Gifts

Snowflake Lantern Holiday Gift Idea

854 · Oct 17, 2018 · 7 Comments

I’m not sure if there is anything more glorious than the thought of the first snow each year. I don’t care if you love or hate snow, the first snowfall of the year is always a fun event.

The autumn is full of fun treats like all things pumpkin, apple preserves, hayrides through the pumpkin patch and so much more.

Towards the end of the autumn festivities there arrives a great anticipation in the air… when will it snow? I feel like no matter what part of the country you live in, snowflakes are truly magical. I’m thrilled that this season’s Ball® Keepsake Collectible Holiday Jar is an ode to the stunning snowflake!

I decided that a fun way to use this fun collectible jar is to make snowflake lanterns that are perfect for dressing up your home for the winter season or, as a fabulous holiday gift.

I can just imagine an army of these snowflake lanterns lining the walkway up to your home this winter season, warmly inviting your friends into your holiday gathering.

Won’t that be pretty? Let me teach you how to make them.

Snowflake Lantern Supplies

This project is pretty simple and doesn’t really require much in the way of supplies. Here is what you’ll need.

There are three different options for the Ball Mason jars. You can get a 4 pack of Keepsake Ball Mason jars, an 8 pack of regular Ball Mason jars, or a 12 pack of Snowflake Holiday jars. Now that I’ve redone this project a few times, I recommend the Snowflake Jars.

You can make these every Christmas! The snowflake jars add a really nice touch.

Ball® Snowflake Holiday Jars (12 Pack) This is the best option!
Regular jars in a set of 8
Regular jars set of 4
decoupage glue & Foam Brush Kit
Epsom salt – 1/2 cup for every 4 pack of jars
2 1/2 inch circle vinyl sticker (optional)
decorative sand filler (optional)
small candles
3/8” black ribbon
greenery with small berries
hot glue gun with sticks

Snowflake Lantern Instructions

This first part of the project will be super fun to do with your older kiddos. Grab your Ball® Keepsake Collectible Holiday Jars, decoupage glue, foam brush, stickers (if you are using them) and Epsom salt.

You’ll want to protect your work surface and have some type of container big enough to fit the jar into along with a large spoon at the ready.

ball

Fill your container with the Epsom salt half way.

Place your sticker over the snowflake to protect that area from the decoupage glue and Epsom salt.

If you don’t want to bother with the sticker, that’s totally fine. I made mine using my Cricut Maker or you can order them online. I prefer the sticker method because it creates a nice crisp line for the circle window of the lantern.

You are more than welcome to freehand a circle around the snowflake with your foam brush. Just know that your lines won’t be as perfect.

Cover your jar from below the rim down with the decoupage glue. Do not place glue on the bottom of the jar or on the jar threads.

Using your large spoon, carefully cover the jar with the Epsom Salt. Make sure not to touch the surface of the jar with the glue on it. It will make for uneven coverage of “snow” on the jar. I also found that rolling the jar in the Epsom salt really didn’t give the desired effect as well. You really want to pour the “snow” over the decoupaged jar to create the nice snowy effect.

Let your jars dry, undisturbed overnight.

This is a great project to make an assembly line. Grab a friend or your older kiddos and go to town and make a bunch of these fun gifts for friends, neighbors, teachers, bosses… I could go on and on. I LOVE that it could be a great holiday gift that doesn’t involve sugar!

The following day, carefully remove your vinyl sticker. You may want to use a toothpick or tweezers to help get the sticker removal started.

Also, you may want to wear eye protection, the Epsom salt tends to fly in this stage of the process. I managed to have a little piece fly into my mouth and it was NOT tasty. So…eye protection and keep your mouth closed.

Now you’re ready to decorate your jar. Fire-up your hot glue gun and prep your ribbon and winter greenery. I found my greenery at Michaels. It was a little wreath that I disassembled, and it worked perfectly.

