Wooden Cassette Rack Altered for Craft Storage

Years ago I found one of those Napa Valley Wooden Cassette racks and have been using it for my stamp pads and I still love having my pads stored in this manner. A few months ago BFF Carmen was visiting and we went to a thrift store and there were two of the racks for $3 each and I grabbed one and Carmen told me I should get the other one as well for that price so I did. I knew I didn't have enough stamp pads to fill up either rack but ya never know what might happen!

I had to do a little rearranging on my wall to get the racks to fit but that wasn't a big issue. I did have some Stampin Up ink pads in a Stampin Up carousal storage and thought I would get all my ink pads together and it looks so nice now! I then had to decide what to do with the other rack and I wondered about storing my ink refill bottles in it so it would free up one of my drawers. I was really pleased with how the altered wooden cassette rack turned out!

And here is the result!

The thin backing of the rack was put on with staples and it was fairly easy to get the backing off using a small standard screw driver and prying up gently to loosen the back so I could get it off. You can see in the picture where the little staples hold the back on to the frame.

In order for the ink re-fillers not to just fall through I needed to have two slats as a "shelf" and to accomplish this I used my miter box and miter saw to make the notches on the opposite side of the vertical slats to line  up with notches on the back. I found it easier to cut several at a time and it helped with the wood not splintering quite as much and using a little painters tape held the slats together well. I used one vertical slat as a guide so I would know how deep to cut my notches and then put a line of painters tape across the slat to use as a guide.

Here you can see the notches that are made in the vertical slats and then the notches I made. Before I started cutting I did lay bottles down and count the notches so I would know where to cut. 

This shows the slight gaps between the slats a little better. Now I have to tell you after I took this picture and put the thing back together I realized it would look better if I had the solid edge of the vertical slats toward the front instead of having all the little notches toward the front so I had to take the back off and turn them all around and I'm glad I did because it for sure has a much nicer finished look.

I just used some small nails to attach the back to the frame as I have no idea where my staple gun is and not even sure if a regular staple gun would have worked. 

Here is the finished product before I hung it up and put it on the wall. As you can see there are different size slots because I wanted my Glimmer Mists to be stored in the rack as well. 

This picture shows all three of my racks on the wall and I'm really pleased with how it turned out!

If you ever run across any of the Napa Valley Cassette Racks and wonder what you can do with them you now have another idea of how to incorporate it for storage in your craftroom. 

Graphic 45 Life's A Circus - Envelope Album

I had never made an envelope album before and I totally messed this one up but I still ended up liking it. I messed it up by not allowing spaces to add tags and such in the pockets of the envelope. Next time I make one I won't use as many envelopes so I'll be able to do the pockets and such.

Supplies Used:

A9 Envelopes

Graphic 45 Le Cirque

Various Cardstock

Black Acrylic Paint

Spellbinders Iron Motif Die

Various Stampin Up punches

Michaels Wedding Graffiti flowers

Hot Fix studs and rhinestones

Dollar Tree Pop Up Glitter Stickers

Various Ribbon

Maya Road Twine Cording

Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher

Paper Studio Brads

Nuvo Jewel Drops

and probably some other stuff I don't remember

I love looking at all the Graphic45 projects people make and I would love to do one of those super fancy projects one day but the practical side of my brain always overrides the creative side of my brain. I have the need to make sure a project is usable and not just something to look at, especially if it is going to be handled frequently. This issue causes the pages in my albums to be fairly simple and flat.

Another need I have is to have enough spots for pictures. I mean it is an album for cheez-it's sakes and there should be pictures! I do try to balance it out on the pages and think of them as a small scrapbook page. I always include the white paper so people can remove it and use it as a template for their pictures as I know not everyone is a scrapbooker and might get nervous about adding pictures. Well even my friend Carmen is like that and she is a scrapbooker. I have given her mini albums over the years and the ones that have pictures in them are the ones that I printed off the pictures and put in there. She tells me "I don't want to mess it up". 

I always say one of the great things about Graphic45 paper is that there are so many elements that can be fussy cut and used on projects. It makes it so easy to embellish whatever project you are making. The tag on this left hand side has the Maya Road Twine Cording on it. I really love that stuff! It's thicker than regular bakers twine and I have used it on several projects as "rope".

One of the difficulties I have is not covering up the picture area too much since I don't know what pictures people will be using. I try to keep the elements from overlapping that area and have to finagle an embellishment around quite often until I get it to what I think is right.

I like to mix picture sizes up on the pages so it's not just all one size through out the album. I think this allows for some good group photos or some close up shots.

