Izbzee

paper and more paper....

I've always enjoyed infinity cards, but the ones I've made in the past have all been on the "girly" design side.  I decided to create my own svg file to cut pieces ahead of time and assemble additional cards when needed.  I took a look at what I could find on Pinterest and there were quite a few to pique my interest.  Loved seeing the Rubix cube version and created one similar to one I found there in a larger size.  

Making cards has always been a favorite pastime.. 30 plus years of stamping and paper play.  The advent of home die cutting machines has changed the face of cardmaking for lots of makers.  I for one, enjoy using SVGs to create one of kind cards or making a large number of cards in one sitting.  

This particular never ending card offers lots of opportunity to use up scraps -- just cut the 10 squares of each color with a paper trimmer. I used my Xyron Creative Station to apply edge to edge adhesive to each of the squares.  No glue mess! 

Finished size of this card was 5 x 5, but could be enlarged or downsized if desired.  

Directions and templates are available on the internet and there's an assembly tutorial over on YouTube. This was the perfect birthday card for one of our grandsons.  I hope he enjoyed it.  

 

 

Tag 5 - Spring Tag Challenge 2020

Well, it's Friday and it's been a fun week. Thanks for dropping by and sharing a bit of your day  or evening checking things out. As you can see I decided to make another shaker card - a perfect way to round out the week.  

The background is an image I purchased on Dreamstime.com - I've used it for a couple of cards and have plans to use it for another couple of projects in the days to come.  I loved the colors and thought they would serve well as the background for this tag.  

Printed on photo paper (4x6 -borderless setting).  

The sentiment is written in the Walking Wind font and is from CreativeFabrica.com  I used the foil quill and some pink glimmer mist foil from Spellbinders.  I think it turned out quite lovely.   

Stack 5 ovals cut using the eclips and ecal and adhere them to form your shaker box, centering the stack around the sentiment.  

Add the sequin mix.  Adhere an oval cut piece of transparency and the top card stock oval.  If desired add a few more sequins to the oval and the tag base.  Add some ribbon or fibers to hang your tag.  

Thanks for joining me this week.  It's been a fun week.  Don't let COVID-19 get you down .... I hope you'll be able to find a few minutes, hours or more to craft as you can.  Be safe, stay well.  

Spring Tag 2020 Challenge

It's that time of year again - with all the chaos that Covid-19 has been causing, this challenge has offered a bit of respite during this period of self-isolation and social distancing.  The first cases of the virus wreaked havoc in the stores as people hoarded certain items and made it nearly impossible for the general public to have access.  One of the items was toilet paper -- and in true crafter fashion Whimsey stamps offered this digital freebie!  

eCal3's Print 2 cut feature was perfect for this tag using the digital image from Whimsey Stamps.
Creative Fabrica's font library provided the font, name of font.  Font was "filled" with the line fill command and printed (I had originally planned on using the foil quill, but my quill broke and I didn't want to wait for the delivery (yeah, some days it's just like that.) You just have to keep crafting.  

Rembrandt colored pencils were used to color Dudley and the print 2 cut feature was used to cut both the tag and Dudley.  

Run the lower 1/3 to 1/2 through an embossing folder and the Big Shot for a little extra texture.  I decided to add a little more dimension using the eBrush and a light gray marker.  Just a little color added enough dimension.  

Using some strategically placed pop-dots place Dudley as desired on the tag and embellish as desired.Add a for a hanger.

 

Hop on over to the eclips/ecal FB page to see what others are making this year.  It's time to get some more crafting on!  Hoping you're finding some time to do the same.  Enjoy!

2019 12 Tags of Christmas Tag 9

A little foil quill and a few sequins and stars make for a quick shaker tag. 

The base is the basic tag shape. with a foil quill image from the Holiday file from WRMK.  The shaker is a stack of 5 rectangles, a piece of transparency and one more rectangle.  The Xyron's edge to edge adhesive made it easy to "build" the container for the translucent sequins and stars.  The whole tag was cut from a 6 x 12 piece of cardstock.  The eclips and eCal3 made this a quick quill and cut project. 

more catching up to do....

Birthdays have been plentiful this month as well as anniversaries -

Here are a couple of projects I made for a couple of grandsons using the eclips and eCal3 and the Xyron Creative Station:

This birthday card is best viewed in a video.... evidently one of my LEDs wasn't quite lined up as it should have been or the battery was having a difficult time lighting up all three LEDs. 

Images for this print to cut card are from @CreativeFabrica!  The background Galaxy paper* can be found here.

The rocket and planet here. 

 

Affiliate links are used in this post. 

 

Hoping you'll enjoy some creative time over the course of the week.  Keep nurturing your creative soul. 

 

 

Revisiting some Summer fun!

It's nearly the 4th of July and Watermelon time is here! I thought I would re-share this post from 2014!  This was my first project using the eBrush as a design team member! 

The end of the holiday season offers a bounty of paper coasters for a minimal cost at the neighborhood dollar stores in our area.  Most of the designs don't catch my eye, but the $.25 a pack makes them worth the purchase.  And here's my latest upcycle of one of the packs in the stash!

