This is my thank you card this year. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do, and I'm not 100% satisfied with it, but I thought it came out cute. I got to use my new Storybook cartridge. :-) And a Close to My Heart stamp set I purchased at the beginning of December.
Anyhoo...thanks for looking!
Supplies: Papertrey Ink Vintage Cream and Dark Chocolate cardstocks; Making Memories Cosmopolitan Workweek Stripe Pink patterned paper; Hero Arts Art Flowers; Want2Scrap.com pearl; brown rickrack from Michaels; Papertrey Ink Vintage Cream hybrid ink and White Pearls Stamp N Stuff embossing powder; Scor-Pal and Scor-Bug.
I made these cute little bags for my sons' teachers this year. Back around May/June, I started seeing these cute little paper backpacks popping up on a lot of blogs for end of school year gifts. I've kept the idea in the back of my mind, knowing I'd use it one of these days. Christmas seemed to be a good time to try it out.
I searched the internet for a pattern and found this one at Split Coast Stampers. Since I have a Cricut and SCAL, I decided to convert her PDF pattern to a file I could cut. After working out the design to a cuttable version, including the right sized holes so I could use my Crop-A-Dile Big Bite and its grommets, I cut seven of these.
I realized nothing would really fit in the front pocket, so it's merely decoration. The stamp on the front is from Just Rite Stampers. I bought the set before Christmas last year and just now used them. (I'm really bad about buying stuff then not using it.) The name tags were cut first and then stamped with an Inkadinkado set that also hasn't been used until this year. (See what I mean? Lol.) So, even though the names aren't even, I think it lends a little bit of character to the package. Or maybe I'm just making excuses for myself, lol.
I was told that the teachers really appreciated them. The insides held chocolates and a Target gift card.
Below is the side and back of one of the backpacks.
A few weeks back, a co-worker came across my blog. Well, really, she had emailed my home address about something completely non-work related. My response included my normal signature, which includes my blog address. She was curious, so she went to go look.
She's getting married in November and has had so many troubles with planning her wedding. She found the perfect venue, but it ended up closing due to the economy about three months before the wedding date. She had to find a new venue on or near the wedding date and within her budget and general location...and QUICKLY...which took her a while. Before the first venue closed, she had almost purchased her invites online. Thank goodness she didn't, or she would have wasted all that money! So anyway, she saw my blog and that I make cards and she liked the cards. She asked me to make her wedding invitations. I was extremely hesitant...I mean these are her WEDDING invitations! But she felt she'd be happy with whatever I came up with, so after consulting with her about what she liked, we worked together to come up with this design.
We didn't have much time to get everything together, plus Michaels had all of their 12 x 12 paper 40% off that week, so getting enough paper to do them all was a real challenge -- many stores were sold or had depleted stock -- but she was able to find it all after visiting, I think, five Michaels stores.
I cut the black and pink patterned paper on my Cricut using SCUT. The belly band seal is the Just Rite monogram stamper with Damask borders, and it and the scalloped circle were cut with Nestabilities. The invites were printed on my inkjet printer and hand-cut to size.
All in all, she was pleased. I thought they came out very nice, as well. Thankfully, I only had to make 50 of them. I think I might have turned her down if it had been many more, lol! There was also a RSVP and Information card that was printed and hand-cut to size, not pictured here.
Thanks for looking!
Well, Todd at Craft Edge has done it again. He recently released Sure Cuts A Lot version 2.0 and added a BUNCH of features that really should have been in Design Studio since the beginning. And Design Studio still doesn't have them. From what I've read there are still a few bugs, but Todd reacts very quickly to bugs, so I'm sure the program will be perfect very soon. Todd could give many companies a class on customer service -- he's just very accommodating. He added such great things as REAL grouping, layers, the ability to have more than one mat...those are the biggies, but I know he added more stuff too. The upgrade is $30 for a limited time, or $100 to purchase. If you bought SCAL since June 22, the upgrade is free. Upgrades are only available through Craft Edge, but I believe you can find a better price for the software at Cutters Creek. If you have a Cricut -- any size -- this software is well worth the price to expand what you can cut almost infinitely!
