Izbzee

a first for me...

in a very long time.... A little paper house.  

I used the Bird House file and the stand from Smiling Jack O' Lantern file from Simply Crafty SVGs with an added beveled box I created using Blender and Pepakura. This was lots of fun!

The panels on the outside of the house are embossed with a rock embossing folder and the inside walls of the house are also paneled for a little more sturdiness to compensate for the added weight of the moss on the roof and to cover the prongs used in the hinges.    

.... after opening the bird house file in SCAL, I made a few changes to the door and added a few additional details. 

The door is comprised of 4 layers of cardstock.  The top layer is embossed and inked and was washed with a bit of water.  the window element was created in SCAL combining some basic shapes.  The door is set off center on the front of the house.  A half arch was added to one side (not shown above) and is also made of 4 layers, embossed and inked.  

The door knocker is made with some jewelry findings (a bead and jump ring) glued to a metallic (aluminum can) heart die cut. In the final design, they are colored with a black sharpie.   The hinges were a find on Amazon.  I used some small brads to secure the hinges to the door and house frame.  The door knob (not shown) is a brad minus the prongs.  E6000 glue was used to secure the metallic pieces to the door.  Let dry overnight for best results!

Assemble the house following the basic assembly instructions provided at Simply Crafty SVGs.  The video instruction does not include the door used for this project.  

A sheet of hobby craft moss was cut to size to use on the roof.  I used some heavy duty double stick tape to secure it on the roof pieces.  

I really like the stand from the Smiling Jack O'Lantern file.  I've used it for several other projects and it's a favorite and so easy to assemble.  No need to alter the size or design. An additional beveled box was added to the stand to add more width and stability at the top to accommodate the house.   

 

Is it perfect?  NO, not at all!  But I've learned a lot in this construction, and hope to add a few additional houses in the months to come implementing some additional ideas.  Overall, it was an enjoyable project and got me out of my comfort zone in several areas and using materials I don't often use or combine with paper.

Supplies:
Paper:  American Cardstock (AC) and Bazill  80lb (textured)
Adhesives:  Bearly Art Glue, e6000, red line tape (heavy duty)
Software used:  SCAL 5, Blender, Pepakura
Skycut C24
embossing folders, small heart die
Big Shot
Findings:  small bead, jump ring, aluminum can, hinges, brads
Jewelry round nose pliers, wire cutters
Water brush
Distress Inks
Ink blending tool

Thanks for stopping by.  Hoping you've carved out some creative time this week.  I have and I'm looking forward to some fun time crafting and creating.  If you choose to make this or something similar... please be sure to let me know and tag #simplycraftysvgs too!  Sandy would love to see your make as well!  

Valentine Fresh Blooms

Everyone I know likes flowers... even paper ones especially at Valentine's Day.

How about this one created using files from Simply Crafty SVGs? I used the box base from the Santa Hat box and the flowers from the Bee Hive files.  I added Heart 6, a star and a leaf from the shapes library in SCAL.  

The florals, hearts, leaves and sepals were cut using some sketch pad paper.  The skycut had no problem cutting the images including the smallest of the centers of the flower.  They were all colored using alcohol markers, front and back.  I used a star for the sepal on each of the flowers.  The petals of the flowers were shaped with the petals going down.  All of these pieces are wired and hot glue was used to attach the wire to each flower.  You can add some additional details to the wire by wrapping around a skewer if desired.  

No changes to the box file were necessary other than copying an additional panel for the front panel since you won't be using the Santa face included with the file.  Using the Pattern command, fill the panel pieces with a fun digital paper.  The paper used in our sample is from Creative Fabrica.  The score lines were changed to DRAW and the scoring tool was used to draw those lines.  

Once the pieces are scored and cut, glue the printed panels to the box sides.  Glue the two sides of the box together as instructed in the video Sandy has created for putting the box together.  The panels were inked using some distress ink in a pink that nearly matched the pink in the flowers.  The ink adds another layer of color and interest to the overall box.  You can add the ink BEFORE adding to the box sides, or after.  

The metallic LOVE stamp is an old retired embossing and die set from Sizzix Cuttlebug.  It was cut from a piece of an aluminum soda can scrap. 

This project would be easy to replicate and could be finished within a hour or two once the florals are colored.

Thanks for stopping by!.  Hope you've marked out some creative time this week and enjoy the process of nurturing your creative spirit.

 

Valentine Tiered Tray take 2

Last year, I created this one.

 

I wanted a few new things in 2023... so this was the result!

I even cut the fabric for the mini hearts using the Skycut and SCAL 5 pro!  That was a fun and very successful project, though my stitching small stuff like that wasn't as "perfect" as I would have liked.  But it was fun and very enjoyable seeing how the skycut managed the fabric.  I used Jacquard's cotton fabric.  It's already pre-treated and can be run through the rear tray of my inkjet printer with ease.  

You'll find all the details for creating the hearts and other items for this year's tray on The Artistry.  

 

Take Out Surprise!

