I Tri and Craft

thoughts from a mother of boys, a marathoner, a triathlete, a crafter, a wife, and a scientist


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Yo-Ho it’s a Pirate Party

Yo-Ho Let’s Go! To a Pirate Party!

The theme for this month’s Silhouette Challenge is “my favorite things” meaning my favorite Silhouette supplies.

The main reason I got my Silhouette Cameo was to cut paper and make party decorations.  I love to make party decorations and have always gone a little over board, but now that I have my Silhouette, I go hog-wild.

This past March we had my oldest son’s fourth birthday party and I just knew this month’s challenge would be the perfect opportunity to share them with you.  Or should I say, the perfect opportunity to force motivate me to finally get around to writing this {wink-wink}….And let me warn you, this post is full of pictures.

 

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Ian decided he wanted a pirate party for his birthday, so I got to work, starting in January.

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The invitations were treasure chests that opened to show a map, some treasure and the party info.  The exterior of the invitation was a cut file I purchased through the Silhouette store.  I used my Cuttlebug to give it the wood grain look.  I used elements from Just So Scrappy’s Yo-Ho Pirate digital scrapbook kit to make the map and as a background for the information section.  I used graphics from this kit in almost everything I did for this party.

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I designed the coin and jewel pile and used Silhouette’s print and cut option to cut them out.

 

I love making rosettes for parties, and this party was no exception.

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I created these party hats for the kids.  This skull and cross-bones was from the a flag in the scrapbook kit.  I used some of the negative skull and cross bone cut outs in other decorations, like the bunting flags (see below).

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I don’t think I would have been able to make a dozen pirate party hats with out my Cameo.

 

I really loved these flag topiaries.  I cut the flags out from the kit and used the digital papers to make the each base.

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Of course there has to be a picture of the Birthday Pirate!

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The bunting flags were made with the digital papers and cut with my cameo.  I used twine to string them all together.

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You can see where I added the negative skull and cross-bones from the party hats.

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I decided to use the sketch feature in the Studio software to make the skull and cross-bones for these straw rosettes.

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One of my favorite things from this party was the “Happy Birthday” banner.

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I really like how the layered flags turned out.

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I wanted to use this bone font but each piece of bone on one letter is a cut line, so I used the offset tool to cut all around the letter.  I could have used a sketch pen, but I just printed them.

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I used the custom design tool and the sketch feature to make the skull and cross-bones for the number part of the banner.  Instead of writing the number, I cut it out, so you can see the background color.  I used sisal rope to hang the banner across the window.

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I also used the print and cut feature on the elements from the kit to make other banners.

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I cut out some pirate items as silhouettes and put them in these Tolsby frames from Ikea.

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These are my new favorite party items, and they are really inexpensive and simple to adapt to any party.

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I used black vinyl to keep the silhouette look.

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I also purchased this 3-D pirate ship, from the Silhouette store with the idea that I would enlarge it for the center piece.  I had so much other work to do, that I just decided to use it as decorations.

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These treasure boxes were too small to be used as the gift boxes, but they made great decorations.

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I filled them with glass stones and chocolate gold coins, and had them through out the house.

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As a guest gift each kid got to take home a hook and a Thank You bag.

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The tags say “Thanks me hearties!”  I also made the gift bags using the digital papers as the panels for the bags and black card stock for the bag base.  I used a variety of the papers included in the kit.  The skull was attached with foam dimensional tabs.

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Each bag had a pirate bandanna, an eye patch, a pirate ear-ring, some tattoos, cold coins, chocolate coins, and a telescope.

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The hooks wouldn’t fit in the bag, so the kids got to get them out of a basket.

The Table

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For the table center piece I took these Easter buckets I got at the dollar store and transformed them in to a mast from a boat.

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I actually envisioned it much bigger, but the wooden dowels I had, limited the size.

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Using the idea from Sid’s beach party, I made a plate with brown sugar sand and pearls (Sixlets) coming out of one of the paper treasure chests.

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The cake

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I did not make the cake, this awesome creation was made by my aunt.

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This table-cloth was the most expensive paper table-cloth I have ever purchased, but I absolutely loved it.  The skull candy dispenser was the one thing my son said he had to have at his pirate party.

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My son likes to wear his bandana as a pirate cape.

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The drink labels were also made using the Cameo’s print and cut feature.  Have I told you how much I love that feature?

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We had some extra tattoos so I transformed a dish my mom had.

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I used the sketch pens on the cameo.  It was really easy and something I did at the last-minute, but wouldn’t have if I didn’t have my Silhouette.