A friend of mine recently sent me a font she created that contains a bunch of common (and uncommon) shapes. The font is intended for cutting with Sure Cuts a Lot on Cricuts, but any cutter that can cut TTF fonts should be able to use this as well. I was lucky -- I got to test drive it. :-) And it is really cool. I have many of these shapes in individual files, but it's really nice to have them all in one place.
Anyhoo, if you're interested, visit her blog to download the font. I thought it was a great idea, and I'm glad Kay went to the trouble of actually creating it.
Hope everyone's having a happy holiday weekend!
This birdhouse is based on a pattern from Nichole Heady's blog. I made an SVG out of it and made a couple of improvements. At least they're improvements for me because I couldn't figure out how to close it without closing it permanently. And then the recipient would have to ruin it to get what's inside. I'm sure there's something I missed, but I made it work for me.
I added a couple of notches in the bottom to thread the ribbon through so it would stay in place. Likewise, I cut notches at the sides of the roof to hold it in place, and I included my holes at the top in my SVG file so I could use my Crop-A-Dile gromlets and not have to cut the center out by myself.
Then I cut the house pattern and roof using SCAL and my Expression. I won't be able to share my pattern (it's not mine to share -- you can go to the blog entry to get it), but it was a PDF, so that's how I was able to make it. It didn't import to Inkscape perfectly, but it's still a shortcut to designing it myself! (Not that I'd come up with the idea.)
I used Papertrey stamps for everything: Polka Dot Basics for the polka dots on the sides and back, Faux Ribbon for the background design on the front, Wishing You for the flowers, dragonfly and sentiment, and Background Basics: Retro for the "tiles" on the roof. I used Colorbox and Versamark chalk inks, Memento (for the sentiment and dragonfly), and Versamark for the roof tiles.
I thought it came out cute! We have new neighbors, and this will be a "welcome" gift to them. I'm debating on whether to put birdseed in a baggie to enclose, or whether to do chocolates or something. Not knowing whether they have a bird feeder, I'm leaning toward the candy. :-)
Thanks for looking!
I'm a little late posting this, but I finished it up last minute and didn't get a picture of it until just a few days ago. :-) This is the card I made my son for his seventh birthday. He actually asked me to make his card this year. Isn't that sweet? He's a boy, and I really didn't think he cared, but he asked me to, so of course I'm going to!
So...the little robot guy is from a Sandylion Boys acrylic stamp set. Actually all of the picture stamps are. I colored in the little guy with Copics. The "happy birthday" sentiment is from Hot off the Press Expressions. The sentiment inside was made (I should have taken more time!) with my Just Rite rectangular stamper and my Brayton font.
I used Inkscape to create the planet terrain, including the crate
rs. I actually cut that separately with my Cricut and SCAL and used it as a mask to ink onto the planet. I poked holes around the edge and used my white gel pen to simulate stitching. The white stamps on the front are embossed with clear. And the borders inside are both from EK Success.
I think he really liked that I took the time to make it for him!
Here are the cards for my grandmothers for Mother's Day. I'm fortunate to have one still living, and my husband has one still living.
The first one is for my husband's grandmother. I cut the label and it's shadow using my Cricut and SCAL. The shape is from a file offered a long time ago by Dan. He's a talented artist, and he was graciously offering freebie cutting files every week on his blog. He still sells them separately.
The butterfly is from an Inkadinkado set. First I heat-embossed it in black, then I cut it out and colored it with watercolor pencils. A slightly wet paintbrush gave it a slightly watercolor look. The sentiment is also from Inkadinkado and was cut/masked with my oval Nestabilities. I ran the background through my Cuttlebug with the Distressed Stripes embossing folder, added a few purple rhinestones and some purple organza ribbon, and it was done!
The card for my grandmother sort of evolved from other stuff I was playing with. I mentioned a while back that I needed more practice with Papertrey Ink's Guide Lines set, so I was playing around with that. Once I was done, I cut a piece that would go on an A2 sized card and added some rhinestones. Later I stamped and cut out the butterfly. Then I needed a Mother's Day card, and both items were sitting on my desk. An idea was born! :-) I pulled out my Papertrey cardstock, an EK Success border punch, and my Women of Life stamp set. I added a FloraDoodles white daisy, some purple gingham ribbon, and a Papertrey Ink button with a rhinestone on the front, and it was done!
