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Saturday, September 26, 2020

My Tips For Using Kassa Brand HTV


Iron on Vinyl

I love my Cricut Maker and I love personalizing shirts using iron on vinyl (called heat transfer vinyl by Cricut).  One of the drawbacks of this hobby is that vinyl can get expensive!  Because of this I've been experimenting with different brands to see what works.  

One of the brands I like to use a lot for their price and color bundle is Kassa, however application can be a little tricky.  Here are my tips for getting Kassa brand iron on vinyl to work for you:


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Disclosure - This post may contain affiliate links.  If a purchase is made through an affiliate link then (at no additional cost to you) I will receive a commission.  You can read more about affiliate links here.



Iron on Vinyl


I first came across Kassa brand vinyl when browsing Wish, but was deterred by the estimated shipping time (sometimes you just can't wait that long๐Ÿ˜„).  I hopped on over to Ebay and found the same Kassa  bundle there and decided to try it.  The bundles come with 30 12x10 sheets in an array of colors, a weeding tool and a sheet of Teflon.  The weeding tool I'm not so impressed with as my Cricut brand tools are better quality, but the Teflon sheets are awesome!  The bundle also included a coupon for further purchases, which alerted me to the fact that Kassa has their own website, and now I order directly from there.

You can click here to check out Kassa.com.  They have a great selection of art supplies including iron on vinyl, permanent vinyl, chalk markers, paints and more!



Iron on Vinyl

A quick time-out:  Before I go into my Kassa application tips, I wanted to show you my time and temp notebook.  Because I use so many different types of iron on (and they each have their own set of directions ๐Ÿ˜ฎ), I keep this handy little notebook in my heat press craft cart.  I divided the book into sections by brand and then each time I use a new type (regular/ foil/ patterned/ etc) I jot down the pressing instructions.  I tend to work in batches; one day designing, one day cutting, one day pressing...and this way I can press a big stack of shirts without stopping to look up directions every five minutes.

Check out this post to see my Cricut Maker craft cart.  I have the same one that I use to keep all of my presses, mats, Teflon sheets and other pressing accessories in one place.  It's so convenient to have everything for cutting or pressing in one place that I can roll out as needed, then put away again ๐Ÿ˜‰



Iron On Vinyl

Now on to those directions!
According to the package insert, Kassa directs you to go with 305 degrees, cover your vinyl's carrier sheet with the Teflon and then press for 10-15 seconds.  If the carrier sheet (once cooled) does not easily separate from the vinyl, then repeat the process.  

I'm here to tell you that with those directions you are going to be pressing and re-pressing all day!  I also found that the vinyl was more likely to rip and fall apart during carrier sheet removal, and then the vinyl that did adhere was likely to peel up and fall off of the fabric during wear and washing.

After much frustration, and a bit of research, I learned that the vinyl was not adhering because it wasn't getting enough consistent time under the press.  So with trial, error (and a whole lot of fails) I finally came up with a set of directions that work every time:

The first thing I do is to program my press for 305 degrees with 30 seconds on the timer.



Iron On Vinyl

Then I borrow a tip from Cricut and preheat my fabric for 5 seconds, then position my carrier sheet in place.  Once in place I press for two rounds of 30 seconds (60 seconds total) and then flip.  Using another Cricut tip I press for 30 seconds from the back and flip again, pressing for another two rounds of 30 from the front.

*Note, I don't use the Teflon sheet during this time*

Ok so If I'm going to press for 60 seconds at a time, why not just set the timer for 60?  Because I like to lift the press and check the vinyl in between rounds to avoid melting or otherwise distorting the vinyl.  What else do I do in the break?  I use my Stahls Heat Eraser to push down on the design.  These erasers are intended to cool down the carrier sheets for faster removal, but I find that the pressure helps to adhere the vinyl to the fabric as well.  Here is a photo:



Iron On Vinyl

After all of the pressing and flipping and pressing and heat erasing as described above, once the carrier sheet is cool I slowly start lifting it up.  If it peels away from the vinyl great, if not I'll give it another 30 second press or so.  Usually at this point the vinyl is set though and I can easily remove the carrier sheet.  Then I place that Teflon sheet on top and press for another 5 seconds to really make sure my design is in place.



Here are those directions in an easier to read format:

Temperature- 305 degrees
Timer- 30 seconds

Preheat - 5 seconds
Place design
Press- 30 seconds, check, press another 30
Flip - press 30 seconds from the back
Flip back to the front
Press 30 seconds, check, use heat eraser, repeat
Cool peel
Cover design with Teflon sheet
Press for 5 seconds

Using this method I haven't had any problems with my vinyl tearing or peeling.  It does take a bit more time than Cricut brand HTV, but the savings really add up.  I also like that I can buy a bundle of various colors for around $30 where as with Cricut you have to buy a roll for each color.  I will tell you though, nothing weeds as easy as Cricut, hands down!



Iron On Vinyl

Who doesn't need 12 styles of Harry Potter inspired shirts, am I right?!  Now you can make as many custom outfits as you want and save money by using Kassa vinyl!


