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Halloween with Simply Crafty SVGs

It has been a joy creating this fun piece that will be displayed in our front hall next month. Three files from the many Halloween files available at Simply Crafty SVGs.  I took a little liberty with the boot and the cat -- and I'll share a little more about that in a bit.  

I started with the Hovering Witch Hat.  Resized to 50% of the original file and assembled according to the video Sandy created.  Sandy suggested the use of tweezers on the upper pieces of the hat.  They were an essential tool -- as the space was too small for my fingers to fit to hold while the glue set.  

Ink all the edges of the flower pieces.  Sandy's idea shown in her video are perfect.  I added a small glittery sequin for the center of the flower on the hat and used an old technique for the creating some suede like paper for the leaves and the fern.  

Resize all pieces to 50%.  I altered the Witch Boot Lantern file slightly by cutting the large panels for the top of the boot in half, punching small holes to thread the ribbon through. Before threading the ribbon in the holes, ink all the edges of the panels. Once you've completed the threading, the panels are then adhered to the boot using your favorite method.  Tie a bow in the ribbon.  

 

The cat is made of fabric and the face is from the Black Cat Treat box.  I layered the facial features together and grouped them.  Then resized to about 2 x 2.1 inches.  Using the IkonArt Stencil kit, a stencil was created and then stenciled using some acrylic heavy duty paint on some black fabric.  Heat set the image.  The fabric was stitched around the outside of the image with a small body added and then lightly stuffed.  The stuffed image is tea stained to add a little distressed look.  

The fact that this piece is stitched and has raw edges, it is meant to fray.  If you choose to try this, you'll want to choose a tightly woven fabric.  

Fill the boot with some sphagnum moss (brown/gray) Set the cat in the boot.  You can use a bamboo skewer glued to the inside of the heel of the boot to make sure the cat stays in place if you're worried about shifting.   Place the hat on the cat and tip as desired.  

 

Additional supplies: 
SCAL 5 Pro and Skycut C24 were used to cut all paper pieces.  
Liquitex Heavy Body White Acrylic Paint
Foam brush
AC cardstock (white, black)
Bazzil cardstock (purples)
embossing folder (optional)
Digital paper (Halloween Gnome Paper Packs from PolkaDoodle)
IkonArt Stencil Kit.  
Printer
Distress inks
White pigment ink
Black Fabric
Sewing machine
Polyester stuffing
Grunge mix for tea stain
Ribbon (1/8")
1/8" round paper punch
Sphagnum moss
glittered sequin (Hocus Pocus mix from Kat Scrappiness)
Bearly Art Precision Glue
ScorTape (1/8", 1/4")

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope you have some creative time carved out this weekend.  Enjoy.

 

 

Light the candle - cupcake spinner card

I couldn't leave the spinner cards alone and decided to try another one - this one with a birthday theme. 

The Reindeer Spinner Card and the Cupcake Center Panel Card files are from Simply Crafty SVGs (links below).  The candle lights up too.. and if you pull the slider just enough to close the circuit, the candle light flicker!  

The Chibitronic blog has some great examples to look at and I snagged this idea from there.  To create the card, you will need to resize the cupcake (and decorative pieces) a bit.  I used vellum for the flame on the candle.  The vellum will allow the light to shine through.  

I cut all the pieces for this card from 110 lb cardstock.  Plan on a little bit of time to create the circuit if you've not created one before.  Follow Eiko's video (here) for step-by-step details on how to sew the conductive thread to the light and to the circuit.  It's a very important part of the process.  

The circuit:  

For this card, I did used another battery instead of the CR2016 recommended because I was out of that size.  Since making this card, I've been able to pick up a couple of extra batteries to have on hand as I have several other ideas for a few upcoming cards and batteries will be required!  

Once you've got things assembled, turn that cupcake around and get ready for some fun!  

The sentiment is a self-designed cut I created in SCAL 5 Pro and cut using the Skycut. 

You'll need: 
Chibitronic LED light (white was used in this project)
Copper tape with adhesive backing
conductive thread
foam tape
CR2016 battery
Heavy duty double sided tape
Bearly Art Glue
Decorative paper (1 8.5 x 11 inch sheet)
110 lb cardstock for card base and circuit layer and sentiment.  
scissors
paper piercer
electronic cutting machine 
Reindeer Spinner card (Simply Crafty SVGs)
Cupcake Center Panel Card (Simply Craft SVGs)
vellum (transparent)
yellow, orange and red alcohol markers

Thanks for stopping by.  Hoping you're enjoying some creative time this week as well.  

Mixed Media Scroll book

It's been a while since I've done much with mixed media, but this was a fun project and definitely something I'll be doing again.  

Way back when, I remember as a child building a cardboard TV with a scroll and filling the paper on the scroll with pictures.  And we'd have our own fun evening switching out the scrolls and laughing at our art.  Now, as an adult, it's a fun way to use digital images for backgrounds and the base for some mixed media painting and texture.  

You'll find all the details for this project, once again, on The Artistry!  I'm up for doing this project again and likely, sooner rather than later.  For a peek at all of my projects on The Artistry at Creative Fabrica, you can find them here.  

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you'll find some creative inspiration today!  

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!  

 

 

 

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.  

