Ligaya's Creativity Zone

Christmas Card 2011

2012-01-12T18:57:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I'm very late in posting my Christmas card for 2011. I actually finished the card early December and was able to mail them on time. I was so worried about snail mail and was very relieved to be told by the recipients that they did get them before Christmas.

I used acetate (also called transparency film) for the base of the card to which I adhered the bling-bling embellies. The Christmas ornaments design is a set from the Silhouette store. The flourish is originally from the Silhouette store, too, which I recreated by duplicating the design and mirroring it and welded the 2 sides to a tag to turn it into a flourished tag. I used DCWV Mango Frost for the ornaments.

A Decorated Keepsake Box

2012-01-08T20:34:00.000-08:00

Everybody just loves the decorated index card box (http://ligayatg.blogspot.com/2011_08_01_archive.html) that I made for my friend and my niece requested me to make one for her. So here is another decorated box that I made for my niece, Tata, which she will use for her keepsakes.

I used my new Silhouette Cameo for all the designs on this box. I just love my Cameo!!! I used the same daisy flower design (tutorial on my post: http://ligayatg.blogspot.com/2011/04/3d-flowers.html) that I used on Benjie's box. I used plain cream card stock for the flowers which I sprayed with my homemade glimmer mist (http://ligayatg.blogspot.com/2011/04/homemade-glimmer-mist.html) to match the colors of the pattern paper (DCWV) that I used to cover the box. I used the glimmer mists that I made back in August and I was impressed that the quality and consistency of the mists remained the same.

I would like to be able to make keepsake boxes for my other nieces, too.

Faux Leather

2012-01-01T23:28:00.000-08:00

My first post for 2012 is about another technique in paper crafting called 'faux leather' which I fell in love with. I learned about this technique from the Resources in the Splitcoast Stampers website. But instead of using the embossing process used in the tutorial with the use of embossing powder and heat gun to make the material shine, I applied my own technique using Krylon's Triple-Thick Clear Glaze spray (photo below, purchased from Joann.com) and got amazing results. As you'll see from the photos, the cardstock is transformed into leather-like material. The project made in the tutorial is a wallet. I was in the middle of making post-it/note pad holders for my Christmas giveaways so I applied this technique to the remaining holders that I was making. I experimented on different colors and all the colros turned out great. I used the same Cuttlebug embossing folder used in the tutorial called Tiny Mosaic. Should you decide to use the Krylon Clear Glaze spray, make sure to follow the directions on the can. You need to apply full wet coat. I applied 2 coats. If you don't apply a full wet coat and just apply a misty spray, you won't get the thick glaze effect but instead will get ugly powdery specks.

The first photo demonstrates the transformation from 1) plain cardstock, 2) embossed with the Cuttlebug machine using the Tiny Mosaic folder, 3) colored with dye ink pad using Tim Holtz blending tool (photo below) and 4) sprayed with Krylon Clear Glaze.

BTW, for those wanting to know what closures I used for the notepad holders, I used the small size of the magnetic snaps by Basic Gray (photo below, purchased from Joann.com). For more information on the post-it/note pad holders, please refer to my previous post, http://ligayatg.blogspot.com/2011/11/note-pad-holder-nice-christmas-stocking.html

I found other techniques on how to make 'faux leather' but I've only tried the first one using my Cuttlebug embossing machine:

1) Technique using an embossing machine::
http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/fauxleatherwallet/

2) Technique embossing with embossing powder and heat gun:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=TwIj8OwlY2s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLkpG2vGRiM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QwGdLYiZoU&feature=related

http://butternutsagedesigns.blogspot.com/2009/04/big-thank-you-to-kristina-werner.html

3) Technique using masking tape:

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/faux_leather_with_masking_tape/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_wvZhIEbig

Ballet Dancer Card

2011-11-15T01:00:00.001-08:00

My friend, Benjie, requested me to make her a
birthday card with an image of a ballet dancer that she can display on her desk. She used to take ballet lessons and told me that she misses her ballet dancing. So I came up with an easel card using a design from the online store which was perfect for Benjie's request. I love the color combination that I used, pink and dark chocolate brown. My favorite on the card are the ballet shoes. The shoes are a separate design which I also bought from the Silhouette store. I tweaked them using the node editing tool until they fit the feet of the ballet dancer perfectly. I created the dress using the same ballet dancer design. I created the frame using the same design used for the base of the card by doing an internal offset.

