I often link up projects to Linky Parties.  If you haven’t checked them out, please go now! Let me know if you’d like me to add yours.

Monday

Nap-time Creations, Kleinworth & Co., 
The Crafty Blog Stalker, Marvelous Mommy- Create Link Inspire

Mad in Crafts- Mad Skills Party

Homestories A to Z- Tutorials and Tips Link Party

Uncommon Designs | That’s What {Che} Said | Creatively Living | Club Chica Circle | A Night Owl Blog | Becoming Martha | Wait ‘Til Your Father Gets Home | A Cup Full of Sass- Monday FUNday Link Party

Sugarbee Crafts, A Pumpkin & a Princess, SNAP, Flamingo Toes- Show and Tell

Fearlessly Creative Mammas, Life After Laundry, KrystaSteen.com, Clark’s Condensed, Confessions of a Cooking Diva, Glenrose Square- Tips and Tricks Link Party

Tuesday

Tip Junkie- Tip Me Tuesday

Coastal Charm- Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays

Funky Polka Dot Giraffe:  Too Cute Tuesday

Homework:  The Inspiration Board

Sowdering About in Seattle-  Awesome Things Tuesday

 My Craftily Ever After

 Artzy Creations

 Krafting Kreations

Wednesday

The Thrifty Home- Penny Pinching Party

Real Housemoms, White Lights on Wednesday, I Love My Disorganized Life, Self Proclaimed Foodie- Wednesday Whatsits  (Tues 11 pm)

The NY Melrose Family, – Whimsy Wednesdays (Tues 6:45 pm)
Smart School House, Oh My Creative,
Simply Designing with Ashley, Princess Pinky Girl

Thursday

Here Comes the Sun, Practically Functional, Shaken Together-  Creativity Unleashed Link Party
One Project Closer, The Bold Abode,  The DIY Village

The Shabby Chic Cottage- Transformation Thursdays

Chocolate, Chocolate, and More- Thursday’s Treasures

Friday

Just Us Four- Pin-worthy Projects

Feature Fridays- Penny Love Projects and Bye, Comparison

The Idea Room, The 36th Avenue,
Whipperberry, 30 Handmade Days –  Best DIY Projects

Lolly Jane, The Crafted Sparrow, Craft-o-Maniac,
NoBiggie, Classy Clutter, The Cards We Drew-     The Creative Collection
Blooming Homestead, Giggles Galore

Weekend

Under the Table and Dreaming- Sunday Showcase

Tatertots and Jello Lil’ Luna
Somewhat Simple I Heart Naptime Today’s Creative Blog     – Link Party Palooza (Fri 7pm EST)

Reasons to Skip the Housework- Skip the Housework Saturday

Bring spring inside with this colorful Spring Subway Art Chalkboard!

Wow, it’s been awhile since I posted.  To be honest, when it’s cold and snowy/rainy/foggy, I have very little motivation to do anything except sit on the couch in a warm blanket, reading a book.  Of course, I have to participate in real life, but in my down time, I haven’t been able to muster up the motivation to create.

Well, now that March is just about here, I figured it’s time to get creating again.  One of the things on my to-do list is to replace one of my favorite decorations.  I made this Spring Subway Art Plaque a few years ago and love to display it each spring.  Unfortunately, it got destroyed in our move!

So, I decided to make a new project with the same design, but with a totally different spin.

I used this cute scrolly chalkboard from Hobby Lobby, and adhesive vinyl from Expressions Vinyl.  Oracal 651 is the best to use on this project, as the chalkboard has kind of a slick surface, but honestly I used scraps, so some colors are 631 and some are 651.  Use those scraps!

First, I imported a photo of the plaque to Silhouette Studio so I could make sure my design would fit the way I wanted.  I changed the page sized to match the actual dimensions of the plaque.  Then I imported the shape (you can find it here) and filled the words with the colors I wanted to use when I actually cut the vinyl.

Then I just cut by color.  Since this image isn’t really layered, I can push the same colors close together to cut and just place each piece by hand, eyeballing it as I go.  If it was a true layered image, I’d keep each color in it’s correct spot as I cut, then layer it all together. Here are some progress photos as I transferred each line to the plaque.
And here’s the finished project! I can either hot glue a ribbon to the back to use as a hanger, or display this using a plate stand.  I’m thinking I have a perfect spot for this on my built-in shelves! Are you ready for spring yet?  Someone please send me some sunshine!

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing products through my links, I receive a small commission. That’s what helps fund this blog so I can keep bringing you fun new craft projects to try at home!

Hi Everyone!  Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Occasionally Crafty is a craft blog for the busy woman.  I focus primarily on crafts that are simple to make and will give a big impact on a small budget.  You’ll even find some family-friendly recipes, activity ideas, and parenting posts!

