What to do with old barn wood?

Make signs of course!!
A friend of mine gave me a piece of the siding off one her family's old barns that was torn down. I debated forever on what to make with it! I knew it had to be a sign.... my original plans were to make a "welcome" sign. Then I saw the Paris sign in the Ballard Designs catalog and thought "A-Ha"! Wouldn't directional signs be a cool use?
The signs are 24" in length and approximately 7" high. I used the CraftRobo to cut out the stencil (I used shelf liner) and painted with acrylic white craft paint. I put two sawtooth hangers on the back and a piece of felt (to protect the wall). The first name is the town we live in, Casnovia, and the other two are the nearest cities.

Ballard Knock Off Components

Materials to make cube:
Stool ($1.00 from local thrift store)
Drop Cloth (under $10.00 from Home Depot)
Foam (left over from other project)
Batting (left overs)
Staple gun & staples
Acrylic paint & fabric medium
Craft Robo
Vinyl
2 yards of cording ($0.58 from Joann's)
Thread
Sewing Machine

Ballard Cube Knock Off

I completed my Ballard Designs "knock off"! Mine is not an exact replica as I wanted something I could throw in the washer if when it got dirty. Living with three males and two dogs....well, it's bound to happen! :)

Triton's Gifts

My great-nephew turned 1 and I found an adorable Sock Monkey I had to buy for his birthday, also prompting me to create the sock monkey finger puppets and T-shirt (designs found at www.myembroiderynook.com). The tool belt was a design I purchased from planetapplique.com. My son asked me why I didn't put the design higher on the T-shirt so I reminded him that tool belts are worn around the waist! :) I found the pail at Target to put all the gifts in and cut Triton's name in vinyl to match the pail handle.

From door to door sign!

I found this cabinet door at a salvage yard for $1.00 and have always wanted to make a monogram sign with the craft robo. I learned a lot (about what I'd do different next time! hehe)

Craft Robo Vinyl Lettering

I am having sooo much fun with the Craft Robo!
My friend gave me oodles of vinyl pieces and scraps to play with.
I've love this saying and have been wanting to add it to one of my studio walls. The only problem, was that I insisted on centering the phrase...which put the last word smack dab over that knot in the wood. Oh well...over all I'm quite pleased!
So easy and so much fun!

Busting out the Craft Robo!

After much encouragement from my BFF I dusted off the CR over Christmas break and re-learned how to use it. I'm looking forward to cutting some vinyl words for my studio walls in the near future. But, in the meantime...it was time to plan a bridal shower for my niece. I stumbled upon some adorable wedding dress favor boxes. But at $1.00 each it didn't seem practical. So I searched the web and landed at cuttersmarket.com where they had the EXACT pattern. I paid a total of $2.36 for the file and had ALL of the other materials already on hand. I cut the patterns from medium weight white cardstock, embossed with my Cuttlebug, creased the joints, filled with Valentine M&M's, and tied the ribbon around the waist. No adhesives needed!

Adorable!!

Craft Robo

I'm really excited to finally blow the dust of my Craft Robo and try some new projects. I can't wait to make some vinyl cut outs for the walls in my studio!