My Party Essentials

I’ve thrown a lot of parties over the years, so I’ve got all the essentials. Here are some of my favorite items for parties.

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Cake Stands- I personally like white cake stands since they match any holiday, but these come in so many cute colors! The pink and mint green ones are calling my name.

Sequin Tablecloths- I have these in rose gold and silver, and I can’t tell you how many times they have elevated my event. They wash pretty well, although lots of sequins end up in the wash. But, they still look great after 8 years.

Sequin Runners- These are perfect for placing on party tables, on a craft table, or even on a console. I’ve also draped them on my fireplace! I also recently used a cheesecloth runner for Thanksgiving, which looked so nice.

Serving Platters- While my husband is the chef of the family, I can recommend a nice set of white porcelain serving platters. I love having different sizes but within a single set so that they can stack in my cabinets and drawers.

Balloon Stands- These are perfect for balloon decor and centerpieces without the helium.

Balloon Inflator- I borrowed this from a friend and it saved me! In the past I have used a handheld pump as well as a mattress inflator, neither of which I recommend when this is an option!

Baskets- I use these for all kinds of things, including holding favors, corralling cards, and displaying some party decor.

Garlands- I personally love a fringe tassel garland! These are so easy to make and can be used over and over.

Sequin Backdrops- These are great for placing behind a party table to make it fancier. I also love a nice tablecloth fringe garland, which can be super colorful!

Backdrop Stand- I use this style for my photography backdrops, but it works perfectly for parties. You can also go with a gold arch style, which would be pretty with a cover.

Painting Supplies- I often do an activity at my parties, and I love using these white aprons for kids along with a simple painting set and acrylic paints. Helpful hint- if you wipe off the extra paint with a napkin, it makes it way easier to wash the palettes!

Paper Fans- I also use these over and over again! I use a paperclip to hold them together, then fold them up after the party so it’s ready for the next use.

Cake Topper- I have a Happy Birthday cake topper that I use for all my parties. It’s economical and eco-friendly. A win-win!

Storage Boxes- I store all these supplies in clear plastic bins or clear bags. I can see what I need, and my supplies stay safe from the elements.

Disco Ball- No party is complete without a disco ball. I have mine permanently hanging in my living room. I just love disco balls!

Cricut- Cricuts are perfect for personalizing elements. I’ve used them to create banners with felt and glitter paper; Cut iron-ons for favor bags; Cut vinyl for making signs; Cutting glitter paper for cake toppers; and soooo much more. The smallest one, The Joy, is great for vinyl, making cards, and stores away easily.

Circle Cutters- I just got one of these, but I’m so excited to use them when cutting my circle cupcake toppers from my shop!

ORC Fall 21 REVEAL- Attic Playroom & Movie Theater

It’s here - reveal day! Well, technically, reveal day was on Thursday. I got an email from One Room Challenge that if we needed a few more days to finish up that we should use them, and it came at just the right time. I definitely needed a couple of extra days, and I really think it made all the difference! This room has been a labor of love. 

*All sources are listed at the bottom. If anything is missing, let me know and I’ll add it! This post contains affiliate links.

As you may remember, this room was previously my office space. It never quite felt right, so when I thought about how to fix up the house it just made sense for this room to become a family space instead of being just for me. I was always trying to get people to hang out up there with me, so I guess that was sort of a sign that I wanted to create a space that the whole family could enjoy. 

I think the biggest change for this room is the new floors! I have been (impatiently) waiting to replace this floor since we purchased the house five or six years ago. I was giddy on Halloween as we ripped up the old carpet. We replaced the carpet with this Beaumont Eco Resilient Flooring. So far, it’s been holding up great to our various kids and pets. Did I mention that for some reason Hailey decided to pee on it one day? Yea… she did. It cleaned up perfectly! I think these floors are my favorite design element of my whole house, hah! This was the first real renovations we did on this house (and any house I’ve ever lived in!) so it was really exciting to make the decision and see my vision come to life. My husband installed the floors himself (with a little bit of help from me- I’m mostly the designer in this duo) and it took him 3 tries to get it right! It’s beyond perfect though. I love these floors.

