Welcome Spring Card (file to share)

Spring is nearly here and I am so happy that this winter was much milder than the record-breaker last year.  I was in the mood to do some complicated maneuvers in Design Space (lots of slicing, hiding contour, creating extra color layers) and the result is this card.

I started with this border image - the Folk Art Border Hare (#M32418) from the Folk Art Festival cartridge which is included in Cricut Access.  (links to Cricut in this post are affiliate links which means I will be paid a commission if you purchase something after clicking on the link - your price stays the same,  I appreciate your support).

I hid some areas, duplicated and flipped the design and set it into a rectangle sized at 5 1/4 x 4 inches for an A2 card topper.  The blue layer here represents the card base, however, I cut the base by cutting an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of cardstock in half with my trimmer.  I usually do this because it conserves supplies.

This was my original design, with just a green base, white topper and the sentiment.  As I analyzed the image, I realized that there would be a lot of small pieces that I would need to place by hand (inside the bunnies, the hearts and the tulips).  My solution was to create additional layers by using the Contour function in Design Space.  This also allowed me to easily add more colors to the design.

I ended up with three design layers, the sentiment in pink, and the card base for the final design.

When you do this, you need to think carefully about the color that will show through each layer to get the result you want.  Here you can see the layers - the yellow is a solid piece cut at 4 x 5 1/4 inches - I did cut this with the Explore so the pieces would line up perfectly.

I also used contour to hide the cuts inside some of the shapes to make them solid (this also makes the file cut a bit faster).

These are the "extras" that I can use on another project.  I really like the shape of these bunnies.

I inked the edges of the green layer cuts very slightly to define the design a bit more.

I used the font "Don Juan" for the sentiment.  This is also included in Cricut Access.  I did not want the letters to be welded together, even though it is a little more (well - a lot more...) fiddly to assemble when they are single letters.

Here is my tip for getting the spacing even - just take the section of cardstock where the letters were cut and use it as a template for adhering the letters.

If you like the look of letters missing their centers you can use the remaining word strip for another project.  You could also save the inner pieces but they get really tiny to work with - these letters are only a bit more than a half inch tall.

I also did not save the tiny centers of the flowers in the bunnies and hearts that were cut from the green cardstock.

I added pink pearls for the centers and then, to make a lucky number seven of pearls on the card, I placed a pearl on top of the dot of the "i" in "Spring."

I think the extra layers of color and the pearls make this a much more interesting card.

If you'd like to make this card, click HERE for the link to the Design Space file (for Cricut Explore users).  I'd love to see what you make.

If you would like to know more about how I created the file, please leave a comment on this post and if enough people are interested I will see if I can put together a tutorial. It might have to be in several installments since there were so many steps involved!


Dreaming Tree Updates... 

I am happy to hear that many of you were introduced to Dreaming Tree by my last post.  I am an affiliate for Dreaming Tree and I thank you for using my links when you shop there.

Did you make a Shamrock basket from the free file offered by Dreaming Tree yet?  You can find all of the information HERE - if you submit a photo of your basket you can get a $2.99 gift card for the site.  The deadline is 11:59 CST time on February 29th, 2016.

The latest free file from Dreaming Tree is this pretty spring frame with a decorative easel.  You can find it HERE.

There is also a great new Gatefold Cards SVG Bundle at Dreaming Tree.  These cards are just beautiful and they are currently available as a free gift with a purchase of $9.98 or more from Dreaming Tree.  Just spend $9.98 or more and type FREEGIFT in the coupon code area when you check out.  This bundle will be added to your cart - free.  You can find all of the details HERE.


Craftsy Winter Clearance Sale...

Craftsy is taking an additional 20% off the clearance prices of supplies - I checked and there are some nice deals on papercrafting supplies as well as the yarns, fabrics, cake decorating and art supplies. #ad

Since this is leap year many stores and website are offering special deals this weekend and next Monday.  Cricut be having a special Leap Day sale on Monday and Tuesday and then will be offering March Madness with three different Mystery Boxes in March. 

