A Quick Wave Card

  
This simple card is made from the offcut from a project that I finished up today (but you won't see that one until Thursday).  I hate to waste anything and I love the bold graphic look.
I needed to cut some waves for my other project and placed three rows of the wave border from the Life is a Beach cartridge on a single mat.

This is the piece of cardstock that was left after I removed my wave cuts. 

I used my Creative Memories Precision Point Adhesive to add glue to the design cuts and let the glue dry to clear.

Then I carefully positioned the offcut on a plain white A2 card.  I aligned the wave ends on the right side with the right side of the card.  Once I smoothed everything down I made a few snips to cut off the excess.

Sometimes a bit of adhesive will get on the front of your card elements.  A handy tool to have to take care of this is a gum eraser.  Creative Memories sells them as "pick up squares" because they will lift off excess adhesive to make your projects look neater.  Mine is a bit dirty right now.  You can snip off corners as you use the eraser to expose a fresh area that will clean up adhesives.  These are available for a dollar or two in most art supply stores and craft stores with art departments.

The card could be embellished, but I like the pure simplicity of the images.  This card would be great to jot a quick note to a friend.  You can be happy knowing that you used up something that otherwise would have been discarded.


Thank you all for the lovely comments you have been leaving on my review of the Martha Stewart Score Board.  If you want to be included in the giveaway, please leave your comment on the original post - here is a LINK.  Those responses are the only ones that will be included in the drawing.


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Catching Up! (and a few more cards)

It was a very soggy Saturday here so I stayed in and spent a lot of time trying to restore some order to my house.  After a busy week as the Guest Designer on the Everyday Cricut blog there were many things that needed some attention!  I want to welcome any of you who are new visitors to my blog.  It was fun to "meet" some new people this week.  I am trying to read through all of the comments from last week and I hope to do a post answering as many of them as I can tomorrow or Monday.  I am also trying to catch up with emails so please be patient if it takes me a day or two until I can answer everyone.

I was surprised at how many people liked the idea of "leftover" cards.  I just hate to throw things away and find that it is a fun challenge to make things out of the bits and pieces left on my table.  The only trouble is - sometimes the leftovers cards create new leftovers!  So the cycle continues...

I used this sheet of cardstock from the DCWV "Sweet" stack for the strawberries that filled the egg offcut in the card below

 
The strawberries were just so cute that I had to use up the rest of the strip that was in the project box.  (I try to keep all of the bits and pieces from a project together so it will be easier to coordinate the "extras" I do with them.

I used a second large section to make a traditional note card.  Super simple - the bright pink layer is 5 1/4 x 4 inches and the strawberry layer is 3 3/4 x 5 inches.  I added the dotted ribbon in a bright green, using a few glue dots to anchor it covering a row of the strawberries.

The ends of the ribbon wrap around the strawberry cardstock and are taped in place.  Some people call this the "cheater method" but I think of it as the "green method" since you use less ribbon.  A small extra piece of ribbon is tied around the base ribbon and it looks like the ribbon is fully wrapped around the card.

I try to cut these pieces to the correct length, but if there is an extra bit left after trimming - you may be able to use it for a tab.

You can see the little tab at the top right of this notecard.  The remaining section of the strawberry cardstock is aligned with the extra piece from the first layer on the ribbon card.  A very thin strip that was trimmed from the bottom section of the 12 x 12 sheet is layered at the "seam" between the two.  I added a flower punched from the gemstone cardstock I used on for the Easter cards with the matte side showing and a tiny pink gem in the center.

The third card uses the rest of the trimmed strip from the 12 x 12 cardstock as a border of a tall strip of the pink gemstone cardstock and a square of the dark pink cardstock used for the layers on the other cards.  I added a half inch strip of the pink gemstone cardstock at the bottom of the dark pink cardstock.  This time I punched the flower from a scrap and turned it gemstone side up.  I also used the Cuttlebug A2 Combo Emboss and Die set "With Gratitude" for the "thanks"  - that is one of my favorite "go to" cuts for quick cards when I don't use my Cricut.

