Archive for the ‘sponsored’ Category

2019 Easter Treat Box Free Printable

2 Comments

This post is sponsored by Canon. 

I’ve been a long-time Canon printer fan. I previously had, and LOVED, the Canon MG5620 for 5 years and loved it (here’s the newer version at $75). When I got the opportunity to try their TS9521C Craft Printer, I jumped at the chance! I set it up successfully all by myself. In an afternoon.

The craft printer boasts printing 12×12 borderless, I’ve ALSO successfully been able to print borderless 11×17 as well. So score, right? A larger printer that can handle bigger print and cut projects that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg?? I’m sold. 

See the bottom of the post for the download, but if you want the low-down for this printer, check out my pros and cons list. 

PROS: 

  • Easy set up
  • Pre-loaded templates
  • Wireless Printing
  • 12×12 borderless printing*
  • Scanner
  • Duplexing Scanner
  • Front and Rear feeds for different media types

CONS: 

  • Scans legal sized paper, not 12×12
  • It’s not compact
  • Front tray doesn’t work well with thicker paper

These cons by all means aren’t deal breakers at all. It would be amazing to have a larger-format scanner, but it does do 9×12, so that’s pretty darn great. The size of the TS9521C is a fair amount larger than my older Pixma MG5320, but that’s to be expected of a larger-format printer. Just don’t expect it to fit in to super tight spaces. ;) And the front tray doesn’t work well with all of my card stocks. It works with Neenah card stock, but not letterpress. HOWEVER, that’s what the rear tray is for! It’s great to have that option so I can work with thicker card stocks no sweat. 

The cons list aren’t really cons because I’m so excited about this printer. 

*It doesn’t print borderless as a default setting. When you select print, you’ll see the option in print settings where you can select a borderless option in the paper size selection area. See image below. 

I painted up this floral and made a print and cut, and didn’t have to worry about borders. I’d call that a win. 

The box dimensions are 3.75 x 3.75 x 1 inches; It’s the perfect size for a few candies or a cookie. The perfect little treat to gift to someone in celebration of this Easter week. 

There’s something about Easter that makes me go for blues and greens. See below for different file downloads. 

PDF Easter Print & Hand Cut

Silhouette Print & Cut File

More goodies for your Easter Celebrations below: 

2017 Easter Scripture Print2016 Easter Basket Tag • 2016 Easter Box • 2016 Easter Scripture •2014 Easter Banner • 2011 Easter Box • 2010 Easter Box

This post is sponsored by Canon. This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Easy Suminigashi Tutorial

0 Comments
Iron provided by CHI® and Bed Bath & Beyond. Whether taking the wrinkles out of a new bedspread or curtains as the finishing touch on a home décor project, ironing your favorite outfit for a special occasion or flattening paper for artwork the CHI® Electronic Retractable Clothing Iron is the bee’s knees. 

 

SUMINIGASHI!! This marbling technique is so super awesome. It’s one of those projects that doesn’t really require a whole lot of space or preparation. I had everything on-hand for this project, so there was little barrier to entry here. 

HOWEVER, there was a little bit of a learning curve. Check out this little video Hayley and I made about our discoveries through trouble-shooting (the tutorial is at the end if you want to skip to the end there, too). 

In a nutshell, here’s what we found: 

  • Cold water works best
  • You can use soap to help disperse the ink, but you need a large water bath in order to keep the ink from dropping from the surface
  • Use only sumi ink if you plan on using a smaller water bath (we used a kitchen dish for note cards and envelopes)
  • Not all sumi inks work well. Of the sumi inks I have, Yasutomo worked the best
  • We read elsewhere that these colored inks work well, if you want to add color
  • The first paper you pull is often the “first pancake”, don’t stress if it doesn’t work well
  • You can get 3-7 pulls off of one ink application, the ghost images are subtle like Carrara marble

 

Don’t feel like watching the video for the tutorial? Here’s the cliff’s notes version: 

SUPPLIES:

  • sumi ink
  • paper (we loved the crisp results of bristol paper, but anything works!)
  • cold water
  • water container
  • diluted soapy water (only if using a larger container)
  • brush
  • tooth pick or eye dropper
  • the bestest iron ever (yes, a clothing iron)

If you’re doing this project with little people, you may want to add aprons, rubber gloves and a drop cloth to the mix (especially if you’re doing larger ink baths). 