Here is a tutorial on the easel card:
http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/easelcard/

All the designs used on this card were purchased from

the Silhouette store:

Ballet dancer: dancer_C20091017003545_2581

Ballet shoes: ballet_shoes_C20091016235517_2581

Base of the card: 3_labels_C00800_20509

Since all the designs on this card were purchased from the Silhouette store, I won't be able to share any file for this card. I do hope that you will still leave your comment :).

Note Pad Holder - A Nice Christmas Stocking Stuffer

2011-11-14T23:36:00.001-08:00

Here is another great Christmas stocking stuffer project, a note pad or post-it holder. This is actually a great giveaway on any occasion. I've been crazy about the vintage look and used some distressing techniques on this project using Tim Holtz distress ink pads. I embossed the pattern paper with my Cuttlebug blending the color the distress ink with the colors of the pattern paper. The result is simply stunning! It gives that very chic vintage look on the paper. The cover or holder is a very simple template made in Studio using the rounded rectangle shape from the drawing tools. I hate using the perforated cut for the folds so I manually scored the folds of the holder with my Martha Stewart scoring board. I used magnetic disks for the closure as shown on the video tutorial. I put a layer of paper on the inside flaps to hide the magnetic disks. I've seen other tutorials that used velcro instead. The embellishment is the other half of a Chinese button pair that you can find in fabric/notions stores. This is actually color white which I colored with ordinary dye ink pad using a foam applicator that's why the color matches the paper very nicely. The size of the note pads I used is 3" x 3". The ones made on the video tutorial were 2" x 2" which I'll be making, too. You can make the 2 sizes and bundle them with a ribbon which will make very cute presents. You can even personalize the holders by putting your recipients monogram on the cover.

Here is the video tutorial where I got the idea from:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzc-X5a_uZE&feature=related

For those who need help on the template, just let me know on your comment and I'll make one for you using your specifications. Just indicate the height, width and thickness of your post-it or note pad. Please note that I used the Studio for this template but I can also make it in MTC.

Angry Birds Card - Another Fun Kiddie Card

2011-11-14T00:41:00.001-08:00

I made this card for my godson, Ranjeet, who is just crazy about the Angry Birds (along with every kid around). I really enjoyed making this card knowing how thrilled he will be. He loves it so much that he wanted to display it so I made a board for the card so he can hang it. I researched for the font of Angry Birds and was directed to the 'feast of flesh'. Here is a link to the free download:

http://www.1001freefonts.com/FeastOfFlesh.php

The Angry Birds images are just pictures of stuffed toys that I snipped and created in Studio with print and cut. I suggest using photo paper for bright and crisp iamges I created mats for the birds and welded them to the base of the card to hold each bird with the 'springy thingy' which makes the card kinda interactive which makes it even more fun and enjoyable.

I used the same 'springy thingy' on my swing and spin cards previously posted. I got the idea from Margaret Wilburn's blog. Here is her video tutorial on how to make it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9NCjIF8rps&feature=player_embedded

All files used for this card can be shared, as always for free. Just indicate your request on your comment.

REMINDER: I only share my free files with my followers. You can sign up by clicking on 'Follow' (or sometimes indicated as 'Join This Site' depending on your browser) right below my blog archive on the right section. You can tell if your sign-up went through by checking if your name appears on my followers' or members' list. PLEASE always indicate your name, your e-mail address and user name that you used in my followers' or members' list on your COMMENT when requesting for the free files. This is the only way that you can be assured of receiving the free files.

Christmas Family Tree

2011-11-10T06:06:00.001-08:00

I can't believe that we are on the last 2 months of the year. Christmas is just around the corner which means, here I go again, frantic to come up with a design for my Christmas cards. Frantic, yes, as it is already mid-November and I don't even have a design concept yet. Most of these cards are being mailed abroad and snail mail just seems to be getting slower and slower every year :(.

While I'm trying to figure out my Christmas card design for this year, I'd like to share the wonderful Christmas project that I made for my family last year. I made a family tree using a very cute ornament design from the Silhouette store: 3d_photo_ornament_C00768_17986.

