Treat Container From an Old Coffee Can

Woof, woof!  That's hello in "dog"... I think.  How many of you are pet owners or know someone who is?  The likelihood of one of those statements being true is pretty high.  As a matter of fact, statistics from the humanesociety.org say that thirty-nine percent of households own at least one dog and that thirty-three percent own at least one cat.  These statistics are just in the United States alone!

For those of you who own a dog, cat, ferret, gerbil, even a snake or just want to make something cute for a pet-loving friend, this post is for you.

First, want to see my little guy?  He is a 9 month old Rottweiler mix:

{His name is Ernie and don't let that sweet face fool you, he is ornery!}

That's why we have him (and us) enrolled in a dog training class.  Because this small container travels with us to class, I thought it would be nice to dress it up a little.

  {Every animal has some sort of treat or at the very least food!  Why not store it in a totally cute container?}

Check out the top:

 {It is even personalized just for Ernie.  I don't think it will stop the other dogs from trying to steal a treat, but hey I like it!}

Backside:

 {Want to know a little secret?  I only added this part because my paper did not reach all the way around the container.  Shhh don't tell!}

It is easy to make! 
All I used was some paper, ribbon, glue, beads and my Silhouette cutting machine!  How great is that?  I also finished it off by covering it with mod podge to help secure the pieces and to give it a crisper look. 
 
Before Mod Podge                                                                                   After Mod Podge

 













Your turn!
Have you made any crafts for your pet?  If so, what were they? I would love to hear about them, so comment or link up your projects to this post.

In a few weeks I will be posting homemade dog treats as a gift to all the dogs who went through the class with us, so keep watching the blog for that!

With Love,
Kelsie Ann


Link Love! This project is linked up to: Every Day is an Occasion.com

Fun With Flowers {Congratulations Cards}

Oh, it is that time of year... flowers bloom, a soft breeze blows through the trees and yes, people get married.  I love this season.  I would attend every wedding that I passed- whether I knew the couple or not- if I didn't think I would be dubbed the "crazy lady" in town.  Really, I don't need food and I will bring my own chair; I would be no bother at all.  I would be happy just to experience this occasion.

This summer of love has been especially dear to me.  My husband and I tied the knot in June and since then we have had two separate friends get engaged!  How exciting this summer has been!  In the spirit of the season I have made a few "congratulations" cards to send to our newly engaged friends:

I remember feeling such joy every time a new card came in the mail for us.  There is something about friends and family taking time out of their day to send you well wishes that gets me every time.

Want to know how I made them?

I'll start with the yellow dotted one:

{1} I used my Silhouette to cut out a basic card shape in the white (actually speckled) paper.
{2} Next, I cut a rectangle out of the yellow dotted paper to fit just inside the border of the white paper- also with my Silhouette.
{3} I printed the words "Congratulations" onto the yellow paper with my regular printer. 
{4}Then, I attached a shortened piece of lace onto the yellow card using spray adhesive.

{5} After that, I wrapped a piece of twine around the card twice, having the ends meet in the back and letting it set just at the top of the lace.
{6} I then attached the yellow paper onto the card.  Doing in this way makes sure that the ends of twine are not visible from the inside of the card.
{7} Now, here was the really fun part, making the flower!  I got the idea from the Silhouette Blog
 and I had to give it a try.  For instructions, see the link.
{8} After allowing the flower time to dry, I attached it to the card (using spray adhesive) and used a pen to push down the glued spots without crushing my flower!

{Can you believe that flat flower became this 3-D beauty?  Me neither!}

That's it!  Want to know my favorite part (no, it wasn't the flower)

This card was made using several pieces that we had in our wedding.  The speckled white paper was used in our invitations as well as in our favors and the yellow paper was used for our favor boxes.  The lace was on our invitations; the flower paper (which says "I love you" over and over again) was used on some of our guest cards; and the twine, well it was used everywhere! 

I LOVE that so many pieces from our wedding is being passed on to help celebrate a friend's upcoming wedding.  Maybe I am just sappy like that.

Onto the blue and purple card:

I was inspired by something "peacock" on the internet and decided to construct my card in those colors.

For the shape of the card and the flowers I used the same technique as before. These flowers however, came from a thicker textured type of cardstock than the last card did:

Because they were a heavier material, they required more "wetting" and started to bleed and fray as I folded them.  It turned out great though and the only difference was that these flowers look more like fabric than paper!

{Have I mentioned how in love I am with this flower making technique?}

This time I printed the "Congratulations" straight onto the speckled white paper.

Then I used some DMC thread (that's right... it is not just for needlework!) and wrapped it around the card three times.  Instead of tying it in the back however I made a bow on the front that looks like a couple of little leaves.  When the card is opened up, the string can be seen- but it's not tied back there so it still looks nice and crisp!

Lastly, I attached my flowers in the same way that I did the first card.

Aren't these flowers so lovely?

I cannot wait to make more of these flowers and if that means more engagement cards for friends then even better!  Okay, okay no pressure- I'll make a few birthday cards too.

What about you?

