Making Cards Interactive - Using the Boat Step Card from simply Crafty SVGs

I love transforming regular card files into interactive cards. This week I've taken the Boat Step Card from Simply Crafty SVGs and added a swing feature, so that the boat rocks on the card. I've also 'winter-ised' it, adding a wintry sky, snowflakes and tiny polar bear. With other small changes this card could be customised for many occasions, and any season. How dramatic would it looks with a star-lit night sky, or a dramatic sunset? Of course, it could also be used as a Christmas or New Year's Card.

Materials Used:
Grey Heavyweight Smooth Cardstock
Duck Egg, Aqua, Teal, Grey, White & Red Medium weight Textured Cardstock
Silver Pearl Cardstock (optional)
Scrap of White Pearl Paper
Beacon 3-in-1 Adhesive
Foam Adhesive Tape and/or Pads
Flat-topped Brad
Small Coin
Silver & White Acrylic Paints & Brush
Silver Sketch Pen
Star and Snowflake Embellishments (Lawn Fawn Mini Snowflakes die set)
Silhouette Cameo

Files Used:
Simply Crafty SVGs Boat Step Card
Simply Crafty SVGs FREE Box Envelope for A2 Card

Other Digital Files: 
Polar Bear by Silhouette (Studio or SVG)

Adapting the File Pieces
Piece 1. The boat will have more room to rock mounted on a flat background, rather than a step, so a new card base was made by welding two shapes the same size as the card back.
Piece 2. Without the step a full length background panel is needed. This was made as an internal offset of the one half of the card back (prior to welding).
Piece 3. An additional back wave layer is needed for mounting the mechanism. It is an elongated version of the biggest wave, made by point editing the two bottom corners and moving them away from the wave edges as a group (holding down shift when the four edit points are selected).
The other pieces were cut as per the file.

Making the Boat
Follow the designer's instructions on the video for assembling the boat, but not the lifesaver/lifebuoy. The video is available from the file's page in the store, or on the designer's YouTube channel. Once the boat is complete, cut away most of the base part, leaving a long tab in the centre.

Make the swing/rock mechanism
Decide where you want the boat to pivot from and punch a hole. This should be placed somewhere close to the vertical centre line. This boat has a convenient lifesaver/lifebuoy. If it did not, the pivot point would have been lower, as it otherwise needs to be covered by the front wave layer.

Attach the coin/weight high enough that it doesn't swing below the front wave layer. Make a mark on the new back (biggest) wave layer where the boat will be attached, then punch a hole.

Attach the boat to the large wave with a flat-topped brad, leaving it loose enough to still swing. (Not shown) To help the boat rock smoothly, place two sticky pads either side of the brad on the reverse of the boat, leaving the liner on top surface (without exposing the sticky top).  To limit the amount of swing/rock, place similar pads either side of the coin. Check that all tape will be hidden by the front wave.

Place adhesive foam tape on the rear of the large wave, leaving the protective layer on for the time being.

Place more adhesive tape to sit behind the front wave. Here I added an extension to the tab, so that I could rock the boat on a video clip without having to tip the card. If you decided to do this, I'd recommend that a semi circle is cut from the base of the front wave so that the tab can be shorter (otherwise it won't stand well).

Attach the front wave, and then attach the complete boat/wave set to the prepared card background. Mine is splattered with silver and white acrylic paint, dry embosssing would be an alternative.

To disguise the brad, the waste circle from the lifesaver was stuck to the top and then the assembled lifesaver/lifebuoy stuck on top of that.

Other finishing touches included some tiny die-cut silver stars, a die-cut snowflake, a greeting in silver sketch pen, and a tiny, tiny, polar bear. The bear is cut from glimmer paper, and the edges coloured with a blue marker.

I hope you'll have a go at making your cards interactive. It takes a little trial and error, but so worth it for such a fun result.

These are the files I used (including the free envelope file). Just click on the photo to visit the page in Simply Crafty SVGs online store.



Janet, DT Member Simply Crafty SVGs

Blog: Crafting Quine 
Instagram: @CraftingQuine

Turn a box into a card - Bunny Butt Box from Simply Crafty SVGs

Hiya, When I saw this fun gift box (the Bunny Butt Box SVG File by Simply Crafty SVGs) I thought it was an ideal gift box for a leaving gift. Then it hit me that the bunny part would be the perfect topper on a leaving card too!

The designer Sandy, has made a fabulous video on how to put the simple box together (so easy, it would feasible to make them in quantity). In this post I'll show how I transformed it into a card. The bunny was easily turned into a topper in the Silhouette software. I used my Silhouette Cameo and the Silhouette Studio software, but any changes I made could no doubt be replicated in other cutting software and with other machines. The excess parts could even be trimmed off with scissors if you wanted to cut the pieces as they are.


