Friday, February 26, 2010

Happy March!

Get ready for spring with my free downloadable calendar! Click on the calendar to enlarge, then right click to save the file to your computer or print it now! Enjoy


To get the rest of the calendar, click here.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

For Your Viewing Pleasure



This is my favorite love song. I generally don't like lovey dovey songs, but it's by Willie and well, you know how I feel about Willie. I've seen him a bunch of times, but one of my favorites was when we saw him at The Grand in Galveston on Valentine's Day. It was a weekend trip for our anniversary. Willie sang "Valentine" and even after all these years, it was perfect. Hope you enjoy it and have a lovey dovey Valentine's Day!

Friday, February 12, 2010

Wearing His Heart on His Sleeve

Years ago...

My brain: "Look how cute those baby onesies are with the Mom tattoo on them...I should make some of those...Oh, it would be even cuter if they were actually on the sleeve...Hey, that would be a great Valentine gift...Too bad I don't know anyone with a baby...Hang on, who needs a baby?...I should make one for the hubster!"

And so, the heart tattoo sleeve t-shirt was born. I drew the tattoo, scanned it, added my name, reversed the image, printed it on inkjet iron-on paper (you can find it at office supply stores or online) and ironed it on. I thought it turned out pretty cool.  And the best part of all-- he wore it without embarrassment. Success!

So, now that it's been tested, I'm sharing it with all my chickadees!  I drew two heart tattoos especially for you:  one with a crown for the king of the castle and one with roses for the romantic dude.  I also included "Mom" tattoos that would be super cute for little muscle men!  The artwork has already been reversed, but you may have to resize it to fit on little shirts. Sure, you can use any plain ol' piece of tattoo clipart, but don't you want a Silly Bee original?  Rock on!

The How To:

First of all, you will need a color printer, iron-on transfer paper, scissors, a t-shirt, a handkerchief and an iron. 

Once you've chosen your favorite design at the bottom of this post, click on the artwork to enlarge it, then right-click and save to your computer.  Now you're ready to personalize it.  You can do that one of three ways:






1. Open the design in a graphics program like Photoshop or Illustrator.  Then, add your name to the ribbon, rotate it a bit and reverse the entire image (including the name) before you print it onto the iron-on paper.  Don't forget to flip it.  Remember you are printing on the back of the transfer paper, so the tattoo needs to be reversed or you'll have to include a mirror in the gift box so he can read it! OR...



2. Print the design onto plain paper (I actually suggest a photo paper so the colors are still vibrant.)  Write a name on the ribbon with a black marker.  Include the kids:  have his little ones write their own names on the ribbon!  Then, scan it, flip it and print it. OR...

3. Print the design onto iron-on paper.  Iron it on the shirt, let it cool, then add the name with fabric paint.



Now that you have your tattoo printed out, trim around the design and follow the instructions on the iron-on package. Don't do it on top your ironing board. I use the kitchen counter so I don't ruin any furniture.  Iron it for a good while before you start peeking.  Lift it just the tiniest bit to make sure that it's stuck, but remember, once you have lifted the design off of your t-shirt, It's really hard to repair it without goofing up the image.



Iron-ons aren't just for t-shirts!  You can make heart tattoo pillow cases, baby bibs, tote bags and aprons!  Tell me about your tattoo project and most of all have fun!

By the way, if you like the font I used, it's called Bleeding Cowboys and you can download it from dafont.com.

 


This tutorial is linked up with:

Tip Junkie's Tip Me Tuesday
Momnivore's Dilemma's Creative Juice Thursday
The Girl Creative's Just Something I Whipped Up Valentine Party

Thursday, February 11, 2010

I Found One at Long Last!



A Valentine Cake Wreck!  I am so proud.  I discovered it at Kroger.  It's the dreaded cupcake cake in absolutely no recognizable shape at all!  Seriously, were they out of cupcake containers?  I hope they taste good, at least!

Monday, February 8, 2010

To Sir, With Love


Have you mailed your cards to be stamped with special Valentine postmarks yet?  I sent out a bunch last week just to share the cutest stamps with you. OK, so I sent myself a bunch of Valentines. It was all in the name of research. Okay? Geez!

Pick your favorite stamp and mail your cards right away or you may miss the deadline for February 14th delivery. Though, if you do, don't sweat it. I'm sure the special postmark will more than make up for its tardiness!  Ship your cards inside another envelope addressed like the example above.  Double check the zip codes on the USPS Valentine list.






















































P.S.- Make sure you include the correct postage on your cards. It would be totally sad if they were returned to you.  First class letter mail is $.44.  Remember, even if they aren't any bigger than regular cards, square cards cost more to mail just because they're square.  If your envelope has a different kind of closure, like brads with strings or something, they're extra.  Anything smaller than 3.5"x5", or bigger than 6"x11" is more postage, too.  If you include any other stuff in your cards, make sure you weigh them.  Plus, bumpy stuff will be extra.  Don't forget, extra postage inside probably means extra postage outside!

NOTE- Beauty, Kentucky is not offering Valentine postmarks this year.


Featured in:
Valentine's Day Round Up on One Pretty Thing
Valentine's Day DIY Craft Round Up on The Davis Dailies



Linked up with:
The Girl Creative's Just Something I Whipped Up Valentine Party

Friday, February 5, 2010

Dinner, Origami and a Movie



Need a great Valentine date idea? Get a romantical-like movie through NetFlix, eat some spaghetti and fold your NetFlix flap into an exquisite Valentine.

Not into hearts? Maybe your Valentine would like a NetFlix origami frog instead. Now that spells romance! Click on the link below for instructions.  You're welcome.


Wednesday, February 3, 2010

As if you Need a Reason to Wear Red!



This Friday is National Go Red for Women Day to raise awareness of women's heart disease and stroke. I did a Wear Red for Women post last year, so instead of repeating myself, I'll just remind you to wear red, spread the word, and check out the Go Red for Women website for great information on heart health.




P.S.  The Macy's Wear Red Sale benefiting the Go Red for Women campaign runs today through Sunday.  Wear red to any Macy's and get an extra 20% off!

Monday, February 1, 2010

Happy February!

Make February the sweetest yet with my free downloadable calendar!  Click on the calendar to enlarge, then right click to save the file to your computer.  Enjoy!