three new files

I just finished uploading three new files.  More in the works! 

LabelsOne6 fits Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels One die#6 (largest) although you of course do not have to use it, I just like to.  I like my Nesties to have something behind them.  If you are using thin cardstock, you can cut this to fit die#5…but be very careful removing from the mat.  To do so, resize to 4.75″.  It took me 4 tries with different papers before I could get the smaller one to cut so I didn’t include it in the file.  Shown below are two cards made with this file:  one to fit #6, one to fit #5.  Don’t laugh at my coloring.  I’m still learning.

This is just a decorative shape to use with Spellbinders Nestabilites Labels One dies #3, 4, or 5.  (To get the number of the Nestabilites die, count outwards from the smallest one).  All three sizes with backing mats are included in the file. 

Same shape, sized to fit a 2.5″ circle.  Am working on sample cards for the last two files today. 

 

SU! Vintage Vogue and FredSheSaid medallion cards

I have some new cutting files made but one of them needs tweaking so I’ll add them all at the same time, hopefully later today.  I really liked these two cards (no cut files) and wanted to share.  Both are prettier in real life – my photo skills are bad.  I miss Kat doing my photography for me!

This one uses SU! new (clear-mount) Vintage Vogue set from the Occasions Mini.  It took me two days but I got that vine stamped in an almost perfect circle.  I had to make a template to do it.  If you want the template, email me and tell me which file type you need or if you need a PDF to handcut.  The colors are Rich Razzleberry, Mellow Moss, and Always Artichoke.  Tiny bows are silk ribbon from Stamp Simply.  Leaves are from new SU! bird punch.  Larger flowers are the small flower from the stamp set stamped off.  Smaller flowers are from SU! Trio Flower punch.  Kaiser Pearls are from Stamp Simply.  Background paper from SU! Hostess Level 1 6×6 paper pack (p13 IBC).    Greeting is SU! Elegant Greetings which I think is retired.  Finished card size is 5.5″ x 5×5″.  This is my favorite card I’ve ever made.  I love this stamp set and these colors.  I stamped and cut out a whole page of the large flowers but didn’t use them so I will have to use those in a card soon!

This is Michael’s favorite card I’ve ever made.  It uses the Floral Doodledallion 3 from Fred She Said with popped-up layers.  Kaiser Rhinestones are from Stamp Simply.  Size is 5×5 and is an easel card.  The greeting is CTMH embossed with glitter EP.  You can’t see in the pic but the Spica markers add a subtle twinkle to the lines of the digi-stamp – Pretty!  I got my Spica glitter pens from Ellen Hutson.  When I went to grab the link for these I saw that there is a new set!  Agh!  I love my Spica glitter pens.  The only thing better could be MORE Spica glitter pens!  Michael is in love with the Doodledallion digi-stamps.  He thinks they are the coolest thing he’s ever seen.  They are fun.  I think next time I’m going to color them with Prismacolor pencils instead of markers so I can get more shading variations.

 

birthday bunny card and Pipkin in a tree

I tried to get some files made today but nothing got finished.  Sorry!  I had a lovely day “off” yesterday and even took a long nap.  Awesome.  It was cold and rainy all day so we cooked a big pot of potato soup for dinner instead of going out.  Yum~ 

I finished this card today using paper from my new Stamp Simply Lilac Avenue Kit.  I am liking green and purple together .  The papers in the 6×6 paper pad that came in the kit are all so pretty I don’t want to use them.  Am gonna, though.  Don’t laugh at my coloring on this card, either.  I need lots more practice using these markers.  Or maybe I just need more markers…?  Am loving coloring with the Copic Sketch markers but I use my chalks for the backgrounds.  I left the Nestie in and chalked the background so it left a little white edge around it where it is embossed.  I like the Spica glitter pens on the image but you can’t see it in the photo.  ‘Tis pretty.  The green markers match the green paper perfectly in real life.  Notice my Nesties backing mat (yea!) and my perfect Bow-Easy double bow!  These things make me happy.  So does coloring, so do bees and bunnies.  And new papers.  And potato soup.

 

I took these pictures of Pipkin (Kat’s cat) yesterday morning.  He’s always been an indoor kitty but I let him in the backyard now.  He’s never caught a bird but he sure is thinking hard about it!  Then he gave me a look for scaring the bird away with my camera.

Am gonna go watch some tv-on-dvd and make some more Bow-Easy bows.  ~G’night!

 

try this! medallion using corner punches

It has been one of those weeks – I can’t seem to get squat done or done right.  Agh!  I did however finally get all the SU! punches backing mats made into all the file types and uploaded.  I changed the names of these so many times that if there are any mistakes in any of the files just let me know.  Do remember that punches are subjective to the user.  I can punch out ten 3-7/8″ squares in a row and none will be exactly the same.  Close but not exact.  It’s the nature of the punch which is why we all have cutting machines, right?!    If you don’t have the punches, they are still pretty scallop squares and they are free so go get ‘em.  I have to keep repeating, the punched squares are not included and are copyright of SU!. ONLY the orange backing mats shown in the pictures are in the file. 

