Nifty Numbers

Today's date is 10-11-12, that must be a lucky day!

If you have been reading my blog for a while you know that I am a little bit obsessed with numbers and patterns.  I have been sorting out some issues with my computer and came across this project from several years ago that I never posted.

The Cricut cartridge "Graphically Speaking" is one of my all time favorites.  There are lots of unexpected treasures on this cartridge.  While I have been enjoying my Cameo and I love to design my own images and projects, I still appreciate the convenience of picking up a cartridge and simply cutting something.

I did use Design Studio to weld the images together to create this background but you could just cut four images and add them to your page (they are only welded in two places).  The cut is very intricate and it will take a while to lift it off the mat (you have to be slow and careful as you remove the cut because some of the connections are very thin).

If you keep the edge piece, you could trim it a bit and make a second background.

There are number borders 0 - 9 on the cartridge so you could make a birthday background for any age.

While we are on the subject of dates and numbers - remember tomorrow is the 12th so if you are doing the 12 on the 12th on 2012 project - it is time to take those 12 (or more) photos!


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Pink and Blue Snowflake card

This card is in rather untraditional colors for a holiday card.  I actually did not set out to make a card today - I just wanted to test cut a few more snowflake files so I could post them.  But one thing led to another and...

First, I test cut the snowflake design at the original large size.  I used some pale blue cardstock - the inexpensive kind that comes in value packs at the large craft stores.  This type of cardstock generally is on the thin side with a hard finish and it cuts easily in the Cricut.

I decided to adapt the cut and make it smaller so it could be used on a card.  Here are the two test cuts side by side.  This snowflake was designed with elements from the Reminisce Accents cartridge.

Then I started to get some ideas (always dangerous!) and began to make the plain test cut into something a bit fancier.  I got out some Versamark watermark ink in the "Frost" dazzle color and some sparkly embossing powder called "kaleidoscope."

 

I put the snowflake on some scrap paper and used the ink pad to generously cover the cardstock with ink.

Here you can see the inked up snowflake.

Then I put the snowflake in a plastic sandwich container and poured the embossing powder all over it.

I carefully tapped off the excess powder and checked to be sure the snowflake was evenly covered.

I applied heat with my embossing gun and watched the transformation from powdery and dull to smooth and shiny.  Whenever I do heat embossing it seems like magic to me!

The plain blue base color now has a wonderful iridescent and shimmery finish making a magical snowflake.  The heat gun tends to make the cardstock curl up a bit but it will flatten down easily.

I used my Creative Memories Precision Point Adhesive generously on the back to make sure the cut would adhere nicely to the embossed mat.  My original idea was to make an A2 card so I cut a mat layer from white cardstock at 4 x 5 1/4 inches and embossed it with the "Snow Dots" embossing folder.

I decided to make a 5 x 7 card instead and chose a pale pink card base from a pack of premade cards.  I cut a blue mat layer at 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 inches which left a space to add a sentiment below the matted snowflake.  I used some "Zing" glitter embossing powder in pink on the sentiment I stamped with a Martha Stewart holiday greeting set.

I didn't like the look of the mat layer ending abruptly above the sentiment so I added a thin white ribbon and adhered it to the back of the blue mat before assembling the card.

I tied a tiny piece of ribbon around the base ribbon and added a gem sticker in pink on the knot.

Here is the card flat on the table.  It is very hard to get a good photograph to show the effect of the embossed snowflake and the glittered sentiment but I hope you can imagine the sparkle.

Here is one more close view so you can see the iridescent effect on the snowflake and the embossed background.  This technique allows you to turn a plain piece of inexpensive cardstock into a specialty paper for a beautiful snowflake.

 

I used this same technique a couple of years ago for this card.  It is a great way to have a specialty cardstock effect for a very low cost - a little embossing powder goes a long way! If you'd like to see details about the pine cone card here is a LINK to the post from a couple of years ago.  The file for this card is also available at the post - it uses Joys of the Season and Graphically Speaking (two of my favorite older cartridges).

The file for this snowflake has both large and small versions on two different pages.  The small version is the size I used for this card.  You can adapt the snowflake to fit the size you need for your project.  I'd love to see what you make if you download the file.