Besides on cards, how else would you use these flowers?  I can't wait to hear everyone's ideas and I am sure my house will be covered with these in no time at all!

Notice: If you have tried to comment on previous posts and were unable, the problem has been fixed.  Please feel welcome to share your thoughts with me and I am sorry for the prior trouble.

Sending my Love,
Kelsie Ann   


Link Love! This post is linked up to: Every Day is an Occasion

Wedding Activity Book for Kids!

Hello my friends!  I am very excited to share today's post with you.  One would think that I would have been most excited about wedding details such as the flowers, centerpieces (okay, I did love those) or my shoes.  Common, brides out there- you know what I mean.  The funny thing is- I was probably most excited about our "busy bags" that we made for the children attending the wedding.

We had a couple dozen children at the wedding who were young enough to need something fun to do during our reception.  In each bag we had a variety of goodies including an activity book which I will show you today:

{Front Cover Page}

 

 

The front is simple: our names, what it was, when it was and a picture.  Our entire wedding was based loosely on an "outdoor" or "grow" theme so of course, I added a tree here as well!  Lastly, a spot for the child to write their name was added.  This way they have their very own book and there is no mix up! Plus... it is always fun having your name on something.

Inside Pages

For this book, we decided to make six activity pages, printed back to back.  Here they are:

{Page 1 & 2} Maze and Drawing

For the maze I found this GREAT website that has mazes shaped in each letter of the alphabet!  Since it is a learning website, there were "S' characters (a snake and a snail) where my Mr. and Mrs. are.  To make it like mine, I just printed out the original, scanned it, then altered it in my Paint program. P.S. Our last name starts with an 'S' if anyone was still wondering!

As for the cake, I just hand drew it and scanned it into the computer.  I told the kids to design their own wedding cake however they wanted.  How fun is that?

{Page 3 & 4} Crossword Puzzle and Coloring/Writing

 

This crossword puzzle is awesome because I got to make up the clues and answers, but did not have to figure out how they all went together (win, win)!  Check out this website to make your own, it is easy and completely free!

The coloring page was copied from an image I found online.  I left the sign on the back blank so that the children could write their own message on the back of the car! 

Disclosure:  This is not my design, I merely traced and altered it.  (If anyone knows the source of this image, please let me know.  I would love to give credit where credit is due)

{Page 5 & 6} Secret Message and Word Search

Remember these "secret message" activities from when you were a kid?  I LOVED these and just had to put one in this book.  It is easy to make yourself.  Assign each letter of the alphabet a number:
A= 1
B= 2
Y= 25
Z= 26
You get it! Next, write out a message using the numbers as "clues".  Simple as that.

The word search was one of my favorite pages as well because it was so personalized!  This is another website that I cannot seem to find again (which really is a shame because it was such a good one).  However, a quick online search will lead you to a variety of options including this one.
Make it as personalized as you can!  I used words that were important to us, such as: family and God as well as our names and the names of our ceremony venue.  Doing this gives it a special touch that shows you did more than just print off a "wedding themed" puzzle.


{Back Cover Page}

 

Here I just left a blank area for the kids to draw whatever they felt like drawing!  In their bags were crayons, pens and ruler stencils that they could use to make designs.  I finished it with a "Thank You" for coming to the wedding.

How neat, right?

This activity book -along with the other goodies in their busy bags-  kept kids busy and helped them get past all those "boring parts" of the wedding!  Even if you don't want to make an entire goody bag, I would definitely consider making an activity book to hand out.  The activities range in skill and type and can be fun for both you to make and for them to enjoy!  I loved every minute of creating my activity book.

Disclosure:  I have received no compensation for the websites mentioned in this post.  I have suggested them only because I used them and/or think they will be helpful for you.

Sending my love,

Kelsie Ann

Link Love! This project is linked to: Every Day is an Occasion

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Rustic Clay Pot

Good Morning!  Well, it's morning here and I've been up since 6 am so I am pumped and ready for the day!  Don't let that fool you though, it took me an hour of dragging myself around and a cup of coffee to get here.

Are you alert and ready for today's craft?  It is a decorative (and useful!) clay pot:

This is actually "leftover" from our wedding in June.  We sat these pots on the tables in between the centerpieces and filled them with kisses candy.  They were a bit hit... or at least the candy was!

The best part?  They're easy to make!  Here's how:

{1} Buy a small clay pot at any hardware of craft store (we got ours at Hobby Lobby).

{2}Take a medium thick piece of twine and wrap it from the back to the front, tying it into a bow.  Do the same thing again for the opposite side.  This way each side of the table can see a bow and it gives it the "double stringed" look you see here.

{I don't mind the twine being sort of "undone", it gives it a rustic look.  If you don't want that however, just trim the excess strings after you tie it}

{3} Next cut 2 small squares of burlap fabric.  Choose a favorite stamp design and simply stamp it onto the burlap. HINT: Solid designs work best as does black ink.

{4} Attach one square to each "side"of the pot using spray adhesive.  If you do not own a can of spray adhesive, I would highly recommend buying some.  It works wonders for attaching bulkier materials like fabric, lace trim or twine.

