CTMH

Antique John Deere Tractor Card

Harvest Blessings BirthdayHi Guys! Come on in and see what I’m doing today!

I’m making an antique John Deere tractor card for my dad’s birthday. He’s a farmer and loves all things John Deere, lol. It’s starting to get a bit challenging coming up with new tractor card designs . . .

I used the above card I found on Pinterest as my inspiration. You could obviously use an image of practically anything to recreate this design.

2016-06-21 21.29.12I found an image of an antique tractor that I liked, copied and pasted it into a word processing document, resized it and printed it on Close To My Heart White Daisy cardstock – the cardstock comes in 12×12 pieces, so I cut it down to 8 1/2 x 11.

To figure out the size, I worked backward. I got the card base, cut a piece of CTMH Topiary cardstock 1/2 inch smaller in height and width, another piece of White Daisy 1/2 inch smaller than the Topiary piece in height and width, and a final piece of Topiary 1 1/2 inches smaller than the White Daisy piece in height and width.

Now I have the dimensions I need for the tractor. EXCEPT I want to slice the tractor picture into thirds. The height of my picture is 1/2 shorter than the Topiary piece, but I need the width to be 3/4 inch less. Sounds complicated, but it wasn’t – just do One. Piece. At. A. Time.

I cut a piece of CTMH Fundaments paper 1” high and 1/2 inch narrower than the width of the White Daisy piece for a banner.

Then I cut a piece of Topiary 3/4” high and 1” narrower than the tractor layer, and a piece of White Daisy 1/2” high and 1/2” narrower than the Topiary piece – this is for the sentiment.

2016-06-21 21.29.49I used the CTMH Art Philosophy “Look Who’s . . .” stamp set and Topiary ink to stamp the sentiment. Hey, I’m getting better at stamping, just takes practice, lol.

2016-06-21 21.36.04I embossed the White Daisy piece with the Cricut cuttlebug Spots & Dots embossing folder.

2016-06-21 21.36.39Assembly:
The left picture shows the layers and the banner attached. To make a banner, cut straight into the center at the end of the piece as deep as you want the banner to go, then cut from the corner at an angle toward the center on both sides. Super easy!
The center picture has the tractor off center to the left side.
The right picture has the sentiment attached with pop dots – I didn’t take into account the front tractor tires and they’re partially covered up, ugh!!

2016-06-21 21.47.43Here’s the finished card – I think it came out great!! Pinterest is a great place to get ideas for cards, just always make sure you give credit to wherever you got it.

Hey, if you’d like to see some of my other projects, check out my Instagram and Pinterest board, and I would LOVE it if you would follow me.

As always, I’m Livin’ the Moments . . .

SVGCuts Summer Fair Box Card

Screen Shot 2016-06-20 at 8.01.50 PM copyHi Guys! Come on in and see what I’m doing today!

I am making the SVGCuts Summer Fair Box Card from their “Summer Box Card” SVG Kit.

Above is the Cricut Design Space screenshot showing the imported pieces. The files import really easy and don’t need resized – remember to attach scorelines and numbers to the pieces! Otherwise they go on different mats – you can check this when you preview your cuts.

2016-06-20 22.37.37Above are the cutout pieces from my AWESOME Cricut Explore. I love this machine!!!

I used Close To My Heart cardstock in these colors:
White Daisy
Poppy
Happy Times Paper Pack (this was a special in May)

2016-06-20 22.38.22Here are the assembled panels. Yeah, so . . . I messed up the ferris wheel (it happens). There’s supposed to be a blue piece on this side of it – I put it on the other side, duh . . . It comes out awesome anyway, you’ll see.

A little trick for adding the pennants is to line the points up first and then the rest of the triangle up to the wide part.
2016-06-20 22.39.53I used the Cricut cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder to emboss the flap panels – above right pic.

2016-06-20 22.43.32I used the CTMH “Holiday Tags” acrylic stamp set and Poppy ink to stamp the sentiment.

