Christmas Village slimline card by Simply Crafty SVGs

For my last Christmas Card of the year I used the Christmas Village Slimline Card SVG cutting file from Simply Crafty SVGs. I love making cards in a limited colour palette, and I think that this design works very well using white card in various textures, with a little extra silver and gold glimmer.  

I've cut the card parts as per the cut file with the addition of a local landmark - The Scolty Tower and Hill above Banchory in Royal Deeside, Scotland. It is such fun to adapt card designs in this way!

Materials Used:
White Medium-Weight Textured Cardstock
White Medium-Weight Smooth Cardstock

Silver and Gold Glitter Paper (mine is glitter wallpaper)
Beacon 3-in-1 Adhesive
Dimensional Adhesive Tape

Silhouette Cameo or other digital cutting machine that cuts SVG files

Files Used:
Simply Crafty SVGs  Vintage Christmas Slimline Card

Simply Crafty SVGs (Free) Slimline Envelope

This year, I'm supporting the Cards for Kindness initiative, and I'm sending my extra Christmas cards to care homes where some folks don't have family to send them cards. For those of you in the UK there is a Facebook group with card ideas ideas, hints on Covid card safety, and various call outs for cards. They share a link which gives addresses of Care Homes all over the UK. I'm sure there is something similar in most countries, although there isn't much time left!

 

This is the file I used. Just click on the photo to visit the page in Simply Crafty SVGs online store.

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Janet, DT Member Simply Crafty SVGs

Blog: Crafting Quine 
Instagram: @CraftingQuine

Cutting Fabric on the Silhouette Cameo

Hiya, This is just a brief post to show that it is possible to cut fabric with your Silhouette Cameo. This rose was cut using the standard ratchet blade on a regular cutting mat. The fabric has been pre-treated with Beacon Stiffen Stuff and allowed to dry thoroughly before cutting.

The rose cut file comes from Mom's Garden Gifts SVG Kit at SVG Cuts.

Handy Storage Solution with the Curvy Drawer Organizer from Simply Crafty SVGs

Hello.  Janet here with a project to help with organising your craft desk or computer area. I've used the SVG file for the Curvy 3-Drawer Organizer to make a practical computer tidy.  It is one of a range of practical curvy organisation cutting files from Simply Crafty SVGs.

Now, I should explain that initially I hadn't intended to stop at just one set of drawers. The curvy range would look great stacked up using the different drawer configurations, and I'd planned an organisation stack to sit beside my computer too (this one fits neatly under the screen - great for storing all my USB memory sticks. However, mid-way in I discovered that I only had a couple of sheets of my favourite heavy weight grey cardstock! I will have to order some more and build the stack later in the year.

This file is a delight to make. The construction is really strong, and cleverly designed to cover up all the tabs and glued parts, for a truly neat finish. It warranted a neat and precise decoration, and I'll show you how I finagled this with 6x6 patterned paper.

This was made using the Silhouette Studio Designer Edition software, but can be replicated in other cutting software.


Materials Used:
Grey heavyweight Cardstock
(I used Slate Grey Smooth Card 240gsm from UK supplier, Papermill Direct)
6x6 Patterned Paper (MME A Happy Heart, discontinued)
Beads (for feet)
Beacon 3 in 1 Adhesive
Silhouette Cameo


Files Used:
Simply Crafty SVGs Curvy 3-Drawer Organizer

Other Digital Files: 
Leaf and Flower Border Set by Nic Squirrell (Studio or SVG)
Garden flower by Technique Tuesday (Studio or SVG)



DRAWER ASSEMBLY

The SVG file for the Drawer set includes clear step-by-step instructions in PDF format, so I won't cover that here. I made the whole design slightly bigger so that my rings of USBs would fit easily. My only other deviation was to adhere the decorative panels after I'd assembled the drawers, as I wasn't certain if my initial choice of paper would work (it didn't, as the pattern scale was too big, so I ended up using paper from a 6x6 pad on a project that was slightly too big for it).


DECORATIVE PANELS

The scale of my original pattern was too big, so chose I to use some 6x6 paper, but I only had a sheet and a half. I had to use some careful planning and precise alignment of the paper on the cutting mat (the I only just managed to fit the pieces on) to make the patterns match.

The large piece had to be rotated by 45º to fit on to the paper.

For the smaller pieces I drew a square to represent the 6x6 paper then used the Align tools from the Transform to panel to ensure that they were centred, level and evenly spaced horizontally.  The spaces between the shapes were closer than I'd normally like, but by reducing the cutting force the pieces cut without mishap. NOTE: One of the drawer panels is smaller than the others. I rearranged their order so that the small one sat in the middle, as it would on the finished item, so the pattern would align correctly.

