Just Embellish

In crafting, sometimes mistakes happen. Some are small and others our big--almost tantrum inducing because of the cost of the ruined project. And I admit I almost had quite a toddler meltdown over this tote bag. I've added HTV (heat vinyl transfer) to totes numerous times before but for some reason...either the vinyl was defective or the tote...it just wouldn't stick.I tried for thirty minutes, and as it was time to start dinner, I had to admit defeat.

My plan was to try again the next day. Wouldn't you know it but the moment I started removing the vinyl (still attached to the carrier sheet) the "end" of the saying stuck. Now, I had lifted up all four corners and the design hadn't stuck which was why I was going to try later. I easily removed half the vinyl sheet, but the other part of the saying was finally stuck to the tote. I was not a happy crafter. I hated the fact that I had just ruined the bag as I don't have that many (and totes can be a little pricey).

What was I going to do? If it had been a scrapbook page, I'd just add an embellishment and be on my way. You know, add a sticker, a ribbon, a flower...something. Then I thought why not embellish the bag? I had a ton of fabric. If it didn't work out right, it didn't matter because the bag was already ruined.

I sewed a piece of fabric onto the back side of the bag and then added another piece of material (using no sew fabric tape) to make a pocket. I might try adding some vinyl to the pocket, which I'll try first by applying some to a piece of scrap material I have left over.

I chose a fabric that colors went well with the cover of  my new book because I was going to make a fabric transfer to place on the other side. I hadn't used a fabric transfer on canvas material before and figured might as well try it now. If it doesn't work, I won't be messing up another tote.  I did iron on the transfer before adding the pocket so the added bulk didn't interfere with the transfer sticking.

And it worked! It's not the tote I had planned to make, but I have to say that I really do like it. It turned out nice. Most of the time in crafting, all it takes is some well-placed embellishments to turn what you believe is a ruined project into a wonderful creation.

Weekly Craft Project: Round Up Part Two

At the beginning of the year, I shared that one of my goals was to do something crafty once a week whether it's a whole project or part of a project. I thought it would be fun (and easy blog post to write, to be totally honest with everyone) to share some of the projects I have completed during this, roughly, four and half months of the year. During vacation this year and at the Stamp and Scrapbook Expo, I was able to try a few new to me crafts, which was something else I wanted to do this year. My next "craft bucket list" item is to make a card using a Create-a-Card die I got from HSN a couple of months ago.

In no particular order because the pictures weren't dated when I saved them:

2018 Craft Projects from April 20-August 16:

Added vinyl to a Project Life Binder Album. This was the first time
I decorated an album myself. I usually have them
embossed.

A t-shirt I made to wear at a Disney themed crop.

I hadn't made any die cuts in awhile, and had forgotten
 how much I enjoyed making them.

Cards from a Queen and Co kit. I still have all the cards.
Having a hard time mailing them. I might keep them.

My projects from classes and make and takes from the
Stamp and Scrapbook Expo in Chantilly, VA. One of my
favorite weekends of the year. First time I used vinyl
to create a sign.

During our vacation, I took some craft classes at the
Massanutten Resort in Virginia. The soap and jewelry
classes were new crafts for me.

Cricut Easy Press

I've been wanting to make shirts for my family to wear to Disney World in December and have been putting it off because of how difficult/time consuming it was to use HTV (heat vinyl transfer) to add names to Santa bags. It took a few hours to adhere the HTV to the canvas bags. And to generate enough heat with the iron, I had to put a metal cookie sheet under the bag where the name was placed and use the floor as an ironing board wasn't firm enough. The bags came out nice, but it wasn't a fun crafting time. I was not looking forward to having to do this process for sixteen shirts times two for our trip.  (I had planned for two days of matching...now I might make more.)

For my birthday, my husband got me the Cricut Easy Press and this weekend I played with it. I like how easy it is to adjust the temperature for each project and loved the tip sheet it came with the temperature and amount of time for each project, though I found I needed a few seconds more for the projects. The auto shut off feature is another huge plus. No fear of accidentally leaving it on all night. Because of how large the heat plate is, I'm able to heat up a large portion of the t-shirt design at one time, allowing me to finish each project quicker. I also bought the Easy Press mat (it's a thin pillow-like mat that gives a smooth surface for using the press) to protect the surface I was using to press the iron-ons.

 I love the Easy Press! It has made ironing HTV so much easier. I even used the HTV on a cotton canvas to make a print for my daughter. I completed a few shirts on Saturday and then had intended to scrapbook on Sunday, but couldn't resist the Easy Press's pull and did a few HTV projects also. Now, I'm struggling to get my work done today as it's once again calling me to come play.

Here are a few of the projects I completed this weekend: