Butterfly Wreath

I made this wreath using just one image of a butterfly, repeated and rotated.  I added the pink glow to soften the edges.

This is the butterfly I used for the wreath.  It is from the Dover Pictura Butterfly collection HERE  (this is a low quality screen shot - the actual images are high resolution and very crisp).

The Dover Pictura site is a new site that is still in beta.  Many of the books that are available in physical copies with CDs from Dover Publications are listed for purchase digitally.  When you register for the site, you will get an email with a special code that will allow you to download three image sheets for free.  I chose the three sets of butterfly images you can see above.  There are 14 digital butterflies to keep me busy for a while!

The prices for the collections are significantly lower than the physical book prices and you save shipping fees and can use your images right away.  You can also choose to buy just a sheet or two of the images from the book.  I don't have any affiliation with the site - I just think it is well worth a visit so you can see all of the great images that are available.

I have been using the images from another full book that I purchased to make cut files for the Cameo.  The stencil design books are great for making quick cards and page borders.  Some of the designs are very intricate and take a long time to cut. 

I an going to try to turn the butterfly wreath into a print and cut project - I think the image would be nice for cards.  If today doesn't get too busy I will post my results later.

It looks like we may have some sunshine today and I am looking forward to that after a drizzly weekend!  I did get to do a little shopping and, with luck, I'll get to use some of my new "finds" today.  I hope your week is off to a good start.


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Give Thanks Page Background

I like to keep scrapbooking simple.  When I look at the very elaborate pages with layers and layers of embellishments I have trouble finding the photos.  I like the page to support the photos but to stay part of the background so the story and the photos are the most important things on the page.

When I make cards, I often create a design that cuts an image into the card front.  I decided to start making some page backgrounds using the same technique.  I bought this book of Floral Stencil Designs from the new Dover Pictura site.  It has lots of great images that are simple to trace with the Silhouette Studio software and turn into cutting files (other programs that allow you to trace a shape will also work).

After I created the file I cut the page, using a double cut to be sure that all of the fine details would cut cleanly.  As you can see - it cut perfectly (yes, I do use my Cricut mats in my Cameo sometimes - I have lots of them and they work just fine).

I set the file up to cut the page at 11 x 11 inches to allow for a background paper to make a border.  I adhered some brown paper behind the cut and then experimented with various papers for the outer border.

This is a very dark green textured cardstock...a bit too dull...

This medium green has more life - but it is also a solid.  I decided to try some patterned papers.

I bought this stack on clearance last year.  It is a Halloween stack but the are some pages that are just overall patterns with no bats or pumpkins.

I liked this subtle yellow herringbone page - it is hard to see in a photo but the texture is obvious when you look at the page so it doesn't seem as solid as it looks here.

 

This plaid gives it some real zing! 

I think these pages will make quick and easy projects.  The paper choices can give very different looks.  You could try a small patterned paper behind the cutouts or just use two layers instead of backing the openings with a third color or pattern.

I am excited to try cutting more of these designs.  I have quite a few already set up on the computer but i won't have a chance to cut any more or add photos to this page until next week. 

What do you think of this type of page?  Are you a "flat scrapper" like me or do you prefer lots of lumps and bumps on your pages?

We are off on a short trip this weekend - I'll tell you all about it when we return.  I plan to have posts set up to publish while we are gone but if something doesn't work out it's only for a few days.  Have a great week!

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Just a few things...

 

Happy Thursday!  I just have a few things to share with you today.  I am a big fan of Dover Publications and they are having a warehouse sale with savings of up to 60% off on their books and CDs.  Dover also has free shipping on orders of $25 or more until September 17th (usually you need to order $50 or more to get free shipping).

Every week, Dover offers free samples from a selection of their books.  You can sign up to get an email to remind you about the new freebies.   This week there are some great floral images - you'll find them HERE.  Dover has also launched a site called Dover Pictura where you can buy their images as downloads, save shipping and have them to work with right away.  The prices are significantly lower than the book prices when you buy the download.  The site is in Beta right now and prices might change.

I use these images for digital scrapping and to create cut files for my Silhouette Cameo machine.  The cornucopia image here was a weekly freebie sometime last year.  I am not sure which book it is from (but I'll try to find out and add the link if I can).

screen shot from cricut.com

I also wanted to let you know that the Bookmark - Classics digital images set is the freebie of the week in the Cricut Craftroom.  The style of these bookmarks reminds me of the work of Rob Ryan - check out his site HERE and see what you think...

To use the bookmarks, just log in to your Craftroom account (or create one HERE if you don't have one already).  This image set will be listed under "My Cartridges" and you can cut with it either from the craftroom or from a gypsy after you sync the Gypsy.  If you haven't checked out the Craftroom lately, you'll also see that there are images of Mitt Romney and Barack Obama available as freebies (I think they are meant to be there until the election).

The Design Studio update for the latest cartridges should be available next week on "Hello Thursday."  There is always a lag time between cartridge release and availability on the Gypsy and Design Studio - the cartridges are added immediately to the Craftroom so you can also check out images there if you are trying to create a project or just want to decide whether to buy a certain cartridge.

The page with the Design Studio update links was broken during the makeover of the Cricut site.  You should check this post on the Cricut Message board to be sure you have the latest version available.

I hope you have a crafty day!


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Something New from Dover Publishing

I have written about Dover Publishing fairly often in the past since I frequently use images from their free samples or from books that I have purchased.  I received an email from Dover announcing a new way to buy their royalty free artwork.

Dover Pictura will sell books (full collections of images) or a single page from a book (an "image sheet").   Instead of shipping the book and/or CD you now have the option to buy content as digital downloads.  The prices are significantly lower than the prices for the books and CDs, you have access to your purchases right away and there is no shipping.  Once you purchase an image or collection, you have unlimited downloads and can use it on any of your devices (you must be a registered user - guest user links expire after 48 hours).

When you register as a new user on the site, you will get a confirming email with a code that will allow you to download three images sheets for free.  I chose the butterflies at the top of this post and I am still deciding on my other two free downloads.  I have a plan for the butterflies - maybe I'll have time to work with them this weekend...

Did you see the Blue Moon?  We won't have another one until July 31, 2015!

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