Lace Cardstock with Martha Stewart Borders.

Today is Monday so you'll find another installment of "Martha on Monday" over on the Scrappy-Go-Lucky blog.  This week I demonstrated how to create your own lace cardstock by welding together several borders.  I have used this technique for many mesh pages.  The Martha Stewart cartridges have lots of lovely borders and there are many other cartridges that will also work (Storybook is one of my favorites for doing this).

There is a step by step explanation and lots of photos showing how to create the flower mesh you can see above on the Scrappy-Go-Lucky blog at THIS POST.

This leafy mesh is another example of a design created from borders.  This one is much more delicate than the flower mesh.

 Here is the border from the Martha Stewart Seasonal Cake Art cartridge that I used for this mesh.

You want to be sure to use a sticky mat - not a brand new one but one that is "just right" to keep the paper firmly stuck during the cut.  It takes quite a while to cut out something this intricate.  Above you can see the delicate cuts in the paper still on the mat.  You want a sturdy paper, not thin text weight but not too thick.  If you use heavy cardstock you might not get a clean cut - I would recommend trying a multi-cut if you want to use heavier weight material.

When the cut is finished, you can remove the outer edge around the design.  

You could save this piece and use it as a frame on another page.

Take your time as you lift the cut from the mat.  The stems are extremely delicate.

 I only had one place where a leaf came apart - I was distracted by something and tugged a bit too hard when I was lifting that section.  It is simple to glue it down so the break won't show.

Changing the background paper gives an entirely different look.

If you'd like to try cutting this mesh you can download my file HERE.  The file for the flower lace is available on the Scrappy-Go-Lucky blog.  You'll find all sorts of inspiration if you check out the projects my fellow Design Team members have been making so be sure to scroll back through the posts.  

Thanks for all of the advice on the paint color for the garage. I am planning to show you more simple style scrapbook pages soon now that I know that many of you enjoy this type of page as a supplement or alternative to the very heavily embellished and layered pages that are so popular right now.   I hope you have a wonderful Monday.

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Snowflake from Frame (the test cut and files)

I am always amazed at the incredibly complex cuts that the Cricut machines can make.  This is the test cut of the snowflake design I posted on Monday.  This snowflake was made with just two elements from the Reminisce Accents cartridge.  I cut the snowflake from a piece of common white cardstock with my blade at 6 and pressure at 5 (the speed is set at 4 on my machine, however, Design Studio controls the speed when cutting from the program).

The mat I used was not a new one but it was still sticky all over and I smoothed the paper down carefully before starting the cut.  It is actually better not to attempt a cut like this on a brand new mat as it might be too sticky and the design could tear when you are lifting it from the mat.  My "secret weapon" for lifting delicate cuts like this is a four inch plastic putty knife that I got at the hardware store for a few dollars.

This is the offcut from the design and it can be saved and used to frame another page layout.

This is the piece from the center of the snowflake - yet another snowflake shape that you can also use for another project.

Using a different background paper makes a big difference in the look of the cut - suddenly this looks more like a Valentine to me!

Many people asked for the file for this cut and I am happy to share it.  You can download the file from the links at the bottom of this post.  I did post both the .cut file for Design Studio and a .gypsy file.  I have to say that I do not use the gypsy for this type of work.  The complex welds seem to overwhelm the small memory and it can be very frustrating to precisely align elements that overlap other elements.  For a design like this, Design Studio is a much better choice.

When I preview the file in Design Studio it takes less than five seconds.  To preview the design on the Gypsy took nearly ten minutes.  I don't have time to wait for these incredibly slow previews as I work through a design.  I did not actually cut the design with the Gypsy - if someone downloads and cuts the file I would be interested to know how long it takes to cut.

I happened to have this cut from the Snow Angel cartridge that I made with the Imagine on my table.  I think that a larger medallion placed on this design and framed would be a pretty holiday decoration.

I have so many projects in the works right now - I wish there were more hours in the day to make samples and photograph them (and fewer real life tasks like laundry and errands to do!).  I'll be back later today to tell you about the new deals for the month of December from Creative Charms.  I am working with the new Kit of the Month and it is very elegant - I think you will like it too!

Snowflake From Frame - .cut file

Snowflake From Frame - .gypsy file


If you are interested in ordering the Reminisce Accents or Cheerful Seasons Creative Memories exclusive cartridges and don't have a local consultant I would be happy to help you - just click the names of the cartridges to go to the page on my personal website where you can order and have them sent directly to you.  This is a great time to order since there is a special deal for shipping of just $1.99 on orders of $25 or more - the normal shipping for the two cartridges would be $9.35 (and the usual minimum shipping fee is $8.50 if you order just one cartridge and nothing else).  Please leave a comment or email me if you have any questions about these cartridges.



