Fish Bubbles Card

There are so many ways to adapt the images on the Life is a Beach cartridge to make cards. The cartridge has two standard card options but, by using various features of the Design Studio program, you can create all sorts of interesting designs. Here is a LINK to the first card I shared earlier this month.

The file I created for this card with "fish bubbles" uses the hide contour feature in several ways to create a card with multiple openings containing images, details on the images and a thin frame or border.



Here is the basic A2 card after cutting and folding. For this version, I used the second page of the file which will cut the detail lines on the fish.



This screen shot shows the card - the pale blue lines are all of the contours that I have hidden. The details show on this page, but, since I have checked "weld" on the fish charms, they will not cut.



On the second page of the file, I have hidden all of the contours except the detail cuts and I have not checked the weld box on these images. If you cut the first page of the file and then, without unloading the mat, cut the second page of the file you will end up with the card as shown in the photo above.



This preview shows the card as it will cut from the first page of the file. The frame is set up on the third page of the file - it is optional and may not be needed if you choose a patterned paper for the card base. It shows in this preview but it is on a separate page so it will not cut the card front.



I created the frame using a card form from the cartridge, adjusting the size and placement using the Shape Properties box and hiding all of the unwanted contours or lines.



I cut a piece of patterned paper to line the card - the paper is cut at 8 1/4 x 5 1/4 inches.



I adhered the paper to the right side of the card and left the front piece loose.



By adhering the paper only to the back of the card, you can enjoy the effect of the apertures. I used a white gel pen to go over the detail lines on the fish. You could use various colors, or omit cutting the second page of the file and add your own decorative details.



To further enhance the aperture "bubbles," I added Stickles glitter glue to outline each bubble. I used the "waterfall" Stickles.



One more view of the card flat on the table with the front raised up a bit. You can see the "waves" on the paper liner but they are not stuck to the card front which gives a nice depth to the card.

These are easy and fun to create - if you try one, I'd love to see it!

Fish Bubbles Card

A card and a Flock of Flamingos!

There have been a few non-crafting things going on this week that have kept me from having enough time to test cut and photograph some of my new designs to share. I also have some "secret projects" in the works that I can't show you just yet. I did finally find a chance to try a cut from my new "Don Juan" cartridge that I was able to order using my Cricut rewards points. I have wanted this cartridge for a very long time but I couldn't justify buying yet another machine just to get the cartridge (the Don Juan cartridge is "exclusive" to the Create machine). The Rewards program shipping cost is high (about $16 for my location), but I figured that was a low price to pay for a cartridge!



First, I want to show you how a card that I posted last month was put to good use! One of my friends has the same birthday as me and I had been planning her birthday gift for months. We both like odd "finds" from rummage and yard sales and these flamingos definitely qualify as a "find!"



I had to wait until a time when I was sure she was out of town - then I drove to her house and "planted" the flamingos. From a distance, they are fairly unobtrusive gathered by the pool fence.



When you get a little closer you can see that there are quite a few flamingos in the cluster and you can also see the card tied to the neck of one bird.



I used this card, which I created before Life is a Beach was added to Design Studio, for her birthday card. I cut the standard square card and added the light pink frame piece (here is a LINK to the original post with the .cut file for the frame which was made using the Storybook cartridge).

The flamingos were a hit (but I have a sneaking suspicion that they may start migrating from lawn to lawn under cover of darkness!).



Back to the card I made using Don Juan. The "just because" design is one of the pre-welded items on the cartridge.



Here you can see the location of the key on the virtual keypad. There is an option for a layer on the flower using the "shift" key, but I chose to cut the design only once. I thought the letters looked a bit bland so I added some white pen stitching.



I also added white pen dots on the tips of the flower petals and made a center for the flower from a punched circle and an epoxy sticker. I popped the center up on a foam square and adhered it - sometimes just adding one element with a bit of depth can make the card have a more finished look.

I think the unicase font on Don Juan is a great look and I know it will work very nicely for wordbooks. I just have to decide on a word to use!

A bit of Inspiration...

People frequently ask me how I come up with ideas. I always tell them that inspiration is everywhere! In your daily life you are constantly exposed to designs and ideas that can be adapted and used with the Cricut and Design Studio.



In Massachusetts, there is a store called "Christmas Tree Shops" where you can find all sorts of inexpensive decorative items. They send out flyers every few weeks. I saw this ad for letters to hang on your wall and thought that it would be fun to design some chunky letters with internal flourishes - so I did!



