baby jean skirt - guest tutorial at kojo designs

I sewed!  Finally!  Check out my newest tutorial for a baby jean skirt over at kojodesigns today.

It looks so cute on Ruby, I made her three.  It's a fast project!

Then I spent the rest of the weekend kissing these cheeks:

smiles and wheat

 Sorry friends, no new project today.  Soon!  In the meantime, look who's smiling!  :)

On a related note ... can anyone recommend some awesome gluten-free recipes?  Someone seems to have a wheat allergy, and mama needs a cookie.  Help!

simple headband

This is about all I can manage to sew these days ... a few hand stitches to make an easy headband.  I unpacked the sewing machine over the weekend to give me some motivation, but for some reason, crafting after midnight doesn't have the allure that it used to.  Bare with me!

alphabet flashcards

Oscar is starting to learn his letters ... only I can't take credit for it, because he is learning them from a program called Super Why! on PBS.  In the spirit of back-to-school, and because I'd rather be teaching him the alphabet myself, I made some alphabet flashcards.

I made the cards in Powerpoint using the cutest clip art I could find, and a few simple images I made myself (like the balloon and  kite).

UPDATE:  I don't have a secret source for the clip art - it was all from the basic library that comes with Microsoft Office.  You can also download their clip art for free online.

There are two cards for each letter (I wanted to capture all the long/short, hard/soft letter sounds), so I plan to put the matching letter cards back to back, have them laminated, and loop them on a metal ring.  I think I'll make flashcards for colors and numbers as well.

Get your own free copy HERE.  Enjoy!

Silhouette Winner

Jennipher - you are my Silhouette SD giveaway winner!  Please email me your contact information to homemadebyjill@gmail.com.  If I do not hear from you by Friday, August 13, I'll select a new winner.

Thanks to everyone who entered!  I was blown away by the number of entries.  I just wish I had more machines to give away.

If you can't live without a Silhouette, don't forget about the great promos available to you - the best deal is still active until midnight tonight, and the other good promo is active from August 10-14.

1) Truly Amazing promo - Purchase a Silhouette online by midnight, August 9th and enter the code homemade and you'll receive:

- $50 off the Silhouette Craft Cutter

- 2 rolls of vinyl (Valued at $15.98)

- 1 roll of transfer tape (Valued at $7.99)

- Scraper (Valued at $6.99)

- Home Décor CD (Valued at $50)

- $10 Gift Card to the Silhouette Download Store

- Cutting Blade

- 2 Cutting Mats

All for $249.99

A Savings of $130.96

Just think of how much you’ll save on gift giving this year!

2) Still really great promo - Purchase a Silhouette online between August 10 and midnight, August 14th and enter the code homemade and you'll receive:

$50 off (receive for $249.99)

2 rolls of Heat transfer ($29.89 value)

$10 Gift Card to the Silhouette Download Store

Cutting Blade

2 Cutting Mats

All for $249.99

A savings of $79.98

sprucing up the pantry with vinyl

If you are looking for the Silhouette giveaway, click here.

I experimented with vinyl on my Silhouette yesterday by giving my pantry a little facelift. 

First, I added labels to the plastic containers that store my baking ingredients.  Then I added a little conversion chart to the inside of my cupboard door for measurements I am always forgetting. 

I've never cut vinyl before, and I was so pleased with how easy it was to cut and apply.  I'm tempted to add a little vinyl design to my refrigerator door as well (and am doing my best to not get carried away and vinyl everything).

Want to see a clever way to use vinyl to make custom artwork?  Vanessa at V & Co. has also been posting about Silhouette this week, and I love how she used it on canvas.

The Silhouette Giveaway here ends tonight at midnight, so don't forget to enter if you haven't already.  I'll be choosing a random winner over the weekend and will announce who the lucky person is on Monday!

impromptu baby celebration

If you are looking for the Silhouette giveaway, click here.

This morning I hosted a little surprise baby celebration.  A friend of mine is due with baby #2 in just two short weeks and doesn't want a baby shower ... but that doesn't mean we shouldn't celebrate (plus it gave me an excuse to really take my new Silhouette out for a whirl).  Last night I made a few quick decorations, gathered yummy treats, and was all set to party at today's playgroup.

