A winter fireplace

Needed to update my fireplace since Christmas is over. The hat, mittens and sled cuts are in the right hand column of my blog in the cuts to share section. I used black Wall Pops I had around for the vinyl.

Making my mats sticky again...

This is what I use to make my Cricut mats sticky again....It works great.

Merry Christmas to All!

Just getting ready for Christmas

Busy doing shopping, gift wrapping, house cleaning, cookies, school parties and more...

Snowman shirt

I tried my hand at this super simple snowman shirt, and it came out great. Jut a few circles and a triangle. I used all of the shapes from the basic shapes in SCAL. I welded a small oval to the end of the triangle to round it off. Of course I used the heat transfer vinyl. Directions on using heat transfer vinyl are in the right hand column, vinyl basics, try it, it's fun.

Mickey shirts

My friend wanted matching shirts for her 3 daughters for an upcoming Disney trip. I used the heat transfer vinyl. The letters are the girls first initials. I used a real bow and used fabric glue to put it on. On the backs of the shirts I put a different word on each -Dream-Imagine-Believe. (Click on picture for a better view.) The font from the back of the shirts is "Walt Disney". The Mickey head shape I got from the Mickey and Friends cartridge.

The Polar Express quote

We love the Polar Express movie in our house. Here is a quote from the movie and also the Polar Express ticket. The ticket looks like it was punched - the picture doesn't do it so well.

Never too late for Santa

Here are some Santa jpgs for sharing...ENJOY

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=d4c7f4fb6bdc4761ab1eab3e9fa335cae4e69a5ab28e5c09

After you download the .jpgs. For SCAL 2: click on the icon at the top with the tree and horizon, find the file you want and click it, it will come in on the mat. For SCAL 1: open Inkscape (a free download program), Click file – Import, Find the .jpg file you just saved.You will then see the image on the screen. Click Path/Trace bitmap. Click Update in the trace Bitmap window. Click File/Save As – give it a name and it will be saved as an SVG file. Now open SCAL. Click File/Import SVG, find you SVG file and you are ready to cut – you can resize as needed. As always. comments are appreciated, for questions, please email Leslie.crafter@verizon.net, please do not leave questions in the comment section.

Buttermilk Christmas Bread

Another yummy favorite is this buttermilk bread for Christmas. The variations are endless. It is not a sweet bread, but very flavorful with whatever you put in it. It is best right out of the oven with butter (none of that margarine stuff) schmeared on it. You can also put a simple sugar glaze on top (powdered sugar with a pinch of milk). I like to put Turbinado sugar on top - it makes it sparkle and adds a little crunch. The one I made here is cranberry walnut. If it lasts more than 15 minutes out of the oven, slice and toast the next day - super Yum! These make great gifts wrapped all pretty in clear celophane bags and big ribbons. Include the recipe too.

(The first picture is of the finished bread - The second picture is of the dough -it is sticky and looks like two globs of goo.)

Buttermilk Bread

3 1/2 c flour

3/4 c sugar

1 1/4 c buttermilk

3/4 stick (6 oz) melted butter

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 cup dried fruit (raisins, currants, dried cherries, dried cranberries)

1 cup nuts (walnuts, almonds, pistachios, pecans)

Mix all ingredients until just blended , do not overmix. Dough will be sticky. Spoon dough into two piles onto greased pan. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes. (should be a golden brown)

Stainelss steel mugs

I made 2 dozen of these stainless steel travel mugs (from Dollar Tree) for a church charity boutique. The vinyl works so great on the stainless surface. I used the outdoor vinyl so they can be handwashed or are top rack dishwasher safe. One is the front view, one is the back view.

FRIDAY SALE

Don't forget the sale at H&H this Friday 12/04. Their sale is 15% off all GT5 vinyl. (8am-8pm central time) This is a great outdoor and crafting vinyl. It's great for windows, glasses, mugs, tiles, mailboxes, platters, glass blocks, etc. It washes great by hand or in the top rack of the dishwasher. Click HERE for a link to their site and use code "120409" at checkout for the discount.

Having trouble finding their color chart? Navigate in the right hand column of their site. Click Vinyl, then GT5, then Build your own 5 pack, then Build your own 5 pack at the top of the list, now scroll down all the way and you will see a little tab that says "Color Chart" - in about the middle of the screen - click on that!

Christmas Apron

I guess with all of this kitchen time, I needed to fancy me up a cute apron! I used the heat transfer vinyl and made the design in SCAL. Hope you like! (click pic for a better view)