Let’s talk about this amazing sofa that I got from Bob’s Furniture. I wanted to replace the old grey futon that we had for our makeshift den, which honestly reminded me of the seat of a car. First, we were thinking a sleeper so that it would be a good guest space. Then, since it’s a movie theater room, I thought it would be great to have recliners. I wanted somewhere that we can get comfy and watch a movie and truly relax. Finally, we landed on these two loveseat sleepers (a left and right side) which means that we have a large sleeper bed for when guests come over, as well as four chaise lounges! Although the shape of the sofa is pretty traditional (I was going for something a little more Art Deco up here) the sofa really is perfect for the space. I love that the chaise goes back in and folds down, which means that the sofa takes up less space when we’re not using the foot rests. It’s perfect that we get to host guests up here too. This sofa is the Playroom model in blue (perfect name!), and the configuration was recommended by the sales rep. It was available to be delivered super fast- we took some time because we were getting the floors done, but I think it could’ve been here within a week!

Now let’s talk rugs. Picking out rugs caused me so much stress. I wanted a washable rug that was large, affordable, and matched my style. I was pretty much set on this Target Opalhouse outdoor rug from the start, but it didn’t seem like it would hold up well to two kids, two cats, and a dog. I decided to put it up here anyway and I loved the way it looked. I kind of threw logic out the window, and within a few days a cat had already scratched it and ruined a large part of it. So, this rug will probably be going outdoors where it belongs and I’ll find a new rug for the space. 


As for the playroom rug, I ended up using the yellow rug from the original playroom downstairs and placed a smaller rug on top that my sister had given to me. I love the layered look since it ties in all the main colors of the room, even though the combo of leopard print and boho is atypical. I also keep a play mat for Travis handy, since he loves tummy time and I want to make sure he’s on something fairly clean. These rugs get furry with all out pets and he’s been known to grab tufts of lint/fur from the floor and put it in his mouth. Kids, amiright?

Most of the artwork in here was things I already had. I tend to buy things I like without really knowing where they will go, so I have a stash of items that I love that are homeless… within my home. Hah! Most of this artwork came from the playroom downstairs (like all the animal prints) and then I added a vintage Carters ad that I had gotten from the thrift store. I LOVED it and intended to put it in the kids shared room, but it didn’t quite have a spot. I passed by it when grabbing things and realized it would be perfect up here, appropriately next to the baby care center.

The large Yes You Can! sign is from Home Goods. I had gotten it for my craft space up here to cover the AC unit. I’m so glad that it works so perfectly for the playroom too! I attached it with 3M velcro strips for now, but I plan to put it on more permanently with the cable hidden. I hate the eyesores of the house (like old AC units- ugh) and my goal is to try and hide them or disguise them.

The original playroom downstairs was always a mess of toys, so I decided that this one would have limited toys and a toy rotation. I have a few bins in this Ikea cube unit and picked out a few toys and sorted them by color. While I love how clean this looks, I’ll probably be more practical in the future and display toys with their relevant parts and pieces instead of by color. I’ve also got 2 baskets of toys for Travis. I didn’t know what to place on top of the cube units, so I took a cue from the library and placed some upright books. This allows Hailey to grab books on her own, while ensuring that the top of the cube unit doesn’t become a dump zone. Next to all of this, we’ve got her tent & reading nook filled with cute pillows.

And Hailey’s favorite toy- her play kitchen! This was another FB marketplace find for only $15 and it was practically brand new! I gave it a makeover with white and pink chalk paint, plus some gold spray paint. I also plan to add some cane accents and a backsplash but that’s a project for another day!

I knew I wanted to have an art table up here, since Hailey and I love to do crafts together. I wanted this pottery barn table but I felt hesitant spending so much on a kids’ table that would probably get destroyed. So, I went to FB Marketplace and found both tables that I wanted (in brown) for only $40! Can you believe it?! One can of Sherwin Williams Pro Classic in Creamy and I was able to give these a new look (plus my tv stand) with plenty to spare for future projects. I hung Hailey’s painting that we made together above the table. I loved the way she placed down her paintbrush when she finished, so I made it part of the artwork permanently. The “tray” is one of my paintings, while the zebra tray is a DIY that I did way back. These bow chairs were the perfect addition. I literally could not put them into the cart fast enough at Home Goods! They ended up being a little too tall, so my husband cut them down to size and they’re perfect now. The don’t even wobble. I don’t know how he does it.

