Custom Soap Dispensers with Monograms

When you have a die cutting machine, you can make all sorts of custom projects very easily.  I like to take simple items and make them a little more special by adding personalization.

Last Christmas, I dressed up some liquid soap bottles for my husband's parents to use in their new condo.  Their powder room sink has a narrow spot for a soap container and the fancy one that we bought was too large to fit the space.  I found some slender liquid soap bottles, removed the store labels and printed some holiday designs to fit the sides of the bottles.  You can find the post with all of the details on this project HERE.

Christmas is long past and it was time to redo these dispensers with a more neutral design.  I decided that a monogram would work nicely since it could be used all year long.  I wanted to have some ornamentation around the initial so I started looking through my fonts.

The font I decided to use is called "Apex Lake."  I like the swirls around the letters but I didn't have room to use the frames and I didn't want the long thin pieces in the center of the letters.   I have had this font for a while - you can find it on the dafont website HERE.

If you are using the Cricut Explore  and the Design Space program, you will find that it is not possible to use the hide contour feature on a font.  A warning bar appears across the top of the page.  You need to take one simple step to make it possible to use the contour function.  Simply ungroup the letter or line of text, hide the lines you don't want to cut and then regroup the word.  Once you do this, you will no longer be able to edit the text with the text functions.

When the letter is ungrouped, click on the "contour" icon at the top of the layers panel or right click and choose "hide contour" from the drop down menu.  The image of the letter will dim and as you hover your mouse over a line in will turn bright.  Click on the selected line and then click elsewhere on the mat or click the "contour" icon again.  The line that you selected will be hidden and will not cut.  If you accidentally hide the wrong line just click it again to make it visible as a cut line.

I wanted to alter one of the monograms by removing the center line and then adding in a few of the petal shapes.  I could do this with Design Space by hiding all of the lines of the letter except those three (and doing that two times to get two clusters of petals), however, I found it easier to use the Silhouette software which allows you to release all of the lines in an image and choose the ones you want, group them and delete the rest of the image.  I am hoping that more editing functions will be added to the Design Space program to make it possible to edit individual lines in the same way.

For the two smaller bottles, I used the letter and just the swirls on the left side.  This fit just neatly on the flat front of the bottle.

The larger bottle hadn't been decorated for Christmas.  This style of bottle was from a Stonewall Kitchen soap.  A word of warning - the labels on the Stonewall Kitchen bottles are very difficult to remove.  I used a lot of "goo gone" and it took several hours of soaking and peeling and soaking and peeling to get the label removed completely.  I do like the size and shape, so I guess it was worth it - the Dial soap bottle labels came off much more easily.

I used transfer tape to apply the vinyl to the bottles since there were so many small pieces that needed to stay aligned.  If you are doing a label similar to the one I did for the holiday bottles, you probably won't need any transfer tape.  The lavender soap looks very pretty with must the monogram on the bottle.

We put the larger bottle by the kitchen sink with a ocean scented blue soap.  I might have chosen a lighter color of vinyl to show up more distinctly but I bought the soap after I did the vinyl.  It would be a good idea to choose both and the same time to get a better contrast but I do like the subtle tone-on-tone effect this gives.

I just used regular indoor vinyl for these bottles.  I burnished it down very carefully but it is likely to get wet and could eventually peel.  I think the vinyl will hold up for quite a while and if it loosens eventually it will be easy to just cut a few new monograms.

Cricut deals this week...
(affiliate links)

The free Cricut images that you can cut this week (Jun 11-18,2014) are these pretty shells.  You can see them HERE along with instructions on how to find them in Design Space and Cricut Craftroom. Wouldn't they look nice on a soap dispenser?

There are also sales on some great font cartridges for $19.99 (Everyday Fonts, Lyrical Letters, Fontopia, Library Fonts, Chalkboard Fonts, and Extreme Fonts) - you can find them HERE.

A number of re-released cartridges are available now starting at $19.99 including two of my favorites, When it's Cold Outside and Lacy Labels.  Click HERE to see all that are available.

Cuttlebug folders in the clearance section (HERE) are 50% off.

 Finally, the June Mystery Box is available.  This time it contains items for crafting with kids including two cartridges (I wonder which ones?!).  The box costs $29.99 for a $93 value and these boxes sometimes sell out.

Don't forget, there is free standard shipping on all US orders over $35 - just use the code FREESHIP35 at checkout.


I have been sorting out some of my files and working on getting them ready for my new store - I hope to have at least a few of them available starting this weekend.
What projects are you working on?  Are you ready for Father's Day?


