Simon Says Monday Challenge & a FREE cutting file!

I just ♥ when a challenge comes along the exact time I’m thinking up a new creation in my head.  This is just what happened when I saw this Monday’s Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and the theme is No Rules.

I decided to step up to the plate with a new cutting design I dreamed up in my head and will also offer it to you today too!

I decided to create this gift box and little gift tags set from the ground up.  I thunk it all up in the night as I fell off to sleep.

After I designed this cut for your Silhouette cutting machine (I have a Cameo) I made a few tweaks and then added these darling little gift tags as well.  This designer paper I chose “Fanciful Be You” by Junkitz is double sided so I added a piece of plain pink copy paper to the inside so the tags can be written in.  If you’re using one sided paper you won’t have to. 

And after the tags were all assembled with bits of twine (you might choose ribbon or sometimes I find crochet cotton is perfect for this as it comes in many colors and is inexpensive. Without further ado, here is the cutting file for you to enjoy.  I hope you’ll send folks here to download this FREEBIE – I do love a little comment ♥ if I must say.  Its like a hug for creating and sharing! 

 

DOWNLOAD

zipped file with previews

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Beautiful Rose Vinyl Card

As you know if you visit here often, I’m rather obsessed with vinyl for making cards.  I love the flexibility of it and how you can make very precise cuts - even teeny tiny … if you are don’t mind working slowly and carefully.  I enjoy being able to scale the graphics to sizes that fit any project I choose. 

I wanted to make my Mother in Law a card to celebrate a milestone birthday so I went looking for a perfect image.  I found a lovely coloring page image at THIS site. 

Coloring page images make terrific cuts if the lines are solid.  This image had everything I liked.  I did not provide the actual image here because I don’t know if it’s copyrighted, however you might trace it yourself.  If you are new to the Silhouette Designer Edition Software you might watch the following video which will explain to you about the different types of tracing images and how you can trace.

 

Great video which explains which images trace better than others and how to do this!

Here is how my card turned out:

Supplies:

Textured Cardstock

Designer Paper - Recollections

Vinyl - black

Arches Watercolor Paper - 140 lb

Watercolor Pencils & Aqua Brush

Modge Podge

Glitter

Stamp - whatever theme you wish

Twine

Methods:

For the Modge Podge/Glitter step you can visit THIS previous post.

For the Vinyl shape - I simply traced the rose and transferred it to my watercolour paper. 

I hope this has been helpful to you and you create some lovely cards using vinyl.

Technorati Tags: Silhouette,Silhouette Cameo,vinyl,handmade card,greeting card,DIY,Mrs Miles

Another Family Challenge Card!

Thanks to Judy for choosing this challenge.  It’s a “Family Thang” - once in a while my sister Nina and I and Judy up and try out something new.  We don’t have any formal order about who’s next but somehow it all works out. 

Judy invited us to try out the stamping technique demonstrated in this video:

Masked Stamp Technique

The lady who is speaking here sounds uncannily like my friend Pam!  Oh how I ♥ an accent!

And here is my take on this technique:

Supplies:

Designer Paper - Crate paper Pad - “my story”

Stamps:

fiskars (what’s up?)

Studio G (Say what?)

Ink - Stampin’ Up

American Crafts (chevron)

Ribbon: Offray

Ok, so I took a couple of liberties with this challenge. 

Technorati Tags: Card,Cameo,Studio G,Stampin' Up

The first being I used an oval shape (paper cut for a mask) rather than the exact shape of the stamp.  I just felt it would be too busy if I did it exactly as the video did.  I stamped the chevrons all around, leaving a space for the “what’s up?”  I actually stamped in purple as it is the complementary color to yellow but it just made it gray, which actually worked quite well.

And I added an embellishment because it looked kinda naked.  A simple ribbon, bow, a tiny flower cut with my CAMEO and a square gem!

I hope you will take a moment to visit both Judy and Nina to see how their cards turned out too!

Brilliant Lollipop Themed Card & FREE .studio Cutting file!

I’m just a “sucker” for simple and bright card and I am on a real kick for using vinyl lately so I decided to try out a simple design I had in mind. 

I am the queen of frugal, (because I choose to stay at home and try to live out my dream to create, create and create but it does not make me rich by any means)  When I make it to “real” high end craft stores I can often but drool over some supplies I’d like to have but accept that within my budget its not going to happen.  Out of this is born so many of my greatest ideas and designs. 

One of the wonderful things I felt attracted to in the stores were the Elizabeth Craft Designs Peel off Stickers.  They are fun and wonderful and I totally think they are worth the asking price.  I have bought a few packages when my Mr. came with me and he said I should treat myself. 

