26 Sept 2018

Color Theory Online Cardmaking Class - Day 1

Just sharing a couple of things from the first exercise of the color theory class (details here) - day one.

First we were asked to paint a color wheel. I used my Kuratake paints which haven't seen much use until now. I'm not sure I chose the best colours - but here is my color wheel.



True to form, I used my Silhouette to draw my wheel, and discovered a new hack - using a kid's soft grip tube to make the pencil fit in the pen holder. So pleased that it did the job SO quickly.



Here's my screen shot of the construction of the wheel in the software.

I know I'm going to enjoy this class!



Light Up Santa Pants Box from Simply Crafty SVGs

Light Up Santa Pants Box. By Janet Packer CraftingQuine using the SVG cutting file by Simply Craft SVGs. http://www.craftingquine.blogspot.co.uk

Hiya, This week I've had such fun playing with the Santa Pants Box SVG File by Simply Crafty SVGs. I enjoyed it so much that I made two versions: a regular Santa one, and an Elvis version.

At first glance there seem to be a lot of pieces, but most of them fit together in the same way, and the designer, Sandy, has made a fabulous video that guides you through every step. I made both using my Silhouette Cameo and the Silhouette Studio Designer Edition software, but any changes I made could be replicated in other cutting software and with other machines.

Light Up Santa Pants Box. By Janet Packer CraftingQuine using the SVG cutting file by Simply Craft SVGs. http://www.craftingquine.blogspot.co.uk


For the Santa version I made very few changes, but I've shown the ones that I did make below, in case you'd like to do the same.


Materials Used:
Red and Black Medium-weight Bazzill Cardstock
Red Glitter Paper from UK supplier, Syntego)
Black Sign Vinyl
Gold Mirror Card
White Glitter Fabric
Beacon 3 in 1 Craft Adhesive
Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Glaze
String of White LED Lights
Bradawl/Pokey Tool/Hole Punch
Silhouette Cameo


Files Used:
Simply Crafty SVGs Santa Pants Box SVG File


Scaling Up the SVG File
I made the whole box a little larger. To do this I opened one of the files in the software, and then used Merge to bring in each of the other files. I then placed the biggest on the mat, selected all the files, and increased the size proportionally until the chosen one filled the 12"x12" cutting mat entirely (holding down the shift key when dragging one of the corner handles). This increased the size of the finished box (with braces/suspenders) from 8.25" to 9", and it made it somewhat easier to install the LEDs (needing more candies to fill it though)!


Sketching rather than Cutting the Numbers
To aid assembly Sandy has numbered all the leg pieces in the order in which they should be attached. I'm an impatient crafter so I changed the line colour of the numbers and, using Cut by Line Colour, I drew the numbers on with a sketch pen. I used a speed of 10 to do this, so it was sketched almost as fast as I could have drawn them.




Base Alignment
Once all the leg pieces were attached I found it helpful, when adhering the base piece, to use a second, slightly smaller piece under the flaps to hold a more regular shape (made using the Internal Offset function). My glue has a good amount of wiggle time, so I added glue to both base pieces (to stick to the top and the bottom of the tags), and wiggled it around until I had a good alignment.

Light Up Santa Pants Box. By Janet Packer CraftingQuine using the SVG cutting file by Simply Craft SVGs. http://www.craftingquine.blogspot.co.uk


Here are the pants before any panels are attached, and with the base pieces in place.

Light Up Santa Pants Box. By Janet Packer CraftingQuine using the SVG cutting file by Simply Craft SVGs. http://www.craftingquine.blogspot.co.uk

Glitter Panels
I cut the pants panels from red glitter paper. I chose paper over a thicker card, as it moulds more easily to the shaped base and consequently is easier to adhere. The glitter is encapsulated into the paper surface, which means there is minimal shedding (and mess), and the panels adhere more easily. Additionally, it is better for your blade and cutting mat then regular glitter cardstock.


Buttons
Real buttons would be great to use on the box, but I didn't have any black ones in the correct size. I cut extra button pieces so that each button was made from four pieces stacked and adhered together. I finished off with a coating of glaze to make them shiny. In this pic the glaze is still wet and looks a bit cloudy, they did dry to be beautifully shiny though.

Light Up Santa Pants Box. By Janet Packer CraftingQuine using the SVG cutting file by Simply Craft SVGs. http://www.craftingquine.blogspot.co.uk


Making the Belt Shiny
Once I had my buttons ready, I thought that the belt should really be shiny too. In this picture the bottom belt piece is cut from card, and in the upper one I've covered the card with a layer of adhesive sign vinyl. I think I like it much better.

