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2022 Holiday Tag Reveal - Tag 2

Our Facebook group is having so much fun -- and if you haven't taken a look at the tags that were posted yesterday, you might want to stop by and take a peek.  You'll find the group here.  Today's Tag #2 has a couple of steps  1)Print and cut the tag filling a concave rectangle shape (rectangle and oval -- back minus front) with a little buffalo plaid from a collection I found at Creative Fabrica.  Make sure that shape is set to print only. Center the shape over the tag shape and line up with the bottom of the tag.    Foil the sentiment using a single line font or a font with a narrow line.  The standard foil quill point works well.  

Since the tag is printed on white cardstock, I inked the plaid edges with some Black Licorice ink, leaving the remainder of the tag without any inking.  

The snowflake has an added shadow which will be cut.  The snowflake is set to draw and foiled.  Once the foiling is complete, cut the shadow layer and pop up with a bit of foam tape.  Add a length of ribbon to finish off the tag.  The SCAL software and Skycut are perfect companions for creating holiday tags again this year...  

Thanks for stopping by!  Hoping your holiday crafting is going well.  

It's time for our 2022 Holiday Tag Reveal! Tag 1

Tag 1 for this year was inspired by a find in pinterest.  Using SCAL to design and cut on the Skycut C24.   AC cardstock in  Kraft for the base.   The sentiment Merry and Bright is foiled using the foil quill and the standard point.  The holly and berries are from the SCAL library, also cut in Kraft and colored using alcohol markers.  Tied off with a bit of twine.  The pine bough stamp is stamped using Versamark embossing ink.  

These are super easy and quick to make ...  thanks for stopping by today. 

Come on over to our Facebook page -- and see all the other fabulous tags our makers are creating!  

shrunken heads candlesticks

These candlesticks were fun to make using files from Simply Crafty SVGs.  

Combining the following files: 

Smiling Jack-o-Lantern (using the stand and panels only)

Skull Head Candle Holder (just the skull and panels)

Round Candy Box (use the base only - and alter the depth of the side)

Using your cutting machine and software, cut the stand and panels at 100%.  Emboss, foil and ink as desired.  Assemble according to the video found at the link above for the Smiling Jack-o-lantern.  Set aside.

Cut the skull head and panels at 50%.  Emboss and ink the panels as desired.  Assemble the skull.  If desired, add a piece of vellum behind the open areas of the face and side piece 3.  We chose to add the vellum to the back of the panel pieces.  Assemble according to the video that accompanies the Skull Head Candle Holder page.  Glue the skull to the top of the stand.  The tabs at the top of the skull will be adhered to the base of the round candy box.

Cut the round candy box at 75%.  Cut one extra bottom circle for a little more stability if you wish to fill the base and add your battery operated light in the base.  The side of the base should be 7/8" in height.  Cut another piece that is the same height and long enough to go around the base.  If desired, cut a 1/4-inch strip as a decorative piece.  Once you've assembled the base according to the assembly instructions, add the last circle to the inside of the base.  Adhere this piece to the top of the skull, centering it.  

If desired, add a 4-inch diameter circle to the top of the candy box base.  for a little more stability, we created a "box"  and glued it to the base.  There was enough surface to adhere the circle to the top and provide the platform for the shreds and battery operated candle we added as our finishing touch.  

I'm looking forward to getting the rest of our Halloween decor out in the next couple of days and adding these candlesticks to the mix.  Hope you'll be able to carve out some creative time in the next few days and nurture your spirit!  Have fun and thanks for stopping by.  

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!  

Framed Spring Themed Trio

I loved how this trio of framed projects came together.  I used a couple of techniques from a previous project (Farm Fresh) to pull it all together.  

You'll find additional details for each framed project at The Artistry - it's posted here. 

 

  

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!  

 

 

 

Baseball tiered tray decor

Despite the fact that Spring Training is currently in lock out, baseball is still on the minds of those that love the sport in out family.  It was fun creating these pieces to share the spirit of the game with them.  

You'll find all the details for creating most of these pieces on The Artistry.  Click here.  
And there's a free file associated with this project -- so be sure to pick that up.  

February Tiered Tray

I had a lot of fun making a few things for this year's trays.  Even discovered a few things from the last few years we'd used on the Valentine tree in the past.  No tree this year -- there's no room for it!  

You'll find all the details for these makes on The Artistry, here.  

Digital paper, watercolor and twine decorate this wood piece.

Covered wood again -- love doing these book covers using the foil quill!  

Framed a mini vinyl piece.  The frame is lightweight because it's made from paper!  

Check out all the details here.  

Have a great day in your creative space today! Nurture your soul with color and fun!

From box card to Tiered Tray element

The Love Truck from Simply Crafty SVGs provided the perfect SVG for this project.  

It was easy to transform with just a few extra cuts using a craft knife or the knife in the SCAL 5 software and let your cutting machine do the rest.

Ink the pieces if desired for a little more texture and dimension.  Add some dimensional glaze to the side mirrors and the taillights.  Some wink of stella was also added to several of the hearts and the tailgate and bumper.  

Create the layers as shown in the assembly video.  Use foam tape to layer and give a little dimension as shown in the photos below.  

Take a peek at more of the fabulous Valentine files available on SimplyCraftySVGs.  You'll find most of them here.  (And they're on sale for 20% off thru Feb.6, 2022)  Happy Shopping!  

 

Holiday Thank You

Do you still send Thank You cards after the holidays?  I try to get a stack of cards done before the holiday rush and have them ready to mail right after Christmas. Getting them done early this year was a must since surgery #2 is scheduled for Christmas week.  

You'll find all the details at https://www.creativefabrica.com/the-artistry/card-making/layered-holiday-thank-you-card/  Also, this card can be created in a photo editing program and doesn't require a cutting machine.  You can print the card as a single layer and trim with your paper trimmer, adhere to a card base and voila!  You've got your thank you card ready for personalizing and sending off.