Valentine Project - Print & Cut Iron-on

I tried using the Square 1 printable iron-on fabric for the first time a few days ago.  It was very easy to work with and there are all sorts of ways you could use this product for practical and decorative purposes.  Above you can see some of the images that I cut out with my Silhouette Cameo after printing the page in my regular inkjet printer.

I'll post the finished project tomorrow, but I wanted to show you how easy it is to bring any graphic that you own (I have hundreds of digital scrap kits!) into the Silhouette software and make a cutting file for it.

If you are bringing an image in from the Creative Memories StoryBook program (no longer available to purchase but if you own it you can still use it) or the Panstoria Artisan program (this is the program I now use), you will need to export the image into a file on your computer that you can access easily.  Right click and choose "Save selection" - "Export to image file" from the drop down menu.

There is an additional screen where you acknowledge the copyright and agree not to violate it.

If you already have some digital scrap supplies in a file you can just drag them in to the Silhouette Studio from an open folder or choose "open" from the file menu and browse to the image.  Be sure to change the drop down menu to "all files"

The images tend to come in at very large sizes but you can quickly adjust them to a better size using the scale tools.  Once you have added the image to the mat, you need to trace it to add cut lines.

Choose "Select Trace Area" from the top of  the trace menu and draw a blue box around the shape.  Then uncheck the "High Pass Filter" box and adjust the Threshold until there is a solid yellow line around the edges of the image.  Since you are going to do a print and cut, the interior details do not matter.

Just choose "Trace Outer Edge" and a cut line in the shape of the image will be created.  I have separated the shape and the cut line for this screen shot.  You will want to "group" them so the cut lines stay with the image as you set up the mat for cutting.

I repeated this process for each image I brought in to the program and filled the mat as neatly and as fully as I could (I didn't want to waste any of the material).

Use the "Cut Style" menu to set the file to cut on the edges of the printed images.  When you choose the cut setting, the screen will gray and the bold red lines will show exactly where the cuts will be made.  Sometimes I do an interior offset of the shape to create a slightly smaller proportioned cut shape.

Here is the fabric with the images and registration marks after I printed the file on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of the Iron-on Printable Fabric.

Here you can see all of the cut shapes on the mat after I cut the file with the Cameo.  I removed the excess material, but I have a tip for using the leftovers - stop by tomorrow to see.

The cut shapes were nearly perfectly aligned with the printed images.  Once these are ironed on to fabric any slight variation in the cutting line is not noticeable.

Are you wondering what I made with all of these?  Tomorrow I'll show you part two!

There have been several requests for more photos of our new cat so I have a few to share...

She likes the heated floor and the rug in our sunroom - especially in this cold weather...

Such a pretty little face...

She can be a bit grumpy if you try to get her to leave her special spot.

Look at this great new feeding dish we found for her at Tuesday Morning for only $5!

Thank you for all of the kind comments about my Dad yesterday.  He was a very special man.

Quite a few people have asked if I sell my files.  I was planning to set up a store just about the time Dad's health deteriorated and those plans were put aside with our crazy year.  I hope to have the store ready sometime in the next few weeks.  Thanks also for the lovely compliments on the Valentine card and the encouragement to move forward with these plans. I have something special planned for next month - if you have been reading my blog for a long time you might have an idea about what will be happening...

One final note - Happy Birthday Kelly!!!

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Valentine Card with Intricate Design

This Valentine card is an original design that I made and cut with my Silhouette Cameo machine.  I tend to prefer designs that are intricate and symmetrical.  I also like to test the capabilities of my machines by making cuts that are very delicate with lots of twists and turns. 

This was cut on thick pink shimmer cardstock. The cut settings were speed 3, thickness 33 and blade at 5 with a double cut. While this design appears quite complicated, it was relatively easy to create using the design tools in the Silhouette software.  I am curious to see what tools are available in the new Design Space that will control the Cricut Explore machine.  Just a few weeks to wait...

I wanted to raise the image above the card surface to create shadow lines showing the details of the cut.  The large foam dots fit neatly on the corners and I cut smaller dots in half to line up along the edges of the square.

I didn't happen to have any on hand but I think a thin foam tape would  be ideal for this type of application.  The trimmed dots worked well enough.  The card base is Core'dinations Cardmaker series in Scarlet Pearl and it is 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches.

However, once I placed the topper on the card base, I did not like the way it looked from the side.  So I set about finding a way to hide the dimensional dots.

I had some thin satin ribbon that just fit between the topper and the card.  I wrapped it tightly around the sides (if I had planned ahead, I would have set the adhesive a little further in from the edge).

I adhered the loose end at the beginning to the foam dots and used 1/8 inch ScorTape to adhere the end of the ribbon to complete the enclosure.

My design included some heart cuts in the center,  These hearts could have been used for another card but I decided to stick with the original concept and add them to the card.

When you want to place an image exactly in the same position it is helpful to use the "offcut" as a template.  I adhered the thin outline of the heart directly to the card front (it looks like it is off center in this photo but that is just because it is at a slightly lower level).