2016-06-20 22.42.20Here’s the ferris wheel – the blue piece was supposed to be on the other side of the ferris wheel. So, I added blue gems to both sides – not really sure this was a good idea, it added an awful lot of bulk . . .
2016-06-20 22.42.52The top left pic shows the outside of the assembled box, the top right pic shows the first panel with the stars attached. The bottom left shows the second panel with the tent attached, and the bottom right pic shows the ferris wheel panel attached.

I added the extra stars from the cutouts in various places on the card – one is shown on the left side of the sentiment oval.

2016-06-20 22.44.05Here’s the finished card. Doesn’t it look great? I love making box cards!! The Happy Times paper pack took the guesswork out of choosing paper – works for me!!!!

Hey, if you’d like to see some of my other projects, check out my Instagram and Pinterest board, and I would LOVE it if you would follow me.

As always, I’m Livin’ the Moments . . .

SVGCuts Six Pack Box Card

Screen Shot 2016-06-20 at 8.02.25 PM copyHi Guys! Come on in and see what I’m doing today!

I am making the SVGCuts Six Pack Box Card from the “Sunday With Dad” SVG Kit. This is not a dad card, but rather a birthday card for my brother-in-law – hey, us crafters can adapt any project to what we need, right?

Above is a screenshot of the pieces imported into Cricut Design Space (this is really easy to do, btw).

Choosing the colors for projects is probably the most difficult part for me. So . . . this time I decided to use the Close To My Heart Urban Paper Pack. This paper pack has 2 each of 3-double-sided designs – this gives me lots of design choices that coordinate with each other. You also get six solid-colored sheets in the pack. Completely takes the guesswork out of coordinating paper . . .

2016-06-20 22.53.40Above are the cut out pieces.

The CTMH cardstock I used includes:
Urban Paper Pack
Colonial White
Desert Sand
Saffron
Peacock
Whisper
2016-06-20 22.54.33I stamped the Colonial White banner piece in Peacock ink with the CTMH “Look Who’s . . . “ stamp set.

2016-06-20 22.55.04I used a Cricut cuttlebug “Swiss Dots” embossing folder and embossed the Peacock pieces.

2016-06-20 22.55.45Here are the assembled panels – don’t the bottles look awesome???? I’ve seen this card with beer labels – you could also put soda pop labels on them.

2016-06-20 22.56.12Here are the panels as they are assembled – the top left picture shows the outside of the box with the attached banners, the top right picture shows the first row of bottles (Insert 1), the bottom left picture shows the case handle (Insert 2), and the bottom right picture shows the other row of bottles (Insert 3).

2016-06-20 22.56.44Here is the finished card. I love making box cards – they are so easy to assemble and they come out awesome!!!! SVGCuts has assembly videos for their projects. I watch the video before I start a project, then I watch it again while I am assembling – don’t get me wrong, I still mess them up sometimes, but watching the videos certainly helps me make awesome projects!

Hey, if you’d like to see some of my other projects, check out my Instagram and Pinterestboard and I would LOVE it if you would follow me!

As always, I’m Livin’ the Moments . . .

SVGCuts Butterfly Box Card

Screen Shot 2016-06-10 at 10.54.06 AM copyHi Guys! Come on in and see what I’m doing today!

I am making an SVGCuts Butterfly Box Card from the Boho Butterflies kit for my daughter’s birthday. Above is a screenshot of Cricut Design Space showing the uploaded pieces.

2016-06-12 16.06.41Here are the cutout pieces.

I used Close To My Heart cardstock in the following colors:
White Daisy
Sweet Leaf
Saffron
Canary
Chocolate
Glacier
Black
Fundamental Papers (has the white circles)

CTMH cardstock cuts perfectly in my Cricut Explore – I set it on Cardstock+ and, again, the paper ALWAYS cuts perfectly!!

2016-06-12 16.07.15After gluing the black layers onto the butterflies, I used my CTMH ShinHan markers to color in the sections.

2016-06-12 16.07.47I wanted to shimmer the butterflies up a little, so I misted them with Perfect Pearls Mist – LOVE THIS STUFF!!

2016-06-12 16.08.18Then I used Stickles (glitter glue) to embellish even more! Embellishing is my favorite part of doing projects – there are so many products to choose from . . .

