A Mother’s Day Card & More! Free SVG Cut File too!

Hi friends, Mother’s day is this Sunday so why not make mom a lovely card!

My mom (and sister) have a green thumb so we usually buy them some sort of plant from the greenhouse. They all open up around here about a week before mother’s day and there are always so many choices. Luckily mom can keep any plant alive so we can choose what looks pretty! I thought it might be fun to make some cute plant markers to customize the gift.

They would also make pretty bookmarks and I have a free SVG cutting file you can download if you want to make some. I cut them as is from white cardstock and then I cut them with a shadow on kraft for a matting layer. That way they would be sturdier and have a nice finished look. Check out the video to see how I made these and then dig through your stash for similar products and give it a try!

Supplies (affiliate links used)

• FREE SVG file
• Bristol cardstock
• Kraft cardstock
• Distress oxide ink pads
• Wonderland stamp set (flowers on plant pics)
• Darling Rose stamps, dies, stencil
• Large script stamp *12% off at Topflight Stamps with coupon code LINDSAYWEIRICH
• Postmark stamps
• Ink blending brushes
• Seam binding to die and crinkle
• Crinkled seam binding tutorial
• Flower marker coloring demo on this review
• DIY Distress oxide ink blending tools tutorial
• DIY vintage label tutorial
• Laminator and pouches

I hope you enjoyed this fun DIY and til next time happy crafting!

Live Die Cutter Hangout with EXPERTS!

Hi friends! I just wanted to let you know that I have Melody Lane, Scrappy DIVA, Julie Fei-Fan Balzer and Joe Rotella joining me this afternoon for a live hangout discussing the current die cutters on the market, This is my first ever live event and I am sure there will be bumps along the way but the valuable info they share should more than make up for my lack of experience in the “LIVE” broadcast department. Please check out their youtube channels and websites listed below for more info on the cutters they use and free tutorials.

Find and follow our guests!
Melody Lane https://www.youtube.com/user/MelodyLane815
Karin the Scrappy DIVA https://www.youtube.com/user/homevidka
Julie Fei-Fan Balzer http://balzerdesigns.com/ and https://www.youtube.com/user/milkcannyc
Joe Rotella http://www.createncraft.com/

I want to thank my guests for being available on such short notice and for helping me get this broadcast off the ground. Happy Crafting!

How to store it: Die Cutting/Embossing Stuff!

Hi Friends! I am still shooting and uploading the organization videos, who would have thought there was so many ways to store your craft supplies? Today I am going to show you how I store my die cutting stuff. I will show you where I keep my cricut (I have it on another record cabinet so the mat can more freely around and not collide with other things on my die cutting bench), big shot, wafer thin and thick steel rule dies, embossing folders, sizzlits, letterpress plates, cutting pads and other accessories that pertain to using out die cutting machines. I will even show you my laminator that for some funny reason I like to keep here, I think it is because it takes electricity and it is handy here. Some things just work, don’t question it. If I used my comb binding machine more often it would be here too but I only have that out on rare occasion so it sits on a high shelf with other supplies I don’t need often. If you have any questions about my die cutting area you can leave them in the comments. I hope you find this video helpful:)

Oh! I have say a HUGE thank you to everyone who voted for me in the Craftsy Blogger Awards! You guys are so awesome!!! Voting is open until January 30th, wish me luck! Thanks so much for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Cute Little Berry Boxes & Sandwich Board Cards!

I hope you are enjoying summer. I am! I wanted to have some little berry boxes to use in projects but it was hard to find ones that were not stained by berries (and I didn’t want plastic ones) so I made my own:

To make them sturdy I used a sheet of kraft cardstock and a sheet of printed cardstock to make the box!

I have been loving the trend of chalkboard art (not that I’ve mastered it) so I wanted to try stamping some. I made this card that looks like a sandwich board that would be on display on a sidewalk in front of a cafe:

You can get my printable templates & SVG cutting files here. I designed the printables to be printed right on your good cardstock so you don’t have to trace. You get two cards on one sheet of cardstock (2 different sizes) a box and tags. The project makes up in minutes perfect for summer crafting!

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Sizzix Eclips Does it Right!

