Kristine Mckay Designs » Projects

Echo Park Winner Announced

Kristine McKay — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:00:06 +0000

Thank you guys so much for the huge response I got from my FB call for help . . . to convince my friend Madison that I really did have some friends lol. I wanted to announce the winner of the $100 package. It is . . . Wendy McGuire Higham from Magna UT! Seriously, I appreciate everyone that participated. I usually don’t like to promote websites on my FB account, but I love Echo Park and Madison is a stud! The thing I love most about This new company is that they take submissions for their paper lines. Which means that have awesome designs and if you are a graphic designer you have a shot at being published. Not only is the paper cute it is really easy to work with. Here is their new paper line and a few projects I made. If you haven’t checked out their FB page yet take a look and don’t forget to tell Madison that I sent you. http://www.facebook.com/kmckaydesigns?v=wall&story_fbid=132941776746396#!/EchoParkPaper?ref=mf

My big Announcement

Kristine McKay — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 04:45:45 +0000

Backyard Drive In

Kristine McKay — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 13:17:50 +0000

     Some of my greatest memories of being a young mom are taking my three little ones to Drive-in Date night. If it weren’t for the drive-in I would have NEVER been able to go the movies without my kids running up and down the isles, stealing everyone’s popcorn and sneaking sips of their sodas when they weren’t looking. I remember that we had a Mazda 626 which happened to have a section in the backseat that folded down so you could put skis in the truck and they could overflow into the back seat through this little door. My kid’s loved this. It was like their personal VIP clubhouse at the movies. They would set up sleeping bags in the trunk and climb back and forth from the back seat to the trunk (it is wrong I put my kids in the trunk at the drive in lol). Anyway, it was always a fun time. It seems like Drive-Ins have gone exstinct for the most part, I miss the social element that they add to going to the movies, so I tried to bring it back by hosting my own “Back-yard Movie Night”.
     There are a lot of fun directions you can do. For a smaller party, say a birthday you have the flexibility to be more detailed. I had a great suggestion from a FB friend (if you haven’t added me as a friend yet, I’d love to have you). She said their little boys made cars out of cardboard boxes and sat in them for the movie. I LOVED that idea. I decided to host a party for my entire neighborhood. It was an open invitation so I had to keep it simple. I started with invitations.
Zurcher’s has a great selection of really cute invitations with popcorn and tickets. I decided to do a flyer since I had around 75 to hand out. Here is an example of one that I did. I ended up trimming each of the corners to look like a tag. Then I punched a hole at the top and threaded a rubber-band through so I could hang it on doors. I also attached a fun ribbon to the top.

      Next, I needed to gather up equipment. You don’t need much. Just a projector, speakers, a lap-top and bed-sheet. We have a projector in our theater room but I didn’t want to unmount it, so I borrowed my Husband’s from his office. I just used stereo speakers I had from home. If you are unable to borrow the equipment you can google “projector rentals” in your home town. There are tons of places that rent them.
     Now, for the fun part: Decorations. Zurcher’s is a great resourse. They have awesome table-clothes, napkins, and cardboard signs. I wanted to add a personal touch so I created my own 4 ft. sign right from my very own computer, and so can you. First open the Microsoft Paint program that comes standard with most computers. Next click open, then add whatever clip art or picture you have saved. I usually create the sign in photoshop and just save it as a jpeg, so I will just open that image in Paint. Next click File and go to page set up. There should be a section for scaling. At this point you can select the size of your sign by selecting how many pages you want your sign to fit. For example: If you click 5X5 (which I did for my sign) It will print 25 sheets, so your sign will be really big. Don’t let the number of pages scare you! You really aren’t using that much ink. First of all most of it is white space. Second you can select economy print on your printer preferences and it uses let ink (keep in mind it will also loose a little bit of quality). I kept mine with the average ink. After you are done selecting how many pages you want your sign to fit, don’t forget to select weather your project is landscape or portrait. When you are finished simply print. Once your pages are printed you just have to trim the bottom and left margin. Leave the right margin so you can overlap and glue all of the pages together. Here is an example of the sign I did. (check back Monday and you can see all of the pics from my party this weekend.

