Scalloped Ribbon - a quick explanation

I thought I'd do a quick post tonight to give a little more information about designing scalloped ribbon.  I had several people asking for help when they tried to create their own file for the scalloped ribbon on the card I posted yesterday. It is always a good idea to download the file and look at it, even if you don't have the cartridges that I used.  You may see that you can substitute a similar shape from a cartridge that you do own.

(If any of the screen shots are too small for you to read, just click on the image to see a large version)

There are lots of ways to create scalloped edges and borders in Design Studio.  You can work with circles and rectangles but it is faster and easier to use a shape that already has several scallops combined.  I used this rectangle from the Storybook cartridge for my ribbon.

It is important to keep all of the shapes in one group in order to be able to copy and paste and adjust the group as a unit.  Set the slider bar to one inch (the smallest size that you can set on the default size bar).  Then add as many items as you need to come close to your desired final measurement.

Next, click on a line of the second image and use the nudge arrows to move it to the left, aligning the scallops for a perfect overlap.

Continue to select and nudge the shapes until they are all overlapped.  Then check weld while the group is still selected (has the "handles" around it).

If you click on the eye to preview the image it will look like this.  The dark lines are the lines that will cut - the pale lines show some of the original shape sides that will not cut.

It is easier to visualize your final cut if you open a blank page in the file and view the preview from that page (the non-cutting lines will not show).

If you have not checked weld the preview will show in color.  This can be helpful in visualizing your design (and it is also a warning sign that your items are not welded).  I often set up two pages - one with the design welded and one with no welding - so I can experiment with colors in the preview.

There is a scalloped square on the Storybook cartridge but I did not use this because there is a noticeable difference in the height of the scallops at the corners

This LINK will take you to a post where I explained in more detail about overlapping the scallops to form a large square with tiny scallops and a way to avoid the uneven scallops where the corners overlap.

Another way to make a scalloped edge is to start with a strip or border piece such as this one on the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge.  I recently posted a scalloped lace square using this image to create the border - here is a LINK to that post.

You can switch to the 12 x 24 mat to give yourself some more room to work on the design.  You will be resizing the design to make it fit a card so you will be able to cut it on the 6 x 12 mat.

 

If you nudge the first three images together you will create enough "breathing space" to add a fourth border piece while the group is selected. You can then proportionately resize it using the lower right handle.  The result was still a larger bump for the scallop than I wanted for my project.

By keeping the piece in one box, you can now copy and paste and rotate the strip to create an evenly aligned row of scallops on each side.  you need to add a rectangle sized to make the ribbon the width you want.

By turning off the weld and adding layers on separate pages you can create a color preview of your design.  Be sure to select your scallop strip and check weld again before cutting!

I hope that this help those of you who were having trouble - please leave a comment or send an email if you need any more help.  If you made the card with the file I shared yesterday, I'd love to see your version.

Scallops made simpler

I have been getting a lot of questions about scallops lately.  I thought that tonight I would highlight a few older posts that might be helpful if you are trying to make scalloped shapes.

 

If you want to make a large page with tiny scallops around the edges, check THIS POST from last March.  The file is made with Storybook.

 

 If you need a full page with larger scallops, check THIS POST from last January.  The file uses Plantin Schoolbook.

 If you need a full page circle with a frame option and medium size scallops check THIS POST from last February.  This file is made with Plantin Schoolbook.

If you are looking for a scalloped square within a square in a file that is adjustable (so it can be resized to suit your project and easily copied and pasted) check THIS POST from 2008.  The file is made with Accent Essentials and George.

If you would like an adjustable file with several variations of scalloped circles and frames check THIS POST, also from 2008.  The file is made with Plantin Schoolbook.

If you'd like an adjustable scalloped circle made with George, check THIS POST.

If you want to cover a "12 bump" chipboard album, check THIS POST from last June.  The file is made with Plantin Schoolbook and is adjustable so it can be used for many other projects.