Materials needed:
1 pkg - paper coasters (my package had 6 coasters in it)
White cardstock
Craftwell eBrush
Markers, permanent -- for this piece I used Spectrum Noir (two shades of red, green) - if you use a water based marker, you may experience some bleeding when you apply the sealer to the surface...just saying!  :)
Adhesive - permanent bond (waterproof if using a liquid glue) - I used Xyron's permanent adhesive.
Electronic Die Cutting machine to cut your stencils/masks (I used my Sizzix eclips and eCal software)
Zig Marker - black
Waterproof Sealer (for this project, I used Collage Pauge from Aleene's/Duncan Enterprises)
foam brush
emory board or 220 grit sandpaper

Gather all the materials you need.  Open your software; using basic shapes, resize your first circle to 4 inches in diameter.  Create another circle slightly smaller (about 3.350 inches making sure that keep proportions is checked. )  Center inside the 4 inch circle. When you cut these circles, you'll have your "mask" for the outer green and white of your watermelon, while you fill in the watermelon center using your eBrush.  Make another circle at 3.495 inches (keeping proportions checked).  This will be your mask for the center of the melon and the white portion.  Cut your masks.  You'll also need enough 4 inch circles to cover each coaster.

Grab some fine grit sandpaper or an emory board and roughen up the printed side of the coaster -- not a lot, but you do want a little bit of tooth to hold the adhesive when you apply the 4 inch cardstock circle to the top. Wipe any dust off of the surface.   I used my xyron 510 to adhere the cardstock.  Trim edges if necessary. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you used a liquid glue, be sure your surface is smooth and there are no bubbles. Let dry thoroughly.

Center the 3.495 inch circle on your coaster.  Using the eBrush, and a green marker fill in the outer edge.  Use a smooth side to side movement starting off the edge of the coaster and moving towards the center (which is now covered up with your mask).  When you have completed that process and are satisfied with the color and depth, carefully remove the circle and place the other mask on the coaster.  It should be even with the outer edge of the coaster and cover slightly more than the green area you just applied.  Using a lighter red marker, lightly spray the center of the coaster.  I found that setting the nib so it was slight off -- so I got some splotching, I sprayed the entire center.  You can use the side to side method or as I did, used a circular motion to imitate the interior of a natural melon.  I changed markers once I was satisfied and completed using circular motions. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add a few seeds to your slice.  Embellish with a white gel pen if desired.  Once the paper has thoroughly dried, apply at least 2 coats of sealer to the top and sides of the coaster.  Let dry thoroughly between coats and if you can, wait at least 24 hours before stacking or using.  (The humidity is horrible here right now, so I'm giving mine an extra 24 hours before using. 

I have a feeling there will be some oranges, limes and lemons coming soon!  How about you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Join the new CraftwellUSA  Facebook page!  They've got goodies to share as long as supplies last! 

season of change

 

Fall has definitely arrived here.  The leaves are beginning to fall from the trees and the vibrant colors are beginning to fade a bit too.  That's not all that's changed... we're celebrating a huge change for our family!  T starts a new job today!  We're so excited for him! And for part of our celebration, I made this fun combat boot from SVGAttic's My Hero collection. 


I made it extra study since we're loading it down with a couple pounds of goodies. 

His BDUs and dress blues are now out of storage for what I hope is his dream job.  He's excited and looking forward to this teaching experience - middle school math  and possibly coaching X-Country again.  

You'll need:
JGW My Hero Collection from SVGAttic
Sizzix eclips2 and ecal 3
12 x 12 cardstock (stash)
White scrap for "dog tag*"
Shoe lace (I used some ribbon from my stash since the regular shoelace was too thick for my holes)
eyelets (15)
eyelet tool
adhesive (Lineco book binder glue)
Xyron
Markers (Tombow - blue, Spectrum Noir - black) optional

*I created a print to cut dog tag using the rounded rectangle shape in the library and didn't use the one supplied in the kit.

Follow the directions posted here to put your boot together.  I think I would add the toe to the boot before adding gluing to the sole piece.  My fingers had a difficult time getting into a couple of places to make sure that the tabs were in place correctly. 

Thanks for stopping by and hope you will be creating and crafting soon!  Check in with you again soon! 

boo

This was a quick card project -- though it could be mounted and framed t00.  I've used basic shapes to create the background, and the moon from the library in eCal3.  The house, bat and tree are from SVGCuts Fright Night Box card and the fence if from Dreaming Tree's Stingy Jack's Halloween Lantern.  I used a serif font for the BOO.  The background and fence were cut from white paper and inked for color.  The house, bat and tree from black and inked.  the BOO and moon from the colored stock and inked.  I cut two boos and used the Xyron "X" to add adhesive to the back.  I cut some thin pieces of pop up dots for the tree.  The eclips and eCal 3 software made this so easy to cut! 

The finished card measures about 4.5 by 3 inches and the inside of the card has a flap allowing for a light sensor audio chip  and also makes the card a little more sturdy. 

