How To Decorate Your Thanksgiving Table

Hi Foxy Friends! I was talking to my mom today and she said hey, remember when we did that video on how to decorate your Thanksgiving table? I can't find it on our Youtube Channel (yep I have a YouTube channel with my mom, separate from my Youtube Channel). I thought, well I remember editing it, and low and behold, I had a completely edited and ready to upload video all set to go. I figure, well good thing she noticed now, we can upload this now, and it's still relevant.  So here is how you use what you have in your house to decorate your thanksgiving table!

We used things that she had around from previous Thanksgivings/ Fall decorations. Decorating your table does not mean you have to go out and spend a ton of money. I find that I like to add one piece here and there, and then over the years you get a different looking table, and only spending a minimal amount of money. Here is the video that we put together on the steps to create your own Thanksgiving table. Make it interesting, and put little things around the table for people to look at, like those turkey salt and pepper shakers or the scarecrow. Doesn't have to be uniform, the more unique the better!

 

Here is a close up of the table setting

And the table put together

Added a pumpkin for decorations, not that we're going to eat it :)

Gobble Gobble!

 

How To Tie Dye From Start To Finish

Hi Foxy Friends! I know it's been a while. I always have all these intentions to blog, but then I just don't. Take this post for example...I started writing this over a month ago, and actually made these shirts back in April. Working from home and trying to keep the kids occupied is hard. I mean you all know what I mean. And then I just haven't had the mojo to do anything. Don't worry though, I've been taking lots of videos and pictures of things that I have been doing, so the content is there, just haven't been motivated. I did these Tie Dye shirts in April...so that's how far behind I am...oops.

In any case, it's here now. As I was watching videos and tutorials on how to Tie Dye, I realized that NONE of them ever covered how they were washing them. Do they do them separate, together, 5 million loads of laundry?! I needed to know, so I figure you would want to know the process of tie dying from start to finish. So let's get started. Here is a list of everything I used:

Video if you are more a show me how to do it type of person, like me.

*Some of the links are affiliate links and I will  either receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you click on it or if you make a purchase from one of these links, I may also receive a commission on the sale of the product. Click here for my disclosure page.

What You'll Need:

Tie Dye Kit Womans T-Shirt Womans Long Sleeve Hoodie Womans Cropped Hoodie Kids T-Shirts Kids Sweatshirt
Plastic Drop Cloth
Disposable Foil Tray Color Catcher

Directions:

Step 1 - Get Shirts wet, wring out as much as possible.

Tip: If you have a lot of shirts to do, put in washer in a rinse and spin cycle (mine is10 minutes), saves your hands from having to wring out all those shirts/sweatshirts!

Step 2 - Tie up/rubberband shirts. There is no real wrong way to do this. The classic tie dye shirt is the swirl method. But I really like the scrunch method.

Tip: It's okay to start rubberbanding and then realize it's not working to start over. Don't get frustrated, just keep going.

Step 3 - Fill dye bottles with water. The set that I bought, came with small bottles, so I switched the powder dye into larger bottles and filled with water.

Tip: Careful when shaking bottles, as some bottles are not completely shake proof.

Step 4 - Start dying your shirts/pants/socks, whatever!

Tip: use a foil baking pan, put shirt in it and dye inside of that, makes for way less of a mess. Of course also put protective plastic under that, can never be too careful!

Another Tip: Remember which colors when mixed together will make other colors. Sometimes we forget and we put Blue and and Yellow near each other and you get a lovely shade of green...sometimes we don't want that.

Step 5 - Put in baggie and let sit overnight or 24 hours. The more pigment you want, the longer you should let it sit. If you want the colors to be pastel, let sit for shorter amount of time, 12ish hours.

Step 6 - Take clothes out of baggies and rinse. If you want to keep the white part of your shirt, white, rinse first with the rubbers bands still intact. When it starts to rinse clear, take rubber bands off and continue to rinse until water runs clear.

Tip: If you want to keep the white whiter, then rinse your shirt/sweatshirt before taking off the rubber bands. Rinse as much color out as you can before taking those rubber bands off.

Step 7 - Wash clothes. To save on laundry, wash like colors together. Use a color catcher to catch the inevitable dye that still has the potential to ruin your whole project!

I also put two shirts together that were not in the same color range and it worked out. I wouldn't do that if I actually cared, but I made sure that the water ran clear when I was rinsing and used a color catcher. Watch the video above to see how I washed my shirts exactly.

Step 8 - Put in dryer and enjoy your results! 

So that's it, from start to finish this is how you make and wash your tie dye shirts!
Of course if you are a video person, here is a video for you to watch.

