{Divergent-Inspired Bird Keychain}

Hey, y'all!  Last week I professed my new-found love for Veronica Roth's Divergent trilogy with my Divergent-Inspired Dauntless Quote T-shirt.  Well, I found out that a couple of my bloggy friends are also in love with the series, so we decided to each come up with a Divergent-Inspired post to share today in honor of the movie's debut this week.  

I came up with this fun keychain that is soooo easy to make!

I started with an unfinished wooden rectangle from my craft supply stash.

Through a Google image search, I found a picture of Tris's bird tattoo, and I traced it with my Silhouette program.  I cut a stencil of the birds from card stock.

I used a stencil brush to paint the birds with black paint.  (The birds should then be sealed with Mod Podge, clear spray paint, or some other type of clear coat.)

Then I drilled a hole in the top of the rectangle.

I used my pliers to attach a jump ring through the hole of the rectangle.  Then I threaded a key ring through the jump ring.  Well, we're going to pretend that it's a key ring.  It's actually a book ring, but it'll pass for a key ring in a bind.  (Do you get my super-cheesy joke?  Book ring?  BIND?!  Okay, I know it's not funny.)

That's all it took to create my Divergent-Inspired keychain, and I love it!  It'll go great with my Divergent-Inspired Dauntless Quote T-shirt.

It will also go great with these fabulous projects from my bloggy friends. Sky from Capital B created this awesome Dauntless-Inspired Bracelet.

And yesterday, she posted these awesome printables featuring her favorite quotes from Divergent.  You can download the printables {HERE}.

And Emily from The Benson Street created this gorgeous Divergent-Inspired Bird Necklace!

So are we the only ones totally excited about the movie debut this week?!  What part of the book are you most looking forward to seeing onscreen?

{DIY Divergent-Inspired Dauntless Quote T-shirt}

Hey, y'all!  I took an unplanned blogging break due to the simple fact that my life was crazy for a couple of weeks, but I'm back today with a project I'm in love with.  Do we have any Divergent fans in the house?!  I recently read the first book of Veronica Roth's trilogy, and I am most definitely hooked.  I literally read it in a day.  No lie.  There was a quote from the book that I really loved: "We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another."  The quote comes from the Dauntless Manifesto.  Don't you just love it?  It inspired me to create a custom t-shirt that I can wear to the movie, which I cannot wait to see!

I started with an inexpensive t-shirt from Walmart.

I used my Silhouette to design my graphic.

I found a Dauntless symbol using a Google image search.  I traced it with my Silhouette program, and paired it with different fonts, arrows, lines, and a banner until I had a graphic I liked.  Then I cut the design from Silhouette brand glitter heat transfer vinyl and weeded it, much like I did with my DIY Monogrammed Shirt. I'm cheap, so I haven't bought a weeding tool yet.  I just use a straight pin.  :)

I then ironed the design on the t-shirt following the directions on the vinyl packaging and a little advice from my friend Lil' Mrs. Tori.

I love the way the shirt turned out!

I can't wait to wear it to the movie!  

This project has me thinking.  What's your favorite quote?  I always love to read inspiring quotes.  :)

{Geometric Print Vase: A Recycled Jar Craft}

Hey, y'all!  Are you ready for spring yet?  I know I am.  Yesterday it was seventy degrees here!  After having what seemed like a blizzard last week here in the South, seventy sure did feel nice.  One of my favorite things about the spring is pretty flowers, minus the pollen of course! In honor of my longing for spring and the flowers it brings, today I'm sharing a tutorial for a Duck tape vase that costs pennies to make.  And as a special treat, at the end of the tutorial you will find links to ten other spring-inspired posts from #MyFavoriteBloggers! 

The first step to creating a Duck tape vase is finding a jar the right size to hold flowers.  I used an empty salsa jar.

I washed the jar, peeled off the label, and used some Goo Gone to remove the sticky residue left over by the label.

