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Below are the steps I took and the things I learned along the way so that your first time can be a success.

HOW TO

1) I created the vinyl template using my Cameo machine.  You can buy stencils at a craft store that are sticky, or you can tape them to the glass item.  

2) Clean the glass well with glass cleaner, then apply your stencil.

3) I DIDN’T do this step, but will for sure next time! Once the stencil is added, clean the glass again.  You want to be sure to get any finger prints off that you added when applying the stencils.  I didn’t do this and I think that’s why my etching was a little spotty.

4) Apply the etching cream nice and thick – BE SURE to wear gloves, glasses and use in a well vented area.  The package said to let it set for 30 seconds to 5 minutes, but I didn’t feel that was long enough.  Then I looked online to see what others suggested and most said they leave it on for 30 minutes.  They also scrape it off and put it back in the bottle to re-use.  So next time I do this I will leave it on longer and save it to re-use. 

5) When the time is up, rinse it under warm water until all of the cream is gone.  It will not look etched when it’s wet, but once it dries you’ll see the difference.  Once dry, peel off your stencil.

Etched glass is dishwasher safe.  The glass has been eroded away with acid, so it is permanent.  I can’t wait to try my next project.  I have 140 votive holders left over from our wedding that I plan to etch and sell.  Now to think up what to etch on them.    Have fun with your first project and please share any tips and trial/errors you have in the comments section.

got milk?  My boys will enjoy the vintage glass milk bottle look while eating their milk and cookies! 

Photos

Are you like me and spend WAY TOO MUCH time and money at the grocery store?  I have two little boys who are growing quickly and like to eat.  Now that they aren’t babies anymore and I’ve had to double our meal sizes and add a ton of snacks to the menu, I finally understand why my parents made sure you didn’t take something unless you were going to eat it all.  Food sure is expensive and it seems like we never have enough.  I coupon as much as I can, but that’s a job in itself, so I’m always excited when I find new ways to save.  A friend of mine recently put me onto Checkout 51.  Today was the first time I’ve used it, but it looks like it’s going to be a great way to earn some cash back on grocery purchases.   I signed up today and entered my receipt from today’s trip and already earned $3 back. As much as I shop I’m sure I’ll hit $20 by the end of the month.  Not to bad, $20/month back from shopping I’m already doing. 

How It Works
Sign up an account and enter your location; it then provides you with a list of items that you can earn cash back on if you purchase them.  This lists changes every week (every Thursday morning).  When you go to the store just come home (or do it on your smart phone using the app) and enter a photo of your receipt and select all of the items you purchased that are listed on your offers.  Your account is then credited for the amount of cash back earned.  Once you hit $20 you can request a check, or you can leave it there and let it collect more until you feel like cashing it in.  They will then mail you a paper check for the amount you have available.  Then just keep shopping and keep adding up the cash back benefits. 

Sign Up!

http://www.checkout51.com/

So I’ve been experimenting with my Silhouette Cameo and today is my husbands birthday, so I thought why not make his banner with my new cutting machine.  So the last few days I designed and cut out the banner pieces, then yesterday I put it all together and hung it while he slept last night.  It was fun and easy to do.

Even if you don’t have a cutting machine at home, you could always cut the triangles yourself and then color on them.   I can’t wait til my son’s birthday, I have a feeling there will be some transformer shaped banners made!

The Process:
1. Design Banner - I just made a simple triangle, then I typed out the letters needed for Happy Birthday Daddy – 32, and threw in two mustache’s for spacers.  I got the mustache file from the SIL store.  The rest I drew myself.  I used the Hobo font for my letters.  For the other banners, he’s a huge Michigan fan, so I picked his favorite teams and found an image online of their logo.  I brought that into the Silhouette software and traced them to get the outline.  Aside from the Detroit Tigers D, I just did a simple outline trace for this project.  For the D I had to add a little more detail.

