Real Flowers - printed and cut for a card

Monday was a "catch-up" day for me.  I was finally able to find the top of the pool table in my craft room "annex" (after our sons left home I spread out into the adjoining room - and filled it up too!).  I was sorting through piles of projects and I found something that I started a couple of months ago.  So I finished this card to share with you.

This photo of a rudbeckia (brown-eyed susan) from our back yard was the starting point.

I did some photo editing and heightened the contrast to make the flower stand out.  One of my favorite things to do with my flower photos is to turn them into digital elements that I can use for my digital scrapbooking.  I have accumulated quite a few flower images as PNG files that I can use for page layouts, cards and other projects.

I used the Creative Memories StoryBook Creator 4.0 software (on sale this week for only $41.40) to remove the background and create a clean image of the flower.  I realized that with my Silhouette machines I have the capability to take these flower images and cut them out perfectly.

I saved the PNG file to my desktop and then dragged it into the Silhouette Studio software.  (You do not need the designer version of the software to do this).  Then I used the trace function to create a cut line around the edge of the flower.  I filled a page with various sizes of the flower.  For some of the images, I created an offset to leave a white edge around the flower when it is cut.  

Once my flowers were cut out, they looked very realistic - because they are actual flower images.  I could also skip the printing and use the cut lines that I traced around the flowers to cut plain cardstock in the same shape. 

I chose three flowers in small, medium and large sizes, and cut some basic card mats for an A2 card.  The card base is Bazzill heavy textured cardstock, the brown layer is Core'dinations cardstock and the green design is from Momenta.  The yellow chevron ribbon is from May Arts and the sentiment is from Craftwork Cards (I rounded two corners to make it a little more interesting).

 I placed the ribbon across the front of the top layer and folded it over onto the adhesive on the back before I placed the green layer (3 3/4 x 5 inches) on the brown layer (4 x 5 1/4 inches).

I inked the edges of the layers with some Vintage Photo distress ink.  Here is the finished card base before I added the flowers and sentiment.

I chose this ribbon because the chevron pattern matches the design in the green dragonfly cardstock.  I used Scor-Tape to attached the sentiment to the ribbon and the cardstock.

To add dimension to the flowers, I used some foam dots.  I adhered the largest flower with Scor-Tape in the center and curled up the ends a bit.  For the medium flower I used one foam dot and for the smallest flower I stacked two foam dots.

I overlapped the flowers as I placed them on the card.  This photo shows the different levels.

I have also done a print and cut project with some daisies and I am working on other flowers that I have photographed.  I really enjoy taking my photos and finding new ways to use them.  You can make a totally personalized card and once you take the time to create the files you can use them over and over again.

I am linking up this project to Link Up Tuesday HERE.  The past few months have been such a busy time for our family.  I don't go to the message boards much anymore but I'd like to keep in contact with the blogging community - I may even start a link day here.

Every so often I am asked if I sell my photographs.  I haven't done that (yet) but I am considering creating and selling SVG files to print and cut my flower images.  Please let me know (by leaving a comment or by email) if you'd be interested in these or other SVG files.  I can't sell them as .studio files (see Kerri Bradford's recent blog posts) but SVG files can be cut by a number of machines, including the Silhouette machines if you have the designer edition of the software or another program such as Make the Cut.

Our weather has started to cool down a bit and fall will be here soon.  The schools here usually start after Labor Day but I know that in many parts of the country children are already back to school.  If you have school age children, I hope that they are off to a good start for this year.

I wonder what other projects I'll find as I continue to sort out my craft room!

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Page Designed with Silhouette Software

The Silhouette Studio software is easy to learn and I have really enjoyed working with it.  While it is primarily intended for controlling the cutting of your designs, you can also make a digital page to print for your scrapbook.  I prefer using the Creative Memories StoryBook Creator 4.0 program because it gives you so many more options, but if you are in a pinch and want to put something together quickly, the Silhouette program will let you make a simple page.  The basic program is free and can be downloaded from the Silhouette site.

You just need to open the file where you have digital content (papers and embellishments) saved and then drag the item to the work area in the Silhouette Studio program.  You would add any photos in the same way - open the file and drag them onto the work area.  Then you can adjust the size, rotate, group items and put together a page that you will be able to print on your home printer directly from the Silhouette program.  There is not an option to save the result as a jpeg for printing elsewhere.

The papers and elements I used for this quick page are from the Cosmo Cricket "Hello Sunshine" collection.  The version above has the background paper reduced to 25% transparency.  I decided that it needed a little more green to coordinate with the green in the photos so I added another border strip from the collection.

I think it definitely looks more balanced with the green along the bottom.  One of my favorite things about working digitally is that you have the chance to try lots of variations.  You don't waste your "good" paper by cutting it and then changing the plan for your page.

This was just an experiment to see if I could make a page.  A few of the things that I missed from my StoryBook Creator 4.0 software are the drop shadows and the ability to apply effects to the edges of the photos.  It was fun to try this experiment and, if nothing else, you could use this just as a way to plan out a layout.  It is especially helpful if you have the digital versions of the paper but you can also approximate the colors to get an idea how your page would look.

