It's Fall!

Well, in word and calendar it's fall.  But, being from Southern California would make one question this.  It has been so hot here!  I am so looking forward to some milder weather (notice I'm not asking for cold weather, just not this hot stuff).

So, my first fall project is this sweet acorn designed by Mary at SVG Cuts in the Acorn Autumn SVG Kit.  It's a little box, and I think I may be doing quite of few of these over the next couple of months.  There's a video tutorial for it that shows you just how easy it is to make.  I used a Fiskar's texture plate for the top.  Thanks for taking a look!

Fall has arrived!  Bundle up!

Farmer's Market Time

Well, it's the perfect time of year to get some wonderful fresh veggies and fruits from your local growers.  We are lucky here in town, as we have a different farmer's market in a different location pretty much each day of the week.  I love the fresh veggies, the beautiful and unique flowers and the artisans that present their treasures at some of the locations.  That being said, the new challenge over at SVG Cuts was to make a card using their cut files, for any occasion/theme (except for some major holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas).  And, the  Farmer's Market is the theme on which I decided.

Here's the final result.  To get a feel for the size (or lack of size) the dimensions of the card are as follows:  The height, all the way to the top of the banner flags on either side is 7".  The width, as opened in the photo, is 9-1/2".  When folded up, it is 4" across.  Each of the banner letters saying Farmer's Market are close to 1" tall.  So, it's pretty tiny, even though the photo would have you believe otherwise.  I'll go through some of the steps and show some close-ups below.

 I started out by choosing the papers I wanted to use.  I will say that choosing papers is probably the most time consuming part of a project.  I chose the Garden Variety Paper Pack by Cosmo Cricket, and I used the digital version purchased from Jessica Sprague.  What I like about the digital forms of paper is that you can size the pattern to fit what you're using it for.  This card is fairly small, so I was able to decrease the size of the pattern in order to see more of the smaller objects.  Also, I like to be able to print out only the amount of patterned paper that I will be using, so as not to use excessive amounts of ink.  Here's a screen shot of two of the pages I printed for this project (please note I did not use one of the papers on here as it was from a different pack).

Once I printed these out (11x14 paper), I cut around each pattern.  I then began to set up the pattern pieces I was using onto the virtual mat in the ECAL software (software that runs the Sizzix Eclips Cutting Machine).

At this point, I got my mat and placed the pieces of copied paper over the place it would be on the screen mat, using the grid marks to make sure the pieces I cut would fit each of my paper swatches.

I did change my mind a couple of times, so had to re-print a few small pieces and recut them.

Then, it was time to start assembling the card.  I used my Xyron sticker machines to put adhesive behind all of the background pieces and place them on the card.  I love the Xyron because you get this thin covering of adhesive that does not glop or run like liquid glue, and it is a permanent adhesive and very strong.  You just have to be sure to get it on straight the first time, because IT IS PERMANENT!

I made the Farmer's Market banner pieces in Photoshop, printed them out at 2"x 8", and then folded each piece in half, then cut between the letters.  I then cut the inverted V out last, so it would match the back perfectly.

I began making all of the veggies and fruits.  I used elements from the following SVG Cuts collections:  September Afternoon SVG Collection (baskets), Veggie Garden Pt. 1 SVG Collection (all veggies), April Avenue SVG Collection (bird), Summer Street Carnival (card base), My Happy Garden Hideaway (grass, spade, ladybug, signs), and 24 Valentines SVG Kit (strawberry).  Love my SVG Cuts files.  They are the best, cleanest, most amazing svg files you'll find.

Here's a close-up the banner portion of the card.  I used Sew Easy Fancy Floss (yellow and white) from We R Memory Keepers for the hanging flags.

Here's a close-up of the peas.  These are made very small, so each pea was cut separately and was about 1/8".  The full length was the pea pod was about 1". The grass is no more than 1/4" tall.  My Eclips cut it all without a hitch.  It's pretty amazing.