If anyone's interested in the supplies I used, let me know. There were just too many to mention for both cards in this one post. :-)
I saw these cupcake stamps at Michaels today -- one of the Studio G $1 sets -- so I got them. For a buck, how can you go wrong? :-) Once I got them home....hmm....what to do with them? My half-brother's birthday is coming up. He'll be 20 this year. I have some cards made, but wasn't sure I wanted to send any of them to him. I feel better knowing that this one was made FOR HIM. So...I have some really, really old (we're talking 20+ years old?) Prisma markers. Yes, they're still good! Anyway, I knew there was a reason I never pitched them and now I know why. Apparently I enjoy coloring. I feel a Copic habit coming on, lol!
Oh! I also actually used my Cricut again today! The black panel was designed in Inkscape and cut with SCAL. It's been so long since I've cut anything on my Cricut. I should use it more, but I just have so many other tools and techniques that I can use, too! I also got to use my new Argyle Cuttlebug embossing folder. So, I hope he likes it! Thanks for looking!
Edit: I forgot to include the inside of the card. I don't normally do anything on the insides of cards, but I recently purchased Papertrey Ink's Birthday Basics set. As a result, I'm trying to pay more attention the insides:
Supplies: Papertrey Kraft for card base; yellow patterned paper from Sam's paper pack; True Black Papertrey cardstock; Bazzill Apple Crush (light green) cardstock; Studio G stamps; Inkadinkado Birthday Fun ("Happy Bday"); Prismacolor markers; Memento Black ink; Colorbox Chalk ink; Argyle Cuttlebug embossing folder; Basic Basic (green with white stitching) and Offray Spool O'Ribbon ribbon; circle punches.
Oh boy, did I have fun today! I was sort of procrastinating on this one, but I *had* to get it done today and then inspiration hit me! Thankfully! 'Bout time, lol! But...I think that ultimately, it was well worth the wait, and I hope you do, too!
This is a 40th birthday card for a co-worker. She turns 40 on Tuesday and of course, we're doing it up for her. I've never been asked to make a card for anyone at work, but they know I make cards and this was a special occasion.
I did everything in Inkscape and SCAL. The "40" font is Showcard Gothic. The "you're not" is 1 BeanSprout DNA. That one was really tricky to cut. I welded the "40" in Inkscape and then created the three additional layers. I could have done this in SCAL alone, but I wanted to size everything and make sure it looked pleasing to me before cutting. Similarly, I could have typed, welded, and shadowed the "you're not" in SCAL alone.
I thought I had some martini paper, but after reorganizing my paper on Saturday, I couldn't find it. Boo hoo! So I was contemplating whether I should just make a martini glass and if so, out of what, and then it hit me! Why not a 3-D martini glass? I have GBC plastic covers...they're pretty thick, but they cut with my Cricut using multi-cut. But how to design the glass so that it sticks out but is still adhered to the card? Maybe if there are a couple of tabs on each end, they can be inserted through the card and folded so they stay put? So...off to Inkscape to design the glass.
Hmm....wonder what I could use to make it look sort of like there's a drink inside? I have transparencies...I could print the glass on a transparency and cut it out. If it has the same curve as the glass, it should more or less stay put. But I could put an olive in there, too, and maybe somehow camoflauge any adhesive I use to keep the "liquid" in place. And hey...look...I have this paper that looks kind of like a toothpick so I can just cut this sliver, stick it on a green oval so it looks like it's coming out of the oval, cut a tiny red oval and voila -- olive on a toothpick!
So anyway...this is the final card. I really had fun making this. Now I have to figure out how to make a 1" thick envelope to accommodate the glass!
Oh! The inside of the card says "You're 22 with 18 years of experience! Happy Birthday!" I really hope she likes it!
