Holiday canvases with my Silhouette cutter

 

Lighted Holiday canvas

I made this back during December when my granddaughter was visiting from SC. We ended up making 3 all together. We used the Silhouette cutter and some vinyl along with battery operated lights, acrylic paint and glitter glue from the dollar store. Once the pattern of choice was cut from the vinyl and applied to a plain white canvas, I used an eyelet setter to make the holes for the lights. Once I added the glitter glue to help hold the lights in place, they stood out even more. I used double sided tape to hold the battery box on to the back of the canvas. We made 2 others using the vinyl outlines as templates instead of the vinyl itself and painted them. The holes were made before painting just to make sure we had the placement right with the templates and to make sure that the canvas would hold up with the eyelet cutter. All in all, this was a very simple project and took 2 afternoons just to allow for the paint and glitter to dry. My granddaughter made a large Christmas tree that she gave to one of her other grandmothers as a Christmas present. And I'm sure it will be treasured as another of her handmade gifts. We really enjoy our time crafting and I look forward to her visits every few months!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Penny's jar

We recently adopted a 6 year old boxer named Penny. She's been an absolutely wonderful addition to our home. Due to some health issues, I'm not currently working and having her with me during the day has brightened up my attitude immensely! Although Penny has added some work and time to my days she's been worth every minute. She seems to sense when I'm having a bad day and doesn't mind snuggling on the couch with me and plays like a new puppy on the days we can hang out in the yard together.
Needless to say, since she's an "only child" (we're empty nesters) she's quickly becoming spoiled but in a good way. She needed the one on one attention as much as I needed the company. She's also become a huge "princess" for my husband. Since he's never had a true pet, he really didn't understand how quickly they can take over your heart.
I've been slowing learning how to add some custom Penny items to her "stash" of necessary things. One of the first items I made was a customized cookie jar. I used my Silhouette cutter along with some contact paper, etching cream and white paint to personalize it. The etching cream is simple to use but I have found with other projects that if you paint on a thin layer of white paint then wipe it off with paper towels the etching really stands out. I've never tried other paint colors but I would guess that you would get the same results.