Izbzee

Playing with AI images

I've always wanted to create my own background papers, but found it quite frustrating when trying to create seamless backgrounds.  Creative Fabrica has a set of AI tools on their site that you can access with a subscription.  Thanks to Creative Fabrica's generous gift of 1 month's access, I was able to create a collection of images to use in a playful Pinterest inspired Paper Quilt.  

While I didn't use all the images I created, it was fun to see what the tools would come up with using prompts and then tweaking the prompts for other images that could be used.  Some editing was done in Photoshop Elements and Affinity Designer.  I'm still a dabbler with Affinity, but I did learn quite a bit through this experience as well.  

One of the images I created but didn't use in the project is this one.

It only had one line of flowers at the bottom of the image and I wanted flowers throughout on the stripes.  So I downloaded and saved the file to my computer and put it in a folder shared with my iPad.  Opened Affinity and played, creating a new image and incorporating the stripes and flowers into one new image.  

It was a fun experiment -- I'm not sure I would use the tools often enough with my current library of digital prints to warrant the extra subscription, but in a crunch if I needed something I didn't have, I might use the tools again.    

Here's a link to the completed PAPER QUILT project I completed using the SPARK tools on The Artistry.  I used SCAL 6 Pro and the Skycut to make all the shapes and to save on ink -- you can use the pattern fill command and only fill the shapes with the desired digital patterns you create in SPARK.  

If you give SPARK a whirl, I'd love to hear about it!  Leave a comment!  

Carve out some creative time over the weekend if you can.  Enjoy your play!  

 

 

 

Halloween with Simply Crafty SVGs

It has been a joy creating this fun piece that will be displayed in our front hall next month. Three files from the many Halloween files available at Simply Crafty SVGs.  I took a little liberty with the boot and the cat -- and I'll share a little more about that in a bit.  

I started with the Hovering Witch Hat.  Resized to 50% of the original file and assembled according to the video Sandy created.  Sandy suggested the use of tweezers on the upper pieces of the hat.  They were an essential tool -- as the space was too small for my fingers to fit to hold while the glue set.  

Ink all the edges of the flower pieces.  Sandy's idea shown in her video are perfect.  I added a small glittery sequin for the center of the flower on the hat and used an old technique for the creating some suede like paper for the leaves and the fern.  

Resize all pieces to 50%.  I altered the Witch Boot Lantern file slightly by cutting the large panels for the top of the boot in half, punching small holes to thread the ribbon through. Before threading the ribbon in the holes, ink all the edges of the panels. Once you've completed the threading, the panels are then adhered to the boot using your favorite method.  Tie a bow in the ribbon.  

 

The cat is made of fabric and the face is from the Black Cat Treat box.  I layered the facial features together and grouped them.  Then resized to about 2 x 2.1 inches.  Using the IkonArt Stencil kit, a stencil was created and then stenciled using some acrylic heavy duty paint on some black fabric.  Heat set the image.  The fabric was stitched around the outside of the image with a small body added and then lightly stuffed.  The stuffed image is tea stained to add a little distressed look.  

The fact that this piece is stitched and has raw edges, it is meant to fray.  If you choose to try this, you'll want to choose a tightly woven fabric.  

Fill the boot with some sphagnum moss (brown/gray) Set the cat in the boot.  You can use a bamboo skewer glued to the inside of the heel of the boot to make sure the cat stays in place if you're worried about shifting.   Place the hat on the cat and tip as desired.  

 

Additional supplies: 
SCAL 5 Pro and Skycut C24 were used to cut all paper pieces.  
Liquitex Heavy Body White Acrylic Paint
Foam brush
AC cardstock (white, black)
Bazzil cardstock (purples)
embossing folder (optional)
Digital paper (Halloween Gnome Paper Packs from PolkaDoodle)
IkonArt Stencil Kit.  
Printer
Distress inks
White pigment ink
Black Fabric
Sewing machine
Polyester stuffing
Grunge mix for tea stain
Ribbon (1/8")
1/8" round paper punch
Sphagnum moss
glittered sequin (Hocus Pocus mix from Kat Scrappiness)
Bearly Art Precision Glue
ScorTape (1/8", 1/4")

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope you have some creative time carved out this weekend.  Enjoy.

 

 

Slider in a box card & more

For this card, I chose the At the Ballpark box card from Simply Crafty SVGs.  You'll find it here.  It's very easy and quick to assemble.  I adapted the baseball diamond and added a slot for a slider.  I chose to use the baseball from the file as the ball for the slider.  I like the size of the ball and it does look like it's being hit out of the park as you pull the slider.  Once the slider component  has been completed, the baseball diamond is added to the back insert using foam strips.  