You can download these backing mats files HERE.

   

 

While playing with those punches, I remembered seeing corner punches used to make medallions, so I played around with sizes and came up with one that works with the same SU! Scallop Trim corner punch…and then I needed a backing mat…and while making the card I decided that I needed two inside shapes for layering so went back and added them to the file types.  I got the card all stamped, cut out, glued together, and gorgeous, then knocked my bottle of Perfect Paper Adhesive over and all over it.  Don’t ask me why I still had the lid off and wasn’t being careful – I told you it’s been one of those weeks.  I quickly grabbed a paintbrush and smoothed the glue out and added some Dazzling Diamonds glitter – but then it just looked like a daffodil Christmas ornament.  I really wanted to show you a card with this file so I hurriedly stamped, colored, and cut out more daffodils – and you can tell I colored them in a hurry, they look awful.  Don’t laugh at my skewy embossing, either.  I told you it was a bad week!  If I want to use this card I’ll have to make it AGAIN.  Agh!  You can get the idea from this one anyway.  The card is 5.25″ square.  I think.  Am on a square card kick again.

Am showing you a few other cards I made last week, some using my own files for a change!  I’m working on getting my galleries back online but that is so tedious.  Making cards is more fun than scanning and uploading them.  When I get the galleries finished all the “stamps and stuff used” should be on that page.  This is just so you can see how much fun I’ve had playing!  Recognize my cutting files?

  

On another note, I got my Stamp Simply Lilac Avenue Kit in the mail yesterday.  WooHoo!  It is sooooo pretty.  I love the purples and greens!  I’ve been wanting those big silk ribbons for forever and I finally broke down and bought a Bow Easy from Sharon while I was ordering.  Why have I not had one of these until now?!  OMG, it makes the best bows!  I guess I always thought my bows were okay but Bow-Easy bows are awesome.  I made a whole little box full last night while watching tv.  I love that thing!  Now I “need” all those colors of big silk ribbons………

Tomorrow is my wedding anniversary so I’m taking the day off.  Not that I really “work” much anyway, but I’m relaxing tomorrow.  Maybe.  I might have to make some easy bows…

 

new file added ~ very exciting!

Remember the post a few days ago where I showed the new SU! punches that make a square when you use the corner & border punch together?  Well, I got to thinking that it would be so cool to have a circle file that matched these…so I did it!  It was so hard to get exact but after many test cuts even hubby approved the match btwn the file and the punches.  It’s the one shown in the front of the picture below.  If you keep it the same size as in the file it will match your SU! new punches.   While making that file I got carried away and ended up with 3 other variations on that theme…and made a backing mat that fits all four.  The circles are 3.5″, which is perfect for cards.  I added this file to the store today.  I did a bunch more updating of putting-the-svg-files-into-separate-parts on the store.  That is an excruciating process…but will keep at it slowly but surely.  Putting the SVGs into separate files isn’t hard, changing the files out on the store and keeping track of it is the hard part!  Oh, I was trying to make a card using my Edgie 9 Card file and decided I wanted a square one..and spent over an hour turning it into a square until I remembered I already had a square done in the store.  Agh! 

Here is what the new file looks like.  Click on the picture to go to the store page.

 

I have a backing mat file for my SU! border/corner punched squares for my own use.  If anybody is interested who owns those punches I can put it into all the formats and post it as a freebie.  If you don’t own those punches it doesn’t really look so great by itself so you won’t want it.  I also made a backing mat for my most used sizes of my Spellbinder’s Nestabilities.  I love those Nesties!  They are perfect for using with already stamped images (once I learned to tape them down with painter’s tape before cutting!) but I always want a backing mat.  You would think being nested would mean that they would fit inside each other but they don’t!  I’m guessing that the embossed edges are supposed to take the place of a mat but I like lots of layering.  It took a lot of attempts to get the perfect match but I finally won out.  No, I will not share the files of the actual Nesties.  I really like the woman who owns that company (and her mother) and encourage you to purchase them.   I will share the backing mats if I know who you are and you need them.  They also won’t do you any good if you don’t already have the Nesties.  The files I have so far are for the Nesties Mega Curved Rectangles, Classic Ovals Large, Labels One, Classic Ovals Small, and Renaissance Hearts.  -I don’t have all the sizes on the Mega one done b/c I don’t use the larger sizes for cards.-

 

40%OFF Sale this weekend

I’m having ONE-OF-THOSE-DAYS.  I can’t seem to get a card made or a file finished…and had nothing else to blog about so decided to throw a weekend sale.  I love sales.

