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Valentine Tags

Have you ever made glassine paper?  I remember doing this years ago, but tried it again using a couple of different types of paper.  The plan was to use the paper in some Valentine tags - These tags are oversized a bit -- as I didn't want to lose any of the detail in the images.

The article with most of the details can be found on the Artistry here.

Rather than stamp images I decided to print on the papers....  I used tracing paper and tissue paper as my test mediums... The prints came out as expected.  The tissue paper image colors are a little diffused and the tracing paper image is much brighter.  I used SCAL 6 Pro as my editing program to size and print from while using the png images from Creative Fabrica. 

I didn't antique either paper before printing or afterwards.  Once the printing was completed, I finished the process by adding the wax and loving the change in the look of each of the papers.  

tissue paper

tracing paper

These were really fun to make and I have some ideas for some other versions I'd like to try in the next couple of months.  We'll see how that rolls out!  LOL 

The tags were created in SCAL 6 Pro using several steps... it's important to have your tag just the way your want it before going to the next step.  Once the tag was ready, I placed an image on the mat, placed the tag on top and used Clip Path > Set Clip Path and printed the tags and cut them using the Skycut C24.  

Details for assembling the tags is in the article -- found here.  

Thanks for dropping by and I hope you've carved out some creative time this week and month.  Nurture your creative spirit any way you feel you  must.  

2022 Holiday Tags - #12

Today's the final day... the reveal of the last tag.  This digi stamp, Christmas Gnome with Lantern, from Polkdoodles.com was the perfect image to use.  

Colored with colored pencils and blended with Gamsol.  There is some shimmer added to the beard and a few stars around the tag edges.  It just doesn't show well in the above images.  

To add a little more to the tag -- the EZ light from Pear Blossom Press was added to the back panel.  There's no need to create a circuit as the circuit is built into the EZ light.  Just add the battery, secure the light in place as directed in the instructions provided with the product packaging - and making sure that the button is facing the front of the tag.  Once you have the light in place, add some foam tape around the edges.  I placed two layers of the tape along the edges and secured the two tag pieces together.

Press the button and voila!  You have light and a very special tag that will be fun for any recipient!  

This has been a delightful 12 days again this year.  Thanks again for stopping by.   I'll be posting a recap a little later this month.  If you're so inclined, we'd love to have you join us next year for our annual reveal and share your 12 tags as well.  All of the tags shared this year here and on the Facebook page can be found in the 2022 - 12 Holiday Tags Reveal album.  

Signboard Easel Card

These were so fun to make... I created a similar signboard easel design back in February -- for Mardis Gras.  With a few improvements, I decided that I could use it for some other options.  Resized to a standard card size (4.25 x 5.5 inches), decorative panels added and this is what I came up with.  

This project is now featured on The Artistry.  AND the signboard easel is a free SVG cutting pattern you can download and use.  You'll find the details for downloading this free file and how to create something similar here.  

Embossing, and inking add a little more texture and interest. And the signboard file is a free download at Creative Fabrica!  

There are lots of ideas flowing for using the signboard easel.... I'm sure we'll be seeing it in some future posts later this year and into next.  

Hoping you're looking forward to some creative time in the next few days.  Enjoy it!  I know I am looking forward to doing a little bit of cutting, gluing and assembling today and tomorrow.  

*Affiliate links are used in this post.  

 

Buzzing by to say.... card

this was so fun to make after seeing something similar on the Chibitronics blog a while back.  The lights under the wings of the bees is a perfect addition to the digital clip art from Creative Fabrica.  You'll find the details to create this card here.  

SCAL 5 Pro and the skycut were perfect partners for the print + cut print option in the software.  The machine once again performed perfects cuts.  

Since I couldn't find a stamp for the sentiment in my stash and I didn't want to do the foil quill or pen since the background was already cut, I used a Micron pen to write the sentiment.  It's not perfect, but it does add a personal touch for this card and I do like it.  

