Binge Crafter

My new website- say hello to bingecrafter.com

2015-02-23T21:06:00.000-05:00

Say hello to Bingecrafter.com! I’m so excited to officially be launching my own website. I have learned a ton lately about WordPress, web hosting, ecommerce, and watched a ton of tutorials and webinars to try to learn all the ins and outs of self hosting. I’ve been making websites on and off since the late 90’s (yeah, I had some geocities sites) and have created some web sites for family member’s businesses, but this is my first official site for my own business, so it’s kind of exciting. I wanted to do it right and in a way that allowed for future changes and expansion.

A big priority for me was being able to continue to blog on my own site, so I will be moving old blog posts from here to bingecrafter.com and only writing new posts on bingecrafter.com. 2014 was a really busy year for my Etsy shop and I barely had any time to blog or share any of my personal crafts. But my two year old started two mornings of preschool a week this month and my five year old will be starting kindergarten in the fall, so it’s definitely the perfect time for me to work on some things that have been on the back burner.

I want to thank all of you who have followed along or stopped by my Blogger blog. I never would have thought back in 2009 when I started blogging that this is where I would be and this is what I would be doing five years down the road. It's been the support of my readers, fellow crafters, and friends that have encouraged me the most to pursue this route and I am so grateful.

Here’s to a new beginning!

Making t-shirts with Heat Transfer Vinyl

2014-05-16T20:49:00.000-04:00

I've been enjoying making t-shirts lately with some of the Heat Transfer Vinyl I bought from Expressions Vinyl. I've been using a regular matte vinyl (Easyweed), as well as glitter vinyl, both of which I have cut with my Silhouette Portrait machine. I love the way these turned out!

My daughter can be a bit loud in the morning while Daddy is still sleeping. :) I designed the alarm clock image in Photoshop just using basic shapes, then traced the shape in Silhouette Studio.

She also is completely obsessed with her teddy bear. (Seriously, it's like velveteen bear already in like 6 months.)

This one is for my niece who loves the song.

Using heat transfer vinyl (HTV) is actually really easy. Silhouette Studio has settings to cut HTV (one for the matte kind and one labelled "flocked" which I use for the glitter). The most important thing to remember is to mirror-image your design before you cut (use the "flip horizontal" feature). The HTV has a plastic coating on one side which is adhesive. This side faces down on your mat when you cut. After you cut your design, you have to "weed" the design by removing all of the pieces of HTV that you don't want on the shirt. I use a small tool I purchased for scrapbooking that has a sharp tip like a needle. Some people use those pointed tools that dentists use to clean your teeth.

Once your design is weeded, you should be able to hold it with the clear plastic coating facing you and see the design correctly. I usually hold it up to the light to make sure I haven't missed any small pieces. Then you just need to line it up on the t-shirt and rub the adhesive side down onto the shirt. I use my iron to heat the HTV, although people who do these and sell them often purchase a heat press. I've just been making them for myself and people I know and have no plans to expand my shop with vinyl items, so I just use my iron. I put my iron on the cotton setting (the hottest setting), and have all of the water emptied out. I then put the shirt with the adhesive/HTV on my dorm-size ironing board (you need a really hard surface, a regular ironing board is not recommended). Finally, I cover the whole plastic sheet with a piece of parchment paper. (I do this because the first time I tried without, I melted the vinyl and adhesive right onto my iron and ruined the shirt I was working on.) Then I iron on top of the parchment paper. If you don't have parchment paper, you could probably just use another piece of fabric.

I press the HTV with a lot of pressure for about 30 seconds, which is usually plenty. Then I remove the parchment paper and slowly peel the clear plastic coating off. If using matte vinyl, it should look like the vinyl has almost melted into the texture of the shirt, but you definitely don't want it to be burned. When you pull off the plastic coating and the design is still hot, you can kind of pull the shirt a bit to help the vinyl move with the stretchiness of the shirt. I love that the vinyl doesn't rip or tear!

