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the first of May brings lots of cardmaking

I loved making multiples of this card, Congrats Graduation Card, designed by Sandy at Simply Crafty SVGs. 

I switched things up a bit... removing the diploma and adding another pop-up.  The stamp set is from Simon Says Stamp and the dies were also purchased.  The CELEBRATE was created in SCAL 5 Pro using a chunky font and a shadow layer.  

With Mother's Day just around the corner.... well, you know, I couldn't stop at just creating one card this go round.  I made two.  Both using stamps!  Coloring with markers and inks.  A little bit of fussy cutting and some layering.  

I love my stamp jig... makes for near perfect sentiment placement every time when stamping a stack!!  

The wildflower stamp set is Unknown.  The doodle flowers are from Fun Stampers Journey.  Sentiments are from Stampin' Up and Unknown source.  Cuttlebug (Dotted Swiss) embossing folder.  Colored Cardstock from Bazill.  

Now it's time to tackle all the birthday cards!  I think I counted 10 in the next 2 weeks!  Time to get a move on.  

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!  

 

 

 

3 Fall tags - Tag 1

the eCal/Scal FB page is hosting another tag reveal beginning today, September 1.  Only 3 tags -- but they've been incredibly fun to make and create.  

The tag I'm choosing to share today is this one.  

 

 

I love fall and have lots of fun memories of raking leaves into great big piles, helping my dad put them into a wheel barrow and moving them to a bigger pile.  We would play for hours in the piles.  Once all the "play" was done, we would have a bon-fire (the leaves were the fuel), roast marshmallows and make s'mores.  As the cooler weather arrived, warm cider or hot chocolate in mugs and freshly made doughnuts would often great us.  

Supplies needed: 
All digital images are from Creative Fabrica (affiliate links are used and help provide vouchers for participants in the challenges on the Facebook page) 
Harvest Hayrides Apple Cider...  found here.


Take out coffee cup found here


Autumn Plaid Papers found here


Printer
Skycut C24 cutter/plotter
SCAL5 Pro
Ribbon (stash)
White (Neenah 110 lb)
Black, Pumpkin, Gray, Kraft (FSJ, Bazill, Crate Paper)
Pumpkin Bread Ink (FSJ)
ScorTape
Foam tape

Open SCAL and select Tag 2 from the library.  Size to 4 inches wide and 6 inches tall.  You'll need to ungroup and resize the circle near the top of the tag and center.  

Open the quote bundle and select the quote, size as needed.  Make sure the image is set to print + cut print.  The SVG was colored using the Gradient feature and 4 colors using the radial feature.  You can play with the sliders to get the best effect.  

Create your Spiced Cider image.  Don't have a cent sign, create your own using a lower case "c" and a lower case "l" in separate text boxes and overlap the l onto the c.  Center in the circle.  If you have trouble creating the text, refer to the SCAL user manual for best results.  Set all the lettering to print + cut print.  Highlight the circle, select Effects < Contour Cut (Shadow Layer) and leave at the default setting.  

The plaid border at the bottom of the tag is a separate horizontal rectangle and is filled with one of the digital papers in the pack.  It was pretty close to the ribbon I had on hand, so I used it. 

Drag and drop the Cup onto the mat.  DO NOT UNGROUP yet.  Highlight and select Effects < Contour Cut (Shadow Layer).  Create a shadow that is .30.  Select blackout.  Click ok.  Now, you can ungroup the cup and separate the pieces for cutting.  Fill the middle band with the same plaid you used for the rectangle.  Be sure to set it to print + cut print.  

Print all printables.  Cut all pieces.  Ink if desired for a little more dimension and texture.  Assemble the cup.  Place foam dots on the back and place on the tag as shown below.  Adhere the spiced cider circle to the shadow circle.  Foam dots were also added to the back of the shadow of the spiced cider circle.  Add your ribbon and secure as desired.  A staple was used in this example.  



