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

"Snow in Love" with Enza

Hello friends! Enza here and today I'm sharing a layout featuring the Wintry Mix cut file.

My goal for this layout was to use as much patterned paper as possible. I love the Sweater Weather collection by American Crafts. It's so fun and cheerful! I started by die cutting the Snow in Love cut file out of light blue patterned paper. Since I was going to adhere it on a busy background paper, I decided to create a border by offsetting the image. This way the cut file would stand out more. This is also the reason why I popped it on foam adhesive before gluing it down.

After layering a few patterned papers behind the photos, I placed them on the right side of the cut file, and added lots of cute embellishments.

I also created a cluster at the bottom of the cut file to mimic a wintery scene, and finished the page off with wood veneer pieces and enamel dots.

I really enjoyed making this layout. The super cute ephemera pieces put a smile on my face. Find this cut file and many more in The Cut Shoppe Etsy store.

Have a beautiful day!

Hello Snow | Elsie Robinson

Hey friends, it's Elsie here with a Wintry page to share with you today!

I love to create big titles on my scrapbook pages, but I don't seem to create them nearly enough! As soon as I saw the 'Hello Snow' title from the Wintry Mix set, I knew it would be the perfect statement title for a page!

I separated the snowflake from the title with the knife tool in my Silhouette software so I could use the snowflake as its own seperate embellishment. 

I cut the snowflakes in various different sizes from different pink patterned papers. I love how whimsical and delicate these snowflakes are!

I sized my title to around 10 inches so it would stretch across most of my 12x12 page, and I cut it from a mint blue paper to contrast with the pink snowflakes.

To create a white border around the title, I used the offset tool and cut the shape from some white cardstock.

I not only love the border this creates, but it also made the paper a lot more stable which meant it was easier to stitch on.

I also cut the asterisk from the Tinsel Town set from some white cardstock to scatter over my background to add some more interest and whimsy!

Thanks for stopping by today everyone; I hope you're inspired to also create statement titles for your pages!

DIY Christmas Gift Tags | Elsie Robinson

Hey TCS fans, it's Elsie back on the blog today with a crazy amount of gift tags to share with you... 30+ to be precise!

My Mum works in a Primary School and requested that I make some pretty gift tags that she could attach to the Christmas presents she will give to the children in her class. Being able to use my cameo for a project like this was perfect because it really sped up the process and I could use some pretty TCS files!

I used the tag from The Winter Weather cut file, but deleted the text and image so I had just the outline of the tag to work with.

I decided to create tags with six different designs which I pulled from other cut file sets, and I deliberately chose images that were not too detailed and would work as a solid image.

I used:

• The Stag Head from Winter Weather
• The 'Ho ho ho' and 'joy' sentiments and star from Tinsel Town
• The gift image from Very Merry
• A tree from Wintry Mix

After creating my tag designs I arranged as many as I could onto one 12x12 piece of paper, I ended up with being able to cut 15 on page which made the cutting process really quick!

These tags are a really great way to use up some scraps as I only needed a 2x3" piece of paper to back each image. My initial plan was to create some shaker tags and fill them with sequins, but I think making 30+ of those would've been a bit of a nightmare! But it is something I will definitely use create for the gifts I give to my friends and family.

Thanks for stopping by everyone!

Hello Snow!

 Hello everyone!

Nathalie here with a new project all about winter.   We are still amazed that Toronto got so much snow at once in the first week of December. We all love the fluffy white stuff, but nobody loves it as much as my baby (our Boston Terrier -Poochie-).  So i set out to document his glee using the Frosty Flakes, and the Wintry Mix cut files.

The Frosty Flakes cut file was perfect to create a background for the layout.  Since the layout's mat is patterned paper (not my usual white card stock),  i cut the background on white card stock, and backed the center of each snowflake with vellum.

For the title, one of the images from the Wintry Mix cut file, "Hello Snow", was cut on white cardstock.  I simply used my Cameo to perforate the edges of the image, and added an offset to the image (that gives that little white space around the image).  A little bit of metallic watercolor, and hand stitching complete the title.

Here are  few more close ups of the layout:

Don't forget to check the store for these and more cut files (there is always new releases available).   Whenever you use any of the store products, do not forget to use the tag @thecutshoppe when you share it on social media (we love Instagram).  Use the hash tag " #tcscutitout "  to enter your project in the month's Cut It Out challenge.  At the end of the month, one lucky entry will win a gift certificate to the store.

Remember, i am always a comment away, if you have any questions.

Thanks for visiting today!

Hello Snow

Hello there! It snowed here recently, and I was so excited to get a few snow pictures to scrap. It doesn't snow often where I live, and I was dying to use the Wintry Mix cut file! It was perfect timing.

I was inspired by the gorgeous colors of the Snow & Cocoa collection! I pulled out some of my favorite colors from the patterned paper and used the packaging technique to create a mixed media background. Next, I cut out snowflakes from a 6"x6" paper pad using the snowflake in the "Hello Snow" image. I wanted the title to POP, so I used the offset tool and cut it from two contrasting patterns. I added gems on the little circles of the main snowflake for extra sparkle. I haven't used gems in quite some time, so it was great to use my stash! I added the title in the middle of the page, and a photo on each side of it. Next, I added the cut snowflakes throughout the page, as well as some snowflake embellishments. I finished with a wood veneer word I painted with acrylic paint for a color blocked look!

I hope you enjoyed my layout! Thank you for joining me today, be sure to check out the Wintry Mix cut file in the shop!