Light Up Santa Pants Box. By Janet Packer CraftingQuine using the SVG cutting file by Simply Craft SVGs. http://www.craftingquine.blogspot.co.uk


Golden Buckle
The belt buckle was cut from gold mirror card. I found a scrap from some packaging that was perfect excepting it was a little thin. To counter this I cut a second buckle from spare card and adhered the two together.


Adding Glittery Cuffs
I first cut the cuff pieces from card, and then used them as pattern pieces to cut the white glitter fabric. It is really thick, too thick and irregular to cut on my Silhouette, but cut easily with scissors. Other materials that would be great for the cuffs are faux fur, or simple glittered cardstock. However, I had this fabric in my stash, so thought I'd make use of it.

Light Up Santa Pants Box. By Janet Packer CraftingQuine using the SVG cutting file by Simply Craft SVGs. http://www.craftingquine.blogspot.co.uk


Adding Lights
I made holes for the bulbs for a short string of battery-operated LED lights around the fabric pieces for the base of the trouser legs.  After adhering them with Fabric adhesive, I made matching holes in the assembled pants using a pokey tool, and then a knitting needle.

Light Up Santa Pants Box. By Janet Packer CraftingQuine using the SVG cutting file by Simply Craft SVGs. http://www.craftingquine.blogspot.co.uk


The lights were pushed  through from the inside of the pants legs, so they partially protruded through the holes (this works fine, as long as the holes are tight, fractionally smaller than the lights).

Light Up Santa Pants Box. By Janet Packer CraftingQuine using the SVG cutting file by Simply Craft SVGs. http://www.craftingquine.blogspot.co.uk



Light Up Santa Pants Box. By Janet Packer CraftingQuine using the SVG cutting file by Simply Craft SVGs. http://www.craftingquine.blogspot.co.uk



Oh, and here's Elvis version. I hummed 'Suspicious Minds' the entire time I was assembling this one!

Light Up Santa Pants Box. By Janet Packer CraftingQuine using the SVG cutting file by Simply Craft SVGs. http://www.craftingquine.blogspot.co.uk


Here is a link to the Elvis buckle (a freebie cutting file in SVG format).

Light Up Santa Pants Box. By Janet Packer CraftingQuine using the SVG cutting file by Simply Craft SVGs. http://www.craftingquine.blogspot.co.uk


I hope you find these as much fun as I did. Do subscribe if you'd like to regularly read my hints and tips for Simply Crafty SVGS and others files. I also have tutorials and inspiration posts, and occasionally have a FREEBIE file too.


22 Sept 2018

Using Flocked Heat Transfer on different Surfaces




Check out the variety of projects you can make using Silhouette Flocked Heat Transfer. I had a small roll of orange heat activated flocked material to play with, and managed to make all these baby gifts! You find details of all the projects over on the Silhouette UK Blog.








It is so versatile - I hope you'll try it.


21 Sept 2018

Three Wise Skeletons - Carina Gardner Guest Post

Hiya! Today I'm delighted to be a guest designer over on the Carina Gardner Blog. I have this fun Halloween project for you, featuring Carina's Skeleton Mini Monster Shelf Sitter as the Three Wise Monkeys Skeletons.



I've used Silhouette Glow in the Dark Sticker Sheets (USA/UK) in several ways to complete this project, which I'll show in more detail over the next few days. Follow this blog so you don't miss any of these mini tutorials.

I used a few other Carina Gardner files from the Silhouette Design Store to finish the project. You'll find a complete list of all the files used over on the Carina Gardner Blog. You'll also be able to read details of all the other guest designers of the Carina Gardner Holiday Design Team 2018.




To keep up with all my projects, follow me on Instagram.

All the Holiday Team makes will use the hash tag #cgdesignteam


20 Sept 2018

NEWS! New Online Cardmaking Class


I'm thrilled to have signed up to participate in the latest class from Online Card Classes. The latest class is an introduction to colour theory by fellow Brit, Debby Hughes. Have you done any of their card classes before? I've done a few, and have loved them all!

Here's some of the cards I made in those earlier classes.

Stretch Your Dies

Watercolor for Cardmakers


This NEW online class runs from September 26th-28th 2018, with a Wrap Up session on October 5th 2108.

