Snow Lady using Simply Crafty SVGs Snowman Stacking Box Set

Hello, Janet here with my first 3D Christmas project of the year using the Snowman Stacking Box Set from Simply Crafty SVGs.  I've turned the snowman into a glamorous 'snowLADY' using the Silhouette Cameo's Print & Cut function with digital papers and elements to make new accessories.  I used a Silhouette Cameo® 3, but of course these SVG files can be used with other desktop die cutting machines (details here).
 
My finished Snowlady ended up just under 12" tall, with the largest box at 6.5" across and 4" tall, and the smaller one at 4.5" by 3.75".  The original sizes can be found with the Snowman's listing in the Simply Crafty SVGs shop.

MATERIALS:
White Pearl Card (large sheets)
Black Pearl Card
Red & White Baker's Twine
Down the Road Snow Flurries Digital Elements
Down the Road Snow Flurries Digital Papers
Versafine Embossing Ink
Judikins Iridescent Sparkle embossing powder
Sizzix Embossing Folder & Stamp - Fun Stripes Set by Hero Arts
Small gems
Beacon 3-in-1 Glue
Inkjet Printer
Silhouette Cameo


The Snowman Body
I made the whole snowman a little larger to fit some bigger gifts inside. To do this it is necessary merge all the files that make up the snowman onto one tab, selecting all the pieces and enlarging the biggest piece to fit the largest piece of card. Of course, you also need to check that the largest piece to be cut from smaller card fits too.


The Body Box
The two boxes are cut from white pearl card and constructed using the instructions in the PDF included with the Snowman Stacking Box Set files.  The top of the lid of the larger box is 'filled' with a snowflake design from the set of digital papers and then print and cut with printer and Cameo. The scarf lid edging was filled a plain paper from the same set.


Scarf
The scarf tails come from the digital set, substituting them for the original scarf tails, but using them to gauge the sizing.  All the scarf pieces were stamped with embossing ink and then heat embossed with the iridescent powder to give sparkling stripes.

Buttons
The buttons were cut from coated black card with just the top piece embossed using the striped embossing folder. Once constructed they were mounted to the base using dimensional foam pads.

Mittens
The mittens were a new element taken from the digital elements set and sized to match the project.  I print and cut three copies of each glove (one set was a mirror image of another), cutting a slit in one of each. Three copies of the mittens were layered with the slit copy in the middle of the sandwich and with baker's twine trapped inside. The bakers' twine was placed close to the position that the head box will sit on the body lid and then stitched in place using embroidery thread.

Head
I attempted to substitute some more feminine facial elements, using a berry from the digital elements as a nose. I can't pretend that I didn't have several attempts at this, and I'm not entirely sure I achieved it. Maybe you can do better?

Hat
This is my favourite part. The hat parts were cut straight from the file and decorated with print and cut digital elements from the elements set. These were enhanced with the addition of some Glossy Accents, extra small shapes, sequins and adhesive gems.

... And that completes the snowlady.

It was such fun to combine the SVG file with digital elements to make something unique. I hope you'll try it.



Bye for now,
Janet, DT Member Simply Crafty SVGS

Blog: https://CraftingQuine.blogspot.co.uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craftingquine



Simply Crafty SVG Files:
Snowman Stacking Box Set


Additional Digital Files:
Down the Road Flurries of Fun Digital Elements
Down the Road Flurries of Fun Digital Papers

Haunted Halloween Castle using Crafty SVGs Dragon Castle Card

Hello, Janet here with a new Halloween project. I've used the SVG file for the Dragon Castle Card from Simply Crafty SVGs as a starting point for this folding haunted castle.

You might have noticed that I can't resist changing things up a bit and as Sandy's files are so well designed and versatile they are the perfect for this.  Sandy's castle box card is great as it is, and comes with a super dragon - brilliant for all the 'Game of Thrones' fans in your life. Not only that, the file contains a bonus shaped card of the dragon in all his/her glory!

However, I needed something bigger so I enlarged the castle design and used two castles stuck back-to-back. Then I added some Halloween embellishments and the castle was transformed. I was so pleased when I realised that it still folded down. That means I can easily store it and reuse it next year.