     40% OFF this weekend only

 

Cards by other people…!

First, go see this adorable card by my bestest friend Debbie!  Her blog is HERE.  I can’t make folded cards like this.  I’m fold deficient.  I tried to make her a folded card for her bday and used a whole package of paper trying to fold it.  She’s good at it, though! 

I finished the two card samples I made using the file from yesterday.  Showed them to hubby and after a pause, he said, “I really like that embossing folder you used.”   Agh!  Guess it’s back to the drawing board for better samples, lol. 

In the meantime, I want to show you this cute card my friend Gigi made using my pawprints card file and a digi image that she colored from Fred, She Said.  Gigi’s cards are always so wonderful, I love to see what she makes.  Oh my goodness, that blog she told me about is awesome.  {{later edit add-on:  Hubby LOVED those digi-stamp card samples on her blog so I had to go buy a handful of her gorgeous designs.  I can’t wait to try them! }}  I see all these gorgeous cards on blogs and that you guys send me pix of and I get so motivated to keep practicing my card making!  I’ve had my old WB groaning and moaning cutting card files out all day long to put my stamped and colored images on.  If I get a decent comment from hubby out of them I’ll share, lol.  If not, I’ll keep working.  I miss Kat!  She knows to find something to ooh and ahh about if I spend 2 days making a card.  Hubby loves me but he’s painfully honest.  I guess that’s a good thing.  Here is Gigi’s card.  So cute! 

 

New! Edgie Accents

If you’ve been reading, you know I want to create files to use in conjunction with my stamps, punches, and dies.  To get the feel of designing these before I jumped into it too deeply, I used an existing edgie and revamped it into several accents:  a circle (that fits my round stamps and punches), an oval (that fit my oval stamps and nesties), as well as a 7″ card border and a 5.5″ card border.  To get the exact size for the oval I punched and diecut all my oval punches and nesties from computer paper.  I labeled them, folded them in quarters, and measured those folds with my engineering ruler (has inches divided into 10ths, not 16ths).  I “drew” them all in Inkscape, then used those digital shapes to make my own files of backing mats for them – b/c they either don’t have mats or the ones that do are too wide for me.  I included two mats in the file, one to use with my wide oval punch and one for my most used oval nestie so you can use them if you have those products.  They are grouped in a rectangle with the label to what it goes to built in so you’ll have to ungroup them if you need them or it will cut the labels.  You will see what I mean if you open the file – it’s hard to explain!

I will add this file to the store in a few days but for now you can download it for free by clicking on the photo below.  This is only for my blog readers and only for a couple of days.  Hope some of you can use it!  File is now added to the store~

Am working on some sample cards using these files ~ if I get those done I will post them later.  If you make a card using these files, feel free to send me a JPG or a link to your blog!  I would love to see them~

 

freebie file: envy for 4.25″ square cards

I’ve been practicing with my new SU! punches.  I think cutting out my edgies files on the machine is way easier…but I did manage to get a few punched.  I made a ThankYou card for my demonstrator, who is a total sweetie.  Hope she doesn’t read this blog before I give her the card this weekend!  (I don’t think she reads it.)  I made me some backing mats to fit my punched squares…no pictures of those yet.  If I can figure out a way to share those, I’ll get them made into all the file types tomorrow while Michael is in class. 

