I’m always looking for creative ways to help our kids – and our family as a whole – focus on the reason we celebrate various holidays. We’ve spent time learning about the history of Saint Valentine, celebrating Advent at Christmas together, and of course now, Easter. I’ve been wanting to make these Easter Resurrection Advent Eggs….for 3 years now! Whoops! Better late than never.
As a parent, it’s fun incorporating traditions Andy and/or I had growing up as well as new ones. The Easter Advent or AdventResurrection Eggs tradition wasn’t one either of us had, but we are excited to incorporate it into our family moving forward.
Keep reading for instructions on making your own set, along with links to supplies, as well as links to various ready-made sets for purchase!
The funny – maybe not haha – thing is that I bought these wooden eggs, oh, I don’t know….three years ago? I had really good intentions. I really did. A post for another time, yes, but I am often paralyzed by my drive for perfectionism. I had an image in my head of how I wanted these to look, and I would always find something else to work on before them. Well, I finally tackled it! And guess what: they aren’t how I envisioned, but they are perfectly imperfect.
You could definitely use plastic eggs for this – it’ll be way cheaper! Heck, you can probably make 12 sets of them for the same cost, but I wanted to make something that would last for years (and I’d enjoy putting out on the table each year!).
SUPPLIES
The eggs were really pretty easy once I decided on a plan. I used my ScanNCut (not affiliated with Brother, just still love it) to cut out numbers from painter’s tape. I’ve included the SVG file along with the PDF of verses below. You don’t need a ScanNCut or cutting machine for this project!! Here are some other ideas:
use an x-acto knife to cut out numbers with painter’s tape
use acrylic/watercolor paint to simply paint numbers on each egg
use permanent marker to write the numbers – on either plastic or wooden eggs
if using plastic eggs, you could get vinyl numbers from any craft store ()
paint the eggs with watercolor (no masking), and us a marker/pen to write the numbers after paint has dried
….or do whatever your pretty heart desires!
Next up is filling them! I spent entirely way too much time one night figuring out what to place inside — and I definitely changed my mind a few times. I ended up mixing a few lists together! Feel free to do the same or use the list below. If you google “advent Easter eggs,” “Resurrection Eggs,” or “12 days of Easter eggs,” you should find plenty to choose from. I used the new CSB Bible translation for my printed cards – the PDF has very light lines for you to cut them out. I just rolled each one up and placed inside.
WHAT TO PLACE INSIDE
Day 1: leaf (I cut from paper, but you could use a real one or silk); Mark 11:8-10
Day 2: bread; Matthew 26:26-29
Day 3: 3 dimes; Matthew 26:14-16
Day 4: rope; Matthew 27:1-2
Day 5: chunk of soap; Matthew 27:24-26
Day 6: red fabric; Matthew 27:28-30
Day 7: nail; Matthew 27:31-32
Day 8: dice; Mark 15:24-27
Day 9: strips of white fabric; Matthew 27:57-60
Day 10: flat round rock; Matthew 27:65-66
Day 11: cloves or cinnamon stick; Mark 16:1-3
Day 12: empty; Matthew 28:5-8
He is not here. For he has risen, just as he said.
If you’re guessing we came for the snow, you are 100% wrong. Although if you ask Harlow, she may very well say she came for the snow. I’m usually asked no less than 5 times a week, “when is it going to snow mama? Like my Mr. Al says Boston does?” We used to watch the Today Show together in the morning, and as we were packing boxes, she’d always hear her Mr. Al talk about all the snow falling. She’d exclaim each time: “MAMA! He’s talking about MY BOSTON!”
So yes. She’s might have moved here for the snow. ;)
But in reality, Andy was offered a job that mixed his talents and skills and his heart and hope. Andy’s work has always been in practical special effects, industrial design and animatronics. Since I met him, he’s always been working on incredible (and sometimes really strange) projects and jobs. He would voice to me often how much he loved creating things that made people smile, but how much more fulfilling it would be to use his ability to create something hyper-realistic to help people. When the opportunity to do that — and to help kids specifically — came available, we took a leap of faith and moved to New England.
