Izbzee

2023 5 Tags of Spring - Day 3

Fun and lots of paper shapes create this fun tag for day 3.  The chocolate bunny is from Simply Crafty SVGs.  It's resized to fit on this mini tag that measures about 1.5 inches wide by 2.5 inches in height.  The flowers and leaves can be found in the SCAL library (SandraCreateinSpain folder)

It's also a good tag to use scraps with.  Add some ink, markers and a bit of glue, it's also a quick assemble.  The small hello is a print 2 cut.  Embossing the tag base adds a little more dimension and it was swiped with an ink pad in an antiquing color.  

Again, thanks for dropping by today.  Set aside some creative time and enjoy nurturing your soul this week.  

2023 5 Tags of Spring - Day 2

using some Pastel Digital paper from Nit Wit collections,  as well as the floral image used in the framed areas of this tag, this tag was a fun make.  I used the faux glassine technique used in the Valentine Tag project shared in this project. 

The Tag is made of a simple rectangle with equal sized and spaced circle cuts. The hanger element is created using a round rectangle and half circle and the Union command in SCAL 6 was used before adding a smaller circle for the twine to go through.  A little bit of antiqued cheesecloth and a word strip were used to finish off the tag.  

I really like the spring colors and hoping they brighten your day as well.  Spend a little time in your creative space this week!  Enjoy!

2023 5 Tags of Spring - Reveal

It's that time of year again!  I'm excited that the group wanted to do it again.  The rules are the same.... and it's just as fun to make new tags again this year.

This pinterest inspired tag was made using basic shapes from the SCAL Library.  It was fun to play with shapes and create the "eyelet" lace.  The pattern fill command is a great way to use digital paper -- all pieces for this tag were print 2 cut.  For deeper color, I used some markers for a more intense color on the flowers, stems and leaves. Markers were also used on the edges of each of the pieces.  

Thanks for stopping by.  Hoping you have some creative time carved out this week.  Enjoy all the possibilities that Spring brings. 

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!  

 

 

 

Layers

I loved the images I found in this grouping of cute fairy houses at Creative Fabrica and wanted to do something fun with one of them and use it in a fun frame.  This is the result for this project now being shared on The Artistry at Creative Fabrica.  

Lots of fussy cutting on the focal image - and some added layering for more dimension.  The hexagon frame was easy to assemble, and would be perfect for a series of images on a wall.  The Skycut and SCAL 6 were my go to's for this project.  The SCAL software makes it very easy to do the print then cut and resizing of the frame was also an important process.  Scaling the background image to fit in the frame was a breeze to accomplish as well.  

Again, the step-by-step process for printing, cutting and assembling this project can be found here.  

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you've got some creative time carved out this week and through the month of March!  Hoping that there's a real change in the season soon and we'll be seeing things green up and blooming as we enter Spring here in the Northern Hemisphere!  We've had quite a winter!  Another fresh 5+ inches of white stuff on the ground this morning!    

3d Heart Treasure Box

When I first got a sneak peek at this box, I was so excited!  I had a couple of thoughts on how to make it. Below is my final version.

I love that the front and back walls of this piece are reinforced, making the box very sturdy and the box top is hinged in the back, keeping the top and bottom together. The box is made from a rusty colored cardstock that complimented the colors in the panel pieces and reminded me of the colors in the sand in the area where the image was originally taken.  

The front flap doesn't require a closure, but you could certainly add one if desired.   This file from Simply Crafty SVGs will be a go to in the future for several projects through the year.    

Using SCAL 6 Pro, I used the clip path command to place the image in the panel shapes.  This made it pretty easy for the print to cut process for the Skycut as well.  The slot canyon image was printed on glossy photo stock and the colors from the printer were incredibly vibrant!  

 

Thanks for stopping by.  Each visit is appreciated.  Hoping you have some creative time marked out this week - if not, find some time.  Your heart and spirit will benefit (among other things).  

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.  

a first for me...

in a very long time.... A little paper house.  

I used the Bird House file and the stand from Smiling Jack O' Lantern file from Simply Crafty SVGs with an added beveled box I created using Blender and Pepakura. This was lots of fun!

The panels on the outside of the house are embossed with a rock embossing folder and the inside walls of the house are also paneled for a little more sturdiness to compensate for the added weight of the moss on the roof and to cover the prongs used in the hinges.    

.... after opening the bird house file in SCAL, I made a few changes to the door and added a few additional details. 

