dogsitting

Am dogsitting/housesitting out of town until early August.  Keyboard here is wonky so too hard to type responses to all emails or to blog often, sorry!

Only a few more weeks left until we move to El Paso!!!  I can’t wait!

Hope you all are having a great summer.  Getting eaten alive by mosquitos here but having a great time stamping and coloring Christmas images for future cards

Will blog better when I get home,

~M

 

throwing you a bone (freebie files)

There is a bone on one of the pawprint edgie cards that is in the store, b/c I drew it to use as an embellishment and left it in there.  I didn’t remember to put it in the other card file, and it didn’t have a mat.  I’ve had requests for the bone and a shadow mat for it, so here they are!  (Same bone.)  Click on photo to download.

While I was at it, I went ahead and uploaded one of the files I have finished that isn’t in the store yet (been busy making new files of all kinds for the store but life is distracting me from getting them finished and uploaded).  Decided to give it away as a blog freebie today, too.  Will take down the freebie link to it later when I get around to putting it in the store.  Was on the phone the other day with my bestest friend and somehow we ended up talking about dogs getting into the garbage can…remembered I had seen this clipart, so turned it into a file.  Original clipart for this file is by Graphics Factory, used with purchased permission.  It may be sized too small if you use thicker cardstock like Bazzill…just resize bigger if needed.  Click on photo to download.

Am freaking out!  I move 7 weeks from tomorrow!!!  The trick is trying to pack the studio without stopping to play with stamps or toys that I forgot I had…or taking a smoke break, working on a file while I’m at it and ending up spending hours on the computer.  Am going out of town AGAIN tomorrow…but only for the weekend. 

Thanks again for such a great response to the last sale   I was able to order lots of great new Christmas stamps, more Prismacolor pencils, a few Copic markers, and I already got my way-cool Spica glitter gel-pens in the mail today.  I love ‘em!  No more spending or ordering for me – I splurge every July for new Christmas card supplies but now I can’t buy any craft goodies until after we get moved and situated.

Talk to you guys again next week!

 

It’s July already!

Hope you all had a great weekend and that you enjoyed the sale.  I’m pretty sure everybody who purchased over $27 has been emailed their 5 free files (it goes to your paypal email address) but if I missed anybody, let me know.

I won’t be blogging as frequently this month ~ I have less than 8 weeks until we move!  WooHoo!  That means I still have a lot of packing to do plus I have several more trips this month to help my brother as he is remodeling and getting ready to put his house on the market.  I’m still hoping to get a chance to go visit Michael but I’m not sure I will be able to afford it.  Your generous purchases during last week’s sale let me get several new Christmas stamps ordered, though!  Thank you!  I can’t wait until they come in!!!  Hopefully I can squeeze in some room around here to make a few Christmas cards before I have to pack absolutely everything away.  I need to get started on making Christmas cutting files, too!  July to me means getting started on Christmas.  Can you tell?  I still have a long request list, too, that I need to work on.  Will get as much done as I can. 

Happy July!

 

Sale starting early + 5 free files

40% off SALE starts NOW (ends July 4)

I finished the last 5 files to make my goal of 40!  I was so excited, I couldn’t wait until Saturday to start the sale, so I started it now.  I don’t plan on having another sale this big until the 1 year anniversary – which I think is in November.  I also don’t plan on doing this many files at once again.  I am pooped! 

…AND, I decided to share some LOVE and give 5 free files to those who purchase a total of  $27 during this sale.  These 5 Edgies Hearts files will me emailed to the email address used during your store checkout (on July 5 or 6).  I would always rather give free files than sell them, but the greedy people have been on my nerves lately abusing my free files, so decided to reward loyal customers with the freebies instead. 

See you later!

 

35 so far

I have 35 new files uploaded so far to the store – only 5 more to go! I am going out of town again so set store up to give you a week of 40% off while I’m gone. Sale ends the 4th of July. If I made any errors by working too late into the night or converting too fast, just email me and I’ll fix them when I get home. When I’m gone I won’t be able to help with store problems so let’s hope there aren’t any! Am going to Jasper again to help my brother get his house ready to put on the market. I leave on Thursday and won’t be back until July 5.

Many of the new files are by request, some are different versions of my favorite edgies, some are quick and easy paper-piecings, some are cards, and some are cards made from edgies…  The one I think you will like the most is this one.  It took me FOREVER to get it to cut right!  I had to manually decrease each piece and move them around…it is not just a quick autotrace!  I love the way it finally turned out, though.  Hope you do, too.

The 35 I have so far are already in the store if you want to go look – but wait for the sale before you buy!  I may not have time to blog again before I leave so hope you all have a happy and safe 4th of July~

Happy Bday today, Heather!

 

Happy Father’s Day Sale

I’m missing my hubby.  I tease him that he’s having way too much fun living at the beach in his 4-star hotel this summer.  He’s away from his daughters on Father’s Day again this year, and will be for his 40th b’day next week, too.  Such is the life in the army – and it’s just one of the prices we pay.  We love it, though!

Am having sales to celebrate with you guys since I can’t celebrate with him.  For Father’s Day, a selection of files are 25% (June 20-21).  For his birthday next weekend, I’m working very hard to have 40 new files ready to add to the store and will have a selection of files 40% off. 

