Christmas in July with Kira

Hey everyone!  I can't help myself when I see a fun trend going on in the crafty world...I just HAVE to join in.  So when everyone started posting about their fun Christmas in July projects, I was feeling a bit left out.  Since I usually complete my entire holiday album in December, I don't have a lot of Christmas photos to scrap in July, but I thought I could make some cute Christmas decor instead!

Have you used The Cut Shoppe cut files for home decor yet?!  If not, I am going to show you step by step how easy it can be!

First, gather your supplies:
 - project surface (I used this 18" x 5" wood plaque)
 - paint and paint brushes (I stuck with white and black but clearly you could make this project as colorful as you'd like!)
 - vinyl (I am no vinyl expert and know there are tons of choices out there, I used American Crafts black mat vinyl which I purchased at my local Tuesday Morning)
 - a cut file or two!
 - a die cut machine (I own/use a Cricut, but I know Silhouette has all the same capabilities in this department)
 - contact paper or blue painters tape

I started by painting my wood plaque.  I used regular acrylic paint and painted the background white and the "frame" black.  It's best to do this first so you can let it dry while you cut your vinyl.

Next, choose your design.  I used the Wintry Mix cut file as my main focus on this piece.  I had a hard time deciding between a few of the designs on this cut file because they're all so cute!  I eventually went with the mountains.  I sized them to 4" tall so they would fit on my plaque.  This only made them about 8" wide though, and needed to fill in some space.  So I used the Brush Up Alpha to spell out the phrase "Let it Snow". 

Once I had the sizing how I wanted it, I cut everything out on the vinyl.  You'll place your vinyl color side up on your mat to cut, and choose the appropriate setting on your machine. 

 Once the images are cut out, you'll need to "weed" the image, leaving it looking like this:

Then you'll use contact paper, or blue painters tape (whichever you have on hand, they both work great!) to transfer the images to your project base. 

If you use painters tape, layer each strip over the other so it forms a single sheet of tape.  Rub over the top of the tape so that the vinyl adheres to the tape and lift it from the vinyl backing. Then place the image on your project base. 

Once all the images are where you like them, rub down so that everything sticks in place.  When removing the tape, go slowly so you don't accidentally ruin placement or tear the vinyl.

 And there you go!  A custom piece of Christmas decor!

I had made a mistake on my first cut so I had an extra little tree from the Wintry Mix cut file.  I decided to place it to the right of "Let it Snow". 

I am super happy with how this came out and can't wait to display this with the rest of my holiday decor this winter!  Thanks for stopping by!

xo, Kira

Oh Snap | Tarrah McLean

Hi everyone!

It's Tarrah McLean back with you and today I am sharing a new layout with you using the awesome Trippy Triangles 12 x 12 cut file. 

Here is the Trippy Triangles cut file from the Etsy store I used on my layout!

I backed all the cut out triangles from the background paper with some of the other papers by Pinkfresh Studio, I used a range of collections in this layout! I love Pinkfresh Studio products! 

My photo was the inspiration for this layout, the shark head reminded me of triangles and the Trippy Triangles was the perfect solution for the cut file to use! 

As I was rummaging through all my Pinkfresh stuff, I came across the transparent words and the one that says 'Oh Snap' was just perfect and made for this layout!

Embellishments were kept to a minimum so as to not cover up too much of the background detail. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Check out The Cut Shoppe Etsy store for amazing designs to use in your papercrafting!

Tarrah x

Cactus Embroidery with Kira

Hey everyone!  It's Kira and I am back with a little off the page project today.  Did you know you can use The Cut Shoppe cut files as embroidery patterns?!  I chose this cute little cactus from the Llama Love cut file to embroidery as a gift for a friend.

There's a few ways you can use the cut file as an embroidery pattern, but to start, you'll need to choose your hoop size and fabric.  I buy 5.5" hoops in bulk so that's the size I went with, but any size will work!  And I typically use a cotton blend fabric, but if you're a beginner, a sturdier fabric might be best.

Then to transfer your cut file.  You could print the cut file on paper and trace around the image onto your fabric by using a light box or window.  You could use the draw feature on your die cut machine to trace the image onto paper and then transfer it onto your fabric.  Or you can do what I do and let your die cut machine trace the image directly onto your fabric for you!  It's so easy!  I use just a regular black precision pen, but if you do that, you will need to make sure you cover up all the pen marks with your stitching.

Once you have your image transferred, it's just a matter of stitching.  I am no professional here.  I am actually self taught and have Pinterest to thank for that.  So if you're interested in learning, it's a really easy hobby to pick up for relatively low cost.  But in case you're curious, the stitches I used are mostly the short and long stitch and a satin stitch.