I’ve always loved the idea of a home theater, but I definitely don’t love the colors they usually have. Black and red? No thanks! So I decided on this pastel Art Deco theme. There are a few elements that I didn’t quite get to finish in time for the reveal, but I am so excited with how it came out so far! 

Now, let’s talk stars! One difficult design element up here is the sloped ceilings. I never knew what to do with them because they always looked so bare. I knew I wanted to do a half painted wall up here (though I did want to do a scallop shape too!) so I needed something for the upper part of the wall. When I saw the post that Laura made for A Beautiful Mess, a lightbulb went off. It was perfect! I spent entirely too long trying to find a shape that was similar and colors that matched, then had to figure out the sizing and cut it on my Cricut. But the end result is amazing and one of my favorite parts up here. The best part is that it cost less than $50 and I still have plenty of vinyl left over!

I handpainted the accent wall using Frog Tape and a sample of paint I had left over from the kids’ room mural (more on that soon!) The yellow stripes are varying widths while the white ones are all the width of the tape, which helps it to look whimsical but consistent. I also wanted it to be imperfect so I only did one coat and eyeballed the lines to try and get them straight. In the end I think it looks perfectly vintage! I added these amazing movie-themed sign language flash cards that I framed with a mat. We have a deaf family member so as soon as I saw them, I knew they were meant to be in this space. The play sign is a “play” on words (no pun intended- seriously) since this is a PLAYroom but you also PLAY a movie. Pretty clever, eh? The arrows I’ve had for a long time- I think they were from Target for Valentine’s Day. I’m glad they now have a permanent spot!

The tv unit was purchased in our apartment probably 8 years ago. It came with us to the house and sat in our den for a while, then kinda ended up homeless, then came up to my attic craft room. It was black so I ended up adding wallpaper to the drawers, then sanded it down to wood, then we painted it white. I had my husband add the half-rounds to the drawer fronts which then got a fresh coat of Creamy by Sherwin Williams to match the rest of the unit. The pulls look so modern and minimal which allows the half rounds to take center stage. I gave the tv a makeover using Tasha’s tutorial and mine definitely did not come out as well as hers did. Rub n Buff is harder to work with than I thought! I added artwork as a screensaver and now the tv is a Frame TV’s ugly cousin. 

I knew I wanted a mini fridge up here for snacks and drinks, so I got this gorgeous retro-inspired one! It also comes in blue which would have been more fun, but I thought this cream one would work better for the space. I had to get some seltzers- rainbow colored La Croix, of course! A popcorn maker, gumball machine containers, and cute bowls add the finishing touches.

The lesson I learned in all of this is that we think that people’s rooms are “done “after doing a challenge like this, or any kind of renovations. The truth is that all spaces are a work in progress. There are many things that I love about the space, and a few things that I probably will still tweak as time goes on and we use the space in a new way and adapt. I think that was my favorite lesson of all. I tend to be such a perfectionist and spend so much time looking for just the right thing, and the truth is that sometimes the right thing comes along when you least expect it. So, I love that I have a little bit of room to play with what’s up here and to switch around some of the items that don’t work out for us in the end.


That concludes the tour! Be sure to follow me on instagram while I share more DIY projects for this space and more budget-friendly home renos and reveals!


