from now until July 10th for only $24.99! Not to mention some smokin' deals when you bundle that with a CAMEO or Portrait!

Wait, you want more?

How about I give away one Silhouette Portrait with the Designer Edition Software to one of you!!

All you have to do is follow the directions in the Rafflecopter box below and you will be entered to win.

// This giveaway is open from July 1-8 and only for residence of the United States. A winner will be announced on July 9th. //

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Children’s DIY Chalkboard

0 · Jun 28, 2013 · 2 Comments

This post brought to you by Michaels // This summer has been a blast so far. I’ve been having a ball coming up with fun projects and activities for the kiddos while they are home. Emily has been going to Michaels Passport to Imagination Craft Camp for the last couple of weeks, and she has been having a ball. She’s made some fun new friends and has really enjoyed learning about North & South America through some fabulous hands on activities.

In the next couple of weeks, they will be traveling to several other parts of the world. Don’t worry if you haven’t had a chance to head over to your local Michaels stores, The Passport to Imagination runs for several more weeks and is only $2 for each class. Come on over your kiddos will love it!

Emily enjoying Michael’s Passport to Imagination Craft Camp

Emily decided we wanted to come up with a project that would be perfect for your kiddos over the summer. After class we went and wandered Michaels and she decided that we needed to make a DIY Children’s Chalkboard. She has been around for all of my chalkboard projects and has developed a love for the slate & chalk just like her Mom.

We decided that kiddos need to have a chalkboard of their very own that they can play around with, but if it’s loved a little too much, it won’t be a big deal. Here is what we came up with…

Here are the supplies that we gathered…

Stylish wood frame
Krylon Cherry Red spray paint
Ultra black mounting board
Chalk
Water bottle

This DIY is so easy and fun to do with your kiddos. First, you need to spray paint your frame, let it dry completely. Cut your ultra black mounting board down to size and then hot glue onto the back of the frame. You should probably take care of the hot glue part, rather than the kiddos. But, this is a great beginners spray paint project. Take them outside and teach them the finer points of spray paint.

Next, all you have to do is rub white chalk all over the board and rub it off with a paper towel. Your chalkboard seasoned and ready to go!!

Emily thought it would be cool to have a special spot for her chalk as well, so we found and inexpensive water bottle at Michaels and used it as a chalk keeper.

We just dressed it up with some ribbon and yarn that we had laying around and voila… You have a fun chalk keeper for your kiddos to go along with their chalkboard! Now they can make all kinds of lists or play games on their board and after it’s loved a little too much you can replace the mounting board and it’s as good as new!! Total Rock Star Mom Move!!

Come on over to Michael’s this week and check out the Passport to Inspiration along with Emily. After class you can grab some chalkboard supplies and go home and make your very own children’s chalkboard.

Disclaimer // This is a post sponsored by Michaels Crafts. I received free product for this post, however… all thoughts, ideas and opinions are my very own.

Creative Flashcard Design Ideas | For Students and Kids

26 · Jun 27, 2013 · 12 Comments

Looking for creative flashcard design ideas? I think you’re going to love these! This post was originally created back in 2013 but has been updated some now. These flashcards were for my kids when they were really young but would be great for students as well. These were so much fun to make.

So, it’s that time… Gage is three… Time to work on mastering his letters. With the girls home for the summer, I thought this would be a great time to make some Alphabet Flash Cards for the girls to play school with. That way Gage will get excited about learning. My first thought was… Those Project Life cards are PERFECT for making flash cards. So many great colors and patterns, with a little creativity these cards can transform a stack of photos into a quick meaningful memory book but… What if you just want to craft with your Project life kit? I took some cards from my Midnight Kit and turned them into some amazing flash cards…

How to Make These Flashcards

Sometimes you have leftover cards or maybe you just want to use these amazing kits to create with, no matter… Project Life is getting easier and easier to find. The cool thing is that if you don’t have some Project Life cards on hand, you don’t need to worry! Project Life products are now available at several different retailers here in the United States, Canada, Australia, and many other countries. I found my Midnight core kit at my local Hobby Lobby here in Lincoln but you can also find them at Michaels, Craft Warehouse, Beverly’s Fabrics & Archivers. Not to mention a whole bunch of smaller craft and scrapbook supply stores. You can also find Project Life online at Two Peas in a Bucket & Scrapbooks.com.

I thought this kit would look great for some flashcards for a little boy…

I took out my Silhouette CAMEO and my trusty glue stick and went to town…

It was just so slick… I could easily coordinate the colors and patterns to create this fun set for Gage.

This is a perfect starting point for him. Next, I am going to add sight words onto the ring of cards and use the letter cards at dividers. It will be great… The girls can play school with him and help him learn his letters. Total score for the summer downtime when the girls are home and Gage is going to love it!

Other Creative Flashcard Design Ideas to Try

If you’re looking for other flashcard ideas to help out in the classroom or at home, you might like these next three. The first section of this post was how to be creative and make your own cards that look great. Below are some other Flashcards you can buy and make them look nice yourself.

These Assorted Blank Flash Cards

These assorted blank flashcards would be great for you to make your own flashcards with. The colors are nice and the texture is just right. You can get a large pack of 1,000 for a very good price.

These Thick Number and Letters Cards

These cards are great for younger students. You can play games with these cards like the jump game. You call out a letter or a number and have the students jump from one card to the next. This is a great way to introduce physical activity into learning and make the games fun for the kids. Give them a try!

What have you made with your Project Life cards? Do you only use them for your memory books or do you think outside the box?

Disclaimer // This is a post sponsored by American Crafts. I have received free products and payment for the post. However, the ideas, thoughts and opinions are my very own.