And, lastly, here's a close-up of the carrots.  Each carrot is about 1-1/8", and the greens on the top are just under 1/2".

So, there you have it.  Hope you enjoy it.  It was so fun to make.

Support your local farmer's market, friends!

#1 Dad

Happy Father's Day to all of you dads out there.  Thought I'd celebrate by making a submission for the SVG Cuts Father's Day Challenge.  I used the following kits for this candy box:  SVG Cuts 3D Numbers Party SVG Kit, for the number 1; SVG Cuts 3D letters SVG Kit (the DAD sized at 35%); SVG Cuts All About Dad SVG Kit (for the Hawaiian shirt); SVG Cute Hula Girl Free SVG File (for the ukulele); and SVGCuts 3D Flowers SVG Kit Part II (the Queen Anne's Lace for the little flowers).

I made a small alteration on the number 1.  I did not glue the top  of the number 1 down, but left it open so that it turned it into a box.  I then added a window in the front so you could see the candy that I added. The flowers were cut in white and inked, with brads for the centers.  I started to stick the brads prongs through the buds, but after a few I started to cut the prongs off totally and just glued the brad onto the flowers.

The pattern on the front is actually from a photo I took of the back of my husband's favorite Hawaiian shirt.  I took it into Photoshop, and then printed it out on cardstock.  I then changed the color to green for the shirt, and printed that paper as well.  All cuts were made with my Sizzix Eclips cutting machine.

I will be giving this to my husband on Sunday (Father's Day).  It was really custom made for him, as he is always wearing Hawaiian shirts.  He also builds ukuleles (he pretty much lives in his garage workshop).  And, I added one of his favorite candies.  Thanks for taking a look.  Come back and see what's next real soon!

Happy Father's Day, Dads!

Graduation 2012

It's that time of year.  Yup, the time of year that makes you feel old as you watch children that you've watched grow up graduate from college!  How does this happen?  I'm certainly not aging at the rate that they are, right?
But, it's a wonderful and joyous time, so congratulations to all of you graduates!
The patterns for this gift came from my favorite place, SVG Cuts (as if you couldn't tell from most of my posts).  It's from their Graduation Day SVG Kit. Here's the card.  It is designed just a tad different, and I have to say that I swiped this design and the poem from a fellow paper crafter, Brigit Mann.  She's so talented.  You can visit her blog to see her brilliance at Brigit's Scraps.

And, this is the graduation cap box.  It's surprisingly easy, and just adorable.  I filled it with black tissue paper, some little candies, and some $$$, which I rolled up like a scroll and tied with ribbon.

SVG Cuts provides tutorials for their projects, which include instructions to make the tassel.  I added the charm with the Epiphany Crafts tool and charm settings.

And, that's it for today.  Best wishes to all of you graduating high school and college students.  May your future be bright with opportunity.

Here's to the Future!

For My Brother

My wonderful brother, Marty, went to live with his heavenly Father on April 20, 2012.  He had ALS, a horrible disease that took a man who lived life with love and joy every single day.  We had his memorial service on May 9, 2012, and of course I had to make something for the service.  Instead of a little hand-out, I decided to make bookmarks so that friends and family could actually use it and remember him often.  His favorite place was the Huntington Beach Pier, thus, the photo of the pier on the bookmark.  I designed the bookmarks in Photoshop, then had them printed on glossy cardstock.  I then punched the corners and the hole, and inserted some bookmark tassels.  Here is what they looked like.

