Itsy Bitsy...ATCs

This month the theme for my second ATC swap group was "spots and polka dots."  Well, I don't know about you, but as soon as I heard "polka dot" the song about the"itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka dot bikini" popped into my head and refused to leave!  I found this version on You Tube -go ahead,  take a walk down Memory Lane ...

So - back to the ATCs!   There is a great bikini on the Life is a Beach cartridge.  I cut the basic bikini from pale yellow cardstock and the layers from  a darker yellow with white dots paper.  I only had a small piece of the paper (it was from a mat stack) so I used Design Studio to squeeze in as many bikinis as possible!

 

 

Here is a screen shot of the layers - for fourteen bikinis (I only needed seven but now I have some spares).

Here you can see the jumble of bikini pieces after I added the layers.  The polka dots were on a slightly larger scale than I would have preferred so there were not all that many showing.  I decided to add some more to the ties of the top.

I used my white gel pen to add dots to the ties and also a dot at each hip.  It is a small detail but I think the bikinis looked better once I added the dots.

 

I wanted to have the bikinis stand up above the background so a few of the small foam squares were just the right size to make them pop!

Here you can see the raised effect.  In keeping with the spots and polka dots theme, I chose this bright cardstock with glittered circles in lifesaver colors for the card base.  I inked the edges with bright pink to hide the white core.

It was a small group this month - six to mail and one for me.  These just make me smile when I look at them - I hope you like them too!

November ATCs - Paper Folding

"Paper folding" was the theme for one of my ATC swap groups this month.  As soon as I knew the theme I was sure I would do some sort of origami.  When I was in elementary school I did a report on origami and made a big board full of folded creations!  I was fascinated by all thing things you could do just starting with a square of paper.

One of my favorite things to fold was this little pagoda shape.  I won't put the step by step directions here right now (I didn't take photos along the way) but if you are interested leave a comment and I will try to create some simple instructions (or maybe a short video would be easier).

There are 14 people in the group - that is a lot of pagodas since there are three in each stack! The paper is cut to 2 3/4, 2 1/4 and 1 3/4 inch squares.  Folding the pagodas from the 1 3/4 inch squares was very tricky for my adult hands to do ( I remember it was so easy when I was 10 years old!).

At first I tried using some scrapbook paper but it was too thick for the tiny shapes with so many folds.  The paper should also be two sided or solid due to the nature of the folds.  I found some origami paper that I bought years ago when we lived in Germany and chose three "Autumn" colors.  After they were all folded (which took much longer than I had planned on - thank goodness for Priority Mail) the sections stack together.

The bottom tier of the pagoda had a tendency to pop open so I put a glue dot in each side to keep it flatter.

I started making the pagodas before I got the Pagoda cartridge.  Once I saw this branch, I knew it would make a perfect background for my little pagoda. (This is the same branch I used for the Christmas wreath - here is a LINK to the wreath post).

I used some "sand" paper from an old DCWV Summer cardstock stack for the card base.  I inked the edges just a bit for some definition.

I usually do the backs of the ATCs on my computer.  This month I kept it very plain and chose the "Matisse" font which somehow looked Japanese to me (!)

I think we all had fun with this theme - the ATCs look great and I can't wait until they arrive in the mail.  I took a sneak peek at them on KER's blog - she is our hostess and does a great job of getting everything in and out each month.  Thanks to all of the great people in this group we have had very punctual and exciting swaps each month for nearly two years now.

Here is a LINK to KER's blog where you can see all of the other ATCs from our group - enjoy them!

Floral Bed Deep Edge Punch (more Martha)

This week there is what I think of as "the perfect storm" in the quest for Martha Stewart punches at a more reasonable price.  ACMoore has a 50% off coupon, Michael's will honor competitor's coupons and the everyday Martha Stewart punches are not on sale at Michael's.  For extra bonus points, the ACMoore coupon is good all week (sometimes it is only for Tuesday).  If you don't have an ACMoore in your area I am sorry to tease you with this information!

I really liked the floral vine deep edge punch I got a couple of weeks ago (here is a LINK to the post about that punch).  I stopped at Michael's today on the way to a family dinner (at the home of the triplets) and chose another punch that is similar in style but different enough to be useful (and may work in combination with the first one).