     I Also made smaller signs of popcorn, hot-dogs, cola, and a photo reel. I trimmed around those so they were just the image themselves. I also purchased plastic tape (like crime scene tape) and used tall hanging plant holders (or garden stakes that you can purchase at the dollar-store) to rope off sections in the yard. Like the entrance to the ticket counter for instance. I purchased a silly plastic vest at Zurchers for my kid’s to wear at the ticket counter. However, my 13 year old daughter had fashion ideas all of her own about a sweet little “she-tux”. Tune in for pics of that lol.
      Next, is the consession stand. My two boys will be working the consession stand so I made them T-shirts with our “McKay Matinee” logo. The food was actually pretty simple. Snacks for the party will be reletively inexpensive and easy to do in bulk. I am planning on serving nachos, hotdogs, popcorn, coke, and theater candy. Sam’s was a great source. I was able to purchase hotdog wrappers and popcorn bags for around $5 each (there were 500 per box so I will have plenty for a future party). I also purchased Nacho trays. They were a little more, around $20, but once again, they will be great to use for future parties as well. While I have an old fashioned popcorn maker, I decided to use it more for decoration and to hold the popcorn rather than use it to make the popcorn. I ended up just buying HUGE bags for around $5 at my local grocery store.
     The theater candy was a tougher decision. Typically the larger boxes are around $1. I wanted to get the larger size because I was planning on having families. This is where it could get expensive. While the hotdogs including the bun only ended up being 18 cents a piece. A dollar per box of candy could get expensive. I decided that it was an expense that I wanted to incur because I really felt that it added a fun POP. I ended up purchasing 75 boxes on sale for 88 cents. Each family will get a ticket for one box when they come to the ticket counter. After I am sure on how many people are attending I will hand out the rest. If you don’t want to use theater candy you could also make cupcakes that are topped with a couple milkduds or dots. It would be cute to make a fun cupcake pick to stick in the top that has that brand’s logo. I also had a cute suggestion from another FB friend. She said that her friend made cupcakes in white and red striped cupcake papers. Then she topped them with marshmellow dip to look like popcorn. That sounds really cute!   I also had several suggestions to do bulk candy in large jars.
      The night of the party should be pretty fun. I told all of the families to bring blankets, pillows, or chairs. I also decided to have an after-party for the older kids so they could watch a fun action flick and play outdoor video games. It will be a late night . . . but I think it will be a ton of fun.
      I found some great free clipart on the web so I am including a few just for you. Right click on the image and save. I’m also inclucing the names of the fonts that I used. I think I got them from a free font site called Fontastic. If you can’t find them there, just google them. The ones I used are called Showtime, Ritz FLFC, lokicola, and Rightbank FLFIf you have any questions let me know.

MISSING IN ACTION

Kristine McKay — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 06:50:14 +0000

I’m still alive I PROMISE. I have had so many sweet emails inquring about my health and if I’ve given up crafting . . . are you KIDDING ME?? Summer is always hectic at my house, as I’m sure it is at yours as well. I got back from Mexico a few weeks ago. I had such an amazing time. I forced myself to UNPLUG. No phone or laptop. I didn’t think I would make it. However, after the first day I realized what a blessing it was and that we all need to unplug once in awhile. I was gone almost two weeks. When I got back I felt more refreshed than ever . . . after 2 solid days of sleeping and recovering from jet lag. It was seriously a life changing trip. I had so many realizations about life in general. After really thinking and pondering and getting away from the chaos of everyday life, I realized . . . I really am happy. I love my kids, I love my neighbors, and despite the bumps in the road that we all must navigate, I really am blessed and I have a great life. I think when we are so rushed (which I usually am) that we forget to stop and enjoy the blessings. I am too busy putting out fires and focusing on the negative stuff. While I was there I had the chance to read “Gone with the Wind”. I am kind of a book snob and I LOVE the classics, so I am ashamed to admit that it was the first time I’d ever read it. This book touched me on sooo many levels. Mostly personal, stuff that I won’t bore you with, but it really put a lot of things into perspective that I have been struggling with. However, the greatest message I got was from the always capuring Miss Scarlett O’hara herself, “I’ll think about that tomorrow”. I am someone who has never lived in the past, seldom lived in the present and ALWAYS lived in the future. After I spending two solid weeks with my kids, I realized the only guarantee we have is today . . . so enjoy it! I came back realizing how short our time is with our kids. My oldest is 14, my bundle of estrogen in the middle is 13, and my baby boy is 10. These years are so precious. In addition to finding perspective and balance I have also been busy working on some new developments that hopefully I will be able to announce in a few days. I am soooo excited. I have worked my whole career with a sense that I was working toward something big. Something I was meant to do. It has been frustrating at times not knowing exactly what it is. I finally found it and the best part is that couldn’t be a better fit for my desire to put my family first, while still enriching myself personally, so that I can become the best me I can be with the talents that God has blessed me with. So stay tuned. I can’t wait to tell you all about it. Thank you so much for all of the emails. I am still getting caught up, so if you haven’t heard back from me . . . it’s coming : )
Here are a couple pics from my trip. Okay, so I LOVE to give my kids a hard time. Do the “booty dance” at the gas station, Yell “I love you” when I drop them off at practice, and YES wear my prom dress to pick them up from school (I had to celebrate the fact that I could fit back into it . . .and yes I stayed in the car, I’m not THAT CRUEL). However, here is a joke gone bad. While we were in Cayman Islands, we went to a turtle farm. My daughter fell in love. When we were finished we went to grab lunch. On the menu . . . yep TURTLE STEW. I know you are saying . . .”Kristine you didn’t”. Oh, yes I did! Let me just say after two bites I thought I would loose it. I will never be able to look at a turtle again without feeling a bit sick to my stomach. Was it worth it? ABSOLUTELY!!!! lol

