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

121 · · 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 +Everyone loves thoughtful homemade gifts and this stylish zipper pouch is the perfect gift to whip-up in a fews hours to give as a fabulous Christmas gift this year + you can take the guess work out of cutting the pattern with the Cricut Maker! Come on over and learn how to make one of your own on WhipperBerry.

  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

Everyone loves thoughtful homemade gifts and this stylish zipper pouch is the perfect gift to whip-up in a fews hours to give as a fabulous Christmas gift this year + you can take the guess work out of cutting the pattern with the Cricut Maker! Come on over and learn how to make one of your own on WhipperBerry.

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! IMG_2613

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. IMG_2516 IMG_2529

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. IMG_2533

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. IMG_2602 IMG_2605 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.  IMG_2609 Then press both sides again. IMG_2606

Finish the Zipper Pouch

Open zipper halfway. This is an important step. IMG_2611 Position exterior panels right side together and lining pieces right side together and pin along sides and bottom. IMG_2614 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. IMG_2610 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. IMG_2617 IMG_2615 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. IMG_2616 Repeat on the remaining 3 corners. IMG_2618 Sew straight across with a 1/4″ seam allowance. IMG_2620 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. IMG_2621 IMG_2622 Pull it through that opening just as if you were turning a sock right side out. IMG_2623 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! Everyone loves thoughtful homemade gifts and this stylish zipper pouch is the perfect gift to whip-up in a fews hours to give as a fabulous Christmas gift this year + you can take the guess work out of cutting the pattern with the Cricut Maker! Come on over and learn how to make one of your own on WhipperBerry. 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.

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

How to Import and Use a SVG File in Cricut Design Space

55 · · 2 Comments

I LOVE to create my own designs for all kinds of things like signs, printables, special gifts and now, thanks to the Cricut Maker… Sewing projects! The issue that I ran into at the beginning was figuring out how to effectively use my own SVG files in Cricut Design Space. If you’re like me, and would like to either use either your own designs or other designs that you purchase from Etsy or other sites, this video tutorial is for you! You could use a Silhouette or a Cricut. If you’re unsure of which is better you can read my review of Cricut vs Silhouette here. Whether you are a sign maker, a paper crafter or you love to work with fabric, chances are you've wanted to either create your own SVG files or download files that you've purchased and use them with your Cricut Projects Here’s a great video tutorial on how to import your own SVG files into Cricut Design Space and how to easily use it in the software.

Whether you are a sign maker, a paper crafter or you love to work with fabric, chances are you’ve wanted to either create your own SVG files or download files that you’ve purchased and use them with your Cricut Projects. The Cricut Design Space is pretty robust but there are times when you need a little more in the design area. For example, create curved text and such for a project. I stumbled across a way to covert PDF sewing patterns into SVG files to use with my Cricut Maker.  Don’t worry, I’ll have a tutorial for that soon. Today, I want to focus on how to import and use that SVG file into Cricut Design Space and use it effectively. I’ve been working on this for a bit so I’ve managed to come-up with some great tips and tricks to help speed-up your work flow in order to cut down on possibly technology frustration.

Video Tutorial on How to Import and Use Your SVG Files in Cricut Design Space

Take a few minutes to sit and watch this video. I promise it will make your time in the Cricut Design Space much easier!

Mixed Berry Jam and Butter Cookies

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Is there anything better than the smell of cookies baking in the oven? One of my favorites is my Mixed Berry Jam and Butter cookies. The butter cookie literally melts in your mouth and then the jam follows with a burst of berry flavor… Oh my, it’s soooo good!! What makes these cookies extra special is the homemade mixed berry jam. It’s a must for sure, no cutting corners here. Come and learn how to make this beautiful jam along with my scrumptious mixed berry jam and butter cookies.

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

Is there anything better than the smell of cookies baking in the oven? On of my favorites is my Mixed Berry Jam and Butter cookies. The butter cookie literally melts in your mouth and then the jam follows with a burst of berry flavor in your mouth... Oh my, it's soooo good!! Come on over to WhipperBerry to learn how to make these tasty treats!

A few months ago, some of you may remember, I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to the Ball® Canning headquarters at Newell Brands in Indiana. I learned all kinds of fun stuff about how to preserve all of those scrumptious summer treats that we love like peaches & berries so that we can enjoy them all year long.