For this card I used a lot of the new goodies from the new SU! mini-catalog plus the Sell-A-Bration freebies.  I love those!!!  The card is 4.25″ x 4.25″ and one of those cute easel cards that I’ve been seeing on a lot of blogs.  I love the concept.  The front of the card rests on those clear buttons to display it.  Small cards are great for hand-delivering – you cannot mail a card this small!  SU! has some envies to fit this size card but only in one of their big card kits…so I made an envy file to fit this size, link to download free envy file is on my main website HERE.  This envy still fits on an 8.5×11 sheet of paper.  ;-p

~~~If you don’t have a cutting machine you can still download the free zipped file (outline only) PDF2 to print then cut by hand. 

Everything shown to make card and envy is from SU! except the velcro dot and the little crystal centers on the flowers..  If you don’t have a SU! demo, you can easily find one from their website or I can recommend my demo’s website where you can shop online.  Sizes for the punched squares are 3-7/8″ and 2-7/8″.  You punch the corners first with the corner punch, then you line up the corners with the markings on the border punch.  Sounds easier than it is!  The larger size is almost exactly what is shown on the markings of the border punch.  You kind of have to center it to punch the middles.  For the smaller square, I turned the border punch upside down to get the best view b/c there is some overlapping.  I highly recommend practicing on scrap cardstock.  I do not recommend practicing using thin paper – the cardstock falls out of the punch better.  I LOVE the new bird punch!  The leaves for the flowers are part of that punch, trimmed to size shown.

The new style SU! punches are manufactured by and in the same style as the newest punches by EKSuccess, and they fold flat for storage.  Too cool.  The corner punch can be tricky to get perfect.  I folded a small scrap of paper and inserted it into the corner to make my squares fit into the punch correctly.  It makes a handy back-stop for easier punching.  Necessity being the mother of invention…you should see the stack of squares I ruined trying to learn how to make these before I figured out how to make that back-stop!  Hope this helps somebody else…

 Items used are listed below, plus I used scraps of Old Olive and Whisper White CS that I had on hand.

• 117191 Extra Large Two-Step Bird Punch   SU! Occasions Mini Catalog       p11
• 118870 Scallop Trim Corner Punch    SU! Occasions Mini Catalog       p11
• 117190 Medium Jewelry Tag Punch      SU! Occasions Mini Catalog       p11
• 118592 Tiny Tags Clear Mount Stamps SU! Occasions Mini Catalog       p28
• 109183 Trio Flower Punch   2009-10 SU! Idea Book and Catalog  p186
• 101227 1/16″ Circle Punch   2009-10 SU! Idea Book and Catalog  p186
• 101055 Crystal Effects  2009-10 SU! Idea Book and Catalog  p192
• 105447 Clear Buttons    2009-10 SU! Idea Book and Catalog  p181
• 115675 Razzleberry Lemonade DSP   2009-10 SU! Idea Book and Catalog  p162
• 115315 “In Color” Assorted CS 2009-10 SU! Idea Book and Catalog  p155
• 118401 Welcome Neighbor 6×6 Paper Pad   SU! SAB catalog (FREE*) p7
• 118402 Scallop Trim Border Punch   SU! SAB catalog (FREE*) p9

I am so ridiculously happy that SU! has unmounted stamps now.  They call them clear-mount, which is confusing, I think.  They mean clear blocks but the stamps are red rubber like always, just with EZMount cushion now already done for us.  WooHoo!  I colored some of the new stamps last night while we watched TV but I haven’t turned them into cards yet.  I’m having so much fun creating again!

 

metallics make me happy

I’m on a kick about things I love.  Valentine’s Day isn’t just for loving my husband and my kids – I love my creativity tools and paper and stamps and inks…and certain places that I shop!

Ooh, shiny!  You hear that in movies and it always makes me laugh hysterically b/c I say it all the time!  Metallics make me happy.  Sparkly, shiny metals, glitters, rhinestones, pearly cardstocks… I just love ‘em.  After Christmas and all the decorations were packed away, I started really missing the metallics around the house.  I was working on my photo wall project where I finally unpacked two boxes of assorted picture frames that I’ve been collecting from thrift stores, yard sales, and dollar stores.  They all got a coat of Rustoleum 2X spray paint in Espresso – which is a pretty brown but the frames looked too blah.  I couldn’t afford to go to HobbyLobby and look for Rub ’n Buff, so on a whim, I rubbed one with my Encore Metallic inkpad – and fell in LOVE!  I used the Bronze one ( I have almost all the colors and love them all) and on the dark brown paint, when rubbed in with my fingers,  it makes the dull wood glow like polished metal.  My uber-cheapy  picture frames look like a million bucks!  I knew I wanted a huge wall of photos of family but to buy frames that all matched at around $20 each even at Target, was beyond my budget.  It was really hard to photograph how gorgeous in real life, but here is one of the frames with a before and after.  If I had realized how pretty and that I would end up blogging it I would have taken more before photos!  I did spray these with a light coat of clear Krylon spray.  When I get the whole wall finished (printer out of ink – of course!) I’ll show you.

After using my inkpad on 30+ frames I was in desperate need of the refill, which I didn’t have for the Bronze.  I emailed Fran at Frantic Stamper and even with her so busy moving into her huge new warehouse, she shipped me my refills super fast and included a super-cute teeny snail punch as a freebie!  I LOVE Fran!  I love her online store, too – she has everything.  She ships fast, she’s super nice, and she has hard to find items, like my Encore inkpad refills!  She also has Rub ‘n Buff, so I got my favorite (Pewter) to have on hand, but I’m dying to try the Emerald and the Olive.  She has refill tips for my beloved and worn out Krylon metallic pens!!!  I use the tips up way before I use the ink up so I was so happy to find these.  She has the Encore Ultimate Metallic Ink Pads (by Tsukineko) in the regular size ($9.20), the small “spots” size ($2.59), and the refills ($3.99).  These inkpads are awesome with stamps, perfect for scrapbooking and not just cards b/c they dry fast, and home decor projects!  Metallics make me so happy….and so does Fran.  If there is a stamping supply I need and can’t find, I know she’ll have it.