Alligator frame (more about the markers and frames)

Since I was not entirely happy with the results on the blue baby frame I decided to try the markers again but to do the outside of the frame as well - thinking that this might make the thick lines that fall with in the frame bars and are not cut less noticeable.

I had designed this little frame for our Florida vacation photos (there were alligators there - something we don't have up North!). So, I did the same thing that I did on the baby frame (see last post) - copying and pasting the interior elements on to a separate mat and "unchecking" the weld box.

First I used the original mat and the marker - the result looked like this (still in the machine).



Then I went to the second page - the mat with just the four alligators - and used the markers again, returning the mat to the "load paper" position to be sure the lines would be in exactly the same place.



Finally, I returned the mat to the "load paper" position again, removed the marker, inserted the blade and cut the first page of the design.

My first attempt at this did not include outlining the frame and it looked like this on the mat after cutting.



The little kitchen scraper was very handy again in removing this from the mat - just started with a new mat and it is sticky! Also this frame has only a few small "connectors" so it is a bit harder to remove.



Here is the first version with markers only on the alligators - something looks "off" to my eye.



Here is the "full marker" version.



And here are both versions side by side - I vote for the markers all around the frame if you use markers - I think the look is neater and helps distract from the thickness of the element lines that cross into the frame bars. Of course this might not be the most attractive example since the alligators mouth full of teeth turns totally black from all the marker work!



Alligator frame (with page for adding markers)

I think each design just takes some experimenting to get the best look. Have fun with this - if you do an alligator layout or card using this frame I'd love to see it!

Add markers to get the details

Sometimes on a frame you are welding elements that have internal details - these are lost when the frame is cut due to the welding process (a feature of this first version of the software that could possibly be changed in the future?). For most of the frames I have done so far this was not an issue because they were shapes, but the little animals and train on the baby frame seemed "blah" without the details.

So, I got out my markers and decided to try to get some definition on these elements.

To do this I needed to first create a second mat with just the shapes so that I could have the markers draw them but not the frame. This is easy but a bit time consuming. First you need to create a new page by clicking on the page icon with the little "sun" at the top of the column of buttons on the left or selecting "New Page" in the "View" menu on the top bar. Then click on each item and "copy" it, move to the new page by clicking the tab for it and paste the item on the new page. Name your page by right clicking anywhere on the page and highlighting "untitled page" in the box - typing the page title and either clicking on Change Page Name or just "enter."
Repeat this process until the items are all showing on page 2. You also need to uncheck "weld" to get the details to reappear.

Here is a screen shot of the new page after all the copying, pasting and "unwelding"



Here is the preview with all mats showing



Here is the frame on the mat after drawing and cutting.



You can either draw, then cut or cut, then draw - some people recommend cutting first to be sure that the blade won't tear the slightly wet paper but you can also just let the paper sit for a while if you draw first. The important thing is to be very careful when you change the marker for the blade and vice versa.

When you change the blade after the first cut be careful not to bump the housing and be sure to press "load paper" again to put the housing back into starting position - this helps avoid misalignment by getting the machine to start from "neutral" and go to the precise spot where it cut before.

The issues I had with the results have to do with the thickness of the lines. Normally, if you are using the markers to outline a cut there is a thick line drawn and the blade cuts in the center of that line. The end result is a consistent line. Here some marked lines are cut and some are not so there is an inconsistency with the thickness as you can see in this photo.



I think it looks a bit out of balance but I do like the definition the marker adds overall.

This time I left the smoke bubble in the outer rim of the mat (just removed from the mat carefully and did not "punch" it out).



So, this is another option for you. I will link the revised version of the file here if you want to download it (you could also just follow my directions above and try to do it yourself).

Revised Sweet Baby frame with Zoo Balloo

I also separated the elements on the other version of this frame but have NOT tested this with the markers - I'll post it here if you want to try it.

Revised Sweet Baby frame with Animal Kingdom

Baby Boy frames (by request)

Nellie from the Cricut message board contacted me because she was having difficulties adapting one of my baby bug frames to use for her great-grandsons (one already here and one due very soon - Congratulations, Nellie!). She told me she wanted the word "sweet" at the bottom, stars and moon in the corners, the New Arrival train at the top and a monkey and a giraffe on the sides.



I tried one and sent her the file - I had just used Animal Kingdom for something else so that cartridge was the one that came to mind for the giraffe and monkey. I sent it to her and she mentioned she had been trying to use the ones on ZooBalloo - I looked and they were much "cuter" so I did another version that way.



I really like the tail on the ZooBalloo monkey!

The "smoke" from the train looks cute going up through the top border of the frame but if you use a background filler (from my post a few days ago) you will need to cut an extra bit from the waste and place behind the hole as pictured below.



Here is a photo of these frames without the background filler.