Sources:



Playroom:

Cube Unit- Ikea

Cubes- Amazon

Tent- Amazon

Curtains- Amazon

Pillows: Mermaids- Home Goods, Circle- Walmart, Ice Cream- Target, Rocket, Moon & Mouse- Amazon

Yellow Rug- Target Opalhouse,

Pink Rug- NuLoom

Baskets- Home Goods

Kitchen- KidCraft with a makeover; Hardware- Amazon

Rainbow Baskets- DIY project

Heart Ottoman- Oh Joy! For Target (discontinued)

Tulip Basket- Target

Sequin Pillow- KailoChic

Table- Pottery Barn (Purchased second hand on FB Marketplace)

Bow Chairs- Home Goods

Zebra Tray- DIY Project

Camper Pen Cup- Home Goods

Decals- handmade with the Cricut (vinyl from Hobby Lobby)





Art:

Alphabet- DIY

Tiger Head- Amazon then spray painted

Tiger/Zebra/Giraffe - DIY

Disney Castle- Etsy

Yes You Can- Home Goods

Cheetah- Hobby Lobby

Babies- Carter vintage ad (thrifted)





Movie Room


Couch- Bob’s Playroom

Rug- Opalhouse by Target

Coffee Table- Pottery Barn (Purchased second hand on FB Marketplace)

TV Unit- Ikea Hemnes

Mini Fridge- Best Buy

Media/Snack Cabinet- Home Goods

Popcorn Machine- Dash SmartStore

Gumball Containers- Hobby Lobby

Bowls- Striped Popcorn, Pink & Stars- Target 

Blanket- Home Goods (Novogratz brand)

Pillowcovers- Amazon Blue and Orange

Shell Pillows- Target


Art: 

Play Sign- Hobby Lobby

Frames- Target

Sign Language Art- Vintage flash cards from Maliasmark on Etsy


Light Fixtures- Target (discontinued) & Amazon

Flooring- Floor & Decor

See the other participants here: www.oneroomchallenge.com/orc-blog

 

One Room Challenge- Week 1 Attic Playroom/Movie Lounge

I’m so excited to announce that I will be a guest participant in the Fall 2021 One Room Challenge, hosted by Better Homes & Gardens! I’ve always wanted to join, but I never knew what room to make over and didn’t quite have a budget that felt worthy of a whole room makeover. I think I was just nervous and scared. However, when I realized that the timing of my attic play room remodel would be at the same time as the One Room Challenge, I decided it was fate to join this time!

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A little backstory- in 2020, just before the pandemic hit, I decided to create a play room for my daughter on the main floor of our home. The whole floor is open concept, and the playroom ended up by the door because that’s where the nicest window light was plus we could easily block it off so that the toys stayed contained. I planned out where things would go and set everything up. I’ll share more about that previous version in a full blog post, because I loved the way the design came out.

For a little while, everything was great. As Hailey got older though, she could reach more of the stuff on the higher shelves, and of course another Christmas and birthday came along. Suddenly, it seemed like toys  were always on the floor of the playroom, with a trail leading to the living room where you could find even more toys.

No matter what I seem to do, the mess is never-ending. I seriously contemplated moving because I didn’t see how our house would ever function. While Hailey’s playroom was being torn apart, my craft room was constantly hit by Hurricane Hailey. There’s no door to the attic, and also sloped ceilings. There really wasn’t any way to keep things out of her reach, and it got frustrating that in addition to my mess I had to constantly clean up her mess. 

I was thinking about how my house looks almost exactly the same as it did when we first moved in, aside from paint colors. I felt frustrated that 5 or 6 years had passed and yet nothing had been majorly changed. I thought to myself, if the house had been empty when I saw it, what would I have thought to do? I had the bright idea to put both kids in a shared room, create a big play room/family room in the attic, and move my craft room into one of the kids bedrooms. I also planned out a reorganization of the first floor living space, which never seemed to work. 

The kids rooms and my craft room are 90% done (more on those later) but I’m shifting my focus to the playroom!

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Isn’t the mood board for the space dreamy?! Since this is the first space that’s truly getting a renovation (new floors! Paint! Adding doors! New furniture!) I wasn’t sure where to start. I was thinking about everyone else and I realized, you know what? It’s my home too and since I’m the one with the eye for design and the one spending most if my time there, it might as well be something I love that can inspire others! The result was a colorfully boho, vintage movie theater vibe. I’m planning to keep about 75% of Hailey’s toys in the closet and only bring out a weekly rotation of toys. I can’t handle the constant mess! Her play kitchen, baby dolls and doctor toys will probably be out all the time since she plays with those every day. But the rest will be swapped out so that she can have fun and hopefully keep it clean by herself. Travis doesn’t have many toys now but I’m sure once he does, it’ll be mayhem. This toy rotation will help with that issue. 