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Fancy (but simple) Storybook Lace Mesh

Many people have asked me for more information about mesh or paper lace designs.  There are many types of designs that can be used to make these intricate cuts.  Some of the more recent Cricut cartridges have elaborate lace designs that are beautiful at full page size (Mother's Day, Straight from the Nest, Cindy Loo).  You can also create these pages using smaller images and welding them in a pattern.

This delicate lace was made using just four images from the Storybook cartridge.  I altered the width of the image a bit to get a good fit on the page.  The adapted shape is 5.8 x 5.8 inches.

 The four images are arranged to overlap evenly along some of the outer swirls.  This screen shot shows the final image after welding.

To cut a design like this one - with lots of intricate curves and thin sections  - I usually find it better to use a heavy patterned paper instead of cardstock.  For my test cut I used a sheet of K & Company paper with a fairly subtle pattern.

You could use the offcut to create a frame for a page.

Different backgrounds with varying degrees of contrast give very different looks to this lace.

I had intended to give more explanation on how to make this type of mesh and also to share some techniques for making it an "adjustable" design in Design Studio but I ran into another glitch in the new version of Design Studio.  The problem with the nudge arrows getting "stuck" and the selected element moving along the mat with no way to stop it is has come back again.  I opened and closed the program several times but I still had a section of the design that "lost control" and could not be stopped!

This design is easy to make on the Gypsy and I found that the Gypsy is much faster than it used to be with preparing and displaying the design previews.  I did a Gypsy file but I haven't test cut it yet - I'll try to do that tomorrow so I can post the file.  Our oldest son arrived tonight from California for a weekend visit so I did not have any more time to troubleshoot the Design Studio issue.  If you have a Gypsy, you can try making this design on your own - it should be very simple to do.


The message boards are buzzing with news that there are a large number of new Cricut Lite cartridges which seem to be exclusive to Walmart.  If you go to the Cricut Message board you may find some more information from members who have seen these in their local Walmart stores.


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Full Page Eyelet Lace Mesh

I have been spending a lot of time on figuring out technical issues for my new computer and trying to decipher the updates to Design Studio.  I needed to take a break and create something to cut out!  I haven't made any lace cardstock for a while so I decided to make a full page design. 

I used this one element from Ashlyn's Alphabet to create the intricate design.  Some images make wonderful patterns when they are repeated and combined in rows.  Ashlyn's Alphabet has a quite a few interesting medallions and flourishes.  This cartridge has a very European feel and there are welded phrases in several languages.

Here is a better view of the element I used - the keypad image for this is so tiny that it is difficult to see.  This image is not perfectly symmetrical but it is close enough to work for this design.

By creating overlapping rows of this one image, and carefully aligning the rows, an entirely new pattern is formed.  I think of this type of design as a mini-quilt since the same principles apply for the creation of secondary patterns.

I set the file up with four pages.  The first is the actual welded design to cut. The second and third pages have the unwelded design and a plain 12 x 12 square to experiment with various color combinations in preview.  If you leave the preview on the first page, you will see the dark black welded outline.

If you turn off the preview for the first page you will see something closer to the look of the final cut.

 To choose the preview color for a mat and to turn the preview on and off, right click anywhere on the mat and select the appropriate options from the pop up menu.

 My test cut worked perfectly.  Be sure to use a good crisp cardstock that is not too thick.  The design will take a long time to cut since it is so detailed.  When you lift an intricate cut like this it is a good idea to work at a 45 degree angle.  Most of the offcuts will stay on the mat if your mat is sticky enough.  There will be some that you need to remove by hand.

The outer section of the cut cardstock will work as a frame for another page.  You may want to trim the edges to even up the borders.  It is nearly impossible to get the paper perfectly loaded to keep a design that is symmetrical centered on the mat the way it appears on the screen

 You will also have 16 "suns" and 25 little flowers to use for other projects.

 As you can see above and below, the color of the background makes a big difference in the finished look.  You can also cut this design from patterned cardstock for an interesting variation.

I was able to use the new selecting feature in Design Studio to combine all of the rows of images and then checked weld just once for the entire group.  I have been trying to decipher more about the way the update has changed Design Studio and I will add a few more videos if needed to show you the changes.  Thanks to Kate who has been doing some testing with her computer and reporting back (see the comments to yesterday's post HERE). 