I wanted the center heart to be raised at the same level as the frame so I used some more of the same brand of foam dots to raise it at the same height.

The interior heart cut helped me to center the raised heart.

These "leftover" bits could be used on another card.  I hate to let anything go to waste.

Here you can see the difference in the levels of the card elements.

The card design is very delicate but it needed just a bit of dressing up - I thought pearls would be perfect.  I had pink pearls and white pearls but these light tan pearls looked the best.

I had to laugh when I looked at this lovely vintage label - 1962 isn't that long ago is it!

One medium pearl on the larger heart, two small pearls on the two small hearts...

...and four large pearls in the four corners.  Seven is a lucky number so this seemed like just enough.

I was happy with the idea of wrapping the thin ribbon around the card to hide the foam - maybe I should have done that around the heart as well.  I didn't have a matching color ribbon but it is hidden from view when you are looking straight at the card.  When you see the card from the side it is just a nice little surprise and the card looks more polished.

Of course, you could add a different embellishment in the center framed by the lacy loops for a different occasion.

I hope you had a good weekend.  I didn't get this post scheduled correctly so it is going out Sunday evening - I'll get back on the normal schedule this week.  I did get to spend some time crafting and I have lots of new things to post this week.

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Birthday Week - Armordresses and Bargains

Thanks to everyone for all of the nice birthday wishes.  I enjoyed reading all of the messages in the comments, on Facebook and in my email. 

It's been a busy week since my birthday and I have lots to catch up with here on the blog.  My sister and brother-in-law arrived on my birthday.  While my family was visiting we went to the Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, MA.

This museum has an interesting assortment of collections.  Fruitlands was the site of the short-lived utopian community that Bronson Alcott (father of Louisa May Alcott who wrote Little Women) and Charles Lane attempted in 1843.  The farmhouse has been preserved and there are several other buildings including a Shaker Office, Native American Collection, and an Art Museum with a large collection of Hudson River School Landscapes and 19th Century Vernacular Portraits.  You can read some earlier posts I have written about the museum by clicking HERE.  I wove the chair seat in the photo above at one of the hands-on exhibits in the Shaker building.

The Cafe at the museum serves delicious locally sourced food and we really enjoyed the "herbade" (we asked for the recipe and I've already tried it at home).

Lunch was served in this elaborate tent (also used for events like weddings).  The view is amazing.

The interior of the tent is elegant with shirred fabric and chandeliers.

It was a hazy day but we still had a nice view of the mountains in the distance.

One of the remarkable features at the museum is the outdoor sculptures.  As we approached the Fruitlands farmhouse I could see these dress shapes.

The dresses were made of metal and very cleverly designed.

It was interesting to see how the look of the drape of fabric was achieved with metal sheets.  The artist is Alicia Dwyer.

If you look closely at this dress you can see the vine that has started to grow out of the neckline.  I wonder how the dresses would look if the plants continued to take over.

These dresses are one of the entries in the Art in Nature sculpture competition - you can see some of the other entries HERE.

It was a hot day but we enjoyed our visit.  The climb back up the hill is eased by rides in the "Gator" (this photo was taken on another visit last fall).

I have some birthday money to spend...here are a few ideas...

Washi tape anyone?

While I was at Costco last week, I did my usual cruise of the aisles and found these sets of washi tape from Scotch.

There are fifteen rolls in the box and my store had two different assortments.

Here are the details and the great price - about $1.25 per roll.  These sorts of things tend to disappear quickly so if you are interested check your store ASAP.  I did buy some tape and the quality is very similar to the washi tape I bought in Japan-town when we were in San Francisco (for a much higher price).

Not sure what to do with Washi tape?   Monica Bradford has done two "scrapinars" on Washi tape and the replays are available to inspire and teach you.

You can find the first class HERE,

...and the second class HERE.   These classes each include an instructional video with lots of techniques and the follow up question and answer session from the live scrapinar.  You can watch the videos as often as you like when you purchase the class - the links do not expire.

The exhibit of holiday ribbons was already up in our store.  The colors and patterns are amazing.  I often take the wires out of the edges of these ribbons to use pieces of the ribbon on cards or other projects.

Best of all is the price - less than 15 cents a yard!

Looking for a Cameo?

I noticed that the Cameo is for sale at a great price on Amazon - at the lowest price that I have seen advertised for this great machine.  I don't know how long this deal will last - it could sell out quickly.

The only thing better than a good price is the chance to win a machine for FREE - and SVGcuts is giving away a bundle including a Cameo, the Designer Edition software and a gift card for files.  You can enter through Facebook HERE. 

Finally, there are some great sets of digital papers and embellishments included in One Buck Wednesday at Jessica Sprague this week.  Here is one example - just look at all you get for $1.00 - today only.

Lots to do today - I have projects piled high and need to take photos so I can share them here.  Have you been crafting much lately or are you busy with summer activities?

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This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product using the link I may receive a commission. I only participate in affiliate programs for products that I use or can recommend without reservation .