Tucker's Birthday Party Prep - Sublimation

Keeping on the craft train to show you more crafting ideas I used for Tucker's First Birthday Party!  The following crafts are more advanced, and not necessarily for the novice crafter due to the expense involved.  But it is one of my favorite ways to craft that always leads to a very professional look.  It is also the main medium that I use for most of my products that I sell at Abigail Lee.

So, let's talk sublimation in general.  Sublimation is a process that turns ink into a gas at around 400 degrees.  When this ink turns into a gas, it can permanently adhere to products with a special coating.  You will need a printer that uses sublimation ink.  You print your design onto sublimation paper, with the special ink.  Then, you stick the paper to your coated sub-straight and use a heat press to transfer the design to the blank.

My favorite things to sublimate are koozies, cutting boards, baby bibs, cosmetic bags, iPad sleeves, and so much more!

I used the sublimation process for some of the party's signage, and can koozies.

Signage:

The first sign I made was for the favor table at the entry.  It said "Thank you for coming to my party! - Tucker".  I designed these signs to match the invitation, and used the same fonts as on the previously discussed crafts.  Using the same fonts, colors, and designs, really ties the party together and gives the decor a cleaner look.

The sign matched the favor tags as well.
 

We had a S'more Bar as part of the dessert table.  Such a fun hit - especially for the kids that had never had a s'more before!  I used the same design as the other signs, just changed the text.

Fun fact: these signs are a clipboard without the clip.  I used the holes at the top that would have held the clip to tie on some orange and blue ribbon.

What tailgate party is complete without a Hot Dog Bar?  I made a sign to suggest some topping combinations (with Auburn themed names, of course).

 

Finally, I made the fourth sign to display the drink choices - just a little something to jazz up the drink table.

 

Can Koozies:

The next item that I used sublimation for was these precious koozies.  I love, love, love themed koozies for parties and these were no exception!  They also matched the rest of the decor, and they were perfect for the beer drinkers at the party.  

You can purchase these koozies from us here.

 

Tucker's Birthday Party Prep - Vinyl

I would like to show you some ways I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut vinyl and paper products for Tucker's First Birthday Party.  My Cameo sure gets a workout between cutting vinyl, HTV, fabric, and paper on a regular basis.  However, I use it the most for vinyl - it's one of my favorite crafting mediums!

I hope that as you read these posts from Tucker's party, you'll see that in addition to the obvious of using the same color theme, I also used the same fonts, phrases, pictures, fabric, etc. to tie together the overall theme.  I find that when planning a party, making sure that the overall design carries throughout is a way to make your homemade crafts appear more professional.

Wine Cups

I used a KG font and my Silhouette software to cut orange and navy "Tucker is One!" text to put on these disposable wine cups.  It was a very quick and easy project to fancy up the cups.  

These decals are now available for custom order from Abigail Lee here.

 

 

Dispenser Label

To dress up the drink dispenser, I also added the text "Toomer's Lemonade" to the front of the dispenser.  And yes, we did serve real Toomer's Lemonade - what Auburn tailgate party is complete without it?

These decals are now available for custom order from Abigail Lee here.

Picture Board

Next up is a fun bulletin board that I made with some of my favorite pictures of Tucker from his first 12 months.  I first covered the board in scrapbook paper with double-sided tape, then added "Tucker is One!" to the top in navy vinyl.  I find that using vinyl for projects like this leads to a better result than printing with my Inkjet printer.  It allows you to obtain a richer color, and a more precise design.

Then, I printed off the pictures, and used my paper cutter (similar) to trim to 4"x4" to have a more symmetrical design.  I attached the pictures using clear thumb tacks.

12-Month Stats

This project was one of my favorites, and also one of the more time-consuming ones.  I wanted a "chalkboard" type look, but with a less expensive medium.

I found this black foam board at the dollar store.  I then added white, navy, and orange vinyl to the board.  

I measured the board and mapped out the dimensions in the Silhouette software.  Then, I used different fonts (the same ones I used throughout the party) to map out the stats.  

I cut each section separately and laid it on the foam board.  This required me to map out each section and make sure my measurements were perfect for it all to line up.

Overall, it took less time than I expected.  About 1 hour to design, and 2 hours to cut, weed, and apply.  This is one item from the party that I don't think I'll ever want to get rid of.

Cupcake Toppers

Up next were several cupcake toppers.  I made two different toppers using different methods on each.

First, were the "war eagle" toppers.  When making free-standing letters as a topper, you need to make sure that you're using a script font where the letters overlap to allow them to all stick together.  I used Silhouette's weld feature to make sure they overlapped exactly. 

I then cut these out and used Elmer's white glue to attach to white lollipop sticks that can be found at most craft stores.  Note that when cutting paper with your Silhouette, you need an older, less sticky mat.  If you use a fresh mat, the paper will stick and tear.  If you only have new mats, there are tutorials online on how to de-stick your mat.

The football players were a different cutting method.  These football players were a must for the cupcakes, as they were the main image that I used throughout the party design.  Such a cute little boy that looks like Tucker, with an "1" on his uniform that added for an extra special touch!

I used the "print and cut" feature on the Silhouette software.  Silhouette School has a very well-written tutorial on how to use this feature.  Basically, you print the image on your inkjet printer, then trace and cut around the image with your Silhouette.

