Mother's Day

Garden Girl Canvas Zipper Bag Tutorial • Mother’s Day Gift Idea

2 · Apr 28, 2018 · 2 Comments

Hello… Mother’s Day is right around the corner, are you getting ready? I always love to create something fun for my Mom and for all the “Mothers” in my life. My Mom is a true garden girl and I thought it would be fun to create a cute garden girl canvas zipper bag using the new Cricut Patterned Iron-On for Mother’s Day. Have you guys seen this? It’s the cutest stuff!

+ This post brought to you by the amazing crew at Cricut +

Cricut Patterned Iron-On

You guys… This stuff is so fun to work with! It comes in florals, lace, polka-dots, geometrics, plus more. The Cricut Patterned Iron-On is the next creative wave coming out of the fabulous minds of the crew at Cricut. They are constantly working to make more and even better consumable products for us to use as we create with our favorite crafting machine. This iron-on vinyl is created with the long-lasting Strong Bond™ technology and adheres nicely to many types of fabrics. It works like a dream when using the Cricut EasyPress or even your home iron.

Garden Girl Design

If your mom or a loved one enjoys tending to their garden or sprucing up their home’s exterior, you might want to complement this handmade gift with something unique for the outdoors. Beautiful flower arrangements look wonderful both inside and outside, especially in window displays. Consider exploring options like Custom Made Window Boxes that can be tailored to fit specific styles and window sizes, adding a personalized touch to any garden lover’s home.

Since my Mom loves flowers, I thought the Anna Griffin floral patterns in the Francesca sampler would be perfect. I’ve been crushing on Anna Griffin’s work for years so, this was a natural fit for me as I started to design this Garden Girl bag.

The design is pretty simple, it’s a flower that I found in the Cricut Design Space and then sliced the words into the flower and added a couple of leaves. But, no worries… I’ve got you covered. You can click on the link below, in the project supplies section, it will open this project up for you to use in Cricut Design Space.

Supplies

Instructions

Now, that you’ve seen the video, here is the step by step instructions.

Open the project in Cricut Design Space and click on the customize button. You may need to resize the design in order to fit your canvas bag.
Cut the design on your Cricut machine following the steps that Cricut Design Space will walk you through. Make sure that when working with any iron-on material you need to MIRROR YOUR IMAGE and CUT ON THE WRONG SIDE of the iron-on vinyl.
Weed your iron-on material. To “weed” vinyl or iron-on material means that you remove any iron-on material that you don’t want on your bag. For this design, you’ll want to remove the outside of the flower and leaves, then remove the letters from the inside of the flower.
Pre-heat your Cricut EasyPress to 340˚ and set-up your EasyPress Mat.
Place the canvas bag on the EasyPress Mat and prepare the surface by pre-heating the space where you are going to add the design for 15 seconds. This allows for greater adhesion for the Patterned Iron-On.
Place your flower down on the surface of your bag then, slide the leaves under the flower and place them where you would like them. I trimmed the bottom of the leaves a bit since they were going to be covered by the flower.
Remove the flower, cover the leaves with the Protective Iron-On Sheet and press the leaves at 340˚ for 30 seconds and gently pressing down on the EasyPress. First, on one side and then an additional 30 seconds on the other side.
Remove the Iron-On Protective Sheet and then, peel back the clear protective film on the leaves.
Place the flower over the leaves. Replace the Cricut Iron-On Protective Sheet and press again, like before. 30 seconds on one side, then 30 more on the other side.
Let cool for a few minutes and then remove the protective film.
At this point, you can decide whether you want to fill in the letters with Sharpie. I wanted my Garden Girl to stand out a little more so I decided to fill them in. You may have selected a Patterned Iron-On where the words standout just fine and you won’t need to fill them in. This is your call basically.

With that, your bag is finished and ready to gift to your favorite Garden Girl!

What would you like to create with the new Cricut Patterned Iron-On? Leave a comment and let me know, I love to see what you guys are working on!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.

How to Paint Buffalo Check Jars

3 · Dec 5, 2017 · Leave a Comment

Love the Buffalo Check trend? Yep, me too! I thought it would be fun to use some of the Ball® Sharing Jars to create some Buffalo Check Jars to use as gifts this Holiday Season. Here’s how you can make some of your own.