Thanks for dropping by.  Hope you'll check out all the tags being shared this week on the Facebook page and elsewhere.  Set aside some creative time this week.  Enjoy the flow and nurture your heart along the way.  

 

It's birthday season again

We have quite a few birthdays coming up in the next few weeks.  LOTS of birthdays!  Pinterest offered the inspiration for this card.

I love the retro look in the way the triangle shapes are organized.  This was the first card I cut on the new machine (#skycut) and I was amazed at how quickly the machine  cut everything but the card base.  It was probably less than 1 1/2 minutes from start to finish.  

A little inking around each of the triangles.  The word "birthday" is a stamp from a Tim Holtz set, embossed with white detail embossing powder from Ranger.  The enamel dot is from FSJ.  Paper is from SU, FSJ, Bazill and AC.  

This card is so adaptable for other occasions as well.  Change out the words, papers and even the font if you'd like to suit the occasion.  Looking forward to making a few with some of the digital papers I have in my stash....  

Off to cut and make a stack!  Hoping you have some creative time planned in the next few days!  Enjoy!  

Bunny Hop Day 4

We're at day 4 of 5...  and it's a given that no bunny hop would be complete without a bunny crossing tag!  Here's mine:

You'll need:
Kraft / Oatmeal cardstock (FSJ)
Chocolate cardstock scrap (FSJ)
blue textured cardstock scrap (Bazzil)
Sizzix eclips2 and ecal3
Hoppy Easter craft file from Creative Fabrica
Burlap ribbon (stash)
Twine (FSJ)
blue ink
TombowUSA marker in brown
Foam pop up dots (1/4 inch squares)
blending tool and felt
Glue (lineco)

CUTTING & ASSEMBLY:
Select the tag from the Basic Shapes Library.  Size as desired.  Copy and paste a second tag to the mat.  Open the Hoppy Easter craft file and ungroup, break apart.  Highlight the bunny.  and move just the outer shape to the bottom of on of the tags.  Center and nudge for placement as needed.  Delete the rest of the Hoppy Easter file from the mat.   Cut the Craft paper tags, and cut a third tag using the blue texture paper and trim as desired. 

Using the Text Tool and Tool on Arch command, create the bunny crossing text - I'm using Bodini in this instance.  Fill is selected on color palette and stroke is set to none.  Make sure the text is then set to print 2 cut print.  Drop a half circle on the mat and size to the same width as the tag. Move away from the tag and set layer to back. Move the text to the top of the half circle, size  and center.   Drop a heart just under the text and open the Spring folder in basic shapes and click on the raindrops.  Ungroup or break apart.  Select the small raindrop.  Size and move to one side of the heart, turning as shown in the picture above.  Copy the raindrop, flip it horizontally and move to the other side of the heart.  Set the stroke to none and the fill to none.  for the three shapes you just added to the half circle.  They will disappear.  Click on preview and you'll see that they will cut, but not visible during the print, print 2 cut portion of the process.  You're ready to print and cut.  Follow the directions on the software screen for best results. 

Cut two small strips of the chocolate paper - just bit enough to go behind the rabbit cut out and the heart and raindrop cuts on the half circle.  use a bit of glue to secure to the back of the cut tag and the half circle. 

Glue the second tag to the back of the first covering the chocolate paper.  Ink the edges of the blue paper before adhering to the front of the tag.  Ink the rest of the tag as desired.

The rabbit cut has a dot added for an eye using a marker and if desired, you can edge the cut with a marker  so it stands out a little more.  Rub a little ink on the cut too.  Set the rabbit slightly off center of the cut using some pop dots.  Apply some pop dots to the half circle and secure in place.  Add a burlap ribbon tied with some twine to finish. 

Again, thanks for stopping by.  Hoping you're having some creative fun of your own this week!  Hope you'll check in tomorrow for the final day of the hop.  And don't forget to check out all of the creativity on the FB page! 

Hi Gnomie!

 Simply Crafty SVGs has the cutest file for a 3D gnome.