Snowflake with points

I have some fun projects coming up using the ProMarkers and I also have been spending some "quality time" with Martha for a new series that I will tell you about next week.  Have a great weekend!

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How to make the Bee Happy Card

Using both my Creative Memories digital program (StoryBook Creator Plus 3.0) and my Cricut Design Studio for a project is combining the best of both worlds.  I have high hopes that eventually I will be able to create a digital design and then have my Cricut cut it out automatically.  Until then, I have figured out a way that works for me to get the printing and the cuts that I want for my projects.

Several people had questions about the "digital coloring" I talked about in yesterday's post (here is a LINK).  I will try to do a video so you can see it in action soon but here is a quick explanation with some pictures.  (Remember you can click on any image to make it larger).

In the Creative Memories StoryBook software there is a ribbon called "cut and fill."  In the cutter section there is a tool called the "magic wand" which can be used to make the process of taking apart the image quick and easy.  I always make the image as large as possible to make it easier to work with it.  The "digital coloring" is done by clicking the "magic wand" tool in each area of the design that you want to color the same color and isolating sections of the design.  After a section is selected (you will see a moving dotted line around the edges) choose "cut around the selected area" and repeat this process for each area of the design.

You may need to adjust the sensitivity values to get a clean selection of each area.  When all of the areas are separated you can fill them with digital paper or a color and add any effects that you would like to use.

Once you have filled in all of the sections, you highlight them all in the elements bar and group the image back together again.  Then you can resize it as you like.  If you want to change a color after resizing, simply ungroup, change the fill for that section and then group again.

This is what the bee looked like before I grouped the pieces back into one image.

The same process can be used to alter some of the word art in the program or that you find from other sources.

By using the magic wand to select each piece of the phrase, you can divide it into sections that can be separately filled with color and apply shadows and other effects.  Every piece of digital content you have can be endlessly altered for unlimited creative possibilities.

Once I was happy with my image, I set up a full 8 1/2 x 11 page to print.  I wanted to use this image on an A2 card and put it inside a scalloped circle so I knew that three inches would be a good size to use.  I could fit six 3 inch images and two 2 inch images comfortably on the page (the two inch images can be used for another project - I just don't like to waste space!).

I chose this scalloped circle from the Graphically Speaking cartridge.  If you don't have Graphically Speaking you should really take a look at it - it is full of all sorts of interesting titles and images and is good for both scrapbooking and cardmaking.

I used a three inch circle in Design Studio to determine that a 3 3/4 inch scalloped circle would be a good fit.  I set up a mat to cut nine scalloped circles at once.

On a second page in the file, I placed a three inch circle centered in the lower right quadrant of the mat.

It was a tight fit to get nine scalloped circles on the mat due to the "no cut zone" around the edges of the mat.  I used textured Core'dinations cardstock for the scalloped circles and to insure that the cuts were clean I set the machine for multi cut 2 in Design Studio.

I placed a 6 inch square piece of cardstock in the lower section of the mat and cut the circle from page 2 of the file.  I taped one edge of the paper directly to the mat with masking tape.  I then pushed "load paper" to move the mat out so I would have room to work.  DO NOT push "unload paper" or you will have to start all over again!

After I removed the pink template circle cut, I placed one of the bee designs under the piece of pink cardstock and aligned it with the cut opening.

Then I carefully flipped the template piece of cardstock back and let it rest on the other side of the mat. 

I pressed cut in Design Studio and the machine cut a perfect circle around my image.

When I removed the excess cardstock I had a cute bee medallion ready to adhere to the yellow scalloped circle.

Before unloading the mat I cut the other five bee designs using the same method of centering the image below the template and then flipping it out of the way for the cut.  I can make five more of this simple card very easily now and I have three extra scalloped circles and two smaller bee designs for more projects.

I cut a piece of ribbon about 22 inches long and tied a bow around the front of the card.

Strategically placed foam squares raise the medallion above the ribbon without actually sticking to the ribbon.

Here is one more view of the card - I added just a dot of Stickles on the end of each antenna.

