Izbzee

digi stamps and movement

A digital Whimsy Stamp (Sugar) to the rescue for this card for one of our granddaughters.  Her birthday is coming up soon and I really hope she'll like it.  We've been doing some sort of interactive card for each of the grandkids for the last couple of years and it's getting a little tougher each year to find something "new" to keep them excited.  However......

Digi stamp cuteness makes this little girl shine and dance using a simple lever mechanism. 

Sentiment is from Queen & Co.  I printed 3 stamps* to create one card.  I used some textured AC cardstock for this card.  Coloring accomplished using colored pencils.  I sprayed with a fixative for a little more insurance against smearing.

*Printing multiple images and cutting the lever mechanism sets  makes it easy to create additional cards on the fly when needed.  

Thanks for dropping by today.  Hoping you're staying safe and well during this Covid stuff and finding some time to be creative!  

It's birthday time again...

Birthdays!  I got myself in a bit of a bind earlier and ran out of my stash of birthday cards earlier than anticipated!  I'm thinking that's a good thing in the realm of papercrafting.  More opportunities to play, right?

Well, if that's the case, it's been fun!  Playing with some new dies (Queen & Co). Shaker cards are always a hit!  

The Sweet Shoppe kit has been so much fun to create with.  The kit comes complete with everything you need to complete several cards... well, maybe all but the card base, but that's not a huge issue since most of us keep lots of cardstock in our stash.  The kit also has lots of patterned paper, the foam shapes and of course dies.  You'll never be at a loss when it comes  to personalizing colors and there are stamps included in each full kit that will serve nearly every occasion.  

This cute shaker is for a young gal back in Oklahoma.  I'm happy to support her "birthday card party" this year.  

 

 

paper and more paper....

I've always enjoyed infinity cards, but the ones I've made in the past have all been on the "girly" design side.  I decided to create my own svg file to cut pieces ahead of time and assemble additional cards when needed.  I took a look at what I could find on Pinterest and there were quite a few to pique my interest.  Loved seeing the Rubix cube version and created one similar to one I found there in a larger size.  

Making cards has always been a favorite pastime.. 30 plus years of stamping and paper play.  The advent of home die cutting machines has changed the face of cardmaking for lots of makers.  I for one, enjoy using SVGs to create one of kind cards or making a large number of cards in one sitting.  

This particular never ending card offers lots of opportunity to use up scraps -- just cut the 10 squares of each color with a paper trimmer. I used my Xyron Creative Station to apply edge to edge adhesive to each of the squares.  No glue mess! 

Finished size of this card was 5 x 5, but could be enlarged or downsized if desired.  

Directions and templates are available on the internet and there's an assembly tutorial over on YouTube. This was the perfect birthday card for one of our grandsons.  I hope he enjoyed it.  

 

 

quietly creating in July and August

It's been a fairly quiet summer... but that doesn't mean that the cutting machines haven't been busy.  However, I've been a little lax in taking photos of finished projects.  Cut, glue. assemble and out the door seems to the current routine for most of every project I've completed since mid-June, however, I'm hoping that won't be the case as Summer turns to Fall here in just a few weeks. 

Back to school - pencil from Scrappy Dew.

Traditional Baseball Birthday gift -- one of the gifts for T's birthday has to be centered on his favorite sport.  Design from Crafting with SVG Cut Files - Special Heart Studio.  

 

We've also started several home renovation projects. Big changes ahead for this home we can now call our own.  

Lots of projects in the queue and I'm looking forward to some creative time in the near future and posting again soon.  I'll be back soon with a few photos and current makes.  There are a few more photos to share.... they just need to get into the right folders.  I've fallen behind on organizing as well.  

Happy crafting!  Enjoy a fabulous week!  

 

 

 

playing with paper in June

Just a couple of cards for the past couple of weeks, but at least there was a little bit of time spent at the craft table.

