Keep Calm and Bluff On - Free Printable

I really wanted to use a line from the Lady Gaga song as the title to this post, but it doesn't match my other boring free download titles. So just start singing Lady Gaga's Poker Face in your head when you read this. I have it I mine and can't get it out, so I am sharing the experience with all of you.

Yesterday, I made and shared the free digital download for the Keep Calm and Love Horses piece. Today, I used the same template and made a poker themed Keep Calm for my brother-in-law for Christmas. I always have such a difficult time making gifts for the men in my life. The ladies are simple, bath stuff, pillows, any accessories, but the guys are tough. I am very pleased with this gift!

My husband informed me the hand that I picked isn't necessarily a horrible hand, as it does have an Ace high...but I had already made it in a slew of colors and I really didn't want to make it over again. I personally am really bad and poker and I would not go in with this hand...maybe that is why I am so bad at poker :)

If you have any suggestions on other Keep Calms you would like, let me know and I can try to share them with you. This only took a few minutes to change the original template.

Remember, you can print these 8x10s for under $1 and if you are frugal you can get frames for $1 too at the Dollar Store or a Thrift Shop. You could also buy a fancy frame and make it look like a really expensive gift. It is all up to you! These can be printed as 8x10s by simply downloading the image (below) and sending it to your favorite print shop for developing. I personally use Costco because their quality is amazing.

To download one these images to print:

• Leave me a comment letting me know who you are going to use this for, which color you prefer or if you would like another color, let me know and I can see what I can do for you.
• Right click on the image you want and select open in a new window or tab
• On the full size image, right click again and select 'save as'
• Save it to a place on your computer where you can easily find it
• Send it to your favorite photo developer, find a frame and you can cross another Christmas gift off your list.
• Please only use these for personal use!
• Enjoy!!

Here are all the colors of  free digital downloads I made for 'Keep Calm and Bluff On':

Do you see this hanging in your basement? Does anyone you know love poker as much as my husband and brother-in-law?

I am very happy to say that is one more person of my Christmas list!

Enjoy and have a great weekend!
Stephanie

Keep Calm and Love Horses - Free Printable

Do any of you have daughters, sons, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, etc. who love horses? Well, I have a frugal gift for you! This 8x10 printable will cost you around $2 to make; it costs under $1 to print, $1 to frame (if you buy it at the Dollar or Thrift Store). You can't beat a $2 Christmas gift!

As I have mentioned a few times, my sister lives on an old farm built in the 1890's. Ever since she moved there, her daughter has loved horses. After years of horse back riding lessons, she is now begging to get her own horse. I don't think that will be happening any time soon, so I thought I would make her a framed "Keep Calm and Love Horses" piece for Christmas.  I am planning a Homemade Christmas again this year, so I had to start early. Be prepared, I will be making lots of printables, so you might see quite a few of this sort of posts. Don't worry I will offer them all for free, so hopefully you can check off a few people on your list as I am doing the same.
I am not sure which color I like the best, but I think I am drawn to the teal and the Tiffanyish color.

I won't go through details as to how I made this, simple because I really don't think most of you care :) (I will tell you that the font is called Keep Calm and can be found on most free font websites and the horse was a free PNG image I found on the internet. PNG images have transparent backgrounds, so they are perfect for projects like this.)

I will just give you the free download in a selection of colors that will hopefully match your decor.

These can be printed as 8x10s by simply downloading the image and sending it to your favorite print shop.

To download one these images to print:

• Leave me a comment letting me know who you are going to use this for, which color you prefer or if you would like another color, let me know and I can see what I can do for you.
• Right click on the image you want and select open in a new window or tab
• On the full size image, right click again and select 'save as'
• Save it to a place on your computer where you can easily find it
• Send it to your favorite photo developer, find a frame and you can cross another Christmas gift off your list.
• Please only use these for personal use!
• Enjoy!!

 Here are all the colors I have made:

 

 

Is there anyone on your Christmas list you can use this for? Is there any other 'Keep Calm' you would like to me to make and offer as a free download?

Enjoy!

Stephanie

My Oma is...Coasters from Grandkids

I know it is really early for Mother's Day gift ideas, but if I don't share this now I am going to be too busy and not get it posted in time. So at least this way you have plenty of time to use this idea for yourself.

I had these marble tiles laying around from the many other coasters I have made in the past. The first was the half-marathon bib coaster I made for my husband and the second set was the monogrammed coasters I made for a girl friend who was retiring. I purchased these tiles at Habitat for Humanity's ReStore but you can find them for really reasonable at HomeDepot or Lowes.