I just found out about a talent search contest that JessicaSprague.com and Echo Park are conducting.  If you have ever thought about trying to design your own papers and embellishments, this could be a great opportunity.  The winner will receive $1000, an Epson Picturemate photo printer and will have their mini theme printed and distributed by Echo Park.  You can get more details HERE.

I hope you have a wonderful crafty day!

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Easter Memories

Easter is just a couple of weeks away.  After all the mild weather we've been having, the temperatures have plummeted and we may have a freeze overnight.  We had snow on Halloween and maybe we could have it on Easter too!

One of the sponsors at the Blissdom conference last month was Hershey's.  They had a fun booth where you could design a custom Easter basket and take a photo with the Easter Bunny (sorry - I didn't get one!).  My basket filled with some delicious chocolate treats should arrive soon.  When we made our basket choices, we were asked to join the Hershey's "Bunny Trail" and post some Easter tips, memories or traditions. 

You can follow the Bunny Trail by clicking the image above to go to the Hershey's site.  You'll find coloring pages, craft projects, egg hunt ideas, egg decorating stencils and holders and even some digital scrapbook papers.

When I think back to Easter in my childhood, there are a few things that stand out.  I have two older sisters and we always had special Easter outfits - including hats.  That's me in the photo with a corsage almost as big as my head. These dresses often were matching sister dresses in sets of two or three.   When my brother came along, he didn't have to dress to match!  Some years when the weather was still chilly we had fluffy white muffs to keep our hands warm (yes, I really am that old!).

Apparently, when we posed for these photos I was not about to let go of my Easter basket!  My love of chocolate started early and continues to this day.  When I was little my favorite was the plain Hershey milk chocolate bar, now I prefer the dark chocolate.  Growing up in Pennsylvania, I had several school field trips to Hershey, PA.  We would take a tour of the factory and then go to the amusement park (I guess the factory tour satisfied the "educational" component of the field trip!).

I really don't remember my Dad wearing bow ties but he had one on for this Easter photo.  It's always fun to look at old photos and see the styles and how we looked when were were young.  It looks like that basket was getting a bit heavy - I can hardly hold it up.  We always had a chocolate bunny and there was a great debate over the proper way to eat it.  It seems cruel to take off the ears first, but I think that is the most popular way to start!

I scanned these old photos and made a digital scrapbook page with my Creative Memories StoryBook Creator 4.0 software using the Reminisce Spring Digital Additions.  It was interesting to see that the next photos in the book were from my birthday in July.  We didn't take a lot of photos, so the ones that are left are very special to me.

Our family has a great tradition of egg hunts.  When our boys were young, we lived near my sister in New Jersey and she would hard boil five or six dozen (!) eggs.  They were dyed in lots of pastel colors and my brother-in-law would hide them in the yard.  He would keep track with an elaborate hand drawn map to make sure that all of the eggs would be found.  The hunt was quite challenging (think yellow eggs high up in a forsythia bush) and everyone would get involved in helping the kids find the eggs.

My Dad always would get a big kick out of both the hiding and the search.  For years we have kept up a joke of hiding eggs (the plastic kind with Hershey's nuggets and jelly beans inside) at his apartment whenever we visit.  Last time I was there he gave me a bag with what he thought were the "last of the eggs."  Little does he know that they'll be returning, refilled and hidden in unexpected spots, when we go to visit Easter weekend.

In 2010, I made the layout above for some egg hunt photos.  I had forgotten about it but now I am motivated to find some photos from the New Jersey egg hunts and fill in the photos spots!  I even made an egg card with some of the offcut pieces.  You can find details about the card and the  layout and how I designed it HERE. 

Thanks to Hershey's for motivating me to make this heritage page and for the Easter basket that will arrive soon. Be sure to check out the Bunny Trail - there are lots of fun things for you there.

What are some of your favorite Easter Memories?  I'd love to hear about your family traditions.

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Happy Leap Day!

Happy Leap Day!  What are you going to do with your "extra day" this year?  I think I will finally be able to get into my craft room and test out some designs that I have created in the computer.  We may get some snow this afternoon so it will be a good day to stay home and get crafty!  I think I have managed to prevent getting a full fledged cold thanks to lots of rest, OJ and Airborne.

I recently discovered some Tim Holtz digital  CDs containing papers and vintage elements.  These have been around for a while (copyright 2008) and I don't know how I missed finding out about them until now.  They are from Design Originals. I bought 3 Distressables sets to use for my digital projects.

Paper and Frames

Alphas and Numbers

Elements

I have made similar elements from photos of items I found at flea markets and rummage sales.  It's fun to have so many interesting bits and pieces to use digitally.

There is a very eclectic mix of items on the CDs.  After looking through them I am inspired to turn some more of my odds and ends into digital files. 

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you may remember the embroidered butterflies that I made into digital elements using my Creative Memories StoryBook Creator software.

