Have you ever used reflective Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV)? I tried it out for the first time and I had my doubts. I mean, other than reflective stripes on bikes or running clothes, I just wasn't sure what I'd do with it. However, after some experimenting, I'm a fan now. The reflective nature of the HTV is like a fun bonus that makes your handmade objects that much more special. This weekend, I made this super fun bag... ....which totally transforms with the addition of light in a dark room... The reflective HTV changes color when the light flashes across... Read more →

The ScanNCut is a mega scrap busting machine! Because of the built-in scanner, I'm able to save and use all of my little scraps of paper, fabric, vinyl, and other materials. One of the techniques that I go back to time after time is "the baseball field method." What's that you ask? Well, I'd be delighted to tell you! The baseball field method is a simple technique that allows you to maximize your time and effort. In essentials, I take different colors/patterns of the same material and place them onto my cutting mat spread apart -- like bases on a... Read more →

Do you know what sublimation printing is? In essentials, it's using heat to permanently transfer ink from a piece of paper onto another surface. If you look around your house you probably have sublimation printed items and don't even know it. Mugs, t-shirts, socks, tote bags, mouse pads...the list is pretty long. If you look online, you'll find hundreds of videos with hacks and instructions for doing sublimation printing at home. So, of course, I wanted to try it! I bought two different brands (and styles) of sublimation markers – one with a very thin pen tip and one with... Read more →

There's no need to reinvent the wheel. You don't have to create cut files from scratch or spend hours hunting down the perfect file. You can take existing files and customize them - for free - in CanvasWorkspace Online. In fact, you can even find the files to alter - for free - in CanvasWorkspace Online. There are dozens of pre-designed projects - all 100% free - with instructions and cut files for you to use. From cards to cake toppers to lamp shades to hair clips. There's an enormous variety of projects at your fingertips. In this technique tutorial... Read more →

Today is my birthday! I'm just a little bit older than I was in this birthday photo. (And 5-6 years older than my Mom was in this photo!) And now I must confess an awful truth: I don't really like cake. I like the look of a cake and I love the look of a cupcake. But I'd much rather simply eat ice cream or a cookie and call it a day. Nevertheless, like I said, I do like the look of cupcakes and there's a certain two-year-old living in my house who can demolish a cupcake in no time... Read more →

I have been a busy bee these past few months and have not always been great about sharing everything I make. How about a little bit of show-and-tell today? Here are a few recent projects from ScanNCut Club: a vase that holds water, made from either paper or cork fabric 3 different styles of package toppers embossed Valentine (that's paper, not metal btw) Domed Paper Luminary Infusible Ink (i.e. sublimation) how to One of my favorite things that has happened because of ScanNCut Club is that I have been forced out of my comfort zone. I usually make tutorials of... Read more →

It is super easy to cut craft foam with your ScanNCut DX machine. You simply need to remember to properly prep your foam and your machine. So, let's talk about how to do it. The first generation of ScanNCut machines had two blades: a Standard Blade and a Deep Cut Blade. The Deep Cut Blade was the obvious choice for cutting things like craft foam. Deep material. Deep blade. The current generation of ScanNCut DX machines have four blades: a Standard Auto Blade, a Rotary Auto Blade, a Thin Fabric Auto Blade, and a Vinyl Auto Blade. So which one... Read more →

Every year I make a few new handmade ornaments for my Christmas tree. This year, I made two different kinds of ornaments: stuffed fabric ornaments and paper stars made from my son's artwork. I put together a quick video of the papers before and after they became stars: If you want the how-to for either of these projects: Tomorrow (Wednesday, December 15, 2021) at 1pm EST I am sharing a free stuffed fabric ornaments mini class live on instagram. The instructions for the star are in THIS ScanNCut Club video. Next week I'll try to do a round-up of all... Read more →

One of my favorite things to do with my ScanNCut is to make custom t-shirts. It’s quick and easy and they make great gifts. As you may know, Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV) is a breeze to cut with the ScanNCut (especially with the Vinyl Auto Blade). However there is one part of the process that I have messed up a few times, much to my chagrin. And the worst part of this mistake is that it really makes the whole project look bad. So here’s my true confession: I don’t always get the sizing and placement of my designs right.... Read more →

As I mentioned to weekly newsletter subscribers several weeks ago, I was hoping to make the time to create some sort of non-fire related Hanukkah countdown thing for my son. Well, I finally figured out a simple project that would work for his age and interest level, but still work for us as a family down the road. Plus, it's pretty. Inside each of the little houses is a small toy and a piece of Hanukkah gelt. After we light the candles each night, he can untie the bow on top of the appropriately labeled little house to release the... Read more →