This type of card is quick and easy to make and if you use the scraps as you finish a project you will soon have a stock of cards that can be used for quick notes or put together in sets for small gifts.  It took me less than half an hour to put these together - so it was a nice break.  I enjoy working with happy colors, particularly when we are having such a dreary day.

Our son will be going back to college tomorrow - Spring Break is already over.  He is taking the train this time which turns out to be a good choice given the weather.  I hope the weather is better wherever you are.  Don't forget to turn your clocks ahead!

Searching for Eggs

(This post originally appeared on the Everyday Cricut blog where I was the Guest Designer for the week of March 8-12, 2010)

Happy Thursday -  layout day.  It's Diane, your Guest Designer and today I have a scrapbook layout to share with you.  My personal scrapbook style is very simple, so it was a challenge to come up with something that would show off the capabilities of my Cricut a little bit more.

I did use Design Studio to create the plan for the layout and to cut the pieces.  You can make a very similar layout without using Design Studio - I will explain where there are differences.  If you don't have the full version of Design Studio so that you can cut the pieces, you can still use the program to help you figure out all of the cuts you need, determine the proper sizes and try virtual variations of your layout. This will save you a lot of time and paper.

You may be surprised to find out that the base cuts for this layout come from the Sports Mania cartridge.  Don't worry if you don't have it - there are some simple workarounds for the pieces I used.  You will need the A Child's Year cartridge - one of my all time favorites!  (If you'd like to see some of the many ways I have used ACY this LINK will take you to oldest page of the posts for A Child's Year on my blog - click on "newer posts" at the bottom of each page to work your way forward).

I started with this element. I am not entirely sure what it is and there is no keyword assigned to help me out!  I thought it made a great overlay for photos with a nice area left to decorate.  If you try to cut it at "fit to page" on the Expression, you will get a cut that is a bit over 11 inches square.  In Design Studio, you can fill the mat with the 12 x 12 image and the "windows" will cut in the full 12 x 12 page making a frame.

The grass is also on the Sports Mania cartridge - sized at 7 3/4 inches it fits the solid area nicely.  If you don't have this cartridge or only have the baby bug or Create, you can cut a 7 3/4 inch square and punch or hand cut the grass edge.

If you don't have the Expression or the Sports Mania cartridge, you can use the image as a placement guide starting with a solid sheet of cardstock, then cutting photos at 2 7/8 inches square or 2 7/8 x 4 1/2 inches and spacing them in the same pattern instead of using the page as an overlay.

Everything else for the layout can be cut on a 6 x 12 mat.  Here are the sizes: 

The Boy and Girl images are cut at 4 1/2 inches, regular and shadow.  The Girl image is flipped (you can turn your paper over if you don't have the flip feature).

The large chick is cut at 1 7/8  inches, the smaller chick is cut at 1 1/2 inches and flipped (once again , turn the paper over if you have no flip).

The journal egg is cut at 3 3/4 inches.

The "S" in the word "Searching" is cut at 2 3/4 inches and the rest of the letters are cut at 1 1/2 inches.  If you do not use Design Studio and weld the letters you can overlap them to create a similar look.

The "for" is cut at one inch and welded.

The smaller eggs are cut at two inches - there are extra eggs that I hid using "hide selected contour" and there is a highlight cut that I also eliminated with hide selected contour.  The letters are cut into the eggs and they are 1 1/4 inches (you can just cut them and layer on top of the eggs if you are not using Design Studio.

The .cut file I used to cut the pieces for the layout is available on my blog - here is a LINK to the post.  I like to create files even when I don't do much to alter the images - it certainly saves time if I want to go back and duplicate a project!

There are two "reference pages" in the file that show how I worked out the sizing and layout of the elements.  Nothing is actually cut from these pages - I have separated all of the elements onto various mats and labeled them with the paper sizes needed.

This was the original plan for the orientation of the pages.  I decided that it took too much focus from the photos that would be going in the openings so I flipped the frames to put the decorative section at the bottom of the page.