For those who are looking for a Christmas project, here is an idea for you.

Frankenstein Halloween Treat Bag - Just Adorable!

2011-10-29T08:17:00.000-07:00

I was actually doing a completely different

project when I chanced on the video tutorial of this super cute Halloween bag and I immediately decided to make them for my adorable nephews, Dustine and Dj (5 years old and 17 months old, respectively) who I'll be taking to a Halloween party on the 31st. They look soooooooo cute in their super heroes costume that I bought for them.

The inspiration for my Halloween treat bag is the Frankenstein box made by ChicnScratch on her video tutorial, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG-_Jt0CoQ0&feature=related.

My version is much bigger than the one she made. She made 2 bags out of an 8.5" x 11" card stock. The finished size of the bag that I made is 8" x 7" x 3.5". I used 2 different colors for the front and back of the bag, each piece is 11 inches high and 10 inches wide. The folds on the sides and bottom of each piece are 2 inches. Instead of completely overlapping both pieces together as shown on ChicnScratch's video, I overlapped the front and back pieces only by half an inch, just enough to glue the pieces together, to have more depth to make the bag more spacious. For Frankenstein's hair, I used a grass design from the Silhouette store called Grass 1027 which was one of the free 50 files. I did a little tweaking that's why it looks different. For the mouth, I used the free shape of the week from the online store (pumpkin). I added the screws on his temples. They initially looked like his ears so I moved them higher. I took a close up shot so you'll get the idea on how to attach them. The allowance for the fold was already added to the shape. Instead of just drawing the mouth and the scars, I created cutouts. For the eyes, eyelids and the nose, I followed the way ChicnScratch did them. I used a one inch wide black ribbon for the handle instead of the same card stock so it will be stronger and will last longer.

As usual, I'm sharing the file for free. You know the drill. Just indicate your request on your comment.

REMINDER: I only share my free files with my followers. You can sign up by clicking on 'Follow' (or sometimes indicated as 'Join This Site' depending on your browser) right below my blog archive on the right section. You can tell if your sign-up went through by checking if your name appears on my followers' or members' list. PLEASE always indicate your name, your e-mail address and user name that you used in my followers' or members' list on your COMMENT when requesting for the free files. This is the only way that you can be assured of receiving the free files.

Thanks for dropping by.

Back To The Basics - Another Black and White Card

2011-09-12T17:07:00.000-07:00

With my Silhouette resting in peace, I tried re-living the pre-Silhouette era. It seems so hard to imagine how I can come up with a nice card without my beloved Silhouette. Well, it was, indeed, not easy so I cheated :-). I patiently rummaged through the ton of unused cut designs that I've been tossing into a small bin instead of the trash as I always feel guilty for being wasteful. I found pieces of this black frame with a birthday sentiment on it which were meant for cards that I never finished and eventually completely forgotten. The idea of another black and white card immediately hit me and the next thing I knew, I have a new card!

As the creative juices started flowing, I came up with another new ribbon style by cutting strips of fine ribbon, about 2.75 inches long, and glued the tips together. I used 6 folded strips to form like a quarter of a flower held by a button as you can see on the photos. I happen to have this polka dot ribbon which was perfect for the card. I love my Cuttlebug but I have not used it as much as I should so I thought of making good use of it for this card. I used my Swiss Dots and Leafy Branch embossing folders, both by Cuttlebug. I used 4 layers of ribbons to cover the cut between the 2 embossed pieces. The first layer is a wide cream organza, second layer is a black organza, third layer is a cream ribbon topped with the same dotted fine ribbon I used for the flower ribbon. The black frame for the sentiment is from the set of Spellbinders Fancy Tags. BTW, this is not exactly a black and white card as I used a dirty white color which is a very light cream color.

This card speaks so much of the style of cards that I used to make before I started using the Silhouette machine. It's a nice feeling going back to my old roots :-).

