Thursday, February 22, 2018

Free Easter SVG Files for Cricut


There are a lot of great resources out there to convert files to SVG format, but there are also a few great sites out there as well that have already done the work for you. My favorite one so far is LoveSVG.

Since Easter is right around the corner, I though I'd feature a few of the files I personally liked best and some recommended materials to work with. 

Featured Materials:

  


Just click on the photo and it will take you straight to the page to download the file. 




Happy crafting!!

Monday, February 19, 2018

Thin Blue Line His and Hers Shirts

I'm extremely happy with the way the shirts came out for my sister and brother-in-law. I purchased the SVG file for the grunge flag from SparkleVinyl on Etsy. The bottom one is my own design based on what she wanted. 

Feel free to visit my collection now @ChaosandCraftDesign on Etsy to order your own!



Friday, February 16, 2018

The Good Wife's Guide - The Revised Addition


We women have fought for equality for decades. According to The History Channel, the fight for women's suffrage began back in the 1820's and 1830's. We women have rebelled against the "cult of womanhood" that defined a "true" woman as someone who is faithful, pious, and submissive to home and husband. To earn this equality we have marched, picketed, gone on hunger strikes, and our 1960's sisters will live in infamy for burning their bras.

Thanks to countless numbers of of surly motivated mamas we now enjoy the freedom to vote, the right to choose what we do with our own bodies, we have the ability to work outside our homes if we want, and one of my personal favorites... The right to wear pants. I am grateful each and every day for the ladies that paved our yellow brick road to conquering the American Emerald City.

However, I don't think the battle of the sexes will ever actually be over. I think every modern girl/woman has seen a copy of the 1955 Housekeeping Monthly article on how to be a "good wife." We may work just as hard as our men (sometimes harder) and yet the 1950's Housewife stereotype is still expected to be fulfilled in many ways... After you deposit your paycheck that is.

Well, I'll be the first one to tell you that I can't live up to these guidelines. I get annoyed when I see the gender stereotype rear it's ugly head in my home. So I've made a few modern revisions...



1. Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready in time for his return. This is a way of letting him know you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they get home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed. 

I'm the last one home each day and my idea of "planning ahead" is having a bag of Tyson Chicken Nuggets sitting in the freezer. Don't feel like waiting 5 whole minutes for the microwave? Guess what, pop tarts are not just a breakfast food. Enjoy!

Okay, I admit that I'm pretty good friends with my crock pot, but not because I'm thinking of him or even the kids. Mostly it's because I'm thinking about the fact that I am sick and tired of being asked "What's for dinner?" before I can even get my shoes off. And the fact that I don't want to live on hamburgers and frozen pizza.

2. Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

Gay and interesting huh? That one's easy! I'll just break out the Zumba game for Xbox Kinect. I am blessed with the all the grace and elegance of a Fat Amy doing the mermaid dance.



If that fails to get a laugh and chase the boring out of his day, there's always my sarcastic wit to the rescue!

3. Be happy to see him.

Okay, he can keep that one. I am happy to see him. Except when he's asking "What's for dinner?"

4. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

Says who?

Don't get me wrong, I'm interested in how his day went. But you can only hear about so many water tanks before it gets a little boring.

My story about the crazy customer that kept wishing me god's blessings a 1,000 times while he rambled on for half an hour about how we needed to replace his entire mile long driveway in the boon docks because he was not approved for a credit card and his car leaked oil on it is way more amusing.

Technically, wouldn't letting me talk first tackle the whole being gay and interesting requirement?

5. Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgement or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

This one right here is what got under my skin tonight.

I've mentioned before that we live in the middle of nowhere and whenever he needs something from town, I'm expected to go with. No questions asked. On the rare occasion that I protest, he whines about it.

When I asked him to run into town with me this evening, by the look on his face, you would think I asked him to lick my toes for me or something.

God forbid he have to leave the house when he doesn't feel like it!

Question I shall. Always.

Until the day comes when he remembers to put his car payment in the mail without me reminding him for two weeks beforehand, setting out the checkbook, with the stamps on top... I am the master of this household thank you very much.

6. A good wife knows her place.

Indeed I do (see #5).

If you'd like to check out the full version of this article click here.
Sarcastic commentary not included.

Thursday, February 15, 2018

10 Free Educational Websites for Kids


Several of these sites also have an app. If you're like our family this works better because we can put the Apple device on guided access to keep the toddler from clicking on things she shouldn't.













Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Free Zentangle Dragon SVG

Ever since the Enchanted Materials kit came out at Joann Fabrics my news feed has been filled with these amazing Zentangle projects. However I find dragons a lot more enchanted than the elephants and sewing machines I've been seeing. 

Someone in my group gave me the brilliant idea to find a coloring page and just convert it to an SVG. It worked out beautifully! 

It took me a few hours to weed the image, but Cricut BrightPad is amazing and helps reduce the strain on my eyes for these projects. 



You can find the coloring page on my Cricut Cut Images board and use this link to convert the file to SVG yourself.

Or.... Here is the link to download the SVG file I've already created.

Another great option is to purchase one of the many available adult coloring books that are everywhere these days. You can simply scan in any page that you like and use the link to convert the file to SVG as well.

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Harry Potter ButterBeer Muddy Buddies aka ButterBeer Puppy Chow

Harry Potter ButterBeer Muddy Buddies


Our oldest is seriously obsessed with Harry Potter. She has everything from Harry Potter Legos to Harry Potter underwear (I wish I was kidding). In honor of her 21st birthday her bio-mom and I thought it would be great to Harry Potterize her favorite treat. I usually make it for her birthday, but this year it's coming with a twist that I'm sure will thrill her to no end. I can't wait to surprise her tomorrow!!

Usually when I'm thinking about a new recipe, I consult Pinterest. This time, I was sad to only find one other person who has attempted to undertake this Muddy Buddy moderation. I used this fellow blogger's original recipe as the foundation for mine. However, I did adapt it quit a bit.

Please see my original recipe below:

 Harry Potter's ButterBeer Muddy Buddies - Double Recipe

16 cups of Rice Chex
3 cups of Wilton White Candy Melts (regular chips burn easy)
1 stick of butter
1 cup of Butterscotch Syrup
2 tablespoons of McCormick Imitation Rum Extract
Powdered Sugar - enough to dry melted chocolate
2 gallon sized ZipLock bags

First, let me say, the butterscotch was REALLY hard to find! It's not an extremely popular flavor and therefore is not carried in most groceries stores. It took me 3 days of searching to find it. I highly recommend pre-planning and possibly ordering off line if you'd like to make these. 

Step 1

Separate the Rice Chex into ZipLock bags - 8 cups each.
Do not exceed the 8 cups, because you want to have room at the top.


Step 2

Add your stick of butter, chocolate melts, butterscotch syrup, and imitation rum into a pan.
Set your heat on low. This takes a little but, but chocolate burns easy if you're not careful.


Step 3

Continue to stir until all the contents are completely melted together.
The butter will take about 3-5 minutes to melt completely.
The most important thing is to keep stirring the entire time.


Step 4

Ladle the melted chocolate into the bag with the Rice Chex.
Use about half the pot for each bag.
And shake bag thoroughly until all the pieces are well coated.

I forgot to take a photo of the white chocolate at this stage.

Step 5

Add a cup of powered sugar at a time.
You want to continue to shake the bag to coat the pieces.
You will need to add powered sugar until the pieces appear almost dry.
It took roughly 3 cups per bag to accomplish this.

Again, I forgot to take a picture of the white chocolate at this stage.

Step 6

Pour into a bowl and enjoy!

Harry Potter ButterBeer Muddy Buddies