DECORATIVE ELEMENTS

I made an offset of the leaf border and flower together and had to cut the border in two pieces because I had so little of the paper left (the grey stripe was on the reverse of the plaid pattern used for the panels). By releasing the compound path on the flower I was able to select and cut the flower centre from the cream stripe too.

Once the elements were assembled, I adhered the whole piece to the top of the drawers.

DRAWER FEET

I thought the set would look more finished with a set of feet. I used the beads from some broken necklaces and had the choice of two types: disk-shaped, or spherical ones.

It looked nice with the spherical ones, but I realised that the foot of my monitor stand was sloped, so I opted for one pair of the disc-shaped ones at the front, so that the drawers would sit flat when they were positioned on the foot.

Here is the completed project in position. Love it!

I can't wait for my cardstock delivery so that I can make a matching storage stack.

All the files are here. Oh, and there is also a Magazine Style box; a row of these would be great for all my USB cables (why does every camera seem to need a different style of USB)?

I hope you find these files and tips useful in organising your desk or craft room. I love starting the New Year with a tidy desk!


Bye for now,
Janet, DT Member Simply Crafty SVGs


Blog: Crafting Quine 
Instagram: @CraftingQuine



Simply Crafty SVG Files:
Curvy 3-Drawer Organizer

Fall Hedgehog Swing Card

Hiya, today I have a card combining files from two of my favourite designers.  The cute Fall Hedgehog clipart is from Sanqunetti Design and the neat Swing Card SVG file is from Simply Crafty SVGs.

 The clipart was resized and placed within the oval centre of the swing card. The panel pieces were filled with a digital paper by Cosmo Cricket. All these pieces were placed on to a single piece of card on the Silhouette Cameo's virtual mat and the Print & Cut marks were turned on.

This was then printed out onto plain white card. The cut lines can be seen on the paper on the virtual mat, but don't show when the pieces are printed as the line thickness is set to zero.

The printed card is then placed onto the cutting mat, loaded into the Silhouette Cameo, and the pieces are then cut out.

The centre panels are coloured around the edge with Antique Linen Distress Oxide Ink. Some of the colour is overlapped onto the base of the panel to indicate the ground beneath the hedgehogs feet.

The Card base is then cut from Kraft card. Here two copies are cut, one is still flat, and the other has been folded to form the card.

The panels are then adhered to the card blank, a sentiment is added and the card is complete.

 

The files are available now from Sanqunetti Design

... and Simply Crafty SVGs. The Swing Card is free, and there are also some more decorative shapes of swing card available too.

Scarecrow Basket made with the Scarecrow Topper SVG from Sanqunetti Design

Hiya, today I've created a fun scarecrow basket made with the Scarecrow Topper SVG from Sanqunetti Design.

I made my own basket by welding the hat and face together for the front and back of the basket. Then I added some rectangles for the sides and base, then tabs and slits (for a handle), and a handle piece too, of course.

To add some decoration, I made some panels for the basket sides and the handle.

Once I'd made up my scarecrow topper from textured card stock I adhered him to the basket prior to assembly. It was easy to add the decorative panels at this stage too.

Then it was simply a matter of adhering the side panels to the back of the scarecrow's head and slipping the handle into the slits on the side of the basket. I'd also add a little glue to the handles to ensure they don't move once my cute basket is filled with fall treats.

The Scarecrow Topper SVG can be purchased from Sanqunetti Design from the website or the Etsy store. This guy makes a fun basket but he'd look great on fall cards and invitations too.

NEWS : Now on the Simply Crafty SVgs Design Team

Hiya,

I'm thrilled to announce that I've joined the first ever Simply Crafty SVGs Design Team.  You can read the introduction and team member's bios on the Simply Crafty SVG Blog.

The Simply Crafty SVGs Shop has lots of great card and 3D designs in SVG format - great for cutting machines such as the Silhouette Cameo, Sizzix eclips  and Cricut Explore. Each file comes with a PDF document with full assembly instructions. Pop over to the store and checkout Sandy's fabulous designs.

If you have a Silhouette machine you'll need to have the Designer Edition, Designer Edition Plus, or Business Edition to easily import and work with the files.

I'll be sharing my favourite monthly project here on this blog. Look out my first post later this month.
I'm excited to be sharing it with you!

Using SVGs to Create in Silhouette Studio Designer Edition

Hiya, this week I had the opportunity to try out the new Fancy Cat Cutting File from Sanqunetti Design. I used the designer edition of the Silhouette Studio software, but the variety of file types included allow the design to be used with most cutting machines (SVG, DXF, PDF & JPG). Note, the DXF format can be used with the basic edition of the Silhouette Studio software too.

I wasn't sure if the design would be better suited to card, vinyl or something else. It turned out it that the image suited EVERYTHING and so I made it up in all the media I had readily available (heat transfer vinyl, caper/card and sticker paper).