Hey everyone! Papertrey's 2nd Anniversary is being celebrated this month, and they have events scheduled for every day up until their traditional "new release" day of the 15th. Today's event is the possibility of winning a Papertrey tote with a $100 gift card inside. Details can be found here. The deal is this: you decorate a bag and post it for them to see and they randomly choose a winner. So...I rushed home to decorate my bag and here it is! Hooray!
I used my Cricut Expression to cut the bag from Plantin Schoolbook. It's the
I also used Dan's flower SVGs to build a flower. I cut the flowers using SCAL from paper in a Making Memories Black & White Scrapbook Basics mat stack. I inked the edges and slightly curved the petals with a bone folder, and then stacked them using foam squares between each layer. The top "button" is actually five circles punched from black paper (just for bulk) and one circle punched from a GBC plastic cover, and all punched with a button hole punch. I strung white DMC floss through the holes and tied a bow. I placed a couple of half-pearls in the center of Prima flowers, and arranged the Prima flowers with my homemade, layered flower on the front. Lastly, I wrapped some black BasicBasic ribbon around the bag and tied a knot.
It would be great if I could win the prize, but it was worth it to participate because now I have something I can send to school with my son for his teacher's Valentine gift. I hope she likes it! :-)
I assembled the bag using Scor-Tape -- that stuff really holds well! Then I wrapped some BasicBasic ribbon from Michaels around the bag.
This is a prototype for goodies for my son's first grade class, closed and open.
I created the template using Inkscape. I also used Inkscape to create hearts to coordinate with the Martha Stewart valentines stamp set and a short scallop for the flap of the box. I cut everything on my Cricut using Sure Cuts a Lot. I stamped a Martha Stewart clear pattern stamp in Color Box silver pigment ink (I'm probably going to print something on the cardstock to save time). I used my Scor-Pal to create the scores so the edges would fold nicely. I used my Scor-Tape to assemble the box. After cutting out the hearts, I stamped a couple of the MS heart stamps on them. I adhered a couple of the hearts and a Prima flower to the front, inserted the Fun-Size M&Ms and a valentine (purchased) and loosely tied "Made with Love" ribbon from Michaels around the whole shebang. The ribbon just slides off to reveal the contents.
I thought it came out cute, and other than printing a pattern instead of stamping it, I think this is pretty much what it's going to look like. The box will be several different Valentine-y colors (pink, red, hot pink, grey, maybe white) and probably different ribbons based on the box color. I'm also thinking I'll put a "To/From" stamp on the back where my son can write his friends' names. For the girl boxes, I might add a teensy bit of bling with a rhinestone in the center of the flower instead of the brad. But this is generally the idea. What do you think?
EDIT: Due to popular demand, I'm offering downloads of the files. Please choose SCUT (for Sure Cuts a Lot) or SVG (for Inkscape/Adobe Illustrator). Please note the Terms of Use included in the ZIP archive.
In one of my groups, one member's father is turning 95 this year. She had a great idea to solicit handmade cards from all over to be sent to her father in hopes that they would number at least 95. She says he gets a kick out of receiving cards and will hang them on the walls in her sister's house. I'm hoping she'll get a picture of them all.
So anyway, here's my contribution. I cut the "b" using Bernhard Condensed on my Cricut with SCAL. First I cut it from chipboard, then I cut it from an Autumn Leaves adhesive backed paper pack. I affixed the patterned paper "b" on the chipboard "b", then distressed the edges a bit with Vintage Photo distressing inks. I tied several colors of ribbon around the "b". Then I printed "is for birthday" from Inkscape and die cut it with my oval Nesties. I also cut a backing oval, as pictured.
The card blank is a brown blank from a Joann set. The green spotted paper is from a set of DP I got from Michaels. It came in its own 12x12 box, but unfortunately, I don't recall the designer. The middle green strip is actually a little iridescent, but you can't see that in the picture. It comes from a Canson Effects Papercraft pad. Both the DP and the iridescent green were punched with a Fiskars border punch.
The "b" was mounted using pop dots, and the oval was adhered to the "b" with the right side also getting a pop dot for support.
I thought it came out cute. I hope ToniAnn's father likes it, too!
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