Want more vinyl fun?  Click  here for a post about creating designs for your scraps or here for a post where I used HTV to personalize beach towels.

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I hope you enjoyed these vinyl tips, thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer





Saturday, September 19, 2020

Dollar Store Halloween Cloche


Dollar Store Holiday Decor

I've been into obsessed with cloches lately.  You all already know I'm constantly putting things into glass jars, now it's cloches too!  I love how the glass encasement gives an uncluttered, more polished look.  Plus, it's so much easier to dust this way ๐Ÿ˜‰

So when I found small cloches at Dollar Tree, I was beyond excited.  I used a combination of Dollar Tree craft supplies and things I had on hand to change them (and a larger one from Salt & Light) into Halloween decor., check it out:

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Disclosure - This post may contain affiliate links.  If a purchase is made through an affiliate link then (at no additional cost to you) I will receive a commission.  You can read more about affiliate links here.




Dollar Store Holiday Decor

Top - Dollar Tree plastic cloches
Bottom Left - Dollar Tree faux moss rocks, greenery 'ribbon', reindeer moss and pre-cut birch branches.
Bottom Right - A couple of the things I had on hand; artificial grass and Spanish moss.

(You can click here to browse Dollar Tree's online selection of home decor and crafting supplies)



Dollar Store Holiday Decor

After spraying the base of the cloche gold, I trimmed some 
of the greenery ribbon to size and hot glued in place.



Dollar Store Holiday Decor

Top:  With the green grass ribbon in place, I used more hot glue to add moss rocks, birch branch stumps, reindeer moss and faux grass.

Bottom:  When the habitats were ready, I then glued a few little friends into their new environments.

The bugs and spiders are the colorful plastic ones from the Dollar Tree kids section that I made over to make more spooky:



Dollar Store Holiday Decor

Here you can see the toys before and after I sprayed them with black spray paint.  While they were still sticky, I sprinkled on some embossing powder in shades of green and brown to add color and texture.  If you don't have embossing powder on hand, you could easily substitute with other paint colors or even glitter.  Leave the glitter as is for a fancier look or paint over it to tone it down.



Dollar Store Holiday Decor

My collection of new little friends.  I love how they turned out!





Dollar Store Holiday Decor

This cloche was a little different.  
I found it at the thrift store ($3.99) full of little birds and intended to be used as everyday decor.
It's alright if you are into birds and such, but I knew it would be awesome if I transformed it into a spooky Halloween tree full of skulls!


Dollar Store Holiday Decor

After removing the birds I sprayed the base black, then hot glued on some of the Dollar Tree faux moss rocks and reindeer moss.

While that was drying I prepared my skulls:



Dollar Store Holiday Decor

Another Dollar Tree find, these plastic skulls are available for $1 per bag.  I lightly coated them in Mod Podge and then sprinkled them with some more of that embossing powder I was talking about.

Truth:  I have no idea how to use embossing powder in it's intended manner, I found this entire rainbow set and a garage sale and thought, "That's interesting, why not?" And here is how I'm using it so far.   ๐Ÿ˜„  



Dollar Store Holiday Decor

I then glued my skulls in place among the branches, sort of like they are growing from a haunted tree.  I also added in a bit of  Spanish moss to fill in the gaps.

Dollar Store Holiday Decor

Here is my newly spookified cloche ๐Ÿ˜Ž



Dollar Store Holiday Decor

And since I couldn't stop there, I grabbed a couple of empty candle jars to make some more.  In these I added some lizards and frogs, also from the Dollar Tree toys section.  I painted these with acrylic shades of brown and green, then sprinkled on some of the embossing powder in red and yellow.



Dollar Store Holiday Decor

And there you are - a set of adorable, easy to make Halloween cloches with items from the dollar store!

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I hope you enjoyed this how-to post, thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

Saturday, September 12, 2020

Halloween Jeweled Skulls

 

DIY Dollar Tree Decor

It's not too soon for some Halloween crafting is it?  
Ok, good, because I put together a couple of  jewel encrusted skulls and I can't wait to share:


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Disclosure - This post may contain affiliate links.  If a purchase is made through an affiliate link then (at no additional cost to you) I will receive a commission.  You can read more about affiliate links here.


DIY Dollar Tree Decor

I found my plastic skulls at Dollar Tree, they are lightweight, about the size of a grapefruit and really easy to work with.  I've been seeing lots of great ideas for these skulls on Pinterest, here are a couple:


And of course the jeweled skulls that inspired me:


 If you haven't been to Dollar Tree recently, go!  They have a great selection of skeletal decor...if that's what you are in to ๐Ÿ˜‰  I snagged a bat, a rat, a bird, these skulls, some hands, a full body skeleton and a couple of bags of little bones.  I could't find the mermaid that I saw on there web page, but I'll keep looking.