Thanks for stopping by!

xo, Kira

"Stay Wild" with Kira

Hello everyone!  It's Kira and I am back with a 12x12 scrapbook layout.  I had such a hard time deciding on what cut file from The Cut Shoppe to use today.  There are so many great ones.  I eventually settled on Folk Art.  There are so many great images on this cut file, I still have a few more I want to use!  But since I am scrapping this photo of my youngest son, I decided on the phrase Let's Stay Wild...since he is my wild child.

I started by cutting the title out on a leaf print paper with gold foiling from the Crate Paper Wild Heart collection.  Since the paper was 6x8, that dictated the size I would cut my title.  I sized the width at 5.5".

After what seemed like hours fussing with the placement of my title, I decided on the lower left corner of my page.  But decided I wanted it to say "Stay Wild" instead of "Let's Stay Wild".

I added some foam behind all of my letters to give it some dimension.  I also added a heart from the Wild Heart sticker sheet on top of the heart in the Y, and stapled it to give it some additional texture.

I positioned my photo in the upper right corner of my page and added a ton of layers, including foam for dimension.

To finish off my page, I used the gold foil specialty paper from Wild Heart to add a border to the right side of my page.  I stitched along it with gold thread.  And added some gold Heidi Swapp color shine.  You can never have enough gold, right?

Thanks for stopping by!

xo,

Kira 

Life Is Better With a Smile | Tarrah McLean

Hi Cut Shoppe fans!

It's Tarrah McLean back with you today to share a new layout! This week I was feeling the circle designs so I started out by cutting the bottom left design in the 'Get Around' cut file set from patterned paper. 

One of the things I love to do with cut files like this is to back each hole with a different patterned paper, 6 x 6 paper pads are perfect for this if you have any laying around! I pulled out some older Amy Tangerine products to stash bust a little! 

Backing cut files can be a tedious job however I find it quite relaxing and I love the result once its all finished! I love how all the colours in the circle compliment each other. 

Once the cut file was all backed with the patterned paper, I machine stitched all the pieces for added texture and interest.

I used some foam adhesive to pop up the photo for dimension and to highlight it a bit more. I was so happy to use up some of the stash I have had laying around for a while!  

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Check out The Cut Shoppe Etsy store for amazing cut files to enhance any project!

Happy creating!

Tarrah x

"Memories" with Kira

Hello again!  Kira here and I am back with a 12x12 layout today using the new Flutterby cut file.  Guys, how gorgeous is this cut file?!  I want to use it over and over again.  Butterflies on every layout, am I right?!

Anyway, I decided to use it on a layout about my youngest son's first time dying eggs.  In the photo, he's showing me the dye on his cute little fingers (but let's be honest here, the dye was EVERYWHERE).

I started out by cutting the cut file on textured white cardstock.  Then I uploaded the cut file into design space again, but this time deleted all but one butterfly and left it as a solid image.  I cut the solid butterfly out ten times at the same size of the other butterflies on plain vellum.

After I cut the vellum butterflies, I repeated the same step but with some pattern paper.  I used the exclusive paper in the April Citrus Twist PL kit, which is this gorgeous rainbow.  After all the butterflies were cut out, I layered them behind my cut file and adhered them together with just a tiny bit of glue right down the center of the butterflies.

I adhered the cut file (with vellum and pattern paper butterflies attached) to a piece of plain white textured cardstock using a small amount of glue.  Then I took my sewing machine and stitched along the center of the butterflies, all along the cut file, twice with white thread.  I folded up the wings and separated all the sections of the butterflies to give it some added dimension.

Then it was just a matter of embellishing.  And per the usual, I finished it off with a little bit of gold Heidi Swapp color shine.  And I am obsessed with how it came out!  I hope you try out this cut file too!  I can't wait to see what you come up with!

xo,

Kira 

"Details" with Kira

Hey everyone!  It's Kira and I am back with a super fun interactive layout today!

My husband and I saw an Instagram post about this company called Blind Date with a Book.  It sounded like so much fun, so we each decided to order a book!  And of course I had to scrapbook about our experience.

I took pictures of each of our books before we opened them.  If you are unfamiliar with the concept, the books come wrapped in brown paper with only a few words describing the book inside.  So it is a complete surprise what book you are going to get.

Then I took pictures of each of the books after we opened them.  I decided to create flaps so it would show the wrapped book and then reveal the books we got when you flipped them up.

But onto the cut file I used, right?!  I decided to use the Say The Word cut file  from The Cut Shoppe and title my page "details".  I cut it out on white cardstock and backed it with a pretty floral paper.  Then I stitched around the cut file with white embroidery floss.

 

I added some mixed media and then placed my photos in a grid design with the tags that were included on the books.  I kept the embellishing to a minimum.  I machine stitched some butterflies directly to my photos to serve as tabs to lift the flaps.

I finished it off with some gold Heidi Swapp color shine and called my page done!

Until next time,