2. Cut Banner – I picked cardstock paper in primary colors (which happened to mostly fit with the team colors as well) and cut each sheet.  (I saved the insides to use as table confetti for his cake this evening.)

3. Sew Them Together – I haven’t pulled out my sewing machine in probably a year, so I had to get that down, dust it off and get to work.  I used black thread simply because I already had it all loaded   Then I stacked my banners in the order I wanted them to go for quick loading.  And then I started – I put the first one it and sewed through the top, then loaded the next one, and the next and the next.  I just kept going til it was done.  I left a little string on each end for hanging.  I also left a little space between each.  You can make them as close or as far apart as you’d like.

4. Hang and Enjoy! – Once he fell asleep (I’m a night owl and stay up way too late every night) I hung them around the house so when he woke up (he’s a morning person, up hours before me) he’d get to enjoy some early morning birthday wishes.

I recently won a contest through JoAnn’s for a crafting contest they had in March.  With my gift card prize I purchased a Silhouette Cameo machine which I have been wanting to buy for months now.  I’ve been playing around with it to learn how it works and figure out how to make the things I want to make to sell in my Etsy shop.  So far I’ve only made some Mother’s Day cards and a few fun things from vinyl.  I’ll be sharing all of the new things I make here on the blog, but for now, here are a few things I made from vinyl.

Dog Food Label
I made a cute dog bone with my dogs name on it for his food container. 

Car Sticker
I love daisies, so I made a daisy cutout for my window.

Temporary Shirt Stickers
We recently had some big news to share and I wanted to find a fun way to do it, so I made stickers for my two boys and put them on a plain shirts.  Then I took this photo and shared it to spread the exciting news!  I could have used heat transfer to make it permanent, but I didn’t have any on hand, so I went with temporary vinyl stickers.  Hopefully in seven months I’ll be making one that says Little Sister. 

to Pinterest. I saw these super cute magnets and set out to make a set of my own (one set for each grandmother and a set for me too It was a very low cost gift and simple to make. You’ll more than likely have supplies left over so this is something you could even make each year since kids keep growing.

Supplies

Glass Beads (about 1-2 inches)
– I got mine at the dollar store for $1, but you can also find them at craft stores.

Photos
– You’ll need small photos, or to make them small. You’ll want the face to be an inch or less to fit nicely in the center.

Glue
– I used Mod Podge, but any glue that dries clear will work

Magnets
– You need a strong magnet to hold it up; I found ceramic magnets work the best and come in the perfect round shape.

Process

1. Print Photos
I found the photos I wanted to use and in Photoshop and resized them so that the face was just an inch or smaller to fit.  I printed mine at Walgreen’s, but you can also just print them at home as well.  I find it cheaper to print them there than to use up all of my color ink at home. 

2. Cut & Glue Photos
Since each bead is shaped and sized a little differently, I took the bead, laid it on the photo and traced around it before cutting it out.  I cut it inside of the line I drew so that it doesn’t hang over the edge of the bead.  I then took the glue and made a circle around the edge of the photo.  I pressed down and then placed a weight on top while it dried.  I used a wooden cutting board as my weight.

3. Glue on Magnets
Once the photo is dry, you’ll want to add the magnet to the back.  I just put a dab of Mod Podge on the magnet and placed it on the back.  I let it dry and then I wrapped them up in a pretty package as a gift. 

4. Hang and Enjoy, or Gift Away
I gave a set to each grandmother and kept a set for myself to enjoy.  I’ll definitely be making more in the future as my boys grow.  They are really cute and fun. 

Photos

View photos of the process and finished product below.

OK, this is my last button related blog, for this month at least.   I recently ordered some cute little wooden boxes that I plan to paint up and sell on Etsy.  For my first project I decided to use some o

It’s a pretty quick and simple DIY and will make a fun gift.  You can of course use any color buttons you like and lay them out in any design you want.  I went with the blue/green theme and did a target because I had one large button and then a few green and even more of the small teal buttons. 

