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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Happy Fourth of July!

It is the first of July and it was chilly, cold and rainy here in New England today. We are starting to wonder if there will be a "real" summer this year! But the Fourth of July is nearly here, so I thought about a design I made quite a while ago (before there was a "Stand and Salute" cartridge).

Last October, after I made the Halloween lanterns which were featured in the Chirp newsletter on the Circut.com site, I was asked to design something similar for the Fourth of July. If you don't remember or didn't see these lanterns this LINK will take you to all of the Halloween entries - there is a ghostly fence border and then three entries about the Halloween design (you might want to start reading with the oldest post first).



This is the mesh I designed for that lantern. It was meant to be cut on the Expression and I used Plantin Schoolbook, Accent Essentials, Cuttin Up and Celebrations. Here is a LINK to the original post - I have moved the file to 4shared if you want to download the large version. You need the Expression and a 12 x 24 mat to cut the original design.



I decided to adapt this design to make shorter lanterns and to make it "baby bug compatible." I needed to change cartridges and adapt the sizing and placement to fit a baby bug mat.



I changed from Plantin Schoolbook to George for the long rectangles between the rows of elements and I eliminated the Accent Essentials starburst since it is less likely that a baby bug owner will have this cartridge.



The bars extend into the "uncuttable area" at the sides of the mat but you can simply make a few snips with some sharp scissors to complete the cuts.



Don't forget to save any useful bits leftover - these "4s" could be used on another project.



I used Creative Memories Precision Point adhesive on the back of the cuts and when it had dried to clear I adhered vellum along the cut.



I used Scor-Tape to hold the sides of the lantern cylinders together.



For one version of the lantern I adhered the vellum up to the last bar and left the top elements open with no lining.



For the other version, I adhered vellum all the way to the top of the design.



It really is a matter of personal preference (and may depend on how much vellum you have handy - I had a 10 x 12 sheet which I could cut in two pieces to complete both lanterns by making them slightly different in the amount of backing.



I actually think I prefer the look of the open top.



These cuts can also be used as a wide border on a scrapbook page or for a holiday display. The stars along the bottom of the red cut are optional and are on a separate page of the file. If you want to use them, cut the first page and just leave your mat in the machine and cut the star page.

If you don't have Cuttin Up, it is easy to change the letters to a font that you do have (but Cuttin Up is a great font and you should have it!). Here is a LINK to a post where I explained how to change the letters on the Halloween Design - if you have any problems, just let me know.

I used a battery operated small pillar candle to light the lanterns. If you use a real candle, be sure to put it in a glass container and then place that container in the lantern. You have to be really careful with these paper cuts and an open flame!

I will probably use these as table decorations on Saturday when we celebrate the 4th - I just wanted to post them today to give you time to make them if you would like to use them this weekend.

4th of July Baby Bug Lanterns

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

Even more Beautiful Hearts

Here is the last one of these for now - I added four small hearts at the four compass points to make this lacy background.

Here is a photo of the mat after the cut is finished



Remove the outer area of the cut and the mat will look like this



The off cut you have removed will look like this - you could use this for another page



Work very slowly and carefully - this is quite a delicate cut, you will be able to remove the lace without tearing it if you take your time.



You can see my "super scraper" on the table - I use this to loosen all delicate cuts.



One more photo of the cut on a red background - I just love this heart!



Eight Beautiful Hearts (and four small ones)