Digital image from Creative Fabrica.
Colored pencils (Rembrandt)
Paper (AC Cardstock and Bazzil)
Fixative (Krylon)

 

Queen & Company Special Delivery kit
Nuvo Crystal Drops
AC cardstock scraps

 

Gradient lettering done in eCal3 (Font: Impact)
P2C 
Lettering and base cut on the eclips2

 

Sweet Birthday Treats

This was fairly quick and easy to make using the eclips2 and eCal3 software. And best of all, gluten free, sugar-free, and 0 carbs! 

You'll need:
Donut Fun (The Cutting Cafe)
Sizzix eclips2 and eCal software
DIY Audio Card EZ Sound Module (Invite By Voice)
Happy Birthday.mp3 ringtone (Zedge.com)
Cardstock (white, pink, kraft brown)
Transparency for box window
Distress Ink and blender tool and pads
Adhesive (glue and scor tape)
Glitter (stash)

Assembly:

• The card base is a sheet measuring 8.5 x 16.5.  Score at 5.50, and 11 inches. You will have 3 sections to the card.
• Create your sentiment for the inside of the card before adding the sound card to the center portion of the card base.  This will make it so much easier.  Add any other details to the card inside as desired. (I've left the sentiment off for personal reasons)
• I made the card front using basic shapes to create a "box front" with a layered banner.  This card front is just slightly smaller than the card front 8.25 x 5.25. The donuts are reduced to 80% and all pieces are cut using the eclips2.
• Ink the edges of the donut pieces.  Adhere the 'frosting" to the base and add a few sprinkles using some snowy glitter*.  Let dry. 
• Prepare the box top.  Adhere the transparency to the back of the box top and add the banner to the front.  Set aside.
• Record the sound module according to manufacturer's directions.  It's really so easy. For this particular card, I chose a free ringtone from Zedge.com  Replace the "block" until you have the sound module installed in your card.
• Assemble the card front and adhere.  Place the donuts on the card base front, add the "box" top.  I used scor tape to adhere the box front.  You could use a foam tape if you wanted a little more height to the project.
• Now place your sound module in the card.  Make sure that the area with the small triangular cuts is on the fold as it provides the "trigger" to start and stop the play of the module.  Apply some score tape to the top and bottom edges of the card base.  Remove the release tape and the shield from the module (it may start playing).  Fold the right third of the card over to the center, lining up the edges and secure to the tape.  Fold the top over to "close" the card. 

 

Happy Crafting vibes to you!  Hoping you're planning some time in your crafting space this coming week! 

ATC and a little mixed media

The eclips/eCal Facebook page is having another ATC challenge - CELEBRATIONS!   and all of the elements used to create the ATC must be designed and cut using the eclips and eCal. 

Here's my finished card.  It was inspired by a find on Pinterest --

I started with a plain piece of cardstock that had a light layer of Gesso.  I masked off a section of the gelli plate slightly larger than the ATC dimensions, brayered on some paint and pulled a print.  I added a few additional pulls of color  to the print using some stencils (cut with the eclips) and additional pink and white and yellow paints until I got the desired results. 

Using the eCal software, size a vertical rectangle to 2.5 x 3.5, set the line to Print 2 Cut Cut.  Create text on an arch.  I used Funky Mother for the fun text.  Fill the text with color (I chose black) and set the stroke to none.  Change from cut to Print 2 Cut Print.  Print, make sure you select registration marks.  Since the cardstock has some tooth from the Gesso and gelli print, you can opt to use some embossing powder and a heat gun to add a little more texture to the card.  I used some Ranger Black embossing powder. 

Now for the cutting.  Place the gessoed paper on the mat and following the print 2 cut directions, cut the ATC. 

I found a fun cupcake graphic at Creative Fabrica and decided to use the base of the cupcake as the stencil.  Size it to approximately 2 inches high with keep proportions checked. Cut using stencil material or regular cardstock.