I purchased the cupcake wrapper and elephant templates at the Silhouette digital store, and the pennant banner was made using free images.  Since I used only materials I had on hand, all of the decorations cost me less than $2.  That's reason enough to party.

The trouble with surprise parties, though, is that the guest of honor is pretty clueless.  So when the mama-to-be didn't join us for playgroup because her toddler had a runny nose, it was a real bummer.  I won't be deterred ... it is all getting boxed up to drop off post-naptime.

Some of the other playgroup mama's and I whipped up a few onesies and baby tees as a gift, using the heat transfer material (I love that stuff!).  Recognize the birds from my blog banner?  I imported images from Picnik right into the Silhouette software.  So handy!  Hmmm ... now Ruby is going to need a Homemade by Jill onesie.

my new love: silhouette craft cutter (GIVEAWAY CLOSED)

I told you this was big ...

A couple weeks ago I was shipped a Silhouette SD Craft Cutter to test out ... with the understanding that if I didn't like it, I could send it right on back with no obligation.  I couldn't resist!  And, um ... I'm keeping the Silhouette, thank-you-very-much.

I've always been under the impression that craft cutters were for the scrapbooking set only.  So while I can see how this product would definitely appeal to scrapbookers, the Silhouette is made for anyone who loves to craft.  If you like to make personalized gifts, home decor, DIY clothing, or just awesome stuff in general, this is the tool for you.  This slim little beauty can cut paper, cardstock, vinyl, and heat transfer material.  I don't know how I crafted without it!  Ok, that is a little over-dramatic, but the point is, I really love it.

The Silhouette hooks right up to your computer so you don't need a bunch of cartridges or extra tools.  You can download literally thousands of images from their online store for a very reasonable price, or simply create your own using the included software. In my mind, this is its best feature, for paper cutting alone - it is like having an unlimited source of paper punches in every shape and size imaginable.

I can't wait to use it for ...

The Silhouette is awesome for paper party crafts - it has templates for favor boxes, cupcake wrappers, table tent cards, cake stencils(!) ... you name it. With a click of a few buttons, you could easily (and quickly) create an entire party theme and decorations (and later this week, I'll show you how).

Of course, the first thing I had to try was the heat transfer.  I couldn't resist decorating a few onesies for the baby.  For the pink onesie, I created my own image using a free graphic and font that came with the machine's software (there is a whole image and font library built in).  For the white onesie, I downloaded the flower graphic (detailed flower 1 by Sweet Afton)  from the online store.

If you want to see even more examples of what this amazing little machine can do, just check out the Silhouette website or blog. 

So, are you ready for the giveaway?  You can win:

A Silhouette Machine  

(a $299.99 value)

And it includes...

• Silhouette machine
• Software for Windows XP/Vista
• Power cable, USB cable
• 2 Cutting mats (one for thick media, one for thin media)
• One cutting blade
• $10 gift card to the Silhouette Online Store

This giveaway is now closed!  Thanks for entering!

You know you want it!  Let's keep things simple ... there is only ONE way to enter.  Visit the Silhouette website and take a look around.  Then come back and leave a comment on this post by August 7th telling me how you'd use your new favorite craft tool (as if you could pick just one project).   The winner will be randomly selected on August 8th.  This giveaway is available only to U.S. residents (sorry!).  The only rules: one entry per person and you have to leave me some way to contact you - anonymous comments will be ignored.

Silhouette is also offering a couple of fantastic promos to my readers!

1) Truly Amazing promo - Purchase a Silhouette online by midnight, August 9th and enter the code homemade and you'll receive:

- $50 off the Silhouette Craft Cutter

- 2 rolls of vinyl (Valued at $15.98)

- 1 roll of transfer tape (Valued at $7.99)

- Scraper (Valued at $6.99)

- Home Décor CD (Valued at $50)

- $10 Gift Card to the Silhouette Download Store

- Cutting Blade

- 2 Cutting Mats

All for $249.99

A Savings of $130.96

Just think of how much you’ll save on gift giving this year!

2) Still really great promo - Purchase a Silhouette online between August 10 and midnight, August 14th and enter the code homemade and you'll receive:

$50 off (receive for $249.99)

2 rolls of Heat transfer ($29.89 value)

$10 Gift Card to the Silhouette Download Store

Cutting Blade

2 Cutting Mats

All for $249.99

A savings of $79.98