Materials Used:
6" Square Card Blank
Pearl Cardstock in Grey, Pink & White
Patterned Papers
Black and Green Textured Cardstock
Dark Grey Sign Vinyl
Embossing Folder
Manual Die Cutting Machine (for embossing)
Transfer Tape
Beacon 3-in-1 Adhesive
Adhesive foam pads
Silhouette Cameo


Files Used:
Simply Crafty SVGs Bunny Butt Box

Other Digital Files:
Grass file font by Sophie Gallo
LW Skinny Minnie font by Lori Whitlock


Bunny Topper
In the Silhouette Studio software I used the knife tool to cut along the box base as shown by the red lines below.

To position the lines in exactly the right place, I find it easiest to turn off the automatic cut option by unticking the auto apply check box. I then draw my lines, keeping them horizontal by holding down the shift key as I draw them. I use the directional arrows on the keyboard to move them to the best position, and then click on 'Apply'. This can save a lot of drawing and undoing!

The Bunny
I cut the basic shapes from grey pearl cardstock and attached the panels as layers in the same colour with liquid adhesive. The paw detail was cut from pink pearl and the tail from white pearl. Prior to attaching the tail I embossed it using the embossing folder shown. I'm afraid that I don't know what this folder is called, and suspect that it may be discontinued, as I've had it for many years.

The Card 
A 6" square card blank was covered with patterned paper. The grass file was opened in the software and the pieces resized and mirrored (using right mouse click, flip horizontal). The other pieces shown were drawn in the software.

The halo piece was drawn using the one of the new Flexishapes available in the new v4.2 of the Silhouette Studio software in Designer Edition Plus and the Business Edition.

The sentiment

I used the LW Skinny Minnie font to write the sentiment and dragged it to a copy of the shape to make the letters follow the curve of the shape. When the letters were ungrouped it was possible to space the letters out to fit either side of the bunny's ears.

The letters were then cut from dark grey vinyl.

Card assembly
Once the halo and circular pieces were attached to the card, the completed bunny was laid in position (not attached) and the letters transferred on transfer tape.

Next the grass pieces were attached, and then the bunny was raised on foam pads, then attached to the card.

Finally, the ends of the grass pieces were curled for added texture and the card was complete. I hope you think it's a fun leaving card too!

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



Simply Crafty SVG Files:
Bunny Butt Box

If you previously followed this blog using Google+, you'll see that Google+ has disappeared. Please consider using one of the other follow methods to keep up with my inspiration projects and tutorials. I always post pics and information about my latest posts on my crafting Facebook Page too - Janet Packer Crafting Quine.

Make your own glitter card and paper

Hello, over on the Silhouette UK Blog I've been using the Silhouette Glitter Sheets. This is one of my favourite Silhouette media as it is so versatile. It can be used for Print & Cut, but here I've simply printed it all over in a couple of colours and then cut out my shapes. I call this Print THEN Cut!

I made two shades of brown glitter card to transform the Stacked Polar Bear Card, by Jennifer Rush, into a cute a cuddly brown bear. Details on how to make the glitter paper and card, togther with details on making the card are over on the Silhouette UK Blog, so do pop over there to get more info.

I'm rather fond of this little bear with his friendly expression.

Zig Zag Village Card - Line Segment Overcut

Hello, today I'm over on the Silhouette UK Blog with a post about using the overcut feature in the Silhouette Studio software. It features this beautiful folding Zig Zag Village Card by Marji Roy. The card design is fabulous, but I didn't cut it very well first time around. On the second time around I used the Line Segment Overcut feature and the improvement was amazing!

If you look closely, you'll see that the squares and rectangles are not really square - all the corners are rounded.

First attempt with Overcut turned off

When I used Overcut (with all other settings the same) the cuts were crisper and more square.

Second attempt with Overcut on

The post over on the Silhouette UK Blog describe the feature and explain how, and where to use it.

The overcut feature also assisted in cutting out the teeny tiny wreaths successfully.

These were enhanced using my favourite embossing powder - more effective than cutting them out from metallic card.

I'll be making a few of these for the special folks on my Christmas card list.

A Contemporary Mass-Produced Christmas Card

Hi, I can't believe that November is almost over - where did the month go? Every year I make one or two card designs in multiples, and this year I've picked a contemporary card design by Kristen Magee; the Fa La La Christmas Card (#234355). Over on the Silhouette UK Blog I have a tutorial showing how I simplified this seven-layer card to two-layers with a few additional accents using silver Silhouette Sticker Foil.

In the post I take you through the process of how this card evolved to the point at which I felt I'd made it as easy enough to make in quantity. I reduced the number of layers by bringing in the Print & Cut technique as well as introducing some extra shine with foil sticker paper.

