Posts Tagged ‘free’

Freebie: Please Knock Printable

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This post is inspired by a note I saw on Instagram yesterday. I thought I’d get all paper crafty and bust out my fancy decorative papers for a quick printable DIY. Let’s make notes telling our visitors to knock cute today. You can get fancypants with decorative paper, or go plain jane and simply print on the paper you’ve got on hand.

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Simply print, cut and (if applicable) fill in the blank!

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There’s a fill-in-the-blank version for any other need you may have. We had a doorbell busted sign on our front door for about 3 months, then Chris discovered that fixing the doorbell wasn’t as complicated as he had once thought. 5 minutes later, the sign was gone.

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I used an ombre paper and 6 inch Lucky 8 punch* to make my sign just a tad cuter. And as luck would have it, it nested perfectly inside my coffee filter wreath.

Side note, the coffee filter wreath has done remarkably well considering it gets wet everytime we get rain or snow. Color me impressed!

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And the No Solicitors sticker has been doing its job as well. Lucky us! Click the below link to download the printable knock sign.

And hey! If you like this printable, subscribe! Follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or RSS. Thanks for stopping by!

This tutorial/freebie is free for personal use and should not be distributed/republished without my consent. Altering any files is NOT ALLOWED. If you would like to use this freebie for commercial purposes, please email me. Thanks!

*Products provided by We R Memory Keepers. Printable, images and thoughts are all my own. 

 

Redesigned: Stinky Guts Printable

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We’ve not gotten in the mood for Valentine’s yet. Is anyone else in the same boat? I’ve got to get going on some Valentine treats, but I’m still at a loss for something clever to do. I’m sure I’ll pull something out at the last minute, in typical Melissa fashion.

Last year around this time I made a little love note for Chris’s bathroom, but I’ve never been that happy with the lettering. It’s fine, but every time I sit at the toilet I think of all of the little mistakes I made.  This morning I buckled down and redid the thing. I may as well with Valentine’s day around the corner. So here it is.

I’ve digitized it, played around with some colors and I’m offering it as a free printable. I do hope you enjoy and surprise your loved one with this funny quote above the toilet. Click the button below to download.

• Terms of Use •

This freebie is free for personal use and should not be distributed without my consent. I love getting shout outs from around the web, so please link with love. Do not copy this text, publish more than 1-2 photos or outright steal this idea for commercial publications. If you would like to use this freebie for commercial purposes, please email me. Thanks!

Adjustable Knot Leather Bracelet

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One of my Alt Summit friends recently posted about how to make an adjustable knot, you know, the ones that you use when making friendship bracelets. It got my wheels turning and I put a few scraps to good use.

Right now, layering 2-20 bracelets couldn’t be more popular. I’ve found myself doing this quite a bit. I’m not one to sport a ton of bracelets, mostly because they get in the way as I type and work on art projects. These leather bracelets are so low profile, I don’t notice them much at all. If this isn’t your cup of tea, check out my other bracelet tutorials. I have enough for you to decorate both of your arms.

Friendship BraceletDouble-Wrap Bracelet • Magic Braided Bracelet

Bow Bracelet • Bow Cuff • Wallet Cuff • Twisted Leather Bracelet 

Check out the outfit here.

Why not stock up on some leather scraps & make a few more with me? If you’re looking to get leather scraps, head over to your local upholstery shop & ask if they have any leather scraps they’re about to toss. Often times they do. They’re typically big enough for a project like this & you’re doing the Upholstery shop a favor by helping them put scraps to good use. Alternatively you could purchase scraps from your local Tandy Leather supply or online from Freshly Picked.

Read the tutorial after the jump!

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Yellow Pages Booster Seat Tutorial

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I feel like the yellow pages are such a waste of paper in this digital age! Either they collect dust for the next renters to deal with, or they get dumped the recycling bin. Hardly fair for something straight off the press, don’t you think? Last week we got our beloved yellow pages delivered on our doorstep. Chris brought it in & suggested that we recover it & use it as a booster seat for Penelope. She’s stopped eating in her highchair & is much too short to successfully transport food from her plate to her mouth. Of course I needed to cover this. Why hadn’t the though occurred to me before?