Eyelet Lace Full Page


A couple of notes...

The Gypsy Update that was expected to take place on Thursday was put off and now will be available on Friday morning (Utah time).  It sound like many positive improvements have been completed - here is a LINK to the official release by Provo Craft for all of the information.


 Also, I want to remind you about the "Deal of the Month" at Creative Charms.

For a few more days you can purchase this collection of embellishments for only $8.99 - 65% off the regular price of $25.50.  If you tried to purchase this already and found an unusually high shipping charge this was due to an error in their system which has been corrected.  Shipping should be $3.99 or less depending on your location and size of the order. I recently joined the Design Team for Creative Charms and I have really enjoyed working with these beautiful embellishments - they often have given just the right "finishing touch" to a card or project.

I hope you have a safe and Happy Memorial Day Weekend!


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Storybook Five Bar Filigree

This is one of my favorites! The design reminds me of the iron gates you might see at an old estate. I would like to cut this in black and layer it over a landscape photo. In the meanwhile, I thought I would get it posted to share so some of you might be able to use it too!

Once again, this is very simply done by copying and pasting the element from the Storybook cartridge and flipping alternate rows to create more interest to the pattern.

The design is a bit more delicate than the other two I just posted but just be patient as you remove it from the mat. I started by removing the "extra bits" on the bottom row.



Then, once I had just the actual design remaining I was able to lift and gently remove the cut, leaving most of the leftovers on the mat. I did use my three inch putty knife to help with the removal. (You can see the "remainders" on the mat below).



You will have a pile of cute little extras that could be use on another projects - fat curls and thinner "waves" (they also remind me of little French Horns!). I did discard the rest of the offcuts - even though there are some that could be trimmed to use as well - I have my limits on space and patience!



When you turn the design vertically you can better see the "gate" effect I mentioned.



I did not do a baby bug version this time - I didn't like the look when I either stretched or squashed the design - I may try another way using multiples of the element and I will post if I do but please feel free to try it your own version if you have one of the smaller Cricuts (Personal or Create).

Storybook Five Bar Filigree

Storybook Hearts and Flowers Lace

This design was created very simply by using just one border element from Storybook which was flipped and rotated to create a secondary design. You can see the element I used outlined in red on the screen shot below.


I was able to adjust the design to fit comfortably within a 12 x 12 page. Once again I used the 12 x 24 mat and placed the paper at the one inch mark. Below you can see the design on the mat after cutting.



The resulting offcut is rather pretty and I could go back and recenter the elements a bit to make it perfectly aligned in the 12 x 12 space - I might do that if I think of a project to use this "leftover" (or just trim one side to make the spacing even).



There is a baby bug version on page one of the file again - I have not been able to test this and would appreciate any feedback if you encounter a problem with that cut. You could cut two and then overlap them to get the same effect on a page if you do not have the Expression.

Storybook Hearts and Flowers Lace

Storybook Lace with Diamond Centers

As soon as the Cricut Storybook cartridge came out I could see that it was full of wonderful elements for creating more complex designs. I have been putting together quite a few of these - here is the first in a series.

This design is created by a simple repeat of one element from the Storybook cartridge. I made the design in rows, similar to the Halloween design, but did not separate the elements with bars. Once again, I am reminded of quilt designs where the juxtaposition of one or two simple design elements creates new patterns and images.

Here is the basic shape used to create this design



By overlapping and repeating the design, a secondary shape is created



The effect of an entire 12 x 12 page of this element creates a design far more complex and interesting - there appear to be three rows of four of the oval designs with a fancy border around the edges.



This would be lovely as a page background or even as a doily for a tray of desserts. The elements are larger and thicker than the Halloween design so it is much faster to cut and easier to remove from the mat. One more idea (I haven't tried this - no time for baking lately) would be to use it as a "stencil" on a pan of brownies or a cake by placing it on top of the cake and sifting powdered sugar over the top and gently removing the paper (leaving the negative space creating the design).

Once again, this is set up to cut on a 12 x 24 mat. I have found that even when I use the full width, there is some variation in the loading process for the machine so I am making the design rows a bit less than 12 inches to avoid the possibility of the very edge of the design being flattened or cut off. Remember to place the paper starting at the one inch (1") mark on the mat.

I have also done a version for the baby bug - this is on the first page of the file. Be sure to change the view to the 12 x 6 mat. I have not been able to test cut the baby bug version - it previews fine but I would appreciate hearing from someone who cuts it so I can be sure there are no problems. Thanks!

Storybook Lace with Diamond Centers