I chose the "Roly Poly" font option on the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge.



I wanted the body of the letters to be thick, but I also wanted the shape to be taller and thinner. In the screen shot above, the letter to the right is a "roly poly D" as it was entered from the keypad. I used the "handles" to adjust it to a taller and thinner letter - but one that still has a good thickness for the cutouts.



I order to have lots of color options, I made one letter with the cutouts and one to be the background. When choosing the cutouts, you need to be sure that the shapes are continuous cuts and that there are no small pieces or centers that won't remain in the design when it is cut.



For this sample, I chose a couple of decorative elements from "Lyrical Letters" and adapted them to fit the shape of the "D." There are many other cartridges that have shapes that could be included within the letter base.



You could use the decorative letter directly on the paper but the extra layer with the solid "D" gives you a chance to add another color to the page.



Here is my sample letter on a 12 x 12 page. The initials would be great for Wedding or Anniversary album title pages.

I have lots of ideas on ways to use these decorative initials - and I will be doing some projects that build on this simple idea. Today I just wanted to share the idea with you.

"just saying hi" - A Quick Card

I had a complicated sort of day and I wasn't able to do some of the things I had planned. There are a couple of files that I wanted to test cut but they will have to wait for tomorrow. I have been gradually working on moving in to the new craft island and, as I am sorting thing, I discover "forgotten treasures" and get distracted by using them! I made this quick card with some of these supplies and tools.



I think I bought this Inkadinkado stamp set a year or so ago - along with several others in similar styles. It says "two clear stamps" but the butterfly is actually attached to the outer ring until you trim it. I left them together for the time being to help make sure that the butterfly was lined up properly.



I also found this large multicolor stamp pad that I used for some brayered backgrounds a long time ago - I am not sure if I ever posted those cards on my blog but I think I will make some more soon.



I used the "rock-a-block" to help make a clear stamped image - there is a slight curve to the block and you gently roll the stamp to make the impression. I have had good luck using these with a much better percentage of "good" stamped images.



Next I used some of my Nestabilities dies. I cut the image using the largest petite scalloped circle from the small set and then cut another scalloped circle from pink paper using the largest die from the large set. They are sized to fit together perfectly. I stamped the little sentiment using Versamark ink and heat embossed the words with light blue embossing powder.



I have many scalloped circles available to me with my Cricut - some on cartridges and some that I have designed in specific sizes and numbers of "bumps" using Design Studio. I can't always get scallops to cut perfectly on the Cricut but the Nestabilities dies make an even scallop every time and I just love that embossed inner edge. I used foam squares to raise up the stamped layer and attached the pink layer directly to my A2 card.



I added just a few white dots in three corners to give the card a bit more "spark" (and I managed to resist the temptation to add Stickles somewhere!).

It was fun to "rediscover" some of my supplies and to make this simple card. I am hoping that tomorrow will be a quieter day and I will be able to make some progress on the various projects I have spread all over my work area (and in my computer). I am sure my son would like to use the pool table from time to time but right now it is covered in paper!

I encourage you to take a look through all of your "crafting stash" - you may be surprised to see some of the things you already have!

Exciting News!

For some time now I have been hinting that some of my designs would soon be available in a new place. Today I can tell you that I am a member of the Custom Crops Design Team and I have created some projects and files that will be available exclusively on the Custom Crops website.



There will be new releases of designs and articles every Monday. Some fun and exciting surprises are coming up so you should visit the site frequently to see what is happening with all of the designers.



The blinkie in the side column of my blog will take you directly to my author page so you can quickly find the links to my projects. Please take the time to see the work of all of the designers - there are some fantastic projects for you to try.



You may remember this card from a sneak peek over a month ago. It took a while to get some of the logistics worked out but new projects from all of the designers will be posted each Monday - there may not be something from every designer every week but be sure to visit the site to see what is new.

All of the projects you see in this post are currently available on the Custom Crops site. There are detailed instructions and .cut files for you to download. If you have any questions about any designs, please do not hesitate to contact me. Please be sure to leave comments on the Custom Crops site when you read the designer articles or download files.

Thanks - I hope you enjoy these projects - more will be coming very soon.


(I appreciate the notes and good wishes - everything went fine at the hospital today. Aside from being a bit tired, I should be back to normal very quickly).