Here is a picture of the punch - one drawback is the size of these punches - they are gigantic!  I just bought a couple of extra shelves for my "Billy" bookcase at IKEA, so I will be reorganizing the punch storage to accommodate a few more of these.

It is often important to center the punch on a strip of paper to get the most attractive results.  I thought I'd show you one way to help do that.  One of my most used tools is the layout and centering ruler at the top of this photo.  I use the clear grid to help align items on a page or card and to get nice even spacing on my projects.  They are inexpensive and can be found at most art supply stores.

There are measurements in standard sequence along the ruler but there is also a "0" at the center with measurements working out from the center to the ends.  If you get the "0" aligned with the center of the punch and then place your paper in the punch so that the ends are equally distant you can start punching in the right spot and work your way from the center to the edges.

The punch has the pattern printed on the base and to get a perfectly even border you simply check to be sure that the silver design shows through the newly punched holes as you work your way punching along the edges.

Here are a few examples that I did quickly when we got back tonight.  For the first one, the original strip of cardstock was 3 inches and I matched the location of the punch on each side of the strip.

This example is from a strip that started at 2 1/2 inches - if you start with a narrower strip the holes will run into each other in the center.  This on is just a touch off center but I thought it looked fine.

This strip started at 2 1/4 inches and is my favorite from these quick experiments.  I offset the design on opposite sides to get a zig zag wave effect.

One more shopping tip - I found this set of scissors at Costco for less than $10.  The scissors are comfortable to hold and very sharp.  The package includes a combination sharpener and letter opener.

The smallest pair of scissors is great for paper work - the blades cut cleanly right to the tip.  I have a pair of scherenschnitte scissors that I use a lot for fine details but I think these will also do a great job on some of the delicate "clean up" I sometimes need to do on a project.


Just a note about the Design Studio classes - Jen was away on a trip and now has had some changes in her son's schedule which we are trying to work around.  With Thanksgiving just around the corner we know many people are busy with family plans so we are on a short "hiatus" while trying to put together a new schedule.  In the meanwhile, if you are interested in one-to-one private classes you can contact either of us to work out the details.

Pretty Pink Snowflake Card

Here is a simple card that I made a few days ago.  It could be used as a note card or a holiday sentiment could be added.

I used my new 5 x 7 "Tartan" Cuttlebug embossing folder with some thick watercolor paper.  I like the depth of the embossing when I use this thick paper. The paper was cut to 4.75 by 3.25 inches to make the plaid stripes line up perfectly (slightly different proportions than the usual A2 card layer).  The dark pink layer is 5.25 by 3.75 inches and I aligned it with the bottom of the card.  The extra space at the top is just right for a thin satin ribbon tied in a knot.

The basic card was pretty but it needed an embellishment.  I used the Cuttlebug cut and emboss snowflake set for this snowflake.  If you look very carefully you can see the embossed edges.  I added Diamond Stickles along the "spines" of the snowflake for some sparkle.

I wanted to raise the snowflake above the tartan background but the area in the center of the snowflake is very small so even my tiny foam squares were likely to show. I needed to use a clear adhesive.  I decided to use the clear Zots but, as you can see in this photo, the ones I have are huge!  Regular glue dots are very flat.  I could have layered a number of glue dots but I decided it would be better to cut a piece from the Zot.  Well, it worked but these are extremely sticky so be careful if you try this.

Here is a view of the card flat on the table.  In looking at these photos I realized that the ribbon has moved - I think I need to add a bit of adhesive to keep the ribbon from slipping!

I am getting ready for another trip at the end of the week.  My Dad's 85th birthday is on Tuesday and all of my siblings will be coming to Pennsylvania to celebrate next weekend.  I am working on something for him from all of us but it is a surprise.  (He doesn't usually read my blog but I don't want to take a chance so I will post it later).  Then it will be Thanksgiving week - where does the time go!

Pagoda

Pagoda is the third cartridge I found at Michael's this week.  I left it to the last to review because the cartridge has been available in Design Studio program for a while so I thought that many people would have seen the images already (I imagine that most people who read my blog are also Design Studio users).  It can be helpful to see the color handbook (and I was on a roll taking photos!) so I will do a bit of show and tell - show you the images and tell you my thoughts about this cartridge.

