Ghost Fence (adjustable)

The Paper Doll Dress Up cartridge has so many items for Halloween - I think everyone needs this cartridge even if they never make a paper doll! Here is a border design I made using the rickety fence and the ghost. I did this as an adjustable design so you can resize it to suit your project.



The first page of the file has two of the designs set up for a 12 x 12 and an 8 x 8 page border. There are also layers for the ghosts to cut on the same page. If you want to cut just one size you can copy and paste the design and the layers you need to a new page and arrange your paper on the mat to cut everything at once.

Here is a photo of my mat with the black cardstock and vellum set up to cut both designs.



Below is a close up of the vellum after cutting - you can just barely see the cut lines. I used the same settings to cut both the cardstock and the vellum since it was all done at once and the vellum cut very nicely.



In order to make the ghost faces on the vellum layers show up a bit better, I used my new chalks to rub into the face cuts - I tried dark gray first but, when the ghost was layered on the black base, it was hard to see the face, so I then tried orange instead.



Below is a close up of the chalked ghost face.



Altering the size of the design by using the handle in the lower right corner or entering measurements in the Shape Properties Box gives varying results to suit your space. The 8 x 8 border has taller skinnier ghosts (below)



while the 12 x 12 border has "fatter" ghosts - they all look fairly friendly and cute!



Ghost Fence (A)

Happy Halloween - with words in Alphalicious (and how to change fonts)

Several people contacted me to say that they loved the Halloween design but do not have Cuttin Up. It is easy to change the words to a font from a cartridge that you own. Here is a quick step by step explanation of how to do this.

First, download my original file which used Plantin Schoolbook, Paper Doll Dress Up and Cuttin Up (not the later version which eliminated Plantin Schoolbook by using Cuttin Up for the bars between the rows of elements).

Do a "save as" of this file and rename it by changing the list of cartridges used at the end of the file name to include the name of the font you will be using (and delete Cuttin Up).

Then click on the words "Happy Halloween" in the original design and delete them. Double click on the mat to place your cursor near the beginning of the space for the phrase (if you have trouble getting the cursor to the right place you can use your arrow keys on the keyboard to move the cursor to the starting position).

The letters in the original design were about 1 1/2 inch high so set your slider bar for 1 1/2 and type in the letters in your chosen font - they should be in all capital letters so each letter will touch the top and the bottom bars. You can then use the nudge arrows to overlap the letters (or overlap just some) to get the look you want. Adjust the letters until they fit the space (touching both the upper and lower bars) and look "right" to you . Be sure to check "weld" in the Shape Properties box. (I adjusted the total length to 11.8 inches to be sure that the letters would cut neatly).

Preview the design and make any adjustments needed where the letters are not adequately welded or the spacing looks odd to you. Then save and cut your modified design.

I am including a download link for my file for the design revised to use Alphalicious to save you time if that is the font you would need to substitute for Cuttin Up.

(Try to get Cuttin Up when you can - it is a useful font for many projects!)

Happy Halloween full page (Alphalicious words)

Happy Halloween (for baby bugs)

I received some comments from owners of baby bugs that they would like to be able to cut the Halloween design. I edited my original file so it can be cut in two pieces and either put together in a full sheet or used as two pieces. You could use it as a title or border on a scrapbook page or make shorter candle lanterns.



Because the Cricut will not cut to the edge of the mat, you will need to do a bit of hand trimming. I did move things to make this minimal but there will be some small cuts required to finish the border rows and, depending on the exact position of your mat in the Cricut, you may need to "finish" the edge of some shapes.



Above is the first page of the file - the top half...

Below is the second page of the file - the bottom half...



Put them together and the result is very close to my original design.



By placing the two pieces with an overlap of the border bar at the bottom of page one and the top of page two, you can create the full sheet design.



Here are a few of the interesting offcuts - these are bits from between the cats. I think they look like a pipe and the hook for Captain Hook! The hook could come in handy on Friday, September 19th - National Talk Like a Pirate Day! (click on the link to go to the website - who knew!)