Nurse Card

2011-09-05T20:42:00.000-07:00

This was the card I was making when my Silhouette machine suddenly stopped working. I needed to finish the card so I made do with whatever I could. I rummaged through my stash and I was so lucky to find 2 layered tags that match the color scheme of the card. I redid the sentiments to match the size of the tags and to print the lines as well of the oval shape so I can cut them by hand. It's a good thing that the nurse I used doesn't have an intricate shape so it was pretty easy to cut it by hand. I found the metal flower brads which are perfect embellies for one of the tags. I thought I did a pretty good job making do with whatever I can in the 'absence' of my Silhouette machine. I was just happy to be able to finish the card.

The very cute nurse is a graphics that I purchased online from Sunflower Friends: http://sunflowerfriends.com. There were 3 nurses in the file for only $0.80.They have a lot of super cute stuff. They have an ongoing sale for individual graphics for only $0.20 per file.

This card is for my niece for whom I made the graduation cap card when she graduated from nursing last April. I made this card to congratulate her for passing the nursing board exam.

I couldn't share any of the files used on this card as they are all Silhouette designs and the nurse is copyrighted, too.

Base of the card: round_doily_C20091012222051_20509
Tag for 'You did it': 24_label_frame_tag_C00907_19210
Tag for 'Congratulations': 3_labels_C00799_20509

Cover For An Index Card Box

2011-08-30T04:00:00.000-07:00

My friend, Benjie, requested me to make a cover for her index card box. She is a school teacher and she uses the box to store her index cards for her lesson plans and projects for her second grade students which they call the 'Item Bank'. She just told me about the box yesterday and I told her that I'm currently busy with multiple projects so I won't have the time to do the box till after about 3 weeks. Little does she know that I was so challenged with the design concept of the box that I immediately started on it as soon as I got home. I stayed up late and even missed my gym this morning just to finish the box. I enjoyed creating the cover design for my friend knowing how much she will appreciate and treasure the box.

I admire Benjie for her profession and not only is she a dedicated teacher, she truly enjoys her job and still has the same enthusiasm in all the 33 years that she has been teaching. She is, indeed, a remarkable teacher! These thoughts were my inspiration in creating this beautiful box and finishing it in one day. The box is a tribute to her dedication to her noble profession. It's truly a labor of love. I used a beautiful verse about teachers to embellish the interior of the box. I used all her favorite colors in the design.

I haven't told Benjie yet that the box is finished so she will be thrilled once she finds out.

Just Another Black And Ivory Hat Card

2011-08-30T03:13:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make good use of my black and ivory paper pad so I made another black and ivory hat card. I used exactly the same template as the first hat card that I created. I love this color combination.

Bookmarks

2011-08-18T02:16:00.000-07:00

Although I haven't posted any new cards in 2 months, I'm so pleased to find a lot of hits on my blog constantly everyday. I just checked my stats and I'm so happy to see that I already reached more than 8,200 hits which is very surprising to me considering my blog is pretty new and I wasn't sure how much interest it will generate when I initiated it. Thank you so much to everyone, most especially to my followers. Your heartwarming support is a great source of inspiration in my creativity.

My niece requested me to make a bookmark for her prayer book which inspired me to create these pretty designs. I remember seeing a corner page bookmark from somewhere several months ago but I forgot to save it. I tried to figure out my own design and came up with these designs. Everybody loves them and I've been getting a lot of requests for them. My craft room has turned into a bookmark factory :). It's a great way to make good use of my scraps. These bookmarks are great keepsakes and souvenirs which will make you all the more popular among your family and friends.

Anybody interested on the templates, I'm sharing all the five designs for free. Just indicate your request on your comment.

I finally posted my new card, the sofa card, so check it out below :).

REMINDER: I only share my free files with my followers. You can sign up by clicking on 'Follow' (or sometimes indicated as 'Join This Site' depending on your browser) right below my blog archive on the right section. You can tell if your sign-up went through by checking if your name appears on my followers' or members' list. PLEASE always indicate your name, your e-mail address and the user name that you used in my followers' or members' list on your COMMENT when requesting for the free files. This is the only way that you can be assured of receiving the free files.

