Martha's Pansies

I bought a magazine called "Stamper's Sampler Take Ten" at Borders a couple of weeks ago.  It was a surprise that it cost $14.99 (magazines cost more than books sometimes!) but I have really enjoyed looking at all of the cards and ideas.  Here is a LINK to the web page for the magazine (along with a lot of other interesting publications by the same company).

There were quite a few cards based on a challenge which involved a basic A2 card (5.5 x 4.25 inches) with a strip removed from the front and the corners rounded.  I liked this style of card so I decided to give it a try.

Another recent purchase was this new Martha Stewart Pansy punch around the page set.  I have always loved pansies and I fell in love with this design - I am sure you will see it in many future projects!

When I made the card base I ended up with a one inch strip just sitting on my table - so I had to try the punch on it!  Here you can see the design I made by punching the strip from both sides evenly.

Then I started to experiment with different widths of paper strips.  The example at the top is a one inch strip and the one on the bottom is a one and a quarter inch strip.

I tried the punch on some DCWV glitter cardstock and it worked well.  I trimmed the ends straight and then decided that it would be a better idea to try to curve the cuts to make the flower petals.

Here you can see another dark purple strip where I did not make the straight cut and trimmed around the petal ends for a more pleasing cut.

Here are all of the pieces for this card.  The dark purple strip is 1.25 x 4.25 inches.  The pink cardstock is cut at 3 x 4 inches with two corners rounded to match the card base and embossed with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder.  The pink glitter cardstock pansies are evenly centered and punched on both sides of a 1.25 inch strip and then trimmed.  The dark purple pansies are punched from a one inch strip of cardstock and trimmed.  The "love you" and the interlocked hearts are from the Cuttlebug Embossing and Die Set "Love Language."

 Here is the card with the base layers applied.  There are so many possibilities with this basic card form.

Here is a view of the assembled card flat on the table...

...and one more view of the card standing.

I got home after a long drive Tuesday so I can finally get caught up with a lot of pending projects and emails.  It will be nice to stay put for a while!

Floral Bed Deep Edge Punch (more Martha)

This week there is what I think of as "the perfect storm" in the quest for Martha Stewart punches at a more reasonable price.  ACMoore has a 50% off coupon, Michael's will honor competitor's coupons and the everyday Martha Stewart punches are not on sale at Michael's.  For extra bonus points, the ACMoore coupon is good all week (sometimes it is only for Tuesday).  If you don't have an ACMoore in your area I am sorry to tease you with this information!

I really liked the floral vine deep edge punch I got a couple of weeks ago (here is a LINK to the post about that punch).  I stopped at Michael's today on the way to a family dinner (at the home of the triplets) and chose another punch that is similar in style but different enough to be useful (and may work in combination with the first one).

Here is a picture of the punch - one drawback is the size of these punches - they are gigantic!  I just bought a couple of extra shelves for my "Billy" bookcase at IKEA, so I will be reorganizing the punch storage to accommodate a few more of these.

It is often important to center the punch on a strip of paper to get the most attractive results.  I thought I'd show you one way to help do that.  One of my most used tools is the layout and centering ruler at the top of this photo.  I use the clear grid to help align items on a page or card and to get nice even spacing on my projects.  They are inexpensive and can be found at most art supply stores.

There are measurements in standard sequence along the ruler but there is also a "0" at the center with measurements working out from the center to the ends.  If you get the "0" aligned with the center of the punch and then place your paper in the punch so that the ends are equally distant you can start punching in the right spot and work your way from the center to the edges.

The punch has the pattern printed on the base and to get a perfectly even border you simply check to be sure that the silver design shows through the newly punched holes as you work your way punching along the edges.

Here are a few examples that I did quickly when we got back tonight.  For the first one, the original strip of cardstock was 3 inches and I matched the location of the punch on each side of the strip.

This example is from a strip that started at 2 1/2 inches - if you start with a narrower strip the holes will run into each other in the center.  This on is just a touch off center but I thought it looked fine.

This strip started at 2 1/4 inches and is my favorite from these quick experiments.  I offset the design on opposite sides to get a zig zag wave effect.