They are wonderful to stick and fill with ultra fine glitter or even just paint or ink.  But there are two limitations I found (besides the price for me)  The first thing is they are all sort of the same size - so here’s me who likes to custom tailor almost everything…

and the other thing is there are only so many designs (which are very nice, indeed) but again, I’m a rebel and I like a huuuuuge variety and I like to size it to fit whatever project want to do. 

So… I have been playing around with vinyl! 

Supplies:

Designer Paper - I used a Colorbok Specialty Paper Pack - Bright

Watercolour paper - Arches 140 lb

Vinyl - black

Ribbon - random

 

Lillipop Card

4.25 x 5.5 inch

 

Ok, so I’m telling you right off the bat my card is not warped, my photo of the card is warped… and I’d given the card away in the meantime. But you get the picture (pun intended) 

I designed this simple vinyl cut, and I use a high quality watercolour paper to transfer it onto - 140 lb arches in this case.  I cut the vinyl image, then I “weed” out the bits I don’t need and I use Contact Paper (the clear kind you can line shelves in your kitchen with) to transfer the image to the arches paper.

You must work delicately but you definitely get a pretty fine image!  I save (and have friends save) old credit cards or gift cards that have been used up and use them to smooth my vinyl over the paper.  First I position it over the paper where I think I would like it and then I fix one end down and slooooooowwwwly stick it down to the paper, all the time smooshing it in a straight path with the long side of the credit card.  After you have done it a few times and you gain confidence it becomes easier.

 

 

Once you have the vinyl outline stuck on then you can paint.  Now, once again I must stress that your finished product is only as good as the materials you use - and so in this case, though you will pay a healthy price for both arches paper (though it cuts down into many MANY projects) and a good set of watercolours or watercolour pencils - I believe these are essential.  The colors are so brilliant! 

I like to use an aqua brush, it means you don’t have to constantly rinse brushes out etc.  I simply swipe mine on a rag in between colors. 

I began painting in the middle and worked out, changing colors and blending them together into a little bit of an overlap to achieve a rainbow effect. 

 

 

The finishing touch is a pretty pink bow, a perfect touch for a sweet little girl. 

You might also (which I will be showing in an upcoming tutorial, use fine scissors and trim around your lollipop - turning it into an element which you could then “pop” up with foam tape. I have created this file to be sized for a standard 4.25 x 5.5 card, if you were to make “elements” from this file the vinyl might get pretty tiny to work with.  You may have to experiment.

I sincerely hope you enjoy this project.  I’d love to see what YOU make and feature your project here on my blog

LOLLIPOP .studio FILE

(personal use unless you seek permission from me for any commercial use)

DOWNLOAD

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Great Grad Cards - a FREE .studio cut file for YOU!

My husband is an instructor (for some reason he prefers this title rather than “teacher”) and so I’m always asked to make some graduation cards for his students.  Its an especial time at YouLearn.ca because it is an adult learning situation and many of the students are … grandparents!  Really! 

I find myself wanting to make a completely unique card when requested - and that nice for YOU because I love to give my files away.  Here are the three cards I made and a tutorial on how to make the tassel for the Grad hat and I’ll link to the download for the zipped folder of .studio files as well.  (I’ll also put a copy under the .studio TAB up top of the blog so you can always come retrieve or re-download should you lose them!)

 

I created this first card to be “letter” envelope size so that I would be sure to have an envelope ready.  I don’t recall the designer paper for this one, you could almost get away using a piece of foolscap?  The butterfly and flourish stamp is from Inkadinkadoo.  

 

I have been admiring some super simple cards lately and decided to try one for myself.

 

I added a little diploma roll onto this one, it would be so easy to make! 

 

Here is the tutorial for how to make the hat:

VOILA!

DOWNLOAD

(word art and dated hat file included)

I would love to see what you make using my files - why not leave a comment here or email me (email address is in my terms of use in the zipped folder)

♥  ♥  ♥

I’ll end with a few photos I’ve taken and a few beautiful words:

Never lose and opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful, for beauty is God’s handwriting - a wayside sacrament.  Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

There are two worlds; the world that we can measure with line and rule, and the world that we feel with our hearts and imagination.

~Leigh Hunt

 

We are living in a world of beauty but how few of us open our eyes to see it!  What a different place this would be if our senses were trained to see and hear!  We are the heirs of wonderful treasures from the past: treasures of literature and of the arts.  They are ours for the asking - all our own to have and to enjoy, if only we desire them enough.

~Lorado Taft