Have a great weekend!


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Dreaming Tree - 3D SVG Projects Special Offers

Have you heard about Dreaming Tree?  This site was started by Leo Kowal (formerly of SVGCuts) and he has assembled a great team of designers to create 3D projects.  If you are looking for some interesting and unique projects to cut with your Explore (or any other die cutting machine that will cut SVG files) you will find lots of wonderful choices at Dreaming Tree. (links in this post are affiliate links.  If you use these links I may receive a commission - your price stays the same).

One of the newest bundle of projects is called Myrcella's Vanity.  The elaborate paper bottles and tray would be lovely for Mother's Day or bridesmaid gift boxes.  The samples were made featuring the Graphic 45 "Enchanted Forest" papers for a wonderful old-fashioned look.  I am going to try making them with some different papers for a more modern twist.

For a limited time, this group of files is available as a free gift with any purchase of $9.98 or more.  Just add the items you want to your cart and then type "FREEGIFT" in the coupon box on the checkout page and the bundle will be added to your purchase - free!

There is another special offer right now.  You can download this free Shamrock treat basket HERE and if you make it and return to the Dreaming Tree site to upload a photo and fill in the form, you will receive a $2.99 gift card FREE - now that's a great deal!

I won't go into a lot of detail about the assembly of my treat box - there are easy to follow assembly videos for every project from Dreaming Tree.  When you purchase files, you can always go back and watch these videos.  There are also complete supply lists so you can get everything ready before you start.

in the video, a liquid glue is used to assemble the box.  I chose to use Scor-Tape for mine since I can get messy with liquid glue!  It holds the pieces together very well.  I put extra on the top shamrock because it was going to be on top of glittered paper and the glitter can make it a little harder to get the paper to stick.

I also chose to put the brads connecting the handle with the decorative side on the inside of the basket because they show up more prominently there.

The less attractive tabs of the brad are hidden under the shamrock "collar" of the box.

I happened to have this heavy paper in my stash.  It is from TPC Studio and must have been part of a series of calendar months.  I found it at the Tuesday Morning store and bought it because it is double-sided.  I was sure I could always find a use for the plain textured green side if I didn't use all of it on the March side (there are 25 sheets in a package).

The patterned side would have been used for the handle ornament according to the design of the file, however, it cut at a spot in the pattern that I didn't find attractive.

So I flipped it over to the plain side.  If you use cardstock for your basket - this won't be an issue.

The plain side was a little too plain so I found this green gem and put it in the center.  There are so many choices to embellish and personalize this box - just check your supplies and use your imagination!

I didn't have any on hand, but I think this would look cute filled with the gold wrapped chocolate coins - maybe you have some left over from the holidays!

Here are a couple of tips for using the file in Design Space.  This is an SVG file so there is no "clean-up" required, you can import it directly.  There are two files - once for each color.  For the darker green box base you will want to change the dotted lines to score instead of cut if you like smoother edges on your boxes.  You must be sure to "attach" the lines to the box - if you don't they will show up on a separate mat when you go to cut the file.

I know you will find lots of things to like at Dreaming Tree - so be sure to check them out.  This little shamrock basket is perfect for candy and gifts - and once you try the free file you will see how easy the files are to use.  I don't know how long the gift card offer or the free gift with purchase will last so be sure to visit them HERE as soon as possible.

If you have any questions about using these files with Design Space, I will be happy to help you out.  Leo also offers tutorials and FAQs on the site.  There is a great help section HERE.

We are still dealing with some of the complications of our move - but every day I get a little closer to being able to spend more time in the craft room.  I am almost caught up on all of the emails and message from so many of you - thanks again for welcoming me back to blogging.  I will be having the blog birthday celebration but it looks like that will end up being part of "March Madness" - should be fun!