When washing these, I generally wash them inside-out and then hang dry. I have forgotten to do both before, and my shirts have held up perfectly fine, but those are the recommended directions.

Let me know if you make any items with HTV or have any questions about using it. I am far from a pro, but I have done these several times now, so I should be able to help.

Happy crafting!

Free Printable: Elmo Happy Birthday Water Bottle Label

2014-02-25T19:18:00.002-05:00

Another birthday party I am working on right now is for my neighbor's grandbabies. They are turning two and having an Elmo-themed party. I made them some custom water bottle labels for the occasion and then adapted them to be generic ones to add to the blog. Enjoy!

You can download them here.

(I'm using Dropbox, which I am new to, so if you have problems downloading, let me know.)

FREE Little Mermaid Printable Water Bottle Labels

2014-02-24T21:15:00.000-05:00

I am working on making items for a couple of upcoming birthdays, one of which is my niece's 3rd Little Mermaid themed party. I made her some custom water bottle labels with her name and age, but decided to make some generic ones to offer on my blog here for free. I'm using Dropbox to store these, and I'm kind of new to Dropbox, so let me know if you have any problems downloading the file.

Here is the link to download.

So how do you use these? Print on a standard printer (or send to a copy shop if you don't want to use up all of your ink) on regular paper. Trim them down (cut out the white). Cut the labels off of the original water bottles and wrap these around instead. I attach with a piece of tape, but you can use double stick tape if you don't want them to show. If you want to put your water bottles into an ice bin, I recommend adding a piece of contact paper or packaging tape over them, or printing on waterproof paper. (I haven't used waterproof paper before, but I do know that it exists.)

Here are some other water bottle labels I've done so you can see how cute they can be.

Enjoy and feel free to share. Shoot me a picture if you decide to use these. I'd love to see! :)

Hosting a Boy Baby Shower? Here is a Onesie Making Craft Kit for you!

2014-02-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the new baby boy onesie making craft kits I've made lately. All of these kits can be as customized as you want them. Maybe you just want polka dot and chevron patterns, or maybe just teal and navy- I can make the perfect set for your upcoming baby shower. I have listings in my Etsy shop for 10 or 20 guests, but I'm happy to set up custom listings to accommodate as many guests as you need. Click here to get started making your own custom kit.

How do the kits work? You receive white, short sleeved onesies in a variety of sizes, as well as enough appliques for all of your guests. You also receive applique sheets for those craftier guests who want to design their own images. You provide pencils and scissors, as well as an iron and ironing board. The appliques iron on in only 8 seconds, so they don't take up too much time either. At the end of the shower, the new mom-to-be gets to take home a whole wardrobe for her new baby's first year, all of which are unique one-of-a-kind outfits.

Want smaller sets for your own little ones or for a smaller get together? I also do themed kits, like this dinosaur one. Again, these can be customized however you'd like.

Girl Baby Shower Activity Craft Kits - Baby Shower Onesie Stations

2014-02-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

These are some of the new applique kits I am featuring right now in my Etsy shop. These are such a great activity if you are hosting a baby shower. The applique kits include onesies, appliques, and applique sheets for people who want to design their own images. All you need to provide is pencils, scissors, an iron, and ironing surface for your guests. The appliques iron on in only 8 seconds and make adorable little outfits for the new mom to take home. It's practical, inexpensive, and adorable. Where else can you get mom 20 completely one-of-a-kind outfits for less than $7 each?

I'm happy to do custom orders too! If you're hosting a baby shower with a particular theme or color scheme, I'm happy to make a kit that is just right for you. I've done Parisian, woodland, nautical, jungle, sports themed, and many others. I can also hand dye onesies for you in your choice of colors. Click here if you'd like to get started making a custom kit.

I sell individual appliques as well for $2.50 each if you would just like some simple diy projects for your little ones. Remember, all of these orders are customized just for you! You can choose the color, pattern, fabric, etc.

