Izbzee

it's not been too quiet....

craft wise.  I'd say a little busy for the first week of January.  

This guy was finished up just before the first wave of snow started last evening (the 6th).  His first iteration began earlier in the week -- some tweaking and I kind of like the finished look.  


I combined 3 files from Simply Crafty SVGs to make him.  
Smiling Snowman (one of my favorite files -- especially for the hat shape)  I added panels to the hat to get the checkerboard effect I was looking for.  The hat band has some holographic embossed snowflakes -- they didn't quite turn out the way I'd hoped, but there is some sparkle up there.  The panels on the head are embossed with the swiss dots folder from Provo Craft.  I didn't ink these.  The scarf has an extra tail -- and the paper pattern is from Creative Fabrica.  

I used the 3D Round Ornament Gift Box for the body.  The head is glued to the top of the box for easy access to the large area where you could put a scarf, mitten/gloves or some candy.  The bottom of the ornament is flat -- so you could finish there, however, I opted to add a base using the Dog Dish file.  I think next time I make this, I'll add some panels to the inside of the larger piece and again to the outside for a bit more strength since I didn't add the band at the bottom of the outside part of the dish.  The base of the ornament is glued to the dog dish for more stability.  

I created the arms and mittens and hand cut those.  Panels for the body and the arms and mittens are done using the Swiss dots folder.  I used a small button for the chest, two small beads for the eyes and a glittered brad for the nose (after cutting off the prongs).  Hot glue keeps those in place  

Hope you'll find some creative time soon if you don't already have some inked in this coming week.  Enjoy the time and nurture your heart along the way.  

Thanks again, for dropping by!  

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!  

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.  

---

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.

---

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!  

Color Splash

Pinterest has been filled with lots of ideas using these dies and other similar dies.  I fell in love with them and decided to create something a little different for my ministering cards this month.  After several ideas just didn't gel - I chose something really simple and I'm very happy I went that route.  I found a quote that would go with it.  

I used several Tombow markers and a silver paint pen to color all the elements.  The tag was created using a shape in the SCAL library.  The text was created using Type-writer 1 a font from Creative Fabrica and sized to fit in the tag.  Set the text to print and then followed the prompts in the software to do a perfect print 2 cut.  Tied a tag to each of the assembled paint brushes with some twine.  

Things are pretty dry here and every burst of color from a flower or a tree is a welcome sight!  Hoping we'll get some more rain soon.  

 

Textured card front

There's a new dusting of snow on the mountains this morning,.  So pretty to see! 

SNOWFLAKES have always held my heart over the years.  Crochet, tatted, embroidered, paper cuts and now revived in a reverse embossing technique.  Gina K reintroduced the wood grain technique  a few weeks ago, but added another layer of dimension using a stencil as a texture template which I didn't have and I'll be darned if I can find my stencil cutting material at the moment... so rather than waste time or do an online search for a suitable stencil... I made my own template using some layered cardstock.  

Let's prep: 
Skycut C24 and SCAL5 Pro (cutting machine and software)
Big Shot (embossing pad, 2 plates and platform with a shim)
Ink (Staz-on Brand)
Colored pencils
Gamsol
Blending stump
cardstock
Snowflake SVG 

Choose a snowflake  Not too fine of details.  You want something a little bolder to stand out for this project  Creative Fabrica has lots of snowflakes on their site.... take a peek at the variety I found - here. 

Make your texture template:
Place a rectangle on the mat in the software.  Size it to 4.00 by 5.25 (or you could go as large as 6 x 6 if you want.  I just wanted the template to be the same size as the piece of paper I would be cutting.  Place the snowflake SVG in the template, size as needed.  Make sure the snowflake is the top image and is set to cut. Select the two images and choose Path > back minus front.  Copy and paste this image two (2) additional times on the mat for a total of three images.  Cut the images using the machine.  Stack the three cuts together gluing the layers together.  Set aside to dry.  (you could use a Xyron machine to do this, but I found that gluing was less likely to slide during the debossing process.  

Overview of the Card making process.  (video)

Card front:
Cut a piece of cardstock to 4.00 x 5.25 inches.  Score it vertically at 1, 2 and 3 inches on the 4 inch side of the paper.  This creates the base for the wood plank look.  If you want smaller planks adjust the scores as desired.  

For this project, I used Brown Timber and Teal Blue Staz-On.  Again with the 4 inch side at the top, Gently press just the edge of the ink pad to the paper and slide it down the length, repeat across the paper.  Do the same with the Teal Blue.  (Repeat as needed for the number of cards you plan on making.)