My mother is lovingly called Oma by her five adoring grandchildren. As with every family, each child has his or her own special relationship with their Oma. So, I thought what better way to express that unique relationship then to ask each of them to describe their Oma with one word and make a set of 6 coasters with those words.

I love how each description was a representation of each child and my mom knew immediately which coaster was from which grandchild. 

Materials

• Marble tiles (unsealed)
• StazOn permanent ink stamp - This permanent stamp can be purchased at Michael's for around $7 (I believe) and if you use a coupon you can get it for 40% less.
• Vinyl or stickers to use as template
• Sponge brush

Method

There are many ways you can do this craft. I designed and cut the templates out of vinyl with my Cricut, but you can use stickers from the dollar store or even stamps to make them.

I started off by cleaning the tiles with a damp cloth. When I purchased them, they seem to have a powder all over them.

Once dry, I stuck the vinyl directly to the tile. I placed the vinyl in different locations and directions on the tiles so they were more whimsical.

Using StazOn permanent stamping ink in black, I brushed the stamping ink over the vinyl with a sponge brush.

I found it worked best to wipe the brush across the template as opposed to dab it. I waited a minute and did a second coat to get a really dark black.

Here is the one tile I dabbed the sponge on; you can see how the ink bled under the vinyl and didn't give a crisp line. It did not look horrible but not as nice as the others.

Here is one where I brushed the ink across the vinyl like I was painting it on. See much crisper.

Once all the tiles are stamped and all the vinyl/stickers have been removed, you need to bake the tiles to make the stamp permanent and fade resistant.

Don't judge the how dirty my toaster over is...I use it for everything!

I baked my tiles in my toaster oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Once the time was up, I turned off the toaster oven and let them cool in there. They retain the heat for a long time so please be careful.

Also, don't venture too far away when they are baking just in case your tiles do not like to be heated. Just be careful and aware!

I did not put a sealant over the tiles they they can absorb the sweat from cold drinks.

After they were cooled, I put rubber stoppers from the dollar store on the back. I have used the soft felt ones before but found they slid off tables really easily. So these work much better!

I had each of the kids write their names and date on the back of the tiles with permanent markers.

My mom loves them and the kids love to use their own coasters when they visit. The kids have even noticed when Oma was using their coaster, so she now has to pay attention to not use one all the time. Share the coaster love amongst all the grand kids :)

So that is it. Simple, easy, cheap but most importantly personal gift idea!

What do you think..do you see the possibilities with this? Mother's day gift, father's day gift, teacher gifts...really you could give these for so many different occasions.

Stephanie

A Dad is...DIY Wood Quote/Magnetic Photo Holder

As I previously mentioned, I set a goal of making most of my Christmas gifts from scratch this past Christmas; however, I really struggled with the gifts for my husband and my brothers.

I had Pinned something similar to this ages ago (here) that I liked but I didn't know how to create the exact look I wanted.

I was talking with my sister and we came up with the idea of using a piece of old barn board flooring from her barn (built over 120 years ago) to make this. My sister found a piece of wood that was approximately 12 inches wide and lightly planed it to get a smoother surface.

If you, like me, don't have access to old wood, you can buy freshly cut 12 inch wide planks from a local hardware store and distress it to get a similar look. Take a hammer to it, scratch it up, sand it a bit here and there. It is quite easy to do.

We cut 12 inch squares and lightly sanded the rough edges. We loved the imperfections, so we did not sand the top and once we were happy with the look, we sealed it using the same sealant I had laying around and used for the tree stump coasters.

Isn't the color gorgeous!? That is without staining it!

I designed and cut the saying out of black vinyl on my Cricut.  The metal circle was something I had laying around from the Dollar Store (it was used to hold 5 magnets that I purchased). It was originally bright silver, so I spray painted it Oil Rubbed Bronze. Once it was dry, I hot glued it to the wood.

I found pictures I liked of my husband with each of our children. He didn't like how I picked photos of him with his glasses on but we can always change them!

I put metal hangers on the back of the wood so we could hang it, but I prefer standing behind my couch on the table using a plate stand. Either way I display it, I love it!

Since we found all the materials for this project around the house, we were able to make these for nothing. If I didn't have all the materials, I think I could do this for around $10 each (if making a few).

What do you think? I know need to find something equally great for Father's Day!

Stephanie

DIY Eucalyptus Yoga Mat Cleaner/Freshener - Easy Gifts Ideas on a Budget (Part 6)

I decided, at the last minute, to add this Eucalyptus yoga mash freshener for my sister and sister-in-law's spa basket. I know it isn't a perfect fit with bath salts etc., but if you have ever had a smelly yoga mat before, you might appreciate this. Both my sister's love yoga and I thought this might be well liked. Plus, it took no effort and I had all the ingredients on hand... both are great things when making gifts!