I used 2 football players per topper, and also attached to the lollipop sticks with Elmer's white glue.

The blue flags and candy footballs were purchased at Party City and Target, respectively.

The cupcakes looked perfect on cake stands.  Orange stands from Target, silver is Arthur Court.

 
 

Door Sign

The final project I used my Silhouette for was this door sign.  The wooden eagle was my mom's old door hanger that I repainted orange.  I added the blue/white trim around the edges.  Since my paint-lettering isn't the best, I used navy vinyl to put on the words.  Perfect sign to welcome our guests to the party!
 

Tucker's Birthday Party Prep - Embroidery

My sweet, sweet son recently turned 1. It has been the most joyous year of my life, but it also included a lot of learning, and growing pains. His first birthday was not only a celebration for him, but also for my husband and I for making it through year 1 of parenthood. Don't you think the parents really deserve the party?  I kid, I kid! 

As big Auburn fans, we decided to theme his party as an Auburn tailgate. What a fun theme to plan around! Orange, blue, footballs, and yummy tailgate food was on the menu. 

I definitely put my embroidery machine to work as I was prepping for his party. Here's a look at what I made: 

Burlap Banner
 

Up first was this burlap banner. I decided to use this orange and navy tri-check fabric throughout the party to anchor together the different fabric projects. I purchased the burlap banner at Hobby Lobby (don't forget your 40% off coupon!) for $4.99 before any discounts.  I had to combine 2 different banners, as there weren't enough panels on one.

I then used my embroidery machine to applique a football or letter on each panel.  It was strung up and nailed onto our fence for the cake smash backdrop.


Hat and Bib

Next up was the bib and hat.

For the bib, I purchased a blank bib from Blanks Boutique and appliqued a "1" in the same applique font and fabric.  I added Tucker's name straight across the applique.  The software I use to merge designs is Embrillance.

For the hat, I got a little help.  I first used the same method of appliqueing the number and embroidering Tucker on some scrap orange fabric that I had.  I then, contacted an Etsy shop to put my finished design on to a hat base, add the navy trim, and the pom pom on top.  As a small business owner myself, I always try to support other small businesses, and Etsy is a great way to do it!  Plus, it's so easy to talk directly with the designer and get exactly what you're looking for!

Shirt and Pants
 

 

The most  time consuming part of all of the embroidering was the outfit.  I use Embrillance to merge 3 designs to make his shirt.  The 1 was the same as on the bib and hat, as was the name font.  The football player was the most perfect design, as it was also the same football player on the invitation (and I used it a few other places to be shown in a later post).  He was a very long embroidery design, but I couldn't pass him up.  2 hours into making the shirt, I realized that I was sewing on an 18 month shirt instead of a 12 month shirt, and I was kicking myself for not double checking.  But, it ended up fitting great and I didn't need to redo.

As for the pants, I sewed those out of the same tri-check fabric to match the rest of the party.

 

His outfit was finished off with his Freshly Picked weathered brown moccasins, and a Janie and Jack navy sweater (similar).

High Chair Banner

 

Finally, I appliqued one small burlap banner with a "1" for his high chair.  My sweet friends threw us an Auburn themed baby shower, and one of the decorations I was sent home with was a fabric tie banner.  I cleaned that up, and added the burlap 1, and had a perfect high chair banner.

Here are some final pictures with every thing pulled together and in action.  Love, love the way it all turned out!

How have you incorporated the same fabric through event or home decor?

 

 

Baby Appleton Gender Reveal

Darin and I are grateful for our wonderful (and very large) family, and couldn't imagine having to call them all on the phone to tell them the gender of little Baby A. So, we decided to have a gender reveal party and all find out together! I loved getting to plan a sweet event to celebrate the birth of this baby that has already won my heart. As a mom, we don't get to plan any of the showers, or other pre-birth events, so I soaked up every moment of this sweetness. It all started with this envelope from the OB. Then, a long, long week and a half wait for the party. Looking back, I sure don't know how we didn't rip open that envelope immediately.

I hand cut pink, blue and silver confetti to load up a pinata. I gave the confetti to one of my friends who wasn't going to be able to make it to the party, and she loaded up the pinata for us in preparation for the big day.

A peek at the decor before all of the fun starts:

The guest book table had a bodysuit for everyone to sign in pink or blue. Such a fun keepsake for the new little baby. We also had buttons for each guest to wear to advertise their "vote"

Buttons from Abigail Lee Drinks are always a fun way to add an extra special touch to the party decor. The cups and napkins say "Boy Oh Boy" and "Tickled Pink"

There were two punch options, "Sweet Pink Lemonade", and "Bouncing Blue Punch". Both so yummy and appropriate. Drink dispenser decals from Abigail Lee

We did have a full spread of food, but in the rush, didn't get pictures of that. However, here was the tasty dessert table.

All of our friends and family started to arrive. They wore pink/blue depending on their "vote". We also provided the buttons to complement their outfits.

And now, it's time for the big reveal - he or she, what will it be?

Thanks so much for sharing such a special memory with us. We are so excited to welcome BABY BOY Joseph Tucker Appleton, due November 23, 2014!