How similar are Jot pens at the Dollar Tree to Ooly brand pens?
Have you seen this four-pack of pens at Dollar Tree made by Jot? They are also available in a four-pack of black (all the same size). When I saw them they reminded me of a pack of pens I have from Ooly. I thought they would make a great gift so I had to give them a try and see how well they worked.
I love my Ooly pens and I have been carrying them around in my purse for some time. They were given to me as a gift and I have thoroughly enjoyed them. So when I saw a similar set at the Dollar Tree by Jot, I had to try them.
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As I said, I love my Ooly pens, I have the Modern Writers package. But for the price difference and the loss of two colors, the Dollar Tree pens are great too!
Using Dollar Tree fabric strips to make no-sew fabric ornaments.
I saw a tutorial on YouTube for these fabric ornaments and thought they were very nice but that I would probably never make them. Then I saw strips of Christmas fabric at the Dollar Tree and remembered the ornaments and that the strips would work for the ornaments, but I had to make some alterations to the directions.
The fabric strips come in a package of three coordinating patterns. They are 2″ x 36″ strips of cotton, one strip of each design.
For the small ornaments you are going to cut each strip into 4 pieces and then iron them in half as shown in the image above, and then in half again. To make these strips work you will need to follow the details about the folding in the video below.
There are a few different ways to fold, iron, and make the ornaments with the fabric strips from the Dollar Tree. Make sure to view the details and explanations in the video tutorial.
Video Tutorial:
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See all about the Dec 2022 Simply Earth Essential Oil Subscription Box. #affiliate @simplyearth
Order now and save FIRSTBOXOFFER – $15 OFF. (no code needed) You can still use my affiliate code with this offer!
December box
I am so excited every month when my Simply Earth box arrives. It seems like each box is better than the last. This month’s box is focused on beauty. All the materials and simple directions are included. This box retails for $177.04 but you can get it for just about $45. Be sure to use my discount code: TRYITFREE.
This post contains affiliate links
The full-sized oils that are included this month are Geranium, Lime, Balsam Fir, and Bumps & Boo-boos.
The recipes included in the October box are:
Christmas Morning Shower Melts
Breath of Pine Shower Spray
Snow Storm Mini Bath Bombs
Let it Snow Bath Bombs
Cheerful GIver Roll-on
Christmas Vacation Diffuser Blend
One of the biggest differences I find with Simply Earth is the monthly recipes. In the past, I have ordered essential oils and when they arrive, I don’t remember what they do or why I ordered them. The Simply Earth recipe box contains the recipes for the oils included in the box as well as necessary additional support products to make the recipes.
big box
With your first subscription order from Simply Earth, you will get the Big Bonus Box free! If you were to purchase these products it would cost $44.84. The Big Box includes:
Almond Oil
Fractionated Coconut Oil
10 mL Roll-On Bottles
5 mL Amber Glass Bottles
Coconut Oil
Beeswax
Unboxing Video:
And here is the best part: my coupon code: TRYITFREE Use this code to get a $45 gift card with your first purchase. Basically, get your second box free!
See how 3 different pairs of earrings were made using K&S Precision Metal.
With K&S Metals
Whenever I am introduced to a new to me material, my first thought is, “can I make jewelry with it”? So of course when I was sent metal from K&S, I knew I was going to attempt to make earrings. And it worked out really well. After making my first pair, I couldn’t stop. I had to try different techniques with the metal.
The links provided are for your use and may contain affiliate links. They cost nothing for you to use. Thank you in advance for supporting this site with its use.
K&S sent me 5 rolls of precision metal to work with in pink, gold, blue, purple, and green. The first pair of earrings I made was from the pink roll. Each roll of the metal is aluminum-based and .004″ Thick (36 Ga) x 12″ Wide x 24″ Long.
I chose to try die-cutting the metal. Earrings are small enough to use a small cutting machine and the mini Maker was just the perfect size. I cut the pink metal with the large heart twice and then flipped over the metal to cut the small heart out twice in silver.
To make the earrings I added black cardboard to the metal die-cut hearts to add thickness and weight. After all the pieces of the hearts were glued together, I poked a hole through the layers with a t-pin. Please refer to the video tutorial for detailed instructions.
Video Tutorial:
The next pair of earrings I made were silver and gold. For this pair, I began the same way with die-cutting. I used a decorative circle shape in two different sizes and then folded the circles in half, and placed them on top of each other. No glue was needed.
The final pair of earrings I made incorporated die-cut faux leather circles upon which I added die-cut metal stars. Before adding the stars, I ran the foil through my machine in an embossing folder and then filled the tops of the embossed dots with a nail file to remove the blue color so the silver could show through. The stars were then glued to the faux leather.
Need a frame? They are so easy to make with cardstock. Using a personal cutting machine makes it that much easier. They are very sturdy. Thick enough to also be used as a shadow box. The frames were really easy to make and rather addictive. Fold your own paper frame with this free SVG file.
