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My Father in law has been asking to hear the songbirds.  Sadly, they're not making a regular appearance as the bird feeders and bird bath aren't set out yet. However, in the meantime, I created this fun piece to hopefully cheer his spirits a bit.  

The birdhouse and lattice SVG files are from Creative Fabrica.  This piece is being featured on their blog, The Artistry, here.  For additional details regarding cutting and assembly of the birdhouses and lattice, please visit the blog post there.  

The recordable EZSound Box is from InviteByVoice and was the perfect way to incorporate the songbirds' songs.  Take a listen:  

 

To record your audio, just follow the easy instructions included in the packaging or watch the video found here. 

Once the recording is done, insert the box into the box.  Attach the button to the back of the box with some adhesive.  NOTE:  We generally switch out the contents of the box every few months, so we don't attach anything permanently.  

On a side note, we're setting up the bird feeders and baths this next week -- they'll be just outside the window by his chair so he can watch them daily.  

 

popcorn... can you smell it?

 

This was a really fun interactive box card to make.  The original file is from CyndyGSvg and can be found here.  I adapted the insert to become a shaker feature by cutting off the side tabs.  I placed an acetate window on the back of the insert.  Add the popcorn pieces and the popper piece to the front of the insert.  Embellish the front, sides and back of the box card as desired. Set this piece aside.  


I added a piece of card to the bottom of the insert to make sure there was room for the mini-motor and battery to be added.  It's a really simple circuit to put together and works well using copper tape or the conductive fabric tape which I used for this version.  The motor is placed behind the popcorn, not the popper at the top of the insert.  I tried it both ways, but got better movement of the sprinkles with the motor behind the area where the popcorn elements were at the bottom of the window.  Set this piece aside.  

For the shaker element, I stacked 7 square windows (not included in the file)and made sure that they were securely glued together.  With the card laying open and flat, back side up; adhere the window to the back of the front panel. Adhere the stacked square windows. If using a liquid glue let dry fully, before adding sprinkles.  I found some cloud sprinkles that would work (Happy Kawaii Supplies) for the popcorn and then added some round filler for a little more interaction when the motor is engaged.  Now, you can line up and adhere the insert to close the shaker.  Test the motor.  I added a small piece of tape to keep the battery in place, but left the switch open.  It will close when the card is flat but not standing.  To mail, you'll want to add a strip of paper that will keep the switch from closing.  Make sure the recipient knows to remove it before using the motor.  

It's really a fun card to make and will surprise your recipient.  

florals

I had so much fun creating the flowers for these and putting them into their "vases."  The pitcher was designed by Sandy Stark of Simply Crafty SVGs.  I was having such a difficult time in Blender making my own, that once again, I turned to her for help.  She'd been working on a design similar to the one I had been trying to create that she offered to finish hers up and  let me test the file.  I LOVED IT!  I've made a few and added flowers from different designers since the first make back in 2022.  

I was hoping to imitate a speckled enamel version with the blue pitcher.  I think I achieved it.  The solid blue paper is from Michael's (Recollection) and has a smooth surface on both sides.  TIP:  Cut the paper on the wrong side.  This will put all the score lines on the inside and your can basically wrap the cylinders and glue with just the slightest sight of the score lines.  It's simple to put together... and forming the handle is really easy too.  I did splatter the cuts with watered down white paint before assembly for the speckled look.  

The rose file is from SVGCuts.  I cut all the pieces for the rose and leaves at 50% of the original size.  The rose is cut on cream paper (AC textured cardstock #80) and inked using some yellow and orangey inks.  I also used cloth wrapped wire in place of the skewers suggested in the original file and video.  

The cosmos is from Dreaming Tree.  The pieces are also cut at 50% of the original size from a light pink for the flower, yellow for the sepals and the same color of green for the the flower center and leaves.  I used some embossing tools and a set of tweezers to add some additional details to the flower after cutting and inking.  

The tiny blue and white flowers were from Dream Posies and were cut at 100%.  I added some Nuvo drops to the center of each wired flower - I really like how they turned out.  

The "leather leaf" file is from Creative Fabrica - and I reduced the size to about 75%.  I wanted to add a little extra texture to the leaves to I used an embossing folder and then inked the entire leaf with a slightly darker than the paper ink.  

I'm not a professional floral designer or arranger and don't profess to be, but I think these turned out pretty good and from the look on our neighbor's face when I delivered one of them to her, I did okay.  LOL

Hoping your day has been or will be a good one.  Enjoy some time outside and marvel at the beauty that surrounds you.  

2025 5 Spring Tags Reveal - Tag 5

It's time to share the last tag for this year's reveal.  It's been so fun to see what the rest of the group has come up with, though I wish we could get a few more people to participate from the overall group.  

Tag #5 has some dimension and movement.  The tag shape is combined shapes from the library.  The panel is a print 2 cut using a paper from a Polkadoodles Spring collection.  The flower is an adapted shape, using a couple of layers of vellum which has been colored with some ink refills.  The ladybug button is from my stash and is adhered to a mini-vibrating button motor.  The circuit is  attached to another tag shape below the top layer.  Hello is vinyl and burnished to the front panel.  


