A Tisket a Tasket - Such a Pretty Basket

 

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a great deal from Lettering Delights.  For the month of May, they are offering Great Gift Giving Bundle, a bundle of 40 Cut-It sets on sale for $40 - a 75% savings on the individual prices which would add up to $170 when purchased individually.  This basket is from the "Tiskets and Taskets" set included in the bundle.

I purchased the bundle and I couldn't wait to try out some of the cuts.  I liked the shape of these baskets and I was curious to see how easy they would be to assemble.

When you buy the Cut-It sets, you download a zipped file that has a number of cutting formats.  I have the Designer Edition of the Silhouette Studio software so I chose the SVG version.  The files also come in .dxf and .gsd - both of these can be opened with the standard free version of the Silhouette Studio software.

After you open the SVG file, you will need to set the lines to cut by selecting the shape and then clicking on "Cut" in the Cut Style menu.

This basket has a very intricate design and it took a while to cut the entire shape.  I used the settings for textured cardstock and just let the Cameo cut away while I tidied up a few things in my craft room.

You want to be sure that your blade is not clogged with any paper debris and it helps to have a mat that is fairly new and sticky.  Here you can see how easily the design lifted from the mat.  I think there were less than 10 spots where I had to push out a little dot or leaf that was clinging to the basket cut.

 Nearly all of the design cuts stayed on the mat.

One of the things that impresses me about the Cameo is the tiny accurate circles that it can cut.  While I do still use my Cricut machines for some things, I was never able to get perfect circle cuts like these - you can see how tiny they are in relation to the one inch grid on the mat.

Here are the basket and the handle after I removed them from the mat.  The machine also cut dashed lines for the scoring.

I went over the scoring lines with a bone folder on my scoring board.  The design reaches very close to the bottom of the basket and this made it easier to fold accurately along the line.  When I started to fold the sides up to match the basket front, I realized that the tabs would probably show through the cut design.

The files include a cut for a liner for the basket so I decided to add this to my basket.  I haven't tried the other baskets so I am not sure if some of them have a little more covered area on the front which would keep the tabs from showing.  You could also trim the tabs a bit to keep them from showing.  I think adding the liner makes the basket much sturdier.

I used a glue pen to add adhesive all around the design of the front and back panels of the basket.  The liner shape was easy to add and the contrasting color accentuates the cutwork nicely.

You may have noticed in the earlier photos that I used a Cricut mat.  If you place the paper just a bit higher on the mat, covering the white area above the 12 x 12 grid, the placement will work out to be about the same as it would be when using the Silhouette mats. 

I used 1/8 inch ScorTape along the edges of the basket front and back to hold the basket together firmly.  ScorTape will bend around the curves easily and can be ripped with your fingers when you reach the top.

The many tabs along the sides of the basket are necessary to form a smooth curve.  If you don't want the tabs to show on the inside, you could cut a second set of liners to add after the basket is assembled.

The final step is to insert the tabs of the handle into the slits in the basket sides.

This is just one of the nine baskets in one of the sets in the bundle.  The are 579 individual cutting files in the bundle so they are just under 7 cents a file - now that's a deal!

The basket as I cut it is about four inches tall and a little over six inches wide.  I may try cutting a smaller one - just to see how well it works!

If you add a little bit of tulle or other filling, the tabs are not noticeable.  These baskets would make wonderful table favors and are a nice size to hold all sorts of goodies.

There are just a couple of days left to get the Lettering Delights Great Gift Giving Bundle of 40 Cut It sets.  There is a huge savings of 75% when you buy the bundle.  The special pricing was just for the month of May and the deal ends Friday.  The bundle includes cards, pennants, boxes, envelopes, birdcages, baskets, and much more.  You can see everything that is included HERE.

Cut It sets come in the following formats - .AI (v.8), .DXF, .EPS (v.8), .GSD, .PDF (v.1.5), and .SVG so you need software and a machine that accepts these formats.  The bundle is only available for the month of May - and it will keep you busy for another month or so cutting everything out!  Click HERE to see the Great Gift Giving Bundle.

Remember, if you "purchase" the monthly freebie first (click HERE to see this month's freebies) you will received a code for 25% off your next purchase in your confirmation email - making this deal even more tempting.  You can also try the code "RhinoRebate" for 25% off purchases of $10 or more - I think this is still valid.

It's hard to believe May is almost over.  I have surprised myself by keeping up with the Layout a Day challenge all month - just two days to go.  I'll be sharing those pages every so often.

Father's Day is just around the corner and my friend Kristie at Artful Adventures is hosting a Father's Day Gift Ideas Link and Pin party.  You can join in by adding a link to a Father's Day project and then pinning the ideas you want to try.  I am away from home for a few days so I'll have to add my project next week.  Click HERE to visit the site and add your link.  The party continues until Father's Day.

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