Is there anything better than the smell of cookies baking in the oven? On of my favorites is my Mixed Berry Jam and Butter cookies. The butter cookie literally melts in your mouth and then the jam follows with a burst of berry flavor in your mouth... Oh my, it's soooo good!! Come on over to WhipperBerry to learn how to make these tasty treats!

I had a hands-on lesson that we filmed on how to make my favorite mixed berry jam that I am using for the cookies. I’ve come home and made more jam and my family LOVES it! They love it so much on toast, peanut butter & jam sandwiches, even on top of vanilla yogurt. I thought I would make some of our favorite butter cookies and add some of the jam to make a Mixed Berry Jam and Butter Cookie. I would call it a thumbprint cookie but, I actually didn’t use my thumb… But more on that in a bit.

Mixed Berry Jam Recipe

First off, you need to make your jam. For that you can head over to the Ball® Fresh Preserving site so that you can follow there step-by-step directions. You know, it’s really important to follow a tested and proven recipe when it comes to preserving food. It would be horrible to make your family sick by using untested recipes that create opportunities for bacteria to grow in your preserved food.

Is there anything better than the smell of cookies baking in the oven? On of my favorites is my Mixed Berry Jam and Butter cookies. The butter cookie literally melts in your mouth and then the jam follows with a burst of berry flavor in your mouth... Oh my, it's soooo good!! Come on over to WhipperBerry to learn how to make these tasty treats!

Ball® Jars in the Pantry

I have found that it’s really quite handy to use Ball® jars for canning and preserving food and also use them to store dry goods in my pantry. Check it out…

Here's a great way to store your dry goods in your pantry with Ball® Jars from WhipperBerry

I always keep some Ball® Jars on hand, so when I do have a fresh batch of berries, peaches, beets, you name it, I can easily preserve a batch and have it ready in no time. I especially like to keep some of the BALL® REGULAR MOUTH HALF-PINT 8 OZ. GLASS MASON JARS in the pantry so I’m ready when I have fruit or veggies ready to can. If you have to stop and run to the store to grab your Ball® Jars, thats makes the process even longer. I also use the BALL® SUPER WIDE MOUTH GALLON 128 OZ. COMMEMORATIVE GLASS JAR to store my flour, sugar and other dry goods that I use often and the BALL® WIDE MOUTH HALF-GALLON 64 OZ. GLASS MASON JARS for other dry goods that I use while cooking. LOVE THEM!!

Is there anything better than the smell of cookies baking in the oven? On of my favorites is my Mixed Berry Jam and Butter cookies. The butter cookie literally melts in your mouth and then the jam follows with a burst of berry flavor in your mouth... Oh my, it's soooo good!! Come on over to WhipperBerry to learn how to make these tasty treats!

Mixed Berry Jam and Butter Cookies Recipe

Now that you’ve made your mixed berry jam, we can get started on this SIMPLE recipe! I love that it is easy to whip-up and doesn’t have too many ingredients. Here’s a quick video to show you how to make them.

Butter and Jam Cookies from WhipperBerry from Heather Thoming on Vimeo.

Isn’t that fun? I made these quickly with my daughter and the whole family almost died with delight. The cookies totally melt in your mouth and then the sweet tanginess of the jam really makes them extra special. You’ll notice a few things that may be a little different that your normal thumbprint cookie. We didn’t use our thumbs, nor did we refrigerate the dough before we baked them. I tend to like a more uniform cookie, so we use a cookie scoop and then a 1/2 a teaspoon measuring spoon to make the “thumbprints” in the cookie. Again, more for uniformity than anything. Here’s the recipe…

Is there anything better than the smell of cookies baking in the oven? On of my favorites is my Mixed Berry Jam and Butter cookies. The butter cookie literally melts in your mouth and then the jam follows with a burst of berry flavor in your mouth... Oh my, it's soooo good!! Come on over to WhipperBerry to learn how to make these tasty treats!
Print

Mixed Berry Jam and Butter Cookies

Prep

Cook

Total

Yield 25 cookies

These melt in your mouth delights are perfect for after school or for sharing with neighbors. The homemade Mixed Berry Jam from Ball® Fresh Preserving is really the star of the show!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup {2 sticks} unsalted butter, softened 
  • ½ cup powdered sugar, plus ¼ cup more for dusting
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ⅛ tsp table salt
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • ½ cup of Ball® Fresh Preserving Mixed Berry Jam