+ This post brought to you by the folks at Newell Brands, makers of Ball® Fresh Preserving Products +

Ball® Sharing Jars

This project looks a bit challenging, but truly it’s not! All you need are some of those fabulous Ball® Sharing Jars and some paint and you can create this trendy look for yourself.

I love the shape of the Sharing Jars and I love the mission. When you purchase the Sharing Jars your purchase will benefit Feeding America® – the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization. For every package of Sharing Jars purchased, Newell Brands will donate 4 meals*! I LOVE it when I can help support a worthy cause when buying stuff I would normally buy any way.

* Newell Brands® will donate $0.36 per package of Sharing Jars sold, up to $150,000 provided to Feeding America®. $1 helps provide 11 meals secured by Feeding America® on behalf of local member food banks.

Buffalo Check Jars

I’m a huge fan of the Buffalo Check trend and can’t get enough of it right now. Pretty much everyone I know feels the same way so, I thought a stylish Buffalo Check Jar would be the perfect gift for friends and family for Christmas this year. I’ve filled them with all kinds of stuff; candy, bath scrubs, shower bombs, soup starters, cookie kits, all kinds of stuff. Of course after the jars are painted, you can no longer preserve in them but, they’re great for everything else. Here’s how to make them.

Materials

Ball® Sharing Jars
Americana Decor Chalky Paint in Everlasting, Yesteryear & Carbon
sponge paint brush
1/4″ flat head paint brush
240 grit sandpaper
Americana Decor Clear Crème Wax
lint free cloth

Instructions

To begin, make sure you have washed and dried your jars. Then paint a couple of layers of the white (Everlasting) chalky paint onto the jar with the sponge brush. You can use your favorite kind of chalk paint here.

Don’t worry about brush strokes, they will get smoothed out in the finishing process at the end. Let dry, ideally for a few hours or overnight.

Next, you’ll use the 1/4″ flat paint brush to paint the gray (Yesteryear) stripes onto the jar.

You will loosely use the lines on the jars as guides. I really didn’t want a precise looking check wanting it to look more free form or hand painted. I didn’t want this project to become to crazy with measuring every little detail and taping the jar to get perfect lines. This to me makes the project so much more enjoyable and I love the look.

Start at the top points of the lines in the Sharing Jar and use your 1/4 inch brush line to create the stripes. Three stripes around the jar and then a vertical stripe in the center of the flat sections of the sharing jar. Let dry completely.

Now, you’ll use the black (Carbon) paint to paint on the black section of the check in the intersections of the gray stripes. Again, let paint dry completely. It would be best at this stage to let the paint cure overnight. It will help the paint adhere to the glass much better.

Once the paint is dry, you will use the sand paper to smooth and distress the paint. Be careful not to attach the jar with a little too much vigor. You don’t want to sand the paint right off the jar. Using a soft hand, smooth the dry paint, (this will remove the brush strokes) and then carefully distress the high points of the jar.

Once this step is complete, you’ll want to wipe down the jars with a damp cloth to remove any of the remaining dust. Then you’ll use your lint free cloth to wipe on some of the wax to seal the paint onto the jar. Use the lint free cloth to then wipe off any excess wax and buff the wax.

Now, you’re finished! You have the cutest Buffalo Check Jars ready to fill with whatever you like.

I created a fun Holiday Survival Kit and filled the jars with a homemade sugar scrub, some shower bombs and included a Yankee Candle® along with the cutest little match jar ever… You’ll have to check it out. It even comes with free printable gift tags.

Disclosure + I am a paid partner for Newell Brands, makers of Ball® Fresh Preserving Products. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Homemade Snowball Bath Bomb

16 · Nov 27, 2017 · 1 Comment

In a pinch and need a nice, simple and budget friendly Holiday gift for friends, neighbors, teachers and the list can go on and on. These bath bombs are a fabulous simple way to show your friends a little Holiday love this time of year. With the free printable gift tag, you can’t go wrong with this fun little gift.