You'll need:
cutting machine and software (Sizzix eclips2, eCal3)
SVG Cuts Fright Night Box Card
Dreaming Tree Stingy Jack's Halloween Lantern
Cardstock (white, black and dark yellow)
Inks (light yellow, dk yellow, dark olive green, light olive green, mid-blue, white)
Blending tool and felt pads
Glue
Xyron X with permanent adhesive
Pop up dots (stash)

playing with clay.... again.

I was pretty excited to win a sampler pack of clay from Polyform Products aka Sculpey.  I was excited to see all the colors and wanted to start playing as soon as they arrived, but life had other plans..... until this morning.  This piece is ATC size, loaded with mica and involves a real live leave from the sycamore tree that shades our west facing yard.

Let's get started.

You'll need:
Clay - black or brown
Mica (Mixed Media Supplies)
Leaf (from a tree or plant)
Gelli Print (stash)
Digital stamp (Mixed Media Supplies)
Tombow Markers
Glossy Resin
Xyron Creative Station (permanent adhesive)
1/4" double stick tape (ScorTape)
soft bristle paint brush. 
Pasta Machine (for clay conditioning)
Acrylic roller
Craft Knife
Card stock (white 3 x 4 inch piece)

Condition clay as directed by manufacturer, beginning at 1 and finishing at 3.

If you need to, clean and dry the leaf to remove any dirt or chemicals.  Apply a coat of mica powder to the back of the leaf (there is more texture there). 

Place the leaf on the clay with the mica facing the clay.  Using the acrylic roller, roll the leaf lightly into the clay.  Leave in place and trim the excess clay using the craft knife.  Remove the unneeded clay and remove the leaf. 

At this point bake the clay according to manufacturer's directions.  Let cool and remove from baking plate. 

Print the dragonfly on vellum in the desired size.  Color on the wrong side (non-printed) as desired using Tombow markers.  The color is transparent on the vellum.  Cut as close to the outside lines as you can.  Apply a light coat of the glossy resin to the printed side of the dragonfly.  Set aside to draw.

Assemble the background.  Because my gelli print is done using copy paper, I add an extra backing of cardstock the same size as the ATC (2.5 x 3.5 in).  Then I add another backing that frames the gelli print (3 x 4).  Adhere using your favorite method.  I run the gelli print through the Xyron for edge to edge coverage.  Adhere the clay leaf to the gelli print, add the dragonfly and frame as desired. 

Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek today.  Hoping you have some creative time on your calendar this week!  Nurture your heart! 

Love at Home

"There is beauty all around When there's love at home." *

I purchased some wood shaped houses a while back and I decided I would use them for this last post of May. 

You'll need:
Wood Houses in graduated sizes (Fun Stampers Journey)
Digital Journal Pages (Mixed Media Supplies)
Doily stencil
Digital photo editing program (Photo Shop Elements)
Digital cutting machine and software (Sizzix eclips2, eCal2)
American Typewriter (light) Font
Souffle Polymer Clay (Gold)
Modeling Paste
Acrylic Medium (or Gel Medium)
Gesso
Digital paper (This & That Collection from Echo Park)
Foam brush (1 inch)
Glossy Accents or Hot Glue Gun
Craft knife
Scissors
Xyron X with permanent adhesive
Sandpaper
eBrush, TB adapter
Tombow markers
Ink

Prep your wood. Apply a thin coat of Gesso and let dry. 


This piece has an oops!  I started out doing a transfer and it didn't work out as planned -- so this piece has been sanded and a second light coat of Gesso was added. 

Open your photo editing program and open the journal pages you want to use.  I created a new file and set the size to the same size as the largest house.  Copy and paste a small portion of the desired journal page into the new file as a new layer.  Using the Type Tool, create your text.  Adjust size if needed.   Repeat for the other two houses adjusting the size of the base layer. 

Print the papers for the houses on copy paper.  Print the digital paper from the Echo Park collection on cardstock (110 lb). 

Using the acrylic medium, apply a thin coat to the wood and burnish the journal page prints to the houses.  Trim with the craft knife as needed.  Let dry.

Using the stencil and the modeling paste stencil on the largest house as desired.  You can repeat on the other houses if you'd like.  Let the modeling paste dry thoroughly. 

With the eBrush, lightly spray some color around the edges of the houses.  You'll get some color on the modeling paste, but that is fine. 

Using the cutting machine, cut the lettering using American Typewriter  as desired.  My lettering is just a bit over 1 in high.  Apply adhesive to the back of the lettering by using the Xyron X and permanent adhesive.  Apply to the houses. 

Soften the clay according to manufacturer's direction.  Use a texture plate and add a little texture to the clay.  Cut in to the heart shape using a cutter or a template.  Bake according to the manufacturer's direction.  Let cool.  Attach the heart using some Glossy Accents or hot glue gun. 

Cut some strips from the digital paper.  Measure and trim as needed.  Using the ink or the eBrush, add a little color along each of the edges to soften the colors just a bit. Using some double stick tape, or glue, apply the "roof" to each house. 

 

*(Love at Home, Text and music: John Hugh McNaughton

 

Thanks for stopping by today.  Have oodles of fun in your creative endeavors!