The Grand Slam title is part print to cut and cut.  It looks like there are 4 layers, but actually, there are only 3.  It is popped up on the insert as are the bats.  

Digital papers from Creative Fabrica.  Other papers from AC Cardstock.  

 

A couple of other cards made recently for a couple of grandsons.  

Both are Pinterest inspired.  

All the papers in the Cool Kid card are from the Manual Labour collection from NitWit Collections.  Lots of fun masculine looking papers and lots of fun ephemera.  It was fun filling 3 inch squares with the papers and then making some cuts after printing.  The stars were filled and the print 2 cut option was used in the SCAL5 Pro Software with the Skycut C24 making all the cuts.  

The background paper for this card was also printed from the Manual Labour collection.  The stars are colored in using Tombow markers.  The tone on tone for the background and personalization for the card was what caught my interest when browsing through Pinterest.  I think it turned out quite nicely and I'm sure that the boys will enjoy their cards when we celebrate birthdays this coming weekend.  

If you haven't set any time aside to do some crafting, today might just be your day! Have a great one and enjoy your creative time!  

August updates

It's mid-month already!  Where did July and the first part of August go?  The days and nights have been filled with all sorts of things.... mostly caregiving, related, though.  Crafting has taken a backseat the last 3 month, but I'm really  hoping to get back into the swing of things here soon.  

Just to prove that I have done some crafting, here are a few of the things I have finished up since my last post in July.

Printed paper pinwheels were part of July's Tiered tray decor.  Discover more here.  

This fun interactive card (lights, spinner and shaker) wasn't has big a challenge as I thought it might be... but loved the Halo light set from Pear Blossom Press.  They were perfect to use on this card.  For all the details click here.  

Birthday cards, anniversary cards and more have filled envelopes and be sent along their way in the last few weeks.  Since there are a few that still haven't been seen or published, I'll post them soon... but not today.  

In the meantime, I hope that you'll be able to find some creative time in the days to come.  Enjoy it and nurture your soul... relieve stress and more!  It's felt so good to spend a little bit of time in the craft room and I'm really hoping that there will be more creative time coming my way in the days and weeks to come.  My want to do list has grown even longer!  

COMING SOON!  Anniversary Easel Stand up card!  

 

Let's Eat Cake

Latest fun on The Artistry is now up and ready for viewing.  Let's Eat Cake originally started as a project to celebrate an upcoming 90th birthday and have every guest leave with a piece of the honoree's favorite pie.

This particular file is available on Creative Fabrica.  It's a fun file and is so adaptable.  3 versions are shared in the blog post found here.  For even more versatility, consider versions for holidays and seasons.  Using printed paper?  The options are endless.  

Just click here to view the blog post or check out some of the my other articles posted there by going to my author's page.  

Stay tuned, more crafting ahead!  Thanks for stopping by.  Hoping you've scheduled some time in your crafting space soon.  

Spinner Card ala Gnome

Making this card was a challenge for me.  The circuit involved more than just copper tape, a battery and a light.  This also involved some conductive thread which I hadn't used previously.  

I did watch a few videos to make sure that I understood the way the circuit would work .... and it did!  I was ecstatic when the slide switch turned the light on!  Use this link  to view the video as YouTube isn't playing nice and letting me embed the short today. 

The Gnome All Occasion Treat Box is a new release from Simply Crafty SVGs ... and the bonus included with the basic gnome pattern comes are the 12 different elements for decorations!  Of course, if you have your own ideas, you can add those to personalize the gnome even more.  It was very easy to resize the gnome and have it become the focal piece for this project.  

I used the Reindeer Spinner Card from Simply Crafty SVGs as the base for the card.  Digital papers used on the card front and inside of the card are from NitWit Collections (Farmhouse Collection) and pulled a few pieces or cardstock, vellum and dotted paper from my stash.  

The circuit was created following details in Eiko's post for a spinner card I found on the Chibitronics blog.  Following the directions in the video, cut three pieces of the image you plan to use for the spinner.  Cut two panels for the card and the card base.  One of the card panels will become the card front.  The other will be used for the circuit.  The card base will be adhered to the back of the circuit panel.  (Click on the image below for a full size view)

I will have a  more detailed step by step assembly post added in a week or so.  So please stay tuned.  

 

Mix it Up Floral Wreath

 

This wreath was a little out of the box for me.  Who'd have thought the poinsettia file would work for this make?  I really like the outcome.  Three digital patterned papers are mixed up in each of the blooms. Details for making this are on The Artistry.  You'll find the post here.   Hope you'll hop on over there and take a peek.  

Floral files:  Poinsettia (leaves and ferns included) and Filler Flower are from Maison Gregoria.  Patterned papers from Creative Fabrica.  