I was then left with a blank slate for my Duck tape design.

I stuck a strip of gold Duck tape to my rotary cutting board, and used my clear ruler and rotary cutter to cut little triangles from the tape, much like I did with my Duck tape decorated dollar store pumpkin during Thanksgiving.  I stuck the gold triangles to the jar in a fun geometric pattern, and my vase was complete.

It's the perfect vase to hold a pretty pink carnation, and it looks lovely paired with the decor in my living room.

You could easily and inexpensively make a lot of these vases for a wedding reception or baby shower decor.  There are so many different Duck tape designs now that you're sure to find one to match almost any color scheme!  Or you can simply make one vase like I did to make sure Spring knows that you're ready and waiting for her.  ;)  If you're in the mood for more spring-inspired projects, you're going to love the posts from #MyFavoriteBloggers!

From top down, left to right:  Stamped "Bloom" Necklace from One Artsy Mama Spring Centerpiece from Happy Go Lucky  Washi Tape Popsicle Stick Flowers from The Benson Street Simple Circle Pinwheels from Creative Capital B  Semi-Homemade Strawberry Shortcake from Seven Alive Five Minute Hair Pins from It Happens in a Blink and Suburble  Kool-Aid Dyed Yarn in Your Microwave from 4 You with Love  Color-able Free Printable Spring Banner from Do Small Things with Love Fairy Guesthouse from Happy Hour Projects  Geometric Print Vase from Me I hope you'll check out these awesome projects from some of my favorite gals.  Here's wishing you warm, spring-y weather!

{Monogrammed Mason Jar Wine Glass}

Hey, y'all!  I have a really quick and easy tutorial for you today.  I confessed my stereotypical Southern love for monograms a couple of weeks ago when I showed you how to create a monogrammed t-shirt, and I warned you that I wanted to monogram everything.  Well, today's craft is another monogrammed project.

This past week, one of my good friends had a birthday.  I wanted to give her something special.  While at Hobby Lobby over the weekend, I found the cutest mason jar wine glass in the spring section of the store, and I just had to buy it.  (You could totally make your own mason jar wine glass much like I made my Dollar Store Cupcake Stand by replacing the pillar candle holder with a mason jar.)

The glass was adorable already, but I knew it could be cuter with a monogram.  (Isn't everything?)  I simply used my Silhouette to cut a vinyl monogram sized to fit the jar.  (You can see my tutorial for creating a monogram with the Silhouette program HERE.)  I applied the monogram to the glass, and my friend's personalized birthday gift was complete.  (Well, minus the ice and sweet tea!)

She loved it, and I loved the smile the gift brought to her face.  And now to find something else to monogram...  ;)

{DIY Stitched Geometric Feather Art}

Hey, y'all! I am so excited to share my latest makeover with you.  This week, I took a circa 1990 thrift store goose picture and transformed it into a beautiful, modern piece of art.

I love to stop by my local thrift store on the way home from school.  I'm always on the lookout for unique frames, and whenever I find one, I can't keep myself from buying it.  Recently I found this goose picture.

I think it first caught my eye because my grandmother loved geese.  She had a lot of ceramic geese, and I think she would have liked this picture.  But besides the nostalgia that it brought, I wasn't really digging the picture.  I was, however, digging the frame.  You don't often see oval frames, so for a mere fifty cents, I purchased it in hopes of making it beautiful.

I started the makeover by disassembling the frame.  I cleaned the frame really well with a Clorox wipe and sprayed it with gold spray paint.  Then I had to decide what I was going to put in the frame. Around Christmas-time during the big Silhouette sale, I bought some sketch pens.  I had been wanting to try them out, so I decided to create some sketched Silhouette art to go in the frame.

