3D Paper Ball with Hearts and Arrows

Beware of Cupid’s shooting arrows! It was a great discovery my first time to use an ink pad on the edges of my paper ball decorations to add dimension. I realized dragging the ink pad across the arrow would make it appear as if Cupid had just let it fly, especially when it caught on the edges.

Version 1 is easy to put together since it’s a single sheet of paper. Simply use beading wire, fishing line, or string to thread from the bottom hole, then thread each arc at the top. A rolled paper straw in the middle keeps the ball fully inflated. A scalloped circle finishes the top and bottom and the beads are optional. Version 2 allows you to combine two different papers, of course.

Part 4 of upcoming Valentine collection on Etsy.

Tricked your Treat!

Who won the "What's inside the coffin contest?" No body. The answer is fish skeleton! Make no bones about it - I even put the answer in my Etsy listing! Please, no booing! Thank you all for playing! I had a screech :)

One more if you dare? Why couldn't Dracula's wife get to sleep?  Because of his coffin.

Crouching Spider, Hidden Candy

OK so it wasn't hard to guess what was coming, but I hope you've enjoyed the unveiling of my die cut Halloween coffin boxes. This one has a spider web made of black vinyl hidden on the inside of the coffin's lid. A small length of fishing wire is attached to the spider so kids will get an extra hidden surprise as they reach for the goodies inside. I have always loved shiny black on matte, a subtle and entrancing effect.

Here are some of my prototypes. Can anyone guess what's inside? I'll give you a hint - it's white and emaciated. Please be very specific - only FULLY correct guesses will qualify.

I will email a free SVG or DXF spider file to anyone who guesses correctly by next Monday, Oct 10, 2011.

Knuckles

Pale knuckles grip the coffin's edge... 

my latest trailer for an upcoming die cut bundle for Etsy.

Silhouette Pen Comparison

Found a pack of 12 Mini Gel Pens from Staples for $4 and hoped it would fit my pen holder from Silhouette. I was disappointed to see the pen won't go into the holder all the way. The Pentel Metallic Gel Roller fits though!

I took Staples and Silhouette pens apart and realized the Staples pen length was longer, but other than that it was about the same as Silhouette's pens. So I stuck the cap on top and taped the whole thing to prevent it from moving. After my Silhouette pens run out, perhaps I'll just cut down the Staples length and that will be my instant refill.

Here are the comparisons of all 3. Just click on the thumbnails to see a good enlargement of the details.

Transformer Birthday Card (Vinyl)

My most complicated die cut vinyl card to date – 5 colors and tiny details that added up to a card I hope my 11 yr old neffy-poo will remember. I got the vector file at Vector Junky but some of the details were so fine I had to open up the areas, as it kept getting caught in my blade.

DIY Soccer Jersey Placecard

Since blogging about the soccer themed place cards made for my nephew’s baptism, I’ve been asked about them numerous times. I used an electronic die cutter (Silhouette) to cut them out, but there’s no reason why it can’t be done by hand.

I’ve made a PDF with fillable name and number to print out. You can cut them by hand or use the SVG and DXF files on your electronic cutter. All 3 files can be downloaded here.

Please credit my blog and I’d love it if you could comment with a link to your blog or a photo of how your project looks. Your enthusiasm keeps me inspired!

Die Cut Jersey Place Cards

These place cards were cut in the shape of soccer jerseys, with each name and table number showing the guests their seating.

A hazard of printing all the way to the cutting edge on coated card stock is powdered toner flaking off. A nice way to pick up all the toner is to wrap packaging tape around your hand with the sticky side out. Gently skim the surface of your paper, picking up the toner before it has a chance to coat the adhesive mat of your die cutter, thereby ruining future adhesion. Note to self: leave a white margin next time!

If you’d like to cut these jerseys, here's a link to download a zipped file containing fillable PDF (yes, it'll look just like the font you see here), SVG, and DXF files.

Ice Salt Shaker

Winter has come to Vancouver and instead of reaching into the plastic bag of salt (which is always in a threatening state of spilling because we’re too lazy to re-tie), I decided to poke holes in the lid of a a plastic container (held nuts) to make myself a large scale salt shaker. I was given an industrial strength hole puncher used in shipyards – it cut through the 1/8″ plastic lid like butter. Of course, I just had to customize it with my die cutter. Note: don’t leave it outside, as salt can solidify into a single block.