Assembly of the flowers is very easy and quick.  Only three blooms were used for the wreath, but a total of 9 blooms were made using 3 12x12 sheets of photo paper.  And 2 sheets of green for the foilage.  The filler flowers were cut using one 8.5 x 11 sheet of white sketch paper.  

The wreath is currently hanging in our foyer...a matching wreath will be hanging on the door this weekend.  A great welcome to usher in the month of June!  

Thanks for stopping by.  Hoping you are enjoying a wonderful creative week.  Take care and keep on crafting!  

Graduation pop-up card

Hats off to all the graduates of 2022 and those who may finally be able to walk the line after the COVID closures.  Congratulations!  

This card using images from Creative Fabrica was fun to put together for a relatively quick print and cut card using SCAL 5 and the Skycut C24.  

Where's the pop-up? 

BONUS:  The slot is just the right size for a gift card!  

Details for making the card are on The Artistry.  Hope you'll enjoy the process and find a few more ideas to celebrate this milestone occasion for your graduate.  

 

Have a creative sort of day!  

Father's Day

We got a bit of a headstart on some Father's day pieces for next month.  For this project we used files from SimplyCrafty SVGs and papers and embellishments from the Gentlemen Folk from NitWit Collections* .  We LOVE the plaids and stripes included in the collection and wanted to showcase them in all three of our pieces.  

We used the Tool Caddy, Dad Easel Card and the Tie Gift Box.  

The Tool Caddy - SCAL 5 and the pattern fill option allows you to just fill a shape with the image and print only the pieces you want.  It was fun to add the images, do the print and even print an embellishment or two from the collection.  We made a coupon book using the shirt images in the collection to join the candy in the tool caddy as part of the gift.  Print and cut is made super simple using SCAL and the Skycut.  All the cuts were spot on!  Assembly instructions are really easy to follow on Sandy's videos.  Be sure to watch them if you have any questions.    

The Dad Easel Card  - again we used pattern fill for several of the elements and cut an extra DAD to add a little more interest to the card using an off white as the "shadow" for the word DAD.  We used another wordstrip for the inside of the card.  Oh, and we did use brads -- but cut off the prongs and glued them in place with E6000 to ensure a good hold.  

The Tie Gift Box is probably the fastest piece of the three to complete.  The belly band is a 1 by 12 inch strip of the color of the base of the box.  The box top and panel are filled using the pattern fill option in SCAL.  Print and cut! 

Pop up the wordstrip from the digital collection and add a tie clip to the edge of the wordstrip to finish it off.  The tie clip is a piece I found in my Dad's box.  I'm sure that T will like it too.  

I'm happy to share that these are also showcased on the blog at SimplyCraftySVGs.com.  

*graphics by www.nitwitcollections.com under License #115854

FAMILY PHOTO:  SAM CRUMP PHOTOGRAPHY.

Countdown to Graduation

We have a BIG graduation coming up next year.  It will be wonderful to see this journey come to fruition.  So creating this explosion box will be her focus piece for the next few semesters as she finishes up and prepares for the walk to get her degree.

This project is a feature piece on The Artistry.  You'll find more details and a short video here.

The quill pen and inkwell are not found among the files at Creative Fabrica.  However, I was able to create the inkwell using Blender and Pepakura.  It was so much fun to see this one come together once I got the sizing right.  I made the writing piece using basic shapes in SCAL 5.  Both pieces were cut using the Skycut.  A little embossing and some Mod Podge strengthens the paper a bit and adds some sheen.  

The push button sound module by Invite by Voice really adds a pop to the box.  You can actually activate the module by simply pressing down on the lid just a little bit or press directly over the button on the inner layer as indicated.  

We chose the flamingo theme because one of her professors asked each student in the class to identify their spirit animal.  She's always love the bird and it has been her spirit animal through this education journey and also helped her emotionally as she has had to go through some serious health issues (non-COVID) the past 2 years.  There was a time we didn't think she would be able to finish, but with lots of determination, she continued and carried a full load and has done very well overall.  

As always, thanks for stopping by.  Hope you'll be spending some time in your creative space.  

Mixed Media Scroll book

It's been a while since I've done much with mixed media, but this was a fun project and definitely something I'll be doing again.  

Way back when, I remember as a child building a cardboard TV with a scroll and filling the paper on the scroll with pictures.  And we'd have our own fun evening switching out the scrolls and laughing at our art.  Now, as an adult, it's a fun way to use digital images for backgrounds and the base for some mixed media painting and texture.  

You'll find all the details for this project, once again, on The Artistry!  I'm up for doing this project again and likely, sooner rather than later.  For a peek at all of my projects on The Artistry at Creative Fabrica, you can find them here.  

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you'll find some creative inspiration today!