DIY: Washi Tape Printed Pouch + Washi Tape Crafts Book Review

I was sent a copy of the book to review, but all opinions are my own.

Washi tape is one of those things you collect and collect and then realize you have a lot of. There are a lot of uses for them! I mostly just use them to decorate notebooks and my planner these days - but I was recently sent a copy of Washi Tape Crafts (Workman Publishing) written by my friend Amy Anderson (amazing woman behind Mod Podge Rocks) to review and let me tell you - it has re-ignited my passion for crafting with these fun paper tapes. I'm sharing with you a project I made that was inspired by one of her projects in her new book - let's jump in!

Supplies:

• Washi tape in different prints
• Iron-on transfer paper
• Iron
• Paper + Pen
• Scissors
• Pouch
• Scanner

Start by making or purchasing a pouch. I quickly sewn one up for this project - but you can definitely get one at the craft store or sometimes even Target's dollar spot section. Roughly trace the shape of your pouch onto a piece of printer paper. It doesn't have to be exact - you just want to know the rough width and height of it.

Collect the washi tapes you want to use. I used some of the pretty washi tapes that came with the Washi Tape Crafts book and some of my own.

Build your washi design onto the paper. The book comes with 10 different washi tapes, and they're all so cute. I am so in love with the pink sprinkles one! You can reposition the tapes until you achieve your design.

Scan the image onto your computer and print it onto iron-on transfer paper. I couldn't resist and added a sentiment to it - to add one on yours, simply use any image editor and type your sentiment in! If you are using iron-on transfer for light fabric, flip your image before printing. You don't have to cut right up to the design either, as the transfer sheet becomes transparent on the white areas. If you are using iron-on transfer for dark fabric, DO NOT flip your image - you will want to cut as close as possible to the design as well, leaving no blank areas.

Iron your image according to the transfer paper package's instructions. You need to be patient with this - I can't stress it enough! I've had a few projects fail because I wasn't putting enough pressure, ironing it long enough, etc.

Peel off the paper slowly after it has cooled. And voila! You are done. Isn't it pretty?

If you want a darker/brighter print, I suggest using iron-on transfer for dark fabric, as it is opaque and would make the tape pop more. But I love how mine turned out! It's a perfect gift for my little sister who loves crafting as much as I do. 

I really love this project - and I wouldn't have thought of it had I not been inspired by one of the projects in Amy's new book.

Amy Anderson's Washi Tape Crafts from Workman Publishing

Don't forget to check it out - Washi Tape Crafts (Workman Publishing) - it's chock full of different ideas you can make with washi tape! Plus just the 10 washi tapes with it are so pretty too. It's a great gift for any crafter or planner junkie. What do you like making with your washi tape? Let me know in the comments - and of course, happy crafting!

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DIY: Faux Bois Tags using the Silhouette Curio

This post is sponsored by Silhouette America, but all ideas and opinions are DEFINITELY my own. :)

There's something about natural patterns and colors that remind me so much of fall - and since it's after Labor Day, it's pretty much fall already, isn't it? With this in mind, I wanted to create some woodland themed tags - and the challenge in that is creating a faux bois tag background. For years I've struggled with finding the perfect faux bois effect paper without breaking the bank, even going to great lengths to purchase a die-cutting/embossing machine that only did an okay job at it (I couldn't find a wood-grain folder that I liked). But Silhouette America graciously sent me my own Silhouette Curio to play with, and I was able to make my own faux bois background from my own sketch. See how I did it!

First, sketch your design. I used a Wacom tablet to sketch it on my computer. Another way to create your own pattern is to sketch it on paper, scan and open it in your Silhouette program.

For the first few times, I used the design, traced it and embossed it like so. It was okay, but it wasn't what I was looking for - I needed thinner woodgrain. 

For the next tries, I used internal offset on my image to create thinner woodgrain. I also reduced the size and tiled my design as the sketch I created was too big (the woodgrain looked like it was zoomed in). Now that's more like it!

To create a good debossed image on cardstock, I did two passes and upped the thickness setting. The backside of the tag will have a slight embossed effect - which is alright with me. I think for embossing it's best to use thinner material such as vellum. 

