Heart Medallion Card

I spent much of my day assembling multiples of several items - most are swaps that you will see here soon and a few are surprises that you "might" see somewhere else.  I did take the time to cut out the card design I showed you yesterday and I used the papers that I had tried out "virtually" for everything but the small heart in the center which is pink glitter cardstock.

I set up an additional page in the file and copied and pasted the items I needed for the card front, segregating them by paper choice.

Here you can see the actual pieces of paper on the mat.  I used the 12 x 12 mat (I usually cut with the Expression at home and travel with the baby bug).  I did make sure that the file would work for either machine - the "cuttable" area is slightly different on the 6 x 12 mat and the 12 x 12 mat.

After I did the sample with the Creative Memories papers, I set up the cutting page make full use of two 4 x 6  pieces of paper in pink and red.  I added extra hearts - we can all use extra hearts!  When you cut these be sure to first hide the center of the top layer or your tiny heart will not be large enough to cover the center cutout.  I did put a note on the tab of the file to remind you to do this.

I put together the layers and then used foam squares to pop up the large heart medallion.  When you remove the heart medallions from the mat be sure to mark the top of each piece so you can get them to line up properly when you stick them together.  They appear symmetrical but there is a slight variation which will make the layers uneven if you don't layer them in their original positions.

Here is one more view of the card.  I used plain white cardstock and cut a piece of the background paper to 4.25 x 5.5 inches and adhered it to the top of the card.

The file has all of the extra pages I set up for the previews.  You actually need to cut from one page only for the card elements.  If you want to cut the card base instead of using a standard half sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock, you can cut the template page from your choice of cardstock.

Heart Medallion Card

Planning a card in Design Studio

One of my favorite ways to use Design Studio is as a "planner" to create cards and page layouts virtually before I cut (and potentially waste) my paper.  I was thinking about an idea for a Valentine's Day card tonight and here is my current "take" on the card.  Of course, there will most likely be some "bling" added to the final product!

Sometimes new users of Design Studio are confused about how to use the preview function to show a design as they have imagined it.  I thought I'd make sure you know a few things that may or may not be "old news" but are good reminders on a helpful way to use the program.

 

First, in order for a color to show in preview, the item can not be welded.  This does not mean that you can't weld the items together for your actual cut, but if you want to preview the design in color you will need to "uncheck" the weld box for each item.  In order to make things simpler, I often include two mat pages in the file - one marked CUT for the actual welded pieces and one marked PREVIEW ONLY to use for the color options.  In this particular file, I used a prewelded word so I didn't need to create an extra mat.

Next, you need to think about the layers from the top down which is the way the program will build the preview. In other words, the items on the first mat should be those that will be the top layer of the card.  Depending on the way you plan to layer the items, you may need to make multiple mats that will preview in the same color.

If you click on this image to enlarge it you can see that I have seven mats in the file.  The first mat is for the tiny heart in the center of the heart medallion and is set to preview in red.  The next mat is for the top layer of the medallion and is set to preview in dark pink.

The third mat is the shadow layer of the medallion and the top layer of the word love and is set to preview in red.  I could also have included the "love" on the first page of the file which also previews in red since there is nothing else in that area of the mat.

The fourth mat has the shadow layer of the "love" and is set to preview in dark pink.  I couldn't include this on the second mat because it would block out the top layer and I would not get an accurate image of the card.

The fifth mat is a simple guideline rectangle in the size of an A2 card before folding. (If you have been in one of my Basic Cards classes you will know all about these guidelines!).  This page is not to be cut - you would be assembling the card on a piece of 8 1/2 x 11 inch cardstock cut in half and folded in the normal way. I also included another page with a square to help me center the medallion for the preview and the final page is a blank preview page.

Once you have your layers all set up, you need to add in the colors.

To begin, right click on the mat and select "set preview color" from the drop down menu.  There will be a random color for the preview on each page that you will need to change to one that suits you.

When you click on the "Set Preview Color"  box - this color selection box will pop up.  You can quickly choose one of the basic colors here and click OK to change the color.  You also have the option to define a custom color by clicking on the "Define Custom Colors" bar.