We had flower arrangements made in reds and white, as Marty was the biggest Angel baseball team fan ever.  He had season tickets right behind home base for over 30 years.  I made some cards to back photos, merging the Angel "A" to the top.  Then I cut out the white outline A and the red A, as well as the silver halos.  I ran all of the A's (over 40 total of each) and the halos through my 9" Xyron Creative Station.  It took 2' to 3' of adhesive.  I was able to take this sticker sheet with me out of town, and had family members help me assemble them.  The Xyron worked so well, and made it easy to transport the stickers and them put them all together.  I then put the photos on the backing with the tape runner, and added a floral wire between the photo and the backing. We inserted all of these into the floral arrangements.  Here is what they looked like:

The horizontal photos had the Angel's A, and the vertical ones were just backed in red.  The A's were on both sides, as were the photos.  All of the photos were different, so over 40 different photos were displayed.  You can get a glance of his life by seeing his slideshow by clicking here.

RIP my dear sweet brother

Such a Card!

I finding myself really loving some of the creative greeting cards I've seen lately, and when I'm on Pinterest, they are the item that I most pin.  So, I've begun to make a few, and I think I'll be adding onto this posting, as I have a few more swirling around in my brain that really want to be made.

My first card was made for my sister-in-law from SVG Cuts' Happy Birthday to You SVG Kit.  It's their cupcake lever card.  It looks a bit complicated, but surprisingly very easy to make.  Another sister-in-law gave me the paper, which is made by Heidi Grace.  It's so whimsical.  Thanks, Terry! The little heart element was made with the Epiphany Crafts Tool, Heart 25.

You can see the "lever" view here.

And the inside here.  Again, I used the Epiphany Craft Tool, Round 14.  If you're not familiar with them, it's a small punch tool that you put your paper in, then add a clear epoxy and it makes the little embellishment.  I drop the embellishment in my Xyron X to put the adhesive on the back.

The next card is made from one of my very favorite SVG Cuts kits to date.  It called the Iris Fold Cards SVG Kit.  I love these cards, and plan to make more very soon.

This card was made for my Mother-in-Law, who is from England.  The card and the tea cup reminded me of her.  I used Echo Park's Victoria Gardens paper.  I've become hooked on Jessica Sprague's digital papers, and I love the fact that I can scale the paper if I'm making a smaller item so that more of the pattern will show.  Again, I used the Epiphany Crafts tool, Round 14 at the very bottom of the card on the swirl, having picked a small flower from the paper used in the iris.

Here's the inside.  I used one of the flowers from one of the Echo Park papers from the front of the card, and printed it with the message.  I skewed an SVG Cuts freebie frame to make it an oval.  She really loved the card.

I made another card from the Iris Fold Cards SVG Kit.  It's the Happy Birthday card, but I haven't yet decided on the heading or message.  Again, I used Jessica Sprague digital papers.  The paper for this card is by Cosmo Cricket's (love, love, love!) Togetherness paper.  It's so adorable, I can't stand it!

Not only did I use the Togetherness paper, but also the corresponding element pack.  And, again I used the Epiphany Crafts tool, Round 14.  I may keep this one, as I just love looking at it.

The next card is just a front of a card.  The DT from SVG Cuts arranged a surprise for the owners, Mary and Leo, for a housewarming gift.  They asked SVG Cuts fans to make a housewarming card for Mary and Leo, and they took the cards that were sent and mounted them on a board.  They then surprised M&L at a Cinco de Mayo party they were hosting.  (I think they were surprised).  Here's my submission.

Again, I used a card from SVG Cuts Iris Fold Collection.  I shrunk it to 70%.  I designed the stamp at the top in Photoshop.  Then I used the Epiphany Craft #14 round with M&L's pic in it to be in the center of their home.  And, another Epiphany Craft pennant shape was used for my salutation.  Here's them and their board.  Their DT and fans are so amazingly talented.

Lastly, I'm posting the Mother's Day card I made for my English mother-in-law.  Back in the 1940's, she was the youngest war bride to come over on the ship to American with her infant son (my husband's brother).  She has so many interesting stories of her life.  She was even sent out of the city to live with a family during the war in England like the children in the Chronicles of Narnia series, although her story was not nearly so magical.

