You were born to SPARKLE...Take Two!

Free "Born to Sparkle" tag available in original 2015 post!

It's my day to revisit some projects from last year and post some updates... and here's another one!  These sparkling water can favors were packaged with bottle cap magnets last year, but to keep it fresh for this year's gift table I made laminated bag tags to attach.  So, for this project you do need access to a laminating machine.  I'm sure most schools have them, and would probably let you use it if it's for a school's own team.  Also, I purchased the bag tags at Office Depot (they include the hanger piece) for around $15 for 25.  There are larger quantities online for much less, so I'll keep that in mind in the future for this project.  

The step-by-step for making the bag tags is available in an earlier post of mine (just search bag tags), so for now I'll just share the generic dancer/dance team designs I came up with using Print Shop for Mac (see FREE .jpg file below).  In case you're wondering, the can and bag tag combo were sold for $3 each. I made sixteen for our gift table, and we sold out by the end of the competition day. 

The bag tag designs...free .jpg attached for your use!

I added some glitter ribbon to finish the tags...dance team style!

FREE .jpg file for your use! Finished size of cards to be cut to 3.5"x2"

Dance Team Travel Pillowcase DIY...Take Two!

Varsity Dancer Pillowcase

Here's an update to my previous post "Dance Team Travel Pillowcase DIY" from 2015...and, as you can see, I went for the sparkle! This project starts with some basic sewing skills to make the pillowcase (you can see the step-by-step from the 2015 post) and the lettering designs use a cutting machine again (in my case, Cricut Explore.)  That being said, I'm sure you could use sparkly iron-on letters purchased from the craft/fabric store and hand cut the shapes yourself...and probably even find pre-made travel pillowcases. But, that would most likely be more expensive than my DIY version.  Since I was making mine to sell, I had to keep the initial costs low enough to make a good profit for the team's general fund!  

I just love the bright and cute chevron fabric that was a "fat quarter" quilting bundle of 5 pieces I bought from my local Tuesday Morning store for only $5.  And, all of the iron-on designs were small enough to make from scraps (I never throw any of that stuff away because it's kinda spendy!)  This time around, I did decide to make pillow inserts since I made them to sell at our competition's gift table.  For those, I used inexpensive muslin and fiber fill purchased from the fabric store.  As a rule, I cut the insert form fabric at the same size as the finished pillowcase.  That way, with a 1/2" seam allowance on all sides of the insert it fits in the pillowcase perfectly.  Oh, and as always...pre-wash your fabric before applying any iron-ons!  The manufacturers apply finishes/starches that prevent the iron-on vinyls from sticking if it's left unwashed.  Not fun!

And, if you're wondering how they were received...these pillows sold out before lunchtime, so if you're running a gift table be sure to make plenty! I priced mine at $8 for the set, but I'm sure you could get $10 a piece.  They would also be a fun team bonding project pre-summer camp for the team to do together.  I think I would just have all the cases made, the inserts made but unstuffed, and the iron-ons ready to be applied.  That way the girls could stuff the pillows (which is kinda fun!), hand stitch the end closed, then iron on the design the way they wanted it. 

LIVE LOVE DANCE...Layered design of regular iron-on vinyl and a glitter dancer silhouette.

DREAM IT Dance it!  Layered glitter vinyl on a piece of satin (backed with no-sew Heat n' Bond)

and 5,6,7,8...single layer design with just iron-on glitter vinyl

Be sure to post a comment with pictures of the cases you make...I'd love to see what you come up with! 

Dance Team Captain Gift...Clipboard Cuties!

My oldest daughter's dance team coaches just named her and a teammate co-captains for the 2016-17 season! So, of course I had to make them something cute and useful as a gift for being awarded their new position! I happened to be perusing the aisles at Walmart, a rarity for me, and came across these cute storage clipboards that I thought would be perfect. At less than $7 each, it makes for a reasonably priced gift as well. With the addition of some vinyl cut on my Cricut, I'm sure you'll agree they'll look very put-together as the new captains! And remember, if you don't have a cutting machine you can just purchase vinyl letters at your local craft store for a similar look. 

When it came to placing the vinyl, I put their names on the lower portion of the front, which leaves room for a smaller note pad (bought at Dollar Tree).  As captains, I'm sure that size will work just great.  As you can see by the grid on the vinyl at right, the letters were about 1-1/2" x 8".  Inside the clipboard, I tucked some post-it style notepads and pens.

For the back of the clipboard I made a logo-style vinyl with their team name. In Cricut Design Space, I started by layering two circles (one smaller than the other) and removed the center area after attaching them.  The rest of the design includes the Liberty Bell silhouette, dancer silhouette and some lettering.  I like  that when they're holding the clipboard in front of them that portion will be visible.  

That's it! Quick and easy, and oh so fun for the girls to use!