2016-06-12 16.08.55I used CTMH Cocoa ink on the edges of all the brown pieces – this gives it a distressed look, which I love!

2016-06-12 16.09.41I used the CTMH Celebration stamp set to stamp “Happy Birthday!” in Cocoa ink on the back panel. This is where you can write additional comments and sign your name, as well.

2016-06-12 16.10.15Here are the assembled panels – shimmery, glittery butterflies!!

2016-06-12 16.11.24Above are pictures as the inserts were attached. The picture on the left is the assembled box, the center picture includes Insert 2, and the right picture includes Insert 3. How about all those butterflies????

2016-06-12 16.12.38Here’s a top view of the assembled box card.

2016-06-12 16.13.17Here’s a front view of the completed card.

2016-06-12 16.13.55Box cards are really impressive, and the best part is that they fold flat so they fit in an envelope and you can mail them. Don’t forget to add extra postage because they are not a standard size, and sometimes they weigh more as well.

Hey, if you’d like to see some of my other projects, check out my Instagram and Pinterest board, and I would LOVE it if you would follow me.

As always, I’m Livin’ the Moments . . .

Father’s Day Box Card

Screen Shot 2016-06-09 at 3.05.50 PM copy

Hi Guys! Come on in and see what I’m doing today!

I’m making a Happy Father’s Day Box Card from SVGCuts Father’s Day Box Cards projects. Above is a Cricut Design Space screenshot of the workspace with the pieces on it.

2016-06-10 15.54.07My dad is a farmer, so whenever I make cards for him, they have a John Deere theme, lol. Above are the cutout pieces in – you guessed it, John Deere green and yellow.

I used Close To My Heart cardstock in Sweet Leaf, Canary, and Paper Fundamentals. Paper Fundamentals have the same pattern on both sides, one side with a glossy pattern – these are nice when you want a subtle design rather than a flat solid color.

2016-06-10 15.54.35SVGCuts are great because they have assembly instruction videos for their projects – at least there has been a video for every project I have ever done with their svg files. Mary demonstrates each step throughout completion – pretty awesome – you can rewatch, pause and start, over and over again.

Above are the assembled sections, the numbers written on them identify them from each other, and tell you what order to put them in the box.

2016-06-10 15.55.10Above you see the box sections put together – the stars are on the flaps that hang outside the box.

2016-06-10 15.55.44Above you see the box taking shape when the sections are glued together.

2016-06-10 15.58.18Yeah, so, I don’t like the way the letters blend in with the background . . .  So, I used Gelly Roll pens in silver and gold to trace around the letters and the stars. They definitely stand out more, don’t you think?

This picture shows Panel 2 attached inside the box.

2016-06-10 15.59.00This picture shows Panel 1 attached inside the box. The card is finished, oh, yeah . . . They are so easy to make and come out so awesome!!!!!

2016-06-10 15.59.39Here’s a top view of the panels attached inside the box.

2016-06-10 16.00.19I used CTMH “Typed Note” (no longer available, but there are plenty of other sentiment stamps) to stamp the sentiment on the back – typewriter fonts are my favorites.

2016-06-10 16.01.23I used the We R Memory Keepers Envelope Generator app on my phone to calculate the paper size and punch guide measurement for an envelope. This is one of the most useful apps I have on my phone for crafting.

2016-06-10 16.00.58Not only are box cards impressive, but they’re easy to send through the mail because they fold and fit inside an envelope.

Don’t forget to put extra postage on box cards because they’re larger and heavier than basic cards.

Hey, if you’d like to see some of my other projects, check out my Instagram and Pinterest board, and I would LOVE it if you would follow me.

As always, I’m Livin’ the Moments . . .

SVGCuts Fairy Cottage Part 3

2016-06-02 07.57.53Hi Guys! Come on in and see what I’m doing today!

As promised, here is the SVGCuts Fairy Cottage Part 3 – assembly. This was a pretty big project, so my approach was to go one step at a time. You’ll see pics of each part as it was attached. For the complete assembly video go to SVGCuts.com.