Here is a princess themed set you can see here.

I've had several customers just want a few appliques to decorate onesies to hang as a baby shower decoration as well. I think they make the most adorable decorations.

PLAY Fabric Canvases Playroom Decoration

2013-10-04T14:47:00.001-04:00

Every once in a while I am inspired to do a home decor project. These usually revolve around my daughters and not actual adult home decor. (I am no good at that!)

While at a toy store recently I noticed four painted canvases they had hung that said "PLAY". I pointed them out to my husband who liked the idea of me making some for our playroom but he suggested I stick with what I know and make them out of fabric.

So I went to AC Moore and picked up four 11x14 inch canvases for $8, which was the only additional cost I had for this project since I had everything else already. (If you were to make this with no supplies, I would recommend allotting between $20 and $30 for the project.)

So first I found a font on my computer that I liked. This one is called Hobo. Incidentally, I have now started seeing this font EVERYWHERE. One of the groups I belong to introduced me to this great free download called Nexus Font that allows you to type in a word and see it in every font on your computer. I love this; it is so much easier than typing things into Microsoft Word and changing all the fonts like I used to.

Anyway, back to the project. The canvasses I purchased were 11x14, so I sized these as large a I could print out on a standard 8 1/2 x 11" paper. I then traced them upside down (I use my magical light box called a window to do this) onto Heat N Bond Ultra paper. I ironed the pieces onto the pink fabric (a few seconds at the cotton setting with a dry iron) and cut them out.

I cut the teal backround fabric a few inches larger than the canvasses, positioned the letters in the middle of the fabric, then ironed them on. (Heat N Bond instructions suggest about 8 seconds.)

Alright, next I used my staple gun to staple the background fabrics to the back of the canvasses. I measured to make sure the letters would be straight and evenly positioned.

To staple the fabric to the canvas, I started with the edges near each corner, pulling the fabric tightly. Then I pulled the excess fabric from each corner in and stapled it down. I stapled the middle of each edge as well so that the fabric was tight.

I trimmed off some of the excess material and used some scrap ribbon to staple onto the back of each. (Yes, the ribbon is from the handles of Victoria's Secret shopping bags. Reduce, reuse, right?)

Finally I hung them up unevenly on the wall in the playroom to be a little more playful. What do you think? Easy and cheap! Send me a photo if you try making some. :)

How to Clean an Iron

2013-03-27T13:00:00.000-04:00

I have an unfortunate tendency to ruin things very soon after I get them. In the past, I've always compensated for this by buying things that aren't too nice or too expensive. But every once in a while I decide that I'm going to buy something decent and THIS time, I'm not going to ruin it. Uh huh.

I decided a couple of years ago that it was time to buy a new iron. A decent one. Maybe it would motivate me to iron more, I thought. (Ha ha ha) Well, within weeks I had melted a pair of my husband's pants (also new) by ironing on the wrong heat setting. I tried to remove the stain, but nothing worked and it just got worse. Disappointed, I realized that this was just going to be another item in my long list of things I've ruined. The iron soon became my craft iron and my husband's clothes ended up at the cleaners.

For crafting purposes, the iron still worked fine, despite the stain. Mostly I use it to make my iron-on appliques and DIY Onesie kits. Well, I was working on one this morning and sure enough, I ruined it. Unfortunately I ruined it by getting iron on adhesive on the iron. This was the end of my iron. I'd have to break down and get a new one (to ruin).

Not so.

In one final attempt at salvaging the iron, I resumed my google searching for the perfect solution.

And I found one that's magic. The Magic Eraser, that is.

I'm pretty new to the world of the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I was pleasantly surprised to see how well it worked on hard water stains. But I never would have thought it would work on the iron, particularly the melted pants stain that nothing else could remove. But it did! A little elbow grease was involved, but check out how beautiful my iron is now!