After you click "Define Custom Colors" the window will expand and you can click anywhere in the rainbow box to choose a color and then adjust it with the sliding scale at the right side.  You can also set precise values in the Hue/Sat/Lum/Red/Green/Blue boxes.  Then click ""Add to Custom Colors" and the color will appear in the Custom colors boxes.  Click OK to change the preview color.

Unfortunately, the program does not seem to save these custom colors (on the list of things that need fixing...). If you want to duplicate an exact color, you will need to record the values in the six boxes (or you can take a screen shot to help you remember).

I usually just work with the basic colors which are generally adequate for a quick plan.  However, I did set a custom light pink level for the background card in this file.  Ideally, I'd love to be able to add digital representations of the papers I'd be using to preview the card.  I can do this by taking a screen shot and importing it into my Creative Memories program which has digital representations of many papers.

 Here is my "paper" version of this card done with Creative Memories "Blush Blooms" digital papers.  I have these actual papers so I could use them for cutting the pieces.  This conversion process is time consuming and if you have a good "eye" you can visualize your card just by adding colors in tones and intensities that are close to the papers you think you will be using.

When you have made all of your color choices, you can copy and paste the shapes that need to be cut and set up a mat for each paper you will be using.  You will be able to be very efficient in your use of paper by doing this.  Keep your file with all of the preview mats if you think you might make the card again - it will definitely save you some time!

I hope this was helpful - I got so involved in trying to explain things that I ran out of time to actually make a test cut of this simple card(!)  I will try to share a finished version of the card soon.  By using Design Studio I know that my sizes will be correct so I will be able to cut once and be ready to assemble my card.  I have two or three projects to assemble tomorrow - several need to get out in the mail - so it will be another busy day.

Lovely Frame (to fit a large card)

I spent more time sorting and moving things around the house today. I have moved some more shelves into my work area and reorganized some of my supplies. It took a while to move things around, but eventually I got a chance to take a break and try out an idea for a card.

One of my favorite things about the Design Studio software is the way you can take an image from a cartridge and make some adjustments to it to fit your particular project.



This lovely frame is on the Home Accents cartridge. It is designed as a nearly perfect square.



In the Shape Properties Box, you can see the width and height of the frame when I placed it on the mat and stretched it a bit with the lower right handle. I wanted to use this frame for a large card (an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of cardstock folded in half). In order to do this I needed to change the aspect ratio - the relationship of the height to the width - and turn the frame from a square into a rectangle.



I knew that I wanted to layer the frame on my card with a contrasting piece of paper so I set the size at 4.5 inches x 7.5 inches. This changed the frame to the perfect size.



Here is a screen shot of the preview of the card design. To test out my design, I set up a rectangle in the card size (5.5 inches x 8.5 inches) on the third mat, a rectangle with rounded corners sized at 5 inches x 8 inches on the second mat and the frame on the first mat. I set preview colors similar to the ones I might use for the card.

I cut the frame and added it to my card. I didn't actually cut the card or the aqua layer with the Cricut. The base of the card is an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of cardstock folded in half so no cutting was required. It was also more efficient to cut the 8 x 5 layer with my trimmer and round the corners than to use the Cricut to cut the layer. Everything fit together perfectly - I knew it would since I used the software to set up the card and preview the frame cut.



I wanted to add some sparkle to the design so I "stickled" the flowers. I used untraditional colors - turquoise for the flowers and eucalyptus for the centers - because I wanted to stay with a monochromatic scheme. I haven't decided yet what I will add to the center but the card is ready to customize for a special occasion. This card will work as either a horizontal or a vertical card so I have lots of options.

I didn't post a file for this cut - just follow the directions above to set up your own file if you want to try this idea for one of your cards. You can also choose another frame and set it up for a large card. It is interesting to see what happens with some of the designs - in some cases you may not want to choose a certain design once you see it altered! It is a great advantage to have the ability to preview your design with the software.

Home Accents Large Medallion

The addition of the "Hide Selected Contour" feature to the Design Studio software opened up many appealing design possibilities. I used the hide contour feature to create this medallion which could be used for a title page or to mat a special photo. This cut could not be made without the hide contour feature.



Above is a screen shot of the element as it appears when selected from the keypad at about 10 inches tall. The width is approximately 11 inches.



I resized the element to be 11 inches wide and 11 inches tall and rotated it 90 degrees to place the flowering arms at the top and bottom of the page.