One more shopping tip - I found this set of scissors at Costco for less than $10.  The scissors are comfortable to hold and very sharp.  The package includes a combination sharpener and letter opener.

The smallest pair of scissors is great for paper work - the blades cut cleanly right to the tip.  I have a pair of scherenschnitte scissors that I use a lot for fine details but I think these will also do a great job on some of the delicate "clean up" I sometimes need to do on a project.


Just a note about the Design Studio classes - Jen was away on a trip and now has had some changes in her son's schedule which we are trying to work around.  With Thanksgiving just around the corner we know many people are busy with family plans so we are on a short "hiatus" while trying to put together a new schedule.  In the meanwhile, if you are interested in one-to-one private classes you can contact either of us to work out the details.

A little bit of this and that...

I had some computer and internet issues that kept me offline quite a while today so I was able to work on some projects that are due soon without interruptions.  I will try to catch up on emails and questions tomorrow.   I also puttered around the craft room a bit trying to tidy up but actually making even more of a mess as I pulled out various supplies to "audition" for a few things I am working on.  How can it be possible to have this much paper and still not have exactly the right shade?

The photo at the top of this post shows my new deep edge punch used to make a pretty notecard.  This is so simple - just center the punch and work your way out to either side, then add a liner to show off the border (and give you a place to write).  Here is a LINK to my earlier post about this punch.

This is the offcut from one of my projects.  I almost recycled it (I have been trying to teach myself to stop saving everything!) but I had an idea for a way to use it so it went into the "someday" pile.

More offcuts and pieces of another project that involves a lot of squares (and a lot of folding...).

We had a nice lunch with my husband's parents yesterday and on the way home we made a quick stop at Michael's to see if they had any of the new cartridges in stock yet.   No new cartridges, but I found an EK Success border punch with a tiny holly design.  When punched fully, it creates a paper ribbon.

With some careful planning, you could make an interesting combination for a card or scrapbook page border.

A few people asked about the frame I showed in the post about grouping files with the Gypsy (here is a LINK).  I just need to test the cut (it previews fine but I always test files before posting them).  I will also try to do a video showing how to make this sort of frame - it has been a while since I made any Design Studio videos and people keep asking for more!

I have several bigger projects to share but just didn't have time to do all of the photos and write them up today so "watch this space" to see what I have been up to!

There is just something about punches!

I definitely have a weakness for punches.  I use my Cricut daily and I really enjoy designing my own borders in Design Studio, however, I still buy punches (but only on sale or with a coupon!).

Today I went to the local Michael's store.  I was excited to see that they had hang tags for some new Cricut cartridges - Old West, Pagoda, Designer's Calendar, Paisley and Sweet Treats.  Unfortunately the cartridges had not arrived in the store yet (they are expected next week).  Now I have to decide which ones I really need...

I wandered over to the Martha Stewart aisle and found a lot of the new punches - the Punch Around the Page sets and the Deep Edge punches.  After great debate, I settled on the Floral Vine deep edge punch.  With a 50% off coupon, it was $9 (plus tax).

If you haven't seen these yet here is  a photo - these punches are huge! The new floral vine deep edge is on the top.  I put one of my older border punches below so you can see the relative sizes.

I did a little experimenting and figured out how to make an open top box using a sheet of 12 x 12 paper.  First I tried using a 7 inch wide strip of paper.  The punched design is about 2 1/2 inches so I could fit four punches and part of a fifth punch around the top.  I folded the paper at each punch pattern and then scored, cut and folded the paper to create a base.

I made a second shorter version with the leftover five inch strip of paper.  These would make cute little candy holders for table favors at a shower or tea party.

Next I experimented with  punching the full width of the paper.  First I started at the edge and worked my way across (the blue strip above).  I realized that it was a little off so I tried again - this time starting from the center of the three inch strip.

If you look at the two strips above you can see that the beige one looks neater since it is centered and both ends are at about the same point in the pattern.  These borders started from a plain three inch strip of 12 inch cardstock.