Fill your container with cold water. I chose to use a small container for the video, but I’m on Studio 5 on Tuesday sharing how you can do it with soap and a larger container. So either can be done. 

Get your ink brush wet and load it up with sumi ink. Barely tap the surface of the water and watch the water disperse along the surface. 

Add more dots along the surface, spacing them randomly apart. the longer your brush touches the surface, the larger the dot. 

Get as many dots as you want, until you feel happy with the blank space to ink ratio. 

With a toothpick or eye dropper, drag the tool along the surface to pull and move the ink around. You’ll get little swirls all over. 

Grab your paper and submerse the first paper entirely. 

Pull your print and place on a cookie sheet to dry. If you’re doing envelopes, touch only the surface of the water to the front of the envelope. Hold the envelope by the flap so it doesn’t get wet (otherwise it will seal shut as it dries). 

Now what do you do when the paper dries?? It’s so annoying when papers dry all curly and whatnot. And they will. So iron them! A huge shout out to CHI Heat tools and Bed Bath and Beyond for providing me with a brand-new iron for my sewing and paper crafting. 

I’ve been a Rowenta gal for a long time, but it wasn’t hard to make the switch. It’s light-weight, yet substantial, the plate is silky smooth, the heat time is short, the reservoir for steaming is twice the size of my old one and it has a retractable cord. All wins in my book. If you’re in the market for a new iron, this is it. 

For ironing paper, get a cutting board (something smooth, yet will take heat) and a piece of quilting cotton. Set the iron to COTTON with NO STEAM. Place the cotton over the paper you’re about to iron and press for 15-20 seconds, moving the iron as you go. Flip the paper around  and repeat. The paper may want to curl in the direction of its grain, but it will relax once it cools back down. 

Pretty fun, right? I would recommend doing this in batches to save time. The print or write your desired phrases overtop! 

This post is sponsored by CHI® and Bed Bath & Beyond. All opinions are my own.

Freebie: Printable Baby Shower Invitations

4 Comments

This post is sponsored by The Baby Cubby. Baby Cubby is the go-to for fantastic nursery and baby must-haves.

The marketplace includes the best of indie designers and shop owners. Click here for the baby gift registry, click here for new mom resources. 

Baby cubby isn’t just for new moms. I stocked up for Junie for Christmas with all sorts of darling duds and tactile toys that leave her entertained for hours. 

A friend of mine is expecting a baby, and all of us in the neighborhood are so excited for her! 

I had fun designing these invitations, they’re feminine, but the blues and pinks in the design still keep it open-ended. 

This was the inspiration behind the invitations. I took this photo at my cousin’s baby shower around 2 years ago. I love this bright and cheery combination. 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

The download includes a fill-in-the-blank version and a design your own version that you can pull into word or any other editing software and add the text yourself. Invites are 5×7, and work with A7 envelopes, like these pretty teal ones.

Printable and its contents are free for personal use only. Any alteration or distribution of the file (beyond adding your own text) without permission is prohibited. 

Sponsored: Envelope Template Freebie with Tiny Prints

4 Comments

This post is sponsored by Tiny Prints. They provide excellent quality printing and amazing printing options to make your holiday cards stand out this year.

