Izbzee

whether or weather

The weather has been kind of yucky the last few days.  Lots of dreary days and sometimes it makes it harder to get the supplies out and play.  However, there have been a few days that playing has been accomplished and successful.  

This month's stack was made using another pre-colored digi stamp from Polkadoodles.  It's a simple and clean to complete card.  The SCAL 6 software makes it easy to set up the card front for printing and cutting and then using the  skycut, I get a perfect cut every time. I don't have to recalibrate the camera/laser after a software update either.  Spot on!   

We have a few birthdays in February as well.  So I chose to dig through some stamps and dies and use those for this fun square card.  The bear is from Eileen Hutson, the flowers in a vase stamp is retired (Stampin' Up!) and the Happy Birthday is from Stamper's Anonymous.  The square die is an oldie from Spellbinders.  The background paper is from a very old stack and I colored the images using colored pencils on watercolor paper for a little more texture.  

If you've been following me for a while, I'm sure you know that I love to add lights, sound and movement to some of my cards.  I thought this one would be a fun one.
The penguins "shake" when you shake the card.  They're on a string and hang on the card between two small holes.  It's fun and is a case from a card I saw on Instagram.  I'm pretty sure there will be a few more along this same idea in the future.  Digi paper and penguins for easy print 2 cut and assembly!

The next card is for one of our granddaughters.  Her b-day is coming up shortly and I designed this box card in SCAL 6 and cut most everything with the skycut.  I did use a couple of punches and a die for the smaller embellishments.  The digi stamp is a fun one and it's from Whimsy Stamps.  I used pencils to color this one in too.  this image doesn't have the sentiment on the front yet.  I love how it folds flat and fits into an A2 envelope!  


Yesterday, I decided to play with some circuits again.  It's getting pretty easy to get the LED light ones to work on the first try now.... I used the robot die set from Tim Holtz and distress inks to color the pieces that started out as white paper.  I love playing with color....  This was a case from a card I saw on Pinterest.  The left eye does light up.  


Well, that's it for now.  I have another project to share in a day or so... but typepad isn't cooperating with letting me upload the image at the moment.  LOL  

Hope you've got some creative time built into your week.  Take care and nurture your creative soul as often as you can.  

 

cards, cards, cards

January has been a busy month to get a start on making cards -- my regular stack of cards using a pre-colored digital stamp from Polkadoodles.  Thankfully, they allowed me to make a few extras beyond the Angel Policy for this one. 


I really like how this one turned out.  

Birthdays - there aren't too many, but there are a few.  I used a stamp from MFT for this one and the design was cased from one I found on Pinterest.  I really like how it turned out.  I blended some distress ink on the lettering, added a little sparkle with some Wink of Stella.  The scarf and skates are colored and blended with colored pencil.  I find I still have too heavy a hand with markers.... but I'm working on it!  AND...My hard to please brother liked his!  He lives in Sunny AZ during the winter months and I love to tease him about the weather!  Especially after our 15 inches of snow this month!  I did use scan to cut on the bear.  I love how my Skycut can make the perfect cut time and time again!  



I did get another card designed after seeing something similar on Pinterest... It was fun to create and was the perfect "no sugar" gift for a friend battling cancer.  She would love to have some sweets, but these worked just fine.  

I used basic shapes to create the baking pan and cookies.  I found the spatula online as a free download.  It was perfect.  The paper is a gray from Bazill.  The card front is mounted on an A2 card base in white.  The recipient caught me on Sunday and said that she has been sharing the cards with her friends and family when they visit.  All of the cards I've been sending are now hanging on her fridge and are quite the conversation piece at the moment. a little bit of glossy accents and some fine glitter assed the final touch to the cookies.  

This project was for a challenge - It had to have a "heart shape" in it.  I was excited to have it turn out the way it did and even better, 3 of these will fit on a 12x12 sheet of paper.  Easy to assembly and fun to fill!  Paper is from a old, a really old paper stack from Stampin' Up!  

