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!

DIY Stencils, 40% Off & Fun with Wax {It’s the Bee’s Knees!}

Well, I did something that I usually don’t do this time of year…visit my studio at night! Usually I am way too comfy reading or watching TV in front of the fire to venture down to the chilly craft-cave but I just wanted to play with the new stencils I made this week!

Actually I made a set of 10 SVG stencils you can cut with your die-cutter and use with paint or ink. I sprayed the background of my card with homemade shimmer spray then layered stamping college and wax on top. I used scented wax melts (sugar cookie-yum!) and just poured it on my card! I used it to adhere the “bee mine” sentiment and I sprinkled some beads in the melty wax for extra texture…no wonder I was so hungry when I was done…cookies, sprinkles oh my!

This new set of stencils, as well as all of the goodies at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff are 40% off through the 3rd so go snag them, they are a ball to play with. You can also check out the painting kits, digital stamps, templates and all sorts of crafty goodness!

It was so much fun to putter in my craft room tonight, oh and I have another tip for you! I was rummaging in a drawer that I haven’t opened in ages and I came across a hexagon creative memories cutting template (do you have those? I use the ovals and circles all the time!) and I cut the hexagon out of white using the green and blue blades, then I simply matted the smaller on the larger one and it looks like a nestie! You can do this with any temple or die cutter and save yourself some dough! It is a trick I use with my electronic die cutter a lot, cut the shape once normally and again with a slight shadow and it looks fab when you layer them…does that make any sense?

Well, it is late and I am rambling so if you are in need of anything of the crafty variety please check out the 40% off sale at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff and til next time happy crafting!

PS before using scented wax on a card make sure that the recipient is not allergic to perfume…I think scented letters are wonderfully romantic though…

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!

An Easter Freebie, a 40% Off Sale & WOYWW!

Boy, it seems like I have a lot going on today! I have a 40% off sale going on at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff now through Friday so stock up on your crafting goodies! Also I made this cute little Easter basket freebie and you can snag it free in my shop. It is a really fun project to do with the kids. It is just the right size to hold an Easter Egg:

The directions are included in the freebie kit. Also there is a smaller version that I used to make this basket with a class full of 2nd graders when they studied Native Americans. The smaller basket is about 1.5″-2″ wide. Perfect for Barbie or GI Joe to play with. 😀

Since it is Wednesday I had to snap a pic of my desk for What’s On Your Workdesk Wednesday. I am starting a knitting group at my local library today (it’s the first meeting) and I am going to make a headband with a big honkin’ flower on it as a first project. They can pick that or a coin purse to make cuz it’s just to warm for scarves!

Be sure to check out all of the new stuff at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff today so you can save 40% and make sure to grab the freebie while you are there! Here is a look at some new and Easter kits:

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

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!

Need some quick Easter favors?

Howdy folks, just a quick post today to share a new template I created. It is a cute bunny shaped basket that can be crafted in minutes. The Bunny Basket kit comes with an SVG cutting file and a printable template. I think it would be fun to print off the bunny templates on white paper and let the kids decorate and cut them out. It is really that easy!

And of course our bunny has a “cotton tail” it would be cute to use a white pom-pom in place of the tail cutout, don’t you think?

You can grab the kit here at Lindsay’s stamp Stuff and be done way before Easter rolled around, ain’t it great to be early for a change 😀

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!