I love Tiny Prints. They make sending out Christmas cards a no-brainer. The designs are beautiful and already done for me (we used this one for ours). It’s wonderful to be able to simplify another thing about this time of year without sacrificing tradition. To help you simplify even more, below I’ve included a printable envelope template to help you address your holiday cards quickly. I’ve even included a fun, casual all-caps alphabet exemplar to use with the template.

bestsale-tinyprints-promo-discount-code

melissaesplin-tinyprints-envelope-template-printable-1

Do you have a Silhouette cutter? CLICK HERE to download the .DXF file for the envelope template. You may still want to scroll to the bottom so you can print out the alphabet exemplar as well.

melissaesplin-tinyprints-envelope-template-printable-3

The family photos were totally chaotic, but Sam Pierson captured the energy and love of our family perfectly. And to be quite honest, I love the screaming photos. June was in the worst mood ever, she didn’t want to have anything to do with our photo session. I was worried that we wouldn’t have any good ones, but candid photos  just get me.

melissaesplin-tinyprints-envelope-template-printable-4

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

melissaesplin-tinyprints-envelope-template-printable-5

Use the envelope template for all-caps work with markers or pens (thicker pens work better, in my opinion), or use it in your regular handwriting! Just write the descenders last, after you take off the template.

melissaesplin-tinyprints-envelope-template-printable-6

melissaesplin-tinyprints-envelope-template-printable-7

Shop ornaments here.

With the help of Tiny Prints, I’ve gotten grandparent, teacher, bus driver and friend gifts all taken care of. Their custom wrapping paper is beautiful and you can get it in large rolls to wrap bigger gifts.

melissaesplin-tinyprints-envelope-template-printable-8

Shop gift wrap here.

A huge thanks to Tiny Prints for working with me this year! It’s the third year I’ve partnered with them and I’ve loved every single product I’ve ordered through them. If you have any questions about ordering, just ask!

The freebies in this post are free for personal use only. Alteration or distribution without written consent is prohibited.

Sewing, Weight-Gain & Le Tote

0 Comments

This post is in partnership with Le Tote. They’re like Netflix for clothes. Borrow clothes, wear them, try out new styles and return them. They do the laundering and help with styling and fit! Try it free for 14 days with this special link.

melissaesplin-letote-sewing-1

I’ve talked about depression before. It’s not a big deal when it’s under control with lifestyle, diet and medication. But lately, I’ve been frustrated by one of the most common side effects of my medication: weight gain. It’s like I have no self-control. All I want is sugar and carbs and I’m always hungry.

In the last 2 months, I’ve gained nearly 5% of my body weight. It may not seem like much. And to be honest, it’s not as big a deal as many other medications out there, but it’s significant enough that I don’t feel comfortable. I have a rather healthy body image, so I really don’t mind what I see when I look in the mirror when I get out of the shower, but I don’t feel like I belong in my own clothes.

WEIGHT DOESN’T MATTER, but confidence does. 

Over the last three months, Le Tote has “grown” with me. As I’ve fluctuated, I’ve always had something fabulous to wear. Going through transitional weight phases sucks. It’s happened every time I’ve had a kid. I have a conundrum of wanting to look and feel beautiful, but not wanting to buy clothes in that transitional size for fear that it won’t fit later on. What a waste!

melissaesplin-letote-sewing-2

Le Tote has had my back. They’ve been there to make me feel beautiful inside and out, no matter what my size.

melissaesplin-letote-sewing-3 melissaesplin-letote-sewing-4

melissaesplin-letote-sewing-5

This month I wanted to challenge myself to sew. I’ve had this shirt half done on my cut table for nearly a month, it was time to finish it. I literally used the leftover scraps from two projects (this skirt and this shirt) to piece together this top. I had barely enough fabric! There’s something satisfying about keeping great fabric from going to waste.

melissaesplin-letote-sewing-7

I had a fun time getting back into the sewing game. I made a scout tee and added a ruffle bottom to it. I found the print in the L.A. fabric district and the plum at JoAnn.

melissaesplin-letote-sewing-8

Outfit Details:

 

mobile site