Texture the card front:
The "sandwich" on the Big Shot was this:  
Platform (1 layer flipped),  acrylic pad, embossing pad, inked sheet FACE DOWN, template, shim and second acrylic pad.  Run it through and back again.  Remove and the image should be debossed in the card.  

Using the Brown Timber inkpad again, repeat the same process as previously done.  Sliding the pad down the vertical length of the cardstock.  This will highlight the snowflake.  Turn 180 degrees and repeat to make sure all the bumps are highlighted with the brown ink.  

Add a little burst of color:
I'm using a Rembrandt* teal colored pencil to fill in the debossed areas of the snowflake.  It doesn't take a lot of time, and you don't need to fill it in completely.  Once you've completed that, using the blending stump and a bit of gamisol, blend the color a bit.  Let this step dry.  If desired, you can add a touch of mica with a fine brush here and there.  (*Other brands of pencils can be used.  Do a test run first to make sure that the color will pop with the Gamisol - I don't recommend using water to blend the pencils.  You may get a little warping and lose some of the depth with too much water)

Assemble  and embellish card as desired.  Photos will be posted soon.  

a little more shaking going on...

Nope, not earthquake related though there have been a few very mild shakers  recorded, we just haven't felt them.  

I couldn't help but make a few more using the TP kit from Queen & Co.  AC cardstock for the bases and the black background.  An old Recollections stack from Michaels for the patterned paper.  

These are so easy to put together and one of the advantages of of using the precut foam is that you can make a few shakers in advance and have them at the ready when needed. I found my stash of clear seed beads to use as a filler for these shakers.  I'm hoping the recipients enjoy a laugh or two as well.  

For each card you'll need:
White card base for a 4 inch square card (4 x 8 inches, scored at 4 inches on the long side)
4 inch square of black AC cardstock
3 1/2 inch square of patterned paper
1 1/2 x 1 3/4 rectangle of black AC cardstock
Scrap white for sentiment
TP kit (dies, foam and acetate) from Queen & Co. 
Seed beads or other filler for the shaker
3 x 6 inch white textured AC cardstock

Die cutting machine (Big Kick by Sizzix)
Adhesive of choice (Lineco Glue and Scor Tape)
pop up dots
Anti static buddy
ink pad (black)
Stamp positioner
Paper trimmer 
Scissors (optional)

Using the dies, cut the elements you need.  All of the dies were used for this project -- the large plain cut became the back of the shaker.  It fits perfectly and can also be used to cut the acetate as well.  

Ink edges of the die cuts if desired.  That wasn't done for this trio of cards.  Assemble the base of the shaker.  Assemble the top of the shaker.  Rub the anti-static buddy on the underside of the acetate.  Fill the base of the shaker as desired.  Remove the top paper to expose the adhesive and apply the shaker top to the base.  Press firmly to get a good seal.  Set aside.

Layer the pieces of cardstock and patterned paper as shown in the image above and secure with your preferred adhesive.  Apply the shaker using some strong double sticky tape.  

If you haven't already, stamp your sentiment -- there are several to choose from in the kit and each one brings a smile.  Choose the one that best suits yours.  Adhere as desired.

This is a quick make and easy to get a few done in just a little bit of time if the shakers are pre assembled.  

Hoping you're creating time in your busy week to do some nurturing of your soul.   Have an amazing sort of creative day, week and launch into a brand new month of creativity.    

Where sunsets and slimline cards meet

I was so excited to get the Slim Line Die-cutting system from Picket Fence Stamps.  8 dies and so many possibilities!  as soon as I saw the set, I knew what I was going to do first!

You'll need: 
Picket Fence Slim Line Die-cutting system (SDCS-100)
Black cardstock (American Crafts Smooth)
White cardstock (American Crafts Textured)
Big Shot
Distress Inks (see images for colors)
blender
adhesive (Score Tape

White Gel pen (Sakura)
Susanna Font* (Creative Fabrica)
electronic die cutting machine (eclips 2 and eCal3 software with pen tool)

Die cut the slim line card front using the narrow rectangle and the tree line dies using the black cardstock.  I set the treeline die about 1/2 inch down from the top of the rectangle.  

Create you sunset background using the distress inks, blender tool on the white textured cardstock.  Blend the colors as shown in the images below.    

 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

 

Adhere the sunset image behind the trees cutout.