Andy joined a team made up of incredible people doing incredible things. Harlow loves watching this video and telling people, “my daddy goes to work each day to help kids get better!” She couldn’t be more proud, and I couldn’t be either. Here’s a little snippet of what he and the team are up to!
And now because I have no segue from surgical trainers to leather leaf garland…..
I’ll just give you a photo. I couldn’t be happier about how this garland turned out! It’s easy for me to fall into the “no need to decorate around the boxes” mood, but it’s amazing how a little seasonal decor can brighten the mood. I’m chomping at the bit to get Christmas stuff out — and to share with you all! — but I’m trying hard to give the turkey respect this year!
You all know that I love, and I really mean love, cutting unconventional materials with my ScanNCut2. Leather is one of my absolute favorite materials to work with, and it cuts just beautifully using my ScanNCut2 Machine! I typically use the deep cut blade, depending on the leather’s thickness. For this leather (probably about 2mm thick), I used the following settings.
// depth: 8
// pressure: 8
// speed: 1
*run twice*
Leather often has areas that are thinner and thicker than others, so by cutting twice, I usually catch it all. Sometimes I decrease the blade depth for the second run. I’ll share more about how I determine and find cut settings as I dive into my ScanNCut materials dictionary with you all at the start of 2016 — I’m super excited about it!
We gathered leaves from our backyard to use as patterns for almost all of my fall decor! I scanned them in using the Scanning Mat and the ScanNCut2 RGB Color Recognition scanning feature. Okay, I know that is a mouthful, but basically it just means that now the ScanNCut2 will pick up on more subtle color differences.
After I cut out the leather leaves, I used my sewing machine to create the veins. I’ve included the leaf cut file at the end of this post, and you’ll notice that I created dashed lines for the veining. My advice is to import the file, move the shapes into place and save. Remove the outlines and create the dashed lines using a blade depth of about 3-4 (depending on the thickness of your leather and test cuts). Then open up the original file again — so everything is still in the same place! — and remove the interior dashed lines, leaving the outlines to be cut! Easy peasy.
When I sewed the veins, I lowered the feed dogs on my machine, so I could move the leather freely and create organic lines and movement. I tried to create imperfectly-perfect veining. :)
For the letters, I cut out fabric using appliqué fusible. I cut out 2 of every letter — one mirrored — and ironed them together. I then sewed around the perimeter with about a 1/8″ allowance. I wanted them to have sort of a scrappy-frayed look. I’m smitten.
Attaching them to the string was the easiest task of all. I kept the extra fabric from the letters and cut little squares/rectangles. I measured the spaces between the letters and leaves and using the squares, I ironed the string in place on the back of the shapes. I found the center of my design and tried to measure the spaces from the center of each letter or shape.
I feel like I’m making this more confusing that it was or needs to be: just decide how long you want the garland to be and how you want the shapes placed….and iron away!
What is your favorite way to decorate for Fall and Thanksgiving? I’m working on some script name cards that I’ll be sharing next week! You can download the block letter alphabet that I created last year, here.
We are hosting Thanksgiving next week for Andy’s family — we will be eating off of card tables, but that’s not what matters, right? ;) Tell me: what are your favorite Thanksgiving traditions??
I have been wanting to make a mobile for Jones since before he was born. In my mind, I had it all figured out, of course. One early September afternoon, Harlow and I sat outside and painted wooden shapes that I thought just maybe would become a mobile, but they just weren’t quite right.
So I threw in the towel and kept creating this mobile in my head…until now.
One of the great things about having a baby is that you’re up in the middle of the night. Haha, I’m serious. It’s kind of awesome. I love rocking Jones around 2am, because it’s always when my ideas come to me — and since I am already awake, I don’t miss them. ;)
I love cutting wood veneer with my Brother ScanNCut, but it is also one of the materials I am most frequently asked about.
