Vine Frame resized with the Gypsy

This is the frame that I adapted using the Gypsy a few weeks ago.  (Here is a LINK to the post about my first attempts to group some of my older files).  I had several  requests for the resized file.  Just to clarify any confusion, you can bring the file into the Gypsy and then group and resize it but when you move the file back to Design Studio at the new size it will not remain "grouped."

The original frame was created to fit on a baby bug mat so I used George along with ZooBalloo to make the frame.  The photo above shows the original frame at 5.5 inches square. 

You do have to be very careful when revising files.  As you can see in this photo, when I grouped and resized the frame I made a slight error in the placement of one side (at the top of this photo).  The Gypsy screen is very sensitive and I imagine I moved the bar out of alignment and did not notice it since I was excited about grouping and resizing my old design.

 

This screen shot shows the errors created by having the one bar out of alignment.  I have fixed the file so that this bar is now in the correct position.  Please let me know if you have any problem cutting the file.

You will notice that the small version of the frame is in an odd position on the mat.  You can just place your paper (a piece large enough to cut the frame) in that area of the mat.  When I get home, I will do a quick video to explain how to move the entire frame to a more logical spot (a spot that would work for the 6 x 12 mat).  I will also show how to change out the George rectangles with Plantin Schoolbook rectangles if you do not have the George cartridge.

I will be heading back home tomorrow - collecting our younger son from college along with two friends who also need to get to Massachusetts for Thanksgiving.  I have been trying to answer emails and approve comments when I can, but I know that some have been missed - I'll try to catch up at some point over the Thanksgiving weekend.  Safe travels to any of you who will be on the road for the holiday weekend.


Vine Frame

Tri shutter cards

Lately I have seen a lot of these cards posted on blogs and in various forums. I am not sure when and where the design originated. It is a very clever design that is relatively easy to make and has a great impact.

Here are the basic directions - I did not do a full tutorial with photos of every step but there are many available online. There are lots of variations - I have other versions but this is my "basic" model.



Cut a piece of cardstock 5 1/2 x 12 inches.
Using a Scor-Pal, score the card at the 2, 4, 8 and 10 inch marks. (You can do this without a Scor-Pal but it is definitely easier to get accurate scores with this tool).
Using a trimmer or a craft knife, cut from the 2 inch score line to the 10 inch score line 1 1/2 inches from each of the long edges of the card.

You then fold the thinner top and bottom strips in a "mountain-valley-mountain-valley" pattern. You make only two folds - first a "mountain" then a "valley" on the wider center strip (skipping the 2 inch and the 10 inch score marks).



Here is the top view of the folded card - it truly sounds more complicated than it is and you will quickly get the hang of it and want to make lots more of these!



Once you have your card base you can start decorating it - there are lots of different ways to do this. Here I used a striped paper and cut the pieces you see above.

The pieces are

2 cut at 5 1/4 x 1 3/4 inches
4 cut at 1 1/4 x 1 3/4 inches
2 cut at 1 1/4 x 3 3/4 inches



I deliberately chose to have the stripes on the center pieces horizontal while the rest of the stripes are vertical.



After adhering all of the striped paper, I cut 3 pieces of contrasting cardstock at 2 1/4 x 3 3/4 inches and adhered them on the center panels. After I adhered these center pieces, I decided I should have inked them but instead I used a glitter marker to outline the edges



I added Cricut cuts for the "Happy Birthday" and the name - I used the Zooballoo cartridge for these cuts - Happy Birthday is a prewelded sentiment and I welded "Campbell" leaving the final "l" loose for legibility.



Here is a view looking down so you can see how the folds work again.



You can see the shadows from my strong light when I took a photo of the card standing. It is important to use good quality, heavyweight cardstock for the base card. You want to make sure it will stand well and hold up to the handling it will take - people are fascinated by these cards and like to "play" with them.



Our now 20 year old son (his birthday was last month) liked his card - it is fun for people to try to figure out how the card is made.



I made a similar card for our niece - in an entirely different set of colors. Above you can see all of my pieces cut and ready to adhere to the blue card base.



Once again, I first added the main background paper (wavy stripes this time).



Then I added the top layers to get the wide center band effect. You often see these cards with two pieces cut for the front and back sections (the tall section and then another piece 2 1/4 x 1 3/4 inches to fill the smaller blank areas on the first and last pages) or but I like the look of the continuous horizontal line.



For this card, the front and back sections match and I added a bright pink cardstock for the center. I outlined the large rectangles with the glitter pen and wrote the sentiment on a piece of white cardstock which I adhered it to the pink center panel.



This cupcake glittered cardstock is from the DCWV "Sweet" stack - with careful trimming it is a perfect fit. You can see the glitter outline in this photo as well.



Here is the card standing on my table.



By placing the sentiment on the middle panel it is hidden when the card is partially open.

I find this type of card easier to make without using the Cricut for these very basic cuts. You can use your paper more efficiently working with a trimmer. There are several people who have done .cut files but you do need to trim in the "uncuttable" areas since the Cricut does not cut the full 12 inch width. I also like cutting the layers by hand so I can be a bit fussy about the placement and alignment of any decorative papers.

I do have some .cut files that I will share soon for variations on the layers - there are many interesting designs to use that will allow you to create a unique card each time!

Baby Boy frames (by request)

Nellie from the Cricut message board contacted me because she was having difficulties adapting one of my baby bug frames to use for her great-grandsons (one already here and one due very soon - Congratulations, Nellie!). She told me she wanted the word "sweet" at the bottom, stars and moon in the corners, the New Arrival train at the top and a monkey and a giraffe on the sides.



I tried one and sent her the file - I had just used Animal Kingdom for something else so that cartridge was the one that came to mind for the giraffe and monkey. I sent it to her and she mentioned she had been trying to use the ones on ZooBalloo - I looked and they were much "cuter" so I did another version that way.



I really like the tail on the ZooBalloo monkey!

The "smoke" from the train looks cute going up through the top border of the frame but if you use a background filler (from my post a few days ago) you will need to cut an extra bit from the waste and place behind the hole as pictured below.



Here is a photo of these frames without the background filler.



Nellie was happy with the result and I am sharing it in case any of you need some baby frames.

Sweet baby frame using Animal Kingdom giraffe and monkey

Sweet baby frame using ZooBalloo giraffe and monkey

Have fun with these!