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I took the sign I made for Sid’s beach party and cut out letters to make it look like Pirates had taken over the beach.  I was going to redo the sign, but my mom wanted to keep the original, so I had to make something temporary.  She has kept the sign up on the front of her house since Sid’s party.

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Of course the night before I decided to make Sid a shirt to wear for the party.  Then I realized I had to make Ian one in a similar style, even though I had already made him a birthday shirt.

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Here is the birthday shirt I originally made for his party.

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I ordered extra hooks to make a Hook Toss game.

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I just cut circles out of a cardboard box and painted the flattened box.  I used my cameo to cut the letters out of cardstock and Mod Podge to glue them on.

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Baby Sid loved playing the hook toss game.

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It was super difficult to get a picture of the birthday boy, he was in constant motion that day.

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Since it was March in the Pacific Northwest, we couldn’t let the kids play outside.  The kids got walk the plank in the basement.  I used a wood board my mom had, some step stools and the kid pool.  I thought about filling it with those plastic balls you find in a ball pit, but didn’t have time to order them.

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The kids didn’t need anything to jump into.  They loved the plank just the way it was.

And what kind of pirate party would this be without a real pirate?

My cousin is part of a pirate group in Portland and he was kind enough to show up in full pirate grab.  He was the hit of the party!

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It was a busy day but Ian loved his party.

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Thanks for visiting, remember to Shine On

 

Dawn Marie

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Want to Check Out More Silhouette Projects?

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!

A Gift for the Bride-to-Be Silhouette Challenge: My Favorite Things My Favorite Things Keepsake Box Printable Tattoos for Crafters & DIYers Super Hero Backpacks Geometric Two Tone Shirt Refashion Instagram Paper Album Reasons I Love Daddy Ctrl Alt Del Pillows Outside Decor: DIY Pallet Board Sign Yo-Ho It's a Pirate Party How To Use Silhouette Sketch Pens Combining My Favorite Things, Baking and Crafting - July Silhouette Challenge Pride & Prejudice Subway Style Art Favorite Silhouette Challenge Just umm, Let it Go Temporary My Little Pony Tattoos Mike Holmes Baby Onesie Monogram It: A Memo Board Makeover Super Room Redo The Best Summer Ever Freebie and Tutorial Summertime Toes Crafty Girls Hair Accessories Holder Watercolor Wall Art Ice Cream Cone T-Shirt Sun Fun Shirt Family Wall Art: Scrabble Edition Serving Tray Upcycle Making Custom Rhinestone Designs Etched Glass Coasters Church Nursery Wall Quote

1. Just a Girl and Her Blog // 2. The Frill of Life // 3. A Time For Seasons // 4. The Thinking Closet // 5. Ginger Snap Crafts // 6. Grey Luster Girl // 7. Simply Kelly Designs // 8. Home At Eight // 9. Please Excuse My Craftermath… // 10. My Paper Craze // 11. Mama Sonshine // 12. Practically Functional // 13. Adventures in All Things Food // 14. Two Purple Couches // 15. Dragonfly & Lily Pads // 16. Sowdering About // 17. Cutesy Crafts // 18. My Mom Made That // 19. Pitter and Glink // 20. Pineapples And Pinecones // 21. Dream a Little Bigger // 22. McCall Manor // 23. TitiCrafty // 24. unOriginal Mom // 25. Persia Lou // 26. Lil Mrs Tori // 27. Home. Made. Interest. // 28. Sandpaper and Glue // 29. Silhouette School // 30. Creative Ramblings // 31. My Favorite Finds


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Surprise at the bottom Etched Drinking Glasses

Way back in the late 90’s my sister got married and I helped her make the bridal party gifts.  She wanted to order etched beer mugs for the groomsmen and I told her we could just do it ourselves.  So we went to the craft store and bought this:

Armour Etch Starter Kit

Armour Etch Starter Kit

You see the rose wine glass?  We made those for the bridesmaids.  And the kit hasn’t changed in the almost 20 years since we bought it.

It was a pain! You tape the stencil to the glass and the etching cream bleeds through and smears and it isn’t pretty.

But guess what….I now have a Silhouette Cameo that cuts vinyl.  And vinyl makes the perfect stencil for glass etching.  They also make stencil material that has a sticky back, or you could use contact paper.

So while searching Pinterest one day I saw some glasses that state “you have just been poisoned” at the bottom of them.  I just knew I wanted to make some, and I knew the perfect machine to make a really good stencil.