How do you cut the wood veneer?
How thick is the wood veneer?
What mat and settings do you use?
Well I’m going to get to all of those questions today! I have four tips and tricks that I want to share with you. My hope is that you come away from this a bit more confident about cutting wood veneer with your ScanNCut machine. I also have the download for the mobile shapes below if you’d like to use this project to practice.
TIPS & TRICKS
1 | Use Painter’s Tape or Masking Tape to hold your wood veneer in place.
As the mat goes through you ScanNCut machine, there is some give and drop that occurs due to gravity as it goes through the machine. The wood veneer lacks flexibility in this way, so the painter’s tape keeps the wood in place for cutting even the most intricate of cuts. I always use my standard mat, so that as my wood is cutting, it is tacky enough to hold the cut pieces in place.
I have tried using the Fabric Support sheet under the wood veneer, but it almost holds the wood too well. It becomes very difficult to remove from the mat, causing breaking and cracking to occur.
2 |Be sure that the grain of the wood is parallel with the blade.
In the image above, you can see that the grains or lines in the wood are in line with the direction the mat is fed into your ScanNCut machine. Because the blade is a one directional blade, the wood will cut more smoothly if placed this direction. When you cut cross-grain it is much more difficult and tends to crack and chip.
In addition to the grain of the wood, you want to rotate your design so that the direction of the majority of its cut lines are going in the same direction as the grain as well.
3 | Use multiple cuts with minimal pressure.
My “go-to” settings are as follows:
Blade depth: 10-11
Blade pressure: 0
Cut speed: 1
I find that if you increase the pressure, the tip of the blade holder will catch on the veneer as it cuts. When this happens, it can pull the wood out of place or crack it. When you run the cut file the first time, you will see a cut that looks similar to the above photo. As you run it a second time, you should see and even hear the remainder of the design cut through.
Because wood is a material with variance — some has more grain and some areas are a little tougher to cut — be careful when removing your design. I keep a small, sharp scissor near for when I catch any of those spots.
4 | Use a backing material to strengthen the wood veneer.
Depending on the use of your wood veneer, you might want to strengthen it using an iron-on transfer material (vinyl) or paper. Paper can be adhered using a spray adhesive or glue. Be cautious of the glue gumming up your blade, especially if you haven’t allowed it to dry completely.
I love using a thin iron-on material to strengthen my wood veneer. Simply iron it on to your wood as you would any other material and then cut. You will find that some wood is more brittle than others. Maple is the wood I have found to be the most pliable and best for cutting intricate designs.
Begin the mobile creation by ironing the iron on transfer material to one side of your wood veneer sheets. You can leave some without if you’d like as well.
Using the tips and settings above, cut out pieces for your mobile. It is up to you how many of each size and shape you’d like to use for your mobile.
Begin putting the shapes together and then using a sharp needle, make a small hole to thread the needle and tie fishing line in a small knot.
Create a shape with the wire and begin tying the shapes to it, varying the length and placement as you go.
When you are happy with the placement of each shape, cut the excess fishing line, take a step back and admire your work!
I love that as this mobile spins, sometimes you see all wood color and other times you see all bring color. I really wanted to make sure that when it hangs, Jones can see the colors — as so many mobiles only show the color when viewed from the side, not the baby’s perspective.
I’m really excited about today’s project! If you know me at all, you know I love using leather in so many different ways, and I really love to mix and match materials that might not always be cohesive in everyone’s mind.
Leather and rhinestones? A perfect pair! I love the durability of the leather for these napkin cuffs — they fit the fall weather and transition into the winter holidays perfectly as well! The rhinestones are like idyllic snow: not muddy and melting and not -30 degrees…but sparkling white with the sun out and 32 degree temps. Can we agree on that? :)
For this project, you’ll need the Brother Rhinestone Kit to design and cut your rhinestone template for placement. Here are a few other things you will need.