Vintage Sofa Card - Unfinished :(

2011-08-18T00:52:00.000-07:00

Time is just slipping by too fast for me and I can't believe that it's been a month since I last post anything on my blog. I've just been too preoccupied with so many different things that I haven't had the time to play much with my Silhouette. I actually got stuck with the latest card design that I promised everyone over a month ago and although I did finish the base of the card, I got hit with a rare creativity lull that I just couldn't figure out what to do with the finishing touches of this 3-D vintage sofa card. I decided to go ahead and post the card and share the template. Perhaps I'll be able to get help from everyone on how to finish the card. It is another unique card design and I think it's just beautiful. I actually made some throw pillows as accents on the sofa but I think my problem was I just gave too much thought on how to embellish it that I spaced out. LOL!!! So I would love to hear your ideas on how I should finish the card or better yet, please send me some photos of the cards that you have created out of this template.

For the free template, you know the drill. Just send in your request via your comment if you are already a follower. And if you're not listed yet as one of my followers, you may want to do so now by clicking on "Join This Site" right below my Blog Archive.

Introducing: The Silhouette CAMEO - 12" Cutting Machine

2011-07-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

The long awaited 12" Silhouette machine, the Silhouette Cameo, will be ready for shipping in October. There is not much detail written about it yet except that it will have the same capabilities of the Silhouette SD plus more and that they will be releasing a new Designer version of the Studio software next month which will have the capability of being able to cut other file formats like SVG files.The price of the Cameo is $299.00.

I'm dying to know if it will have more cutting force than the Silhouette SD to be able to cut heavier materials like chipboard and if it will have embossing capabilities. It will just be so neat if it can have a true scoring capability instead of the dashed cut lines. Here is the video introducing the Cameo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwnuP3Gfc1M&sns=em

I'm actually leaning more towards the other newly introduced cutter by KNK, the Zing machine, which has a wider cutting width of 14" and a cutting force of 750 grams. The Silhouette SD's maximum cutting force is only 230grams. The price of the Zing machine is $399.00. The price difference of $100.00 between the Zing and the Cameo is well worth it for me for the cutting force of 750 grams alone. The Zing could also cut a more variety of materials than the Silhouette. There is not a lot of detail about the Zing published yet just like the Cameo as it has not been released yet. It seems like the release date will be very close to Cameo's release date, perhaps a bit earlier. I'm very excited with these 2 machines but I'll have to wait until I hear a lot of feedback from actual users. Meanwhile, I'm still enjoying my Silhouette SD so I'm not in a rush to replace it YET. Who knows what other competition will be out there along with the Cameo and the Zing. The more competition, the better it is for us as this will drive the prices down and it will just make our crafting world even more exciting.

For more details on the Zing machine: http://www.knkzing.com/

BTW, watch out for my next card. It's another unique design. I've never seen anything like it. I've already finished the template. I've actually already created the card but I haven't had the chance to embellish it. I hope to post it soon!

My First Blog Award - The irresistibly Sweet Blog Award

2011-07-08T07:01:00.000-07:00

I received my very first blog award from Debbie, aka Doodling Debbie. Check out her blog:

http://paperpulse.blogspot.com/

She wrote:

"Hi Gayle,

I would like you to have this blog award for having such a terrific blog and being so generous with sharing such irresitably sweet designs. Thank you for all of your insprition and shares.

this blog award was recently given to me and Ihave to choose 7 other blogs I find deserving of this award. Your blog most certainly is deserving."

Thank you so much, Debbie!

Here is my award:

Debbie started the Silhouette Plus Group forum which is fast gaining popularity for online help and sharing of ideas among Silhouette machine users. Join the group now:

http://z15.invisionfree.com/Silhouette_Plus/index.php?act=idx

Little Girl's Dress Card

2011-06-14T20:09:00.000-07:00

Back to kiddie cards J. I’ve seen a lot of girl’s dress cards but I couldn’t find one that is shaped exactly the way I would want it to look so I created my own design and made the template in Studio from scratch. I’m still struggling with manipulating the nodes/points in the ‘Point Editing’ tool so this template turned out to be the most challenging yet. The most difficult part was perfecting the lines and curves of the collar to fit the neckline of the dress exactly. I must have tweaked the collar and the neckline of the apron a thousand times before I was pleased with the outcome. Ughhh, there goes Ms. Perfectionist again! My trash basket was full of rejected trial cuts before I got to the final dimensions and moved on to creating the actual card. And then there was always the struggle of color and material choices, what embellishments to use, the wordings for the sentiments, the font style and so on. You would think that I was designing a dress for a red carpet event, LOL! You all can see in each and every card that I’ve created how much thought, time and effort were put into it. This little girl’s card turned out to be so much cuter than I expected. I can’t stop looking at it :). Sooooo very happy!!! This card will be great for a little girl’s birthday, baby shower, to welcome a newborn, for christening, a party invitation, birth announcement, or just to cheer up a little girl.