I get asked all the time by crafters “Which electronic die cutter should I buy?”  And currently my advice has been to go with a Silhouette or an Eclips. When my school Parent teacher Group asked me to research and choose a die cutter for the school (and train the teachers with said machine) I chose the Sizzix Eclips . I already own a Sizzix Big Shot manual die cutter and a slew of their dies and embossing folders and I have yet to be dissapointed by any of their products.  I am so glad the school went with an Eclips!  Here’s why. The Eclips will work with Sure Cuts a Lot software. In fact I had it out of the box and cutting with ECAL in minutes, I expected some trial and error but the design I cut with colored typing paper scraps was so pretty that I turned it into a project! The owl is from the Owl Party Doodlebat set from Lettering Delights, the plaque shape is in included in ECAL software. The letters, book and pencil were on the cartridge that came with the machine, how cute and useful!

So the fact that Eclips worked with ECAL was the most important factor, I can help teachers over the phone if I know what software they are using and I already know it is easy because I’ve been using SCAL2 with my Cricut for years.  I actually told the PTG that whatever you do DO NOT buy a Cricut because it no longer works with SCAL.

The other bonus to the Eclipse is that the hand-held controller and cartridges are very easy to use too.  Also I like that the Regular retail for MOST of their cartridges are $40 and they are on sale all the time online for about $25. I know some people are going to just want to use the cartridge and not mess with the computer so I wanted that option and the school can buy a full cartridge full of images for less than the cost on one commercial die for their manual machine. Thanks for not jacking up your cartridge prices Sizzix!!!  🙂

The other selling point for the machine was the price of mats and blades. I have been using the Eclips mats in my Cricut machine for a while, they are fabulous and cheaper than the Cricut brand.   We bought a 2-pack of eclips blades for $5 vs one silhouette blade that is $15. I wanted the machine to be affordable for the teachers in the long run. Cheaper blades and mats, cheaper cartridges if you want them or you can just cut free font and SVG files using ECAL software, choosing the Eclips was a no-brainer…did I mention it cuts really well too!

Don’t get me wrong! I think the Silhouette would be a good machine too, I think that because the blade is so pricey it probably would cut really fine, intricate patterns (it better for $15!) but a school teacher is more likely to need 100 identical shapes for a classroom project (The Auto Fill feature on the Eclips is da bomb!) or bulletin board rather than one really pretty doily. Even as a crafter who likes to cut little pretty things I’d go with the eclipse because I’ve been playing with it and it surpassed my expectations. Also crafters, if you like Tim Holtz they have cartridges of his designs so you can stamp it then cut it. Wow. I will warn you the TH carts are more expensive.

The machine has an alignment lazar so you can print and cut in SCAL, I have not tried that yet (I don’t know if I should, I am falling in love with this machine a little too much as it is!) but I plan to before I have to take it to the elementary school..sniff…sniff 😦

I think that Sizzix did it right! They thought of everything. Easy to cut. Buy inexpensive cartridges OR cut your fonts and SVG designs, easy to use right out of the box OR you can get fancy with advanced techniques (there is a great long instruction DVD showcasing all the bells and whistles!) and the machine is less expensive that a lot of the machines on the market! We found the best price ($300) on the Eclips at Oh My Crafts online, they often have their blades and mats on sale too! Right now the blades are $5 for a 2 pack and the mats are $8 for a 2 pack of 12″x12″ or 1 12″x24″. Note: I am not affiliated with Oh My Crafts, but I have shopped with them from time to time and they usually have the best price and good customer service.

Sizzix, you done good!

Easter Dresses & new SVGs!

My mom stopped by for a visit this week and brought my twins the most lovely Easter dresses! She sewed pretty cotton dresses with matching purses, my girls were delighted and can’t wait to wear them (which will not be before Easter because my girls have the tendency to go on woodland hikes and make mud pies regardless of what they are wearing!) Even though I don’t have pictures of them in their dresses yet I couldn’t help make a scrapbook page on which I will later add a photo of the two of them on Easter (BEFORE any mud pies are made LOL!) I use my new Party Dress SVG set from Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff for die cut:

 

For the title I used the fonts LD This and That and LD Buttercream from Lettering Delights. I discovered a quick tip for welding fonts in SCAL2(like I did on the word “Dresses” with the font LD Buttercream), after typing simply select the arrow tool and drag a binding box around the word, then click weld. I am embarrassed to say how long it took me to figure that you, I’ve clicked the word and clicked “weld” (that’s how you would do it in SCAL1) and it would not weld, dragging the box around the word is key! BTW there is no cursive font better for cutting than LD Buttercream, it is nice and chunky!

