Free Scrapinar - Take Great Food Photos

This month, the free scrapinar from Layout a Day is all about taking photos of food.  I am always surprised to see how difficult this can be.  Even though the food looks appealing on the plate, there are some things you should know about lighting and staging to make your photos capture the deliciousness!

In "Feeding Frenzy:  Taking Eye-Catching Food Photos to Scrap and Share," instructor Danielle Taylor will show the ins and outs of getting perfect shots of your food and also show you how to use food photos to enhance your scrapbooking, craft projects and more.

The Scrapinar on May 28th is free but you must register ahead of time to participate.  Click HERE to sign up.  If you can't watch live, there will be a replay available for a short period of time but you must register to get the email giving you access to the replay.

I hope you are having a great week.  I have limited internet access this week but will be back soon with new projects and photos to share.

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Happy Mother's Day

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend.  I am taking a break for a few days but I wanted to wish you a lovely Mother's Day holiday.  We saw these beautiful flowers today.  I'll have some more photos to share soon.


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SVG Cuts files and the Silhouette Cameo

I had promised a post about using the files from SVG Cuts with the Silhouette machines, but then I realized that there is a great explanation and video already on the  SVG Cuts site.  Click HERE to read the directions and watch the video.

You do need to own the designer version of the Silhouette Studio program to open SVG files.  You can purchase this from many places and it sometimes is on sale for 40% off on the Silhouette site.  If you don't already have the Designer Edition upgrade to the program, you can purchase it through SVG Cuts - you'll find a link to purchase the program upgrade on the page with the directions for using the files HERE.  The price is $32.88 and you also get a bonus $10 gift card for SVG Cuts.

Spring is here in full force now and  it is so nice to leave winter behind.  I took this photo in town yesterday - such a bright blue sky and beautiful flowering trees!  We'll be spending time with family for the next week or so and I may not be posting quite as frequently - it depends on what we are doing.  Have a great weekend!

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Using SVG Cuts files with the Cricut Explore

Many of the designs from SVG Cuts are very complex with a lot of parts needed to assemble the final project.  They are well designed and come with terrific instructions so you shouldn't have much trouble using them.  Once you have cut all of the pieces for a project, there are videos on the website showing Mary assembling the projects.  These videos are extremely helpful.

I want to share a few tips for working with these files with both the Cricut Explore and the Cameo.  I hope these will be helpful and save you some time.  Today I will show you how to use the files in Design Space for the Explore.

First you need to download the files you purchased and save them on your computer.  I keep mine in a folder called SVG Cuts (I generally think of items by designer and I like to keep designs from different sources in separate folders).

Since these are SVG files, you will need to use the "Vector Upload"  choice in the Upload Images panel.  Each piece of the design is in a separate file so this process will take a few minutes.  You won't have to do this again - you will be able to save the project all in one file.

After all of the files have been uploaded, click on each one until they all have a green check in the top right corner.  Then click "Insert Images" to add them all to the work area.

The entire group of files will come in in a stack and you will need to separate them and resize them.  Here is how the pieces look once you have separated them.  However, the sizing is completely out of proportion.

You need to select each item and size it according to the directions in the PDF Menu provided by  SVG Cuts.  The width is listed for each shape,  Be sure the lock is on when you type in the width so the item size will change proportionately.

The menu gives you the exact width for each shape or group of shapes.

When you have corrected the width on each image you will have all of the cuts sized proportionally.

The score lines on this particular set are made of dashed lines that will actually cut.  I think these can look messy if you don't get the fold perfectly aligned.  With the scoring tool for the Explore, you can score along these dashed lines and then use a regular ScorBoard to deepen the crease along the lines indicated by the dashes.

After you have ungrouped the items, click on the layer panel for the score lines and choose Score at the top of the slide out color panel.

You could also use the placement of these dashed lines as a guideline and insert full length score lines in the Design Space program.  To find the score line, choose "all images" and type Score Line in the search box.   The first item that shows up should be the scoreline.

Once you have changed to score lines to score instead of cut, it is important to attach the lines to the shape.  To do this, select both the shape and the scorelines in the layers panel, then click "Attach" at the top of the panel.  Now the shape can be moved around and the lines will stay with it.