I set up the cut for the "Searching for" so that the offcut can be used for another project (searching for love, the princess who wears the glass slipper, the cure for breast cancer - all sort of possibilities!).  Just be sure to save the tiny centers to reglue them when you use the cut - small ziplock bags are great for this!.

If you are using the Expression you can load your mat from both directions and save time by putting the paper on for two pages at a time.  Pay attention to the direction of loading so that you put the paper in the right places!

I used more of the gemstone Core'dinations cardstock for the words, eggs and shadows on the layout.  I think it is so pretty and festive and it cuts beautifully.

The first time I cut the eggs I did have some trouble with the cardstock shifting.  This can happen when you use smaller pieces if your mat is not super sticky and the cardstock has a slippery finish.  For the second attempt I added a bit of masking tape and "babysat" the machine while it was cutting to be sure everything stayed put.

I decided to cut a second set of eggs and flip them over to highlight the letters cut into the gemstone side of the first set.  The back of the cardstock has nice vibrant colors and no sheen.  I went back and added these extra eggs to the file.

Here is a close view of the layered eggs.  I used the "cascade" method of placing each base color next in line after the egg where it was the top layer.

The little boy and girl shadows are cut with the gemstone cardstock.  The top layers are from a lovely K & Company paper stack and are actually two sides of the same sheet.  (In this photo I was waiting for the adhesive to turn clear to adhere the layers).  The green "grass" paper is some old Creative Memories paper from the "Shades of Green" pack - unfortunately this is no longer available.  There are other papers available that will give a similar look if you search for them.

Here is one more view of the left side of the layout...

...and the right side.  The paper behind the opening is just "filler" - these are for your photos.  (I debated about posting some family photos in the layout but decided against it).  The large egg beside the little girl is for journaling.

I was happy to see that many of you enjoyed the "leftover cards" - I find it very relaxing to make these.  It also makes me feel "green" when I can avoid wasting all of the little bits and pieces.

Here is another batch of "leftover cards.  I think my favorite is the "Eggs" card!

Another color blocking card with flowers and a butterfly embellishment from Creative Charms.

Remember the "thanks" card from yesterday?  Don't throw away the negative image!

More color blocking....

This is an idea of what you can do with the offcuts from the scrapbook layout.  The sizes and details for the cards are in the "sister post" for today on my personal blog, Capadia Designs.  Here is a LINK to the post

The week has been flying by - I'll be back one last time tomorrow for "Fancy Card Friday."

Wild Card (designer's choice) Wednesday

(This post originally appeared on the Everyday Cricut blog where I was the Guest Designer for the week of March 8-12, 2010)

Welcome to Wednesday - the middle of the week already!  This is Diane, "Ms. March" and your Guest Designer for a few more days.  I want to thank you all for the comments you have been leaving.  If is rather overwhelming to try to read through all of them but I have been doing my best.  There are two things I have noticed in the comments that I want to respond to.

Vinyl 

Some people have mentioned that they are intimidated by vinyl and haven't tried it yet.  I challenge you to move past that fear!  The Cricut machine is actually based on commercial vinyl cutters and I find that it is easier to cut vinyl than paper - particularly if you are trying to cut tiny items.  In fact, I have used vinyl for lettering or small images on paper projects when I think they will be too difficult to cut in paper. 

You can cut vinyl in any Cricut machine and you do not need the deep cut blade.  A newer sticky mat is best to hold the backing paper firmly.  Be sure to smooth out any air bubbles when you place the vinyl on the mat.  Remember, to "kiss cut" the vinyl (cutting through the vinyl but not the backing paper), try using medium pressure, medium speed and blade depth 4.  Just go ahead and try it and then you can start discovering all of the great possibilities - such as putting words on your walls and etching glass.