I hot glued the greenery just above the lip of the jar that leads into the jar threads. I found that a little hot glue dot helped to secure the bottom section of the greenery to the jar creating it a nice frame around one side of the snowflake window.

Next, I tied the ribbon around the top of the jar, covering the hot glued section of the greenery, and tying a little knot. After that, I snipped off the ends using the inverted point technique.

Then, fill the bottom of the jar with a 1/4 cup of either Epsom salt or decorative sand.

I found the Ball® preserving funnel came in handy here.

After I placed the little candle into the jar, I lit-her-up!

These snowflake lanterns made from the Ball® Keepsake Collectible Holiday Jars look snowy and beautiful. All ready to usher in those Hygge winter nights!

A Boy and His New Beddy’s Bed

11 · Aug 2, 2018 · 1 Comment

We’re getting ready for school here in these parts. With that comes the resurrection of old routines whether good or bad. Some routines stand the test of time like brushing your teeth, getting dressed and such. Others like making the bed could stand for a little improvement! Let’s be real here… How many of our kiddos or, us even, regularly make our beds? When the back-to-school routines truly kick-in, how many of our kiddos are skipping this one task because it’s just a pain and they would rather move on to bigger and better things? I have one little guy that generally skips this task or takes FOREVER making his bed thus making us late for school each morning. Anyone else in this boat? Yea, I thought so! That’s when I was introduced to Beddy’s Beds by a good friend of mine and my little guy has been using his new bedding all summer and we are super in love with this whole system!!! Come learn all about Beddy’s along with this fun room makeover for Gage.

+ This post brought to you by Beddy’s Beds +

Boys Room Makeover

SEVERAL months ago we embarked on a room makeover for our little guy. He had been living in a pink and purple room since our move last year and it was high time to make some changes. An eight-year-old boy will put up with a pink room for only so long. We don’t even know Ashley & Alexa and why they even had an attic!

We settled on an Explorer room packed full with all kinds of great inspiration to explore our world. We found an old discarded library book that was filled with copies of the maps from the Lewis & Clark expedition. The library was just throwing it out! We pulled it apart and Decoupaged the pages onto Gage’s wall.

The very last step that needed to be completed was, new bedding! Like I said before… His bed NEVER looks like the photo above. If it is made, it looks like Salvador Dalí made the bed rather than Martha Stewart. Granted, I know… It’s a little boys room but, there has to be something smarter & easier. Check out this video to see the genius of what we found!

The Genius of Beddy’s Bedding

Did you see that? How easy it was for Gage to just zip-up his bed when he got up? This bedding is brilliant! Here are my top 5 reasons why I love Beddy’s bedding…

1. First off, it’s dang cute! I love the fabric that we selected for Gage’s room. We picked the Checked Out bedding and it looks great in his explorer room. They have all kinds of styles that are perfect for toddlers on up to Mom & Dad, both boys, and girls, along with college-age kiddos. Plus, the options keep expanding each year.
2. His bed is so easy to make! The bedding is somewhat like a sleeping bag that has a fitted sheet element sewn on the bottom. The whole system fits right onto the bed and grips nicely to the mattress. Now, if you have hot sleepers like Gage is, don’t worry, the top blanket unzips at the bottom if you’d like and down each side, you can even remove the whole top blanket for washing. Gage is a hot sleeper and he likes to keep the side unzipped and then zips it right back up in the morning.
3. I love that this is a product created by Moms for Moms! You know how Beddy’s came to be? It was out of the frustration of trying to make bunk beds. Have you ever tried to make a bunk bed? It’s impossible even for adults let alone kids. Beddy’s are handmade with fabulous fabric. The top fabric is 100% cotton and the inside is a scrumptious Minky fabric that all kiddos love. Gage has been using his bedding for a few months now and I’m thrilled with the quality of the materials & workmanship.
4. Beddy’s bedding is easy to wash! I’ll be honest, when I first saw a Beddy’s system I thought it looked like a bear to wash. I was so wrong! Gage who struggled to gather all of his bedding on wash days in the past now has no problem stripping his bed and loading it into the washer all by himself.
5. I love that his product empowers everyone to start their day on the right foot! When I was a kiddo, I received a pillowcase that said, “Start each day in a happy way.” It was actually a Strawberry Shortcake pillowcase. The first morning I used it, I was 6 or 7, I read the quote and it really hit me. I did need to start each day in a happy way! That morning I felt empowered to make my bed (the old fashioned way) starting my day on the right foot and then moving forward with confidence that I could handle whatever came my way that day. It sounds silly, right? Can making your bed empower you, of course it can. If you aren’t a bed maker, give it a go. Commit to making your bed for a week and see how that little change will change your day. We need to give that gift to our kiddos. A good breakfast and a made bed, that’s a good recipe for a great start to the day!