Next month may be a little lean on finished projects, but I have gotten a head start on a few things... February's stack of cards are completed and I'll post them in a couple of days.  Two of the grands have b-days and their cards are nearly finished.  I have a couple of other projects I'm hoping to finish up in the next few days -- another eye surgery is on the calendar for next month and while the recuperation time is relatively short, it would be nice to be all caught up for the month if possible.  

Hoping you have some creative time carved out this week and over the course of the next month.... Enjoy the time and nurture your heart and soul!  






 

May - went fast!

I spent a majority of the month playing with some new ideas -- and grateful to have finished most of them.  

Most of the finished designs are based on finds at Pinterest.  

Late in the month finish... a cute little flip top box with a mini-album insert.  Scraps used for all.  The paper is from Echo Park's Let Freedom Ring collection.  I did create the star cut border using SCAL.  There's some foiling and stamping in this album as well.  

Mo's Digital Pencil is the creator of the above image.  It's so cute and can be adaptable to most anyone's birthday celebration!  

Another image from Mo's Digital Pencil.  It was the perfect image for an upcoming birthday!  

With Father's Day just around the corner, this fun print and cut and digital colored image from Polkadoodles helped create this fun card for the guys in the family!  I hope they like them.  

Two of the boys have birthdays near the first of the month.  This quick make was perfect for them and includes use of scraps, print and cut and cut using the Skycut and SCAL 5 Pro.  I'm really happy this came together quickly and I'm looking forward to using this file again soon with a different color scheme.  

I made a stack of 18 of these to send out in June.  The digital image was from Polkdoodles (Spring bundle).  I used some old spellbinder border dies and created the ENJOY using a font and a few small rectangles to connect "the dots" if you will.  The word is cut on the skycut and the sentiment on the inside was a print using SCAL as well.  

May was busy -- and June is already filling up with plans for creating.  I'm definitely looking forward to more creative time this coming month.  How about you?

 

 

It's time for our 2022 Holiday Tag Reveal! Tag 1

Tag 1 for this year was inspired by a find in pinterest.  Using SCAL to design and cut on the Skycut C24.   AC cardstock in  Kraft for the base.   The sentiment Merry and Bright is foiled using the foil quill and the standard point.  The holly and berries are from the SCAL library, also cut in Kraft and colored using alcohol markers.  Tied off with a bit of twine.  The pine bough stamp is stamped using Versamark embossing ink.  

These are super easy and quick to make ...  thanks for stopping by today. 

Come on over to our Facebook page -- and see all the other fabulous tags our makers are creating!  

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!  

 

 

 

digi stamps by Vera Lane

It's been so fun to use these quirky digital images from Vera Lane Studio for some upcoming birthday cards.  

The digi stamp is a p2c using the Skycut and SCAL5.  Spot on and perfect cut!  Colored pencils, blended with Gamsol.  The background is "smooshed" using distress inks, water and an acetate sheet.  A few enamel dots were added.  The Happy Birthday stamp is from Stampers Anonymous.  

This "scrappy" slimline card is interactive.  There's a lever mechanism and a wobble in use.  It's so much fun. The colors are bright and and are perfect for the 10 year old it's going to.  All pieces were cut on the Skycut using SCAL 5.  And again, the P2C is spot on with no problem cutting the candle and flames.  The digi stamp was resized without losing any details and is about 1 1/2 inches tall.  Colored pencils, gamsol were used for color on the stamp.  Some hand drawn details were added to the "packages" 

I'm looking forward to using these and a few other digis in my stash in the days to come.  It's so relaxing to do a little coloring and that lever mechanism is easy to set up and use.  It's the same mechanism that was used in this post last year using a digi from Whimsy Stamps.  

Thanks for dropping by and have a crafty day and if today's not your day, schedule in an hour to two this week.  

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!  

Turning 4.... already!

Who knew the last 4 years would fly by so quickly?  He's growing up so fast and it's hard to believe that he will turn 4 next week.  

He's a tall boy and this card I think will bring a smile to his face.