When I make albums I try to keep the back as flat as possible because that is where most people are going to be holding the album when looking at it and besides no one really looks at the backs of books so why work hard to decorate something that is usually ignored. 

I actually made 4 of these *okie knows there are some folks saying "of course she did"* and did them quite some time ago but never got them posted. I have another album I'll be posting soon that is using the Graphic 45 World's Fair collection.

Reindeer Ornaments - Vinyl and Paper

Last year I made some Snowman ornaments that had hats and they were such a big hit that this year I thought I'd try my hand at some reindeer ornaments!

I started working on this file before my carpal tunnel surgery (that will be another post) and I have just been able to finish it up in the last few days because of limited use of my left hand. I am really loving these cute reindeer and I think they will be a great addition to a Christmas tree.

Supplies Used:

3" plastic ornament

Brown Glitter
Polyacrylic

Vinyl - various colors

Cardstock - various colors
Hot Glue Gun

I used Make the Cut to design the elements and then exported the file as an SVG so I could upload it into Cricut Design Space for cutting.

One thing that irritates me about Design Space is that when I import an SVG I always have to make sure the file size is correct because it always imports larger than what the design is suppose to be. My work around that is to always include a base layer, 12x12 in this instance, so I can easily resize to the correct proportions.

On some other sets I made I used the Martha Stewart Branch punch and placed them where the holly is in the picture. I also used some red ribbon instead of cutting a paper ribbon. I think I might add some "snow" to the antlers and ears for the next set I make. 

My carpal tunnel surgery on my right hand is going to be the first week in January and when I have that one done I will have to take off work because I will be a lot more limited to what I can do so I am hoping the sales on this file will help me get some bills paid in advance so I won't be stressing out about having the next surgery done.

If you would like to purchase this file you may do so and once purchased it is yours to do with what you wish, as long as you are not re-selling or sharing the file.

 

IMPORTANT PURCHASE AND DOWNLOAD INFORMATION, PLEASE FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS (I have had people turn me into Paypal because they said they didn't receive the file but they did NOT follow the directions below).

Purchase and Download instructions: Once you hit the "BUY NOW" it will take you to Paypal where you can pay for the item. Once purchase is complete Paypal will redirect you to "Return to Merchant" where you will given the link to download the files from Google Drive. You will need to know where files are saved on your computer in order to open the files. I do not have that information as I don't know how your computer is set up.

1 zip file is included in this purchase.

• 1 PDF files - Instructions for supplies needed, cuts that are in the file and assembling the reindeer ornaments.
• 1 SVG files - Includes all pieces needed to complete a male and female reindeer ornament.

Price: 5.00 

If you missed out on the Snowman Ornament with Gingerbread Bonus last year I am offering a special of the Snowman Ornament with Gingerbread Bonus AND the Reindeer Ornament.

1 zip file included in this purchase.

• 3 PDF files - Instructions for assembling the SVG files
• 3 SVG files - 1 file of Snowman faces, along with the Gingerbread faces bonus. 1 file for Snowman Hats. 1 file for Reindeer faces and elements.

Price: 8.00 

Morning Has Broken - Vinyl Project

During a trip to Houston a few years ago I got a lot of things on clearance, like 80-90% off, to decorate my kitchen and dining area. It's taken me a long time to get everything done and this one frame I had purchased was my final project to get done.

I am a coffee lover and I thought this quote was quite fitting since it is on the wall above the area where I keep my coffee pot. Speaking of which if anyone wants to buy me a coffee pot I would greatly appreciate it since mine has bit the dust. I thought I fixed it this weekend and it worked a few days but now it's back to just blinking at me!

But back to the picture frame. I'm not real sure what was up with this frame, there was no glass but the background you see is what was in the frame already and I just used EnduraMATTE, which is a indoor type vinyl and it went on the paper backing just fine. 

I would write more but I'm too depressed to look at this since I can't even have a dang cup of coffee this morning!! *okie contemplates setting up a GoFundMe account for one of those fancy Ninja coffee makers*.

My Sister's Christmas Present - Altered Cabinet Door

Today I wanted to share the gift I made for my sister and brother in law for Christmas. I always have a difficult time deciding what to get them for Christmas but this past year I knew what I wanted to make for them. 

One day when I was in Goodwill I found 4 glass cabinet doors and I knew I could make something out of them, especially since they were only $2 each and I actually had envisioned the project in my head when I bought the doors although I wasn't sure about the vinyl design at the time.