What are you going to do this new school year to help your kiddos to feel successful right from the start? I highly recommend investing in some Beddy’s bedding for the kiddos. I’m thrilled with how Gage loves his new bedding and how his room looks with the bedding.

+ Disclaimer – This post has been sponsored by Beddy’s Beds. They sent product for my family to review however, I was not paid for my review or for this post. Remeber, I only share what I love and truly use in my everyday life. +

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How to Personalize Your Yeti Cup • Yeti Tumbler Design Ideas

62 · May 21, 2018 · Leave a Comment

I’ve become a little obsessed with my Yeti cup to help me do just that. I’m also a HUGE believer in making everything look as fabulous as possible. Yeti has these WHITE Yeti 30 oz. Tumblers and I ran out and grabbed a few. I knew that it would look amazing when I dressed it up with a stylish design cut out of Cricut Premium Outdoor vinyl. I took off to Michaels to grab some of my favorite vinyl and set to work. Let me show you how to personalize your Yeti.

Here are Some Ways to Personalize Your Yeti Tumbler

This is so fun! Obviously, you can do this with any type of cup, I’m just a huge Yeti fan. I’m also a huge Cricut Fan so if you don’t have one, grab a friend who does and offer to make her a cup as well!

Supplies Needed for This Cricut Yeti Cup Design

Your favorite cup
Dreamer • Farmhouse Yeti Design
Cricut Premium Outdoor vinyl
Cricut Transfer Paper
Cricut Explore 3

Instructions to Get Cricut Vinyl on Your Yeti

First, you’ll need to open Cricut Design Space with the link provided above to access my design. If you are working with the same type of tumbler all you need to do is click the MAKE IT button on the bottom right of the screen and follow the steps on your machine.

If you are using a different size cup, you’ll need to measure your cup and decide what size to make your vinyl and then resize it in Design Space. Click on the CUSTOMIZE button also in the bottom right. Size the design to fit your cup and then follow the directions in Design Space to cut the design. Keep in mind… Either way, You’ll have to pay 99¢ to have access to the cute face in Cricut Design Space.

Next, you’ll need to apply your vinyl on your tumbler by following these HOW TO APPLY VINYL instructions that I posted not too long ago. Once you apply your vinyl, you’re all set to look FABULOUS this summer carrying around your white Yeti that has been customized just for you!

Other Yeti Cup Designs for Ladies

Using a Circut Maker is the best way to personalize your Yeti tumbler. There are so many different designs that you can make. You definitely don’t have to make the farmhouse design but I wanted to show you how it works and well, I liked this design!

Please browse around the website here at WhipperBerry for other Cricut ideas.

Good luck personalizing your yeti cup!

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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.

Gifts

Snowflake Lantern Supplies

Snowflake Lantern Instructions

Boys Room Makeover

The Genius of Beddy’s Bedding

Here are Some Ways to Personalize Your Yeti Tumbler

Supplies Needed for This Cricut Yeti Cup Design

Instructions to Get Cricut Vinyl on Your Yeti

Other Yeti Cup Designs for Ladies

Cricut Patterned Iron-On

Garden Girl Design

Supplies

Instructions

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