Have you used the Magic Eraser on anything else? Let me know. I'm kind of obsessed with it now. Happy cleaning! :)

FREE Happy Easter Water Bottle Labels

2013-03-25T12:42:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone! I know it's been forever since I've been blogging, so I thought I'd make a big comeback with some FREE Happy Easter water bottle labels. Click here to download a PDF file of these. Hope you & your families have a happy holiday!

Baby Shower Craft - Onesie Making Kits with Iron-on Appliques

2013-02-09T19:22:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited to now be offering baby shower craft kits in my Etsy shop! These are onesie-making kits and are a fun crafty activity for a baby shower or for a new parent to enjoy. I've made two of these so far for customers and am currently working on a third. If I had had a baby shower, this is totally what I would have wanted to do during mine.

So what does the baby shower craft kit include? First of all, it includes onesies! I include a variety of sizes and prewash all the onesies in Dreft so that they are ready for crafting.

I also include pre-cut applique shapes. These have permanent adhesive on them so that they can simply be ironed onto onesies and require no sewing. The picture below is some gender-neutral shapes I made for one of my customers. Some of them are generic baby shapes, like a rubber duck or heart, but others are personalized for the new parents- like the Texas shape, lone star, and cowboy boot. I try to work with my customers to make sure they have a personalized kit. I can make any shape that looks good in a silhouette in a variety of fabrics to make a boy kit or girl kit as well.

I also include 8 1/2" x 11" fabric sheets so that guests at the baby shower can design & cut their own adhesive shapes.

Finally, I provide instructions on how to assemble the onesies, how to wash & care for them after they are made, and other project ideas to inspire guests.

As well as being a really fun activity for a baby shower, this is a great, inexpensive and custom way to stock a new baby's wardrobe with unique outfits.

Would you like a custom baby shower craft kit to make your own onesies? Check out this listing for a 10 guest baby shower craft kit or this listing for a 20 guest baby shower onesie making kit. Convo or email me at ilove2bake@yahoo.com if you'd like more information.

Nursery Rhymes Layout #3

2013-01-24T18:00:00.000-05:00

This is another layout I made using the K&Company baby girl scrapbook kit.

I love the Little Bo Peep 3D sticker!

Added a quick journal tab with some of the stickers.

And a "New Arrival" embellishment cut with the Cricut New Arrival cartridge.

I like the lime green and maroon together. Once I put pictures in it should help with some of the harshness of the green, but I really like this for a little girl layout.

Nursery Rhymes Scrapbook Layout #2

2013-01-22T18:30:00.000-05:00

This is another layout I made using the K&Company baby girl scrapbooking pack. This one features Little Red Riding Hood.

I love the cute 3D sticker embellishments that come with the kit.

I made some the "baby" embellishments using the Cricut New Arrival cartridge.

I had to use up the insides of the letters. Didn't want them to go to waste.

Finally a few cuttlebug flower embellishments in matching pink & green.

Easy & cute!

Nursery Rhymes Scrapbook Layout #1

2013-01-20T18:15:00.000-05:00

I wanted to knock out some quick scrapbook pages for my new baby girl's scrapbook before she arrived.

I found this cute scrapbooking kit a while back and knew it would be perfect for making some quick, easy, and cute scrapbook pages to fill in with pictures later.

I love the K&Company baby scrapbook products. They're sooooo cute.

Anyway, this page was obviously a snap- just put in some paper backgrounds & attach a sticker. I love these premade backgrounds!

I made this page to go opposite. I used the George & Basic Shapes Cricut cartridge to cut out the hearts.

Quick & easy! Come back later in the week for more layouts I made using this paper pack.

Button Shapes Activity for Preschoolers

2013-01-13T19:00:00.000-05:00

My daughter is obsessed with my craft supplies. The button collection has basically become hers. She loves sorting them and putting them in different containers. I decided to make her some shapes to trace with buttons to keep her busy one afternoon, and she loves these! We've since expanded into other shapes, letters, and numbers, but I thought it was a fun new way to use the buttons and wanted to share. (Obviously toddlers should be supervised with small choking hazards like buttons.)