Here is another view of the score lines in this file.  This file also includes numbers on some of the pieces to help with the assembly process.

Be sure to pay attention as you add items that include score lines.  It may be necessary to group them with the shape before resizing.  If you change a size and the score lines are no longer with the shape, just undo and try again.

Today, Wednesday, May 7th, is the last day that you can receive this set of box cards files as a free gift if you spend $9.98 or more on the  SVG Cuts site.  Just add the kit to your cart, along with other items totaling $9.98 or more, and then use the code FREEGIFT at checkout to subtract the $6.99 for the box card kit.  The directions are listed at the bottom of the page HERE.

Please be sure to leave a comment if you have any more questions about using these files.  I hope this was helpful.  These are SVG files so you will only be able to use them with the Cricut Explore machine - they will not work with the Cricut Craftroom or any of the other Cricut machines.

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Strawberry Box Card from SVG Cuts

If you have been online looking at card projects lately you have probably seen many versions of the "box card."  This type of card is more like a little gift for any occasion.  The box is deigned to fold flat so it will slide into an envelope but when you pull it out you have a three dimensional, free standing paper sculpture.

The basic version is a plain rectangular box with flaps that fold down.  These boxes can be decorated to suit any theme.  Mary at SVG Cuts has designed some amazing variations on the basic idea of this card.  I usually like to design my own projects but when I saw these files - I had to have them!

I am very impressed with the thought and care that go into the products that SVG Cuts offers.  When you buy a set of files, you also receive a PDF with complete full color directions and some additional ideas for using the shapes included in the projects.

This is an example of the page about the strawberry box (I made it blurry to protect the rights of the owners).  There are sizing directions included next to each image since some programs will not import the files at the designed dimensions.

In addition to this very detailed PDF "Menu" Mary and Leo create videos that show you exactly how to assemble each of the boxes (or other projects).  You can see the video for the box cards HERE - just scroll down the page a little.

Until tomorrow, Wednesday, May 7th, you can receive this set of box cards files as a free gift if you spend $9.98 or more on the  SVG Cuts site.  Just add the kit to your cart, along with other items totaling $9.98 or more, and then use the code FREEGIFT at checkout to subtract the $6.99 for the box card kit.  The directions are listed at the bottom of the page HERE.

To give you a better idea of how these cards work, here is a photo of the strawberry box card taken from directly above.  The decorative pieces are attached to the sides with hinged flaps which allow the card to close.

This photo was taken at a slight angle and shows you the inner sections and how they are decorated.  The files that you receive also include plain version of each card so you can create your own embellishments.

I added a dot of Liquid Pearls in Daffodil Yellow to the center of each flower.  The have a nice shiny finish and I know they won't fall off!

The files also include score lines for folding the envelope, box base and inner sections.  These score lines were designed to cut a series of dashes.  This is the method usually used for the Silhouette and other machines.  I used the Explore to cut the files and I changed the line from a cut line to a score line.  If I wanted to, I could have added a new continuous score line but these marking were nicely marked by the scoring tool and then I used a ScorPal to make deeper scores along the lines.

You will notice that there is also a number "2" on one of the bars visible in the photo.  Mary adds these numbers to make it even easier to get the box put together properly.

Once you get started making these little box cards, you might not be able to stop - I've already made two and now I want to try using different papers and making some of the other boxes.

I had a hard time deciding on which items to purchase to qualify for the free gift - there are so many lovely sets to choose from.  I ended up picking this Nautical kit called "Seaside."  I think I might try that lighthouse next!

The files were easy to import into the Design Space and cut with my Explore.  They also opened easily in the Silhouette Studio software.  I will share a few tips about using this files with both machines tomorrow.

If you want to try a file first before purchasing an entire collection, you will find over 300 free SVG files on the SVG Cuts site HERE.

I am an affiliate for  SVG Cuts and I appreciate it when you use my links to shop at the site.  Your price remains the same and I earn a small commission that helps to support my blog.

Have you tried making any of these box cards yet? What sorts of themes would you use?  I am starting to think of lots of ideas...

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