You've Been Poisoned

 

After getting my Silhouette Cameo for Christmas I joined a Facebook group that has allowed me to learn how to use my machine, share my projects, help others learn how to use their machine and push me to try new things.

One of the events they hosted this year was a hand-made gift exchange.  Whomever in the group wanted to participate just signed up and the coordinator matched you with another group member.  You then made each other a hand-made gift.  Sounds like fun, huh?

After chatting with my gift receiver I thought she might just be the person to appreciate this fun gift.  To the Silhouette I go!

Design in Stuido

I measured the bottom of the glasses.  It is important when looking for drinking glasses that the bottom of the glass be completely flat.  Typically when etching on the outside of glass you don’t need to flip the image, but with this design it will be read through the bottom of the glass, so it needs to be flipped on the horizontal.

Cut your stencil out of vinyl, others have had success with contact paper, but I have yet to try it as a stencil.  I used the default vinyl settings and it cut perfectly.

Clean the glassware and wipe with rubbing alcohol.   When completely clean and dry apply stencil.

Stencil Applied

Follow the instructions on the glass etching cream you have purchased.  The etching process is pretty quick to apply it next you a running water source.  That way if you happen to get any on your skin you can quickly rinse it off.

Please remember this is a caustic substance and can eat away at your skin.  Be safe and use precaution and proper safety gear.  Gloves are highly recommended, as is a well ventilated work area next to running water.  If you do happen to get some on your skin rinse under high flowing cold water for at least 15 minutes.

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As per instructions I used a wooden stick to pile on a helping glob of cream and let it sit for about a minute.  I then ran it under cold water until it was all rinsed off.  If you are concerned about the cream etching your pipes, don’t be, but you can run cold water down your sink for 2-3 minutes if you want to ensure you have full diluted the cream.

 

Etched glass

 

I think they turned out pretty awesome, don’t you?

Now while these are awesome drinking glasses, I also wanted to make something a little more personal for her.  My gift exchange partner is going to school to become a forensic investigator!  What an awesome degree huh?  So I decided to make her a some artwork that encompass that goal.

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I used sketch pens to draw the finger print and cut the microscope out of card-stock.  I used dimensional tabs to lift the microscope off the paper.

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I framed it in a frame that had some depth to it so the microscope didn’t get all smooshed.

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In return I also received a box of goodies from my exchange buddy.  Don’t you just love the “Talk Nerdy To Me” bag?

Talk Nerdy to Me Bag

This was a super fun event and I am so excited to get back into glass etching.  I can’t wait to etch my next project.

 

Happy Crafting

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Check out some more projects from the talented women who participated in this event.

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Freezer Paper July 4th Shirts

Freezer paper is every crafters’ best friend and I can now see why.

I have made shirts for the boys before using Heat Transfer Vinyl and Printable Heat Transfer Material, but never using fabric paint.

For this month’s Silhouette Challenge the theme was patriotic.  Seriously you could go anywhere with that theme, but I decided the boys needed custom shirts to wear on the 4th of July.

I wanted to make a stencil out of freezer paper that I cut with my Silhouette Cameo.  I didn’t want the basic plain old flag, but I wanted something kinda flag related.

4th of July Shirts

 

So I cam up with this shirt for Sid.  It says “Stars and Stripes” and has coordinating graphics with the words.  And it was done in Red, White, & Blue.  Tots Adorbs huh?

Since I didn’t actually want them to match I decided to make Ian a Capt. America shirt.  Because who is more patriotic than Capt. America?

The process

Create and cut your design, you don’t have to use a cutting machine to make a shirt out of freezer paper but it sure is helpful.

 

Freezer Paper Stencil

In the cutting machine the freezer paper can be cut with shiny side up or shiny side down.  However, the shiny side is the side you will iron to your fabric, so if you cut shiny side up, you will need to mirror (flip horizontally) your design.  I used a blade of 2, speed of 3 and thickness of 10.  But there has been a variety of recommended settings on-line, so make sure to do a test cut first.

Freezer Paper Stencil Ironed on

Iron on your stencil.  Put the shiny side down on your fabric and use a dry iron on the setting for your fabric.  Use lots of pressure, and pay extra special attention to the edges.  You don’t want paint to bleed under the stencil.  Freezer paper and transfer tape don’t mix, so you will have to put all those little letter innards back by hand.  I made font decisions with this in consideration.

Use a sponge to paint

Here is a little confession.  I don’t paint much, so I didn’t have any paint sponges or foam brushes or anything at home.  You know what I did have though?  Make-up foam applicator, which worked just fine.

