Favorite Sewing Product Highlight: My Rotary Cutter

Hi everyone!
How do you cut out your projects?

When I first started sewing I didn't even know what a rotary cutter was. I was using scissors to cut out every single project. It took forever, and could be quite frustrating getting the measurements and my lines straight some times. Until I discovered the rotary cutter. I was a little intimidated to try it at first, but once I did, I was hooked.

Now it is one of my favorite sewing products and I use it more often than my scissors. I use it for almost every project because it makes cutting large, straight lines so much easier.
Here is the one I have:

It is the OLFA 60mm Straigh Hand Standard Rotary Cutter. You can purchase it right from the link above.

(I am part of the amazon affiliates program, so I will get compensation if you purchase from my link. All opinions of this product are from my own personal experiences.) 

(See how straight the lines are?)

The steel blade is so sharp, and cuts through multiple layers smooth as butter. I've used mine to cut cotton, fleece, flannel, terry cloth, and even denim. I've had it for about 9 months now, and the blade is still going strong too. 

I recommend buying a clear ruler to use with it. It really helps to line the ruler up against where you want to cut, and run the blade alongside the ruler. 

And as always, use a self healing mat along with this rotary cutter. 

Have you ever tried a rotary cutter? Which one is your favorite? I'd love to hear about your rotary cutter experiences!

First Dance + Song Lyrics Wedding Picture Tutorial Part 1: How to create a photo graphic

November 28, 2009. 

A day that changed my life forever. 

In one of the best ways possible. 

The day I became Mrs. Kyle Leahy.

I will never forget our first dance as husband & wife. We were both so nervous, in a smiley, embarrassed kind of way. We aren't great dancers + we don't like to be the center of attention. But when I walked up there to the dance floor- with the most handsome man alive- my husband{!} all of that nervousness I felt melted away. It was just me and him. Forever. Always. My Endless Love.

We chose Endless Love as our song because it's a song that we both love. We chose the Mariah Carey and Luther Vandross version. We feel the lyrics of the song fit our relationship perfectly. I just love everything about the song, and it is even more special now that it is our song. 

I found this picture of a couples first dance  with the words from the song printed it on pinterest, and knew I wanted to make one. For most of my graphics, I use PicMonkey.com to create them. It is fun, and easy to use, and can turn most pictures into something amazing with just a little creativity. My only complaint is that sometimes the editing and saving is a little slow. But as long as I don't have many pictures to edit, I can handle it.

So for this project, I found our cds with our wedding photos, and took a little trip down memory lane, getting distracted a few times before deciding on this picture to use.

I uploaded it into picmonkey, using the edit a photo button, cropped it to the size I wanted {in this case, 8x10}, and began editing. 

First, I took all the color out of it using their colors tab on the left side. Then, I adjusted the exposure so it was a little darker. I wanted the shadows to be darker than normal so the white words would stick out on it a little better.

{On the left side of the screen there are basic edit buttons. For most of my photos I use exposure, color, and crop.}

Next I started the process of adding the text. To get text options, click on the "P" on the left side of the screen. There you will find an add text button, and a vast variety of font options. Play around with the fonts to see which one you like.

Click the "add text" button at the top left, and a box will pop up on the screen. From there you can adjust the size, placement, orientation font, and color of the text. While making mt picture, I used a different text box for every phrase, or size of the text. This made it easy to adjust and move the text around to be how I wanted it. I also used the circle above the text to rotate some of the words for variety. There were some words I left out too. This project is completely flexible, and easy to personalize.

When everything looks how you want it to look, click save at the top of your screen. This will allow you to download your file back to your computer. I usually just click "download it" under "Having trouble saving your photo?" because the other saving option doesn't always work for me. 

I have made so many graphics and great pictures using PicMonkey. There are so many ways to use the website to create amazing things. There is even a Royal, or paid version {like a membership}, but so far, I haven't needed it. I use all of their free options. 

Here are some of the other graphics I have made using PicMonkey.

Now, I will upload the wedding lyrics picture file to my favorite photo printing website, and order an 8x10 picture. When I receive it, I will show you how I plan to make a photo canvas out of it for our wall.

I'd love to see your photo creations, if you make any using PicMonkey. Please share them with me on Facebook, or email them to me at HootandBumble@gmail.com

**Updated to add the link for Part 2 pf this project: how to create a photo canvas**

{Ask Elizabeth} How to Set Up a Craft Table

Welcome to my first Ask Elizabeth Series post. As I may have mentioned before, I am so super excited about this series, and to start off, I have a great question sent in by a reader.

Susana asks:

"I've been wanting to set up a craft table for myself at home. What are the essentials that I need on there and how could I get it well organized?"

Great question, Susana. I first want to start off by saying, a craft room is one of my biggest dreams. Right now I have a corner of our basement set up for all of my craft supplies. I lug all of my materials for one project up the steps when I need it, and then back down the steps when I am finished so we can eat meals. When setting up a craft area, it is very important to consider a few things. Here is my dream craft space {more like a craft room. Maybe someday.}

Found on Pinterest

What do you need to consider when setting up a craft room?

- How much space do you need?
- How much space do you have available?
- What types of crafts will you be doing in the space?
- How much time will you be spending there?

Personally, I would want a space near a window, with lots of natural light, and not easily accessible to my 3 year old. I spend a lot of time crafting, and would want something comfortable, relaxing, and with enough space that I don't feel cluttered.

After you decide where you will set up, you should decide which type of work space you need. Do you need a table? A few tables, that can serve as different types of "stations"? What else does your space need to inlcude? For example, most of my projects are sewing related. I typically set my kitchen up with 3 different work stations when I sew- a cutting/pinning/prepping station. an ironing station, and my sewing machine space. If I were to set up a craft area, these are the 3 must have spaces I would include.  

Now you can move on to getting set up. I like to keep the things I use a lot right in my reach. My scissors, rotary cutter, pins, pencils, etc. are usually on top of my table. You can use decorative cans or cups to hold your supplies {maybe even some aluminum cans, that have been painted or covered in scrapbook paper}.

Found on Pinterest

One of my favorite ways to store craft supplies is in clear jars. Either mason jars or even cleaned out glass sauce jars or pickle jars. They are so pretty, they can be left out on a shelf, and the supplies can be the art. Storage for craft supplies doesn't have to cost money.

Found on Pinterest

If you have the wall space, peg boards are a great way to organize craft spaces. They are completely adjustable, cheap, & they look great too.

Found on Pinterest

 

For other supplies, like paper or fabric, I like to have cubbies, or drawers to hide them in. I believe that everything should have a place. If not, it is hard to keep things organized. There's nothing worse than needing a certain pair of scissors, or a particular ribbon to complete a project, and not being able to find it.

Found on Pinterest

Setting up a craft room can be fun. It doesn't have to cost a lot of money, and you don't have to have a lot of space either. If you spend some time thinking and planning it out, you can make it a place you want to spend your free time, and the possibilities are endless! Have fun with it, and make it the creative space a craft area should be!

{If you have any questions about this post, or want to submit a new question for next weeks Ask Elizabeth post, please comment below, find me on Facebook, or email me at HootandBumble@gmail.com}


Elizabeth
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