 

Materials Used:
Grey Heavyweight Card in A3 sheets 240 gsm
Crackle-textured Background Stamp
Black Soot and Frayed Burlap Distress Oxide Inks
Patterned papers in Grey and Orange
Black Paper
Silhouette Glow-in-the-Dark Sticker Paper
Black Wink of Stella Pen
Beacon 3-in-1 Adhesive
Dimensional Adhesive Pads
Silhouette Cameo
Silhouette 12" x 24" Cutting Mat

Files Used:
Simply Crafty SVGs Dragon Castle Card

Silhouette Studio Files:
Haunted House Accessories by Samantha Walker (ghosts) (#34010)*
Trick or Treat Halloween Banner by Emily Dyer (#97615)
Spider Web by Silhouette (#2954)*
Spider & Web by Sarah Bailey (spider) (#33514)
Bats by Lori Whitlock (#156856)
*also available as SVGs



Resizing and Cutting

I enlarged all the castle card components so that the biggest piece would fit onto A3 cardstock approx. 11.5" x 16.5". The file piece shown is roughly 8" x 16".  The I cut double the number of card bases, panels and door frames from the grey cardstock.  I also cut additional small towers to put on the inside of the castle.

Decorating the Card/Castle Base

I used black distress oxide ink to blend some ink around the the edges of the inside parts of the castle (parts not covered with panels).

Decorating the Panels

The panels were stamped with a texture background stamp. This is an old one from Personal Impressions (P765). I think it may be discontinued as I couldn't find it online. It's so long since I used a quality large mounted stamp like this, it has a real luxury feel to it!  However, most texture stamps would work, especially brickwork, stone or marble.

I then blended Distress Oxide ink around the edges with a mini sponge dauber and also lightly rubbed some Frayed Burlap ink over the surface to give the panels a bit of colour variation.

Windows and Doors

Using the panels as a template, I drew the windows onto the bases. On the front of the castle I added scraps of glow-in-the-dark sticker to cover the window openings (they will later be covered with the panels). As an alternative I cut out the windows on the rear of the castle with a craft knife and placed orange vellum over the windows.  I preferred the glow-in-the-dark ones, but the vellum is an adequate alternative.

Attaching the Panels

The window frames, flagpoles and battlement strips were cut from black paper, the flags from orange, and the roof pieces from grey patterned paper.  It is a good idea to made up the panels before attaching them to the base. Sandwiching the vellum or glow-in-the-dark paper between the base and the panels really shows the detail in the window frames off nicely.  The picture below shows the vellum version.

Card Assembly

Both written (PDF) and video instructions are available for this file and it is very straightforward to put together. I assembled both halves of the castle independently, remembering to put the rear panels on the inside of the card rather than the back, where the two castles are joined together. I reversed one of the castles so the towers matched up on each side, but it would look fine with them alternating too.



Decorations

The two ghosts were cut from the glow-in-the-dark sticker paper, with a second set in reverse. I sandwiched a narrow strip of grey card between each matching set which was used to attach the ghosts above the castle walls.

I substituted the door for a glow-in-the-dark panel with a spider's web sandwiched between the two door frame parts.

The spider was made from several layers of black and orange card and mounted proud of the web on adhesive foam pads.

The 'Trick or Treat' banner was cut from black paper and layered with some orange paper behind and mounted above the door frame. A black Wink of Stella pen was used to give the black parts a bit of gloss and shine.

Finally, a few bats were added on the flag and in other random places.



Here is the castle in the dark with the ghosts a-glowing!

There are so many options for decorating this Halloween castle, it is hard to know when to stop!


Bye for now,
Janet, DT Member Simply Crafty SVGS


Blog: Crafting Quine 
Instagram: @CraftingQuine



Simply Crafty SVG Files:
Dragon Castle Card

NEW Pop Up Cards in Silhouette Studio V4.1 - Digger Card

Hiya,

Over on the Silhouette UK blog I recently shared a fun card using the new Popup card feature in the Designer Edition in version 4.1 of the Silhouette® Studio software.

I'd been asked to make a card featuring a digger for a friend's grandson and it seemed the ideal opportunity to try out the popup feature.  I used the Construction Tractor (#113473) file by Studio Ilustrado from the Silhouette® Design Store.

My post over on the Silhouette UK Blog includes step-by-step instructions on how design and put together the card using the Silhouette Studio Software.

This isn't the fastest card that I've ever put together, but it is certainly one of the most fun. I loved how it turned out. I hope you'll try it - you're sure to love it too.

Fall Crow Card and Place Cards

I love making shaped greetings cards and, using the Silhouette Studio software, it is easy to make other shaped papercraft items too. In this post I'll show you how I made shaped place cards for my Thanksgiving table.

The Thanksgiving card and place cards were made using the new SVG release from Sanqunetti Design - Fall Crow SVG.