Cut your tags out - you can definitely cut on your embossing mat (you just have to be precise with the settings you use for the blade in relation to the media), but I didn't want to risk it and ruin it pretty quickly so I transferred it onto the cutting mat and cut my tags out - no sweat! 

It was definitely a trial and error process, and I haven't gotten fully used to my new machine, but I got there! I like the fact that I can design my own embossed/debossed images and run them through my machine. I will definitely make a finer woodgrain pattern to use for larger purposes (I'm thinking party invitation belts).

I have yet to try the other crazy awesome things this machine can do - but for debossing your own designs, I am pretty satisfied! I can't wait to get the deeper cutting blade to test out its capability for cutting thicker material though!

Want the woodgrain pattern? No worries, I'm sharing my (somewhat messy) design here so you can make your own woodgrain tags! I think they'll be perfect for Thanksgiving! What pattern do you dream of debossing with your machine? Happy crafting, guys! 

DOWNLOAD HERE

Woodgrain Pattern (.studio file)

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DIY: Fall Tablescape Touches with Vagabond House

This post has been sponsored by Vagabond House, but all opinions and ideas are my own.

I'm delighted to share with you some easy tablescape touches for your place settings, fall decor or your Thanksgiving feast. I've also included some of my favorite pieces from Vagabond House - so sit back, relax and enjoy the show.

It's so easy to set-up a simple, rustic fall tablescape. You just need a few key ingredients - wood, burlap and some gold touches (or maybe another color you'd like?).  

Let me break down how easy it is to make this place setting:

For the leaves, it's easy to sketch a pattern and cut it out by hand, or get a free pattern online (there are tons I tell you), print and cut it. If you're doing a ton of them, it would be handy to have a die-cutter on hand to make them. 

Write the names of your guests on the leaves - if you aren't comfortable with your handwriting, it helps to write it with a pencil first before going over it with ink. Alternatively, you can use gold ink instead of black to add to the gold accents on your table.

It is soooooo easy to make these fall picks! You just need berries, decorative gold sprigs and burlap. I found the berries at Target and the gold sprigs at Dollar Tree (I dismantled one of the Christmas picks they had just to get the gold sprigs). 

Arrange them, and wrap the stalks with some burlap. Glue the edge of the burlap to prevent unraveling. 

Lastly, you need a napkin ring - I chose this pewter acorn and oak leaf napkin ring from Vagabond House at it can easily be dressed up for Christmas as well. 

Insert your napkin into the ring, and then insert your fall pick and finally the leaf place card holder. And you are done! Now let me show you other things I have found at Vagabond House to accentuate your tablescape:

This pewter white oak plate is perfect as a candy dish or a condiment dish. It can easily transition as Christmas decor as well, or even serve as a jewelry dish for your lovely adornments. 

Now onto one of my two favorite pieces - here is my AMAZING cake stand. Well, it's supposed to be a cheese stand, but it can serve a lot of purposes - as you can see here. I love using it as a cake/dessert stand instead and it's pretty big too. It's pictured here with my favorite lemon tart from Trader Joes. I guess the tart is about 8", so it has plenty of room for bigger cakes, and tiered cakes as well. It's the perfect woodland accent to a rustic wedding!

Look at the detail on this little guy! It's just so cool. This must be the most-loved cake stand I have in my collection of cake stands. 

Here's my next favorite - an elk liquor decanter. I must say this is one unique piece that I'll treasure forever. I know liquor bottles look fancy in the first place, but this one just takes it up by a really big notch. 

Again, the detail is fantastic. I can say it's a great gift for a guy who enjoys hunting/liquor/woodland items. There are a ton of those, right? I know a few. :) I chose these pieces because I wanted fun, unique conversation-starting pieces in my home. Vagabond House has a ton of unique pieces - it took me a long time to choose which ones I liked the most. 

With a vision of what you like and the right decor, it's so easy to set up a simple, rustic tablescape for your Thanksgiving dinner or any other gathering. Need more inspiration? Here are other awesome ones you can gawk at for your tablescaping needs:

Peacock Salt Cellars, Pink Salt and a Picnic from A Nest for All Seasons

As always, have fun! :)

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