(You can click here to check out the rest of Dollar Tree's online Halloween decor)



DIY Dollar Tree Decor

The first thing I did was to spray paint the skulls using metallic gold and rose gold.  I wanted to glam them up a little bit in preparation for their jewelry ๐Ÿ˜Ž

What I really liked is how well these skulls took the paint; one coat was enough and it adhered well.



DIY Dollar tree Decor

While my paint was drying, I searched through my craft supplies for some fun rhinestone costume jewels.

I also tried a little experiment.....



DIY Dollar Tree Decor

.....and applied a coat of glow in the dark paint to the eyes, nose and teeth of the skulls.  I thought it would be cool if the little faces could glow in the dark but the paint did not work at all.  If you have any ideas about what I did wrong or tips on how to make it work, please comment below!  Thank you!

(The paint that I used was Folk Art brand and I applied one coat)


Here is how they looked after I hot glued on their accessories:

DIY Dollar Tree Decor
DIY Dollar Tree Decor

Rose gold with her medallion and crystal rhinestones.



DIY Dollar Tree Decor
DIY Dollar Tree Decor

Yellow gold with her rainbow jewels and large pearl eye.




DIY Dollar Tree Decor

I only added an embellishment to one eye per skull thinking that the glow in the dark paint would work and give a nice one-eyed visual in the darkness.  As I said, that plan failed but I decided that I liked the asymmetry and left the eyes empty.  A bit more spooky that way anyway, don't you think?

And there you have it, Halloween Jeweled skulls!

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I hope you enjoyed this how-to post, thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Studio 27 by Jennifer Adams 2020

Saturday, September 5, 2020

Photography Behind The Scenes

 

Blogging Photography Tips and Tricks

There is so much more to blogging than just writing, am I right?  
You have to do the thing, take the pictures, edit the pictures, write up your post, publish your post and then market your post. whew!  It's a lot and can get overwhelming at times, but luckily I've learned a few tips and tricks along the way.  In today's post I'm sharing an insider's view of how I set up and take my photos.  Come on in and take a look:

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Disclosure - This post may contain affiliate links.  If a purchase is made through an affiliate link then (at no additional cost to you) I will receive a commission.  You can read more about affiliate links here.



Blogging Photography Tips and Tricks

Here is an example of brown craft paper being used as a background (you can see it in the first photo too).
I like using materials that create a solid, neutral background so that the item I'm photographing really pops out.  I also tend to stick with plain or simple designs so that the overall photo doesn't end up too busy.

In this photo I spread the craft paper out on my kitchen table, placed my items to be photographed on top and then took my photos from above (usually I stand on a chair).  In the top photo with the cupcakes you can see the same craft paper, this time hanging from my back splash.  Sometimes I want a seamless background with no real definition between the wall and the table top.  I accomplish this by taping the paper just below my cabinets, rolling the sheet down along the counter top and then letting it rest inside of an open drawer.  I use this method a lot for my Etsy shop.

*I make a point to stock up on paper and poster board for my photography backgrounds at Dollar Tree.  You can click here to browse their online selection.

Here is a post where I show you how I use poster board as a background.
Here is the post from the photo, in case you are interested in TMNT party decor, or just want to see how the photos-with-craft-paper-background turned out ๐Ÿ˜‰



Blogging Photography Tips and Tricks

Other times, when I'm taking pictures of my kids for example, I like to use actual photography backgrounds.  This was a Valentine shoot that I did with my children.  The best lighting at that time of year, and in the morning, is in the kitchen across from the patio door.  I pushed the kitchen table up against the fridge, attached my background to the top with painters tape and then allowed it to drape down to the floor.  Then I sat my kids on top of the background and shot away.

Usually when doing a people shoot I need a large background on a stand, but sometimes I can get away with these smaller ones.  I find them inexpensively on  Wish, just be patient with their shipping times ๐Ÿ˜Š



Blogging Photography Tips and Tricks
Blogging Photography Tips and Tricks

Sometimes it's just too overcast outside to get good lighting, or maybe I ran out of time and have to shoot at night.  For these times I pull out my umbrella lighting kit.  It's definitely more work to set up and put back away than using the sun, but when natural light isn't available I'm glad to have it!  There is only so much you can do with photo editing and having good lighting to begin with is worth the extra work.

You can find my exact lighting kit here on Amazon.

*Look closely at the white 'wood' background being used in both photos, it's another one of my Wish finds!



Blogging Photography Tips and TricksBlogging Photography Tips and Tricks

Now what if the lighting is good, but you are getting a few shadows that you want to eliminate?  On this day all I needed to do was grab one of my reflectors and position it to bounce the light from the window back across my photo space.  I'm sure there are plenty of professional hardware choices available, but I managed by attaching a plastic clothes hanger to my hanging light and then hooking the reflector on to that.  Whatever you've got to do to get the shot, right?  ๐Ÿ˜‚

You can find my reflector kit  here, also on Amazon

And that's it for this collection of photography tips and tricks.  May your batteries always be full, your memory cards with plenty of space and your lighting abundant!

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I hope you liked this photography post, thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer