More Gelly Pen Experiments...multi colors!

I have had a very busy day - we are getting ready to take our younger son back to college and tonight we went to a family dinner so we could see lots of aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents before he leaves. I also taught a class on Full Page Designs and I am getting a few new files and articles ready to send to Custom Crops.

If you haven't checked out the Mystery Challenge projects yet be sure to visit the Custom Crops site to see them. Here is a LINK to the explanation about the Challenge and there are links to each Designer at the bottom of the page. There is an amazing variety in the projects and the choices each designer made to use all of the items we were sent. This direct LINK will take you straight to my project. I'd love it if you would write a review of my project on the site. This is the first time Custom Crops has done this type of challenge and they are looking for feedback

I had been thinking about more projects I could do with the gelly pens and I also had "hide selected contour" on my mind. Provo Craft asked people to send in some Design Studio files so they could test them on the new Gypsy device and I sent a group including some where I used "hide selected contour" because we have been told that the Gypsy software does not have this feature so I was curious to see if they would be "cuttable" using the Gypsy. I'll let you know if I hear anything about the results.

It occurred to me that, by using "hide selected contour" I could use the gelly pens to create multicolor designs. I found a simple design from Accent Essentials to test my theory. I made a file with separate pages for red, green and blue pens - and it worked just fine!



Here you can see the blue circles as they are added to the green design.




The red circles are filling in in this photo. There were few spots where the pens skipped a tiny bit (gelly pens just do this sometimes) so I drew each page twice to insure that all of the colors were complete.



The last step was to cut the design out using the shadow feature on the cartridge.

Here is a more detailed explanation of the file:



I chose this element on the Accent Essentials cartridge for my "trial run" on this technique.



Here is the element as it appears when you add it to the mat - I made my sample four inches but I will try doing some smaller versions soon.



On the first page of the file - the RED page - I hid everything but the circles you can see in this screen shot.



For the second page - the BLUE page - I hid the items that I would draw in red as well as others that I was saving for...



the third page - the GREEN page where I hid all of the red and blue circles leaving these to draw in green ink.



Finally, I put the shadow of the element on the fourth page - the CUT page - and my file was ready to test. I changed the pen color and "cut" each page in turn - then I put in the blade housing and actually cut the final circle.



I really like this efffect and I have all sorts of ideas for various combinations of colors and cuts to create many new designs.



If you want to try this, you will need the gelly pens and the holder. These are from Scrappy-Go-Lucky - here is a LINK to the US site of this Australian company. These are made in the US and shipped directly from the manufacturer in Utah to US customers so they arrive quickly. The precision holder is finely crafted and the pens work with a magnet system which makes it so simple to use. There are no moving parts in the holder that might need to be replaced and it is easy to slide in the pen - it "clicks" as it connects with the magnet in the holder. Then you just insert the holder in place of the usual blade housing. The holder places the pens at just the right height every time.

I like the holder and the pens so much that I have agreed to be on the design team for Scrappy-Go-Lucky and I will be creating a few projects each month that will be featuring the use of these pens on Cricut designs. I have a new blinkie in the side column which will take you to the Scrappy-Go-Lucky US site.

If you want to take a look at the file and try it out you can download it here.

Multi Color Circles Medallion

More Scout Frames...(and how to change them)

I have had a few requests lately for help with changing the Scout frames I did last year. I originally designed an Eagle Scout frame for my son's display table at his Eagle Scout ceremony - here is a LINK to that post.



Above you can see the table in the reception hall and below is a photo of one version of that frame.



At the same time, I also made a plain fleur-de-lis version of this frame (here is a LINK to that post).



Well, one thing led to another and I had a request for a Boy Scout frame so I did that...



Then a request for a Cub Scout Frame...so I did that...well, you get the picture!

In the past few days I have helped Leslie with the Cub Scout ranks and also had a request for a Cub Scout Frame in an 8 1/2 x 11 format for some albums a Cub Scout Den had already created in that size.