I had quite a struggle to get this to work when I tried to replace the bar on the original file with a square or rectangle from George - every time I tried to duplicate the shape I got the dreaded red "X" due to the quirky nature of these shapes on George (they don't take kindly to drastic values to change their shape - stretch too far and you will see the "X").

After several variations of the "X" screen, I got smart and searched for a shape on one of the other carts that I could use for the bar - I found the shadow or blackout of the "money" shape on Cuttin Up (lower right corner of keypad on shift) gave me a rectangle that would agree to be stretched!

So I was finally able to make a file baby bug owners can use!

While I was at it I edited the original file to make a version that requires only two cartridges (Paper Doll Dress Up and Cuttin Up) because I know there are some Expression owners who don't have Plantin Schoolbook for one reason or another. If you substitute another font for Cuttin Up, you will also need to change out the bars with a rectangle from a cart you own (or use the original file I posted with Plantin Schoolbook).

I test cut the baby bug pieces on the Expression so there is a chance that the baby bug mat will be slightly different. If you try it and have any problems, please contact me at capadiadesigns@gmail.com so I can repair the file. I also did not test cut the revised Expression version - to be perfectly honest I was just getting tired of cutting and removing this design from the mat. I feel confident that it will work perfectly but please let me know if you encounter any difficulties.

One more note - I ignored my own advice and used the softer paper to do the test cuts and once again I had an issue with the small details - it was very difficult to remove the eyes and other tiny holes. Be sure to use paper with that "hard"finish to help you get clean cuts!

Have fun with this - I'd love to see some of your projects!

Happy Halloween (in two pieces)

Happy Halloween Full sheet (no Plantin Schoolbook)

Halloween Lantern

Another way to use the Halloween full page design is to create a lantern for decorating. These could be used for party decorations or just to brighten a corner for a bit of fun.

After cutting the design, turn it over and apply the adhesive - I used Creative Memories Precision Point adhesive pen. I dotted it all over the design and let the adhesive dry to clear.



To line the lantern I used orange glassine. I actually had this in my house from a long ago purchase when I lived in Germany where it is used to make intricate folded stars for the windows (among other things). Below is a photo of the label from the glassine I used. (It is at least 13 years old so the price will probably be higher!).



I applied a piece of orange glassine cut a bit larger than 12 x 12 to the back of the design - being careful to lay it down evenly and smooth out any bubbles.



Colored glassine should be available at a large craft store or online. You could also use cellophane or vellum - a translucent material is best for light diffusion but cellophane would be a bit more "sparkly" (even though you could be able to see through it to the light source).

After applying the glassine you could hang the design in front of a light source or in a window



I trimmed the glassine even with the cut design on one side and the bottom and left a small amount of a border above the top row of cats. For the final side I left an edge that was about 1/4 to 1/2 inch wider than the cut design. Here is a photo which shows this border for the overlap more clearly.


I applied sticky tape to this border so it could be used to join the design in a cylinder for the lantern.



I rolled this glassine lined design in a cylinder shape to "train" it to curve nicely



Once I had the shape started I used some soup cans to help hold the seam steady as I adhered the frame to the narrow border where the sticky tape was applied. The Progresso cans were about the right diameter!



I pulled back a bit of the paper liner on the tape at a time and carefully aligned the edges and smoothed the seam with the support of the can surface below.



Some options for lighting the lantern include candles, electric candles and LED lights.



If you use an electric candle you should also use a shade holder to help keep the paper lantern away from the bulb which will get hot.



If you use a tea light or votive candle, a tall glass cylinder vase will help to protect the paper lantern from the flame. They are readily available at craft stores for a few dollars - just be sure that the circumference is about 11 inches so you will not have trouble sliding the lantern over the vase.



An LED light will provide a bright blue white light and will not get hot at all, so this is probably the safest choice and the choice that could be used if the lantern would not be attended constantly. I got this light for use in a closet - it is battery operated and turns on by pushing the dome top. The first photo is the light turned off and the second is the light is turned on.

