Shark Week Shirt Tutorial: Come to the Shark Side #SharkWeek

It's no secret that we love us some Star Wars at this house, but did you also know that we love sharks too? We live for SHARK WEEK and we can't wait each summer to watch this crazy week long celebration of sharks. I don't if it's because we live in Southern California and are avid beach goers or if it's because I wanted to be a Marine Biologist when I was a kid, but the love of the ocean and these mysterious creatures is strong with this family!

So, this year, I decided to really get into the spirit of SHARK WEEK and create a fun t-shirt design to commemorate the week. I combined our love of Star Wars with our love of SHARK WEEK and the COME TO THE SHARK SIDE t-shirt design was born!

{CUTTING THE DESIGN}

I created the design in Photoshop and then saved it as a format that could be used by my Silhouette SD machine. Yes! I still have the Silhouetted SD. Maybe one day I'll get upgraded to the Silhouette Cameo. If you're listening Silhouette America - I am open to sponsorship! Hee, hee! 

I like to do a cut of the design in paper first to make sure I like how the size and dimensions work on the shirt I'm working with. It helps me to get a visual of the design on the shirt and make sure that the cut design translates well to a vinyl iron-on image.

Then, before you cut your vinyl design, make sure that you have flipped it to MIRROR IMAGE or backwards so that the words are facing the right way when you iron it on. You'll load the heat transfer vinyl with the clear plastic backing down. I always use a mat, but with the HTV you don't have to.

Set your blade and cut settings to the type of material you are using. You don't want it to cut through the clear plastic backing, because after you weed your design (or remove all the extra vinyl from around the design), you want your design to be stuck to the clear film so you can flip it and iron it onto your shirt.

{WEED AND IRON ON}

Once it's all cut, it's time to weed! Once all the extra vinyl is weeded (or removed), then you iron it on! TIP: To make sure I get the design centered on the shirt, I fold the shirt in half and iron a crease into the shirt. Follow the directions on the HTV product for how long to iron and such. Then, get to ironing!

{WEAR AND ENJOY}

I think this would be super cute on a tote bag, but Grace is loving it as a super cool shark shirt. She insisted on having her diving sharks in the the picture too, so they hitched a ride in her pockets. I hope you enjoy SHARK WEEK and this t-shirt design. 

You can download the Silhouette cut file by clicking here!

DO YOU LOVE SHARK WEEK? HOW DO YOU CELEBRATE?

Valentine Idea: What Does the Fox Say? Bookmark Valentine

I just knew once I heard "What Does the Fox Say" for the first time that

I would need to incorporate it into our Valentines this year.

Weird? Yes.

So is the life of a DIY crafty blogger.

I love corner bookmarks, and the fox's cute little face shape lends

itself perfectly to being a bookmark.

It works perfectly for 2nd graders because they have to be reading fools

to take all the Reading Counts tests that are required this year.

I just think that little fox face is so cute peeking back at you and fits the book corner perfectly.

It also works well that it is food-free Valentine, since there has been a push

at our school to do less sugar-filled treats for birthdays and parties.

At first I was kind of bummed, but on the other time, it stretches my 

creativity and we've had fun getting creative with non-food Valentine ideas.

When JT saw the fox Valentine, he thought it was pretty cool and was sure his friends

would love it. However, he did say, "Why don't you just make them out of fabric?"

And I thought - "Yeah. Why don't I make them out of fabric?"

So I grabbed some felt and got to work.

It turned out awesome and JT loved it even more, but the thought of making

34 of these fabric fox valentines left me thinking of all the sleepless nights ahead.

So, I made one, gave it to JT and called it good!

I'm sure I'll make some more of the felt foxes one day, but for now, 

my rad paper version of this foxy bookmark will make some 2nd graders very happy.

So, if your kiddos are as obsessed with "What Does the Fox Say?",

then you're in luck, because I have files you'll need to make them!

I made two versions - 

a regular PDF file that you can download, print and cut out yourself,

AND
a Silhouette Studio print and cut file that will do all the dirty work for you.

The advantage to the Silhouette Studio print and cut file is that it does all

the cutting for you and your fingers won't fall off cutting around the fox noses.

However, only two foxes fit per page, so you'll use more paper.

If you need a tutorial for using a print and cut file in Silhouette Studio,

I found this video on YouTube to be most helpful!

You can get all the files you need for your own foxy valentines in my Google Drive!

Fine Print:
Please feel free to use this tutorial/print for your personal use. 

Please be kind and give credit where credit is due. 

Any questions or comments please do not hesitate to contact me.

Preschool Valentines: You're My Main SQUEEZE!

ETA: If you'd like to use my Silhouette cut files or a PDF you can cut yourself of the inner circle,
you can download them HERE!

We're a big fan of the GoGo Squeez applesauces.
They are an easy way to have a portable healthy snack readily available
when we're away from home.
So, when I saw these Valentines and then found our Costco is currently carrying
the GoGo's - I knew they would be perfect for Isabella to take to her friends.

I used my Silhouette SD's print and cut feature to make them,

and it was so perfect and made the process super simple.

Once you design the text, it's time to fill them with color.
With your word selected, open the Fill Color window and fill with color.
After they are filled with color, you select all the text inside of your circle.

Then, open the Cut Style window and select "No Cut".