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New Cricut images - Dimensional Scenes - Pretty Posies

One of the things that I enjoy about Cricut Design Space is discovering the new content that is added on a regular basis.  In the early days of Cricut we would wait months for a new cartridge or two to be released (this was when it was possible to "keep up" with the collection of cartridges).  Now cartridges and image sets sometimes just appear and you feel a slight thrill of discovery when scrolling through the images or cartridge list if you spot something new.

I have been tied up with some family visits and house projects for the past few days.  Last night I took a few minutes to try something in Design Space and discovered a new set of images called "Dimensional Scenes - Pretty Posies."  (links to  Cricut in this post are affiliate links which means I will be paid a commission if you purchase something after clicking on the link - your price stays the same).

There are eight images in this set.

There are four designs and each can be made as a cut and layered dimensional project or as a drawing by using the writing feature in Design Space.

Here is a closer view of one of the embellished page frames.

This is the same image as it would be drawn with the pens.  I love the look of this - it reminds me of the embroidered linens my grandmother had.  I don't think many people use embroidered bureau scarves or pillowcases these days.  Do you remember when embroidered linens in similar patterns were used regularly?

Best of all, these images are included in Cricut Access so if you have Cricut Access you can start using them right away.  If you don't have Cricut Access, you can find all of the details and sign up HERE.  You can also purchase the images individually for 99 cents or the entire set for $4.99.

This week digital images and cutting materials are on sale for 33% off and font cartridges are also on sale.  Licensed Cartridges (such as Disney and Anna Griffin) which are not included in Cricut Access due to the licensing agreements, are also on sale.  If you have Cricut Access, you will save an additional 10% on your purchase on the Cricut website - click HERE to shop.

What new image sets (or "new to you" images) have you discovered recently in Design Space?

I am planning to have some crafting time today - there is a backlog of projects to finish up and photograph on my cluttered tables. I am still finding places for all of my things in the new craft studio.  In a few more weeks I hope to have it all settled!


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Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!  I hope you are having a lovely day with those who are near and dear to you.  We are staying put on this extremely cold day.  Our nephew is here visiting so there have been some games of Battleship and we have a new jigsaw puzzle started on the puzzle table.

My goal tonight is to catch up on all of the recent comments and email - if you have written to me recently and don't hear back by tomorrow please send another message.  I just found some messages from a few weeks ago that I missed!

Even though it is predicted to stay cold overnight and most of tomorrow we are supposed to hit 50 on Tuesday.  I can't wait for Spring to arrive - this year we can really start to sort out the gardens at our new house.

Here is the latest photo of our Valentine girl on her first Valentine's Day.  We miss her and I wish we all lived closer but it is great to get our daily fix of photos to watch her grow!

The rose wreath at the top of this post belongs to one of my friends.  I stopped by to see her last week and the wreath looked so pretty against the shingles by their front door that I had to snap a photo!

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Snowflake Variation (new file to share)

I hope you all are having a good weekend.  It is incredibly cold here in New Hampshire thanks to the Polar Vortex.  Fortunately, it looks like things will warm up again by Tuesday - the overnight low here is supposed to be 9 degrees below zero!

Thanks to everyone who let me know that the file for the first snowflake image that I shared in was opening as an empty file (the file name is there but no image appears on the mat). I am still trying to figure out what causes this problem and I will let you know if I find an answer.

I made a new file that is nearly the same as the first design.  I created it using slightly different steps to see if that would make a difference.  I did a test cut of this image and it cut cleanly just like the original file.

A few people asked about the settings for cutting this image.  Of course, it depends on the material you are cutting.  I would recommend using cardstock that is hard or crisp - not highly textured or fibrous since there are so many tiny areas to cut.

For the first snowflake I used Core'dinations Core Couture glittered cardstock.  This pink test cut was done on The Paper Company cardstock by Colorbok.  This is an inexpensive cardstock and sometimes the less pricey cardstocks actually cut more smoothly.