I’m still working out some final design details so who knows- maybe things will change. But I’m SO excited for this new room, and I’m hoping it’ll have a totally new vibe when it’s all said and done!

What’s your favorite element of the space? I think mine is the dreamy rug and the yellow stripe wall I added at the last second!


To see what the other participants will be doing, click this link and browse through. There’s some really amazing ideas coming to life!

DIY Neon Popsicle Earrings

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cricut. All opinions are 100% mine.

As you probably know, I’ve been having a LOT of fun making faux leather earrings lately! I’ve been using my new Cricut Maker and holy cow, it’s a game changer! My Explore Air was cool and all, but the Maker can keep up with anything I throw at it. Cutting felt? Yep! Fabric! Thin balsa wood! Chipboard! It feels like the possibilities are endless. 

To share my newfound love, I decided to show you guys a fun DIY project using faux leather, and also answer your questions about cutting faux leather with the Cricut Maker! If you’ve never cut faux leather before, head down to the FAQ before beginning this project! It’s full of helpful tips so that you can get started on the right foot. I love faux leather earrings because they weigh practically nothing- perfect for making an impact without saggy ear lobes!

*This post contains affiliate links.

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  1. Gather your supplies, then open up the project in Cricut Design Space.

  2. Press the “Make It” button and see what size you’ll need for your materials. I like to cut the pieces before running it through the machine to save some time. I use my cutting mat, ruler, and True Control Knife. This thing is amazing- it cut through 3 layers of vinyl at the same time!

  3. First up, cut your faux leather using the Strong Grip Mat. Be sure to place your leather face-down (aka, leather down and fabric backing up). Smooth it down with your brayer to ensure it’s pressed down securely. 

  4. Load your mat into your Cricut Maker. Select the material (faux leather- paper thin) and set the pressure to “MORE”. Once it’s cut, don’t peel it off yet! Test that it comes out easily and smoothly. If not- run it through again.

  5. Cut your vinyl using the standard grip mat. I put all my little pieces of vinyl on the same mat, and just ran it through in order. Weed your vinyl to get it ready for ironing.

  6. Place your faux leather earrings on the EasyPress Mat. Follow the directions for the Easy Press Mini which in this case is 30 seconds on the lowest setting. I used a teflon sheet to protect my faux leather while using the iron. As per the instructions, peel off the protective layer while it’s still warm. I did the brown popsicle pieces first, then the neons after. Use heat-resistant tape to keep things in place so they don’t slide!

  7. Add a jump ring and then an earring hook to your faux leather. Wear them with pride!

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Now, let’s get into some FAQ about cutting faux leather:

Why is the Maker better than the Explore for faux leather cutting?

This is a great question! Before I got my Maker, I did use my Explore to cut faux leather. And it worked, for the most part. But, the Explore has to go over the leather twice to cut it. This can lead to the faux leather getting tangled up, especially if certain pieces cut well and then it slides over again and dislodges it. It’s also more time consuming! We know that us crafters have limited time as it is, haha.

How do I keep my leather from moving and sliding while cutting?

There are a few tricks to keep that pesky faux leather in place! First, use a Brayer to smooth the leather down and ensure a good adherence. Then, if you really want to keep it in place, add a bit of tape. I use painter’s tape and that works perfectly.

What blade do I need to cut faux leather?

You can make perfect, precise cuts using the fine-point blade.

How do I cut faux leather?

It’s really easy! Just place your leather face down on the mat- I use the purple heavy grip mat. You want to have the fabric backing facing up and the leather on the sticky side of the mat. Don’t worry- it won’t get ruined! Then, I like to use “more” pressure setting. Do your cuts, and then check that the cuts went all the way through. If they didn’t, run it through again and it’ll go over the same cuts, allowing your shapes to break free!

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Can I add vinyl to my faux leather?