Sometimes I totally ride on the creative coattails of others. Like my husband.

Those are tennis balls on the legs of the chair. AND yes, they’re awesome.

I did it. It didn’t take long to figure out, although I did end up unpicking a few seams along the way. Besides stopping & photographing the steps, this project took a half an hour. I used a thick canvas for our cover because a) it was on hand & b) it matched our chairs. I think oilcloth would be perfect for this project.

Yellow Pages Booster Seat Tutorial

Supplies:

  • pencil
  • washable marker
  • measuring tape
  • pins
  • sewing machine
  • thread
  • fabric (1/4 yd)
  • ribbon (1 yd)
  • yellow pages

Measure your yellow pages. Mine were 20 inches x 24 3/4 inches. Make sure to measure accurately, but not too tight, otherwise you might be cursing me later.

Cut your fabric. From the measurements I took I used a simple formula to calculate my measurements:

X ÷ 2 + 1 = WIDTH         Y ÷ 2 + 1 = HEIGHT

Cut two squares using the above formula & cut a third rectangle at: HEIGHT x 4 inches.

Snag one of your large rectangular pieces & the small one & fold the long edge over twice (for a clean edge on both sides) iron and hem. Set aside.

Cut ribbon in half & fold each half in half. Grab the remaining large rectangle (the one without the hem) & pin the ribbon 3 inches from each corner along the long side of the fabric with the ribbon fold flush to the edge of the rectangle. Pin ribbon in place.

Place large, hemmed rectangle right-side down on top of your ribbon. Match the long unhemmed side to the side where ribbons are secured. You want to have the ribbons opposite of the envelope opening.

Place the smaller rectangle right-side down on top of the two fabric pieces. Line up the unhemmed side to the bottom of the first rectangle. Pin all pieces in place. Sew along all four sides with a 1/2 inch seam allowance.

While the casing is still inside out, slip your yellow pages into the cover (binding side first) & pinch off corners (the two corners that are opposite of the envelope opening. Pinch the excess fabric & mark a line where the edge of the yellow pages are.

Remove yellow pages from casing & sew along those two perpendicular lines. This will create two boxed corners.

Flip casing right side out & insert yellow pages binding side first. When enclosing the envelope, bend the pages of your book in order to get the envelope over the book. Push pages back into place.

Tie the book to a chair & use as a booster seat! Enjoy!

For your convenience, click the button above to download the printable version of the tutorial. Cheers!

This tutorial is free for personal use and should not be distributed/republished without my consent. Altering the file NOT ALLOWED. If you would like to use this tutorial for commercial purposes, please email me. Thanks!

Oh, and by the way. . . I just finally updated the tutorials page!! Check it out to see if you’ve missed anything.

2010 Christmas Candy Box

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It’s the time of year when my sisters (and perhaps my mom) and I get together & make caramels & dip pretzels for all of our friends. I look forward to this get-together every year. There’s something about being with the women I love most & chatting away in the hot kitchen that I just love. Do you have any Christmas/holiday traditions like that?

Well, I’m very excited to share with you this year’s (the 4th annual!) Christmas candy box. This year’s is a two-fer. I’ve included one with “Happy Holidays” and one without. The one that says Happy Holidays measures about 4.25″ x 5.25″ x 1″. The plain one is about half the size. If you’re not one to send sweet confections, this is the perfect container for small gifts like jewelery, gift cards, small journals, etc!

Here’s a preview of the plain one.

I do hope you get around to using this printable! For your convenience I’ve also included links to previous years’ candy boxes. Enjoy!!

More Christmas Candy Printables (By Year)

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 | 2012 | 2013

These printables are free for personal use and should not be distributed without my consent. If you would like to use any of them for commercial purposes, please email me. Thanks!

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