You should also try using the custom setting for cardstock, intricate cuts.  This will cut each part of the design twice.  Just turn the dial on the machine to the "Custom" position (the arrow pointing to the left) and then scroll through the options listed on the screen. If you haven't used the Custom Settings before you might be surprised to see how many options exist. 

You can find the new Design Space file for this design HERE.
Please let me know if these tips helped if you try cutting the file.

Now that we are getting settled in the new house we decided it was time to replace some of our "well-in-use" furniture.  So we've been doing some shopping for sofas and chairs.  After much consideration, these are the fabrics we settled on - what do you think?

While we were at the store finalizing our order I saw this amazing mirror.  I love it, but there really isn't a good spot for it in this house so I had to leave it in the store.  I snapped this quick photo so I could remember it for inspiration.  Maybe I will come up with a paper cutting variation!

Our nephew is here to stay with us for a few days while his sister is looking at one of her college options in Wisconsin.  I guess he is too old now to call it "Aunt Diane" camp when he visits, but we might get into a crafty project or two.

Tomorrow our plan is to stay inside to avoid frostbite! It is certainly not the best weather for Valentine's Day - there may be some frozen floral deliveries!
 

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Sparkly Snowflake Valentine

If you have followed my blog for a long time, you know that I am fascinated by snowflakes.  I enjoy designing all sorts of snowflake variations.  I also like to try non-traditional color combinations for holidays.

I designed this snowflake using the word "love" from the Paper Pups cartridge.  This cartridge was bundled with my first Cricut Expression machine (purchased in 2007) and is not included in the  Cricut Access due to licensing restrictions. (the red links are affiliate links).

There was a great deal of slicing, flipping, mirroring, and welding required to create this design.  The original image was the word "love" inside a circle so I had to slice the center section from the circle frame to get my starting image. I was working with the iPhone app when I designed this and the center was made solid by using the contour option on the iPhone app.

Unfortunately, the lines that I can hide in the app do not stay hidden in the computer version of Design Space.  I suspect this is due to the fact that the snowflake shape has become extremely complex with all of the flipping and welding.  I would like to share the file but I should let you know that when I tried to check on it before uploading a link, the image kept disappearing.  I will try to get this resolved or get more information from the folks at Cricut as soon as I can.

I cut the delicate snowflake design from glitter cardstock (Core'dinations Core Couture) and used another sparkly glitter cardstock for the top card mat layer.

I added a center snowflake gem and more gems and pearls to dress up the cut to suit the sparkle of the card.

I even added bling on top of bling - a pink pearl on the center of the snowflake.

I cut the snowflake at about 4.5 inches tall which makes the width about 5 inches.  The card is silver metallic cardstock cut at 12 x 6 inches for a folded 6 x6 card, the white mat is cut at 5 5/8 x 5 5/8 inches and the sparkly top mat is cut at 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches.  I rounded all of the corners with a corner rounder punch.

You should be able to find the file in Design Space HERE.  It is possible that the link will not work - I will follow up to see if I can get the file to open consistently.

If the file does open with the image, the center will not be solid.  If you use the iPhone or iPad App you can try opening the file in the app and using the contour feature to hide all of the tiny cuts in the center of the snowflake.  Another option is to add a circle or another shape to the mat and size it to cover any of the small cuts in the center - then weld the shape with the snowflake.

Please let me know if the image appears when you try to open the file in Design Space - thanks!

I decided to try remaking the snowflake and this time I used the "love" image with the heart and did not do any slicing to get the starting shape.  I haven't tried cutting the file but HERE is the Design Space link - if you try it I'd love to hear and see how it turned out!

We are expecting super cold weather this weekend. Please stay safe and warm if you are also in the path of this Polar Vortex!


This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product using the link I may receive a commission. I only participate in affiliate programs for products that I use or can recommend without reservation. 

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