HEAT TRANSFER VINYL (Pyjama Bag)

I made up a little pyjama bag using a variation of the phrase "the cat's pyjamas" - perfect to use with this image. I used soft, velvety, flocked vinyl for the black parts, sparkly gold glitter vinyl for the heart and glasses, and regular smooth vinyl for the remainder.

CARDSTOCK (Greeting card)

For the card I designed a semi-shaped card using an offset of the cat's head and a patterned rectangle. The background piece was made using the Silhouette's Print & Cut function, with most of the pieces being cut from textured cardstock.  The glasses and heart are made with card with a glitter heat transfer veneer (yes, you can iron heat transfer on to card). The heart is finished with the recipient's  initial cut from regular sign vinyl. Of course, a monogram or small name could be added as an alternative.

STICKER PAPER (Custom Stickers)

Using the Print & Cut function again, I made a sheet of personalised stickers using the included JPEG image.

What a lovely extra surprise to include a sheet of stickers with a child's greeting card?

REGULAR SIGN VINYL (Vinyl Decal)

I had intended to made a decal for a cat treat jar with some custom text. However, I'd used all my pink sign vinyl, so that is a project for another day.


VERSATILITY (Using SVG & DXF)

The files allow for all manner of variations and customisations. The diagram shows some possible options for the bow.

For vinyl, I chose to make the black flock more prominent than the grey, and used the lower of the two vinyl variations with the loose 'shadow' pieces, omitting the 'knot' piece.

For the card, I decided I'd prefer to have fewer loose pieces and so made the bow and shadow pieces a compound path, and again omitted the 'knot'.

A even simpler solution would be to just use the bow outline - the choice is your's!

I hope you find this demonstration of the versatility of these cutting files useful.  Let me know  (in the comments section below) if you have any further suggestions. I love hearing from you.

SVGs

 Hello, I have a new post over on the Silhouette UK Blog today. This is about how to open SVGs on in the Silhouette Studio software, but only in the Designer Edition and above.


In the post I used a free SVG file that I downloaded from Open Clip Art called Aegishjalmur Retraced. 

I show how to download it, and how to work out how it will cut. In the file there are two versions, one made up of lines, and one welded together.

One of the versions could easily be changed, and to that I added some wording.

 

From this new file I made a vinyl decal in gold vinyl which I added to acrylic coasters purchased from Acrylic Craft. 

  

If you download SVG files from the Internet you will generally find that they don't have cut lines selected. Simply turn them on by selecting Cut in the Cut Window.

American Football Mug

Hello!

Today I decorated a mug with vinyl using a recent SVG release from Sanqunetti Design. This is one of a set of female oriented american football images available as a set of cutting files in SVG format (to use with the Designer Edition of the Silhouette Studio software), a DXF (which can be used with the basic version) and a JPG (for printing).

I used 4 colours of regular vinyl and layered them all onto a single piece of transfer tape, applying them to the mug in a single operation. I included a small triangle on each layer to use to align the pieces, first picking up the white, then dark pink, brown and lastly the light pink.

A thorough burnishing at each stage (rubbing with a plastic straight edge to remove air) ensured that there are no air bubbles to be seen.

The set is available from the Sanqunetti Design store.

Have you tried using vinyl with your cutting machine yet. If not, do try. It's easier than you'd think!

Adding photos to cards

Hello, today I have a fun new card for you. 

Judy over at Sanqunetti Design has just released this ice-cream van svg file and, once made into a card, the windows are just perfect for a bit of personalisation.  I added a photo in the driver's window and a lift the flap window for a surprise message. It's so nice for relatives to receive a special card combined with a family photo. 

I made these changes to the file to make the card:

Flip the Design

The quickest course of action would be to make this file into a top fold card, However, I find top fold cards usually collapse when they've been on display for a few days, no matter how high the gsm of the card used. A side fold stands up so much better  (literally), so I selected all the file elements and flipped them so that it could have a fold on the left.

Extend the card size 

By increasing the size of the file pieces and by making the card base into 2 pieces, with a flap to join them, the photo is a better size for viewing and it is still possible to fit front and back onto a sheet of A4 or letter size paper. 

Add a Photo

Its easy to use the Silhouette Studio software to isolate the driver's window cut shape and to crop the photograph to the exact size and shape. Add the print and cut marks to the photo paper and the Silhouette will cut out the printed photo.

Add a Flap

Instead of just cutting a rectangular window from the pink van shape I broke the cut path in the top corners and substituted a perforated line. Now it's just perfect for a secret message or a second photo.

Here's the finished card - fun huh?

The file is available to purchase for download from Sanqunetti Design and is available at 50% off for a limited time.

Have you added photos to your cards? How did you do go about it?



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