Supplies:

- Wooden Box
(I did a circle, 2.5 ” round box.  It has little magnets in it to help keep it shut, but they aren’t super sturdy)
- Paint
(I used white)
- Mod Podge
(I used Matte finish)
- Buttons
(for my size box I used 1 large, 9 medium and 17 small)

Process:
1. Pick Buttons & Design
Look through your buttons and figure out what you want to use.  Lay them out on the box how you want them and take a picture to use as a reference later in the process.

2. Paint The Box
I put on 3 coats of white to make sure it was covered.

3. Seal The Box
I put a coat of Mod Podge on the outside of the box and lid to seal in the white paint to keep it from getting dirty and such with handling.  You don’t have to do this step, I just love me some Mod Podge.

4. Glue On The Buttons
I glopped a ton of Mod Podge on the top and laid down my buttons.  I used a toothpick to move them around as needed.  I also took the toothpick and added a little extra Mod Podge on the inside holes of some of the buttons that didn’t seem glued well enough.

5. Let Dry and Enjoy
Let it dry fully and add extra Mod Podge to any buttons that seem loose.  Then put it where you want it, or wrap it up as a gift.

Photos:

Tip: Go with the heavy duty ceramic magnets (I found mine at Michaels). The regular ones don’t hold things. They will stay up, but can’t be used to secure things to that fridge of yours. The ceramic ones are very strong, and they are round, which makes them perfect for the buttons.

Supplies:
– Buttons, the larger the better
– Magnets (ceramic work best)
– Mod Podge, or some other glue

Process:
Simple as can be, glue the magnet to the button, let it dry for at least 5 hours, and stick to your metal surface.

This week I’ve teamed up with some wonderful bloggers to offer a $25 Etsy gift card for you to spend on something for yourself or maybe a gift for someone else! Click the image below to enter to win and check out their sites to see what great tips and items they offer!   Good Luck!

CLICK THE IMAGE TO ENTER!

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Here is my step by step of the process, along with my failures (mostly due to impatience).  In the end, I’m happy with it and will enjoy looking at it every day while I do the dreaded dishes! 

STEP BY STEP (just had the old NKOTB song playing in my head after that)

1. Sort & Pick Buttons
Pick the buttons for whatever flower or design you want to make.

2. Design It
Lay it out so you can pick where you want them.  I’d take a photo of them for reference down the road, just in case!

3.  Glue Them
I dipped each button in a little Mod Podge and then laid them out on foil (easy to peel away – wax paper might work well too).  I put them face up at this point so it looked how I wanted it to. 

4. Let It Dry!
Did I say, Let It Dry???  I let it dry overnight (I didn’t glue it until 10pm), but as soon as I woke up I couldn’t help myself and I tried to peel it off of the foil.  Well, it fell apart on me.  Oops!  That’s when I moved onto what was going to be me reinforcement layer, but instead was really my gluing layer.  So with that said, I think it would be possible to skip step 3 and go straight to step 5 if you wish, but if you don’t, be sure to do this step and let it FULLY DRY before removing it from the foil. 

5. Bring In The Reinforcements
Once I peeled the buttons off, I flipped them over to what will be the back side of it and added extra Mod Podge to make it nice and sturdy.  I added extra 3 times and let it dry in between each time.  This time it wasn’t stuck to the foil when it was time to take it off, so that was good and made for easy handling.  I did let it dry a 24 hours to make sure it wasn’t going to break on me again (decided it was worth the wait)

6. String It Up
I used fishing line and put it through the yellow button center and tied it off (several knots) at the length I wanted so it hung in the right spot on the window.  I used a suction cup to hang it from, but whatever else would work as well. 

7. Sit Back & Enjoy
I just hung it now, and it’s 11:30 at night, so I won’t be doing dishes til after breakfast, but I’m sure I will enjoy my view in the morning and make that never ending task a little more enjoyable.  Now I’ll have a lovely view of a daisy even in the winter!