Creative uses for Dishware

Kristine McKay — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 05:49:46 +0000

This month my Studio 5 Challenge was to find some creative uses for dishware. I love using dishes in my decor’ so the hardest part of this challenge was coming up with something new that I haven’t done before. Here are just a few quick and easy ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

I purchased this cupcake holder on clearance awhile back for just this purpose. I love that it is not only eye-catching but also functional. I bought a set of 6 glass cups from Walmart for $2 and they fit perfectly in the trays, they are great for storing embellishments and office suplies. I also thought another fun idea for the cupcake holder would be to use it to serve ice-cream toppings. Each cup could be filled with candies and nuts.

One of my biggest pet peeves inspired this project. I love to read and I always have a stack of books on my nightstand. I purchased a really cute book stand to organize it. HOWEVER . . . it is constantly sliding and tipping over, especially when I dust. This was a perfect solution. It is suppose to be used as a dish holder. It works great for holding books and it will stay in place.

This is such an easy project, but it adds a real “wow” factor. I simply purchased some square drinking cups from the dollar store and attached some metal name plates to the front with some high temp hot glue. I found the little frames in the jewely dept. at my local scrapbook store. Orig. there were a couple of hooks at the top for a necklace, but I simply sniped them off with a pair of wire cutters. Then I added my own label. I really like how they turned out. The pic on the bottom is another version using a square vase. I also purchased this embellishment in the jewerlry isle.

This is a quick and easy way to make frames. I purchased these trays at the dollar-store. However, if I were doing a project that I planned to display in my home I would use something a little more durable. I would have LOVED to use some old silver serving dishes from my Grandmother . . .but I don’t think my mom would have liked that so much lol. Print the photo on a Laser printer (ink-jets cause the ink to run), you may need to take it to Kinkos. Trim and adhere it inside of the tray with Mod Podge. Make sure that you burnish it to get all of the bubbles out. Once it is completely dry you can lightly Mod Podge the top to seal it. If desired you can then mix an epoxy resin (I like to use Clear Cast it comes in a purple box at the craft store) and poor it over the top . I LOVE this effect because it gives it the rounded bubble look of old antique frames.

Binding and Cool Journal Ideas

Kristine McKay — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 13:59:00 +0000

As you probably know I LOVE journaling. I especially enjoy finding new ways to organize and keep track of my life while also creating keepsakes that I can save. I’m also always looking for various binding ideas. So, I decided to focus on a couple of binding machines and techniques that I haven’t tried before.

Beginners Tutorial for handbinding

Search “journals” to find more free downloads on my site.

$5 DIY {Perpetual tin Calendar}

Kristine McKay — Tue, 04 May 2010 13:56:43 +0000

Studio 5 Challenged me to a $5 DIY project. It’s on! I decided to make my own reproduction of a perpetual tin Calendar that I absolutely love! This would make a great gift . . . especially with Mother’s day coming up.

All thingz Related {guest post}

Kristine McKay — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:42:01 +0000

When I first came across “All Thingz Related” blog I was so excited. It was the perfect example of the value I “hope” I add with my Studio 5 segments. I have always said that the creative part I love most about crafting and DIY projects is actually coming up with the idea. Often (okay more often than not lol) my ideas fAr exceed my talent. So at best, I hope that I can inspire those who actually have the talent and skill to complete the project in the manner I see in my head. Bridgette and Rebekah are amazing and certainly don’t “need” any ideas to get them going . . . they are filled with great ideas. So, I have been honored when they have incorporated my downloads into their projects. They are amazing! I am thrilled to have them guest post for me today. Be sure to check them out.