My friend Karen was here when I made the project and she helped me out by doing the painting while I worked on a design I liked. I had gotten knobs at Hobby Lobby a long time ago for the project so at least that part was taken care of and I didn't have to go shopping for knobs. 

When I do vinyl on glass I generally always put it on the back of the glass so the front can be easily cleaned when needed and the vinyl design is safe from somehow getting messed up. I cut some templates from white cardstock and used a re-postionable Herma Dotto roller to put them on the back so my sister could easily cut pictures to size. I used some double sided tape along the frames so pictures can be added, all she has to do is pull the paper off the tape and place her picture in the frame. 

She and my brother in law seemed to really like the gift. I asked them a few weeks ago if they ever got it hung up and my sister said they hadn't and my brother in law said it was because she hadn't told him where she wanted it and she then said she did tell him...and then I was sorry I asked! *okie cracks up laughing*. 

I gave one door to my friend Carmen when she was visiting one time and then I used another one for a wedding gift, which I will post later on and that leaves me with one more door to alter and I really wish I had a few more of these because they really turn out nice. So when you're out shopping in thrift stores always remember that even the oddest things can be made into something else!

Snowman Ornaments with Hats and Gingerbread Bonus!

Last year after Christmas when I was in Houston I hit up a few Hobby Lobby's and bought a few packages of the 3.25" clear ornaments, there is 4 in a package, that everyone had been using to decorate so I could do some of the glitter ornaments that is all the rage. I really hadn't decided exactly what to do and I have done a few that are personalized. I had gotten some brown fine glitter a few weeks ago thinking I could do some Gingerbread ornaments and I also wanted to try my hand at some snowmen ornaments.  

I  made a file for a Gingerbread face about a week ago and loved it and after that I decided to make some for snowmen but that wasn't good enough and I thought "They need hats!". After two days of designing and tweaking *okie thinks she really needs to get a degree in engineering or something to make this whole process go faster* I was able to get the files done.

I have already posted some pictures in a group on Facebook and got an overwhelming response about how much people loved the ornaments. For once I was pleased with my results, so many times I don't like what I make but ya know they say we are our own worst critics.

Since the hangers are covered by the hats I included a hole in the top of the hats so ribbon can be tied to the hanger and then threaded through the top of the hat. After I got the faces on I thought they looked a little plain so I decided to try some alcohol ink to put a blush on the cheeks and it worked! Just don't be heavy handed with the alcohol ink and if you have some alcohol blending solution it makes it easier to correct any mistakes, or an alcohol blender pen will help with any touch ups a well. I used one of those little triangle make up sponges and just a dot or two of ink and then pounced on paper before pouncing on the cheek area.

 

Decorating the hats was a lot of fun because there are so many options. The file does include a cut for a paper ban but I used ribbon instead. I also included some holly leaves in the file but for mine I used the Martha Stewart holly leaf punch and tree branch punch. The red "berries" are some hot fix embellishments, I believe from Imaginisce. On the lady hat I also added some hot fix rhinestones. The little silver embellishments are ribbon slides. I added some Sobo glue at the bottom edge of the hat so they would stay in place on the ornaments. Guys I can't tell you enough about how awesome this glue is for things that are hard to adhere!

 

Now about the Gingerbread bonus! 

The brown glitter is some that I found at Hobby Lobby, not in the scrapbook department though. I am going to replace their mouths with some white vinyl so they show up better because with the brown glitter they are just too hard to see since they are so thin. 

The girl Gingerbread man *okie thinks that just doesn't even sound right* I added some eye lashes so she would look more womanly, or girly, whichever you prefer. The ribbon is attached with Sobo glue but I think some redline tape would work just as well. 

Putting on the squiggle outline can be a little tricky because of the spherical design of ornaments and I did have to trim a few areas because there are wrinkles after applying. While I feel like I am an adequate designer, I am not a genius in this area and wasn't able to make the file to avoid this. But hey, it's a free bonus!!

If you would like to purchase this file you may do so and once purchased it is yours to do with what you wish, as long as you are not re-selling or sharing the file.

Price: 5.00 

Once you hit the "BUY NOW" it will take you to Paypal where you can pay for the item. Once purchase is complete Paypal will redirect you to "Return to Merchant" where you will given the link to download the files from Google Drive. 

4 files are included in this purchase.

• 2 PDF files - 1 with basic instructions for the SVG files and the other that is a picture tutorial of how to assemble the hats.
• 2 SVG files - 1 file of Snowman faces, along with the Gingerbread faces bonus. The other file is for the hats.