 

The animal stamps are an older set from Pink and Main, Happy Birthday stamp from Stamper's Anonymous (Tim Holtz collection) Crazy Talk.  

A masking technique was used to stack the animals..   Masking is easy to do and requires stamping off on a piece of tissue paper (masking material) or even copy paper and trimming to fit the stamped image.  

TIP:  If there are any components on the stamp you do not want to appear, use a little bit of blue painters tape to cover those parts, ink up your stamp and then remove the tape.  If you're using a fast drying ink, huff a little on the stamp to refresh the ink on the stamp. 

 

Now, layer the mask you stamped previously and ink and stamp the next image.  In this card, the elephant was stamped first.  The lion second, the turtle and monkey are a combined image on one stamp and they were stamped over the mask of the lion.  Pretty simple, but is a fun process.  Color with water soluble pencils.  In this case, I used Caran D'Arche supracolor soft pencils for this card.  They do blend well, dry or wet.  

A sheet of color block paper (in blues) was used for the backing on the AC smooth white cardstock base.  

Birthday "season" has arrived!  Looking forward to making each one a little special this year.  

Thanks for stopping by.  Hoping you're able to fit some creative time into your crowded days.  Keep nurturing your spirit!  It does much good for your mental health too.  

 

rolling into 2021 -- lots of changes ahead

While the pandemic (COVID) continues to create new "normals" on a daily basis, there are more new beginnings for us as well this year.

My plans to retire late 2021 were sped up a bit in late December of 2020 and I was launched into the realm of being free to rethink the timeline.  There's a part of me that is ecstatic about new opportunities and more time to craft and create during the hours I used to spend working. 

New opportunities await  -- ideas and projects that were pushed to the back burner are now moving to the front and may finally see the light of day much sooner than previously thought.

Looking forward to new beginnings starting now.  

Let's begin with a stack of Thank You cards. 

CAS panel - 3.5 x 3.5 print 2 cut on Kraft 
card base - 4 x 8 colored base, scored at 4 along the 8 inch side.  
Adhere panel to card base front*.  
** I chose to insert one of the thank you cards in a frame as a gift for a special friend.  The "box" also contains a small gift.  

All Occasion cards



Panel - 3.75 x 5.00 speech bubble cut out with word (designed in eCal3 and cut on eclips2
card base - 4.25 x 11.00, scored at 5.50 along the 11 inch side.
Attach panel to card base.  
Glue another copy of the word on the card panel

And lastly, Photo print Cards



Panel - print 2 cut image panel (4.00 x 5.25), designed in eCal 3 and cut on eclips2 (photo credit to Debi Tullier)
Vinyl - cut and apply focus word (631 vinyl)
Card base - 4.25 x 11.00, scored at 5.50 along the 11 inch side.
Attach card panel to card base. 

*Scor-tape and Lineco glue used for these projects.  
AC cardstock used for all card bases and boxes in this post

Hoping your outlook for creating time is looking great this year!  Let's get ready for some major creative play!   

 

2020 - 12 Tags of Christmas Tag 11

This challenge is drawing to a close and you really don't want to miss any of the other contributions.  So hop on other to our Facebook page and take a peek at all the phenomenal designs that have been shared.  There are a LOT! 

I"ve kept this year's tags on the simple side for sure.  Maybe next year there will be a little more time to spend creating.  I've got a few ideas sketched in the "idea" book that I hope to have a chance to bring to life in the coming year.  

Here's Tag 11 -- The design is a copycat shape of a previous tag (.  The stamp is from Crafter's Companion and is colored with Ohuhu markers and set on a wobble.  I really like the little bit of action on this tag.   The sentiment is Print 2 cut.  Text on arch  inside and outside.  Font is from CreativeFabrica.  You could use print 2 cut, draw or the foil quill for the lines.  I decided to hand draw them with an ultra fine sharpie pen.  

thanks again for stopping by.  Hoping your holidays are filled with joy, wonder and creative time!