Anyway, here's her card.  I made this one with SVG Cuts Mother's Garden SVG Kit.  The window in the back is made with vellum, so light illuminates through the window.  One of the flowers came from the kit, and the other one, the mum, was made with SVG Cuts 3D Mums and Fall Flowers Kit.  Once again, I used an Epiphany Craft epoxy for the center of the mum.  They are so fun.

And, here's Granny with her cards.  She's 84 years old, and I think she's just beautiful.  And, she's one of the funniest, quirkiest people I've ever met.  Spunky to no end!

So that's about it.  Oh, I made a stamp to put on my handicrafts.  It's a self inking stamp, and I designed the sunflower in Photoshop.

And, that's it for today!

                                      Happy Crafting!

Party Treat Boxes

I was asked by a friend to make a keepsake for a dinner party she was having for the lady members of her family.  The party theme was black and white, but the rest was up to me.  I decided to make a personalized treat box for each guest.  The box patterns came from SVG Cuts One Piece Boxes (style 3).  Here is what I came up with.

Six were made with embossed accents and the others with bows.

The accents were embossed with a Sizzix embossing folder and then edged with 1/8" ribbon.  I used a single rhinestone for a tiny bit of bling.  The tags were made from a tag die that I found somewhere on sale.  I cut/embossed one, then scanned it into Photoshop.  I colored the embossed portion in dark gray.  I copied it 12 times and inserted the guests' names.  I printed onto cardstock, and then cut out.  I then took each one and matched the printed fleur and lines with those on the die, and cut/embossed them out.  On the lighter colored boxes, I used an outlined background so the tag would stand out.

The other six were made with a 1/4" ribbon and a bow.  The bow came from SVG Cuts 3D Bow, which is a freebie pattern!  It is just adorable (thanks Mary), and so easy to make.  I replaced the little "tie" piece of the bow with a snippit of ribbon, and then placed a rhinestone on top of that.

 Lastly, I cut out this really cute square doily on which each box could sit.  The pattern was a freebie from SVG Cuts and it was cut with my Sizzix Eclips with ECAL software.  Here's the table setting with the boxes on them.  My friend set a beautiful table, that's for sure.

 And, that's it! I hope they enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed making them.

Always look on the crafty side of life!

My Wishing Well

This is my own version of a wishing well.  Someone once posted that they were looking for a pattern for a wishing well, and I, being one of a few responders, mentioned that maybe they could use the drum from SVG Cuts Santa's Visit SVG Kit file as the base.  Nothing ever came of it, but I couldn't stop thinking about it.  So, when the Valentine Challenge came up over at SVG Cuts Facebook, I decided to give it a try.  The following is my version of a wishing well.  I was so happy how it turned out.  I have been asked to give instructions on how I did it, so the following is my feeble (and way too wordy) attempt at giving some instruction.  If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.  All paper cuts were done with a Sizzix Eclips die cutting machine (awesome machine!) and eCAL software.  So, enjoy!

Instructions on Deb's Wishing Well:

Drum from SVG Cuts' Santa’s Visit SVG Set. I removed the brad holes from the drum and the decorator strip. I used a paper that I made myself. I was recently at the Hoover Dam and took a picture of a rock wall, then took it into Photoshop and made the rocks pink. Of course, you can use whatever you want!

The grass is from SVG Cuts' My Happy Garden Hideaway, and I overlapped it so that there were at least two layers of grass in all areas. I also inked the grass in both a darker green and some brown to give it some depth.  The strawberries, the ladybug and the heart on the top were from 24 Valentines SVG Kit from SVG Cuts. I made the little tag on the top myself in Photoshop. You could replace this with whatever you want…or nothing!

