I love making Christmas ornaments to add to the tree. Here's one using this week's Faber-Castell Gelatos^® Color of the Week: Iced Currant:

Supplies:

Gelatos - Iced Currant, Green Tea

Glaze Medium

Plastic Bulb Ornament

Pallet Knives

Spray Bottle filled with Water

Craft Mat

Muslin

Canvas

Alphabet Stamps

Ink

Fabric Glue

Adhesive Runner

Ribbon

Wire

Beads

Paper Towels

Heat Gun (optional)

Instructions:

Watch this video or follow the instructions below:

Start by cutting off about 1/4" chunk of Iced Current Gelatos with a pallet knife. Use the pallet knife to mash it down onto your craft mat.  

Mix in about 2 tablespoons of Glaze.

Use your pallet knife to drip it into the bulb.

Rotate the bulb so that the Gelatos + Glaze mixture covers it completely.

Allow it to sit upside down to help it spread out, then put it upright, placing the mixture back inside and allowing it to spread around again.  You may need to do this a few times to build up a good coverage.  When finished allow any remaining mixture to drain out and allow the bulb to dry.

Chop off about 1/4" of Green Tea Gelatos and add a few sprays of water to it as you mash it out.  Keep mixing it until you have a think consistency without any lumps.

Add in your muslin and stir and flip it all around in the diluted Gelatos to dye it.  Add more sprays of water if you need it.  It's helpful to use a pallet knife or two to do it so your hands don't turn green.

Once finished, spread it out onto some paper towels and remove some of the moisture. You can use a heat gun to dry it if you're in a hurry.

Use alpahabet stamps and ink to stamp a word or phrase onto a piece of canvas  and then adhere it to the green muslin fabric strip using fabric glue.

To adhere the fabric pieces onto the bulb it's helpful to use a dry adhesive on the back side of the fabric so it can be positioned onto the bulb. Use fabric glue to glue the ends together.

Reassemble the ornament pieces together and use wire and bead to embellish it.

And when it's finished, enjoy it on your tree or give it as a gift!

Disclosure: Erin is a paid consultant and has received  products from Faber-Castell to evaluate. However, the opinions expressed are entirely her own and based on her use of the products.

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy from these links it won't cost you a penny more but Erin will make a little bit of money (not enough for a pony). 

It's that time of year when holiday parties abound. What are you going to wear? Here's an easy ugly holiday sweatshirt you can whip up for that fun party!

Supplies:

ScanNCut Machine and Accessories

Sweatshirt

White Flocked Heat Transfer Vinyl

Iron-On Fabric Adhesive

Fabric

Iron

Pressing Cloth

Ribbon

Buttons

Fabric Glue

FREE Cut-File

Instructions:

Watch this video or follow along with the instructions below:

Step 1 - In a photo editing program create the word art you want to use and save it as a .jpg file, or download the FREE cut file here.

Step 2 – Open up ScanNCutCanvas.

To trace the .jpg file you created, click on the “image tracing” icon, select the file, choose “color” and click “ok.”

To group all the letters and/or words, select all of them, click on “edit,” and then “group.” You can now move them easily anywhere you'd like on the screen.

Name your project if you're saving the file to your computer. If transferring the design wirelessly to your ScanNCut, click “ScanNCut Transfer” and then “close” and it will magically be waiting for you on your ScanNCut. If you've saved the downloaded free cut file onto your computer you can also transfer it wirelessly or save it to USB and then insert that into your computer.

Step 3 – Measure the space on your shirt to see what size you need your designs to be.

Step 4 – Apply the white flocked heat transfer vinyl to your cutting mat and insert it into the machine. Size your text to the correct size and add it to the mat. Add a test cut to the mat and then tell the machine to cut. It will perform the test cut first and then ask you to evaluate how it cut out. If no adjustments are needed proceed with cutting. If you do need adjustments, tell it to stop, make the adjustments and then perform another test cut before continuing on.

(Note: because the font I choose for “oh snap” is thick and I've overlapped the first letters of the words I can cut through all the layers of the heat applied vinyl without worrying if my letters will be distorted when I go to apply them to the shirt. If you are using another design you may want to only cut through the vinyl and not the sticky protective cover since it will help your transfer the design onto your shirt.)