If you want to cover an "eight bump" scalloped chipboard album, check THIS POST from last February.  The file is made with Plantin Schoolbook and it is also adjustable.

Most of my projects using scalloped shapes have a label and can be found by scrolling back through THIS LINK.  I sometimes forget to add all of the possible labels (checking the labels on old posts would be a good "rainy day" project but I haven't had time to think about doing this!).

If there is enough interest, I might offer a class on creating scalloped shapes - let me know if you'd like that by leaving a comment on this post.

I have still been very busy helping our neighbors so if you have emailed me or left a comment with a question thanks again for your patience.  I will try to catch up as soon as I can.  If it is something really urgent, go ahead and email again to move your questions to the top of the list as I work my way back through the recent messages.

Simple Scalloped Edge notecard tutorial

Someone asked about a card template for a plain card with a scalloped edge.  If you have the New Arrival Cartridge, you can easily adapt the cards on the cartridge to create a plain card.  I thought I'd make a quick post to explain how to do this.

I have used the New Arrival card to make these monogram cards last year.  Here is a LINK to the post explaining how I made these cards.  If you don't have New Arrival, you can check the posts for the next couple of days after the linked post to see the Plantin Schoolbook and George versions of the files.

I started with this card - but you can use any of the cards (some will have more contours to hide so look for a simple one).  This card has an odd preview but will cut fine.

All  of the other cards preview like the card at the top of this image.  For some reason this one card has the preview reversed which can be a bit confusing.  I went ahead and used it just to be sure that it would work.

 

To make sure that your card will end up in the correct size (to fit an envelope for an A2 card), it is helpful to place a sizing rectangle on the mat.  You can start with a square or a rectangle - this shape will not be cut (it is just a "helper" shape).

Adjust the size and position of the shape as shown in the Shape Properties box above.

Add the card shape to the mat with the slider bar set at 5 1/2 inches.  Slide the card into position to match the sizing rectangle - you will see that the card is a bit too wide.  You should then use the handle in the center of the right side to adjust the width and make the card fit in the sizing rectangle.

Sometimes the selection box is larger than the exact size of the image.  In this case you can see that the shape properties box says the card is 8.668 wide and positioned at 1.586 on the x axis.  By using the sizing rectangle as a guide you can be sure that the cut will be exactly what you want it to be (even though these values are "wrong" you can see that the shape fits properly).

Once you have sized the card properly, go ahead and hide the center image and the tick marks.

To hide these lines, left click on the line to select it (turns red or pink).  Then right click on the mat and choose "Hide Selected Contour" from the bottom of the pop-up menu.  The hidden line will be a very pale blue.  Be sure to delete your "helper" sizing rectangle before cutting.

Here is the card after cutting - a very simple and useful card form.  You can save the file and use it over and over again.

In order to have the scallops show when the card is folded you need to score the card slightly off center.  I scored the card at 4 1/8 inches from the straight side on my Scor-Pal.  To do this you just need to use the extra lines in the first inch section and align the card with the 1/8 inch mark and then score at 4 1/4 inches as usual for an A2 card.

The result will be a card with a small border of scallops showing.  If you use cardstock with white on the back there will be a nice contrast and the card will be easy to write in.

Whenever I have leftover papers from a project I save the small pieces and use punches to make useable shapes.  This is a good activity for when you are sitting watching TV or visiting.  These elements accumulate along with my "offcuts" from larger mesh designs and I keep them in a few handy containers so that I always have things I can use to decorate a card or scrapbook page.

I added the three scalloped squares and snowflakes to make another simple winter note card.  I am accumulating a set of designs that will make a handy gift at some point.

Thanks for all the good wishes on our wedding anniversary - and congratulations to those of you who shared that you are also celebrating an anniversary around this time.  I will show you the "new" wedding album as I work on it over the next weeks and months.