The tag I chose not to use:  
This is a fun tri-fold card downsized to a tag.  The original inspiration is from Pinterest.  The digitals are from Polkadoodles.  the pop up is a simple box mechanism with the digital attached to the pop-up.  Once folded, I added a button magnet to keep things closed.  

 

2025 5 Spring Tag Reveal - Tag 4

It's about time to round up this year's reveal..  only one more day left after today's share.  My last two tags for this challenge were fun to make and involve that "little extra."  Today's involves a sound module from Invite By Voice (you can purchase them through Amazon for quicker delivery).  I found this fun sun in a file from Etsy... I colored the watercolor background panel using distress ink from Ranger and added a foil quilled sentiment to that panel before attaching the sun using foam dots. I love using the sound cards because you can literally put anything on them that you wish.  Record your favorite song, or combined recordings up to 120 seconds (that's 2 minutes) and have some fun.  

The tag that I'm not sharing in the challenge today is: 

I enjoyed doing a little stitching on the burlap ribbon.  The flowers are sequins and attached using Nuvo drops.  I added a little twine to the left side and slid a glass bead from my stash.  The panel is popped up on foam dots.  The ribbon was wired, but I took out the wire so it was much easier.  

2025 Spring Tag Reveal - Tag 3

One thing I really like about the tag challenges is that you can use scraps and I do have lots of those!  Most papercrafters do!

The chick in the tag below is made using a scrap of yellow AC cardstock, a 3 x 2 inch scrap of black vinyl (and the same for a piece of black cardstock.  A tiny triangle of orange, and an embossing folder. Add a little more interest using a feather, and pan pastels.  I wanted a little gloss for the glasses -- so I applied the black vinyl to the scrap of black paper.  That particular cardstock requires multiple passes, I just added another pass to get a good clean cut.  I think this version has a little more masculine look.  







I almost used the tag shown below -- but decided not to since I used a die set for the carrots and a tag base already cut from previous project. The grass is from an Easter SVG collection.  I used a brick embossing folder and added some gray ink to the raised parts, wiping a good portion of the ink away.  The peeker rabbit is also from the Bine Brandle collection.  I resized and cut it using the print 2 cut feature in SCAL.  It's attached to the tag using some foam tape for added interest and dimension.  I like how it turned out.  It is fun to use different mediums and tools to create.  OH, and the carrots are from a scrappin diva die set.

These tags are cut using SCAL 6 Pro and a Skycut C24.  I've used scraps or stuff in my leftover bags for both of these tags.  

Hoping you've got some creative time carved out and are enjoying some awesome spring weather!  

2025 Spring Tags Reveal - Tag 2

As I reflect on this year's tags, most of them have an Easter theme...  I guess I'm really looking forward to the holiday this year.  While a couple of the upcoming shares aren't specific to Easter, I love how they turned out as well.  

Tag 2 (above) uses another rabbit image from the Bine Brandle collection.  They are super cute and quite a few to choose from!  
Again, this is a simple tag - I used another shape from the library (I created a blackout shadow of the egg found in the Spring folder).  The rabbit and egg are colored using pencils and the tag base is light inked along the left edge for a little more contrast.  The egg the rabbit is holding is popped up using a foam dot.  The sentiment stamp is from a retired Stampin' Up! set.  

The base for this tag is a leftover from a previous project.  I stamped the back side of the photo paper printed tag with a black staz-on ink pad as the back of the glossy paper was still a little "slick."  I did add some pastel color using some other ink pads and blended them.  Once the ink was set, I used another print 2 cut digital image from the same collection used above and popped it up on the tag.  

AC cardstock 80 lb, Neenah 110 lb, and glossy photo paper were used for these tags.  Print 2 cut images were cut using SCAL 6 and the Skycut.  

it's time for the 2025 Spring Tags Reveal

It's been an interesting week working to create the tags for this year's reveal.  A few of the test runs won't be used for this year's challenge since they don't meet the criteria -- but all of them were fun to make.  

Let's start with the first tag that will be used in this year's Reveal.

Tag #1:  Super simple tag... using a tag shape from the SCAL library, I used the rabbit is a black and white digital image from a collection by Bine Brandle colored using pencils and the polkadot strip is made using a dotted stencil cut on the Skycut and then I used Nuvo drops to "fill the dots".  I like the way it turned out and that little bit of sparkle is perfect!  I did use an old punch for the cut at the bottom of the tag.  The tag and rabbit are cut using the Skycut and SCAL software.  

One of the tags I didn't use:  


This tag uses some leftovers from a previous project.  The flower is a die set from the Greetery.  The oval is a cut using a spellbinder set of oval dies and is paper from a retired stack.  The rabbit is a digital image from the same set used above - a print 2 cut using the Skycut and SCAL.  

Tomorrow's post will also feature  2 tags again -- one for the reveal and another I chose not to use.  I can't wait to see what the rest of the group shares this week!  

Hoping you've set aside some creative time this week.  Enjoy the day!  