And here is the best part. Yes, I’m sharing the template for free! If you have not signed up as a follower on my blog yet, just click on the ‘Follow’ box right underneath ‘My Followers’ which is right below my Blog Archive on the right side. Some followers do not have any link to their profile and some don’t have their e-mail address on their profile so please, DO NOT FORGET to indicate your e-mail address on your comment. For those who prefer to keep their e-mail address private, go ahead and send in your request via your comment on my post and send me an e-mail directly for your e-mail address so I can send you the free file. I’m still getting requests without any e-mail address so if you’re wondering why you have not received the requested file, it’s only because I don’t know where to send the file.

Hat Card

2011-06-06T08:39:00.000-07:00

I got hooked on innovative shaped cards ever since I got my Silhouette machine. Here is another cute card in the shape of a lady’s hat that I designed in the Studio. I was looking at a card on the Splitcoast Stampers site which led me to the blog of Cathleen, http://crookedcardcreations.com,. I enjoyed viewing her cards! They are so beautiful and elegant. Her hat card caught my attention and I took interest in making the card right away as she had the template. But much to my disappointment, it was a hand drawn template and it was just impossible to trace it in Studio as the lines were not clean enough. I ended up creating the template in Studio from scratch. The card is really a very simple cut. I’m quite pleased with what I came up with. I thought it’s just cute and adorable.

I designed a new bow by accident, LOL! I was trying to make something else but was struggling to keep its shape and ended up with this one. I just love it! I took a close up shot so you can figure it out. It's just a layer of four folds of ribbon then spread out. I stitched the bow to keep the folds in place.

I enjoy seeing other people’s work, most especially cards that were made from my free templates so please send me a photo of the cards that you have created.

As most of you are aware, my free templates are now exclusive to my followers on my blog. Although some of you have already signed up as a follower on my blog, a lot of members do not have any link on their profile and unless you leave your e-mail address on your comment, I have no way of sending the file to you. So please, do not forget to leave your e-mail address on your comment.

Armoire Card

2011-05-30T22:14:00.000-07:00

I finally finished my armoire card. I finished the templates for this card a while back but I experienced what I call a 'creativity block' and struggled putting the finishing touches. Like I mentioned previously, I got the idea for this card from my antique armoire in my living living room where I keep my entertainment center.

I created the templates for the base of the card and its layers. The corner borders (2 different designs on the card) were traced from a free clip art website with no restrictions on sharing. The flourishes on the sentiment inside the card are designs from Silhouette. I created the flourish on top of the armoire using a corner border which I duplicated and welded together then added another portion of the corner border and welded it on both sides of the created flourish. The finished flourish is nothing like the original corner border. I enjoyed making this flourish. The letters on the door of the armoire were made from multiple cuts glued together to create the 'faux chipboard' look.The sentiment hanging on the door handle is my creation and the layered tag design is from Silhouette. I put a fine yellow ribbon to cover the holes of the 'stitches' that I created on the doors. Don't you just love the door handles? They are so cute! They are actually brads that I found at a notions store here. I wanted to keep the back of the doors clean so I bent the prongs and applied the glue on the bent prongs.

This time, I'd like to share the free files exclusively to my followers only. Sorry folks, this may just be the way to increase my followers. :). To my dear followers, send in your request now via your comments. For those who have not signed up yet, now is the time. (^_~). Thanks for stopping by.

Old Cards And Other Creative Stuff

2011-05-25T01:49:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a break from kiddie cards and I'm currently working on a new card design replicating an armoire (cabinet). I have an antique armoire in my living room which I use for an entertainment center. The piece inspired me to create a card design using the concept. You'll love the beautiful templates that I've created for the armoire card. I'll be posting it once it's done.

Meanwhile, here are some cards and other creative stuff that I've been meaning to post.Thank you for stopping by to take a look.