In case you are new to this series, here is my running list of spa related items I making (and sharing with you):

• Lavender bath salt ($2) DONE
• Lavender sugar scrub ($2.50) DONE
• Lavender scented wax cubes ($0.50) DONE
• Spa towel ($7)
• Lavender scented Catalytic Lamp oil (you know like Lampe Berger oil) ($2.50) DONE
• Lavender linen water ($1.50) DONE
• Eucalyptus Yoga Mat spray/cleaner ($0.50) DONE

If you have not heard of Yoga Mat cleaners/fresheners, well all they really are is a spray that has antibacterial qualities(since eucalyptus is antibacterial) that freshen and clean your yoga mat. You simple give you mat a spritz and wipe it down. You can use other essential oils that are also antibacterial for this recipe; I have hear lavender is antibacterial as well, but I really wanted to use eucalyptus for this one. 

I have seen these little spray bottle being sold for around $10 at a local yoga studio. I am not sure the ingredients in those ones, but mine cost my around $0.50 to make and I know they don't have any chemicals. Perfect!

Materials Needed:

• 6 tablespoons Vinegar
• 2 tablespoon Distilled Water
• 20-30 drops Eucalyptus essential oil (or lavender)
• Small spray bottle (My bottle was in a travel pack of 3 from the Dollar store)

Note: If you want to do a large batch of this,  you can use the recipe as 3 parts vinegar to 1 part water and add essential oil to your personal preference.

Mix the vinegar and essential oil together in the little spray bottle. Add the distilled water and you are done!

To clean your mat:

1. Spray the cleaner liberally over the surface of your mat.
2. Wipe with a damp cloth or sponge.
3. When the cleaner has been removed, 'buff' the mat with a soft dry cloth.
4. Repeat on the other side.
5. Allow your mat to air dry.

Has anyone ever used a yoga mat spray like this before? Have you ever made your own?

Merry Christmas everyone.
Stephanie

DIY Lavender Linen Water - Easy Gifts on a Budget (Part 5)

Sorry for the delay in posting this recipe. I have been kind of frazzled the past week or so. I thought I was completely under control with my 80% home made gift goal until I realized we are in December.

I knew what I was making everyone but had I finished them, no! So that is where I have been. So, my posts might come a few at a time or there might be days in between. But I will get everything posted!

Here is where I am with my spa DIY gift. In case you are new to this series, here is my running list of spa related items I making (and sharing with you):

• Lavender bath salt ($2) DONE
• Lavender sugar scrub ($2.50) DONE
• Lavender scented wax cubes ($0.50) DONE
• Spa towel ($7)
• Lavender scented Catalytic Lamp oil (you know like Lampe Berger oil) ($2.50) DONE
• Lavender linen water ($1.50) DONE
• Eucalyptus Yoga Mat spray/cleaner ($0.50)
• Lavender reed diffuser (Not done yet so I don't have an approximate cost) I decided not to make this.. sorry
  

I love Lavender linen water. I have used it in my iron, sprayed it on my sheets and towels to freshen them, added it to laundry and used it as air freshener. This is the first time I have made it myself and I am a little shocked at how stores charge what they do for this.

Materials Needed:

• 2 cups Distilled water (I read this prevents mold from growing)
• 20-30 drops of Lavender essential oil (or what ever scent you want)
• 3 tablespoons of Vodka (I know you all let out a little scream for using vodka but it helps the oil mix with water. Just use your cheapest vodka for this)
• Spray bottle or jar 

I don't really drink, so, I had to send my husband a note while he was at work to ask which bottle to use. I had his really pricey one out about to use it when he responded. I made 5 of these so 3 tablespoons times 5 would have added up :) Good thing he checked his email.

This recipe for Lavender scented linen water was really easy. Some sites will say to mix it all together and you are done.

Here is what one trick I learned that you need to know when making this yourself...mix the vodka and essential oil together before you add the distilled water! This will prevent oil bubbles floating throughout your linen water. So add the vodka to your spray bottle, add your essential oil, swish it around and add your water.

It is really that easy! I didn't even feel it was necessary to share the making of photos.

The grand total is hard to estimate. The bottle cost me $1 at the Dollar store, a huge bottle of distilled water cost $1 and the oil was around $20 but I have used it for all my spa items and still have over half left. So I think $1.50 is a reasonable guesstimate (shockingly, that word did not come up as spelled incorrectly..it is now a word :) ).

How are you Christmas gifts coming along?

Stephanie