February's makes

It was a fun and creative month for me.  I tried some "new to me" techniques and most were met with success after the first, second or third tries.  

It was fun creating each of these layers for this card for one of our granddaughters.  This was the test piece to see how all of the detailed cuts would fit together.  It worked.  

The video link shows the inside pop-up of the card 
https://youtu.be/XhiivEZ1bEU

 

Valentine's Day was fun, first a very simple card using a printed sentiment and a 3D embossed panel.    

The hexi box card file from Simply Crafty SVGs and had a little fun making it my own. 
https://youtube.com/shorts/8fwIt4qkhX4

links aren't embedding the videos -- so click on the link below:

https://youtube.com/shorts/8fwIt4qkhX4?feature=share

 

I'm loving pop-ups and cards that are interactive.  February's makes were full of interactive and pop-ups...  Many of the mechanisms were new to me and it was fun to learn how to do them.  The card below is for another granddaughter whose birthday is in a couple of weeks.  



while no pop-ups or movement per se, this one was fun too.  The cutting machine did most of the work.  And a watercolor printed background was used behind the cutouts.  



This next card was so much fun to make.  It took a bit of work to get the mechanism to work just right, but it does and I'm glad we got it to work.

oops,  no pic of this one...  and I'm running out of time to get this done....so here's a 

Again, the youtube links aren't embedding, so take a look here:  https://youtu.be/kYs_1odnVZY

 

There are a couple more in the February folder, but I think I'll save them for a little later... Happy to have had some time to create and I'm looking forward to a great month ahead.  

1 month down...

I've spent a good part of the month organizing my "new to me space" again.  It took a while to get the paper moved from the downstairs studio upstairs and find space for it all.  Let's just say that when that mission was accomplished, it felt pretty good.  I knew there was a lot of paper --- but it was hard to fathom that there was "that much!"  Now that paper organization is out of the way for a "little while," it's definitely time for a little bit of creativity.

This is a combination of a couple of files from Simply Crafty SVGs.  I changed the Bunny Crate box into a box card by removing the bottom from the file.  I used the bunny butt from the Bunny Butt Treat box and the carrots are from the Easter Truck box card.  


I wanted to do another Layered Shadow Box project and found this one.  I used the same color scheme as the sample -- it was fun and easy to create!  This file is from DrizyStudio.com  


And one more that I can share at this point in time.... The Egg box file is from Simply Crafty SVGs.  I've used this file before and it's super easy to assemble and accessorize.  Some dry embossing, inking, sanding finish off the egg.  The added "floral corsage" with some ribbon ends, adds the finishing touch.  Daisy from Simply Crafty, filler flowers and ferns from Maison Gregoria.  


Ministering cards for the month of February are done and should be arriving at their respective new homes today.  I was inspired by a watercolor drawing I found on Instagram.  I used Procreate to "draw" a faux watercolor image to use as a focal image on the fun fold card.  



That's about it for this month.  I've still got a few pics to take of some other projects... we'll have to see how things move forward next month.  

Hope you get some creative time over the next few weeks.  Enjoy the time nurturing your soul.   

 

January 2025

I'm  not sure where this year or this month is going to take me - but I do hope it will be a good year.  

I've been making cards -- and yes, the stack of January cards were delivered on the 31st of December with the exception of 4 which will be hand delivered today.  I used my postage mat and a couple of images from Creative Fabrica for this card.  I love the fact that I can use clip path and have the background image look like it was hand painted or stenciled in place. 





I found this idea on Instagram and was able to get a free copy of the file.  I really like it and it's quick to put together once you decided on your papers and embellishments.  I'm definitely going to have to invest in some more ribbon this year.  My stash is getting pretty lean!  The digital papers and ephemra are from Hello Valentine by Echo Park.  No glue needed for the basic pieces though I did use some double sided tape to hold the transparent wrap in place.  

I've decided to revive the monthly decorated tree again.  I've got a space to put it in and most of the "ornaments" are already made - though I do have plans to incorporate a few new ones as the months unfold if I can keep the momentum going. 

I made a couple of items for the tiered tray this year -- These are pretty simple... one with Jenga blocks and the other is just a simple narrow box.  I think they both turned out nicely.  Inspired by finds on Pinterest.  Fonts from Creative Fabrica





We also celebrate our anniversary this month.  Amazingly, we've made it to 31 years and we still like each other a lot!  LOL  I found this file through an ad on FB (Crazy Cat Svg).  While I do like the finished piece, I'm not very happy with the way the file comes bundled.  I realize the stacking is necessary, but the layers are not clearly labeled and you have to go through each to find the one you want, make any changes needed, save the changes and then hide everything but what you plan on cutting.  I did find that one of the layers was off about 1/8 of an inch -- enough to make a difference in the look... I was able to fix it without having to recut the layer on the machine.  Getting T to sit long enough for a pic proved to be a bit of a challenge.. but we got it done  


It's only the 5th and there's more on my craft table for the month.  Can't wait to fire up the machine again in the coming week.  Have a great month and enjoy your creative time!