Nellie was happy with the result and I am sharing it in case any of you need some baby frames.

Sweet baby frame using Animal Kingdom giraffe and monkey

Sweet baby frame using ZooBalloo giraffe and monkey

Have fun with these!

Welding in a Circle - I finally found a way!

I have been trying for weeks to figure out a way to weld images inside of a circle and found frustration at every turn! I thought there certainly would be a way to get two sets of parentheses from one of the font cartridges to do the trick but none of the ones I tried were consistent enough in width. I was working on this back before Valentine's Day and the cuts in the photo below were the best I could come up with - and not satisfactory!



Today, I was looking at the various feature keys on Joys of the Season and saw a shape that inspired me to try again. It is actually a layer for the jingle bell which is the shift of the rocking horse (center row, sixth key from the left). Now why wasn't that obvious to me before?!?




So, not being terribly original, I decided to try to weld the word "circle" inside a circle. By using four of the JOTS jingle bell layers and welding them "just so" I was able to get what I thought was a decently even circle. I then used Alphalicious, typed out the word "circle", welded and placed it inside the circle. On the first preview the inner edge of the circle was gone (as it is whenever you do a square) but by "burping" the design (copying and pasting one of the four circle sections away from the design, deleting that section from the circle and adding back the copied section) I was able to get it to work! EUREKA! (OK, I know I sound like a crazy person but I was so determined to find a way to do this and had been thwarted so many times!)



This is how it looked when I removed the outer offcut - there are little "ears" left over that would have been used as a layer on the handle of the jingle bell.

Here it is when I took it off the mat!



Next I tried to put in a flower from our old standby George - worked like a charm!

Here it is on the mat



and again after it was removed and placed on a blue background.



Knowing that some of you would want to try this but would may not have the George cartridge, I did one using the star from Plantin Schoolbook. Here is a photo of that cut next to the first one



So, give this a try - I have all sorts of ideas of ways to use this and will get busy on them but wanted to share my "breakthrough" right away.

Here are the simple files for these two demonstrations of the circle welding - you have to have Joys of the Season to do this (do you think I can get a commission from Provo Craft!?!)

You don't need to use a full sheet of paper - just be sure to place your paper in the proper area of the mat. A piece 5 x 5 inches will be more than enough if you place it correctly. When I watched these cut, the Cricut did the little "ears" or bell handle layers last. If you watch the progress of cutting carefully, you could stop your machine just before that last part of the cut but I am reluctant to try that - I don't think the "waste" is significant enough and I don't want to harm my machine (I have to research whether this is OK to do on a regular basis - I have only used it to stop the machine when the paper got loose once - to avoid jamming the blade). You could always save those little bits and use them on something later!

Flower in a circle

Star in a circle

I'll be posting more creations using this concept soon - if you do some please share through a comment here or by posting to the Cricut message board (there is a link to the message board in the right column). Have fun with this!

Large Pine Cone Frame (by request)

So, it is hard to please all of the people all of the time! There are some folks with the little bug and George and there are some with the Expression and Plantin Schoolbook. So here is one of the favorites from the recent baby bug frames adapted for the big bug and in a larger size.

If you remember the leaf frame (posted March 4th) - I have discovered that even though the file is set up to be perfectly symmetrical it does not seem possible to get the outer edges to come out at the design dimensions of 1/2 inch. I can't really explain this but the side of the mat that enters the machine and the top edge as you look at the mat on the screen have a bit extra added to them (5/8 inch) and the right side and lower edge come out a bit thinner (3/8 inch) - so, once again you will need to trim these edges slightly. The photos below show the four corners of the mat while the paper is still stuck to it.

Upper left corner



Upper right corner



Lower left corner



Lower right corner



Here is the full page before trimming - you can see that the left side and the top are slightly thicker. If the slight difference doesn't bother you, you could use it this way but I prefer to make the outer edges even.



Here is the frame after trimming - you can see the very narrow border of the background color



Here you can see the small strips that were taken off to make the outer edges even.



To remove this frame you need to be careful - I deliberately tried to make it rather open and airy so there are not as many areas attached to the inner frame. I use a old kitchen scraper (not sure where I got it) that has a very thin/sharp edge to remove the frame. Just take your time and it will be fine.



Here is a photo of the scraper - it is particularly helpful when there are lots of detailed cuts close together because it can lift them all at once, reducing the risk of tearing as you remove the cut.



Here you can see how thin the edge is - useful for getting under the paper smoothly.



I like the look of this on a natural beige background - could be useful for "outdoorsy" photos or camping layouts - not just for the holidays!



Enjoy using this one and I would appreciate it if you could leave a comment to let me know how you plan to use it (or post a photo of the layout to the Cricut Message Board). Thanks.

12 x12 Pine Cone Frame