The door is comprised of 4 layers of cardstock.  The top layer is embossed and inked and was washed with a bit of water.  the window element was created in SCAL combining some basic shapes.  The door is set off center on the front of the house.  A half arch was added to one side (not shown above) and is also made of 4 layers, embossed and inked.  

The door knocker is made with some jewelry findings (a bead and jump ring) glued to a metallic (aluminum can) heart die cut. In the final design, they are colored with a black sharpie.   The hinges were a find on Amazon.  I used some small brads to secure the hinges to the door and house frame.  The door knob (not shown) is a brad minus the prongs.  E6000 glue was used to secure the metallic pieces to the door.  Let dry overnight for best results!

Assemble the house following the basic assembly instructions provided at Simply Crafty SVGs.  The video instruction does not include the door used for this project.  

A sheet of hobby craft moss was cut to size to use on the roof.  I used some heavy duty double stick tape to secure it on the roof pieces.  

I really like the stand from the Smiling Jack O'Lantern file.  I've used it for several other projects and it's a favorite and so easy to assemble.  No need to alter the size or design. An additional beveled box was added to the stand to add more width and stability at the top to accommodate the house.   

 

Is it perfect?  NO, not at all!  But I've learned a lot in this construction, and hope to add a few additional houses in the months to come implementing some additional ideas.  Overall, it was an enjoyable project and got me out of my comfort zone in several areas and using materials I don't often use or combine with paper.

Supplies:
Paper:  American Cardstock (AC) and Bazill  80lb (textured)
Adhesives:  Bearly Art Glue, e6000, red line tape (heavy duty)
Software used:  SCAL 5, Blender, Pepakura
Skycut C24
embossing folders, small heart die
Big Shot
Findings:  small bead, jump ring, aluminum can, hinges, brads
Jewelry round nose pliers, wire cutters
Water brush
Distress Inks
Ink blending tool

Thanks for stopping by.  Hoping you've carved out some creative time this week.  I have and I'm looking forward to some fun time crafting and creating.  If you choose to make this or something similar... please be sure to let me know and tag #simplycraftysvgs too!  Sandy would love to see your make as well!  

Valentine Fresh Blooms

Everyone I know likes flowers... even paper ones especially at Valentine's Day.

How about this one created using files from Simply Crafty SVGs? I used the box base from the Santa Hat box and the flowers from the Bee Hive files.  I added Heart 6, a star and a leaf from the shapes library in SCAL.  

The florals, hearts, leaves and sepals were cut using some sketch pad paper.  The skycut had no problem cutting the images including the smallest of the centers of the flower.  They were all colored using alcohol markers, front and back.  I used a star for the sepal on each of the flowers.  The petals of the flowers were shaped with the petals going down.  All of these pieces are wired and hot glue was used to attach the wire to each flower.  You can add some additional details to the wire by wrapping around a skewer if desired.  

No changes to the box file were necessary other than copying an additional panel for the front panel since you won't be using the Santa face included with the file.  Using the Pattern command, fill the panel pieces with a fun digital paper.  The paper used in our sample is from Creative Fabrica.  The score lines were changed to DRAW and the scoring tool was used to draw those lines.  

Once the pieces are scored and cut, glue the printed panels to the box sides.  Glue the two sides of the box together as instructed in the video Sandy has created for putting the box together.  The panels were inked using some distress ink in a pink that nearly matched the pink in the flowers.  The ink adds another layer of color and interest to the overall box.  You can add the ink BEFORE adding to the box sides, or after.  

The metallic LOVE stamp is an old retired embossing and die set from Sizzix Cuttlebug.  It was cut from a piece of an aluminum soda can scrap. 

This project would be easy to replicate and could be finished within a hour or two once the florals are colored.

Thanks for stopping by!.  Hope you've marked out some creative time this week and enjoy the process of nurturing your creative spirit.

 

Valentine Tiered Tray take 2

Last year, I created this one.

 

I wanted a few new things in 2023... so this was the result!

I even cut the fabric for the mini hearts using the Skycut and SCAL 5 pro!  That was a fun and very successful project, though my stitching small stuff like that wasn't as "perfect" as I would have liked.  But it was fun and very enjoyable seeing how the skycut managed the fabric.  I used Jacquard's cotton fabric.  It's already pre-treated and can be run through the rear tray of my inkjet printer with ease.  

You'll find all the details for creating the hearts and other items for this year's tray on The Artistry.