Pagoda is a full cartridge with six creative features.  They are

 

 

 

 

You will notice that three of the features involve Kanji.  Kanji are Chinese characters that are used in Japanese writing.  You can find out all sorts of information about these online - here is a LINK to an interesting Wikipedia entry for some background.  

 This is an example of the Kanji character for ocean.  The cartridge will cut the character with two shadow layers, the character cut into a layer to fit on a tag, the character cut into a card and the character cut into a rounded rectangle that fits on a corresponding layer with the English word as seen here.  I was very surprised to find out that there was not a legible listing of the English translations of these characters - the only way to see the word is to squint at the ever-so-tiny image on the handbook page for that Kanji character.

It really would have been a good idea to have a page that shows the English words for quick identification.  I looked through my handbook a number of times so I don't think I missed it! I was so bothered by the lack of this page that I created my own to share with you.  It took a quite a while to do this but I know it will be a handy reference in the future.

Please respect the time and effort I put into taking, editing and posting these photos by referring others to my blog to see the photos and not copying them - thank you.  I do not disable right clicking photos on my blog, however, I am sharing these images for your personal use and not for duplication, or posting to other sites, message boards and blogs. Thanks for understanding (you may be able to tell that I have recently been notified of some of my work being used without my permission so I may be overly sensitive to this issue right now- it is a hazard of sharing on the internet).

So on to the photos and my thoughts about this cartridge.

Remember, you can click on any photo to see a larger view.

The first images are of lamps or lanterns

Another lantern and the first of three dolls (these remind me a bit of the matryoshka- Russian nesting dolls - on the Paisley cartridge I reviewed a few days ago.

The other two dolls - I actually have one of these that my parents brought back from Japan years ago - it brought back a nice memory,

Two fish - these are fish in kite format

 

Another fish (not a kite) and a Yin Yang symbol (this is a frequently requested symbol on the Cricut Message Board Design Studio forum).

A fierce dragon and a sweet Panda bear

Another Panda that looks like it needs a hug (sweet) and a humming bird

Another humming bird and a flying crane

A standing crane and a fish leaping from the water

another leaping fish and a pair of dragonflies (these would be beautiful with their wings cut from iridescent paper)

a couple of bonsai trees

some stylized tree branches

a bamboo cluster and a flower

my new favorite plant/branch (see yesterday's post HERE to see why) and another lovely flower cluster

more flowers - I particularly like the one at the top and I think the lower one looks a bit like a calla lily

more beautiful flowers - so many on this cartridge

and even more flowers - these are layered flowers that would be nice for paper bouquets.

flowers in a vase and a typical Japanese garden bridge (I did something interesting with the bridge in Design Studio - I'll show you soon...)

a temple and a shrine

a couple of cages (for those of us who are wishing we had Serenade...)

A couple of beautiful fans - the layers are very pretty with the flowers

an umbrella and a teapot and cup

a rice bowl (with a Greek Key border?) and chopsticks!

a curtain or screen and sandals

and finally, a couple of kimonos.

So, as you can see, there is quite a variety on this cartridge.  I have to say that this is a welcome change in that it contains many images that we haven't seen on other cartridges (and no cupcakes - not that I have anything against cupcakes...).  Many of the feature keys are used for the Kanji characters and their layers so if you aren't interested in using these for many projects you really have only half a full cartridge.  On the other hand, they are a great feature for using in home decor projects among other things.

The basic set of images with attractive layering is well worth the price of a cartridge.  The flowers and branches would be lovely for all sorts of cards - particularly for sympathy cards with their simple elegance.  The more realistic style of this cartridge is nice for those who don't do a lot of scrapbooking or cardmaking for children - this is more of an adult style cartridge which I know many Cricut fans will appreciate.

Once again there is a lot of repetition in the tag shapes but this is helpful for ease of use when the Cricut is used without Design Studio (it is amazing to me but many people do not use Design Studio or a Gypsy).  There are some interesting cards in unusual proportions and I like this change as well - of course you can always alter these to more standard sizes by using Design Studio.

I am very glad that I found this cartridge - I believe it is available from many sources and, with Black Friday just around the corner it will certainly show up on many shopping lists.  I'd be curious to hear what others think about the Kanji - I see a lot of uses for these characters but they may not be of interest to everyone.