I’m Valerie, a SAHM of three!  I play the flute and the piano, though my playing opportunities are few and far between!  I’ve been married 20 years to my handsome husband.  We are opposites in nearly every way, but that just makes us an awesome team!  My three kids keep me running all over town and are the source of the wrinkles that are beginning to appear- but I love them with all my heart! I am an avid reader, especially of fantasy epics.  I will sacrifice sleep and cleaning my house to finish “just one more chapter”.  I’m thrilled to see a love of reading pass on to my kids. I also enjoy baking and am known for my cookies.  From time to time you’ll see my creations pop up here on the blog! I created this blog as a much-needed creative outlet when my kids were home with me and I had no adult time.  I love to create beautiful things to make my house a home and bring a little cuteness to our lives!

If you’d like to contact me, you can leave a comment or send me an email.  My email address is

[email protected]

If you’ve been a reader for awhile, you know that one of my favorite things to use in crafting is vinyl.   I have a Silhouette Cameo, and I put it to good use making all sorts of vinyl art for my home.

This Christmas season, why not display a plate with a custom vinyl saying on it?  There are many out there, I know.  However, I designed an image just for you. Before I show it to you, I want to tell you about my inspiration.  I LOVE Christmas.  As much fun as shopping for and wrapping great presents is, I always try to keep myself and my family grounded, and remember why we celebrate Christmas in the first place.  I saw an ornament with the sentiment “Keep Christ in Christmas”, and I knew it would be a wonderful thing to display in my home this Christmas. So, if you want to keep a touch of the holy in with the ho-ho-ho, here’s a little something just for you.

If you have a Silhouette, you can download this file here and open it in your Studio software.  You can work with it directly in your new document, or you can click on File, then “Save to Library” so you can keep it as a shape in your library instead of just a document.

I sized my shape to fit my plate, then cut it out with my Cameo. Weed the extra vinyl as necessary, apply transfer tape (I use clear contact paper to save money!), and apply the vinyl to your plate. Remove the transfer tape, and you’ve got a gorgeous plate to display in your home or give as a gift. If you have any problems downloading the file, let me know and I’ll help you out.

We’re linking this up to some parties this week- come check them out with us!

Have a wonderful week!

Connect with us!  You can find us here:

In my church, I teach Sunday School to the adults in our congregation.  It’s called Gospel Doctrine class and it just might be the most intimidating responsibility I’ve ever had.  I’m no scriptorian, but I do have a love of the scriptures and the gospel that help me teach this class. One of my biggest challenges is keeping my lessons interesting and “memorable” (meaning, I want them to HEAR what is being taught, if that makes sense).  Because I’m a musician, I often bring music into my lessons to help teach a point.  I find that sometimes music conveys the Spirit like nothing else can.

Recently, I used the children’s song “Faith” to teach about–what else– faith (Alma 32)

Faith is knowing the sun will rise, lighting each new day. Faith is knowing the Lord will hear my prayers each time I pray. Faith is like a little seed– if planted, it will grow Faith is a swelling within my heart; when I do right I know. I made a handout using a line from this song.  I like to put little reminders directly into my scriptures, so that when I am studying them on my own, the lesson will come back into my mind.
(I need to say a quick thank you to LDS Files for the seed image.  You can find it here.)

I’m sharing the handout if you’d like to use it.  It would be great for Primary, Youth, or even adults!  It will print four to a page, and you can DOWNLOAD IT here.   (the gray lines are just cut guides)

While I was putting this together, I thought I’d share a few thoughts about how I study and mark my scriptures.  I know that not everyone that reads my blog is interested in this, but it is something that is important to me.  I’ve looked online for inspiration before, so if this helps someone else, I’ll gladly share it! Scripture study is a very personal thing.  Everyone has their own way, their own system, etc.  I have read my scriptures many times, and in pretty much every way imaginable. My scriptures are dog eared, full of writing and color, and are stuffed with lesson handouts, as I mentioned above. I have quotations that I got from talks or lessons. I have lists  (Corianton’s 5 problems, The 9 “Wo’s”- wo unto the….) My favorite thing to do is to go through and mark my scriptures by topic.  I found these great colored pencils a few years ago, and I use them all the time!  Now being back-to-school time, you can find these at the store for cheap!    They are Crayola’s Twistable Colored Pencils.  No sharpening- what’s not to love? I read my scriptures cover to cover, looking for scriptures that talked about a specific set of topics that I had identified before I started.

Red–Qualities of God and Jesus Christ

Orange– The Holy Ghost
Pink– Charity/Service
Yellow= Faith and Hope
Tan– Repentance
Light Green–Salvation/Eternal Life
Dark Green–Prophecies Not Yet Fulfilled
Light Blue– Prayer
Dark Blue– Creation/Fall of Man
Purple– Prophecies Fulfilled or Being Fulfilled
Dark Brown–Baptism
Black– Miscellaneous I know there are lots of other topics I could have chosen, or ways I could have split them up, but this is what worked for me (and fit the colors I had!) When I find a verse that talks about one of these topics, I draw a dark line outlining the verse, then shade it in lightly (you can see what I mean in the above pictures.  I just like the way it looks.)  If a verse talks about more than one of these topics, I color half one color, and then the other half the other color.  I also make notes in the margins and draw arrows to footnotes, or underline words and phrases that stand out in a verse. I got this set of scriptures about ten years ago, and it is a treasure to me.  I love to reread them and remind myself of things I have discovered along the way.  I also often find a verse I missed that fits into one of my topics.  It’s amazing how you can always find something new in the scriptures.