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F with rack on middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment on high speed, beat butter and sugar until creamy and light, 2-3 minutes. This is where the magic happens, make sure to take the time to beat the butter and sugar until it's nice and fluffy.
  3. Add vanilla and salt, scraping down bowl as needed. Switch to low and slowly mix in flour, just until combined. Dough should be somewhat sticky. 
  4. Using a large cookie scoop, scoop dough on to a parchment-lined baking sheets. Take a 1/2 teaspoon dip it in a bowl of flour and press down the center of each ball, making a deep well in the middle.
  5. Fill cookie centers generously with Mixed Berry Jam. I use the the same 1/2 teaspoon that use to make the wells in the cookie to add the jam
  6. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown and puffy. Let cool 5 min. on baking sheet, then gently transfer to finish cooling on wire rack.
  7. When cookies are completely cooled, dust with confectioners' sugar. Cookies can be kept in airtight container at room temp for a few days.

Pro Tips

  • This cookie dough is less sweet than others, making space for the very sweet mixed berry jam and the generous dusting of powdered sugar at the end. 
  • These cookies are not intended too brown much, as they're more of a shortbread color so keep and eye on them. 

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. 

Snowball Bath Bomb Printable Gift Tag

45 · · 1 Comment

Hey guys! The Holidays are right around the corner and now’s the time to start preparing. I had a friend tell me today, “the Christmas season starts the minute Halloween is over and Thanksgiving is half-time.” I’m not one to run right past Thanksgiving but, I kind of get where he’s coming from. As busy as things get, it’s a great idea to start workin on those fun neighbor, office, teacher and friend gifts. Now, if you’re planning on baking, you’ll have to wait until the last minute to make your treats. With these Snowball Bath Bombs, you can still pull out the mixer and not have to scramble at the last minute to put your sweet treats together. These could be wrapped up in July if you’re really that prepared!

SNOWBALL BATH BOMBS Looking for a simple Christmas gift for friends and neighbors? This simple to make snowball bath bomb will quickly become your favorite gift to give this holiday season!

Check out this video to see how easy they are to make…

Snowball Bath Bombs via WhipperBerry from Heather Thoming on Vimeo.

For the full recipe you’ll need to visit I Heart Nap Time to get all of the details on how to make the snowball bath bombs BUT… You can download the free printable HERE.

snowball bath bomb whipperberry free printable gift tag-100

This tag is double sided. All you need to do is print the front then flip your paper over and print the polka dots on the back side.

SNOWBALL BATH BOMBS Looking for a simple Christmas gift for friends and neighbors? This simple to make snowball bath bomb will quickly become your favorite gift to give this holiday season!

Make sure to run over to I Heart Naptime to get all of the instructions on how to make this gem of a little gift.  You can also pin the image below to help you remember what you’re going to make for your friends and neighbors this year. Happy gifting!

SNOWBALL BATH BOMBS Looking for a simple Christmas gift for friends and neighbors? This simple to make snowball bath bomb will quickly become your favorite gift to give this holiday season!

Farmhouse Inspired Christmas Tree – Dream Tree Challenge

75 · · 1 Comment

It’s getting close to my favorite time of year… Christmas!! Every year it’s so fun to participate in the Michaels Dream Tree Challenge and this year has been EXTRA FUN!  We gathered together as a family and crafted our Christmas tree together and it was so fun. From trees to ornaments and holiday décor, Michaels has everything you need to MAKE this holiday your own! You can even shop over 100 Christmas Trees at Michaels.com. Crafting your tree together is a  great way to bring the family together at the beginning of the Holiday season. Here is what we created to make our 2017 tree magical for our home and family.

Farmhouse Inspired Christmas Tree -WhipperBerry-100

The Christmas Tree

This year, I picked the 7.5 Ft. Pre-Lit Jasper Cashmere Artificial Christmas Tree, Clear Lights by Ashland™.  At first it was a little wide for our space. BUT… We placed it on top of an old bucket I had and then bent the lower branches down to give it a slimmer figure. I wish ‘slimming-down’ was that easy for all of us! 😉 That also raised the tree up a bit, which makes it look better in a room with vaulted ceilings.