The circuit was a bit challenging -- but it's not the fault of the Chibi product, just my own inability to follow the plan!  I did get the + and - mixed up on the first go round and nixed the slider switch.  The second time around was a lot quicker and successful!  

I did end up using foam squares since my white mounting tape has done a disappearing act.   :(  Once all the foam was added, we did another test of the lights and they worked.

Building the front image was a breeze since placement was marked earlier in the process.  Bearly Art glue was used to adhere the flowers to the card front.  Foam pop ups were used to attach the bees to the cards.  

It's fun to share these makes with a friend and neighbor.  She's always a little amazed at the "fun!"  This card was no exception and I have a feeling there will be a time in the future to make a few with her for her to gift to family and close friends.  

Thanks for stopping by -- hope you'll look at trying to "light up" one of your cards or makes in the near future.  

Enjoy your time in your creative space!  

 

 

It's warming up...

and time to chill out with a cool drink!  The old coasters we've been using were showing a bit of wear - and heck they were made of coated chipboard purchased from the $ store.  New ones are needed and needed ASAP!  So my solution?  Make some brightly colored new ones using mason jar lids and rings and some printable fabric.  

Finding the perfect images was easy on Creative Fabrica.  You'll find the tutorial on The Artistry today.  Hope you'll take a look.  

I love the bright colors and hope you do too!  SCAL 5 and an inkjet printer make it all happen!  And once the images have been printed, ironed to set the ink (plus a couple of other quick and easy steps) and been sprayed with some waterproofing, your glassware can sweat and drip all it wants once the coaster is assembled.  

All of my previous projects for Creative Fabrica are posted on my author page at The Artistry.  Take a peek there for more creative ideas you may have missed.  

Spring Pitcher of flowers

Sandy's been a super support lately and I really appreciate her help with this project.  I'm sure at some point the pitcher design will be in her shop -- so stay tuned!

 

 

After perusing Pinterest a couple of weeks ago, I found an antique pitcher shape I really liked... however, there wasn't much in the design shops that I could find that looked close to the shape and would be simple to put together without using panels.  Sandy had already started something similar and she was gracious enough to send me a test version of a file.  

Needless to say, I fell in love with it and the shape was near spot on to what I had in mind.  This was created in Blender and Pepakura.  NitWit Collections Lilac Blossoms collection was a perfect fit for a Spring look.  I used SCAL5's option for print 2 cut and added the Lilac spray to the base of the pitcher cut.  

Assembly is easy for someone with a little experience.  The handle is 3 strips of paper glued together and shaped before the glue dries. It is attached to the back seam wall of the pitcher with some white washed brads I've had in my stash for years!  

Apply a coat of gloss Mod Podge to the outside for a nice finish and a little more strength.  If you plan to use live flowers, you do need to seal the interior of the pitcher BEFORE you assemble.  A tall pharmacy prescription bottle fits nicely inside and a 2 inch styro ball can be scrunched into the bottle to help with placement of your paper or silk floral pieces.  

Did you know that only one shop has a design for 3D lilac flowers? And that site requires a paid membership to access.  Budget being what it is, I looked for something that I could use - and found the Filler Flower at Maison Gregoria's Etsy shop to be a great fit.  Lots of tiny flowers, all cut on the Skycut using sketchbook paper.  Assembly is a bit tedious since each bloom is on it's own wire.  But it's worth the time and effort.  Once everything is wired and bundled into groups, it was time to use the eBrush for a little color.  Tombow markers in three shades of purple (623, 620, 636) were used to add some texture and depth to the shapes.  Even bundled the color went on fairly evenly.  PLUS:  it didn't take but a minute for the bundles to dry with the layered colors and you're ready to start putting your arrangement together.  

Add some additional greenery from the Poinsettia Wreath file (also from Maison Gregoria on CreativeFabrica.com) which I downsized a bit and also cut using the Skycut.  Wired and ready for use.  I used some chalk for a little extra color and used my exacto knife and a pair of craft tweezers to add the veins to the greenery.  While most of it is too tiny to see in the images, it was worth the time and effort to make it happen.  