By the way, if you’d like to read what I read, you can order a free, no-strings-attached Book of Mormon here.  I also read and mark my Bible the same way.

I’m linking this up to some of these link parties this week– I hope you’ll join in too!

Okay folks, this is by far the easiest Making My Own recipe I’ve posted. This is something I’m sure a ton of us use and hate spending so much money for! We sure do pay for convenience, don’t we?

Introducing, Making My Own instant oatmeal packets! I got the recipe over at Countrified Hicks, and it is so simple and easy to alter to your liking. She even makes her packets at double size since it usually takes two of the store-bought packets to fill up her kids.

Can you just imagine how great these would be for road trips, camping, and just every day living? I made 4 of these packets and didn’t even make a dent in any of the ingredients you would need to make these, which means these are super cost efficient as well. I hope you get good use out of these!

Connect with us! You can find us here:

Today is my son’s birthday.  My middle child is smart, athletic, funny, a peace-maker, and such a loving person.  He always wants to do what’s right and make others around him happy.  I can’t believe this little baby is 11 years old! Back when my kids were old enough to start having real birthday parties with their friends, I got overwhelmed pretty quickly.  My daughter’s birthday is in 2 weeks, and Easter is usually right around one or the other’s birthday.  That’s a lot of celebrating in a short amount of time. So, I made a new tradition.  We don’t do birthday parties every year.  We take turns!  I have two boys and one daughter, so one year is “Boys Party” year and the other is the “Girl Party” year. When it’s not his or her turn for a party, the birthday child gets to pick a friend to take out for birthday dinner, and they get to choose the restaurant!  Then we bring the friend back to our house for cake and ice cream. My kids all love doing this!  They love having a friend with them to celebrate their special day, and I love not having to plan a party!

Here’s the invitation we dropped off to his friend this year, printed on 5×7 photo paper (although ours had more personal information). 

You could just invite the friend with a phone call or in person, but kids love getting invitations, and when it’s a friend you may not know as well, it helps the invitation sound more legit to the parents.  Or, am I the only one that gets “invitations” like “my friend said I could come with them to Six Flags” when you KNOW they haven’t asked their parents? We’re off to enjoy the birthday festivities!  Do you throw your kids parties?  Every year?  Every other year?  I’d love to hear what other parents do!

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing products through my links, I receive a small commission. That’s what helps fund this blog so I can keep bringing you fun new craft projects to try at home!

You know how I talked about how I wanted to focus more on  my home this year?  Definitely one thing I need to do is organize better.  I’m pretty good at keeping the areas guests see clean and uncluttered.  But if you could peek inside my bedroom, or even worse, my office/guest room/craft space, you would be shocked.  Shocked, I tell you!

So, out of this desire, we’re starting a new series here on Occasionally Crafty. Just like Ben and Jennifer, or Brad and Angelina, we’re putting two great things together:  crafting and organization.  Don’t just organize it:  Crafternize it!  You’ll see this series on Wednesdays, so I hope you’ll tune in each week! So, the first project is an easy one.  Ever wonder what to do with all that ribbon you have?  I’ve tried several different ways of organizing them.  One idea I thought was great in theory was putting the spools on a pants hanger, like this.

Source

Unfortunately, I do most of my crafting out in the kitchen, since I don’t really have a separate craft space.  That means if I wanted to use a specific ribbon, I had to walk back and forth, and either had to measure it and cut it right from the hanger (no good since I usually need it for wrapping or something that’s not precise), or take all the other spools off to get to the one I wanted.  Not to mention my spools would just roll around, spilling the ends down into the closet. This ended up not really working well for me.  And I quickly ran out of room.  So all my ribbon ended up in a drawer in a tangled mess.
So how do you get from the “before” shot to the “after”?  Well, all you need is some of these and about an hour. Take your ribbon off the spool, and tightly wind it around the popsicle sticks.  I put wider ribbon on the bigger sticks. When you reach the end, secure with a piece of tape. My ribbon went from taking up a whole drawer and a pants hanger, to this. Besides being organized, I was able to find ribbon I forgot I had.  Let’s just say, I don’t need to buy any more green ribbon for awhile. What is my problem?!? Now, I had the bucket ($ section in Target) and the popsicle sticks already, but even if you had to buy them, this would be a really cheap purchase. Now, I just have to figure out where to keep my bucket o’ ribbon……

Linking this up to some of these parties:  Come party with me!

Connect with us! You can find us here: