Pinterest Inspired Challenge: Sunchaser Layout by Mendi

Hello Doodlebugs!  It's Mendi here today with a layout inspired by another project found on Pinterest.  

I based my design on this amazing pillow and quilt pinned HERE.  I really wish I liked sewing on fabric more because I think it's truly amazing.  Instead I decided to re-create the cathedral style quilt using some of my favorite Doodlebug supplies and THIS Silhouette cutting file.

Here's an close up look at the 4-petal design.  To fill my background with the fun Doodlebug papers from their Dragon Tails, Anchors Away & Polar Pals collections, I duplicated the overall background shape.  I then broke apart the design to isolate one of the diamond shapes and created a small offset to have a shadow for the shape.  I discarded the original diamond and used the "shadow" to cut out my different prints.  By doing this, it gave me a small margin to adhere the pieces to the back of my die-cut background with a glue pen. For my stitching, I discovered I could save quite a bit of time by sewing in a wavy line down each row, rather than trying to stitch around the 8 sides of the petals one by one.  When all of my stitching was complete, I pulled my threads to the back of my page and taped them down before adhering the whole layout to another piece of royal blue cardstock.

I then temporarily adhered my buttons with a little liquid adhesive and stitched on my buttons with embroidery floss.  To complete my page, I cut my title out using a purchased font cut from black vinyl and mounted on a shadow cut from white cardstock.  I popped it up, along with my journaling strips with a bit of foam tape so they wouldn't blend in with the white die-cut design below.

This is a wonderful design for using up your scraps of paper or making use of your 6x6 paper pads!  I hope I've inspired you to take a look at some of your Pinterest boards and see them in a new light.  I know this little challenge has really inspired me to do this more often.  It's a great way to get your mojo flowing! 

Spring Things Collection: Hello Sunshine and Creative Cards by Mendi

Hello Doodlebugs!  It's Mendi here today with a handful of fun projects showcasing Doodlebug's new Spring Things Collection!  

Up  first is a trio of cards highlighting all the fun critters from the collection!  As I was working on my projects (shown below) I realized there were patterned papers that featured each of the iconic critters so I couldn't resist creating a sweet set of cards highlighting a few of them. I die-cut my frames from white cardstock using a die from my stash and then filled in the background with some basic prints from the gingham linen petite prints 6x6 pap pad.  This is such a versatile pad that I find myself turning to over and over again. My last card showcases the darling bumblebee doodle-pop.  For my sentiments I cut a phrase strip from the baby blooms double-sided cardstock. Next up I have a layout I created with the collection.  I wanted to arrange my photos and embellishments on the diagonal and the little tree and cloud from the odds & ends pack were the perfect embellishments to set my scene!

Half of the Spring Things odds & ends pack come with clear die-cuts which is super fun. To adhere my clear title, I used Spray Mount adhesive in a cardboard box (extra important) for an invisible hold.  Don't forget to remove the clear plastic covering from the top of your die-cuts when you're done.  They have a thin layer of protection to help them from getting scratched & smudged which is super awesome.

To complete my scene in the bottom, left-hand corner I punched a grassy border from some petite print paper and embellished with some of the fun So Tweet and Pastel Posie Shaped Sprinkles.

Up next I have a couple more cards using the cut apart 4x6 and 4x4 panels found on the butterfly net and baby blooms double-sided cardstocks.  These panels are so perfect for quick and easy cards with big impact!   To give my panel extra pizazz, I layered some of the flower stickers from the icon stickers that were popped up with foam tape and then topped them with some matte sprinkles.

For my final project of the day I used a 4x4 panel and embellished it with the hello sunshine doodle-pop and a birdie from the So Tweet sprinkles.  

Phew!  Are you still with me?  ;)  I hope I've inspired you to take a closer look at this happy collection.  I love that there are so many fun ways it can be used year 'round.  Make sure to stay tuned to see all the amazing inspiration the team has in store for you.  

Cream & Sugar Collection: You're Sweet as Can Be Layout by Mendi Yoshikawa

 

Hello Doodlebugs!  It's Mendi here today and I am so excited to be kicking the week off sharing a project using the newest Cream & Sugar collection!

Isn't this collection so much fun?!  I have been holding onto these favorite photos of my daughter for nearly seven years now just waiting to come across a collection to compliment them and Sugar & Cream is just what I needed!  If you look closely my daughter's dress has tiny cups of hot cocoa on it and these colors are a perfect match!  

I started embellishing my page by die-cutting a number of circles from the 6x6 paper pad.  I then set to work filling in my border with layers of embellishments from the collection.  This is a great way to squeeze in many of my favorite adorable images and yet still maintain a somewhat clean look.

I completed my page with the "sweet" word from the odds & ends pack and a die-cut banner cut from patterned paper to ground the rest of my title spelled out with stickers.

I hope I've inspired you to take a closer look at this adorable collection!  You'll want to stay tuned this week because the team has cooked up some super cute ideas for you!

NEW Kitten Smitten Cut Files: Kitty Cards by Mendi

There are some fabulous new KITTEN SMITTEN Cut files
released today in the Silhouette Store and the Lori Whitlock SVG Shop! 
We've included links to both types of files below! Then keep scrolling to 

see the wonderful project by Mendi.... 

SVG Cut Files Silhouette Cut Files	SVG Cut Files Silhouette Cut Files	SVG Cut Files Silhouette Cut Files
SVG Cut Files Silhouette Cut Files	SVG Cut Files Silhouette Cut Files	SVG Cut Files Silhouette Cut Files
SVG Cut Files Silhouette Cut Files	SVG Cut Files Silhouette Cut Files	SVG Cut Files Silhouette Cut Files
SVG Cut File Silhouette - coming soon	SVG Cut File Silhouette - coming soon

Hello and welcome!  It's Mendi here today with a trio of shaped card using the newest Kitten Smitten cutting files from the Silhouette store and SVG Cut Files from Lori Whitlock's Shop, along with the coordinating papers from the Kitten Smitten 6x6 paper pad).

To create my cards I sized them to fit within an 4.25" x 5.5" A2 sized envelope making sure the longest definitions didn't exceed that size.  I then cut two of the bases, scoring the back one along the top (parallel to the base) and adhered the two pieces together along the top.

It was so much fun personalizing my little kitties using different papers from the collection, inking and stitching around some of the kitties to help give them a little extra definition.

When I was done I stamped simple sentiments for each card using a small tag die I had on hand and tied on bows with coordinating colors of bakers twine. I also added a bit of glossy accents to the eyes and noses to help bring them to life.  

I hope I've inspired you to take a closer look at the newest Doodlebug cutting files in the Silhouette store and at Lori Whitlock's shop.  They have so many adorable ones!

Christmas Tags by Mendi

Hello Doodlebugs! It's Mendi here today with a second project to share with you this week. This time I'm sharing some quick and easy ideas for Holiday gift tags using Doodlebug's adorable Here Comes Santa Claus collection.

First is a set of gift tags using a die by Papertrey Ink and some cute icon stickers and embellishments from the collection. I love creating some extra special tags for my Mom & Sisters each year.

For my second set of tags I created some simple hanging tags using a circle tag die by Lawn Fawn and some Doodle twine. I kept these really simple to make mass production a breeze. I embellished one side by punching circles from a piece of patterned paper found in the 6x6 pad from the collection. On the back, I punched another circle from white cardstock and added my "to" and "from".

My last set of tags is probably the most simple of the bunch, but they are the ones I will reach for the most. I die-cut the circle tag from a number of different patterned papers and another basic circle from white cardstock. I then stamped a simple "to" and "from" before adding a little bow with liquid adhesive.

When I was done, I went through and added score tape to the back of each tag so when I'm wrapping gifts I can just peel and stick. Love that I was able to create all my tags for the season in an evening.

I hope I've inspired you in your holiday crafting. Why not invite some girlfriends over, put on some Christmas music and have a fun evening of making holiday tags together?

Thankful Denim Banner by Mendi

Hello Doodlebugs!  It's Mendi here today with a fun home decor project perfect for the fall and Thanksgiving season using the adorable Flea Market collection and the darling new coordinating Silhouette cut files!

 

Last year I picked up this plain denim banner at Michaels that was just waiting for the perfect project to use it on.  While you might not be able to find it there anymore, you could easily recreate it using THIS cutting file found in the Silhouette store) along with a fabric blade.

Step 1: I started by sizing the pocket cutting file to 5 x 5.5" and duplicating it 7 more times within my Silhouette software so that I could design my overall banner with all the pieces lined up together.

Step 2: I then cut the word "Thankful" from white cardstock at 2-3/4" high.  I then created an offset at .1 to form my shadow and cut it from the peacock colored tone-on-tone patterned paper from the Flea Market Collection.

Step 3: Using the banner I had laid out, I then took all the shapes and started layering the individual pieces together to form each image and grouped them together to make them easier to move around and resize.  By having my 8 banner pieces laid out I could get a feel for how I wanted my finished banner to look.

Step 4: I then duplicated all those shapes (so I didn't have to disrupt my master copy) and started ungrouping them, sorting them by color.  This allowed me to cut all my green shapes at once, all my orange shapes, etc. to save on time and paper.

Step 5: When all my shapes had been cut, I stitched around some of the larger shapes on ,y sewing machine before adhering them together for an extra decorative touch.

Step 6: When I was done assembling all my shapes I adhered them to my denim banner with my favorite Beacon's 3-in-1 liquid adhesive.  

Step 7: When everything had been glued down, I filled in a few images using the stickers and odds & ends die-cuts from the Flea Market collection.

Step 8: As a final finishing touch, I adhered my banner pieces together with a 7" length of ribbon which I looped together and adhered on itself in the back.  I then glued the loop together with a little more liquid adhesive in the center, topped with my over-sized leaf die-cuts and a ribbon bow.

I hope you've enjoyed this project and are inspired to create a home decor project of your own.   Doodlebug Silhouette cutting files Used:

• SUNFLOWERS - FLEA MARKET
• FLOWER CLUSTER - FLEA MARKET
• FALL TREES - FLEA MARKET
• BOX OF APPLES - FLEA MARKET
• FOX - FLEA MARKET
• PUMPKINS AND ACORN - FLEA MARKET
• LEAVES - FLEA MARKET