When it comes to neighbors, co-workers, teachers and friends, I always want to give them a little something around Christmas to show them how valued they are in my life. I however, don’t want to inundate them with all kinds of sugary treats all of the time. (Don’t get me wrong, I am no stranger to the classic goodie gift plate.) Sometimes it’s nice to receive something that isn’t sweet during the Holidays. With this easy to make Holiday de-stresser, it may quickly become their favorite Christmas goodie this year. All you need are a few simple ingredients…

Snowball Bath Bomb Ingredients

1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup citric acid
1/2 cup epsom salt
1/2 cup corn starch
4 tsp. water
8 tsp. coconut oil
2 tsp. peppermint essential oil
spray bottle
3 fillable plastic Christmas ornaments 70 mm
3 fillable plastic Christmas ornaments80 mm
black medium oil-based Sharpie
3/8 inch black grosgrain ribbon
white card stock paper
hole punch
scissors
printable gift tag via WhipperBerry

Snowball Bath Bomb Instructions

This is one of those projects that is super fun to get the kiddos involved so, gather everyone around the mixer and let them dump away. Here is a quick little video that I put together to show how easy it is to make these little bath time gems.

Snowball Bath Bombs via WhipperBerry from Heather Thoming on Vimeo.

Use the 70 mm plastic ornament to mold the bath bomb.
Keep spraying until your dry ingredients start to fee like nice wet sand.
Turn the mixer on low and spray the liquid ingredients into the bowl. The reason for the spray bottle is so that you add the liquid as slowly as possible. You don’t want to activate your ingredients until you or your friend is in their nice hot bath.
Add the liquid ingredients to the spray bottle and shake to mix.
It’s helpful to have a stand mixer for this project but, in a pinch, a whisk will do. Add all of the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl.
Using the oil-based sharpie, draw little crosses or “x” all over the ornaments.

The following day, place your snowball bath bomb into the 80 mm fillable plastic ornament. It’s funny, they kind of expand a bit when they dry. That’s why you need the larger ornament to use as your gift box.
Leave in the mold for 5 minutes. Then remove the bath bomb from the mold and let dry overnight.
Let the black paint dry, it only takes a few minutes.
Print the free printable gift tag from WhipperBerry and cut out the circle.
Using a hole punch punch a whole to the side of the snowflake on the tag.
Then tie the tag on the ornament and you’re finished!

Check out the back…

Aren’t they cute! And… They are soooo nice in a hot bath sipping some peppermint hot chocolate. I may need to make a few batches to keep on hand for myself.

Here is a quick image that you can pin so you don’t forget the recipe.

Zipper Pouch a Perfect Holiday Hostess Gift Cut with the Cricut Maker

121 · Nov 22, 2017 · 8 Comments

I am a HUGE fan of thoughtful handmade gifts! I try as much as possible to create something special to give friends and family during the holiday season. This year I have become a little obsessed with stylish little zipper pouches. They are so handy for keeping those little odds and ends organized and really… They’re so darn cute! I’ve even created a design of my own it’s called the WhipperBerry Zipper Pouch and it’s the perfect Holiday Hostess Gift!

+ This post is brought to you by Cricut +

Not too long ago, I made a cute little pencil pouch using the pattern created by Anna from Noodlehead. I LOVED the pattern so much… I was a total nerd and decided that I wanted to convert Anna’s PDF pattern to a SVG file so that I could cut my fabric on my Cricut Maker. It took a little trial and error, but I managed to make it work. I imported my newly created SVG file to the Cricut Design Space and again, with a little more fiddling around, I managed to make it work. I was THRILLED! I love Anna’s pencil pouch and I’ve now sewn a few different variations trying to improve my sewing skills. I love this little pouch but, I’ve been wanting to make one that is larger and will hold things other than just pens and pencils. I decided to modify Anna’s pattern a bit and make a larger zipper pouch to give as holiday hostess gifts this year.

Why Sew with the Cricut Maker

This is a BOLD move for me! I’ve embraced all kinds of creative gift ideas, but I’ve never sewn for my friends and family. I’ve always thought it was too hard, too troublesome, too time consuming. This cute, stylish and heartfelt gift is quite frankly one that I would LOVE to receive. So, why not make several? I’ve always shied away from sewing because I could never cut the pattern just right. Something would ALWAYS be off… Not anymore!!! I’ve been cutting fabric for sewing projects now for a few months and man am I hooked. Knowing that you are starting off with good bones makes the sewing so much more enjoyable. Reasons why I love cutting fabric with the Cricut Maker…

Precision cuts – you’ll always start with good bones.
Less waste – you’ll use far less fabric by using a precision cutting tool.
Empowerment – the Cricut Maker is bring sewing to the masses, no more excuses, you CAN do this.
More intricate designs – have you always kept things really simple? With the Cricut Maker, you can get as fancy as you want.