So - how do these look when they are lit with these varying sources of light?

Here are photos of the lantern lit by different light sources - first, the electric candle.



Next, with the tea light candle (photo on the left) and the votive candle (photo on the right).




















The LED light is a bluer light and, with this particular light, the lowest holes for the eyes in the pumpkins do not get lit due to the thickness of the base - the light starts to show the design about one or two inches from the bottom of the cylinder.

For this photo I place the lantern on top of a plastic dome (from a store salad bowl) to raise the lantern above the light and show the details at the base. If I used this light source for more designs I would be sure to plan for the thickness of the side of the base and not place any intricate cuts in the first inch or so of the design.

The LED light is definitely the safest since it does not get hot and there is no open flame but the candle gives more of a "glowing" effect and could be used as long as you were in the room to monitor the burning.



I have many more of these designs for various holidays and occasions - I'll be posting them as I get them test cut. In the meanwhile you can try your own versions tailored to your family celebrations - I'd love to see what you create! The .cut file for this design can be downloaded from the post immediately before this one.

Happy Halloween - full 12 x 12 page

I decided to try again to do a true "full page" design. I did a lot of frames a while ago and had to make design decisions based on the inability to cut all of the way to the edges of the mat. So I thought about it a bit more and realized that I could at least get the "side to side" dimension to be a true 12 x 12 by using the 12 x 24 mat and placing my design (and my paper) at the one inch mark. So that is what I did!

Halloween decorations are everywhere already so I had Halloween on my mind and decided to use some of the shapes on the Paper Doll Dress Up cart for this project. This is a great cartridge - at first I could not imagine why I would need it with two sons (who are now 23 and 19!) but even if you never cut a doll there are so many "extras" on this cartridge that is well worth the investment!

If you have been reading my blog for a while you will know that I am also a quilter (well...at least a buyer of fabric and planner of quilts - once I get the top designed and pieced I am not very good about following through to finish up!). I often find inspiration from quilting designs and methods. For this full page cut I thought of a round robin group I was in a few years ago where each of the six members added a row to the quilt design - and also added some borders between the rows. Here is a photo of the quilt top that I received after the other five members of my group added their rows (it started with the row of stars second from the top where one has a red square in the center).

So, with this "add a row" quilt in my mind I set out to create my design....

Using the concept of rows of design elements separated by borders I created this design (screen shot of preview shown below)



I chose a size that seemed appropriate for each shape and added a number of these elements in the same selection box. Then I used kerning, nudging and welding to make the rows approximately the correct length. I used the shape properties box to obtain the exact values to fit the space - the width was always set at 12 inches and the height rounded to the nearest even value. In some cases I compressed the design when I changed the height to fit my pattern by using longer rows (for example, the bats are "squished" from their original proportions so their wings are not spread out as far). I chose the Cuttin Up font for the words - I thought it had a light hearted feel and I was not trying to make this look "scary."

I originally planned to have a border at both the top and the bottom, however, I decided I liked the look of the cats silhouetted along the top row - when the bar was added the tufts of fur at the top were hidden - so I deleted that bar. I purposely made the bar at the bottom extend beyond the bottom margin on the mat so that the paper would not be cut. The bars were done with Plantin Schoolbook and were set to be a bit more than 1/4 inch high and 12 inches wide. To do this height sizing you need to use the handle at the center bottom of the selection box and slide it until the value you desire shows in the height box of the Shape Properties box. If you just type the value in the box, the program will default to a height of 1 inch (I hope that this issue is fixed in a future update of the software - it can get very fiddly pulling and sliding the handle to get to just the value you desire).

Below is a photo of the design on the mat after cutting - fair warning... this design takes a long time to cut - over 15 minutes - so get it started and then go have a cup of tea or call a friend while you wait for it to finish!



Here is a closer view of the cut design showing the tiny details



and here is what the mat looked like after lifting the design- it takes quite a bit of patience to lift and clean the tiny details - I didn't even try to remove the tiny eyes of the bats! The eyes and vine details on the bottom row of pumpkins are also tricky to remove, but you can get them out. Just take your time and be careful!