Scalloped Circle (adjustable)

Today I have a "utility" file to share. These are files that are helpful for certain projects but just not terribly exciting to look at!



I got this Creative Memories punch a while ago - it is one of the newer ones. I sometimes wonder why I still buy punches when I have a Cricut, but there are times when a punch is handy - particularly if you want to "fussy punch" a certain design.



Here is the view of the bottom of the punch - it is quite large and sturdy.



There is a switch on the bottom that allows you to choose a plain scallop or one with extra holes in each "bump." If you want more information about this punch, you can use this LINK to my CM website.

I like the punch but I wanted to be able to layer it, so I turned to my trusty Design Studio to create an adjustable file that would match the scalloped shape.



While it is a simple shape with only eight "bumps" it still takes quite a while to create it as an adjustable file. You need to keep all of the elements in the same selection box and nudge them around with the arrows. You also need to work at a size where your smallest element is one inch or larger since you have to use the slider bar to set the size. Oh how I wish for a "group" function in the program whenever I start on one of these files!



The layers worked out very nicely - scallops are tricky because you need to get the angle and the depth of the indentation right if you are trying to match an existing scalloped shape.



The file has three sizes already set up for you - the original 2 inch size of the punch and 2.25 and 2.5 inch layers. You can copy and paste and resize the file using the Shape Properties box or the handles.



There are so many variations possible once you start adding layers! Below you can see two punches from the CM punch on the left and the 2 inch, 2.25 inch and 2.5 inch variations on the right side.



I made this file with Plantin Schoolbook - I may not have time to do a George version before we leave on vacation but you can probably figure it out by using the Plantin file as a guide. Let me know if you need help and I will try to do a tutorial after I get back (we leave on Friday!).


Simple Scalloped Circle (8 bump adjustable)

Twelve Scallop Chipboard Book

There is just something about the dollar bins at many stores - so many irresistible items that you know you can use to make some great projects. There are spools of ribbon, stamps and small chipboard album sets that appear from time to time. It is easy to spend a lot of money in no time at all.



Back in February I found these albums and decided to try to make a .cut file to make it easier to cover them. Here is a LINK to the post. I know a lot of people were happy to use the file to speed up their album making. Several people asked if I could do files for other albums they found, but, without having the actual chipboard to work from, I didn't want to make files that "almost" worked.



Recently, I came across this version of the scalloped circle chipboard album - it is made by the same company but has twelve scallops instead of eight. The packaging is slightly different with a blue top instead of a black one.



Here you can see the difference between the two chipboard shapes. The book with eight scallops looks like a flower and the twelve scallop version is more of a circle.



Here is a photo of the finished eight scallop album that I made in February.



I made this file as an adjustable file so you can copy and paste and resize it to suit your other projects. I found that my chipboard book was just under six inches - five and 15/16 inches to be exact - so I made the original scalloped circle in the file that size. As you can see in the screen shot above, this file will be useful for many other projects since you can easily resize the shape and have graduated circles.



It took a while to work it all out, but once I got the file finished I was able to cut out all of these pages in less than five minutes.



I used some paper in muted shades for the first test cuts but I decided it was too "serious" looking for the flower shaped books.



I remembered that I had this pack of Debbie Mumm paper. I have always liked her designs - in fact, I have a stash of Debbie Mumm quilting fabric that is "too pretty to use"!.



This paper has bright designs and I thought it would be nice for a child's album.



Here are the five papers I chose for the album. The little bugs are so cute!



Since you need to have the Expression to cut these shapes at the proper size to cover the album pages, I used Plantin Schoolbook for the file. You can fit two shapes on a 12 x 12 page and there will be some paper left for mats and titles to coordinate for each album page.



For more information about how I put the album together you can look back at the post for the first album (here is that LINK again). I hope that many of you will be able to use this file - even if you don't have this chipboard album, scalloped circles are always useful!

Twelve Scallop Circle for Chipboard Album (A)