The pitcher and floral arrangement stands about 8.5 inches tall and would be perfect for a side table, tablescape tray or open tiered tray or riser decor.  

 

Thanks for dropping by today.  Hope your day is filled with beautiful things!  Wishing you a creative day!  

 

Tea Party

This Round Teapot from Simply Crafty SVGs is a fun make.  It's perfect serving as the focal point for a Mother's Day Tea.  It looks like porcelain with the glossy photo paper panels and other details. 

 The floral element printed on the panels for the base of the teapot can be found at CreativeFabrica.com.  It's such a sweet element.  Using a paintbrush and some Nuvo - pale gold, some additional details were added for the top and on the panels for the spout and handle.  

Another file, the Lots of Hearts Treat Cup was used for the teacup.  The panel was also printed on glossy paper and some gold trim added as well.  The handle was a resized version of the teapot's panel pieces.  

No Tea Party would be a party without treats!  Using the Serving Trays file, at original sizes, the smaller tray is just the right size to hold several tea bags or powdered drink mixes. 

Treats?  Of course!  Fill the larger tray with mini cupcakes, cake balls, bite-size cookies, etc!  

Panels for both of these trays are prints of miniature dollhouse wallpaper.  It's perfect to complete the setting for this project. 

I'm very happy that this project is featured this week on the Simply Crafty SVGs blog.  

Thanks for stopping by today.  Hoping you have some creative time blocked out this week and through the weekend!  Enjoy!  

5 Tags of Spring -- shortened version for 2022

This week, the eCal/SCAL Facebook group celebrated the reveal of the annual 5 Tags of Spring Challenge and today is the last day of the reveal.  

Due to time constraints and ongoing projects, I've combined a week's worth of posts into one.  All tags were cut using the SkyCut C24 and SCAL 5 Pro.  

Day 1's reveal:  
Bunny Silhouette from a Creative Fabrica collection.  Tag shape and leaf cut are found in the SCAL library.  This is a large tag and will be used on a gift bag with an added silk ribbon hanger.  Distress Inks were used for color.  Misted with some water for some additional texture.  

Day 2 Reveal:  

This shape was created using a half circle with added circles distributed across the arch and unioned with a rounded rectangle.  The shape was stenciled using a script stencil from StencilGirls and pan pastels.  After the stencil was removed, the pastels were blended a bit.  Hoppy Easter - the bunny silhouette was unioned with the text.  Masked while the color was added and adhered to the tag.  A spray fixative was used to prevent further movement of the color.  

Day 3 Reveal:  

A fun shape created using basic shapes found in the library.  A little shading done with some chalk on the ears and cheeks.  Brads, twine and a jewel for facial details.  

 

Day 4 Reveal:  

No week would be complete without the addition of a shaker tag in my opinion.  Combined use of the skycut and a die (from Queen and Company - to cut the foam  which was too thick for the skycut) the piece covering the foam is also cut using the die.  The acetate circle was cut using the skycut. This tag will be a focal point on a gift bag.  It measures about 3 inches across.  Love all the sprinkles inside too!  

 

Day 5 Reveal:
My favorite for this week's tag reveal.  

Tag shape created in SCAL using a half circle and the rounded rectangle.  Score and swipe the color on the tag for a wood look .  The inset rounded rectangle tag is foiled using black foil and the foil quill. The use of the line fill command gives a distressed look to the foil.   A  Rabbit silhouette cropped to fit in the boot and small ovals were used for the carrot shapes.  Boots from the Spring folder in the shapes library were cut in blue and dots were added using the end of a paint brush and a small outline using a Micron marker.  Green raffia was hot glued to the back of each carrot for the green tops.  

if you have some time, stop by the page and check out all the fab tags created for this challenge in the Challenge Album.  Happy Crafting, All!  

Easter Egg Box with a Twist!

This project was so fun to make!  I wanted the box to have a little more interest both inside and out and I love how it looks!  

You'll need 3 cutting files from Simply Crafty SVGs and the foiled leaf pattern from FunLurn.com.  