Ocean Themed Baby Taggie

2013-01-11T20:00:00.000-05:00

My second daughter should be arriving any day now. Even though she won't be able to enjoy it for a little while, I wanted to make her a special taggie that matched her ocean-themed room. I found these sweet ocean fabrics from JoAnn's along with some matching silky ribbon and thought this came out really cute.

Want to make one of your own? Check out my Taggie Tutorial here.

FREE Polka Dot Thank You Cards

2013-01-10T08:42:00.000-05:00

Ready for another freebie? I made these pretty thank you cards using my Baby Girl Digital Paper Pack. Aren't they cute? I had some of these printed on cardstock at Office Depot for my daughters. I think they are about $0.66 a sheet or $0.33 per card- not bad compared to the price of ink for my printer! Plus they had free delivery, so I didn't even have to go anywhere. They're not too baby-ish, I'm sure I can use them for both girls.

Want some? You can download the FREE pdf file by clicking here. If you have any problems, email me at ilove2bake@yahoo.com and I will send you the file directly. Enjoy and feel free to pin these or share with your friends. :)

By the way, if you'd like some of these personalized with a baby's name or in different colors, email me at ilove2bake@yahoo.com or convo me in my Etsy shop. I'd be happy to make you some inexpensive personalized cards!

Personalized Vinyl Water Bottles & Holiday Teacher Gifts

2013-01-09T19:00:00.000-05:00

This is obviously a bit belated, but these are the holiday gifts I gave to the teachers at my daughter's preschool. The water bottles came from the dollar store and I used vinyl from Expressions Vinyl to decorate them. These were cut using the Songbird Cricut cartridge, which I thought was really pretty for this kind of project. My daughter loves the Cricut, so she was a big help making these.

I added in some water bottles with my Melted Snowman Water Bottle Labels (which you can download for FREE here) and some snowman popcorn sleeves- a craft I learned from one of my neighbors last year. They were really quick to put together & made a cute holiday gift.

Sorry these are so late getting up on the blog here, but at least you can always pin & save the ideas for next year! Hope you enjoy. :)

Ninja Valentine's Day Water Bottle Labels!

2013-01-06T17:28:00.000-05:00

So I decided the other day that I wanted to make some of my own clipart. Not being a great artist, I thought I'd start with something that I could make from some basic shapes and came up with this super cute ninja!

While he's cute and all, I thought he'd be much cuter decked out for Valentine's Day, so I made these.

Naturally, I had to put them on some water bottle labels. Wouldn't it be fun to have a Ninja themed Valentine's Day party? I'd better get started making more printables. :)

Ninja Valentine's Day Water Bottle Labels - Set 1- Click HERE for the listing

Ninja Valentine's Day Water Bottle Labels - Set 2 - Click HERE for the listing

I have two sets of these labels. They are only $2 for the printable in my Etsy shop. Print as many as you'd like. Send them to school with the kids, make them for your class, pack in your kids' lunchboxes as a Valentine's Day surprise, or hand them out to your coworkers. They're sure to make people smile!

Printable Treat Boxes/Bags

2013-01-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a new party printable for you. Aren't these treat boxes cute? They're the right size for small treats like candy or mini bubbles or toys. For $2 I will send you a PDF file of the box with a pattern of your choice from the Baby Girl Paper Pack or Baby Boy Paper Pack and you can print as many as you'd like for your party. Then just cut and assemble with scissors and glue! They're a very easy DIY project for your next party. If you'd like them to display a name or photo, I will customize these for only $1 more!

Click here for the girl treat box.

Click here for the boy treat box.

Have a different theme you're working with and want a custom pattern? Send me an email at ilove2bake@yahoo.com or send me a convo in my Etsy shop, I'd be happy to make you a custom item.