If you're a hot drink sort of fan, this project would be a fun gift to share with a friend.  Especially with the surprise they'd get when opening the lid. If you don't want to add our suggested insert, you could add a couple of keurig cups or a gift card to their favorite shop. 

The Takeout Coffee cup file is from Simply Crafty Svgs.  A very easy file to use and assemble.  The large version was used for our project.  The penguin head is from the Penguin Explosion Box also from Simply Crafty Svgs. 

After finding some fun mechanisms created by Rob Ives, I thought I could use the Spring Mechanism with this project.  The mechanism itself is easy to assemble and use.   

(image from RobIves.com website)

Two flaps were glued to the top of the inside of the spring mechanism and to the underside of the head.  There are also 2 flaps glued to the bottom of the mechanism and are glued to the inside bottom of the cup.  The flaps provide the stability in keeping the spring mechanism vertical in the cup.  

Mat and cut the cup as designed.  No changes necessary.  The penguin head is resized to a smaller size -- you may want to test the perfect size for you if you use the spring assembly as designed or change the size.  The penguin head pieces were resized to 70% of the original design size.  

(a short video can be seen here)

AC cardstock was used for each base construction Digital papers used in this project are Snowed In from Echo Park.  The cup panels and band are filled with papers from the collection using SCAL 5 Pro.  The stitched heart is also from the collection.  Ink the edges of the panels in a compatible color.  All base elements and print to cut images are cut using the Skycut C24.  

You'll need:  
AC Cardstock (white, black, yellow)
white gel pen
holographic glitter pen
Bearly Art Glue
Skycut C24
SCAL 5 Pro
Elastic band
Spring Mechanism (RobIves.com) - Spring file used in this project is found here. 

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Hoping your creative time this year has been plentiful and will continue to be so.  Have a happy day!

A Spring Prim

Winter just arrived and after the most recent storms, everyone is anxious for Spring to roll in!  I'm not sure I'd go that far, but it was fun to do a little playing and combining a few Simply Crafty SVGs files to create 2 versions of this Spring Prim Bunny.  

The head from the Smiling Snowman file once again makes up the central portion of this piece.  I did not cut the bottom piece that wraps around the bottom of the head.  Add some ears from the Bunny Easter Basket file. 

The head and ear cuts were reduced to 85%.  Double embossing* of the panels and a small amount of inking using some grey distress ink and blender tool.  The coloring for the inner ear pieces was done using colored pencils.  A small slit on each side of the top piece allowed for the ear to be inset into the head about 1/4 of an inch.  Glue in place.  The facial features are a pink glittered brad nose.  The prongs of the brad were cut off and 2 beads were used for eyes and some scrap cardstock was used for the eyebrows.  

A fluffy organza bow is attached to the lower portion of the head.  

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I made two bases -- the first base is made using the carrot from the Carrot Patch file and increasing it in size just a little bit.  You don't need to cut the top piece with the slit in it.  

Ink all the edges and let the ink travel into the center of each side if desired.  I added about a tablespoon of rice in a small plastic bag to the inside of the carrot piece before closing it up and gluing it shut. the rice was used as a weight and for stability. You can just place the head of the rabbit over the top of the carrot and it should fit snugly.  Cut another carrot piece for the base.  You'll need to cut 2 inches off to create a truncated cone.  Add a little inking.  Assemble and flip with the lid as your base.  You will have an opening for the carrot to sit in.  I added some small punched flowers and some grass edging found in this file: Bunny in a Basket Card  (I placed three of the grass strips together slightly overlapped and used the Union command in SCAL 5 to make the strip one long piece.  Copy and paste the strip -- and on one of the pieces, make it slightly taller.  Cut and ink.  Wrap around the base.  Add some pastel flowers and set the carrot in the base.

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For the second base, I used the spindle stand from the Smiling Jack O'Lantern from Simply Crafty SVGs.  No changes were made and it was cut as it was designed in the file.  Once the stand is assembled, ink as desired for additional texture and interest.  Place the head on the stand.  You could add a small cube to the top of the stand for a little more stability of the head, but we wanted to add a small battery operated tealight for an additional element of surprise.  

You'll also need:

AC cardstock (12 x 12 white, weave, rust, dk olive green)
Distress inks (colors as desired) and blending tool or felt to blend
1 1/2 yard white organza ribbon (1/2 inch wide)
Brad
Seed Beads
Hot Glue gun
Bearly Art Precision Art Glue
SkyCut C24 and SCAL 5 Pro
Colored pencils
wire cutters
wire
Embossing folders 
Embossing machine (Big Kick by Sizzix was used)

*to double emboss:  Run the pieces through the embossing machine with the most detailed folder first.  Then make a second pass using the second folder.  The embossing from the first run will be still visible, but not as detailed.  You'll be able to pick up most of the design if you lightly brush the top with some ink.  

Hoping you'll enjoy some creative time in the next few days and nurture your soul.  Crafting is my stress release and I always look forward to setting aside some creative time.  Hoping you do too!