Supplies Used

Silhouette Cameo® 3 and Colour Printer
Silhouette Studio® Designer Edition (or higher)
White printable medium-weight Cardstock
Googly Eyes
Beacon 3-in-1 Adhesive


Instructions

To make the place cards, I made an offset from a small version of the crow and cut the offset horizontally across the centre using the software's Knife tool (using the Outline setting, rather than the Solid default).  The upper half of the crow offset was then positioned level with the centre line of a place card-sized rectangle.

Fold lines were added at the centre line either side of the offset.

A complete crow image was then centred within the outline and a patterned background added behind (minus the crow's eye).

Next a rounded rectangle with a coloured outline was added with family names centred inside.

The whole design was then placed within a Print & Cut window, together with a copy and some (optional) separate elements.

It was then a simple matter of printing the design as shown on a home printer, and sending the printed card through the Silhouette Cameo to cut out.

To finish, each cutout place card was folded and the the google eyes added. Optional elements were added too.

The fall crow cutting file is available from the Sanqunetti Design website and at Judy's Etsy store.


Of course, I couldn't resist making a matching paper-pieced greeting card too. Isn't he cute!

Terrier Pin Cushion using Simply Crafty SVGs Dog Box Set

Hiya, Today I have a wacky 3D project for you using the fantastic Dog Box Set from Simply Crafty SVGs.

The file makes a fabulous lidded box with Chihuahua and Terrier variations. I fell in love with the terrier version, but thought it wouldn't be too difficult to make it look a bit more like my own pet, a feisty Lucas Terrier. Now comes the wacky part - with a few simple design changes I adapted the design to become a pin cushion and needle case with a small storage compartment for sewing accessories.

The file is designed to be cut from cardstock, but I made my box from felt-covered chipboard with some additional felt elements.  I've included details on the adaptations I made, but this is one of those projects that you can truly make your own.  I used my Silhouette Cameo® 3, but of course the SVG files can be used with other desktop die cutting machines (details here).


Materials Used:

Silhouette Chipboard (light-weight grey board)
Coloured Felt/Flannel 12" x 12" Squares in blue (1) & beige (2)
Black felt scraps or Flocked Heat Transfer Material
Heat N Bond Ultra Hold Iron-On Adhesive, or similar
12" x 10mm/0.75" Tartan Ribbon
Snap Fastener
Card Scraps
Toy Stuffing & Wadding
Beacon 3-in-1 Glue
Silhouette Cameo



Select and Cut the Pattern Pieces

Cut all pieces from the Box1 file, and the leg reinforcement pieces from the Box 2 file in Silhouette Chipboard. Cut selected pieces from the Terrier file (I cut the head twice, and one set of those fabulous eyebrows).


Covering the Pieces in Felt

Apply the iron-on adhesive to the back of a beige square of felt using a domestic iron following the manufacturers instructions. Draw around the board pieces shown on the adhesive side of the felt, cut them apart then trim and apply felt to the board pieces. Re trim the more intricate parts.

Ordinarily, I cut the felt on the Silhouette, but because only selected parts of these pieces need to be covered, it is quicker and easier to cut them with scissors using the Silhouette-cut board pieces as guides rather than edit all the pattern pieces in the software.


Strengthening the box

Design and add a leg at each corner to be partially hidden by the leg parts of the original box sides (all the parts are labelled in the PDF Instructions which accompany the file).  Adhere the legs once the box sides and re-enforcing pieces have been assembled. The box bottom needed to be trimmed before fitting. I just did this by eye with scissors.

Terrier Customisation

Cut and apply features from felt/heat transfer, adapting them if you wish.

I changed ear and eye shape, and added a mouth and card eye detail.

I made a 'neck' with a stack of board circles covered in beige felt which sat between the head and the body. The head and neck were adhered at a slight angle as that is how our terrier often stands.

The chest piece is an enlarged snout piece and the tail is an enlarged eyebrow!

The Pin Cushion

Make a sausage of stuffing wrapped in wadding and wrap a piece of blue felt around it. Secure along the length and at the ends with liquid adhesive. Cut a rectangle of board to fit the dog's back and cover in blue felt, securing with glue. (Optional) Trap some thin ribbon to form a handle between rectangle and 'sausage'.

Adhere the 'sausage' to the rectangle leaving it to dry under a heavy weight (I left mine in a cold heat press overnight).

