Let’s start with the cupcake wrappers. I’ve created a template for a perfectly shaped cupcake wrapper that you can download. Just click here for the PDF: cupcake_template

Then place photos in the template. I actually used Photoshop to place the photographs in the template. You can also do it by hand, gluing photos to the template and then photocopying it on 8 1/2 x 11 paper. Be sure to trace the template over the photos so you know where to cut.

Trim along the lines of the template. For the top of the wrapper, I used scallop-edged scissors.

Glue the ends of the wrappers together and you have personalized cupcake wrappers! Now let’s move on to the towel cupcake portion.

Place the towel at an angle in front of you like a diamond. Starting at the bottom, roll the towel up so you have a strip that is about two inches wide. Helpful tip: the thinner the towel, the easier it is to work with, so avoid the super-plush variety. I got this towel at IKEA. 

Once you have the towel rolled into a long strip, place a lollipop (like a Dum Dum pop) at one end, and roll the towel into the shape of a cinnamon bun (or Princess Leia’s hair from the first “Star Wars” movie), wrapping the towel around the stick of the lollipop as you go.

Wrap a rubber band tightly around the bottom of the rolled up towel to hold its shape, and push up on the center so that is a little higher than the sides. This domed shape now resembles that of a cupcake, with the folds of the towel looking like frosting.

Position the towel in a cupcake wrapper, hiding the rubber band within the wrapper. So cute! Can’t wait to make these for the next birthday party I go to.

1. Print your photograph or design on laser copy paper. The laser paper will ensure the ink won’t run, and the paper is sturdier than inkjet copy paper. Then trim the page so it is about one- half inch larger on all sides than the switch plate.
2. Using a foam brush, apply a coat of Mod Podge decoupage glue and sealer to the front of the switch plate. Make sure you get the sides and corners.
3. Place the paper in a bowl of water for about 10 seconds. The water will relax the paper so it is easier to manipulate. And after the paper is wet, you can reposition it on the switch plate without tearing. 
4. Position the wet paper on the switch plate and smooth it out with your fingers. Be sure your fingers are wet, too, so you don’t accidentally rip the paper. Work your fingers along the front and edges to be sure the paper adheres everywhere. Pinch the corners, where there will be excess paper.
5. Wait about an hour for the paper to dry, then trim it on all four sides with a hobby knife. Trim the excess at the corners, as well. Then cut out the rectangular opening of the switch plate and pierce the screw holes with your hobby knife.
6. Apply another coat of Mod Podge to the decorated switch plate to seal it, and let it dry for another hour or more, depending on the temperature and humidity.

Admittedly, this 4th of July project is not obviously red, white and blue patriotic. But the humor of the retro photographs and their quotes is quintessentially American. For more traditional 4th of July projects I’ve done, check out my Mason Jar Flag Centerpiece, Patriotic Pinwheel Rosettes, my Red White and Blue Yarn Ball String Lights, and Stars and Stripes String Lights.

Here’s what you’ll need to make the customized soap bars: One sheet of Craft Attitude printable film; rectangular soap bars; Mod Podge; melted beeswax.

Step 1: Print out your designs on a sheet of Craft Attitude film using your home inkjet printer. Notice I printed them in reverse, so the words are “backwards.” That way, when you apply it to the soap with ink side down, the image will be in the correct orientation.

I created these graphics on Photoshop using images from vintage ads. Click here for the free printable PDF: soap_designs_ca

Step 2: When choosing soap for this project, look for bars of soap that have a flat surface, which will make it easier to apply the image. Curved soap is more difficult to work with. Also, look for soap without a logo embossed in it. I found these nice, plain bars of rectangular soap at Whole Foods.

Step 3: Using a foam brush, apply a layer of Mod Podge to one side of the soap bar. I used the matte finish Mod Podge.

Step 4: Trim the Craft Attitude film to fit the soap, and peel the image from its protective backing. Then position the image ink side down on the soap where the Mod Podge was applied. Rub your fingers on top of the film to burnish it. The Craft Attitude will conform to any nooks and crannies in the soap. It goes on like buttah!

Step 5: Apply another layer of Mod Podge on top of the Craft Attitude to seal it. Let the Mod Podge dry. Let me tell you, this is the first time I’ve used Mod Podge with Craft Attitude and the two work great together!

Step 6: The Mod Podge seals the image, but to make the Craft Attitude waterproof so you can use the soap without the image washing off, we are going to seal the image side with wax. Yes, wax. It sounds scary and hard, but it is actually really easy. I have an electric skillet from Target that was $20, and I melted a brick of beeswax in it so there was about a quarter-inch of melted wax in the skillet. Then I just dipped the image side of the soap in the wax for a second and removed it. Let the wax harden completely, and it becomes transparent so you can see the image beneath it. Now you can use the soap, and the sealed image won’t wash off! 