Here’s a quick little video on how I cut my fabric for the zipper pouch

The WhipperBerry Zipper Pouch Material List

10″ zipper
14″ x 28″ of cotton fabric for lining + I used Cotton + Steel black and white Checkers for the lining and the accent fabric
16″ x 18″ main print cotton linen canvas – I used Cotton + Steel Tapestry Midnight Canvas
8″ x 12″ accent fabric
1/2 yard Fusible Ultra Lightweight Interfacing
thread that compliments your fabric
download the SVG cutting files

Instructions

First thing to do it to visit my post on How to Import and Use a SVG File in Cricut Design Space. I have a full video Tutorial on how to cut this exact pattern and it will really help the cutting go super smooth. Before I start cutting though, I fuse my interfacing onto the lining of my pouch. If you are using a lighter fabric for either one of the exterior pieces, you’ll want to fuse that fabric as well. Make sure to do this step BEFORE you cut your fabric. Pro Tip • If you don’t have enough interfacing to cover your entire piece of fabric, don’t worry. Keep your interfacing scraps and piece it together. No biggie!

Piece the Outside

Start by sewing the outside together by placing the main print and accent fabric right sides together and sew using a 1/4″ seam allowance. Press seam to one side and topstitch. Then repeat with the other side of the exterior of the pouch.

How to Prepare the Zipper

Before you attach your zipper, you need to prepare both ends of the zipper by folding it over towards the back side and placing a few stitches to hold it in place. Repeat on all four ends of the zipper.

Attach the Zipper

With exterior panel right side up, center zipper right side facing down (zipper pull at left) along top edge then pin in place. Place one lining piece, right side down on top of the exterior piece again pin into place. Using your zipper foot, sew along top edge using a 1/4″ seam allowance. Open like a book and press exterior panel away from zipper. Topstitch along zipper using an 1/8″ seam allowance. Make sure NOT to top stitch both layers together. Position outside panel and lining panel wrong side on together and press away from zipper. Repeat the same steps to attach the other side of the bag with the remaining exterior panel and lining panel to the other side of the zipper. This time placing zipper pull at right. Keep and eye on your top seems and make sure they match up. Then press both sides again.

Finish the Zipper Pouch

Open zipper halfway. This is an important step. Position exterior panels right side together and lining pieces right side together and pin along sides and bottom. Be sure that you place pins on either side at the intersections of where the lining meets the exterior on each side of the pouch and where the seem of the exterior meet. Sew along the bottom and sides of the pouch using a 1/4″ seam allowance. You will need to leave a 4 inch opening in the lining so that you’ll be able to turn your pouch. Make sure to not stitch together the corner cut outs. Speaking of corner cut outs… Check out the precision of how the fabric lines up. That’s solely possible because of the Cricut Maker. You can sew with confidence knowing that your fabric will line-up easily because of the perfect cuts. Ok, back to work… Reach inside your bag and shimmy the zipper open all the way. Box your corners by pinching the corners together and line-up the seam and pin. Repeat on the remaining 3 corners. Sew straight across with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Repeat with the remaining 3 sides. You’re so close to the finish line! All you need to do is turn out your pouch so that it is right side out. That’s where the 4 inch opening comes in handy. Pull it through that opening just as if you were turning a sock right side out. Are you just swimming with PRIDE now!!! Take a minute to make sure everything is settled in all the right places. Push the lining corners into the right spot. You may want to use the eraser side of a pencil or a chopstick to push those into place. You may want to even press your pouch again if it needs it. That’s it, you now have a beautiful, stylish large pouch that you made yourself. It has your fingerprints all over it. You chose your favorite fabric and it screams your style! Now, you can profile all of your friends and figure out what their perfect little somethings zipper pouch would look like. Then, whip one up for them to take as a hostess gift, holiday gift, friend gift, it’s Tuesday gift… Basically, it’s a great creative gift that ANYONE can make with a little help from the Cricut Maker & a sewing machine. You could even personalize it with some Cricut Iron-on Lite and the Cricut Easy Press. That would be really cool. What to win some amazing Cricut goodies for yourself? Enter below for a chance to win! a Rafflecopter giveaway If you’re looking to make a shorter pencil pouch, visit Noodlehead for that pattern and directions.