Using your electronic die cutting machine and software and the Susanna font, create your sentiment.  The sentiment measures W 1.594 x H 0.630 (inches)  Make sure that you've set the text lines to DRAW. Place the sentiment as desired on your card.  Proceed to the cutting window, making sure you have the settings to DRAW, and you're using the pen tool, draw the sentiment on your cardstock.  

This is a very simple card front and easy to complete in just a few minutes. 

 

A stack would be easy to put together in a short period of time... and you could create a number of sentiment to go with your backgrounds.  Try a galaxy or a starry night or a snowy night.  Add a little "snow" to the trees for more dimension and interest.  

What's crafting in your corner this week?  Nurture your creativity and schedule some in a little creative time doing something you enjoy! 

*Disclaimer:  Some affiliate links have been used in this post.  Using the affiliate link does not add any additional costs to you.  Any proceeds I may receive are used to purchase/replace supplies for future projects.  

 

Autumn friends

Dreaming Tree recently released an Autumn kit!  Loved the Scarecrow Gift Treat box most of all and decided to make a couple.  Love how they turned out. 

 

You'll need:
Cardstock (see the Supply list - look in the details above the assembly video) FSJ, AC and Paper Studio papers used in my samples.
Sizzix eclips2, eCal3
Lineco book binder glue
embossing folder (Craftwell -8.5 x 11 Design Grids)
Big Shot Pro (base plate, acrylic plates)
Rolling pin
ink (Oatmeal, Olive Green, Sunshine Yellow, Blue - Fun Stamper's Journey)
raffia
pop dots (Glue dots)

For a lighter impression from the embossing folder, use a rolling pin instead of the Big Shot. 

I liked this look much better than the pieces that I put through the Big Shot using the correct  sandwich.  Next time, I think I'll leave off one of the shims. 

Ink all the embellishment pieces  before gluing to the base. 

There is an assembly video available on Dreaming Tree's site.  See the link above.  I often find it useful to watch before beginning the gluing process. 

These are fun and relatively quick to put together in an afternoon. 

An idea I had was to cut a circle in the base piece, glue the hat to the head piece and the Gift box could become a tree topper. 

a little fun for the 4th

Somewhere along the line the last couple of months, during a recent purge, I think I may have included some of our 4th of July decor.... at least I can't find it this week to start decorating the house for the upcoming holiday.  Bummed on one level, but excited to get a few new pieces created and ready for this year's display! Here's one of them:

 

Using an SVGCuts file from Happy 4th, I made this.  Rather than use some designer patterned paper,  I just cut and dry embossed the panels using the same color and did a little "star" stamping with some versamark ink.  Adding a little bit of antiquing with some brown ink on the edges and across the ridges of the embossing, for an extra touch.  

More of the same on the decorative panels on the side - sorry no pics. 

The lights are the Heidi Swapp Love marquee lights - 18 ct.  I'm glad I bought an extra set when I was making the sports marquees a couple of years ago on Amazon.   

 

 

watercolor scribble

I've always been fascinated with watercolors -- and a recent online class Whimsical Watercolor Garden by Joanne Sharp has sparked my interest again. 

I needed a stamp or two -- but after looking at the stamps in my collection, I still didn't see something I wanted to use....   so,  I picked through my dies and the Scribbles die set by Sizzix for Tim Holtz was perfect.  I  grabbed a couple of sheets of craft foam (with adhesive backing) from my stash and using the Sizzix Big Kick, I cut 4 of the circle scribbles.  After weeding the excess foam away, I applied the pieces to a 4 inch square piece of craft foam, allowing some of the edges to go off the edge.  Trim.  For a little firmer base, I glued another 4 inch square of craft foam to the other 4 inch square. 

I took a sheet of 8 x 8 inch cold press 140 lb watercolor paper and cut it into 4 inch squares.  Ink up the stamp.  I used clear embossing ink and Whpped Cream Fusion Color pigment ink (FSJ) and white embossing powder (Ranger).  After you have heated the embossing powder, set aside to cool.  Be careful not to heat the paper too much, it will scorch. 

Now, the real fun begins.  Fill the page with the desired colors using watercolor paints.  I used a waterbrush and dampened the paper slightly before adding the color in a wash.  Start light and build color drying between layers.  If desired, you can let your colors bleed a little. I chose pinks, yellows and orange for these.  I added the background in a light green after I colored my "flowers." 

Have some fun!  Play with dies, create a new stamp or two.  Add a little color with your favorite medium!  These are fun and I have a small stack ready for some additional play.  Have a great week of creative nurturing play!