Although these soaps are customized for July 4th, you can obviously make soaps for all kinds of occasions. They make great personalized gifts when you apply photographs of family, friends or pets. These would also make perfect favors for weddings or baby showers (because soaps and showers go together). And with the Craft Attitude, the soap will look like it was custom printed. 

Disclosure: I am the designer/spokesperson for Craft Attitude, and the Craft Attitude links on this post are affiliate links. Thank you. I can sleep at night, now.

I lost my dad about 15 years ago. He was a dear man who led an amazing life – living through Japanese-occupied China, then the Communist revolution, escaping to Hong Kong with my mom and older siblings, and then coming to America to make a better life for all of us. This Father’s Day project is dedicated to him, although he didn’t have a cell phone and would not know what to do with this iPhone holder. But hey – at least it’s not a neck tie.

I love the little mini easels you find at art supply stores. I’ve used them in the past as place card holders, with mini canvases showing the faces of dinner guests. Since I have a lot of them lying around, they have inevitably been used for business card holders, recipe holders, and now, iPhone holders. Because they are plain wood, they are so easy to decorate with Craft Attitude printable film. I love how Craft Attitude goes on wood. It looks and feels like the wood has been printed with the design – not like a sticker or decal. And good news: Craft Attitude is now available at Walmart.

I decided to decorate the easel/iPhone holder with plaid because it’s such a fatherly print – that and argyle. And the plaid allowed me to incorporate a punny line: “I’M PLAID YOU’RE MY DAD.” Let me show you how I made it.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED: Mini easel from art supply store or some crafts stores, Craft Attitude printable film, glue stick or spray adhesive, craft foam sheet, glue.

STEP 1: Find plaid prints online and print on sheet of Craft Attitude film with your inkjet printer at home. Print images in reverse if words are incorporated. 

STEP 2: Cut the plaid film in 1/4″ strips, which is the width of the legs of the easel. Then apply a glue stick to the wood legs, place the film face down on the wood, burnish with your fingers so the film sticks, and remove the backing sheet.

STEP 3: Trim the excess film with a hobby knife. Continue applying the strips to the rest of the legs. Apply your message to dad on the ledge that holds the iPhone. I used a glue stick to adhere the Craft Attitude film, but you can also use a spray adhesive.

STEP 4: I glued a strip of craft foam to the top of the ledge to add friction to the ledge holding the iPhone. The rubbery foam grips the iPhone nicely. 

And just like that, we’re done. What a novel, yet useful, gift for a dad. Moms will definitely get jealous over this gift, but they can’t have it – plaid doesn’t rhyme with mom.

Disclosure: I am the designer/spokesperson for Craft Attitude. The Craft Attitude links in this post are affiliate links. Well, here’s full disclosure for you: I’ve made like a total of $11 in commissions over the past year with this affiliate link, but I never even cashed the check because I lost it. So obviously I’m not doing this for the money. I simply love the product and what I can do with it.

MAKING PHOTO RIBBON: Measure the width of your ribbon. Mine was 1.5 inches. Then size your photos so they are 1.5″ high, and put a bunch of them in a row. I used Photoshop for this, and I fit in 5 rows onto one document, and then printed it out on a sheet of Craft Attitude. Cut it into strips.

Leaving the backing paper on, apply spray adhesive (I use Scotch Super 77) to the ink side of the film. Place the strip face down on the ribbon, rub it with your fingers, and remove the backing paper. Personalized ribbon, people! 

Of course, the Craft Attitude works best on a lighter colored background. The ribbon I used was a light green, which was a cool background to put my dogs against. Aren’t they cute dressed up like Santa and an elf? Now, one sheet of Craft Attitude can make a ribbon that’s about 52″ long. You’ll see from the photo that it’s really flexible, and once it’s on the ribbon, you can still tie it into a bow. 

PERSONALIZING WRAPPING PAPER: This is just so easy, I don’t know why I don’t do it all the time. I have a 3″ hole punch, so I sized photos of Gershwin to 3″, and printed out the photos on a sheet of Craft Attitude film. I could fit 6 pictures on one sheet. Then I used the hole punch to create 6 circles of Gershwin’s face. Keeping the backing paper on, I applied spray adhesive to the ink side, placed the circle face down on the wrapping paper, burnished with my fingers, and peeled off the backing. 

I love how the film is relatively transparent, so the design on the wrapping paper shows through. This makes the image look printed on the paper, rather than looking like a sticker. 

PERSONALIZING A GIFT BAG: This too is crazy easy, but such a fun way to customize a gift bag. I bought a gift bag at Joann with some candy canes on it and printed out a photo of Gershwin on a sheet of Craft Attitude. 

Leaving the backing paper on (I sound like a broken record), apply some spray adhesive to the ink side of the Craft Attitude and place it face down on the gift bag. Burnish it with your fingers, and peel off the backing. Instant photo gift bag. Amazing or what?