Make sure you place a piece of cardboard or a few pieces of cardstock between the layers of your shirt.  The paint can bleed through, and you don’t want it showing up on the back of your shirt.

Freezer Paper Shirt

Make sure you dab and lift, do not brush.  Brushing can lead to paint bleeding under your stencil.  The idea is have many thin layers of paint instead of  one thick one.  I decided I wanted the ‘and’ to be a mix of red and blue, because I didn’t want too much of one color.

Freezer Paper Shirt

Let your paint dry and peel up your stencil.  You may have to hold down the shirt to avoid stretching the newly painted fabric.

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Most fabric paint requires you to heat set it, running the iron over the design so the paint doesn’t wash off.  The fabric paint I bought did not have that on the instructions, but I did it anyway.  I ran the iron over the front of the shirt, with a pillowcase in between, after is had dried for a couple of days.  I turned it inside out and washed it after that.

If you notice above the word “stars” you can see a little smear of red pain because the frame of my stencil was too small.  I didn’t run the iron over that part, and it was mostly gone after washing it.  So I am glad I did heat set the rest of the shirt.

Stars & Strips Shirt

The Captain America shirt seemed like it was going to be easy, but I forgot about the fact that there is a red circle next to a blue circle with no white between.

So I had to paint it on two different days.

Freezer Paper Capt America

The stencils were different circles, so the inner white circle is actually two.  After all the above was dry, I removed the circle next to the blue, but left the one where it should be white.  I then added another circle to cover the blue center.  This one didn’t stick as well because I was afraid to mess up the paint, so I didn’t press to hard or long.

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This lead to some bleeding of the red paint in to the blue circle.

But it only looks bad close up.

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My older son then informed me he no longer likes Capt. America, so he wouldn’t wear the shirt for me.

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He did tell me he was a Mystic Forest Ranger Zombie Hunter though.

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At least Sid was cooperative.

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Happy Crafting

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Want to Check Out More Silhouette Projects?

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!

Monogrammed Patriotic Serving Tray Captain American Romper Patriotic Burlap Stars (Pottery Barn Knockoff) Patriotic Onesie {Plus Free Cut File} Patriotic Shirts with Layered Heat Transfer Vinyl DIY Patriotic Tote Bag Red, White & Blue - Patriotic Decorations How To Create DIY Temporary Tattoos Made in America Freezer Paper July 4th Shirts Red, White, and Blue Paper Star Lanterns Fourth of July Rustic Flag Paper Sparklers Pretty Patriotic Pillow Nautical Star Burlap Banner: Stencil Material Tutorial Patriotic Map Art Wooden Fire Crackers; July Silhouette Challenge DIY Chalkboard and Vinyl World Map Let's Talk about Red White and Blue! DIY 4th of July Baby Outfit How To Make A Pinwheel {+ Free Template} Patriotic Nail Art Star Jewelry Vinyl on Wood Blocks Land That I Love Red, White, and Blue Patriotic Placemats DIY Paint Splattered Patriotic Tote Bag Patriotic Mason Jar Candle Holders

1. Our Rosey Life // 2. My Mom Made That // 3. The Kim Six Fix // 4. Create & Babble // 5. The Frill of Life // 6. My Paper Craze // 7. Kate’s Paper Creations // 8. Simply Kelly Designs // 9. Dragonfly & Lily Pads // 10. Mama Sonshine // 11. Lil Mrs. Tori // 12. Tried & True // 13. It Happens in a Blink // 14. McCall Manor // 15. The Thinking Closet // 16. unOriginal Mom // 17. Sowdering About // 18. Weekend Craft // 19. The Outlandish Momma // 20. Adventures in All Things Food // 21. Practically Functional // 22. Silhouette School // 23. Please Excuse My Craftermath… // 24. Ginger Snap Craft // 25. Pineapples And Pinecones // 26. Black and White Obsession // 27. TitiCrafty // 28. Architecture of a Mom //

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Hand Made Floral Cards for Mom

This month’s Silhouette challenge had to involve flowers.  With it also being the month of Mother’s day I decided to combine the two topics.

This year I made three mother’s day cards and one Grandmother card (but the Grandma one doesn’t have flowers on it).

All of these cards were made with the help of my Silhouette Cameo.

The first card I made was a shape in the word MOM, but I replaced the O with a heart.  I added a layer of floral scrapbook paper and to give it more depth I cut out a two layered flower which was attached with dimensional foam tabs.  Because of the font I used for the letters, there wasn’t a whole lot of room to write inside the card, so the sentiment is a simple “Happy Mother’s Day.”