After you're finished cutting out the text, unload the mat and remove the flocked vinyl. Press the home key on the ScanNCut.

Step 5 – Load the pre-installed gingerbread man (AR-1006) onto the screen and adjust the height and width to fit on your shirt.

Choose shape A to cut out just his outline and add it to the mat.

Prepare the fabric by adhering iron-on adhesive to the back of it with a hot iron. Remove the paper backing and place the fabric onto the mat with the adhesive side down.

Adjust your blade, pressure and speed before cutting it out. -Once again, performing a test cut is a good idea!

Cut out your gingerbread man. Remove the excess fabric from the mat. Press the home button.

Step 6 – Load the zig-zag pattern (BO-B004) from the pre-installed border patterns on your machine.

Scan in the cutting mat with the gingerbread man on it.

Resize and position your zig-zag to go across his body, like a broken cookie would be, and then cut it out. Unload your mat and remove the gingerbread man.

Step 7 – If you have space remaining on your left over fabric piece, apply it to your mat and load it back into the machine. Scan it in to reveal where you can position other gingerbread men, resize them if necessary and then cut them out.

Step 8 – Lay all of your cut pieces out onto your shirt, cover it with a pressing cloth and then iron them on.

Remember to peel off the protective sheet on the flocked vinyl after it's cooled off from being ironed on.

Step 9 – Embellish your shirt by gluing trim and buttons onto it with fabric glue.

Disclosure: Erin is a paid consultant and has received  products from Brother to evaluate. However, the opinions expressed are entirely her own and based on her use of the products.

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy from these links it won't cost you a penny more but Erin will make a little bit of money (not enough for a pony). 

I love the holidays and am really looking forward to celebrating with friends and family. Every year we try to add to our ornament collection and this year I thought it would be fun to make some ornaments using my ScanNCut.

Supplies:

• ScanNCut Machine and Accessories

• ScanNCut Embossing Kit

• 5.5” Tin Bottle Cap

• Scallop Scissors

• Corrugated Patterned Cardboard

• Red Cardstock

• Alcohol Ink Markers

• Hot Glue Gun & Glue

• Foam Adhesive

• Adhesive Runner

• Faux Holly

• Faux Snow

Instructions:

Watch this tutorial video or follow along with the steps below:

Activate the embossing function on your free account in ScanNCutCanvas using the activation code inside the ScanNCut Embossing Kit. Next, activate it on your ScanNCut machine by pushing the wrench button to open the settings and then scroll to the “Premium Functions” and select “on” next to “Kit Activation”.

In ScanNCutCanvas choose “line embossing” and then select the Christmas tree embossing pattern and size it to 3.25” x 2.4”. Click on the “Download” button and choose how you want to load it onto your ScanNCut. On your ScanNCut machine recall the pattern.

Place the embossing mat, green side down, on top of a standard cutting mat with the tab on the bottom left and then remove the protective sheet. Place the silver metal sheet, with the protective sheets still on, onto the embossing mat and insert it into your machine.

Press the scan icon to begin scanning in the metal sheet so you can place the pattern where you want it.

Press the embossing icon (the icon with the + and box on it) and click on “Line Emboss” and then press the settings icon and change the embossing pressure to 0. Place the desired embossing tool into the embossing tool holder and insert it into the machine.

Press “emboss” and then “start” and the ScanNCut will begin embossing the metal sheet with your pattern.

Carefully remove the embossed metal sheet from the embossing mat, leaving the protective sheets on it, and then trace a 3.5” circle around the Christmas tree and cut it out with scallop scissors.

Use alcohol markers to color in the pattern.

Using your ScanNCut machine, cut out a 3.75” circle out of the corrugated cardboard, and a 4.25” circle out of red cardstock. Adhere the embossed metal sheet onto the cardboard, and then adhere that to the red cardstock. Place foam adhesive on the back of the cardstock to adhere it to the center of the 5.5” bottlecap.

Using a glue gun embellish the ornament with faux snow and holly and then hang it on your tree!

Disclosure: Erin is a paid consultant and has received  products from Brother to evaluate. However, the opinions expressed are entirely her own and based on her use of the products.

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy from these links it won't cost you a penny more but Erin will make a little bit of money (not enough for a pony).