Thought I would drop in and share this with you in a quick post.  You'll find the svg file here.

All pieces were cut using the Sizzix eclips2 and eCal 3.  paper from Paper Studio, Fun Stampers Journey, Neenah)

I opted to use some white on white print for the beard and trim on the hat.  Sandy has some nice directions in her video - If you've been putting dimensional pieces together for a while, you could probably put this together without viewing the video on her youtube channel. 

Inking the edges gives the nose and body panels a little more dimension. 

This piece is sitting at the base of our Gnomie tree this year.  The littles really like it and the tree.  Pics of the tree coming in a couple of days. 

 

 

 

 

winter chill

This cute box is from creatieve papier uitspattingen, a European company specializing in 3D paper crafts.  Corina has created some beautiful files and is easy to cut using the eclips2 and eCal3.  

The box is large enough to hold a small gift like some mittens, gloves or a silky scarf; a sweet treat or even a gift card. 

This is a quick cut and glue project.  Add a little inking to the edges of the panels.  The inside of the bottom of the box has a clean finish and if I were to make it again, I would cut one more base piece to make it a little sturdier.  

I used a stack of Holiday prints for the panels and FSJ's 12 x 12 Forest Green paper for the box top and bottom.  Scotch Quick Dry glue.  FSJ Forest Green ink and a blender tool.  

Thanks for stopping by!  Hoping you're enjoying some creative time this weekend and are making a bit more time available in the near future.  

 

 

.  

 

 

Noel

Loving the layers in this card  - the last version of our cards for this holiday season. 

Created in eCal3 and cut with the eclips.  The flower measures an inch! 

You'll need:
eclips2
eCal3
White cardstock for all the cuts
12 x 12 Colored stock for card bases ( cut to 5.5" square card base)
Poinsettia SVG (a file in my SVG folder, no attribution given)
Spectrum Noir markers (DR5, DR6, JG6)
mini domed jewels (stash)
Glaze (FSJ)
Lineco glue
Scor Tape
Glue dot

Cut all the elements.  Weld the letters together for the base.  Cut another layer of letters -- I chose to unlink them and cut separately.  Glue the letters to the welded layer.  I started with the L and left the O to glue on last.  Set aside to dry.

I used the markers to color the flower.  Blend both reds together on the bottom layer, use the darker of the two reds for the middle layer and the lightest red for the top layer of the flower.  Glue the layers together and using a drop of the glaze, add the jewel.  Set aside to dry. 

Cut card bases.  I'm using a 5.5 inch base for these cards as they will be hand delivered.  Glue the letter layer to the base, using a glue dot, attach the flower.  Add a sentiment to the inside of the card.  Use a clear adhesive sticker to close the card and deliver to your recipients! 

Thanks for stopping by today!  Wishing you all the best as you continue to create during the month!  #eclipsecalmaker

Cards of the season

This card inspired by this Z-fold card made by Lisa (found here) is our primary Christmas card for this year.  I love how it turned out.  I didn't have the dies for the label or anything I felt was quite similar, but I did have an SVG set of nested labels I'd gotten from Penny Duncan a few years ago in my SVG vault of files.  So, opening eCal3 and gathering all the needed files, I got started on creating my own z-fold version of this card.

You'll need:
eCal3
Sizzix eclips2
cardstock (script print-paperstudio, black-FSJ, white-Neenah 110 lb)
bone folder
adhesives (scor tape, Lineco glue, glue dots)
White or holographic gel pen
Nested Labels (Penny Duncan)
Bethlehem and Nativity SVGs (123rf.com)
Sentiment stamp

due to the fact that Penny holds the copyright and is the creator of the label file, I can't share my SVG file with you.  these were fun to make and once all the pieces are cut, it's very rewarding to put them together and see the final results.  I know our friends and family will enjoy them this year. 

Thanks for dropping by today.  Hoping you're enjoying some creative time in your craft space this month.  #eclipsecalmaker


 

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.