Spin Card-Another Fun Card

2011-05-14T06:53:00.000-07:00

I made this card for my brother’s grandson, Dj, who will be celebrating his 1^st birthday on May 24. Need I mention that he loves Sponge Bob? This card is actually a spin from the Swing card – but that’s not the reason why I call it the spin card (^_~). Unlike the swing card which simply flips back and forth, the spin card spins all the way around. I used the same template for the swing card and I just cut the frame all the way through to make way for hanging the base holding Sponge Bob in order for it to spin all the way around. I used a clear nylon thread to hang the base holding Sponge Bob which is also holding Dj’s very cute photo on the other side. The nylon thread is neatly glued with a double sided tape in between the layers of the base holding Sponge Bob, attached to the base of the card, both top and bottom. I had so much fun using Margaret Wilburn’s ‘springy-thingy’ on Benjamin’s swing card and I can’t resist using it again on Dj’s card. I can hardly wait to hear his giggles once he sees Sponge Bob rocking and jiggling.

To add more fun on the card, just before putting the card in an envelope, turn the base holding Sponge Bob spinning it around in one direction several times, hold it down with Sponge Bob face side up and carefully put the card inside the envelope and seal. When the recipient opens the card, Sponge Bob will be automatically spinning around.

Here is a video tutorial where I got the idea of the spin card. The creator, ‘TheCoutureCrafter’ calls it the interactive spinner card : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGleyWgr6Lk

There is another card that’s also called a spinning or spinner card which is actually a slider card. It is very different from Dj’s spin card.

If you would like to have the '1 year', 'yeheeey', 'happy birthday' and the files from the swing card like the 'adorable' and 1st year', you can request for the files on your comment below. For those who missed the swing card templates, you can also request for the files. PLEASE do not forget to leave your e-mail address.

Swing Card – Fun, Fun, Fun!!!

2011-05-12T05:46:00.000-07:00

I created the template for the swing card, also know as the flip card, a while back but I wasn't able to finish the card till a few minutes ago. It’s another rush card that I need for Benjamin’s birthday party this Sunday. I don’t make kiddie cards that often but after making Benjamin’s card, I’m so inspired to create more. My brother is actually having a big party to celebrate the first birthday of his first grandson, Dj, on the 24^th so I’ll have another fun card in the making.

I’ve been wanting to use Margaret Wilburn’s ‘Springy-Thingy’ (just love the name J) and the Mickey Mouse on Benjamin’s card was perfect for it. What a fun thingy!!! Not only does Mickey Mouse spring out, it actually swings and jiggles like it were dancing. I just can’t stop jiggling Mickey Mouse, LOL! For Margaret’s video tutorial on the ‘Springy-Thingy’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9NCjIF8rps&feature=player_embedded

I created 3 templates for the swing card, the basic square, oval and the semi-circle which I used for Benjamin’s card. I had so much fun making this card and I’m sure you’ll love it, too. You can request for the free files on your comment. PLEASE do not forget to leave your e-mail address.

Easel Card With A 'Mirror'

2011-04-29T09:33:00.000-07:00

The inspiration for this card was a regular two-fold card from DoCrafts.com created by Acorns (link below). There was no detail on how it was made aside from the description, ‘die cut butterfly on acetate’. I was intrigued by the mirror effect and took a closer look. The next thing I knew I was cutting away. Coincidentally, I happen to have seen the exact same butterfly design which is a free file from Dream Scrapbooks (link below) which is actually on a SCAL (Sure Cuts A Lot) format which I was able to trace in Studio.

http://www.docrafts.com/project/Mothers-Day/p3299100/tDetails

http://createatdreamscrapbooks.blogspot.com/2011/03/spring-butterfly-free-scal-cut-file.html

The trick for the mirror effect is using acetate and gluing the 2 cuts of butterfly at the body part placing the acetate in between. The butterfly at the bottom gives an illusion of a reflection of the butterfly on top.

From a two-fold card, my design progressed into an easel card to display the mirror effect of the butterfly more prominently. It was quite tricky how to display an unobstructed view of the back of the ‘mirror’ and still be able to create the easel. You’ll see in the photos the strategy that eventually hit my brain. With the Silhouette, everything is just possible!