Here's a fun little tip that you might not realize.  The Silhouette program can trace images that you can then cut or sketch.  I don't know about you, but I am completely in love with the Rhonna Designs App.  I use it so much, and I love all the stickers in the app.  So I had a light bulb moment when trying to decide what to sketch with my Silhouette.  I realized that if I used the white background in the Rhonna Designs App and decorated it with black stickers, I could then email that to myself, save the image, open it in the Silhouette program, and trace it.  So I did just that.  I drew an oval the size of my frame and placed one of the feathers in the middle of the oval.  I sketched that on watercolor paper.  (You could use card stock.)

I really liked the feather in black and white, but I wanted to add a little something extra to it.

I colored some of the little shapes with a gold Sharpie, but that still wasn't enough of that "something extra" for me.

I decided to add some stitching to the feather.  I used a straight pin to pierce holes around some of the shapes on the feather, and then I used different color embroidery thread to stitch around them.  I was totally in love then.  I cut out the oval and popped the feather into the frame.

I have to say that I love how the art turned out.

The random stitches here and there just make the piece.

Who would think that this chic piece of art started out as a fifty cent goose picture?  All that remains of those geese is, well, a feather.  ;)

This feather art is going to go on my gallery wall that is going to be in my newly decorated living room.  I have been working hard on the room makeover.  I'm waiting for my new couch to come in.  (Eeeek!  So exciting!)  It should come in at the end of the month or the beginning of next month.  That will be the final piece to the puzzle, and then I can share the makeover with y'all.  I can't wait!  If you want sneak peeks of my progress, make sure you follow me on Instagram.  You can find me {HERE}.  Happy crafting!

{DIY Monogrammed T-shirts with Silhouette Heat Transfer Material}

Hey, y'all!  I have such a cute project to share with you today!  As a Southerner, I LOVE monograms.  I'm not the only one because I've seen lots of people in my small town recently wearing monogrammed scarves, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and even boots.  I have been in a few stores that sell monogrammed t-shirts, and the price for the shirts was just too much for me.  When Silhouette had a big sale around Christmastime, I ordered some glitter heat transfer material.  I've been itching to use it, and it dawned on me recently that I more than likely could put it to use to make an inexpensive monogrammed t-shirt.  I tried it, it worked, and I want to show you how to make your own.  Stick around until the end of the post to see links to some other awesome Silhouette projects.

You only need two supplies to create your own monogrammed shirt.  You'll need a t-shirt (if you use a new shirt, be sure to wash and dry it) and heat transfer material.  The first step to creating the shirt is to create a monogram with your Silhouette program.  It's really easy to do.  You need to download a monogram font if you don't already have one.  I used Monogram KK, which I downloaded for free from dafont.com.  Then follow these steps.

1. Open your Silhouette program and type your monogram.  Remember that it goes in this order: first name initial, last name initial, middle name initial.  If you type all this in the same text box and capitalize the middle initial, the font will automatically size the letters for you. 
2. Ungroup the letters and move them around and/or resize them until you like the way they look.  Then weld them together. 
3. Offset the welded monogram.  (Why?  Because sometimes the little thin "squiggles" are hard for the machine to cut.)  Delete the original monogram so that you're left with the offset one. 
4. Mirror the monogram so that it won't be backward when you iron it on your shirt.  

After you've created the monogram, cut it from the heat transfer material (shiny side down) with your Silhouette.  When cutting the Silhouette brand glitter heat transfer material, I used a speed of 5, thickness of 10, and my blade set at 4.  (I was using a fairly new blade.)  To make sure those settings are correct for your machine and material, always do a test cut.

Then you'll need to weed.  What's weeding?  Just removing the excess heat transfer material.  Silhouette makes a weeding tool.  I don't have one, so I just used a straight pin for the tiny pieces.

Once the piece is weeded, you'll be left with something that looks like the above pic.  (I hate wasting material, so I filled up the area around my monograms with names that I can use for a project later.)

Cut the monograms apart if you cut more than one like I did.

