A "Hoot" of a Birthday!

I am the featured designer today at the Paper Crafting World blog.   Consider this your fair warning . . . I'm getting ready to unleash some CUTENESS on you!!!

My oldest niece, Layla, turned 6 recently and when I asked her what she wanted for her birthday this was the response I received -- "Aunt Jen!  You always make me a birthday shirt . . . could it have an owl on it this year?  I LOVE owls!"

Ask and you shall receive!  

Isn't this owl adorable!!  It is a cutting file at PaperCraftingWorld.com called I'll Owl-ways Love You (it is also available as a digi stamp, Owl Always Love You DS).  I used the freezer paper method technique to create my cute little owl.

The short version of how to make these shirts:

1. Choose a 100% cotton shirt.  Wash and dry without any fabric softeners.
2. Purchase a roll of freezer paper.
3. Cut said freezer paper to fit your electronic die cutting machine's cutting mat.
4. Place freezer paper matte side down on your mat. (The shiny side really doesn't stick well, so if you're doing text you need to reverse it to have it cut properly.)
5. Choose your design and cut it out.
6. Iron the freezer paper, shiny-side down, onto your t-shirt.
7. Iron a second solid piece of freezer paper to the inside of your shirt. (This keeps the paint from bleeding through to the back side of your shirt.)
8. Paint design with fabric paints.
9. LET IT DRY! (Don't be tempted to peel it up before it has completely dried. It peels up the edges of your design.)
10. Carefully peel off the freezer paper from the inner and outer surfaces of the shirt.

The shirts created with this method honestly look like they were screen-printed. The only drawback that we have discovered thus far is this . . . they do not like the dryer. You must wash them inside out and hang them to dry or the painted image will begin to crack.

I purchased a skirt to go with the shirt and used the colors in it for my owl.  And as you can see from her expression . . .

She LOVED it!  She loved it so much, in fact, she wore it the very next day to Sea World.   

We also made her some owl cupcakes, that were devoured after her birthday dinner -- 

Aren't they a hoot!  Oreo cookies for the eyes, Reese's pieces for the pupils and nose, and chocolate icing for the ears.  (Thank you, Pinterest!)

Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out the cuteness!  Make sure you stop back in at the Paper Crafting World blog on Friday for another great project by Sandy and a freebie!

~ Jen

Thanksgiving Cards & Pumpkin Box

This month at "I Feel the Love" Project, Madison is collecting Thanksgiving cards for the elderly residents of Chancellors Village.  Her goal is 200 cards -- one for each resident.  So I discussed the project with my Junior Girl Scout Troop and they decided they wanted to help out.  I printed out a bunch of cards using digi stamps from PaperCraftingWorld.com and the girls got busy.  They love how easy Melin's designs are to color and how cute they are!  Here is a sampling of the 25 cards they created:

Didn't they do a great job!  Here is a list and links for each of the files:

• Top left -- Turkey w-Hat
• Top right -- Mr. Turkey Dressed
• Middle -- Count Your Blessings
• Bottom -- Harvest Blessings Cornucopia

I had a card almost finished to mail along with these and then I spotted this cutie in the "What's New" Section at PaperCraftingWorld.com and my brain switched gears!  (Don't worry -- I'll get my card finished to mail!)

Here is the recipe:

• Pumpkin box cutting file cut at 11 1/2" wide.  Finished size is 6 1/2" tall by 5 1/4" wide.  This was cut from a K & Co. Fall Harvest Specialty Paper Pad by Johnny Yanok that I have had for years.
• Fall Spray cutting file.  I used the acorns and leaves and cut them in a variety of colors and sizes.
• All of the papers came from my scrap stash except as noted.
• I inked edges and leaves using an assortment of brown, red, orange, green and metallic bronze stamp pads.
• The detailing on the acorn caps was done with a brown Tombow marker.
• I punched the box sides and handles with a ribbon punch and tied it off with a brown satin ribbon.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Make sure you check out Sandy's project tomorrow (Friday) at Paper Crafting World's blog and pick up your Friday Freebie.

~ Jen

Cupcake Card

Happy Wednesday!  I am the featured Designer at the Paper Crafting World blog today and I'm sharing the super cute birthday card I made for my 9 year old's best friend.  Miss Darian is all about cupcakes -- so I knew this adorable cutting file from PaperCraftingWorld.com would be perfect for her.

Here's the recipe:

• Card base measures 5 1/2" square and is from a Recollections card stock pack.
• The mat is 5" square from the same paper pack and was embossed using the Cuttlebug Polka Dots folder.
• The purple circle measures 4".
• The patterned paper circle measures 3 1/2" and is from the DCWV Cherry Limeade pad.
• The bear's finished size is 4" tall by 4 1/2" wide and was cut using the PCW Bear-n-Cupcake cutting file and scraps from my stash.
• The "Happy Birthday" circle is a digi stamp from the PCW Birthday Turtle set.
• The ribbon is a 3/8" sheer pink with white polka dots.
• The little flowers in the bottom right corner are lavender rhinestones purchased at Michaels.
• Some pen detailing completes this bear-y cute card.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Make sure you head over to PaperCraftingWorld.com and check out the new digi stamps and cutting files Melin has created!

~ Jen

P.S.  I'm linking up to the following challenges:

1. Creative Craft Challenges - Anything Goes
2. Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
3. Try It On Tuesday - Going Dotty