Hello KMcKay readers! We are so excited to be here today! We are Bridgette and Rebekah from All Thingz Related! If you haven’t visited our blog yet we would LOVE to have you! Our blog is all about Thingz Related to home! We craft and make home decor, and try to keep things affordable and easy enough for any one to make! Today, Kristine has asked us to come up with a project for you…so lets dive right in! TAGZ…we are in LOVE with tagz! We have found so many ways you can use them and even MORE easy ways to make awesome tagz!
Trash to Tagz
Trash? you say! Well not the rotten grungy stuff…just things like packaging you would normally dismiss! For example…

Rebekah took the bottom off this Slim Jim can and made a SUPER cute tag…that’s MAGNETIC!

Have any used up gift cards? Bridgette used hers to make these fun tagz! All you have to do is use a little ribbon or my new discovery, ribbon tape and cover the name of the company, decoupage the back and embellish as desired! Even the cover on the blue flower one is “trash”…its a frosty piece of plastic that binder clips were clipped on when I bought them!

Here you see Bridgette used the back off packaging! Who knew right!? Just cut it out.. stamp it up with some thing cute and add an eyelet! No one will ever know this hasn’t always been a sweet little tag!

The one on the left is more of the frosty plastic from buying the binder clips…So pretty all stamped up with its ribbon and touch of bling! The one on the right is a bottle cap off Sunkist soda! All it needed was an eyelet!

Can you believe this one? Rebekah used a PUZZLE PIECE! Just start by painting it…distress it stamp it a little and then have fun with the embellishments!
Paper
We could go on and on about paper…ok…we won’t. Lets at least have a look at what you can do with paper.

Rebekah got her thinking cap on and used a MUFFIN paper to make a fun round tag! How about this.. Print out a picture of your sweet son mount it on cardstock..distress it…stamp it a little….SO STINKING CUTE!

Print outs!!! You can print off some thing beautiful from The Graphics Fairy and just add you little touches to make it amazing or even use downloads from right here at KMcKay Designs! The top left one is a download from Kristine…then all I did was stamped it with my logo in the bottom corner and add an eyelet!

This one….makes us a little giddy! Take a sheet of your favorite cardstock…print out these tag templates found here…and get busy stamping! Now they are ready when you need them…just cut one out! EASY, FUN, and ADDORIBLE!

If you happen to find a stencil for tagz your options are limitless! All you need is pretty paper, cute ribbon and maybe some stamps and ta-dah …TAGZ! The green and the black and white tagz were made with a stencil! As for the tag with the flower….Start with a great card stock base and build up from there until you get to your BEAUTIFUL paper flower….this one was made by tracing a set of graduating flower cookie cutters! Finished off with a button makes it just Right!
Almost Perfect

Here is a tag that was good to go…well..almost! All it needed was a little distressing, an eyelet and a little stamping and now its PERFECT! The one peeking out from behind is a medal scrapbook embellishment…just needed and eyelet!

So no matter what your need for tagz….

Embellishing a gift…wrapping a gift…labeling a basket…decorating…packaging a product to sell…Tagz are a hanging piece of art! Thank you so much Kristine for letting us share our love of tagz with you and your readers…it is so excited to get to be here with you!
~Bridgette & Rebekah

Garden Inspired Crafts

Kristine McKay — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 06:07:21 +0000

When Studio 5 asked me to do a segment on Garden inspired crafts my first thought was Garden Party!!! So, here are just a couple ideas I came up with.

Decorating with Birds

Kristine McKay — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:07:56 +0000

I love birds!! They are like my “little black dress” of decorating. If I have an empty space that just doesn’t feel complete it seems like a little bird figure always does the trick. Birds seem to be a hot trend right now. However, as I got to thinking . . . they always have. Remember the owls of the 70’s . . . the ducks of the 80’s . . .the primitive crows of the 90’s . . .???? They have always showed up in our decor in one form or another. Here is something else to think about. There is a bird the symbolizes almost every holiday. They represent life and often have so much symbolism attached. Here are just a few projects that were inspired by the beauty of birds

****I didn’t get everything posted . . . my computer was running so slow. Come back this afternoon for more free downloads, videos, and more ideas : )

***********Don’t forget to follow iron-on instructions and flip the image when printing!!!!