Gigi Cat Halloween Card in Vinyl

I loved the animation Kiki’s Delivery Service which featured a cat who had to pretend it was toy, and stay still even though a dog was nearby. In this scene only his eyes are warily moving which only made it funnier. I imagined it would make a great Halloween card with the inside greeting “Watch out! Halloween is coming!” Some readers have asked to see what the process is like to cut vinyl and assemble. In this case, since I made more than a few, it is best to cut many of the same shapes at the same time to save time and material (even though it’s reclaimed scraps of vinyl).

The 110 lb weight of black card stock was purchased at Opus, an art supply store and cut down to 10×7, then folded to 5×7. The paper came with the deckled edge, which I thought was appropriate for a spooky feeling.

Red Bow: Small shapes like the circle in the middle of the bow get plucked up while removing unwanted areas.

White Eyes/Ears: I flipped them upside down and amongst each other to again save material.

Body: The plus signs you see all over the place are registration marks. They help me align all these elements, which can be difficult to see through when using transfer tape. Transfer tape is like masking tape – less tacky, but tackier than the vinyl. After placing this tape on each element at a time, rub to pick up all elements, then put into position on the body, then remove transfer tape. The shiny black vinyl on matte black card stock is a wonderful effect, kind of like the Black Magic box of chocolates.

Birthday Cards in Vinyl

Saving these scraps of vinyl from the landfill gives me a total thrill because something so nice can be made from nothingness – kind of like a MacGyverism. Still learning which fine lines don’t cut well on vinyl. I was shocked brushed metal (kind of like heavy duty aluminum foil sticker material) is offered in vinyl and couldn’t wait to use it on the blue card – it just made it!

I used Adobe Illustrator to layout the elements, and Sillhouette/Craft Robo to cut vinyl, then manually aligned as straight as possible. The vector illustrations are free and found via these links: Lovely Flowers / Happy Space Pack

Die Cut Dragonflies

I envisioned a dragonfly cut from translucent paper to allow light to pass through the wings. The wings are supported by a base to give it varying heights. The body is glued on top and the tail is slight curved, which hubby assures me is more realistic (he knows from catching enough of them). I wonder if it would make a nice mobile or wall art – fragile though.

Thank You Cards

 
I was surprised with my gift of a personal die cutter, the Silhouette / Craft Robo. I love it as much as my iphone, which is pretty much top of the totem pole. Of course the first project had to be thank you cards.


Had some difficulty setting it up for a Mac even though I know Adobe Illustrator. The software had to be downloaded (only PC software found on CDs), and their numerous websites were not only confusing/inconsistent but also did not have the latest software. Some even stated it would not work for Macs. The one that finally worked correctly was found here: http://www.craftrobostore.com/craftrobodownloads.html
Each flower was drawn in Adobe Illustrator using bezier curves to define the petal and stamen. My poor adhesive mat was well used very quickly due to so many fine cuts. Instead of making new mats with spray adhesive, I delved into my roll of airbrushing frisket from high school, neglected for too many years. The frisket adhered to the not-so-sticky mat very well because it’s made of plastic. My paper stuck to the frisket almost better than the original matt because as I peeled it off, the flower strips didn’t curl. The only thing was if I cut too deeply or too many times, the frisket would stick in pieces to the backs of my quilling strips. The strips were rolled up using my usual slotted quilling tool.
I had a hard time finding the right paper in Vancouver. Craft and art supply stores carry heavier card stock for scrapbookers. Stationary supplies and even paper mills have limited color ranges. In the end I used alcohol-based felt markers to color in the petals or stamens to give it extra depth and yet stay coordinated. I enjoyed customizing each bouquet for each person. Of course, after I was finished, I found out venders on ebay sell the matching quilling paper in 8.5×11 sheets. My thanks to Ann Martin‘s post on Robert Sabuda‘s pop-up flower for Mother’s Day. It was the perfect floral surprise on the inside.