This was my first shape card and while I am pleased with the results, I won’t make the Ms so thin next time.

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I came up with this next card after seeing the quote “There are two gifts we should give our children; one is roots and the other is wings” on-line while looking for mother’s day quotes.  Turns out my mom has had this quote hanging in her house for decades….and I had no idea.

 

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I used a champagne metallic paper for the top layer and on the inside of the card.  I used Silhouette’s print and cut feature to write the sentiment and cut out a frame that matches the one on the front of the card.  I used different colors for behind the butterflies and the tree.  I only had the machine make a cut on the outer edge of the butterfly wings, so they just pop out a little.

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The sentiment on the inside says “Mom, Thank you for giving me roots to grow and teaching me to spread my wings and fly.  Happy Mother’s Day”  While this one was probably the easiest to put together, it is my favorite.  I think it is elegant in its simplicity.

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When I decided to make a floral themed mother’s day card, this next card is what I had in mind.  I wanted to make a vase of flowers on the front of the card.  The tulips would have been too difficult to put together if I had made them any smaller, and at that size, only two would fit in the vase.

In the end, two was the perfect number, because it didn’t clutter up the card.  I used pre-printed mother scrapbooking paper for the background and a silver sketch pen for the faux stitching. For the “Mother” banner I used the champagne metallic paper and the print and cut feature.  I tried using sketch pens, but it just wasn’t the right look.

 

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I originally had thought about using velum or some kind of clear paper for the vase, to give it the look of glass, but then you could see the floral wire in the vase, and all the hot glue.  Not a pretty sight.

I still didn’t like the vase, just made with plain paper, so I used the sketch pens to add some dimension to it.  In the Designer Edition there is a sketch feature that allows you to fill in shapes, or change lines, to make the shape look more hand drawn, which is what I did to the vase.

I am very pleased with how this card turned out.  On the inside it says “May all the love you give to others come back to you on this special day.  Happy Mother’s Day”

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I didn’t want to leave the Grandmas out.  So I made this card too, although it doesn’t have any flowers on it.  I also made one in different colors.  It is very cute, but thick, so it doesn’t really mail well.

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Inside it says “Only the best moms get promoted to Grandmother.  Happy Mother’s Day”

 

 

 

Happy Crafting

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Want to Check Out More Silhouette Projects?

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!

Vellum Flowers Silhouette Challenge - Shape Challenge - Flowers Paper Wedding Roses Tea Party Invites Dr. Seuss Graduation Gift Hand Made Floral Cards for Mom Say it With Flowers - May Silhouette Challenge (Paper Craft) Confetti Flower Card Silhouette Challenge! May flowers mixed media art Wearable Flower Power ~ Silhouette Challenge Silhouette Sketch Pen Tutorial - Watercolor Flowers Dingbat Font Flower Garden Flag Stenciled Burlap Canvas Distressed White Washed Terra Cotta Pot with Book Page Flowers Creating Floral Fabric Teacups Using Your Silhouette Machine + Free Cut File! DIY Paper Flowers: 3D Paper Tulips DIY: Fabric Flower Hairpins Silhouette Sketch Pens Peony Prints Paper Purse Gift Card Holder 3d Watercolor Paper Peony Flowers DIY Home Decor Paper Blossom Branches Floral Note Card Set French Box Upcycle with Graphic Challenge ‪#‎silhouettechallenge‬ DIY Summer Activity Mason Jar Decor with Upcycled Pallet Wood Metal Etching flower kraft boxes Vellum Flower Arrangement Thank-You Cards {Made on Silhouette}

1. Create & Babble // 2. Kate’s Paper Creations // 3. Please Excuse My Craftermath // 4. Tried & True // 5. unOriginal Mom // 6. Mama Sonshine // 7. Adventures in All Things Food & Family // 8. The Experimental Home // 9. The Outlandish Momma // 10. Whats Next Ma // 11. Dream a Little Bigger // 12. Silhouette School // 13. Creative Ramblings // 14. Our Rosey Life // 15. Bringing Creativity 2 Life // 16. Practically Functional // 17. Minted Strawberry // 18. Two Purple Couches // 19. Simply Kelly Designs // 20. Grey Luster Girl // 21. TitiCrafty // 22. My Mom Made That // 23. Architecture of a Mom // 24. My Paper Craze // 25. The Sensory Emporium // 26. Ginger Snap Crafts // 27. Mabey She Made It // 28. McCall Manor //

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