 

Twinchie Paper Quilt

this project was created for The Artistry.  I'm really pleased with how it turned out.  The pictures don't do it justice and with all the stormy weather we had last week, even studio lights didn't help as much as I would have liked.  That being said, I hope you'll stop by and take a peek at the process shared in this article.  

And look for the bonus tip at the end of the article for the glass heart embellishment.  

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you'll find some creative time in your near future! 

a little more shaking going on...

Nope, not earthquake related though there have been a few very mild shakers  recorded, we just haven't felt them.  

I couldn't help but make a few more using the TP kit from Queen & Co.  AC cardstock for the bases and the black background.  An old Recollections stack from Michaels for the patterned paper.  

These are so easy to put together and one of the advantages of of using the precut foam is that you can make a few shakers in advance and have them at the ready when needed. I found my stash of clear seed beads to use as a filler for these shakers.  I'm hoping the recipients enjoy a laugh or two as well.  

For each card you'll need:
White card base for a 4 inch square card (4 x 8 inches, scored at 4 inches on the long side)
4 inch square of black AC cardstock
3 1/2 inch square of patterned paper
1 1/2 x 1 3/4 rectangle of black AC cardstock
Scrap white for sentiment
TP kit (dies, foam and acetate) from Queen & Co. 
Seed beads or other filler for the shaker
3 x 6 inch white textured AC cardstock

Die cutting machine (Big Kick by Sizzix)
Adhesive of choice (Lineco Glue and Scor Tape)
pop up dots
Anti static buddy
ink pad (black)
Stamp positioner
Paper trimmer 
Scissors (optional)

Using the dies, cut the elements you need.  All of the dies were used for this project -- the large plain cut became the back of the shaker.  It fits perfectly and can also be used to cut the acetate as well.  

Ink edges of the die cuts if desired.  That wasn't done for this trio of cards.  Assemble the base of the shaker.  Assemble the top of the shaker.  Rub the anti-static buddy on the underside of the acetate.  Fill the base of the shaker as desired.  Remove the top paper to expose the adhesive and apply the shaker top to the base.  Press firmly to get a good seal.  Set aside.

Layer the pieces of cardstock and patterned paper as shown in the image above and secure with your preferred adhesive.  Apply the shaker using some strong double sticky tape.  

If you haven't already, stamp your sentiment -- there are several to choose from in the kit and each one brings a smile.  Choose the one that best suits yours.  Adhere as desired.

This is a quick make and easy to get a few done in just a little bit of time if the shakers are pre assembled.  

Hoping you're creating time in your busy week to do some nurturing of your soul.   Have an amazing sort of creative day, week and launch into a brand new month of creativity.    

Where sunsets and slimline cards meet

I was so excited to get the Slim Line Die-cutting system from Picket Fence Stamps.  8 dies and so many possibilities!  as soon as I saw the set, I knew what I was going to do first!

You'll need: 
Picket Fence Slim Line Die-cutting system (SDCS-100)
Black cardstock (American Crafts Smooth)
White cardstock (American Crafts Textured)
Big Shot
Distress Inks (see images for colors)
blender
adhesive (Score Tape

White Gel pen (Sakura)
Susanna Font* (Creative Fabrica)
electronic die cutting machine (eclips 2 and eCal3 software with pen tool)

Die cut the slim line card front using the narrow rectangle and the tree line dies using the black cardstock.  I set the treeline die about 1/2 inch down from the top of the rectangle.  

Create you sunset background using the distress inks, blender tool on the white textured cardstock.  Blend the colors as shown in the images below.    

 

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Adhere the sunset image behind the trees cutout.

Using your electronic die cutting machine and software and the Susanna font, create your sentiment.  The sentiment measures W 1.594 x H 0.630 (inches)  Make sure that you've set the text lines to DRAW. Place the sentiment as desired on your card.  Proceed to the cutting window, making sure you have the settings to DRAW, and you're using the pen tool, draw the sentiment on your cardstock.  

This is a very simple card front and easy to complete in just a few minutes. 

 

A stack would be easy to put together in a short period of time... and you could create a number of sentiment to go with your backgrounds.  Try a galaxy or a starry night or a snowy night.  Add a little "snow" to the trees for more dimension and interest.  

What's crafting in your corner this week?  Nurture your creativity and schedule some in a little creative time doing something you enjoy! 

*Disclaimer:  Some affiliate links have been used in this post.  Using the affiliate link does not add any additional costs to you.  Any proceeds I may receive are used to purchase/replace supplies for future projects.  

 

2019 12 Tags of Christmas Day 12

Today is the final reveal... Another simple tag and using stamps from my stash.

Find a fun snowflake and place on your tag and if desired, using the eCal software, choose path and back minus front.  Design your sentiment.  It's a little difficult to read Christmas on this one... sorry about that.  Use the foil quill to draw and then cut the tag.  I cut a second tag for the background piece. 

Stamp the tree.  I chose to use a color that would give a faint image, then added some background color.  Add a little snow to the branches if desired using a white gel pen.  Add some sparkle.  Set aside. (Stamp is from SU, retired)

Stamp the front of the tag. (Snowflake stamp is from Pink and Main, retired) I decided to heat emboss with some detail white embossing powder,

Glue the tag front to the stamped background.