Just like with the wrapping paper, I love how the design of the paper shows through, so it looks like the photo was printed on the bag. 

That’s a wrap, folks!

For a great gift, you can also put photos on the CD cases with the Craft Attitude film. Here are photos of my dogs Gershwin and Fosse on the CD cases. LED candles would light up their cute faces, too.

Before I go through the super easy tutorial on this, let me talk about Craft Attitude, because it’s a new product and not a lot of people know about it yet.

Remember, teachers today aren’t school marms. They’re hip, with-it people. And they would love this absolutely fabulous gift inspired by Cher. Yes, Cher.

What we have here is a giant clothespin note holder decorated on two sides, with the first side saying “If I could turn back time, I’d thank all my teachers,” and the second side saying “Because you can’t spell ‘teacher’ without ‘Cher’.”

I bought the giant clothespin at Woodcrafter.com, and I decorated it with some Wood Attitude printable film from Craft Attitude. I love how Wood Attitude feels on a piece of unfinished wood. You get a velvety finish that looks like the design is printed right on the wood.

Here’s how easy it was to make this:

Measure the sides of the clothespin, and create the design to those measurements. To download the design I created, click here: clothespin_art

Print the design on a sheet of Wood Attitude. Actually, any of the Craft Attitude films will work, e.g., Shoe Attitude, Jewelry Attitude, etc. Be sure to print it in reverse, like you see above, because you’ll be flipping the image over ink side down.

Trim the designs with a craft knife so they will fit on the sides of the clothespin. Don’t peel the film off its protective backing yet.

Spray the Craft Attitude film with some spray adhesive like Super 77. Place it face down on the clothespin, burnish with your fingers, and peel off the protective backing. If you don’t have spray adhesive, apply a glue stick on the clothespin, peel off the Craft Attitude film, and then place it on the wood.

And we’re done! Now this is a gift any teacher would love, even if the class is filled with “gypsies, tramps and thieves.”

Disclosure: The Craft Attitude links in this post are affiliate links. While I am the designer/spokesperson for Craft Attitude, my views here are genuine, and I was using the product way before I did any official work for them. So there.

What I used:

White Keds-like sneakers from H&M

Images from Dover’s “Designs from India” Book and CD Rom.

Elmer’s Extreme Glue Stick

Sequined trim from Joann Fabrics

Beacon Adhesives Fabri-Tac

Here are the finished sneakers. Hooray for Bollywood!

Here’s an earlier video I made on how to apply the Shoe Attitude film. to shoes.

Disclosure: I am a designer/spokesperson for Craft Attitude and Shoe Attitude, and the Craft Attitude links on this page are affiliate links. However, I was loving and using this stuff way before I did any work for them because I believe in the product so much. So there you have it.

Note: I am not being paid by U Star Novels, and I have not received any free product from them. They don’t even know I exist. I just found them through a Google search, tried it out, and loved the results, so I wanted to share the idea with everyone.

Here are some photos of the finished book.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

One hinged wood box, preferably square (The one I bought is an 8″ x 8″ cigar box from woodcrafter.com)

2 sheets of Craft Attitude film (any variety, e.g., Wood Attitude, Scrapbooking Attitude – they will all work for this)

Super 77 Spray Adhesive

Paper trimmer

Craft knife

STEP 1: Measure the wood box, and create a checkerboard pattern to the correct size with photos using image software like Photoshop. Just as a reminder, a checkerboard has 64 squares (8×8), so you’ll need 32 photos. Since we’re using photos as the squares, orient them so half are facing one direction, and half are facing the other. I also created another image file of Dad nicknames, like Pops and Daddy, which will decorate the sides of the box.

STEP 2: Print out the image files on your inkjet printer. Make sure you print them in reverse because you’ll be flipping the image over, ink side down, onto the wood. Trim the Craft Attitude film to fit the sides of the box. Leave the protective backing on for now.

STEP 3: Spray the ink side of the film with Super 77 Spray Adhesive (or another brand like Elmer’s Craft Bond) and position the film on the wood, ink side down. Burnish it with your fingertips and peel off the protective backing, and burnish once more. Look how amazing the images look on the wood. And the unfinished wood now feels so silky smooth.

STEP 4: Apply the film on the sides in the same way. You may be wondering how to deal with the opening on the sides. The easiest thing to do is to apply the whole piece on the side as if the box did not open. Then take a craft knife and cut along the opening. That is much easier than cutting the piece into two sections and trying to align them.

STEP 5: And what about the hardware on the box? I suggest removing the hinges before applying the Craft Attitude and then putting them back on afterwards. That way you don’t have to cut around all the hardware.

What a great gift this would make for any occasion, not just Father’s Day. Be sure to put some checker pieces inside. And maybe since it is a cigar box, add a stash of cigars. Candy ones, of course.