Here is a tutorial on the easel card: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/easelcard/

The butterfly used on top was cut on a cream card stock and sprayed with glimmer mist. I was able to replicate the rust color of the card stock that I used on the base of the card by mixing orange, brown and black. Manually embossing with a stylus has become a favourite technique which I applied to the butterfly on top, the sentiments and the vine. The butterfly used at the bottom was cut on the rust card stock.

The only files on the card that I can share are the butterfly design and the rosette flower. Everything else on the card are all Silhouette designs. The base of the shaped card is a tag design called ‘Tag Nesting

Set Of Two’ which I ungrouped and used the mat layer. I created the ‘For You’ sentiment but welded it to a Silhouette swirl design.

My next card will be a fun card using another different card design and technique. I already created the template for it so that means another free file. Watch out for it!

Mother's Day Card

2011-04-17T19:53:00.000-07:00

So happy! Finally, I was able to complete my Mother’s Day cards for my most special family and friends. All cards were mailed last April 14, so hopefully they will get to the USA before the 8^th of May.

Needless to say, it is just heavenly to have a template for the recessed window card otherwise I wouldn't be making multiple cards with this card design. The first recessed window cards that I made last year were done manually. So tedious! Sometimes, I wonder, too, where I get all my patience and perseverance, LOL! And the perfectionist me, sometimes I get so mad at myself. But then, I wouldn't have it any other way which makes me appreciate my beloved Silhouette machine all the more :). And with the release of the Studio, Ms. Perfectionist is on a roll and has been doing the happy dance after every cut and newly created designs. What a joy! Thank you, thank you, thank you, my dear Silhouette!

Something new on this card is the flower design, lily. I saw the flower making videos by Paper Blossoms a while back and I went crazy looking for the tools used on the video, the Paper Blossoms tool set. It has been out of stock and not even the manufacturer, McGill Inc., has it in stock. They said it won’t be available till about the end of this month. I was very fortunate to chance on it at Custom Quilling. The lily flower was my very first project using the tool set. They work like magic in shaping the flowers . You should see the hydrangeas, they look so real. I just found the tiny styro foam balls (one inch) used on the video so this will the next flower I’ll be making.

Paper Blossoms video tutorial on the lily flower:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdK69UZKtlA

Another new technique I applied on the card is embossing manually on the cut design using the small tips of the stylus set. It doesn’t look promising as you’re doing the embossing but when you put the un-embossesd cutout and the embossed cutout side by side, the embossed cutout looks great. It does have a stunning effect. It adds a new dimension on the design. For me, it’s the next best thing since we are not able to emboss with the Silhouette machine.

You can request for the flower template on your comment.

Graduation Cap Card

2011-04-14T20:26:00.000-07:00

I was looking for some ideas for a graduation card for my niece who is graduating from college today (it's now the 15th here) and it was a love at first sight when I saw this card at Splitcoast Stampers website. I actually contacted Rose Castillo who made the card. She is so nice and shared with me some details of her graduation cap. The top of her cap is a basic 2 fold card and the bottom part is a box where she inserted cash for her gift which has an opening at the bottom of the box. The box was made from the petal cone die by Big Shot. You'll find her graduation cap gift box on her blog (bottom of the page, post dated February 11, 2011):

http://stampwithrose.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-02-26T08%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=10

I made my own version and I made the whole cap into a folded card. I whacked my brain figuring out how I can make the box to fold flatly like a regular card with the top (card part) attached securely to the base. At first I tried to use a cone design from my library similar to the Bog Shot petal cone die. I made various different cuts from it but it was either too pointed or too flat. I also tried using the Chinese take out box but it wasn't angled enough. I ended up creating a design of my own and I was very happy with the result. I happen to have a very similar tassel in gold color which I thought about the minute I saw Rose's cap. I originally wanted to use a black button to hold the cord of the tassel to replicate a real graduation cap but I had a tough time gluing it with the cord

underneath then to the top of the card. I found a metal gold button which worked perfectly. I also figured out where to insert the cash gift by putting a small envelope inside the card.. I used a design I bought from Silhouette. So perfect!

Having created my own design for the card, this means I can share the file with anyone interested in making the card. Yeheey, another free template for my followers :). All you have to do is request for the file on your comment below. PLEASE do not forget to leave your e-mail address on your comment.