On Monday, Part 1, I went over purchasing, downloading and uploading svg files, attaching score lines and labels, and choosing paper colors. On Wednesday, Part 2, I went over embellishments – embossing, inking, vellum, attaching panels, and choosing ephemera.
2016-05-30 20.16.58Above is the base. The left pic shows the pieces. The middle pic shows the bottom layer with the sides attached. There are three small boxes inserted inside the base to add stability. The right pic shows the completed base – you can see where the boxes are.

2016-05-30 20.17.27This is where I assembled the stump and the right house. The stairs look hard, but they are SO EASY. Mary does a great job in the videos showing how to assemble the more complicated parts – stairs, windows, balconies. One. Step. At. A. Time.
2016-06-02 07.53.56In the left pic, the stump floor is added, as well as the right house roof and turret – it’s so funky-lookin’. Aaaaagh, I love it!

In the right pic, everything is attached to the black base – this helps it keep its shape. Also, the left house was added above the stump.
2016-06-02 07.54.34Here’s the roof. The roof is not attached permanently so you can put something inside of the cottage, like twinkle lights. You can also use this as a gift box – pretty fancy gift box, but nonetheless . . . you could . . .

2016-06-02 07.55.33Okay . . . soooo . . . it’s done!!! This is a side view.

I added flowers, sequins, a little fence made from sticks (how fun is that?), and a brad for a doorknob.

2016-06-02 07.56.06

This is the back.

2016-06-02 07.57.09A view of the back corner.

2016-06-02 07.57.53And, here’s a final view from the front! Isn’t it AWESOME?!?!?!

Yeah, yeah, yeah, what do I do with it now? Well . . . It’s decorative . . . And a conversation piece . . . And it was fun . . . It was realllllly fun!!!

Would I make it again? In a heartbeat . . .

Hey, if you’d like to see some of my other projects, check out my Instagram and Pinterest board, and I would LOVE it if you would follow me.

As always, I’m Livin’ the Moments . . .

SVGCuts Fairy Cottage Part 2

2016-05-30 20.11.59Hi Guys! Come on in and see what I’m doing today!

This is SVGCuts Fairy Cottage Part 2. Above are all the cut out pieces ready for embellishment. In Part 1 I went over purchasing, downloading and uploading the files, attaching score lines and labels, and choosing paper colors.

Today I am going over the embellishments and Friday I will show how I assembled the fairy cottage in steps.

When doing a big project like this, stay focused on the steps, and use the SVGCuts assembly videos to complete it. One. Step. At. A. Time.

ADVICE: Once you cut out the pieces, assemble the project soon. If you wait too long, you forget what is what. Just sayin’ . . .
InstructionsEvery file you purchase through SVGCuts has a pdf file that shows the pieces, colors, and explanations for how Mary completed the example projects. These instructions are especially useful in this project because they show which pieces were embossed, the embossing folders she used, and what the X’s are for on the stump.

2016-05-30 20.12.35Embellishment #1: I used the eBosser to emboss several of the pieces. If you can afford it, this embosser is awesome! No cranking, and it applies even pressure – I have yet to have paper tear when run through it, unlike when I have used other manual embossers.

I used these embossing folders:
Cricut Swiss Dots
Cricut Vines
Close To My Heart Wood Grain
Heidi Swapp Icat

You don’t have to use these embossing folders or the ones in Mary’s demo – use what you have, they’re going to look awesome no matter which folders you use.
2016-05-30 20.13.12Embellishment #2: I used Close To My Heart ink to ink the edges on some of the pieces – mainly the panels. I used Cashmere, Desert Sand, and Juniper.

The Graphic45 Enchanted Forest Collection of paper coordinates perfectly with CTMH ink, hmmmm . . . no, really, it could NOT match any better.

2016-05-30 20.13.42Embellishment #3: I glued the vellum to the back of the windows. Be careful with the glue, if it gets on the vellum, you can see it even after it dries. If you do get glue on the vellum, don’t try to get it off. Let it dry and try to peel it off.