I made the pattern for the wooden boards on the sides in Illustrator, and they’re just four sides and an extra edge as a tab for gluing it together. They are about 10.25 tall, ¾" wide and ¼" deep. I embossed them with the Cuttlebug Distressed Stripes to give a wood appearance (had to feed it in two ways, since the embossing folder was not that long). I made a small cutout on the inside of the top rim of the drum so that boards could lay flat against the insides of the drum when gluing it in. On the left side board I cut a small X into the inside so that I could insert a 3/8" dowell. The dowell is 5.25" long, and I inked it really well in brown. I did NOT glue the dowel into the hole, but just pushed it in. On the right board, I made the Xs on both the inside and outside so the dowell could go through. I cut an inverted V at the top of each board to that it would fit the V of the roof.  (click on image to enlarge)



For the wishing well handle, I just got a piece of chip board, cut it in some arbitrary shape and hole punched the top and bottom. It just happened to be the right size to fit the dowel into snugly, so I didn’t even glue it. Then I took a very small piece of the dowel, cut it and inked it, and put it into the lower hole. No rocket science here, just making it work by trial and error.  With the dowel not glued in, this little handle actually spins and will move the bucket up and down in the well.

I tried four different times to make the roof, but finally realized they were just to thick and cumbersome for this project, so I just cut a 6" x 6" piece of chipboard, scored it down the middle and inked the edges. I cover the bottom inside completely in brown paper. Then I took a 1" by 6" piece of brown paper, folded it in half long ways, and covered the top score line with it and glued it down. Then I took two pieces of brown paper 3"x6", embossed them (had to put it into the embosser twice, once from each side) and glued them to each side of the top. I inked it with brown and just a bit of black. On the underside of the roof, I made two insets, one for either side made as a triangle with tabs. I glued them to the underside of the roof about ¾"-7/8" in from the edge so that they would be close to the upper outer side of the boards when I glued it on. Then I got two separate pieces of brown paper, which I embossed, to cover up the small square area underneath and hide the tabs from the triangular inserts. I cut an inverted V at the top of each board, so they fit the angle of the roof when you set the roof on top of them.

The bucket was made from the bushel bucket from SVG Cuts' Caramel Apple Pie. This was a bit tricky, since the bushel is open-slatted, and the bucket for the wishing well had to be solid. Here’s what I did: I opened the bottom of the bucket and the slats onto my cutting mat, the selected them all together and sized them down so that the bottom (center) was about 1-1/2". Then I ungrouped the slats and placed each one on the tab to which it would normally be glued. After they were all in place, I selected all and welded it together so it would cut out all in one piece. Then I copy/pasted it to make a second one. Next, I found a small glass, like a small juice glass, with a bottom that was about 1-1/2" across. I placed the two pieces on top of each other and twisted it so that the slats were not on top of each other, but filling in all empty spaces. I made a strip of paper, about 3/8" wide and wrapped it around the outer lower edge of the glass and glued the end. Then I put glue all over the outside of the strip and set it on top of the two cut bushel papers. And then folded up all of the slats and added a little more glue to the inner outer slats that didn’t stay put. I just held it until they stayed put, and let it dry. While still on the glass I took some 26 gauge wire (comes like thread on a spool) and wrapped it around the bucket at two levels and secured it. I used some Beacon’s 3-in-1 to keep the wire secured at intervals. After I took it off of the glass, I used a needle to poke holes in two opposite sides so I could thread the wire in and make the handle.

I used jute and took a single strand from it to tie the bucket to the dowel going across the wishing well. It frays a lot and becomes thin, so once I got my strand, I took a little of the Scotch Adhesive glue, put a drop on my finger and dabbed it very lightly down about 3", then repeated until there was just a very tiny bit of glue along the entire length. I then rolled the jute with my fingers to work the glue into the jute to make it stronger and to stop the fraying.

The flower buds I used were from SVG Cuts' Crush on You Boxes SVG Kit, and I used only the center, rolled portion of the flower.  I sized them really little (can’t remember exact measurements). You can just eye it. Then a cut out some little sprigs of leaves and cut them up to place next to the flowers as you like. Before putting them in the bucket, I added some filler (just made square boxes, and then a round piece to fill in the bottom of the bucket), so the flower buds had something to sit on.

