Subway Art and Christmas Gifts

For my parent's anniversary (in June), I offered to make them a piece of subway art and, after showing them what subway art is, they decided on one showing all the places they've lived.  Of course, did I work on it in the summer when it was nice and warm?  Or on one of those nice fall days?  Nope, I waited until about two weeks before we were going to drive over there for Thanksgiving to get started on it.  But I did get it done and it was on the wall about 5 seconds after I gave it to them:

(I edited their full last name and their current city, but I think you still get the idea.)  I must admit it turned out pretty darn cool even if it was A HUGE PAIN IN THE BOOTY to make.  All of those "oh, it's so easy!" tutorials?  LIES AND DECEPTION.   "Just put on your vinyl stencil [that doesn't stick to canvas], spray paint a base layer so the top coat doesn't bleed under [which it will anyway], then just touch up a few parts [which will somehow just make the mistakes look worse]."  The good news is, unless you are 6 inches away from the canvas, you really can't notice the mistakes.  Since this one, I've tried making two others and they have been a disaster.  So I think I may just stick with vinyl letters (I made sure to stock up during the Silhouette Black Friday sale) and not try to get all fancy-pants-painty, because crafting is supposed to be about having fun, not feeling like a failure, right?

Speaking of not feeling like a failure, I thought I'd share a few gift ideas that would definitely not make you a failure on Christmas morning, because if everyone else on the interwebs can have a gift guide, why can't I?  These are all items that are readily available, but I did link up the amazon page for each one.

Friday Night Lights

For: Anyone, any age (well, not for the wee ones, of course)

Price: $15 per season, $75 for the complete series

Why: "Clear eyes, full hearts, ..., well, we're work on that tomorrow."

Logitech Portable Lapdesk

For: The relative who surfs in bed

Price: $20 (white or black) to $25 (pink, blue, "vintage wallpaper"), often on sale at Target

Why: Because you can't do anything using a trackpad, slim and light enough to slip in a laptop bag.

If you're feeling generous, throw in a nice wireless mouse.

Justified

For: The hard-to-buy-for brother

Price: $20

Why: "That's a ten-gallon hat on a twenty-gallon head."

Crazy Stupid Love

For: Your husband, but secretly it's for you!

Price: $10-25

Why:  "You deserve better than the Gap."

Riding Rockets

For: Anyone who misses the Space Shuttle

Price: $6

Why: They will laugh, they will cry, and then they will share it with everyone they know.  I know this from experience with the last 3 copies we've bought (and that does not include the copy we originally read from the library).  

Open It

For: Anyone, but especially parents of young children

Price: $8

Why: Give this to parents as the first present of the day.  It can cut open plastic blister packs without endangering major veins, snip open those evil twist ties that are on children's toys, and has a screwdriver for opening those little battery compartments.  Added bonus: a bottle opener because don't you deserve it after assembling those 27 parts?

Snap Circuits SC-300

For: Science Whizzes age 8+
Price: $40
Why: I bought this for one of my nephews last year since he was enthralled when Mr Corgi showed him how to build a computer from scratch.  I wasn't sure if it would be a hit or not, but this year he asked for the expansion set, so I guess it was!  

Every Thing On It
For: Your favorite child.
Price: $12-20
Why: Two words: Shel.  Silverstein.

Etsy Finds

For: Moms, Sisters, Girlfriends
Price: Cheap, cheap to seriously?
Why: Support entrepreneurs, give gifts they won't already have, and find some nice stuff for you in the process!  I usually just search around, but to get you started, the above three items I've purchased and love: jersey scarf from Sweet Harvey; frog necklace from My Sweet November; bird necklace from Dreamy Vintage,

Do you have any awesome gift suggestions?  What is on your wishlist this year?

Finally....the premiere of My Movie Subway Art

Ta-da:

Ok, I'll admit: all the work was worth it.  There are 1,000 great blog tutorials on how to make your own subway art using the silhouette to cut the vinyl.  Here are three hints I would add:
1) Do a test cut of all your fonts. You don't want to have everything all planned out and then realized the silhouette doesn't cut one of your fonts very easily. Hint 1A would be don't use a thin serif font!  Save yourself!  The fonts I used (in order) are: Calibri, Arial Black, Rockwell, Century Gothic (bold), and Palatino Lintoype.
2) The brayer is your friend.  Use it all over the vinyl before you weed, use it to apply the transfer tape, use it to apply the vinyl.  Also your friend is painter's tape and your husband's t-square for easy straight lines.
3) Don't try to use metallic spray paint to cover MDF!!!

So, in case you're a bit behind on your pop culture, here is a list of all the quotes (full disclosure: I threw in some tv shows, too):
You're gonna need a bigger boat-Jaws
I have a bad feeling about this-Star Wars
Just what do you think you're doing, Dave?-2001: A Space Odyssey 
There's no crying in baseball.-A League of Their Own
I wish I had a million dollars...hot dog!-It's A Wonderful Life (yes, this is also where my one typo is.  that's how you know it's handmade, right?)
Why Kate, you're not wearing a bustle.  How lewd. -Tombstone
It's an illusion, Michael. -Arrested Develpment
That's a negative, ghost rider, the pattern is full. -Top Gun
Squirrel!-Up
I just don't dig on swine, that's all. -Pulp Fiction
You must have some powerful enemies. -Mike Rowe, Dirty Jobs
Fair enough. -The Right Stuff
Asps...very dangerous. You go first.  -Raiders of the Lost Ark
Failure is not an option. -Apollo 13
Are you crazy? The fall will probably kill you. -Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
You're never too old for Space Camp. -Stranger than Fiction
I said everything's a-ok. -The Right Stuff
What a crazy random happenstance.  -Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
As you wish -The Princess Bride

So did I use some of your favorite quotes?  What is your favorite one that I should have put on there?  Share in the comments!

(ETA that I'm linking this up for Hooking Up with House of Hepworths link party.)