Easter Egg Box
Bunny in a Basket Card (Bunny, grass, eggs)
Easter Chick Treat Box (chick)

Foil Leaf Pattern (FFF02 Foliage Pattern) found in the free library at FunLurn.com.  You will need to register on the site and verify your email address to have access to the files in the library.

Ready to get started?
You'll need cardstock  - 3 sheets for the egg box (I used the same color for the top, bottom and panels)
Scraps of assorted colored cardstock for the elements on the inserts
Electronic Cutting machine and software (Skycut C24 and SCAL5 Pro)
adhesive
Foil Quill and foil (standard [fine] point and adapter for your machine)
Foil (Spellbinders Glimmer System foil - brushed gold)
Ink ( assorted colors) 
cotton swab
embossing folders

Cut the egg top and bottom pieces.  (I resized and cut at 75% of the original size) You can assemble those while you let the machine do the foiling.  

To do the foiling, I used SCAL5 and placed a copy of the foiling pattern on the mat.  Change the foiling pattern from CUT to DRAW.  No need to resize the foiling pattern.  Import the panels to the mat. Resize to 75%.   Ungroup,  set the bottom pieces to the side for a few minutes.  Delete all but one of the top panels and place the remaining top panel on top of the foiling pattern.  Highlight the top panel and foiling pattern and Select PATH > INTERSECTION.  The panel color will go clear and you should be able to see the pattern inside the panel.  GROUP and then copy and past 5 additional panels on the mat.  Check preview to make sure that the pattern is set to draw and the outer edge of the panel is set to cut.  

Unhide the bottom panels and set them off to the side a bit, but on the mat so they will cut when your cut the top panels.  Get your mat ready by placing your paper and the foil in place while your foil quill is heating up (for best success, allow the quill to heat for about 15 minutes).  

When it's ready, let the foiling begin.  It shouldn't take too long - two sets of panels took about 15 minutes at the draw settings for my machine.  I was nearly able to put the box together by the time the machine had finished.  Remove the foil without removing the mat.  Replace the quill with the blade and cut the panels.  

I randomly added some flowers to each of the top panels, using two shades of ink using a cotton swab.  5 Petals and a center.  The colors are pretty subtle and are perfect for the effect I wanted to achieve.  

Adhere the panels to the top of the egg.  I chose to use a basket weave embossing folder for the bottom panels and swiped the ink pad across the embossed pieces.  Adhere to the bottom of the box.  

Resizing the elements for the inside of the egg was the most difficult part of this project.  I still wanted the detail, so resizing to 75% for most of the items was spot on.  A couple of others needed a little more nudging to make them the right size for the inside of the egg.  It really helped to measure the egg to determine the length of the strips that would support the elements.  The grass and egg piece are adhered together, using some foam tape and squares for some added dimension.  The chick is adhered to the front of the strip and the bunny to the back with the paws attached to the front.  

You can add some colored shreds to the bottom and back of the box.  Set a few jellybeans or chocolates and place the top on the egg.  You're Easter Egg Box is  now ready for gifting!  

If you decide to make one of these, or something similar,  please feel free to share your make with the Simply Crafty SVGs Creator's Group on Facebook or tag #simplycraftysvgs on your other social media accounts.  We'd love to see your work!  Happy Crafting!  

 

 

 

Seasonal Clock Faces

Create these fun pieces and switch them out as the seasons change.  

You'll find all the details for creating these on The Artistry.   Choose to mount or not.  The battery operated movement and hands used in this project are a craft version I purchased at Hobby Lobby about 10 years ago and used in another project that was damaged in our moved a few years ago.  

You can use 8.5 x 11 papers to make this version.  Paper from Bazill was used and cut using SCAL5 Pro and the Skycut.  Laser printer Acetate from our local office supply store and a laser printer was used for a non-smearing print of the clock face. 

All files used in creating this project are found at CreativeFabrica.com.  

Create a face for each of the seasons and simply remove the hands from the movement and install a new face - and replace the hands.