I am posting links to download the files for all the variations of the Scout Frame that I have done and here is a quick lesson on how to change these (in case, somehow, we missed a rank!).

Start by opening the file you want to adapt and do a "save as" to create a new file (name it with the new rank you will be adding/changing).



Then, select the words that need changing and check the Shape Properties Box to see the size of the letters. Move your cursor to the left side of the mat (by double clicking or using the arrow keys on your keyboard) and type in the new word after setting the sizing slider bar at the proper size.

Grab the new word by the free move handle (top left) and place it over the original word. At this point you may want to use the single direction stretch arrows (bottom center and left center) to perfectly size the word to fit in the space. When you have it adjusted to fit the space nicely you can delete the original word. Be sure that you check weld on the new word. For these frames I make sure that the top and bottom of the letters are touching the "bars" but I do not nudge the letters together - I think it is easier to read this way. I also adjusted the large fleurs-de lis on the sides of the word, making smaller ones that are welded to the bottom bar only since the word I added is longer than the one it is replacing and there was not enough space to leave them as they were.




If you follow these steps and then preview, you will probably get something that looks like this - the welds are not operating as they did in the original frame. This is due to the way the software reads the design. You need to build from the center outward and make sure that the outer frame is added last.

In this case, since you simply substituted a word, the upper bar of the frame is "older" than the new word so you need to replace it or "burp" the design. (The term "burp" was coined by a Cricut Message Board member, by the screen name of sboz and it really helps if you think of this process as "letting the air out")



Select the bar at the top (as shown in the screen shot above) and then click Copy-Delete-Paste. The buttons are shown in the screen shot below.



By replacing the bar with an identical bar that is "newer" (added after the word) you have restored the order of elements for welding.



Above is a screen shot of the top of the frame after "burping" the design.



Make sure that your new letters are slightly overlapping the bars above and below - on my test cut I realized that I had moved them a bit too low. so the letters did not connect at the top (I have corrected this on the file I am sharing). You could use it this way but the frame will be a bit stronger and easier to stick down if the words are welded top and bottom.



Here is one more photo of the resized Cub Scout frame - I needed to change the length of the bars and adapt the numbers and placement of the fleurs-de-lis to get this to work.

This is a full sheet design and, depending on your individual machine, you may have to adjust the placement of the paper on your mat slightly - you can read about the issue I had and how I worked around it in the original Eagle Scout post (LINK)

I hope this explanation has helped - let me know if you have more questions. Have fun with your scouts!

Frame files:

Tiger Cub

Cub Scout 8 1/2 x 11

Cub Scout

Wolf Scout

Bear Scout

Webelos Scout

Boy Scout

Eagle Scout

Cathedral Window Card Toppers

I was exploring my Accent Essentials cartridge and found this element.



It reminds me of the shape made when you make a quilt in the "cathedral windows" pattern. When you combine these shapes in a grid you get a secondary effect.



If you look at this one way you see circles with pointy diamonds in them - if you look at it another way you see four petal flower shapes that end the rows in half flowers.



By snipping away the corners carefully you can emphasize the flower shapes.



You can see in the photo above that my blade snagged a bit in the lower left corner (I used paper instead of cardstock and it tore the paper a little). I could place an embellishment in that spot to hide it. I decided to snip away even more of the shapes to eliminate the bad spot in a symmetrical fashion.



The result is a pretty frame for a card top.



This file is an adjustable one but I have already set up pages with A2, 5 x 7 and full page cuts. The 5 x 7 test cut is in the photo above.



The offcuts from my tests of the A2 and 5 x 7 sizes yield a lot of little pointy diamonds which you can save and use on something else - I have all sorts of little bits like this saved and sometimes I just sit and make card using up all of the "leftovers."



If you cut the full page your "leftovers" will be bigger as you can see above - these will certainly turn up on one of my projects.



