I got a new cartridge today....

...so I could finally cut this design! I created this file a little while ago and was waiting to get the cartridge I needed at a good price.

I have plans for a lot of variations on this one - so the file will probably not be available for a few days. I need to do test cuts and finish a few other projects that have deadlines I must meet.

I can't tell you exactly what I am working on (shhh! it's a secret!), but I am excited about a new venture which involves a group of talented designers who will be working on some great new designs. Watch this space for more info!

Forgive me for the quick post and the "teaser." I finally finished my taxes today, so I hope to have lots of creative time tomorrow.

Finally Filigree!

I know some of you have been eagerly waiting for me to get this file posted. I have to tell you that this has been one of those "troublesome" files -I kept running into problems in the test cuts and I really don't know why some of the problems occurred. I will explain some of the issues I had so you won't be surprised if you have problems too (please let me know if you do - maybe we can figure out why there is such erratic behavior by these bugs!). As of tonight, I have successfully cut everything multiple times and I hope that you won't run into any problems.



Above is another variation of the full card topper. I used "hide contour" to "fill in" the ovals at the edges of the topper. Unfortunately, the element I used has only two contours, so, each time you want to cut the "filled in" version, you will need to re-hide the inner ovals. Perhaps a future update will fix this glitch of contours not staying hidden - my fix (described in the post linked HERE) will only work if there are three or more contours in the design.



I wanted to keep this card very simple since the filigree design is so elaborate, but I thought it needed just a bit more so I added a butterfly made with the Martha Stewart monarch butterfly punch.



The sentiment was cut with a Cuttlebug using the die from the "With Gratitude" A2 cut and emboss set.



In an amazing bit of serendipity, the letters align perfectly with the scallops!



Above is a photo of the card from a few days ago - that border cut perfectly the first time I tested it (and made the card using the test cut).



Tonight, I tested the cut again and you can see the result above (!) I was using the Expression instead of the Original Cricut for this cut - but that shouldn't make a difference.... I checked my blade assembly (took it out and looked for any paper bits stuck in the blade housing but there were none) re-tightened the assembly, checked to be sure that the paper was firmly stuck down on the mat and tried the cut again.



This time it cut perfectly - I can't say what made the difference since I hadn't discovered any problems in my checks after the first cut....



A few days ago, when I was testing the file I had the "Cricut mysteriously stops cutting at X % problem" - 62% in the example above and 90% in the example below.



Once again - this is something that used to happen frequently but it hadn't happened to me for quite a while. Everything "freezes" and you have to turn off the Cricut, and close and restart the Design Studio program to try cutting again. In both cases, the file cut perfectly the second time. I have no explanation for why this would happen but it did "clear" by restarting everything - whether or not it could happen again is unknown (I am just trying to give full disclosure so you know what "could" go wrong).

You will need Mini Monograms for either file. I did two separate versions with George and Plantin Schoolbook - the file will cut on the 6 x 12 mat so it is "baby bug compatible."

Filigree Card Toppers (George)

Filigree Card Toppers (Plantin Schoolbook)

Filigree Border Card Topper

Here is another variation of the filigree designs I have been creating. This time I chose a very muted color scheme and made a full A2 card topper by creating the border at the top and bottom. I used the same element that I used for the"Thank You" card yesterday, but the pattern that results is slightly different.



The words were cut using the die from Cuttlebug "Love Language" A2 combo set. I saved the tiny dot for the "i," but then I decided that just a bit of bling would be a good addition to the card, so I dotted the "i" with a little gem.



For those who are anxious for the download, please be patient - I am still refining and testing this file. There are a few other projects that I need to finish and we have a lot of family events this weekend.

Filigree Border

I have been experimenting with some filigree designs. The Storybook cartridge with all the lacy motifs and frames is one of my favorites and I decided to try to make some of my own using a variety of older cartridges.

This is the test cut of one of the borders I am working on. I thought it was pretty so I decided to put together a card using some bright Spring colors.



The pink polka dot ribbon is by American Crafts. I used DCWV glitter cardstock for the "thanks" and cut it with the Cuttlebug die from the "With Gratitude"A2 combo set. The textured green cardstock is also DCWV and the card base is Bazzill Basics.



I thought the card looked a bit plain, so I added a couple of Prima flowers. They are held together with a pink shimmer brad and adhered to the card with a large foam square for a bit of dimension.



Here is another view of the filigree edge. I am putting together a file with variations in various card sizes and page borders. I probably won't finish it for a few days, due to other projects that I need to get in the mail.



These are fun to do - there are so many different ways to create new borders, the only limit is your imagination!

Love Flourish in Card Sizes

Several readers asked through comments whether the love flourish title could be adapted for cards. I did a few variations for A2 and 5 x 7 card sizes. Please realize that as these get smaller they are extremely delicate so you will need patience to successfully cut them and remove them from your mat. These can all be cut on the baby bug mat.

Here is the 5 x 7 size in a border format



Here is the 5 x 7 in a larger variation to fill more of the card front.



The A2 size is pushing the limits for cutting success...



On my test cut, one of the skinny ovals had a bit of a problem - perhaps the paper did not stay stuck down well enough.



The other three areas like this in the design cut just fine...



With a little hand trimming using tiny delicate scissors I was able to "rescue" the cut.



Here is one more photo for comparison of the two 5 x 7 variations. These all were just placed on the appropriate size card so I could take some quick photos to post and have not been adhered to the cards (which might explain why they are a bit crooked!).



The design makes a lovely and delicate decoration - but you will need to be patient again! If you use these for a card I'd love to see your finished cards.

Love Flourish for Cards

Three Bar Filigree (by request)

Many of my designs require the use of the Expression but I try to make variations that can be cut with a baby bug (the original Cricut)whenever I can. A reader asked me if it was possible to adapt the Five Bar Filigree design I did in September for the baby bug. I changed the proportions of the bars to come up with this revised design.

Here is a LINK to the entry for the five bar design I posted in September (a photo of this version is below).



The file is set up to cut the design once on a baby bug mat on page one and you can cut two on a 12 x 12 mat by using page two (you can just flip the mat and cut a second design). The reason for the two files is that the "uncuttable" area of the 6 x 12 and the 12 x 12 mats is slightly different. I wanted to maximize the cut for each size of mat.



The first time I cut the design on the 12 x 12 mat the very end of the section did not cut, as you can see in the photo above (I was able to do some hand trimming to save the cut).



You will need to do a very small bit of hand trimming to finish the outer bars of the design as you can see in the photos above and below



Below you can see the slight difference in the width of the outer bars on the design. You could trim these to make the design edges perfectly consistent.



I have learned that with my machine I need to put the paper slightly lower than the top line to get an even frame (you should do a test cut with"ugly" paper to see how your machine and your loading technique affect the cut and adjust the paper placement accordingly).



You will also need to trim the "bumps" which were in the uncuttable area of the mat on the 12 x 12 design. This is very simple to do.



You may remember from the original post that this design will yield some usable offcuts - you can see the shapes in the photo below.



This design still reminds me of the elaborate iron gates you might see at a park or estate. I will eventually get around to cutting it in black and placing it over a landscape photo ...

Three Bar Filigree