 

Position the cupcake stencil on the ATC base as desired and using some watercolors and a water brush, add some additional colors.  Let dry. 

Add some sprinkles to your frosting.  I used the sprinkles in the original design, grouped them together and created a small stencil for those and added a little more color. 

 

Add additional details using a Micron pen.  For a little extra shine, use a sparkle brush and let dry.

 

Thanks for dropping by!  Hoping you have built in some creative time this week! 

 

 

 

 

Robots

Tim Holtz' Robots dies found their way into the craft room this past week.  I thought they would be fun to use to create some birthday cards for May. 

I added an EZSound Module from InviteByVoice.com and an audio file from MelodyLoops.com for the final touch. 

 

I decided to use a handwritten message for the inside of the card.  Make sure that you add your sentiment BEFORE you add the module.

You'll need:

EZ Sound Module

Tim Holtz' Robotic
Cardstock (scraps for the robots - assortment of colors)
Dark Silver card for the front panel
White card for the base (cut to 5.5 x 12.75)
Darice Gears embossing folder
Big Shot, multi-purpose platform, cutting plates
Sentiment circle print (I used eCal3 and Sizzix eclip2 to make mine)
Audio used in this project is "I am Robot" from MelodyLoops.com

 

Foil Quill results

I finally was able to pick up a Foil Quill here locally. 

I'd pre-ordered from another company back in January, but they weren't able to secure all of their order and were still waiting for their first shipment.... so grateful they were willing to completely refund and I could go pick one up at one of the local craft stores.

I'm very impressed.  My first samples were near perfect.  Using cross-hatching or line fill and just adjusting it a bit will fill in most of the lettering. 


Just a little more tweaking and I think the fill will be perfected on the lettering.  In the meantime....

I found some really neat svg/png files to cut, but decided to use them as foiling patterns.    Using the Foil Quill fine tip and no additional adjustments to the draw/pen settings in eCal 3 and cut using the eclips2. 

I used Inktense watercolor pencils and a waterbrush to apply the color.  Love the results and hope you do too.  The background is an altered digi background (PhotoShop Elements) print of a "faux watercolor" piece I shared in this post

Thanks for stopping by.  So looking forward to my next bit of creative time.... hoping you have some time carved out in your busy schedule too! 

 

fairy tales

Life gets a little crazy around here with birthdays in the spring and with 10 grands I need to come up with something a little different for each.

Since I started the year with Holden's interactive card, I figured I'd best get designing a few more for the rest of the grands that have birthdays coming up on the calendar.  It's going to be a busy Spring!

This card is inspired by a card I saw on Instagram (MFT Stamps).  Reminds me of a fairy tale.  How about you? 

eCal3 has a gradient tool and it makes it easy to add colors to make the perfect sky!  You can save your presets too!  Fill a rectangle using the gradient tool and set it to print to cut.  Create a shadow layer, set as print 2 cut cut layer.  I made the castle turret using basic shapes and using the pattern fill, and also set that as print to cut.  I used one of the unicorns from a Crafting Desert Diva digital set -- resized to fit.  You can also fill the hills and trees using patterns from your digital paper collection OR use scraps from your patterned papers.   All pieces are cut using the eclips2.  Have a stash of foam squares for added dimension ready -- you'll need them!  I used the eBrush  and Tombow USA markers to add a little shading to the clouds and to the 'hills." 

If desired, create a sliding tab mechanism and attach the braid to the slide.  Pulling the slide will pull the braid up a bit inside the turret.  Pulling the end of the braid lengthens the braid for the interactive component. I added a couple of layers of primary colored card stock to add a little bit of contrast and secured to a card base. 

I know the stamping is a little messed up....  dang it all!  Will try a little more blending to see if I can fix it for a more shaded look. 

Thanks for taking a few minutes out of your busy day and stopping by.  Hope you have some creative time scheduled on your calendar and soon!  Enjoy!  We'll be back again soon... there's more Spring birthdays ahead!