You & Dance are the Perfect Pair! (Dance Recital or Dance Competition Favor)

Here's a really quick and inexpensive dance recital or dance team competition favor to make for your favorite dancer.  Any experienced dance mom knows that there's always some downtime between performances or rounds, so this boredom buster is the perfectly portable little gift to give! 

First, buy some cute playing cards (I found mine at the Dollar Tree.)  Then, if you have a Cricut or Silhouette cutting machine, you can create a foldable sleeve to wrap around the cards or you can cut and print the .pdf file I've included.  I used printed card stock with hearts to make it extra cute, and, as a bonus the little hanger at the top of the box is the perfect place to tie a sparkly ribbon. Just a single piece of double-stick tape secures the paper around the cards.  As promised...really quick! Have a great weekend folks!

Tip: I used a fine tip marker for the lettering.

Finished product, before folding on score lines.

Voila!

Printable File...(Not scaled to size, depends on your cards!)

Quick & Easy Star Favors or Motivators

 As promised, lots and lots of projects this week! Here's another new one to share that's super quick and simple... and, I've even included a free printable of the tags I made.  I purchased the star wands at Walmart on clearance, but I've seen the same wands at both Target and The Dollar Tree.  After printing the tags, I cut them apart on my paper cutter, cut a sparrow's tail (I think that's what it's called!) at one end, than used a glue gun to affix it to the wand (sort of wrapping the blank side of the paper to the back.) I'm planning on selling these at our competition gift table as a sort of gift topper to slide under a ribbon or tuck into a flower bouquet.  But, I think they'd be cute as a team favor or motivator, as well.  Of course, you could personalize the tags with your team name.  You'll just need to format the lettering to the right half of an 8 1/2" x 11" paper. 

That's it, you're a star! Get it ;) 

Here's your FREE printable!

Fleece Dance Team Blankets...Take 2!

As I mentioned yesterday, I've got lots of projects to share this week! Some are new, like yesterday's, but this is just an update on a project I posted in January of 2015... Sorry most of the blankets are in cellophane, I forgot to photograph them before I wrapped them for our gift table! Opps!

Unlike my first post, this time around I purchased the blankets pre-made at my local Walmart for less than $5 each...a real steal! And, I mostly used glitter iron-on vinyl for that extra bling the high school girls love.  But, some of the letters are made of scraps of satin backed with Heavy Duty Heat n' Bond and cut on my Cricut machine.  You need a sharp blade, and be sure to use the custom setting for backed silk fabric.  I've also figured out that if you put a rectangle around your letters when formatting on Cricut Design Space, you can use the positive and negative sections of the cut (see photos), because let's be honest, glitter vinyl is expensive!  This means you need to be careful when separating the letters to be sure you have the centers to letters like A, but I have faith you can do it! 

Here's some details:

1. Back your satin with fusible fabric stabilizer. (I used, Heat n' Bond Lite...the Heavy duty will gunk up your sewing machine so only use it for letters you're not sewing around!)
2. Format lettering on your Cricut or Silhouette Machine. Be sure to layer on a rectangle behind the letters.  And, don't forget to use the mirror setting for cutting iron-on vinyl!
3. Carefully separate the vinyl letters so you can use both positive and negatives of the cut.
4. You're now ready to heat up the iron to medium-high setting;  iron the satin rectangle to the blanket (Cover with a pressing cloth or old pillow case or you will melt the blanket and the satin!!) 
5. Next, iron the vinyl letters to the satin...again, cover with your pressing cloth.
6. Lastly, I finished the edge of the satin with a tight zig-zag stitch around the edges because even with the fusible stabilizer it won't really stay without it!

Here's a couple of the finished blankets...

Practice Hair...Do Care! Sparkly Headband Dance Team Gift or Favor

     It's March, and that means that my daughter's dance team is hosting their annual high school dance team competition. Long story short, I've got lots of gift table ideas to share!  This year is especially important to us because it's the 10th anniversary of the event.  Which means lots of extra touches of shiny metallic and bubblegum pink in everything from the competition t-shirts to the photo booth to the decorations! We want it to be memorable, and of course, fun!  So, here's the first of many projects I'll post in the next week or so.  You've probably all seen the phrase, "Beach Hair Don't Care" on everything from tank tops to water bottles.  But, here's my dance team themed take on it, "Practice Hair Do Care!"  After all, life is not a dress rehearsal!  I've added a .jpeg file for you to use for free, just simply make or buy glittery headbands to attach to the printed cards.  

     After printing the image onto card stock, I used a craft knife to make two slots at either end of the card to slip the ends of the headband through.  I taped it down on the back of the card to hold it in place. I then slid the card into a cellophane bag (from the Dollar Tree) and positioned it to one side, taping the excess portions to itself to create a tidy package.  It's just that simple! And, do care!

Here's the FREE .jpeg file for you to use!