 Design Studio

The other concern that I have seen is that people are not comfortable with using the Design Studio software.  I firmly believe that everyone who owns a Cricut should have Design Studio in their crafting toolbox.   You can download the free trial version to try it out.  When you use Design Studio you start to look at your cartridges in new ways.  You will  find all sorts of possibilities for making your own creations by combining and changing the standard letters and images available on the cartridges.  You can save money and time and create totally unique projects.

Today, I am sharing directions and a file that you can cut with the trial version of Design Studio and the Expression.  With the trial version you can cut with the "native" cartridge for each machine (George for the personal Cricut or "baby bug," Don Juan for the Create and Plantin Schoolbook and Accent Essentials for the Expression).  If you have the full version of the software and the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge you can cut this file on the baby bug or the Create.

This card design is a personal favorite and one that I have not shared until now - I hope you like it!

 This image on the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge is a certificate.  I noticed it when I first got my Expression machine but didn't have a need for a certificate.  Once I got Design Studio I saw the image in a new light!

 Here is the image as it appears on the mat when you enter it at 4.25 inches high.  It is already nearly perfectly sized for an A2 card.

While the image is selected (with the "handles" around it) rotate it 90 degrees by clicking the "90" in the Shape Properties box.  Then enter these values, X (6) and Y (5.8) in the boxes to position the image to create a card front.  Finally, check "weld" in the Shape Properties box.

 Now you need to add a rectangle to form the back of the card.  Change the default size on the slider bar to 5.5 and place the rectangle on the mat.

 The proportions of the rectangle are not quite right to form a card.  The A2 card will be 8.5 inches wide before folding so the left side is placed at 1.75 inches on the X axis - leaving a gap.

 You just need to widen the rectangle to meet and overlap with the certificate, either by using the handle on the center right or by entering a larger number for the width in the Shape Properties box.

 Here is what the Shape Properties box should look like when the rectangle is selected.  You need to be sure to check "weld' so the two pieces will cut as one card.

 When you preview the card on a blank page (marked "preview page" in the file) it will look like this.

 I added an extra page to the file with a rectangle properly sized for the patterned paper on the front of the card.  The measurements are 2.5 inches wide and 3.75 inches tall.

 Here is the card after cutting - you just need to score it at 4.25 inches.  Take care when you fold the card so that  you do not bend it in the lacy cut out area.

 This tool from the Cricut tool set is handy to push out any cut bits of paper that are wedged in the openings.  I cut this card in heavy Bazzill cardstock and the cuts were all fine.

 Here is another view of the card flat on the table.  You can add anything you like to the card front.  I cut a piece of patterned paper from a K & Co. Wedding mat stack to fit.  The edges are inked with Hint of Pesto VersaMagic chalk ink.  I thought this would make a nice sympathy card with a stamped or cut sentiment added to the front.  I like the lace effect but you could add a piece of contrasting paper as a liner if you prefer that look.

 Here is another version of the card that I made around Valentine's Day.  The image is one that I downloaded from Twisted Papers, which is one of my favorite sources of great vintage images. They have a few free downloads every month and their prices are very reasonable so you may want to visit the site and take a look around.  If you are an Alice in Wonderland fan, you will find a nice set of the original illustrations for sale and a few free color images that you can download.

 This is a very versatile card template - I hope you enjoy it!

 Whew!  If you made it this far, here are a few cards to provide some inspiration to use your scraps!  Those of you who regularly read my personal blog (Capadia Designs) know that I always try to make the best use of my paper by planning the layout of my cuts and saving nearly all of the pieces left after cutting. I can then use these to make additional projects for little or no extra expense.

Here are four cards that I created with some of the pieces of the gemstone Core'dinations cardstock I used for the cards I shared on Monday.

This could be a notecard or you could add a sentiment along any of the lines.

I used one of the egg "frames" to create this thank you card.

Another color blocking card using some strips and flowers (and a butterfly embellishment).

The strawberry egg is a cheery "hello" card for a friend.

The full details for these cards along with some helpful tips are in today's "sister post" to this post on my blog - here is a LINK.  You can also download the .cut file for the Lacy Border A2 card on my blog.