How To Repurpose A Picture With New Quote

Hi Foxy Friends! Another craft for you today. The other day I came home and decided I was tired of looking at quote on my bathroom sign. This is what it was:

I really bought it because I liked the frame and the quote didn't bother me, so 9 years ago I bought it...but last week (I wrote up this post but never put the pictures, that I had already taken, in it, so really it was 3.5 months ago) I decided I wanted a new quote. So here is how I did it, and it was way easier than I thought it would be! This is what it turned into, I really love it.

*Some of the links are affiliate links and I will  either receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you click on it or if you make a purchase from one of these links, I may also receive a commission on the sale of the product. Click here for my disclosure page.

What You'll Need:

Picture Frame with Quote (I would try to thrift one, something like this or this)
Cricut (Vinyl or stencil)
Vinyl
Polycrylic
Chalk Paint
Paint Brushes

Directions:

Step 1 - Remove middle from sign, I used a hammer with a cloth to protect the picture since I didn't have a rubber mallet.

At first I tried to sand down the front, but with hammering out the sign there was some nicks on the front and I didn't like it. So I used the back side of the frame. I figure no one was going to see the words on the other side, so it wasn't going to bother me that there was something there.

Clean slate.

Step 2 - Sand down and repaint your sign. I wanted a vintage look, to match what was already there. So I painted the sign white, then painted it black and added more white on top. I could have sanded down from there to get the look I wanted, but I did an okay job applying the top coat of paint, so no sanding needed. Woo hoo!

Step 3 - Make stencil using Cricut or some other cutting machine, I only know how to use the Cricut. Place stencil on the sign. Make sure you measure 5 million times and cut once, nothing is more annoying than having to re-cut something.

Step 4 - Paint a THIN layer of polycrylic, this prevents the paint from seeping under the stencil. I've done this method with and without the polycrylic and found that it's best to do this step, but if you really have good contact with the stencil, this step is not necessary. I like that the Polycrylic bleeds under the stencil and dries clear, so you don't see it, then you get really crisp lines. See this video, I explain it a bit better.

Step 5 - Paint sign with thin layers of whatever color you are doing, I decided to go with black, remove vinyl pretty much immediately after last layer of paint. This part is tricky when the stencil is still wet and you're trying to remove it. You'll see I have a little black blob, but I'm okay with that.

Step 6 - Once dry, put back in sign. I tried to use the nails that came with the sign, but in the end I ended up taping it back together. No one sees the back side, it's light weight and worked for us.

Tada, new sign ready to go!

Side note: Mini Fox was NOT happy that I re-did this sign and cried for a good 30 minutes over the lose of the other sign. So if you are going to change something in your house, better get to permission by your 6 year old, haha!

How To Apply HTV To A Trucker Hat

Hi Foxy Friends! I made this hat over the summer, and am now just getting to posting about it, figure better late than never? I was asked to make these hats for a 40th birthday trip and realized as I was looking around the internet that everyone was using a hat press and no one was using a trucker hat. Well I've seen it be done before, so I set off to make one myself without a hat press. It can be done and it was way easier than I thought it would be!

For those that like to watch how to do it, I made a video for you. Full set of directions and things you'll need to make these hats are below.

*Some of the links are affiliate links and I will  either receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you click on it or if you make a purchase from one of these links, I may also receive a commission on the sale of the product. Click here for my disclosure page.

What You'll Need:

Hat (this comes in 20 differnent colors and is under $7)
Easy Press (the one I have, but this one would probably be better, you could use this regular iron as well)
Heat Transfer Vinyl
Heat Resistant Tape
Circut (or some craft cutting machine)
Parchment Paper
Rolled Up Towel (I used a hand towel)

Directions:

Step 1: Cut Vinyl

Use your craft cutting machine, I use a Cricut, to cut out the design you want on your hat and weed your design.

Step 2: Roll Towel and Put Behind Hat

If you have a larger hat you might need something bigger than a hand towel.

Step 3: Place Vinyl and Secure

Using the heat resistant tape, secure the vinyl to the hat.

Should be on all sides.

Step 4: Lightly Heat Press Vinyl

Place parchment paper between the vinyl and the heat press. When pressing this takes a light hand and only a few seconds, unlike when making a t-shirt, you only need to hold in place for a few seconds.

You know you're done pressing it when you can see the fabric imprinted in the letters. Not sure if you can really see it in this picture.

Step 5: Remove Transfer Sheet and Tape

Since some of our lettering was so thin, there might be a case where the vinyl doesn't adhere all the way, see the picture below.

If this happens, fear not, just put your parchment paper back over the whole thing and press lightly again.

Then you are all done!

I ended up making 5 hats for our outing. They all came out great, and everyone we passed loved them!