You Can Monogram Anything

I am decadently dashing off mid-day to eat lunch with my husband–it’s our 20th wedding anniversary today, if you can believe it, and he can’t get away from work for even a long weekend right now, so we’re going to head somewhere romantic like Roly Poly instead of the Bahamas!  It’s nothing but glamour here, I tell ya.

If you want to see how ridiculously young we looked on our wedding day, Amy has courteously posted a snapshot for the world to see on Instagram.  Just kidding, Amy–I so appreciate the kind thoughts and the friendship over the years–because, of course, she was there!

But, while I’m out and about, I’ve prepared a post for you, AND there’s a monogram giveaway at the end because you always need more monograms. 🙂

PS Congratulations to Carol L., who won our calendar pad giveaway.  Check your email if that’s your name!

•••••••

You can monogram anything–seriously.  It’s the southern way, too, for those of us who live below the Mason Dixon line, although I hear it’s catching on up north, too.

I’ve shared tons of monogram projects in the past; today I’m sharing a few of my favorite places to use a round monogram.  For those of who you have a vinyl machine (like my Silhouette CAMEO), I’ll also link to the monogram tutorial I’ve posted.

And as an aside, I’m coming up on 4 years as a Silhouette owner…it’s been worth every penny as I’ve not only used it for hundreds of gifts, but I also use it to cut monograms (and so much more) for our Etsy shop (the best price on them right now is here).

Amy first came up with the jewelry bowl idea {here}; I found an inexpensive source for the bowls and a way to rim the top edge with gold and wrote about it {here}. I have made at least a hundred of these; for teachers, hostess gifts, volunteers, birthday gifts, and more.

If you have a Silhouette and want to cut a round monogram, the tutorial with all the step by step directions is {here}.  Once you’ve created the monogram, the Silhouette lets you size it as big or as small as you need, and you can cut them out of vinyl, paper, and iron-on vinyl (and lots more, I’m sure).

This is the gold vinyl that I use; it’s the best I’ve found–it’s thick and weeds beautifully.

You can remove the circle and use them, too.  They stick on a lampshade as long as the fabric of the shade isn’t too textured:

By the way,  if you haven’t seen the rest of Amy’s daughter’s room, it is absolutely darling {see it here}:

Tiny monograms (0.35″ in diameter) look great on toenails but can be a bit of a challenge to weed (i.e. remove the extra vinyl).  I use a toothpick and good lighting!  Be sure to add a layer of clear top coat and they’ll last for weeks.

Tervis tumblers are one of my favorite gift ideas, right up there with a set of ten toe monograms and some OPI nail polish.  Hot pink and gold always looks great together. (I either buy the tumblers here, or I go to Bed Bath and Beyond with a coupon).  These are good teacher gifts, too!

And of course, my daughter has me monogram every single notebook, binder, and pencil pouch she owns.  That’s part of the fun!

Last but not least, don’t forget that you can iron on monograms, using heat transfer vinyl.  I buy headbands {I use these ones} and monogram them:

These also work on leotards and athletic style shorts; just be careful that you use a pressing cloth so that you don’t melt your fabric.  I always use this heat transfer (aka iron-on) vinyl; it never does me wrong!  The gold is pictured above, and the Vegas gold is pictured below on this pillow I made.  It’s a little lighter; maybe a platinum or silvery gold.

The vinyl you use does matter; as do your machine’s settings (if you’re having trouble, I give some tips for troubleshooting your machine at the end of this post).  I’ve had the best luck with vinyl from Expressions Vinyl; their vinyl is the best I’ve used (it weeds like a dream) and if you sign up for their emails they send at least one coupon a week.  They usually ship within 24 hours, too, and have excellent customer service.

When it’s time to remove your adhesive vinyl, it’s so easy.  I wrote this post to tell you how, but really a hair dryer and a razor blade is all you need.

I linked to all the related posts above so you can read more about each of these monograms; if you prefer to shop for them just visit our Etsy shop since they’re all for sale there (but if you have a vinyl machine you can make these SO easily and inexpensively–just follow the tutorial!).  Just a reminder that we have free shipping in our Etsy shop until 9/15/15; just use coupon code BACKTOSCHOOL when you check out.

If you have any questions on applying adhesive or heat transfer vinyl, just leave them below and I’ll be happy to help.

Oh, and I found this cute shopping deal that I wanted to share, since it’s also monograms. 🙂  These cosmetic bags are only $12.49 (with embroidered monogram) and come in chevron, Greek key, and quatrefoil in a bunch of colors.  Such a cute birthday or Christmas gift idea–you can even stuff them with some beauty or manicure goodies!  Details are {here}.

I know that’s just the tip of the iceberg…tell me your favorite things to monogram and GOOD LUCK with the giveaway! (P.S. Monogram sizes for the giveaway are 1.5″, 2.75″, and 5.5″)

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Some of the links included are affiliate links; if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links we will earn a small commission.  You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise; that would be tacky.

Thanks for stopping by.