Yep! Cricut Iron-Ons work perfectly for this. You just want to take some precautions. Remember, faux leather is artificial- aka plastic and melts easily. So, you want to protect it as much as possible before adding your vinyl. Use a teflon sheet to avoid directly touching the leather with your heat source. Second, be efficient. I love to use my Easypress Mini because I know the exact settings. This means I can go quick and avoid unnecessary heat on my faux-leather. It’s also the PERFECT size for earrings! Cricut recommends using their EasyPress Mat which is the perfect size for laying out a few earrings and getting all that iron-on vinyl secured!

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My faux leather just won’t cut- now what?

This is what’s great about the Cricut- it has a drawing feature! Switch your designs to DRAW, then load the fabric pen. This amazing pen has disappearing ink, so after you’re done trimming, use some water and the marks are gone! Allow the Cricut to do it’s thing, and you’ll have a precise template that you can now hand-cut.

Oh and PS- this GORGEOUS set of Cricut Pens is the Fine Point Pen Set- Sorbet. What dreams are made of!

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I hope this post inspired you to make some faux-leather earrings too! I am LOVING my new Cricut Maker, so if you have any questions or if you’re on the fence about getting one, let me know! I can help you decide if it’s the right move for you :) I think one of the best things about the Cricut Maker is that you can create projects that you can sell, which helps you earn your money back that you spent on it! It’s really an investment piece, and a total necessity for any crafter out there!

In case that wasn’t enough, here are 5 things I love about my Cricut:

  1. I can cut faux leather with ease to make gorgeous earrings.

  2. The Cricut design space has thousands of amazing graphics, images and fonts that I can use to customize my projects. It’s SO easy to do, and I love that I can design then cut, all in one place!

  3. I can cut a variety of materials, including paper, vinyl, leather, felt even balsa wood!

  4. The Cricut is perfect for tiny details. I can draw or cut something and it’s precisely like it looked on my screen.

  5. It’s really easy to go from an idea to a finished project. Everything comes out perfectly!

Toddler Matching Game- Shapes & Numbers

Now that we’re quarantined and can’t leave the house, we’ve been looking for activities to keep Hailey busy. She’s been getting a LOT of screen time, so I wanted to make something for her that was fun, easy and educational. Also, bonus points for something that didn’t contain 3,000 pieces for her to throw on the floor and for me to pick up! That’s when I came up with the idea for this felt educational mat- a toddler matching game, if you will. I knew we could teach Hailey her numbers and shapes, but she could also play with it on her own while we cooked or just relaxed. It was perfect timing when Cricut sent me their new Cricut Joy machine, which I’ve been eyeing since they released it! Whether you’ve got a small hobby room or even just a craft cart in the corner, this machine is perfect for you! And, there are SO many projects that you can make with it. If you’ve been on the fence about getting the Cricut Joy, here is the universe telling you- it’s time. Get it now, and see how many amazing things you can make! You won’t regret it.

*This post contains affiliate links.

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You will need:

Free Template (here)
Cricut Joy (here or get the bundle here)
Cricut EasyPress 2 (here)
Cricut Smart Iron-On Vinyl (here, I used white)
Cricut Joy StandardGrip Mat (here)
Cricut Starter Tool Set (here)
Cricut EasyPress Mat 12 x 12 (here)
Felt pieces for the shapes (similar here)
Thick Felt (Stiff or Double Thick)
Felt glue (here)
Velcro (here)
Glitter paper (similar here)
Ruler or T-Square (similar here)
Tailor’s chalk (similar here)

Directions:

This project has a lot of small steps, but is simple to make. So, I split each part up into smaller pieces so that it’s less overwhelming of a blog post.

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Prepping To Make Your Toddler Matching Game:

  1. Open the template on Cricut Design Space. The template is free to use and can be found here.

  2. Cut your paper template using cardstock. I took one page and cut it in half, and ran each one through the Cricut Joy on the StandardGrip Mat. This paper template is for the felt matching shapes.

  3. Load your vinyl into the Cricut Joy. I used Cricut Smart Iron-On Vinyl (here, I used white), which means I didn’t need a cutting mat.

  4. A couple of notes when cutting vinyl: When using an Iron On, always go shiny side down. And, remember that you want to cut the numbers backwards so that they are mirrored. I’ve already done this on the template, so you don’t need to worry about it!