Regardless of what this photo looks like below (someone was being a bit dramatic…) The Jasper tree is super easy to set-up. It’s literally plug and play. The electricity runs through the poll of the tree so you don’t have to go hunting around for all of the connections. Then all you have to do is fluff the branches.

setting-up-the-tree

Farmhouse Inspired Christmas Ornaments

Part of the fun when decorating for the Holidays is actually making some of your own decor. This year I was inspired by some ornaments that Joanna Gains has created for another store. I LOVE them and thought we could make some of our own with supplies from Michaels.

I grabbed some of the shatter proof ornaments at Michaels along with some of the Americana Chalkboard Paint from DecoArt…

Shatter proof ornaments from @Michaels

Americana Chalkboard Paint for Christmas Ornaments

paining ornaments-100

My daughter Haley is home from college with her boyfriend Kyle and we decided to have a paint party. We covered the table with plastic wrap and went to town with the clear ornaments from Michaels.  We painted them all over with the chalkboard paint. Now, the only reason I use chalkboard paint is because I like the matte look. Then we used a white paint marker from Sharpie and created all of the little swiss crosses on the ornaments.

Create DIY Hearth and Home Black Swiss Cross Christmas Ornaments via WhipperBerry

They turned out super cute and we had so much fun making them together!

Create DIY Hearth and Home Black Swiss Cross Christmas Ornaments via WhipperBerry

Create DIY Hearth and Home Black Swiss Cross Christmas Ornaments via WhipperBerry

I think they may be my new favorite Christmas ornaments for our tree.

Next, we painted some large wood stars from Michaels with Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint from DecoArt.  Then we used my Cricut Maker to add titles of Christmas Carols onto the stars. You can learn how to make those HERE. You can even download the graphics that I designed for the stars!

DIY Christmas Star from WhipperBerry

Farmhouse Christmas Carol Ornaments from WhipperBerry

The next element for my tree is a few types of picks that I found in the Christmas pick section of Michaels.

Love FARMHOUSE decor? Then you are going to LOVE this Farmhouse inspired Christmas Carol Star ornament that you can create for your home.

Quite honestly, picks are some of my favorite ways to add personality to my Christmas trees. They really add to the tree and they aren’t very pricey. I LOVE the fuzzy little stars, the gold antlers, and the cotton stems. They look fabulous on the tree!

Love FARMHOUSE decor? Then you are going to LOVE this Farmhouse inspired Christmas Carol Star ornament that you can create for your home.

Love FARMHOUSE decor? Then you are going to LOVE this Farmhouse inspired Christmas Carol Star ornament that you can create for your home.

The last element is the ribbon picks.  They couldn’t be easier to make. I found some perfect ribbon at Michaels and cut it into 6 inch sections…

Love FARMHOUSE decor? Then you are going to LOVE this Farmhouse inspired Christmas Carol Star ornament that you can create for your home.

Then I folded it in half and wrapped some floral wire around the bottom leaving a 4-5 inch tail to secure it to the tree. Super simple and the bottom doesn’t need to be pretty.

Love FARMHOUSE decor? Then you are going to LOVE this Farmhouse inspired Christmas Carol Star ornament that you can create for your home.

Love FARMHOUSE decor? Then you are going to LOVE this Farmhouse inspired Christmas Carol Star ornament that you can create for your home.

Then you use the wire tail to attach them to the tree. An easy, easy way to fill in those bald spots on the tree or add a pop of color. Again, it’s a very cost friendly way to add color to your tree.

Love FARMHOUSE decor? Then you are going to LOVE this Farmhouse inspired Christmas Carol Star ornament that you can create for your home.

One last thing… I almost forgot! We decided to HANG our star from the ceiling for this tree. I bought a large wood star at Michaels and wrapped it with some wire lights and then hung it from the ceiling. We made sure to place our hook in a stud so that we didn’t have issues with the weight of the star. It’s so simple and tops it with that rustic farmhouse look.

Wow, it’s amazing how some simple elements can come together to create a really stunning tree. All of my kiddos have said this tree is the best we’ve ever had. Make sure to download the Michaels App on your smartphone so you don’t miss any of their amazing holiday deals this season. It really is a great app to have. No more saving receipts! That’s worth it right there.

Don’t forget to tag me in your tree photos… I love to see what you guys are creating!

For more inspiration, visit the Michaels blog and their Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram accounts.