Iron your shirt.  Lay the monogram on your shirt shiny side up and use a ruler to center it.  Then follow the heat transfer material directions to iron the design on your shirt.  (Here is a link to online directions in case you need them.)

After you've ironed on the monogram, peel of the clear film, and your shirt is complete.

I made two different monogrammed shirts: one for each of my nieces.  The shirts were only about $4 each.  I used a very small amount of the heat transfer material, so the total cost to make each shirt was about $6.  That's much cheaper than the monogrammed shirts sold in stores! And now to share some other projects with you!

My monogrammed t-shirts are my contribution to this month's Silhouette Challenge.  The month's theme is fabric, and there is so much inspiration from my bloggy friends!  Peruse the projects below for a wealth of Silhouette fabric projects!

1. No-Sew Valentine's Day Pillows by A Tossed Salad Life
2. No-Sew Interchangeable Fabric Bunting by unOriginal Mom
3. Monogrammed Burlap Garden Flag by The Turquoise Home
4. Crawl, Walk, Bike by It's Always Craft Time
5. Freezer Paper Stenciled Tote Bags by Weekend Craft
6. DIY Bleach Spray Shirt by Practically Functional
7. Stenciling Sherlock by Please Excuse My Craftermath...
8. Felt Star Wands by Cutesy Crafts
9. Yoda Kid's T-Shirt by Architecture of a Mom
10. Mark Your Territory- Dog Flags by Black and White Obsession
11. Nautical Pillows by Lil' Mrs. Tori
12. Big Sister Gift & Silhouette Cut File by Creative Ramblings
13. Nerdy Baby Onesies + Free Cut File by Essentially Eclectic
14. Easy Easter Bunny Onesie - Silhouette Cameo Craft by Adventures in All Things Food & Family
15. Fabric Envelopes for LEARNING LETTERS! (& cut file) by From Wine to Whine
16. "Good Morning, Sunshine!" Memo Board by Tried & True
17. Hearts-A-Lot Burlap Pillow Cover by My Paper Craze
18. Baby Quilt by Dragonfly & Lily Pads
19. Surprise Holiday Banner by Whats Next Ma
20. "Team Betty" Tote Bag by The Thinking Closet
21. DIY Sock Minion by Create it. Go!
22. Pretty Up Some Organza Bags by Getsilvered
23. Easy Heart Appliqued Onsies by Create & Babble
24. Bleach Pen Gel & Freezer Paper Stencils Made with the Silhouette Machine by Bringing Creativity 2 Life
25. Valentines Baby Onesie & Boy's Shirt + Free Cut Files by The Frill of Life
26. Valentine's OWL Always Love You T-shirt by My Favorite Finds
27. DIY Screen Printed Curtains by Chicken Scratch NY
28. Fabric Painted Quilted Wall Hanging by Terri Johnson Creates
29. Glitter Iron-On Top by Simply Kelly Designs
30. DIY Monogrammed T-shirts with Silhouette Heat Transfer Material by Pitter and Glink
31. Birthday Challenge by Fadville
32. Machine Applique with SIlhouette Cameo by The Sensory Emporium
33. Fabric Applique Valentine's Day T-Shirt by DailyDwelling
34. "Cute as Cupid" shirt by crafts, cakes, and cats
35. Sew Cute Applique by Life After Laundry
36. Rhino Onesie by It Happens in a Blink
37. Upcycled Birchbox Cameo Accesory Organizer by Cupcakes&Crowbars
38. Customizing textiles with Heat Transfer Vinyl (working title) by feto soap
39. Easy Fabric Art by McCall Manor
40. Lady Bug Tote Bag with Silhouette Rhinestones by Ginger Snap Crafts
41. Mommy and Em's Coordinated Aprons by TitiCrafty
42. Canvas sketch project and a share by Clever Someday
43. Foxy Lady Pajamas by Mabey She Made It
44. Teddy Bear by Work in Progress

Happy Silhouette crafting!