I made a heap of these little accent tags too. I love how teeny tiny I can make them with my Silhouette Cameo.

Materials Used

Silhouette Silver Printable Sticker Foil

Medium-weight White Textured Cardstock

Square Card Blanks

Beacon 3-in1 Advanced Craft Adhesive

Silver Cord

Silhouette CAMEO® 3

Silhouette 12" x 12" Cutting Mat

A3+ Printer (if printing on 12"x12", otherwise an A4 Printer)

DIGITAL DESIGNS USED:

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)!

Classic Car Trunk - Wedding Card

Hiya, This week I've been having some fun with the Classic Car Trunk Card from Simply Crafty SVGs. This is such a versatile design, great for male or car enthusiast's birthdays, Father's day, and 'get well' occasions (I HAVE to make a 'hope you're back on the road soon' card with this file)! I also thought it would make a fun wedding card, representing the 'going away' vehicle. Being a classic vehicle it would be great for 'vintage' couples. There are so many opportunities for adding text and customisations, and I've shared a few of them here today.

Here's the original design, you can purchase it from Simply Crafty SVGs here. The file comes with a vintage van too - perfect for hipster weddings!

Materials Used:
White Pearl Silver Cardstock
Bronze Metallic Cardstock
Black Lightweight Cardstock or Paper
Bronze Vinyl
White Pearlescent Vellum
White Copy Paper & Printer
Tim Holtz/Sizzix Damask Embossing Folder
Silhouette Cameo, or other cutting machine
Strong Liquid Adhesive
Dimensional Adhesive Pads

Digital Files Used:
Classic Car Trunk Card Set from Simply Crafty SVGs
Stick Figures Bride & Groom by Snapdragon Snippets
Ed's Market Narrow Slant Font by Laura Worthington
Tin Cans by Janet Packer (free download)


THE BASIC CARD SHAPE 

Tyres/Tires. I welded tyres on to the basic card to both the front and back fold pieces. I wanted to raise up the vehicle up a little to allow some space for decorations to hang from the fender/bumper. It is a tradition in the UK to hang noisemakers like tin cans, and sometimes old boots, to the wedding going away vehicle. I'm not sure if its the same in the US and other countries. Either way, it allows for some fun additions.

Bride and Groom. I resized the stick figures to be in scale with the vehicle, made small offsets, tilted them and welded the offsets to the front fold of the vehicle card.

Cutting and Assembly. The card was cut from white pearl card, and the tyres and stick figures from lightweight black card. The tyres and trimmed down stick figures were adhered to the card base before the vehicle topper was added.


VEHICLE TOPPER

Rear window. Instead of sticking the window to the vehicle, I decided it would give more interest to set the window behind the topper. I did this by subtracting the window from the vehicle shape in the software prior to cutting the vehicle body from pearl card.

Window. Initially I printed the "Just Married" text on blue vellum (as shown here). Once I started assembling the card I realised that it clashed horribly, so cut the writing from bronze metallic vinyl instead (and changed out the font to Ed's Market), attached it to pearlescent vellum, then mounted it behind the window opening.

Wheel Arches and Trunk. I experimented with a few embossing folders and settled on the Tim Holtz Damask one; it is floral-ish with our being overly feminine. The wheel aches need to be attached first, and then the fender/bumper. I attached the fender onto the wheel arches only, leaving a gap in the central section where decorations could hang later.

Trunk Mounting. Here's an opportunity to add an personal message. After rounding the corners of the truck, I attached it to the vehicle body using a hinge of copy paper. As well as working as a hinge, it provides a writing surface for a little handwritten message.

Trunk Handle. I drew out a number of identical rounded rectangles and adhered them on top of each other to form a handle. The original uses a brad, but I didn't have one in the correct colour, so make the handle instead.

Number/Licence Plate. This is the perfect place to add the names of the bride and groom. I printed mine on copy paper and trimmed it to fit. Here are the colour settings that matched my bronze card. I drew and cut an offset in bronze cardstock to make the plate stand out from the vehicle.

Rear Lights. I wasn't sure whether to cut the lights from red or bronze card. Once I'd got rid of the red writing in the rear window, it was apparent that the red lights would have to go too!

Bumper Decorations. All manner of items can be hung from the bumper, tin cans being the most traditional in the UK. Here is an inspiration photo from a lovely UK wedding blog - The Wedding of My Dreams.

Photo from The Wedding of My Dreams Blog

I made some mini cans to hang from the fender/bumper. A free SVG cut file is available to download from the link below the picture (for personal use only). I cut the base pieces in black and the plain decorative piece in vellum and linked them with baker's twine.

FREE file download SVG

I hope you like this fun variation. Do let me know if you make use of the free file.