Next open the Registration Marks window and turn on the registration marks.

You'll want to make sure you keep your design out of the grey cross marks.

Send it to your printer and then load into your Silhouette

and send to the Silhouette to cut and choose "auto detect registration marks".

Then cut!

I glued the circles onto a larger scalloped circle that I also cut with the Silhouette,
and then punched a little hole in the top and used baker's twine to
tie the little tag to the applesauce.
I also signed the "::heart:: Isabella" on the back.

I super adore how they came out and Isabella loved them because
the applesauce is her current obsession.
It was the perfect option for her class of 12 kids
but I'm doing something else a little more cost effective for JT's class of 32.

If you have any questions, please feel free to let me know if you have any questions.
Are you done with your Valentines?
What are you making this year?

TOO Cute Tuesday: Link Par-Tay #122

Last week I made a pretty sparkly shirt with my Silhouette SD
and the Tulip Shimmer Sheets - you must check out the tutorial.

Now onto TOO Cute Tuesday!

What did you make this week that is TOO Cute??

Come link up!

Rules:

• Must be made by you.
• Link up to the specific post - not your main blog.
• No Etsy shops or giveaways please :)
• Please post the button or link back here so more people can join in the fun.
• Visit some of the other participants and leave them some LOVE!

TOO Cute Tuesday will be open Tuesday-Saturday.
On Saturday or Monday I'll highlight some of my favorites
and then we'll start over on Tuesday!


<a border="0" href="http://funkypolkadotgiraffe.blogspot.com/search/label/Too%20Cute%20Tuesday" target="_blank"><img src="http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/mormishgirl/Blog/TooCuteTuesdayNEW.jpg" /></a>


This post brought to you by:

  I changed the linky party so that the most recently uploaded project will show up as number one. This way everyone gets a chance on top. So, look in the first spot for your project, not at the end. Thanks!!!

Easy DIY Holiday Sparkle Shirts with Tulip Shimmer Sheets

If anything says "Here comes Christmas!" it's GLITTER!
The sparkles, the twinkles, the glittery magic - it's my favorite!!!
Well, Tulip Shimmer Sheets make adding sparkle to your holiday clothes easy peasy!!!!
I recently got a box of shimmering Tulip goodness and I set to making
some gorgeous DIY shimmer shirts for Isabella and my new niece to wear this
Christmas season.
(You can see my entire haul of Tulip products HERE. Be kind - it's my first video.)



SUPPLIES:
Tulip Shimmer Transfer Sheets
Tulip Iron-on Glass Crystals
Tulip Cordless Heat Setting Tool
Plain t-shirt or onesie
Scissors and/or Personal Cutting Machine
Iron
Pressing cloth

Since this was a shirt for Isabella I had her help me pick out
a shirt for the project and she chose the gold Tulip Shimmer Sheet
to glam up her green Christmas t-shirt.
I decided to try out using my personal cutting machine to cut an intricate
snowflake shape for my shirts.

STEP ONE
Place the Shimmer Sheet with the "sticky" adhesive side down on your cutting mat.

STEP TWO
Load your design to be cut into your machine.
I had the best success with my cutting machine when I kept the design
away from the edges of the cut space.

STEP THREE
Load the Shimmer Sheet on the cut mat into your machine.
I did a few test cuts with the blue shimmer sheet I was using for my niece's
onesie to get the best setting.
On my machine I had the best success when I set the machine
to "flocked heat transfer material" and used my pink - deep cut blade.

STEP FOUR
Carefully remove the cut design from the cut mat.
I had my favorite pair of sharp scissors handy to snip any spots
that didn't cut all the way through. In cutting 4 snowflakes, I only had
one spot where I needed them.

STEP FIVE
Arrange your Shimmer Sheet pieces on your shirt in the desired pattern and
heat up your DRY iron to the setting appropriate for the fabric of your t-shirt.

As you can see my shirt is magically black because a certain 3.5 year old
decided she wanted a black shirt instead of a green one.

STEP SIX
Place a pressing cloth over the Shimmer Sheet pieces - being careful not to disturb your design.
Iron your design into place by pressing firmly for 40 seconds.
Check to make sure the pieces are set. Re-iron is necessary.

WOOHOO!
Now you have shimmering t-shirt awesomeness!

If you want to kick up the glam a few notches . . .
AND WHO DOESN'T???
. . . then read on.
Grab your Tulip Iron-on Glass Crystals and Cordless Heat Setting Tool.

STEP SEVEN
Arrange your iron-on glass crystals in the desired pattern.
Hold the button on your Heat Setting Tool for 5-10 seconds to heat the tip.
Be careful to only touch the plastic portion of the Heat Setting Tool.
Gently touch the tip to the top of the crystal - do not press too hard or the
heat setting tool will touch your t-shirt and scorch it just like an iron.
Hold for 5-10 seconds and allow crystal to cool and check that it is set.

Now you have a holiday shirt that is sufficiently shimmered!

Isabella insisted on putting her shirt on immediately,

which was perfect because I needed a model to take pictures

of my fantastic sparkly shirt.

To see other great holiday projects using Tulip Shimmer Sheets
be sure to check out these great sites!



You can find more Tulip products & projects on their website,
and find them on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Disclosure: I wrote this post as part of a paid campaign with Tulip and Blueprint Social. The opinions in this post are my own.