I also turned several of my edgie files into digital scrapbooking files and added them to the store.  If you have the cutting files, you won’t need these b/c you got the PNGs with your zipped download.  These are for my future digi-scrapbooking customers.  Far distant future.  Well, next summer is when I’m hoping to really “launch” that half of the store.  I guess it’s not so far – this summer is flying by.  The reason I’ve been having so much fun making edgies is b/c I know I can use them in my digi-scrapping!  I also just love the look of the edgies on my cards.  When my machine was wonky I broke down and bought 2 of the Martha Stewart border punches!  Agh!  They are more handy to travel with when I carry cardmaking stuff to my Mom’s, though.  They sure punch better than some other brands I have owned in the past, too.

Am waiting on a few more online purchases to arrive before I start doing some serious card-making.  I haven’t made enough cards this year.   I have a whole lot of new stamps thanks to my bestest friend. ♥  Next month I start shopping for Christmas stamps!  Every year I try to start collecting new Christmas stamps in July b/c by the time the holidays get closer I can’t afford them, lol.  Christmas cards are my faves to make.  Since I didn’t feel well this week (48 hour bug on top of female woes), I bought myself this cute stamp yesterday.  I love it!  It made me feel better right away…

 

selling items made with my files

If you want to cut out my cutting files and sell what you make at your local craft fair, bazaar, church, or other places, your scrapbook store, to your cardmaking friends, or other places – that is fine.  Good luck!  I hope you make a lot of money.

YOU MAY NOT SELL ITEMS YOU MAKE USING MY FILES ON THE INTERNET unless you have special permission from me, in writing, for a specific project.

I just found my some of my cutting files cut out and selling on ebay.  People who do this will cause the free files to cease to exist and the prices for the store files to go up.  Feel free to report violators to me for legal action.

I do give special permissions from time to time to people who incorporate my files as part of a project they want to sell online.  These are determined on a case by case basis and depend largely on how nicely I am asked.   

If you really, really want to sell your projects made with my files on the internet, ask me via email and I’ll consider it.  Otherwise, do not sell items made with my files online.  Period.

Thank you.

 

very important about SVG files made in Inkscape

If you purchase or download SVG files that you plan to convert to use in GSD, KNK, or other formats – be aware that they will not cut correctly in other formats if they are not drawn a certain way.

For example, when drawing a file in Inkscape you have to draw it with FILL and not with STROKE.  Before you even start to draw, set FILL on and pick a color.  Make sure “mouse ears” with the hole in it is set.  Make sure opacity is set to 1.000.  You may have to go back and check this “mouse ears” things before you save. 

Make sure STROKE is set to OFF.

If you have auto-traced, make sure you SIMPLIFY because you will have TOO MANY NODES.

CAREFULLY CHECK YOUR NODES to make sure you don’t have too many nodes too close together or nodes on top of each other!  Delete until you just have one node!

If you don’t do these things, your file you are selling or giving away will not cut for other file formats (GSD, KNK, etc.). 

I no longer recommend other file designers at this time for these reasons.  I should have actually tried to use their files before I recommended them and I am very sorry.

Please, if you are going to sell files or give away files, take the time to make sure they will cut for others.

 

back home and old blue WB

I’m back home from a wonderful visit with my mom (and a quick visit with my brother).  I borrowed back my old blue WB from my sister to testcut new files until I can figure out where to buy the replacement levers for my KNK Element.  Now I have to remember how to use it!  I almost broke down and bought a big Cricut…but decided I had better save that money for moving.  I want to get all the files I have in progress finished in the next few weeks because July is going to be full with packing for the move and being out of town a couple of times.  Am hoping to spend the month of August with Michael in VA if I can.  I didn’t get any good cards made while I was gone.  All I could think about was wanting to cut files I have made and couldn’t b/c my KNK was wonky, so it stagnated me.  LOL.  Maybe when I get the old blue WB hooked up I can regain my card mojo….

~Mary

 

 

right now I am hating my KNK

It’s one of those days.  Went to the pool, sudden thunderstorm out of nowhere as soon as I get in the water.  Went to Hobby Lobby, their roof fell in and they threw me out of the paper aisle before I could even choose one piece.  Went to WalMart and Target looking for basic cardstock for testcutting – nothing either place.  Dug around in my room and picked out some old cardstock, cut it to fit my mats, started cutting card files to carry with me tomorrow when I go to my Mom’s for a week (she wants us to stamp while I’m there).  KNK started where it’s cutting all skewy again.  Recalibrated it 7 times.  Something about those things that grip the paper are wonky.  I think I read somewhere where you can get replacements but they are expensive.  Plus, cardstock is being weird because it is so humid today, so not cutting properly anyway even with brand new mat and blade.  KNK worked perfectly last night – used it all night with no problems.  Giving up cutting for the night and going to bed. 

Will be out of town for a week so if you don’t hear from me, I’ll catch up with you when I get back.  Going to spend time with my Mom before I move plus dogsit for my brother over the weekend.  I did get a new stamp set today before they kicked us out of HL…new stamps make me happy.  It’s got lots of flourishes and flourishy birds, I love it.  Guess I’ll be using it on plain old rectangular cards, though, lol.

See you next week!