The Needle Holder/Dog Coat

Add a shaped piece of blue felt folded over the side of the box (I used a bracket shaped square). Adhere it to the inside of the box only, leaving the outer part free. Add a smaller beige felt shape folded in half to serve as a needle holder. Adhere only on the folded edge. repeat on the other side.

Adhere ribbon to a narrow strip of felt, cut into two pieces, one longer than the other and attach a snap fastener to each end.

Adhere these straps to the blue squares so that one piece passes under the box so the fastener meets at one side.

The Storage Compartment

Line the compartment with a blue felt scrap, trimmed to fit.

... and that completes the terrier pin cushion.

Have you used your pets for crafty inspiration? I recommend it - it's a lot of fun!




Bye for now,
Janet, DT Member Simply Crafty SVGS

Blog: https://CraftingQuine.blogspot.co.uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craftingquine



Simply Crafty SVG Files:
Dog Box Set

Alcohol Ink and Vellum Butterfly Card - Faux Stained Glass Technique

Hiya,  I'm featuring a card using one of my favourite card-making techniques on the the Silhouette UK Blog today - faux stained glass!  The Silhouette cuts great frames to show off the pattern variations and rich colours of decorated vellum paper.  I've adapted the card design so that  light can pass through and display the inked vellum to best effect. I used self-adhesive cardstock to give a clean, smear-free finish.

To make the card I used the following:


Butterfly Card #124784 file download by StudioIlustrado

Butterfly Mother's Day Card #59805 for the little butterflies

Silhouette® Cameo 3

Pearlescent vellum from Create & Craft

Tim Holtz Alcohol inks & blending solution

Black medium-weight cardstock

Liquid craft glue

Black Silhouette Adhesive Cardstock

On the full post you'll find details on:

• Preparing the vellum,
• Adapting the card base,
• Making an independent frame for the stained-glass,
• Aligning the vellum insert, and
• Finishing touches.

Oh, and don't forget to use the vellum scraps from around the butterfly to make smaller butterflies to use for other projects. Even the bits rescued from the bin!
 

I hope you'll try this out - the stained glass effect is beautiful in real life.

Embellish Card with Flocked Heat Transfer

I love adding a little something extra to my cards, especially those for very special occasions. I've found that using flocked heat transfer material gives fantastic fuzzy texture to select elements and is very easy to do.

On the Silhouette UK Blog today I've combined the use of the heat transfer with a new style of card; the new Insta-cube card by Lori Whitlock. They are small folded cards powered by a rubber band. When you pull a card from its decorated sleeve it pops up to form a cube. I know a couple who are expecting their first baby later in the year, so I selected the baby version and think it will make a lovely keepsake.

I gave some of the elements (the giraffe, the heart and the 'B' in baby) a fluffy texture to make the card and sleeve extra tactile. Although I used flocked heat transfer vinyl, felt or speciality flocked paper could be used instead.

Materials
Medium-weight card for the base

Printable Cardstock

Coloured or patterned card/paper

Rubber band (about 2.75"/ 70 mm)

Strong double-sided adhesive tape

Yellow Flocked Heat Transfer (HTV)

Baby Insta-Cube Card file by Lori Whitlock #198865

Iron or Heat Press

Printer



How to Use Heat Transfer Material

1. Select the pieces that you are going to cut from heat transfer. Remember that heat transfer elements need to be flipped.  

2. Place heat transfer material shiny side to the mat and cut the pieces and then weed (remove the bits you don't need).

3. Separate the elements and then activate the adhesive on the HTV by pressing the designs into place. Use an iron, or heat press on a lower heat setting than normal and allow to cool before carefully peeling off the backing (warning: it does get very hot).

I used heat setting 6 on my Hobby Jack heat press (which I believe is around 120ºC, so a good bit cooler than you'd use for garments). You can use an iron (non-steam) with a similar temperature, but if you move the iron around, the design may shift too. Press initially for 8 seconds, and allowed it to cool and then re-press for a few more seconds if it hasn't stuck.  Ensure you use a protective layer between the HTV and the hot platen. For ease I use a silicon sheet fixed to the upper platen of my press.
 
4. Check carefully by lifting a corner of the backing sheet. You may need to encourage the flock to separate from the backing with a flat tool, and hold down the part that has separated against the card (don't pull it straight up from the card). A heat press isn't necessary, but it does a better job of applying heat evenly so that your base card doesn't scorch.

This is a such a fun card design, and there are a number of other designs to choose from.

I think that the fuzzy elements make this card extra special. Do let me know if you have a go at using heat transfer on your cards technique in the comments below.