 

I sent this card to my mom as to thank her for the dresses, I love the sweet apron!

 

Here is a look at the new Party Dress SVG set I used in today’s project.

 

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Exploding Box Ornament!

I am so into making ornaments this year, maybe because I am going to be in a craft fair in one week and I am desperate to make stuff to sell LOL! Or, prehaps just because it is fun;) Every year I make some sort of photo ornament for my folks and that is just what I thought of when I designed my Exploding box SVG kit:

By punching a hole in the lid and box bottom I was able to run a folded length of seam  binding through he hole and make an ornament.

Best of all it only took minutes to make since I cut the SVG file with my Cricut. I decorated it with papers from K&Co (double-sided paper is perfect for this because you see both sides!) and stamps from About Art Accents.

Here is what the exploding box looked like before I decorated it:

You can buy the SVG/printable kit here. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

40% Off Today & Die-Cutting Tips!

Happy Tuesday folks, it is election day in the US and I always wake up with a feeling of joy and optomisum voting day! That is what’s great about fall, you have so many things going on, Thanksgiving is a couple of weeks away and before you know it, Christmas! To get ready for Christmas card making I decided to make a template set of the most common sized envelopes crafters need. You gat a 4.25″x8.25″ for photo cards, 5.25″x7.25″ for 5″x7″ cards and 4.5″x5.75″ for standard A4 cards and they all have plain and fancy liners to match! The new Envelopes and Liners SVG set is on sale 40% off alone with everything else at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff too! What a great time to plan ahead for Christmas and craft fairs:

 

Die Cutting Tips:

The intricate shapes on the envelope liners actually cut very quick and cleanly (a must for me!) but here are a few tips whenever you cut detailed designs:

1. Pick your paper: For envelopes you want a thinner paper and sometimes thinner scrapbook paper snags in your die-cut machine. I love the paper stacks from Die Cuts With a View (the regular 180 sheet stacks), they always cut well. In the examples I used last years Christmas stack.
2. Use a sticky and smooth mat. I have a Cricut Expression but my old mats were nasty and the blades did not seem to be lasting the way they used to so I switched to using Sizzix Eclips mats and blades and they work so much better and they were about half the price!
3. Sometimes even a new blade with snag your paper, take the blade out of the machine and blow any lint off the blade and try again.
4. Use the correct pressure, for this regular weight scrapbook paper I used medium pressure, for cardstock I’d use high, don’t overdo it or you will be cutting your mat and your paper and shortening the life of your blade!

I hope these tips helped you! Be sure to check out all of the great sets at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff and save 40% today through Thursday!

Thanks for stopping by and til nect time happy crafting!

Wouldn’t it be nice…

Don’t you wish you could add a few hours to the day…a few productive hours that is, not more endless drudgery? I revisited a stamp set I bought from Sunday International a few years ago with funny fake product ads and I loved this one for Stop The Clock Grease:

 

I used my ProMarkers and Air Marker to color this. I love this new toy, all I have to do is snap a ProMarker in to the airbrush system, turn on my air compressor (you can use canned air if you prefer) and spray away! It is so quick too and these last few weeks of summer vacation with the kids home from school I will take any time save I can get! I know I promised you a video on using the new Letra Jet Air Marker but realistically it will probably not happen til September and the kids are back in school 😉

BTW the die-cuts are from the Steampunk SVG kit from Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff:

Quick Tip! I wanted some vintage advertizing pattern paper in the background of my card but I had none so I did a search on the web and found lots of free vintage ad collage sheets here. Ain’t the internet grand!

This card qualifies for the following challenges: Top Tip Tuesday, Cards For Men, Craft Your Passion, Die Cut Dreams, Karens Doodles, Make it Monday, Paper Playtime, Pollycraft, Stamps R Us, The Outlawz , Here Come the Boys, Lollipop Crafts, and Outlawz challenge (CAS and make an embellishment-I made the die cut clock hands)

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!