  5. Weed your vinyl using your weeding tool, then carefully cut out the shapes individually. You’ll want to leave the protective (shiny) layer on so that you can iron it.

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To Make The Toddler Matching Game Mat:

  1. Arrange the vinyl shapes on your felt. Try to keep them centered on the mat and lined up.

  2. Once you’ve arranged your shapes, use a ruler to make sure they’re straight. I did this by placing a T-square under the first shape and then lining up the rest of them along the ruler’s edge.

  3. Set up your Cricut EasyPress 2 to the appropriate settings. You can use their handy Heat Guide but for this project, you’ll use 280 degrees for 30 seconds with light pressure.

  4. Put your felt on the Cricut EasyPress Mat, and use your Cricut EasyPress 2 to iron on the vinyl.

  5. Once your vinyl has cooled, carefully peel off the protective (shiny) layer.

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To Make The Shapes For Your Toddler Matching Game:

  1. Pick out your felt colors. I used 4 colors and figured out which shape should get which color by using pom poms. This ensured that each color wasn’t too close together. 

  2. Take your cardstock shape templates that you had cut out and arrange them on the corresponding felt colors. Make sure that you have plenty of space around each shape so that you can cut it out afterwards.

  3. Slip your vinyl numbers under the template and ensure (once again!) that you have enough room for each shape.

  4. Use your Cricut EasyPress 2 again to iron your numbers. Note: You can also use the EasyPress Mini for this! Especially if you’re using scrap pieces of felt, where the larger EasyPress would just be too big. Let cool and carefully peel. You’ll now be left with a sheet of felt with a few numbers on it.

  5. Place your shape templates back on the vinyl to ensure that your number is centered in the shape. Trace around your shapes with chalk. Then, cut them out.

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To Make The Envelope For Your Toddler Matching Game:

  1. Cut out your envelope pieces from felt. I used a rectangle that was 5 x 2.5 (aka, smaller rectangle) and then a second piece that was approx 5 x 7.5 (aka, the house side).

  2. Take your larger 5 x 7.5 felt rectangle. Fold the two top corners into the center to meet at a point and then cut at the folds. This will create your point at the top while still keeping it nicely centered. Hence, the nickname “the house side”!

  3. Take your “house side” of felt and put felt glue along the two side edges. Then, place your 5 x 2.5 smaller rectangle on top. See the pics for reference on how to make the envelope since it’s a bit funky!

  4. Turn your envelope over and put glue on your envelope as shown in the picture. Then, press it down on your felt mat and wait for it to dry.

  5. For the heart, I used my heart punch but you could just as easily cut one using the Cricut Joy with the Light Grip Mat.

  6. Glue your heart onto the tip of your envelope point. Then, add a piece of velcro to seal it.

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I’m happy to say that Hailey LOVED playing with this matching game! She hasn’t quite gotten the hang of matching the shapes and numbers, but she loves to play with the felt shapes and put them on top of the vinyl on the mat. She’s gone back to it every day, and has even put down her iPad to fiddle with this! It makes a momma so happy. 

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Although this project has a few steps, it’s really fun to make and quite simple. It keeps Hailey busy and it’s pretty to look at! And, it all tucks away nicely into the envelope to make clean-up a breeze. I leave this out on the coffee table to she can have easy access when she gets bored. I can’t wait to make more projects like this using my Cricut Joy!

Starting today through 4/25, Cricut is launching their Spring Cleaning Flash Sale, featuring 40% off select materials and accessories, and Explore Air 2 Machines at their lowest price ever of $179.99! In addition, snag a Maker Machine for $329 or a BrightPad for $49!

Explore Air 2 Machines at Their Lowest Price Ever - As Low as $179.99! Valid through 4/25 

Maker Machines Starting at $329! Valid through 4/25  

Save 40% off Select Materials! Valid through 4/25 

Save up to 75% off Materials & Accessories Clearance! Valid through 4/25


Cricut.com is offering Free Economy Shipping on orders $99+ with code SHIPAPR or APRSHIP, and Cricut Access Members receive free shipping on orders through 4/30. Head over to their website and load up your cart girlfriend- let’s get crafting!