SUPPLIES
Brother ScanNCut Machine
Leather (Great use of leather scraps!)
Rhinestone Starter Kit
Small metal rivets or durable thread
Iron
1| Begin by prepping your leather for the cuffs. I like to use my standard mat with the glossier side of the leather facedown. If you are using a really glossy leather, the fabric support sheet does a great job holding it in place.
2| Background scan your leather and arrange the cuff rectangles into place. I made mine 4.5″ x 1.5″.
3| Using your deep cut blade, cut out the leather. The settings will really depend on the leather you are using, but I ended up using speed of 1, pressure of 8, and blade depth of 7-8.
4| After you’ve prepped your leather, we need to design our rhinestone template. If you haven’t activated your Rhinestone tools in ScanNCutCanvas, you will need to do so.
a. log in to your ScanNCutCanvas account. Click on your username link on the top right of the page.
b. enter the 16 digit Rhinestone activation code in the Expanded Functions settings and click activate.
The rhinestone tools will now be available for you!
5| Now we will create the rhinestone templates. You can see how I began with a simple image and ended with two different rhinestone layouts in this video here.
You can also download the star and tree templates for free here.
6| After you’ve determined the rhinestone layout, you can place rhinestones individually using the Insert a Rhinestone tool.
I always recommend zooming in to ensure correct spacing and placement of each rhinestone.
Save your template onto a USB stick.
7| Take out a Template sheet and place it yellow side down onto your standard mat.
Begin by doing a small test cut in one corner to determine the correct settings. You want to cut through the black flocking material, but not through the yellow backing. I recommend starting at the following settings — see how it cuts through your test shape and continue modifying until your desired cut is achieved.
Pressure: 0 // Speed: 1 // Blade Depth: 5-6
8| Retrive your saved template and cut it out. It will take a bit of time — as your ScanNCut will cut out an individual hole for each rhinestone.
9| Cut around the template, remove the black flocking from the backing.
10| Place the template inside your Rhinestone Starter Kit box on the piece of Backing board included — be sure to stick it to the glossier side of the Backing board.
11| Using your Positioning Brush, slowly move the rhinestones into each hole.
Some of the rhinestones may fall into place upside down. Use your Pick-Up Tool to flip individual rhinestones into correct position.
12| Cut out a piece of the Transfer Sheet that is large enough to cover your design. Carefully apply it sticky-side-down, onto the top of the rhinestones.
Slowly remove the Transfer Sheet, ensuring each rhinestone is in place.
13| Place rhinestone design onto your final material — in this case, our leather Napkin Cuffs.
14| Carefully press the rhinestones into place using an iron. Be sure not to iron back and forth, but instead apply direct pressure to each area of the design.
Peel back the Transfer Sheet — and continue these steps for each of the cuffs!
Ah! I keep telling you that “this project is my favorite” …but then I change my mind. I guess I’m a fair-weather tutorial fan, but I won’t say sorry.
I’m really excited to share this Etched Leather Pocket Wallet with you guys today! (Okay, who am I kidding…I’m always really excited to share tutorials with you — I’m such a dork about this type of thing!) I love the clean lines and simple design — and besides that, they are so easy to make!
If were wondering, yes, just like the Even Better Box Bags… I kind of got a bit carried away. I can’t stop making them!
I was inspired by a money sleeve that Andy has to hold his money clip. I wanted something extremely slim and thin — perfect for my ID and a bit of cash when we walk to the park or for a few essentials when we head out on a family bike ride. There are times for the purse and there are times for the pocket wallet. At least that’s what I think.
This project consists of two parts: etching the leather using my ScanNCut machine and creating the actual pocket wallet. I have pattern downloads (both FCM and PDF) for you at the end of the post as well! Let’s jump right in. (more…)
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