The Twelth Day of Christmas Giveaway is here!

We've got a great finale for you!  We are offering a 12x18" piece of subway art on the background color paper of your choice.  We will also have a number of vinyl colors for you to choose from. You get to personalize the art with up to fifteen words you pick.  Subway art is fun stuff!

Not only do you have a chance to win from our website, you can also hop on over to http://www.somewhatsimple.com/ and try to win the other subway art we're making from them. (Plus, you can enter to win a lot of other great stuff!)  So... here's the deal... you have five chances to comment.  Take advantage of it and comment as many times as you can!

Comment 1-What was your favorite giveaway of our 12 days of Christmas?
Comment 2-Who told you about our website?
Comment 3-Visit somewhat simple and come back and tell us what you think.
Comment 4-Post our giveaway as your FB status and come back and tell us you did.
Comment 5-Email five of your friends and tell them about our website.

You have until noon on Christmas Eve to leave a comment.  We'll announce the winner by 8pm Christmas Eve.  Good Luck!

Winner of the Day 11 Giveaway-An Adorable Crocheted Cloche

Congratulations to Jessica Crump!  Please email us so Jill can get with you to make your cloche.
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4. Jesssica Crump said...

I am posting this on facebook and will tag you in the post.

Religious Subway Art Tutorial

Before I got my Silhouette, I knew I would love to make some gifts that were subway art.  I have seen some beautiful and expensive ones at the stores, but I didn't want to spend that kind of money.  Now, that I have my Silhouette, I am in love with all that I can make!

My first big project was to make my Mother-in-law a Christmas gift.  I wanted to do something with the names of God.  I looked up all the various names of God (some in Hebrew and Greek) and verified them with my husband, a minister.  He got particular with me and told me some were names of Jesus, so I had to delete a few (now I have an idea for another gift though).   I had my names and idea for my project, I was now ready to get started.

Here is what I made:

Tutorial:

Supplies needed:
MDF board cut to preferred size or another type of wood board
Paint color of your choosing
foam brush to paint
Vinyl color of your choosing
Transfer tape
Silhouette machine or other cutting machine

Directions:
1.  Cut your board to the size necessary for your project.  Mine was 18 by 24.

2.  Paint the board in chosen color.  Sorry my color blended into my painting tablecloth.  Allow the board to dry overnight.

3. Cut your words in various fonts and sizes.  Remove excess vinyl.
4. Separate words from one another in order to arrange them on your board.  Move your words around to fit properly on the board.  Pay attention to size, thickness of letter and font.  You don't want all the cursive words or dark words in the same area.

5.  Once you have placed the words where they will go, use transfer tape to pick up the vinyl.
6. Take off the paper backing.  Place the transfer tape with vinyl attached on the board.
7. Rub with a scraper.  Peel off the transfer tape.  If you find the vinyl sticking, I have found it easier to put the scraper at the edge of where my tape is coming up.  This helps the vinyl adhere easier.
8. Repeat this process until all the words are on the board.

9.  Vinyl is very forgiving.  If you need to peel up a word or two to re-place, use your scraper to help you.

Here is my final product.  My Mother-in-law already received this, so I can share it!  I am glad she liked it!

Gift Idea: Inexpensive coasters Tutorial

Everyone can use an extra set of coasters. White shiny tiles can be transformed into beautiful and personalized coasters.  This is an incredibly easy project and requires very few tools to complete.

Supplies needed:
Inexpensive tiles ( I got the white shiny ones from Lowe's for 10 cents each.  I bought 100 at that price!)
Scrapbook papers of various colors and designs OR decorative napkins OR pictures
Gloss or Matte Mod Podge (I used Gloss)
Foam brush
Glue Gun and Glue sticks
Scraper for pushing down scrapbook paper
Felt of chosen color
Clear Acrylic Spray Paint or Sealer

Tutorial:
1.  Start by cutting a piece of felt slightly smaller than the size of your tile.
2.  Using your glue gun, glue the felt to the bottom of your tile (non-shiny side).  I made a square of glue with an 'x' in the middle to properly adhere.  Allow to dry.

3.  Cut a piece of scrapbook paper slightly smaller than the tile. Mine were 4.25" by 4.25".
4.  Using your foam brush, apply a thin layer of Mod podge to the tile.  Place your scrapbook paper on top (design facing up).  Use a scraper to get rid of any bubbles or creases.
5.  Apply another thin layer of Mod Podge.  Allow to fully dry.
6.  To seal in the paper and protect from water stains, spray clear acrylic sealer or spray paint over tiles.  Allow to dry.

Here are my finished tiles:

You can make tiles in different papers of all of the same.  If you want to further personalize these tiles, you could cut out the letter of their name or monogram and add that prior to Mod podge and sealer.  The letters could be printed on computer paper or cut in vinyl.  Either would work great!

After my tiles were dry, I wrapped them with ribbon for an added touch.

You can also use decorative napkins instead of scrapbook paper.  Here are the ones Shannon made for our giveaway:

You can also use a picture.  Just cut it like you would the scrapbook paper and follow the same directions.  I will be making some with pictures soon and will post a picture later.

Since I made multiple sets of these, I figure I spent about $2 a set.  Not bad for a nice personalized present!

Happy Crafting!