Izbzee

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 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.  

 

Slider in a box card & more

For this card, I chose the At the Ballpark box card from Simply Crafty SVGs.  You'll find it here.  It's very easy and quick to assemble.  I adapted the baseball diamond and added a slot for a slider.  I chose to use the baseball from the file as the ball for the slider.  I like the size of the ball and it does look like it's being hit out of the park as you pull the slider.  Once the slider component  has been completed, the baseball diamond is added to the back insert using foam strips.  

The Grand Slam title is part print to cut and cut.  It looks like there are 4 layers, but actually, there are only 3.  It is popped up on the insert as are the bats.  

Digital papers from Creative Fabrica.  Other papers from AC Cardstock.  

 

A couple of other cards made recently for a couple of grandsons.  

Both are Pinterest inspired.  

All the papers in the Cool Kid card are from the Manual Labour collection from NitWit Collections.  Lots of fun masculine looking papers and lots of fun ephemera.  It was fun filling 3 inch squares with the papers and then making some cuts after printing.  The stars were filled and the print 2 cut option was used in the SCAL5 Pro Software with the Skycut C24 making all the cuts.  

The background paper for this card was also printed from the Manual Labour collection.  The stars are colored in using Tombow markers.  The tone on tone for the background and personalization for the card was what caught my interest when browsing through Pinterest.  I think it turned out quite nicely and I'm sure that the boys will enjoy their cards when we celebrate birthdays this coming weekend.  

If you haven't set any time aside to do some crafting, today might just be your day! Have a great one and enjoy your creative time!  

August updates

It's mid-month already!  Where did July and the first part of August go?  The days and nights have been filled with all sorts of things.... mostly caregiving, related, though.  Crafting has taken a backseat the last 3 month, but I'm really  hoping to get back into the swing of things here soon.  

Just to prove that I have done some crafting, here are a few of the things I have finished up since my last post in July.

Printed paper pinwheels were part of July's Tiered tray decor.  Discover more here.  

This fun interactive card (lights, spinner and shaker) wasn't has big a challenge as I thought it might be... but loved the Halo light set from Pear Blossom Press.  They were perfect to use on this card.  For all the details click here.  

Birthday cards, anniversary cards and more have filled envelopes and be sent along their way in the last few weeks.  Since there are a few that still haven't been seen or published, I'll post them soon... but not today.  

In the meantime, I hope that you'll be able to find some creative time in the days to come.  Enjoy it and nurture your soul... relieve stress and more!  It's felt so good to spend a little bit of time in the craft room and I'm really hoping that there will be more creative time coming my way in the days and weeks to come.  My want to do list has grown even longer!  

COMING SOON!  Anniversary Easel Stand up card!  

 

Let's Eat Cake

Latest fun on The Artistry is now up and ready for viewing.  Let's Eat Cake originally started as a project to celebrate an upcoming 90th birthday and have every guest leave with a piece of the honoree's favorite pie.

This particular file is available on Creative Fabrica.  It's a fun file and is so adaptable.  3 versions are shared in the blog post found here.  For even more versatility, consider versions for holidays and seasons.  Using printed paper?  The options are endless.  

Just click here to view the blog post or check out some of the my other articles posted there by going to my author's page.  

Stay tuned, more crafting ahead!  Thanks for stopping by.  Hoping you've scheduled some time in your crafting space soon.  

Tropical colors Clock face

AC cardstock Tropical pack was the perfect collection of colors to create this interchangeable clock face for our Summer version.  

We used the same Layered Tree file. Added a slightly larger bottom layer to accommodate the longer clock hands we selected to use with this version.  The colors are vibrant and bright, though it's a bit hard to determine in this photo.  

All the details for creating this version of the Layered Tree clock face can be found here on The Artistry.  
The Winter and Spring Clock faces are also available on The Artistry, in this article.  

Have a wonderful creative weekend!  Enjoy!  

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!  

 

 

Mix it Up Floral Wreath

 

This wreath was a little out of the box for me.  Who'd have thought the poinsettia file would work for this make?  I really like the outcome.  Three digital patterned papers are mixed up in each of the blooms. Details for making this are on The Artistry.  You'll find the post here.   Hope you'll hop on over there and take a peek.  

Floral files:  Poinsettia (leaves and ferns included) and Filler Flower are from Maison Gregoria.  Patterned papers from Creative Fabrica.  

Assembly of the flowers is very easy and quick.  Only three blooms were used for the wreath, but a total of 9 blooms were made using 3 12x12 sheets of photo paper.  And 2 sheets of green for the foilage.  The filler flowers were cut using one 8.5 x 11 sheet of white sketch paper.  

The wreath is currently hanging in our foyer...a matching wreath will be hanging on the door this weekend.  A great welcome to usher in the month of June!  

Thanks for stopping by.  Hoping you are enjoying a wonderful creative week.  Take care and keep on crafting!