You can turn the full page cut to a vertical orientation...



or a horizontal one - whichever looks best for your layout background.



Here I added the eight pointed star flower from January (here is a LINK to that post if you missed it).

I have been very busy this weekend and now I am off to an Academy Awards party so I will catch up with questions and emails tomorrow - thanks for your patience.

Cathedral Windows Card Toppers (A)

Stair Step Card

Lacy asked me if I could come up with a .cut file to make a card similar to one she had seen online. The card has cut-outs in a diagonal line and when folded will stand up with a see through effect. I thought it looked like a fun project. I have created files for both George and Plantin Schoolbook and I did some simple test cuts. The photos here are very basic -you can go wild with the embellishing these! I just wanted to post the files quickly so you could have some fun exploring all the variations possible with this concept.



Above is a photo of one of my first test cuts - viewed from above at an angle so you can see the three dimensional effect.



When these cards are folded they will fit nicely in standard envelopes meant for 8 1/2 x 11 sheets folded in half. The photo shows a box I got from Staples - I am sure you will be able to find these easily.



You can put almost anything in the space between the two sections of the card - just make sure that both sides of the shape are welded to the main card and that the top and bottom are free to move. Above you can see some stars in another test cut.



After folding, the card looks like this from the top - there is plenty of room to add a sentiment and embellishments.



Here are the stars folded and standing - the connections are rather small so this variation is delicate - some shapes will work better than others.



I tried another variation using the arrows from Accent Essentials. Above you can see the card before folding.



Here is the card folded with the smaller side on the left and the arrows descending.



If you choose a shape that has vertical symmetry it can be flipped and you can have a card with ascending shapes and the larger area to the front of the card. I used two sided paper and you can see how this has an entirely different effect. If you are using two sided paper you can also take your shape and flip it upside down in the file so that your card will have the shapes right side up in an ascending pattern. (If your two sided paper does not have an obvious direction to the pattern you can just flip the card over or reverse the folding pattern).



Above is a photo of one more view straight from the top so you can see how the card works.



You can add a four letter word (polite ones only please!) and make another variation. Some letters will work better than others but, with luck, there will be at least a couple of letters with strong connections in your word.



Above you can see the "Love" card folded.



I thought this look a little plain and decided to try to emboss the front. Rather than fuss with making a template for the Cuttlebug to shield the areas I did not want embossed, I created a cut for a separate panel and embossed it.



To adhere the panel to the card I applied adhesive to the card front (I probably went a bit overboard with the amount of adhesive here!).



Here is the card with the panel added - the embossing folder leaves a bit of an unembossed border on the top, bottom and left side.



Here is a closer view - maybe you can see the slight edge of plain paper around the embossing - I think it looks nice and it just happened by serendipity!



Here is one more view of the "Love" card from the back.



I did another file for the George cartridge and the baby bug. I test cut it on my Expression and it worked fine. I believe it will cut properly on the baby bug - the bottom line of the card appears to be in the cuttable area. If you try it and there is a problem you can just use a trimmer to straighten the bottom. The card should be 5 1/2 inches tall.



When you fold the cards you just bend gently along the straight edge to fold the shapes in the correct direction - I did not score anything to make the folds.



Be careful not to bend the neighboring shapes as you work your way down the line. Then fold the opposite side in the opposite direction. The direction of the folds will be obvious as you work with the card.



After folding in the air, you can place the card on the table and make sure that the two panels are aligned properly and sharpen the folds. You will need to use good quality paper that will not crack and I don't recommend using white core paper unless you plan to ink the edges.

The Plantin Schoolbook file has several variations from my test cuts and the panel for embossing. The George file has just one card and the panel. You can "save as" or copy and paste the elements to a new page in the file and create your own designs using any shapes you want. I have lots of ideas for variations for certain occasions and holidays and I am sure you will too.

I hope you have fun with these - I'd love to see the variations you come up with.

Stair Step Card - George

Stair Step Card - Plantin Schoolbook