I did discover that the type of paper you use makes a difference. The first time I cut this design I was using good quality black cardstock by Making Memories but the "finish" to this paper is a bit softer than some and getting the tiny bits out was very slow and frustrating. I have cut the design two more times (you will see a second project using this design in a different post) and for those cuts I used the cardstock I got in a huge bargain pack from Costco - the black paper from this pack has a smooth and hard feel and the cuts were much easier to remove. That paper was made by Pacon Corporation and I have not seen it anywhere else (and it hasn't been at Costco for quite some time). So you should experiment to find a brand of paper that works well for you for this type of complex cut.



The cut on the orange background above was my first test cut and the one on the beige background below is the second test cut - I tweaked the spacing of the letters a bit and made a few other minor changes in the final file.



You could use this design on a page and add photos on top or frame it to display during the holiday season.

Here is my first test cut framed and hanging on the wall in my scrap space (it is in the prototype version of the Creative Memories page frame and the mat opening is 12 inches high but only 11.5 inches wide - the current version have a true 12 x 12 opening and I plan to get new mats cut to retrofit these older frames).



You can also display it framed and placed on a free standing easel, as seen below. This frame is a very inexpensive plastic frame (the type where you bend back the corners and load the contents from the front).



I hope you enjoy this design - I have others in this format planned but have not had a chance to test them so I will post them sometime soon (I never post designs until I have tested them - I don't want to waste your time if there is a problem!).

You can make these for holidays, birthdays, weddings and other special events. I have another project using this design that is posted separately which would also work for various occasions.

Happy Halloween - full 12 x 12

Castle Card

The Design Studio software opens up so many possibilities for creating unique cards. There are many shapes that can be used to make interesting "shaped cards" for all occasions.

I created this card with my neighbor to help her get started on using the software - I will explain how we did this step by step to help others learn this simple technique.
Here is the inside of the card



To create a card, find a shape you would like to use and place it on the right side of the mat - we used a castle from the Paper Dolls Dress Up cartridge.



Click "weld" in the shape properties box while the first castle is selected. Then copy and paste the castle image using the quick buttons at the left of the screen (second and third from the top)
Then click "flip" in the Shape Properties box at the top right of the screen (both "weld" and "flip" should be checked on the second castle).



the result will look like this



Select the top "flipped" image and use the blue "handle" in the center of the left side to pull the image to the left along the horizontal axis



Move the second castle into position so that a symmetrical image is created and preview to check the cut. You will notice that the interior detail lines appear "grayed out" - this means that they will not be cut - leaving a solid area for your message



By using the 200 view you can check the center weld - here you can see that due to the shape of the castle there will be a cut going up about 1/2 inch from the bottom of the fold.


To minimize this, find another shape to weld on top of the area that you do not want to cut - try to use something on the same cartridge - for a bit of fun I chose the canoe to demonstrate! Be sure to click weld after selecting this filler shape.



The canoe is entirely "grayed out" and will not cut but will weld the two sides together in the area we wanted to cover - I left it up a bit from the base to make the scoring of the fold of the card easier (the line will be more obvious because of the little notch).

Preview the new cut by clicking on the "eyeball" (second from the bottom of the left buttons)



For a clearer view, click on the top button for a new page and preview on that page - it will look like this



We decided that the font from ZooBalloo would be a good choice for this card (there was also a pre-made "Happy Birthday" phrase on that cartridge), but you can make your words in whatever font pleases you. You can use pre-made words, weld your own words or do your own lettering by hand.

I left the second page of the file intact so you could see the approximate size for the words that will fit on this card




This card looks cute standing up



and fits perfectly in an A2 envelope



The offcut will be centered and could be used for a scrapbook page - possibly for journaling or as a creative cut out around a photo



Obviously you will need to change the name on the second page of this file which I left for sizing purposes.

Simple Castle Card