All Finished!  How easy was that?

I keep one on my dining room table for decoration.  Right now it is filled with rocks (used in our wedding centerpieces) and dried Billy Balls (from my bridal bouquet).  It is a little piece of our wedding that we get to see everyday in our home.

 

Did I mention that we have over a dozen of these left over?

Does anyone have an idea for how I could use all of them?  What would YOU put in yours?  Flowers, candy, something else?

I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas so please let me know!

With Love,
Kelsie Ann

LINK LOVE!  This project is linked to:  Every Day is an Occasion

Thank You Card with Skrinky Dink

Hello my friends!  I am happy to say that I am back from Alaska and ready to craft (when am I not?)!  I hope you all enjoyed Laurie's tutorial on Shrinky Dink necklaces- I sure did!  As a matter of fact, it inspired me to try my own Shrinky Dink craft:

Yes, yes, I realize this is a paper card, but look at the fish!  That's right, Shrinky Dink. 

I wanted to send a Thank You card to the person who so generously allowed us to go on the Alaska trip.  Since it was a fishing trip, I figured a "fishing" theme would be perfect!

{That's me with my "biggest catch".  Considering that I haven't been fishing since I had my 2 foot Mickey Mouse pole, I thought it was pretty good.  My husband and I brought home 160 pounds of fish... and neither of us eat it, which means that for us, right now is the "season of giving"!}

Anyways, For the shape of the card, I used my Silhouette.  I then found the fisherman image and cut him out, leaving a small border around him.  For the waves I just tore different shades of blue paper to look like waves.  Easy Peasy.

The fish was a different story.  First, I made one that was much too small, then I made this one that I used:

{See how the corner of his tail flips up?  Apparently I need  more practice with Shrinky Dinks!}

I figured it gives it character... right?  I did paint the piece before shrinking, but wrote out the "Thank You" afterwards and it seems to stick just fine.

One more thing...
Do any of you ever catch yourselves doing something and then realize that you are slowly becoming your parents?  For me this happens ALL THE TIME.  It's a good thing that my husband likes my mom, because I am so much like her.

As I finish writing up the message inside this Thank You card, I realize that a few of my letters are starting to look an awful lot like hers:

Well, I guess it happens.  She's a pretty good person to be like.

Thanks for sitting through this post with me and for listening to all my thoughts as they spew out onto the screen.  I was excited to tell you about Alaska and this project, but there was just so much to say!

Please comment and let me know about YOUR Shrinky Dink experiences.  I am still *in love* with Laurie's projects and accepting the fact that it is just not my forte!

With Love,
Kelsie Ann

Shrinky Dinks Aren't Just For Kids Anymore!

Hello again, my friends!  Remember me saying that I was going on a trip to Alaska?  (If you missed it, see here)  Well I'm here now and am not able to bring you my craft posts.  Don't fret though, because I've got a guest blogger taking over my blog for the week.  Now everyone welcome Laurie to Cut, Craft, Create.  See you all on here again SOON!
With Love,
Kelsie Ann

Hello everyone!  I am Laurie and I'm excited to be filling in for Kelsie this week.  See the cool necklace pictured above?  I made that for Kelsie and she liked it so much that she asked me to post a tutorial for it.  You would never guess it, but it's made out of shrink plastic (that plastic that we used to play with as kids.)  Remember how you would look through the oven window and watch it magically shrink up? Well, I discovered you can buy the plastic plain without any designs printed on it and you can design your own unique jewelry.  It comes in many forms:  colored, clear, matte, and even printable plastic that you can print on using any inkjet printer.

I used the matte finish shrink plastic for my necklaces.  Cut out whatever shape you want your necklace to be.  You can use a paper cutter, or a punch, or just plain old scissors.  Keep in mind that the plastic will skrink to about 1/3 to 1/2 its original size and becomes 9 times thicker.  I like to use DecoArt brand Dazzling Metallics Paint to color the plastic.  There are several different colors to choose from and it works well because it's thin and if you try to use too thick of a paint, it will just peel off when it shrinks.  I also like it because it sparkles and makes the necklace look sort of metallic.  You will want to use a light color.  Just brush it on both sides of the plastic with a foam brush.  I have also used alcohol inks to color the plastic.

I then stamped a design on the painted plastic using a rubber stamp.  Don't forget to punch a hole in the plastic BEFORE you bake it.  It will be much too hard after it comes out of the oven to try to punch a hole in it. 

Follow the directions on the package for heating in the oven.  The particular brand I used only took 3 minutes at 300 degrees.  After it comes out of the oven, insert a jump ring through the hole and hang it on a chain.  And that's it... SO SIMPLE!  Here are a few examples of some I made today.  I jazzed them up with some sparkly beads I hand on hand.  I made a snowflake...

And a flower...

And another flower...

Ok... I really like flowers :)  The mettalic paint doesn't really show up well in pictures, but believe me it is really sparkly.

I want to thank Kelsie for letting me fill in and I hope you enjoyed my project and are inspired to create your own necklace, or charm bracelet, or embellishment.  The possibilities are endless!