I purchased this piece of unfinished embroidery for a pillow at a rummage sale and carefully isolated the butterfly.  I still haven't had a chance to do the rest of the images (but now that I remembered this project, maybe I'll find the time). You can click either of the images above to go to the original post.  For a few more details on turning a photo into a digital element click HERE.


Great eBooks for Scrapbookers



Do you like to learn through reading eBooks on your computer or iPad?  Are you familiar with Ella Publishing Co.?  They have just released a new book called Stamping Secrets: 7 sensational stamp sets used 21 ways and it is 29% off for today only (which makes the price $7.80).



This book features seven expert stampers -  Nichol Magouirk, Ashley Cannon Newell, Lea Lawson, Nancy Burke, Robyn Werlich, Shari Carroll, and Shemaine Smith.  There are 21 projects, 35 stamping tips, 6 step-by-step tutorials and 20 minutes of video instruction included in the eBook.

You may want to check the Ella Publishing Facebook page and their blog for special offers and deals. 

Have a happy crafty day!

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Digital Holiday Distractions

Happy Monday - I hope you had a great weekend.  There are only 20 days left before Christmas - oh my!  There are a million things to be done but I'll just try to do them one by one.  My first priority is to get some things in the mail so they have plenty of time to arrive.  I also have to make a Costco run to get batteries for the window candles and lots of other holiday extras.  Our house looks naked with no lights in the windows - I think it is required to have them if you live in New England!

Sometimes, when I have too much to do, I get sidetracked and spend time doing a less essential activity - I think it is a stubborn streak coming out.  Sunday I had a list of things to do that was a mile long but I really wanted to try out some new digital content.  So the list is still quite long - the lure of the laptop was too great after a week with no computer while we were traveling!

 I have a weakness for digital papers and embellishments - particularly the holiday themed items.  I hadn't noticed the digital card kits from Creative Memories until a week or so ago and I just bought a few of them to try.  The White Christmas Digital Card Kit  had some great artwork but the colors were not right for what I had in mind.  If I was buying physical paper, I would have just skipped this set but with digital, you can change many items to look very different from the original art.

I started with the holly flourish at the bottom of this screen shot.  I wanted more traditional colors, so I isolated each set of elements by color and changed them to red, green and gold.  Then I flipped and grouped and mirrored the groups to make a larger frame.

I copied the frame to a new page and adjusted the size to make it an eleven inch square.

I added the "happy holidays" from the Winter Delight Digital Embellishments (an older set I have had for a while) and sized it to make the curls intersect with the flourishes in the holly clusters.

I added a shadow to all of the elements - it is difficult to see the shadow on the dark background but you can tell that there is a more dimensional effect.

Here is the same image with a beige background - without a shadow above...

...and with the shadow added.  These are just screen shots of the pages so they might not show clearly how sharp the digital images are.

The plain background can be filled with a digital paper or you can add a surface from the options that are built in to the program - here I used the lace texture to create a different look.

I also purchased the Holiday Digital Card Kit.  These kits have some papers and embellishments and also templates for some of the fine stationery cards that you can have printed by the CM Digital Center.   You can also print these at home if you have a suitable printer. 

I used some of the papers and elements to create a 12 x 12 page that I could have printed to use in my display frame for the holidays.  The colors are a bit "country" and subdued so I decided to try to brighten the page a bit.

I adjusted the levels in the Brightness and Light section of the Color panel to make a slightly brighter and more cheerful version of the page.  There are some great embellishments in this set with the glittered ornaments, felt tree and sparkly snowflake.

 

One of my favorite features of the CM Storybook Creator 4.0 program is that it allows you to use all sorts of digital content - you are not limited to just the CM artwork (though I do end up buying quite a few of the sets that are offered).  Here I used a damask overlay that I colorwashed with green.  I also like to create my own papers and elements with the program.

Here is one more version with the same damask (rotated and colorwashed to a brown tone) and the images glittered with the block surface effect.  If you have questions about the software please post  a comment and I'll try to answer them in the next day or two.  I am also still catching up on all of the email from while I was away, I should be able to finish those messages tomorrow as well.

I want to thank everyone who has used my link to join Blitsy, the new bargain site for all sorts of crafting products.  If you haven't checked it out yet here is the link

http://blitsy.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/989/

If you use my link to sign up, I can earn credits.  After you sign up, you should get your own referral code (you'll find it on the "invites" page) and then you can let your friends and family know about the site so you can earn credits too.

I am expecting my first Blitsy order to arrive today.  Be sure to check the site every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to see what goodies are added.  There has been a lot of great stuff so far (Tim Holtz, Ranger, Spellbinders, Zutter, etc.).  I was able to get some Christmas gifts and a few things that will end up in my blogoversary celebration packages next year.

Here is one more photo from our trip.  This is a courtyard in one of the palaces at the Alhambra.  I  am planning to make a file to cut a page background like the interlinking chains - isn't that pretty?  I should be able to do it for both the Cricut and the Silhouette - I just need to find the time to fit it in with all of the holiday preparations.

I hope you have a great day!

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