The sales on Creative Memories digital software and other items and the Lettering Delights digital items both end Sunday the 27th.  Links to the sale are in THIS POST.  If you have any questions about any of these products, please do not hesitate to email me.

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Vinyl Projects with the Cricut - Easy and Fun!

Today is Sweet Treat Thursday at the Cuttlebug Challenge Blogspot.  The Design Team was asked to do some home decor projects with vinyl.  Be sure to visit the Cuttlebug Challenge to see everything that was created and visit the individual designer's blogs to get all of the details.  Don't forget to enter the Cricut Cake giveaway - you can go to THIS POST for all of the details.

I used vinyl to decorate a marble tile to display in the dining room.  Here you can see it on top of my display cabinet.  With Cricut vinyl, transfer tape and the Design Studio program this is a quick and easy project to make.  I will show you how I did it step by step.

I used this frame from Graphically Speaking (one of my all time favorites!) and letters from the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge.

Using Design Studio, I set up a 12 x 12 mat with the frame cut and then carefully centered my words within the frame.

I cut a 12 x 12 section from the sheet of vinyl and used my wide putty knife (a couple of dollars at the hardware store) to  smooth it firmly onto the mat, making sure that there were no air bubbles.

When cutting vinyl, I set my machine at medium pressure, medium speed and blade depth 4 to "kiss cut" the vinyl  (cutting the vinyl cleanly but leaving the backing layer intact).

The next step is to "weed" the cut, taking out all of the unnecessary pieces.  This little hook tool from the Circut tool kit is a handy helper for the small bits that need to be removed.

Here you can see the partially weeded cut - all that is left to remove is the area around the words.

When I removed the large outer area I carefully set it aside - I will replace the backing on this as there are many areas that would be large enough to work for cutting words for smaller projects.

Here is my fully weeded cut - still on the backing and on the cutting mat.  Now I need to cut a piece of transfer tape just a bit bigger than this design so I can easily move it to the tile and preserve all of the spacing that I worked out in Design Studio.

I start on one side and apply the transfer tape, pulling away the heavy backing paper with the red grid.

I continue to smooth the transfer tape to the vinyl cut being careful to avoid puckers and bubbles.

I use my putty knife again to burnish the transfer tape to the vinyl cuts.  You can see when it is well adhered - the image is clearer.

Next you lift the tape and the vinyl cut will also come up - it works best to do this at an angle.  If a letter or part of the design doesn't lift perfectly the first time, just smooth the tape over the vinyl and try again.

Here is the fully lifted cut ready to flip over and apply to the tile.  Try to keep your fingers off the back of the vinyl so it will stay very sticky.

I gently placed the cut on the tile and, before applying any pressure, checked to be sure that the cut was centered and straight.  A clear layout ruler is helpful for this.  Since my tile was 12 x 12 , I could also use the markings on the covered mat below it to help me find the centers.

Once I had the cut in position, I used my putty knife again to burnish it to the tile.  You can see when it has been burnished well enough since the color becomes clearer again.

Finally, I peel back the transfer tape at an angle making sure that all of the vinyl is well adhered to the tile.  I will save the transfer tape to use once or twice more.

The tile is now ready to display.  These tiles make nice gifts for an anniversary or housewarming.  I used a leftover tile from the front hall of our house.  You can also buy tiles at a local home improvement store.

The tile looks pretty displayed in my dining room and can be seen from the front hall when you enter the house.   I thought the marble pattern might be too distracting but the stark black works well with almost anything.

The other thing I like to do with vinyl is to cut phrases to post on the wall.  The examples above are from my home or a relative's home.  I did these before I tried transfer tape so the letters were individually applied to the wall.  The Gandhi quote was done with welded words I made in Design Studio so it went a bit faster to put it up on the wall.

Have fun trying some vinyl projects - this is just the tip of the iceberg.  I have also used vinyl to decorate buckets and even used it for cards when I wanted something tiny that I knew would not work well to cut in paper.

If you want to see more details about the wall words, check the labels for P - Wall Words.  I have been slowly but surely revising and updating the index for my blog.   I am trying to make it easier to find things for both myself and my readers.  There are some more changes coming to my blog that I am excited about but it will be a little longer until I can tell you about them...