Um, yeah, the three windows on the right should NOT have vellum on them. Oops, they’re frames for around the windows (the windows should have vellum on them, duh . . . ). I just hand-cut three pieces of vellum and attached them where they were supposed to be in the first place. I’m sure that’s not the only mistake I’ll make . . .

2016-05-30 20.15.22Embellishment #4: Not really an embellishment (but a necessary part of assembly) is the folding along the score lines.

There are A LOT of scorelines, lol.

2016-05-31 10.10.01Embellishment #5: Glue the panels onto the base pieces. Don’t they look great????? Aaaaagh! I can’t wait to put everything together!!!
2016-05-30 20.16.05Embellishment #6:  I went through my stash for ephemera that might look good on the cottage. I may or may not use these things, but I got them out and will look for opportunities to add them.

Okay . . . stay tuned for Part 3 when I assemble the cottage. Eeeeeek, can’t wait to get started!!!

Hey, if you’d like to see some of my other projects, check out my Instagram and Pinterest board, and I would LOVE it if you would follow me.

As always, I’m Livin’ the Moments . . .

SVGCuts Fairy Cottage Part 1

DSWorkspace

Hi Guys! Come on in and see what I’m doing today!

I am making the SVGCuts Fairy Cottage and it’s going to be awesome!!!! 3D projects are definitely my favorite thing to make and SVGCuts has the design and assembly down because everything I have made from them has come out great!

They may look difficult and complicated but if you take it one step at a time, they really aren’t. No really, let me show you . . .

svgcutswebsite

The first thing you do is purchase and download an svg file from SVGCuts (they also have A LOT of free files if you want to try it first). Above is a screenshot of the file I am using in this project.
assemblytutorialThey have assembly tutorials for every one of their files (at least every file I’ve ever used). Mary stars in all of the videos and she assembles the projects from start to finish on camera – you can pause and rewind as many times as you want.

I’m going to be honest, I watch the video before I choose my paper, before I embellish the pieces, and over and over again while I’m assembling.
DSUpload

Above is a screenshot of the Cricut Design Space upload page. You click on “Browse,” find your file, open it, I usually leave the image name the same as it comes in, but you can rename it if you want, and then I tag the file with the name I gave it on my computer.

No1

An important step to remember is to go through each file piece (???) and look for score lines and labels. The above pic shows “roof1” and it has three parts that all have scissors next to them, which means they will all cut. I want the score lines to score and the labels to write. You can let them cut if you want, but if you have a Cricut Explore, why not let it score and label for you?
No2

In the above pic, I am changing the score lines from cut to score. I selected it on the top line on the right (gray section), and clicked on the “Score” icon on the left.

No3

In the above pic, I am changing the labels from cut to write. I selected it on the second line on the right (gray section), and clicked on the “Write” icon on the left.

No4

**SUPER IMPORTANT: Next you have to attach the score lines and the labels to the pieces – otherwise, they will appear on a separate mat.

If you click on the words “roof1”, it grays the entire section, and then you click on the “Attach” icon above.

No5

Now this, I’m not crazy about, but this section is renamed “Attached Set.” I don’t like this because every one of the sets that you attach are called “Attached Set.” Why??? Just leave the name that was there before . . .

DSMats

Above is a screenshot of the cutting screen – look at the number of mats . . . 27 Mats! 27 Mats! 27 Mats! It took about two hours to cut out all the pieces – there were a lot of score lines, lol!

2016-05-29 19.01.54

Here are all the cut out pieces – Whoa!! That’s A LOT OF PIECES!!!!! Remember, one step at a time!

Here’s the paper I used:
Graphic45 Enchanted Forest Collection
Close To My Heart:
Cashmere
Champagne
Cocoa
Colonial White
Desert Sand
Juniper

Stay tuned for Wednesday’s blog when I embellish some of the pieces, and Friday’s blog when I assemble the SVGCuts Fairy Cottage!!

Hey, if you’d like to see some of my other projects, check out my Instagram and Pinterest board, and I would LOVE it if you would follow me.

As always, I’m Livin’ the Moments . . .

SVGCuts Waterfall Baby Card

Cricut Design SpaceHi Guys! Come on in and see what I’m doing today!