Next I tried  offsetting the designs - starting at the center on one side and moving the pattern to have the ends and the centers opposite one another along the strip.  Once again these started as plain 3 x 12 inch strips of cardstock.

 

Finally, I tried punching in the offset pattern, but I began with a 2 1/2 inch strip of cardstock.  I probably would not plan to use a thinner strip than 2 1/2 inches because the leafy sections come close to touching at this width.

It would take me hours to design a cut this in intricate in Design Studio and my Cricuts would not cut the tiny circles accurately so the punch was a good choice for me.

I have a lot of ideas for ways to use this punch - I think it will be fun to use for Spring projects.

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)

Playing with Punches

I have a fascination with paper punches - particularly border punches. I use my Cricut for many of my projects and I have created files that will cut decorative borders, but I just can't stop buying punches!

A few new punches have been added to my collection. The first is actually a set of two punches from the Martha Stewart "punch around the page" line. There are several sets of these punches in various designs - I chose the loop set for my first purchase (I am also on the lookout for the three dot scallop set that some people have found at Walmart - I haven't been able to locate a set yet).



These punches work together to create a continuous border around a piece of paper. You can also use them each individually for other effects.



You need to start with certain sizes of paper for the punches to align correctly - this chart explains the measurements and how to use the punches. (Click on the chart to see a larger version).



I also just received a new Creative Memories punch - their first border punch - called "Stardust." Here is a view from the bottom of the punch. This punch is part of the "Make-A-Wish" collection and $2 from the sale of the punch goes directly to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Here is a LINK to the page on my CM site for more information about this punch.



The third punch I used for this card is another Martha Stewart border punch called "cornice edge." I have had this one for a while - it is one of my favorites because it combines well with other punches.



I cut a regular A2 card in a vertical format with the fold at the top (half of an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of ivory cardstock cut lengthwise). I also cut a piece of pale blue cardstock slightly smaller at 8 1/4 x 10 3/4 inches.

I centered the Cornice border punch and punched the top of the card and then aligned the cut area with the silver guidelines for a few more punches to finish the edge. Next I punched the Stardust border along the bottom of the card above the cornice edge - it fits the 4 1/4 size perfectly! I punched the edge of the light blue cardstock with the cornice punch, once again starting at the center and then punching to either side.



I applied adhesive to the blue cardstock to put the layers together - I wanted the front of the card to have the stars filled in with color.



Since I started both punched edges from the center the edges of the two pieces of cardstock lined up nicely.



I hadn't paid careful attention to the location of the stars when I put the adhesive on the blue cardstock and some of it was showing through the stars.



If this happens, you can remove the extra adhesive with a gum eraser - Creative Memories calls their version a "Pick-up Square" since it works so well to remove adhesive - here is a LINK.



I used the loop punch set on a 3 1/4 square of cardstock (the minimum size for a full set of punches to work properly). The punches are easy to align using the silver guidelines printed on the base. You should punch the corners first and then add the straight border punches.



I used a centering ruler to help me place the pink loopy medallion on the front of the card.



I also cut a moon from the A Child's Year cartridge and created a slightly larger shadow blackout option for the moon shape by using "hide selected contour."



I changed the color in this screen shot so you can see the hidden lines on the inside of the moon.



I cut a few small scraps to cover the eye and cheek spots and add color on the moon.



The back layer was cut from glitter cardstock in the DCWV Sweet Stack. I was careful to glue the moon and back layer together with the grid lines making diagonals instead of straight lines.



I also tilted the moon a bit to the left for a more whimsical look. The moon element is raised on foam squares for some added dimension.



If you have trouble removing the backing from foam squares, you can use your fingernail or a tool and poke down on the center of the square. This will pop up the release backing so it will be easy to peel off.



This card will not stand up by itself due to the difference in the heights of the front and back of the card.



I have done some more experimenting with all of these punches and will have more to show you soon. I am also working with a new venture which will be revealed very soon - you won't want to miss it!

Thanks for all the nice notes and good wishes for our vacation. We are using frequent flier miles that were about to expire and will be staying with friends about half of the time so I hope to have a bit of money left over for shopping - I hope I can find the craft stores!