Open the file in Design Space, ungroup. Select all and then center the two layers vertically and horizontally. Then attach, change the red box to score, and then cut.
Special thanks to Cricut for providing the Maker making this project possible. This post may contain affiliate links. Using them will cost you nothing but allow Try it – Like it – Create it to earn a small amount to continue this site.
Directions:
Begin by cutting out the SVG file linked above.
This is what the SVG file looks like. The black outline cuts and the red lines need to be set to score.
The video below will show you how to set up the file in Cricut Design Space as well as how to fold it after cutting.
finished frame, ready to use for artwork
final measurements: outer measure 4 7/8” x 6” inner measure 3 3/8” x 4 1/2”
Crusty Crunchy Spicy offers a tutorial for this origami tulip flower. Great for spring, mother’s day or brightening one’s day. Learn how to make your own here. [link]
The original link that promoted this post is no longer active. Since this is one of my most popular posts, I didn’t want to leave everyone hanging so I created a tutorial video. I hope it is helpful.
How to make faux leather earrings with a Cricut. Includes a free SVG file. How to Make Jewelry Using a Cricut Machine.
Making earrings with your personal die cutting machine is a current hot topic in crafting. I’ve done it before [see post here], but these leaf-like earrings are my newest design. This version of earrings was made using The Best Glue Ever by ScraPerfect. It really made making them and attaching the layers together easy. The tacky glue dries quickly but leaves enough time to maneuver the position of the layers.
I want to personally thank Cricut and ScraPerfect for providing materials for this post. I am a design team member with Cricut and ScraPerfect.
The following links may contain affiliate links. They help support this site and cost you nothing to use them. _________________________________________________________________________
Once glued and in place, I used a tile to weight the layered faux leather down. Let dry overnight.
I used a T-pin to poke a hole in the faux leather and attached a jump ring and earring wire. Threading the crystals and finishing off the wirework to make the finished earrings.
How to make inexpensive floral embellishments from Dollar Tree materials.
I have had so much fun making these colorful flowers. Would you believe me if I told you I spent a total of two dollars and I haven’t even made a dent in my supplies? OK, the colors came from a variety of products I already had on hand so I guess you could argue it costs more. I share with you a variety of different techniques so hopefully, it will cover some products you already own and will not need to purchase. Plus, you can make these flowers into the colors you need specifically for your craft project.
Links may be affiliates. Please consider using them to help support this site. It will cost you nothing additional to do so. ~ Thank you in advance.
I found that placing the leaves on the back of the flowers left some glue dot uncovered, which could be used to adhere the flowers to my projects. I decided to place a glue dot on the back of all of the flowers and place them on a coated surface for storage.
Do your kids give valentines to their friends? I haven’t heard what our school is planning this year but I love making something special with my daughters for them to give to their friends. This year we made these cute paper candy boxes to hold Lindt Chocolate Truffles. What a special little treat, I don’t think anyone will turn it down!
Special thanks to Cricut for providing the Maker making this project possible. This post may contain affiliate links. Using them will cost you nothing but allow Try it – Like it – Create it to earn a small amount to continue this site.
Directions:
Download the free SVG file linked below. I was able to get four on one page. The black lines cut and the red lines need to be changed to score.
This is an example of the cut file. Turn the design away from yourself, place the two pieces with the hearts together, take one of the other side flaps and place it over the heart shapes to hold the box together. Insert the Lindt chocolate and finish closing the box.
Yum!
Yeap, we made a lot of them.
While the boxes were complete, for my youngest daughter, we made a heart tag to place on top. The Maker wrote the words and then cut the shape.
If you would like the SVG for the heart you can download it here. [heart tag]
Learn how to turn a mirrored image into a 3D ornament just like this snowflake with Cricut.
The thing I like most about snowflakes besides no two being alike is that they are great for winter decor. They work for Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years, or a general winter theme.
Using any mirrored image, you can turn it into a 3D shape. Snowflakes work for this idea. In this post I will show how I took a simple snowflake cut in Design Space and by adding a score line then making multiple cuts, it can be turned into a 3D hanging decor.
Make one large snowflake to hang in a doorway or from a light fixture, or you can make multiples to hang all together to cover a larger area or make smaller versions for Christmas tree ornaments.
Read to the end of the post where you can enter to win a Cricut Maker Machine.
twine, string, or fishing line to hang the Snowflake
I wanted to thank Cricut for providing my cutting machine in order to create posts using their products.
Directions:
This is an Explore Air 2 – Easy one-Cut Holiday project. One shape that is cut multiple times to make the ornament. In the video below you will see how you set up one snowflake to cut and then you can tell your machine to cut multiples of that one image. The software knows where to place it on the mat to use the optimal amount of surface space without wasting any materials.
The following video will show you how I set up the snowflake file in Design Space.
The cut snowflakes, starting to fold them in half. This task needs to be done gently.
A folded snowflake.
Attach the folded snowflakes with glue and insert a string for hanging. I intended to piece together six snowflakes, when I got to five, there was no more room for another one.