I’m making an SVGCuts Waterfall Baby Card for our friend’s grandchild – due in about two weeks. Above you can see the pieces in Cricut Design Space. You purchase the svg files, download them to your computer, and upload them into Cricut Design Space.

When you purchase svg files from SVGCuts you have to remember to attach the score lines, otherwise they are separate and won’t be where they’re supposed to be. I MAY have forgotten to do this before . . .

svgcutsAbove is a screenshot of the instructions that are included in the downloaded files – I still like to print hard copies (old school).
2016-05-27 18.42.10I used my AWESOME Cricut Explore and cut out the pieces from Close To My Heart cardstock. I used White Daisy, Whisper, Sweet Leaf, Canary, Glacier, and the several sheets from Close To My Heart’s Fundamental paper packs.

CTMH Fundamental paper packs coordinate with the solid colors but have patterns – easy to add patterns and interest to your projects and takes the guesswork out of coordinating paper. Love it!!!!

2016-05-27 18.42.43Above is the base in CTMH Whisper and I’m using my Scor-Buddy to score a fold line down the middle of the card.

2016-05-27 18.43.23I used my eBosser and the Cricut Cuddlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder to emboss raised dots on the blocks.
2016-05-27 18.45.15In the top picture you see my Xyron Create-a-Sticker to put adhesive on the back of the smaller pieces – the best way to get adhesive edge to edge.

In the bottom picture you see the completed blocks. Really . . . those googly eyes are freaking me out a little . . .

2016-05-27 18.46.29Here’s the waterfall part. In the top picture, I attached the waterfall section to the base with green flower brads.

In the middle photo, I folded the long section under and through to the right – then when you pull the end with the punched circle, it feeds through and flips the blocks one after the other.

In the bottom photo, I added adhesive to the biggest section.
2016-05-27 18.46.50Adding the blocks. Top left photo is the first block – it has adhesive over the entire back.

The rest of the photos show each block attached along the left edge.
2016-05-27 18.49.12This photo shows the blocks “waterfalling” (cascading???) as the ribbon is pulled to the right.

2016-05-27 18.49.56I used the We R Memory Keepers app to calculate the envelope’s paper size and then scored the paper to create an envelope with the Envelope Punch Board.

2016-05-27 18.50.47And here is the finished card and envelope – isn’t it so cute??? I love the paper. Wow . . . just . . . wow!!!

Hey, if you’d like to see some of my other projects, check out my Instagram and Pinterest board, and I would LOVE it if you would follow me.

As always, I’m Livin’ the Moments . . .

8th Grade Graduation Cards 2016

2016-05-24 09.20.37Hi Guys! Come on in and see what I’m doing today!

I am making the 8th Grade Graduation Cards 2016 version. I’m a middle school Computer Applications teacher and have an 8th grade homeroom. They are the absolutely best students I have ever had in my homeroom and deserve something extra special (they love Target gift cards!). I made similar graduation cards last year, but I switched the colors a bit – they are really easy and impressive!

2016-05-24 09.21.23Here are the Close To My Heart White Daisy card bases with red glitter cardstock attached to them – check out all that glitter! I Love It!!!!

2016-05-24 09.22.00I glued the gift cardholder to the inside of the card and wrote a quote from LeeAnn Womack’s “I Hope You Dance” song – lyrics that are always appropriate for someone beginning a new journey. I like to handwrite the inside rather than print it – makes it more personal, don’t you think?

2016-05-24 09.22.40I punched a 2 1/2” circle out of CTMH White Daisy cardstock and stamped a sentiment from a Studio Calico stamp set using Color Box dye ink in Moody Blue. Then I used Stickles on “sparkle” to make it stand out.
2016-05-24 09.23.18I used pop dots to attach the circle to the red glitter cardstock – mmmmmm, all that glittery goodness . . .

And that’s it! A really easy, simple card that goes together quickly and looks incredible!!!!!!!

Hey, if you’d like to see some of my other projects, check out my Instagram and Pinterest board, and I would LOVE it if you would follow me.

As always, I’m Livin’ the Moments . . .