There a special early bird pricing available now through to Sunday, September 23, 2018. You get $2 off class and then the price goes back to the normal price of $16 on Monday, 24th September.

Here's where to register if you are interested - Introduction to Color Theory Class

Hope to see you there (great class forum)!



15 Sept 2018

Canvas Feathers Table Setting


Canvas Feathers table setting using Silhouette Printable Cotton Canvas. Includes information on the relative merits of the Cotton Canvas and the Cotton Fabric. Designed for SilhouetteUK Bllog by Janet Packer https://CraftingQuine.blogspot.co.uk


Hiya, over on the Silhouette UK Blog today I have this pretty table setting for a special occasion made using the Silhouette Printable Cotton Canvas. Previously I've used Silhouette Printable Cotton, so I took the opportunity to compare the two and share the differences between the two products, hopefully helping you choose the perfect one for your project.


Canvas Feathers table setting using Silhouette Printable Cotton Canvas. Includes information on the relative merits of the Cotton Canvas and the Cotton Fabric. Designed for SilhouetteUK Bllog by Janet Packer https://CraftingQuine.blogspot.co.uk


I used the Printable canvas to give a more rustic look to this project to complement the natural linen table cloth and napkins.

The post also contains instructions on how to make the canvas feathers. Essentially, the feathers were cut in pairs and assembled back to back. The adhesive backing made this a quick and easy process - no mess either.

Canvas Feathers table setting using Silhouette Printable Cotton Canvas. Includes information on the relative merits of the Cotton Canvas and the Cotton Fabric. Designed for SilhouetteUK Bllog by Janet Packer https://CraftingQuine.blogspot.co.uk


Designs used from the Silhouette Design Store:


5 Sept 2018

Using Scratch-off Balloons on a Fun Raccoon Birthday Card



Hello, over on the Silhouette UK Blog I've been playing with Silhouette Scratch-Off Sticker Sheets and this week's free design, the Autumn Raccoon file (#271649).

The scratch-off sheets can be cut into just about any shape with Silhouette or scissors. Once peeled from the backing paper, it can be adhered over printed or hand-written text and later scratched off to reveal a hidden message. It's great for interactive greetings cards of all kinds and can be used to reveal a surprise gift, some special news, or just a fun personalised greeting.



I cut balloon outlines from the scratch-off sheets, to make balloon-shaped scratch off panels for this Paint & Cut card. Read more about this card on the Silhouette UK Blog.

2 Sept 2018

Bicycle Pop Up Card


I love making customised cards for folks I know well -  then I can add little details that make the card extra relevant and special to them.

I made this card on the retirement of a friend and colleague who lives in the area shown on the map. Map publishers are not usually happy for you to copy or reproduce their maps particularly the Ordinance Survey organisation in the UK. I love incorporating maps though, so I purchase second-hand maps, atlases and guide books whenever I can to use in my card making and crafting.



Fortunately, I had two copies of this travel guide, and used the map twice, trimming it to fit and inking the edges to help it blend in with the matting layer.


I added a bicycle (with rotating wheels), and some items that I knew were relevant to the recipient. Namely books, coffee, plants, and a spaniel. I also added geotags, tagging music venues, libraries, coffee shops and garden centres.



This picture, in the early stages, shows how the card is constructed, the base card being an SVG/Studio file by Lori Whitlock. I used the Pop Up Bicycle Box Card, added extra bits and pieces to it.



Well, I hope you like the card, and that it might have inspired you to try out using maps in your card making too. I invite you to follow my blog if you haven't already done so, so that you don't miss future cards and projects.

This card has been entered in the following challenges:
Daring Cardmakers - Travelogue Challenge - 31st August 2018
Crafty Creations Challenges - Anything Goes #373 - 22nd August 2018




1 Sept 2018

Mini tropical Foil Leaf Canvases




Hiya, this week I have another quick and easy home decor project using the Silhouette Printable Gold Foil over on the Silhouette UK Blog. I decorated some mini canvases using some tropical leaf shapes by Amy Robison (#83624#83618) from the Silhouette Design store.



Materials Used
Silhouette Printable Gold Foil Sticker Paper
Silhouette Cameo, or Portrait
4-pack of Mini Canvases (12.5cm x 12.5cm, 5" x 5")
Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Clotted Cream
Mod Podge Matte Sealant
Foam Brush

My post includes instructions on how to cut the foil and decorate the canvases, and includes some information on using the Nesting Tool (available in Designer Edition and above). Do pop over there if you'd like to find out more about the project.