I can’t even believe another week has gone by in December.
I am so running out of time. The to-do-list is just as long as it was last week. Of course I might keep adding to it…
Cards are coming along, but not yet done….This week is more card assembly, present making, gingerbread house assembly (for our big house decorating party on Sat.) and wrapping. No, don’t worry I didn’t mean rapping, ’cause I can’t throw down rhymes.
But what does that mean? I have no time to cook! OK, I have very limited time to cook. So to the crock pot I turn. And to meals that do not require a side dish.
Or I can turn to take-out, or eating at my sisters, or….are pop-tarts ok for dinner?
We had breakfast with Santa yesterday. No big deal.
As usual life got in the way of my cooking plans on Sunday, so I made the pork chops last night. And it had to be last night because I pulled them out of the freezer on Sunday.
We got our tree on Sunday and I brought home a raging headache, which is why I didn’t end up cooking. I could only handle the boys trying to decorate the tree for about 30 minutes and had to stop them, but I let them finish last night. As a result the Christmas bins didn’t get put back into the attic and the boys made a fort.
I am so busy this week trying to get Christmas cards and gifts made that I want really easy dinners.
Menu Plan 12/8-12/14
Mon: Bourbon & Onion Pork Chops with noodles
Tues: Chicken enchiladas with Spanish rice (I don’t know why, but I must always have Spanish rice when I have tacos or enchiladas)
‘Tis the season for giving, and there is nothing better than giving someone a hand-made gift.
Except being able to giveaway a new Silhouette Portrait or Cameo, that is.
That’s right, a wonderful group of bloggers and I have gotten together to giveaway not one, but two Silhouettes. These ladies have also came up with a variety of holiday projects to make with your brand new Silhouette. Just follow the links at the end of this post for some inspiration.
DIY Christmas Coasters
I thought I would share some of the gifts I have been making for Christmas this year.
I made some Christmas coasters from tiles using a couple different methods, including etching cream, vinyl and sharpies.
I love making etched glass items and thought how great it would work on glass tiles. I found these blue glass tiles, they are clear glass with a backing that is colored, and knew they would be perfect for a snow themed coaster.
Since the tile would be a coaster I wanted the majority of the surface to be rough with the design smooth. I cut my design out of scrap vinyl, I have been told contact paper works too, and transferred the design on to the tile.
I like to apply my etching cream right next to the sink. I lay down wax paper for a work surface, and use gloves to protect my skin. At the end of the etching time I try to scrape the etching cream back into the bottle. No need to waste! Rinse the rest of the cream off the tile under cold running water. Peel off the stencil and wash again with soap and water.
Please follow the directions on your etching cream and be safe.
Because the tile is thick glass the unetched parts refract the light and distort the design when trying to take a picture.
I absolutely love how these turned out, but the elegance of them is lost in translation. They do look lovely all wrapped up in a bow.
Did you know that etching cream will also take the glaze off ceramic tiles?
This is even harder to photograph because of how subtle it is.
My first thought was to make a minimalist snowman design with vinyl, but then I decided to take it one step further. I used a vinyl stencil for the snowman base and a few circles of falling snow. I then applied the etching cream to the entire coaster as above. This left a rough background with a shiny snowman and snow.
After etching, washing and allowing to dry for at least a day, I applied the vinyl decorations, using outdoor vinyl if I had it. I love how these turned out, they are impressive with just the vinyl but when you look close you can see the subtle outline of the snowman and snow.
But why stop there? Sharpies on ceramics are always a fun craft.
Since I am pretty sure my 4-year-old draws better than me, I use my Silhouette to cut out stencils for all my Sharpie work as well. As I did with these Rudolph coasters and they are fantastic!
After coloring I cured the ink by placing the coasters in a cold over, turning on the heat to 350°F, baking for about 30 minutes, turning the oven off and letting the coasters come back to room temperature slowly.
Using the same sharpie and stencil method I made some Christmas light coasters as well.
On one set of coasters I simply colored the lights in. On the other set I used the negative of the stencil and used scattered dots to draw the lights. I should tell you that I did not use oil based markers or ceramic pens. I cured them just as I did with the Rudolph ones.
Some of the colors (uh, all but the red and green) did not hold up as well with the curing process. *sigh, lesson learned. So, if you are going to cure them in the oven, use ceramic markers. Another option would be to seal them after coloring with a clear waterproof sealant. Sealing them is still probably a good idea anyway.
Not to worry though. They can just be recolored and then sealed. (which admittedly I have not yet done, but plan on doing)
These coaster would make great gift to with a new mug and box of hot chocolate, coffee or tea. *spoiler alert
Silhouette Giveaway!
I know, I know, here is the part of the post you are most excited about. As I said above, my Silhouette Challenge buddies in partnership with Silhouette America are hosting a mega-huge giveaway for not one…but two winners! The prizes up for grabs?
First prize: The NEW Silhouette Cameo Machine and Designer Edition Super Bundle! $406.93 value.
Silhouette CAMEO®
Designer Edition Software
Dust Cover
$25 Download Card
Four Essential Silhouette Tools (hook, spatula, scraper, pick-me-up™)
Second prize: Silhouette Portrait Machine and Rhinestone Starter Kit! $219.98 value.
Pretty sweet, huh? We want you to have the chance to get that Silhouette machine that might still be on your wish list.
To enter: just click on the image below or on this link, either will take you to the entry form. Because of my many blog friends who helped make this giveaway possible, you have 42 potential entries, which means a lot of winning power. So, hurry up and enter!
{This giveaway runs from today through Monday, December 15th at 11:59p eastern and is open to anyone 18 years of age or older with a U.S. or Canada mailing address. You can read the rest of the terms and conditions in the giveaway window. You only need to enter the giveaway on one blog.}
My Silhouette Challenge buddies and I are all sharing projects on our blogs today, so pursue the projects below for a wealth of Silhouette inspiration!
I Tri and Craft 