Lastly, I used the arch vine from SVG Cuts' My Happy Garden Hideaway to put on the outside of of the boards. I just cut the top of the arch off and used the two sides on the outsides of the boards.

So, there you have it. You can embellish any way you’d like. I’ve never made instructions before, so sorry if this is too confusing. I just sort of winged it the whole way, so there is no one good way or best way to do any of it. Just have fun, and know that it takes a while, especially with trial and error. Finished size is 6" across by 10.25" tall. Have fun!

I'm wishing you happy crafting!

SIDE NOTE Feb. 20:  I was so surprised and pleased to have won first place in the Valentine's Day challenge at SVG Cuts' Facebook for my little wishing well. Thanks to all! Yippee!

Birthday Treats!

How fun is this cupcake treat box!  SVG Cuts does it again.  This is a part of their Happy Birthday to You SVG set that was just released on Saturday.  The set shows a flower on top, but since I was making this for a young man, I swayed from the flower and used a dollop of whipped cream with a cherry on top instead.  I cut the cherry from a very old Art Explosion clip art set I've had for probably 15 years, modified in Illustrator.  I made the cherry two-sided so that I could tuck the stem and the white "cherry shine" in between the two layers of cherries.    The dollop of whipped cream was a free pdf template from Stampindesign by Lynn Pratt's blog. I tried to fold it on my own and couldn't figure it out.  I finally looked at the instructions, and then it all made sense (no, I'm not a man). I can tell I'll be making a bunch of these this year.  The size of the box is perfect for a few treats. It's around 4" tall from the bottom to the top of the cupcake (not including the whipped cream).  All cuts were done with a Sizzix Eclips and ECAL software. I'm on my way to fill it up so I can give it away tonight. Try it!  You'll like it.

Sweet dreams, with a cherry on top!

Birthday Greetings, Bottle of Wine

 Thought I'd share the card I made for my husband's 64th birthday (on Groundhog's Day).  The card and elements are from SVG Cuts, and since the front elements were just taken out of retirement for a short time, it made sense to incorporate the Beatles and When I'm 64.  I used some of the song lyrics from the song inside.  My husband loved it.  It's not easy making "paper crafts" that men will appreciate, but this seemed to be quite appropriate for a guy.  Happy birthday, honey!

Will you still be crafting when you're 64?

A Journal Journey

This was such a fun project, and everything was new to me so it was also a great learning experience.  I made a journal for my daughter's birthday gift.  It was bound with a Cinch 2 binding machine using plastic covered wire coil binding.  The cover is made from chipboard covered with art I put together.  I designed the cover using digital paper from Jessica Sprague and art elements also from Jessica Sprague from the collection Journal Your Art Out 1, by Nancy Rowe Janitz and Christine Honsinger.  The finished size was approximately 8" x 10-1/2".

I filled it with Southworth Granite 24lb. paper in rose (it's so pale you can't tell it's rose).  At the end of the book, on the inside cover, I made an open-topped envelope to hold some embellishments I made.  I wanted to have them available so that my daughter could insert them when and where she wanted as she filled the journal.

In the envelope I put some fun things she can use in journaling.  I made some envelopes into which she can put letters, cards, tickets or whatever is her fancy.  She can glue these onto the pages as she uses them. Then I printed some journaling cards which were a freebie from Back to Paper by Linda Tieu.  I changed some of the colors of them to better go with the journal.  I also used some of the Vintage Cabinet Cards by Kitschy Digitals from Jessica Sprague, onto which I printed some photos of my daughter and her husband.  The one blue envelope was of a tree that my daughter painted and designed.  I asked her to send me a photo of it, and then I made an envelope with it.  It turned out really cute.

And, that's about it.  Hope you enjoyed it.  I certainly had fun making it.  And, I hope she uses it!  When I gave it to her, I got the feeling that she liked it but didn't want to mess it up by using it.  I'd love to see it filled with lots of memories and love.  So, until next time...

Keep on crafting!