Snowflake Digital Paper Pack

2013-01-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

Are you snowed in and needing a craft? I made this Snowflake/Winter Themed Digital Paper Pack for your winter crafting. This pack includes 19 patterned and colored papers for you to make scrapbook pages, cards, party printables, home decor, etc.

Click here for the Snowflake Paper Pack listing.

Valentine's Day Water Bottle Labels

2013-01-04T09:23:00.000-05:00

I made these cute water bottle labels using my Valentine's Day Paper Pack. They are available in my Etsy shop for only $2. That price includes a PDF sent to your email which allows you to print as many as you'd like. These would make a cute, sugar-free Valentine to hand out to students, friends, classmates, neighbors, or coworkers, or just to send to school in your kid's lunchbox.

For the Etsy listing for these Valentine's Day Water Bottle Labels, click here.

Printable Party Hats to Customize/Personalize

2013-01-03T09:21:00.000-05:00

I'm taking a few weeks off from offering most of the custom items in my Etsy shop because I'm expecting baby #2 any day now, which includes the fabric party hats I make. In the meantime, I am offering these printable party hats instead. You can choose from a bunch of different patterns and receive a PDF file of the hat for only $2- print as many as you like! If you'd like them personalized with a name or picture, I can do that for only $1 more.

Girl's Party Hat - Click Here

Boy's Party Hat- Click Here

These are a convenient, last-minute way to add a splash of color to your party. Hope you enjoy!

Happy New Year! FREE New Year Digital Scrapbook Paper Pack

2012-12-31T13:15:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! Let's start the year off with another freebie, shall we? I made this New Year's paper pack for you all to help you with your New Year celebrating. :) You can click the link below to download. If you have any problems, let me know at ilove2bake@yahoo.com Enjoy!

Click HERE to download.

Baby Shower Water Bottle Labels

2012-12-29T16:13:00.001-05:00

One of the things I decided to make with my Baby Girl Digital Paper Pack and Baby Boy Digital Paper Pack was some cute waterbottle labels. I made these to take with me to the hospital. :) But they would be so cute for a baby shower or gender reveal party. I sent some personalized ones to a pregnant friend who was recently hospitalized for dehydration to encourage her to stay hydrated. I also thought they would be cute to hand out to visitors who come to see the new baby. Of course, I'll probably keep a bunch all over the house when I get home. After my first baby when I started nursing, my husband's job was to make sure there was always a full cup of water everywhere I might sit with the baby. These will make it cute and easy.

I made a generic set that says "Welcome Baby" for both boys and girls. (Would

n't this make a fun guessing game for a gender reveal party to use both and have guests choose which they predict the baby will be?) They're available in my Etsy shop for $2 apiece as a digital file. You'll receive a PDF file via email within 24 hours and can print as many as you like! For only $1 more I will even personalize them to say "Congratulations (names)" or "Welcome Baby (name)" or whatever you like. I could even put a picture on them! When you get them all you have to do is print, cut, and tape them onto your choice of water bottles. It's that easy.

Baby Boy Waterbottle Labels

Baby Girl Waterbottle Labels

Enjoy!

Emergency Moustache Kit

2012-12-27T08:41:00.000-05:00

This was a gift I made for one of my nieces who thinks moustaches are really funny. Cricut was offering their digital Moustaches & Glasses cartridge one week for $1.99, so I downloaded it and made all of these easy crafts for her out of vinyl. I picked up some matching duct tape as well. Most of these items I was able to pick up from the dollar store (mirror, frame, mug, and waterbottle), and the vinyl I purchased from Expressions Vinyl. I definitely think my favorite item is the mirror. If you hold it just right it really does look like you have a moustache. Hope she'll have fun with these. :)

Emergency Moustache Kit

In case of moustache emergency, break glass

Moustache Mirror

Moustache Mug

Moustache Embellished Vinyl Waterbottle

Extra Vinyl Moustaches (for her locker or wall)