This screen shot shows the shadow cut of the element as it is designed on the cartridge.



Above, you can see how this shadow looks behind the original cut, in a preview of the cut.



This screen shot shows all of the center contours hidden to create a large central area in the shape with the delicate outer sections still set to cut in full detail.



By hiding the center portions of the cut (they appear in pale blue in this screen shot), I created a different medallion image with the large central area for a title or a photo.



This screen shot shows the blackout version of the cut - the center is not solid but has a solid shape behind each section of the design.

Since the shadow cut and the blackout cut available on the cartridge did not give the effect I wanted for this page, I used the "Hide Selected Contour" option to produce the cut.

***Remember, to hide a cutting line, you left click exactly on a line of the design to select the line you want to hide - it will turn into a red dotted line. Then you right click and choose "Hide Selected Contour" from the bottom of the pop up menu - the line will turn pale blue to indicate that it will not be cut.

I made several test cuts and have added some photos below.

My first test was done on paper that is an orange shade on one side and a design that looks like damask wallpaper in yellow orange and green on the other side.



Above and below you can see the offcut from each side of the paper placed on a brown background paper.



The strong contrast makes the medallion shape very distinctive.



Here is the actual cut medallion layered on pale multi colored wash paper - the look of the cut medallion or the offcut sheet layered on a backing sheet is nearly the same.



It is important to choose papers with a good contrast between the shade and intensity of the color and background. Very busy patterns in nearly the same color value should be avoided since they easily confuse the eye and make the design very difficult to see and appreciate.



The second test cut was done on paper that has a busy daisy pattern on one side and a subtle pattern in a bright pink on the opposite side.



I think the pink and pale green work well together.



Above and below are photos of the the offcuts layered on contrasting papers



The busy pattern makes the design harder to see.

This design is one of many that you can create easily by using the "Hide Selected Contour" feature. I used this same shape with the contours hidden for another project that I will share very soon.

It is fun to play around with the hide selected contour feature - all sorts of interesting patterns can be created. I'd love to see some of your creations using this designing tool.

Another Storybook Medallion and some Combinations

I did another design using the Storybook cartridge when I made the "Surprise Heart" medallion - I called this one "Circle of Dots" - the cut looks like this



Here is the cut on an A2 card



and on a 5 x 7 card



Here are the two test cuts - I decided that the "Circle of Hearts" medallion was prettier and shared that one a few days ago - here is a LINK to the post.



Today I was picking up some of the test cuts scattered all over my work area and started to try some more layering - combining these cuts with the test cuts from the "Pretty Flower from a Frame" post (LINKED HERE).

Here are some of the results...

















(sorry - none of these were actually adhered and the last photo is a bit off center, but you can get the idea). The possibilities with these cuts really are endless with so many variations - and even more effects are possible when you use various color combinations and sizes.



The last photo shows two of the files I have shared already combined with the offcut from yet another set of medallions which I will post soon - tomorrow I will take a break from medallions with an adjustable title I made last week for Valentine's Day.

I want to say thanks to everyone who has left a comment in celebration of my year of blogging (and to enter the drawing for the gifts!) - your messages are very kind and I am happy to hear that you have been enjoying the work I share.

If you haven't joined in the fun with a comment to enter the drawing for the celebration gifts be sure to leave a comment on the "Blogoversary" post - Here is the LINK (remember, only comments on the "Blogoversary" post or the Cricut Message Board thread that is linked in that post will be used to take names for the random drawings).

The blog is set to accept anonymous comments so you can leave a message by checking "anonymous" and leaving your name (real or message board) in the comment itself.

Circle of Dots Medallion

Pretty Flower from a Frame

I have been making a lot of these medallion type designs - using various frames and welding them together at angles. This layered flower is made from a frame on the Home Accents cartridge.



Here are the cuts on the mat - if you carefully saved all of the inner pieces you could cut two or more colors and fill in the various areas (similar to the Indie Art frame I posted last week - here is a LINK).



Here is the single flower cut - this would also be pretty adhered to vellum similar to the eight pointed star (LINK here)



The offcuts make pretty flower frames.



Here is another photo of the two sizes.



I will be posting more of these over the next week or so - but tomorrow (February 1st) is a special day - be sure to stop by and see why!

Flower from a Frame