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True Stamp Individual Classes on Sale & Registration for the Free Scrapinar in June

 

True Stamp 2014 was an all day online event that took place in early April of this year.  There were six classes with some inspiring instructors who shared lots of tips and techniques. I participated in the classes in April and enjoyed the event very much.  I have less experience with stamping than die cutting and I learned some new things to try.  I also enjoyed the "chat" sessions after the video presentations.  It was interesting to hear the instructors share more about their passion for stamping.

The six classes are now available for sale individually.  For the month of June they are just $9 per class (regular price $12.95).  If you want all of the classes, there is an even better deal.  You can use the code "SAVEBIG" at checkout to save even more and get all six classes for just $39 (only $6.50 per class).

Here are the six classes - mix and match or take the deal and get them all!  Just click on any of the images to see more details about each class.

 I have participated in several Layout a Day challenges and taken quite a few of the classes.  They are always packed with information and Lain has a knack for finding great instructors.  I became an affiliate to share her classes and program with my readers and I know many of you have participated and enjoyed these events along with me.

Here are all of the True Stamp 2014 instructors - they each have a different style.  I really enjoyed seeing their creativity and I learned some great tricks too!

“A Little Bit Rock & Roll: Adding Visual Interest to Solid Stamped Images” 

(co-taught with Kryssi Ng)

Nichol-Magouirk, Mama Elephant

 

“Stamping Kaleidoscope: Color and Texture for Every Day and Everywhere”

Bev Grey, Technique Tuesday

 

“What’s Cookin’? Creative ingredients to whet your appetite for WOW!”

(co-taught with Kim Ziehr)

Bobbi Lemanski, Raisin Boat

 

“What’s Cookin’? Creative ingredients to whet your appetite for WOW!” 

(co-taught with Bobbi Lemanski)

Kim Ziehr, Raisin Boat

 

“SWAK! Stamp Kissing Made Simple”

Kim Hughes, Paper Smooches

 

“Stamps and Dies that Work Together II”

Shari Carroll, Simon Says Stamp

 

“Moving and Shaking: Adding Interactive Elements with Stamps”  

(co-taught with Chari Moss)

Kelly Marie Alvarez, Lawn Fawn

 

“Moving and Shaking: Adding Interactive Elements with Stamps”  

(co-taught with Kelly Marie Alvarez)

Chari Moss, Lawn Fawn

If you can't decide which classes to choose, remember that you can have them all for just $39 by sing the code "SAVEBIG" at checkout.  Click HERE to go the the order page.

Free Scrapinar on June 30th

"Sketchbook Secrets: A Sneak Peek into the Creative Process."

This month the free scrapinar from Layout a Day is all about sketches.  The guest presenter is Lisa Echerd, hosted by Lain Ehmann.

The topics include:

• How sketches can help you be more creative and save time
• How to get more from sketches by using one design in multiple ways
• How to turn a one page sketch into a two page spread
• How to make a sketch from a favorite design

The Scrapinar is FREE but you must register in order to attend.  It will be recorded and the recording will be available for a few days after the 30th but you must register to in order to received the link to the replay.  Click HERE to register for the June Scrapinar.

I hope you are having a great week.  I've been busy doing more reorganization in my craft room and on the blog.  Things are coming along but it all takes time!


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Lace and Pearl Medallion

There is no such thing as a design that is too complex or too intricate to me.  I like lace patterns with tiny openings and I challenge my machines to cut them out perfectly.

Out of the first things I cut out with my Cricut Explore was the yellow doily on the left above.  (I wrote about this back in February, see THIS POST). The 3 1/2 inch cut was amazing - such perfect circles and tiny wedge shaped pieces around the edge.  This image is from the Teresa Collins Basics digital set (and it is part of the Image Subscription).

I wanted to see how well the machine would do with a cut that I designed that was similarly intricate.  I was not disappointed -  the pale lavender cut on the right above is my doily design cut at 3 3/4 inches.

I imported my file as an SVG and sized it to fit on an A2 card front.

This is a very intricate design and the Design Space took a little while to show the preview but I did not get a notice that the design was too complex (I have seen that once or twice when I had a very large number of intricate items in a file).

With this level of detail, it took a while for the file to cut.  I have noticed that the Explore cuts fairly slowly but I would rather have a perfect cut that takes a little longer than a fast cut with lots of errors and incomplete details.

The finished cut lifted off the mat nicely.  There were a few tiny pieces that lifted with the image but they were easy to brush away since the cuts were complete.

This shows the inner pieces that were left on the mat - it is so close to perfect that if you squint your eyes a bit you think you are seeing a green doily in the empty space left on the mat.

The cardstock is a fairly thick shimmer cardstock in a very pale lavender color. The weight is listed as 250 gsm which is similar to 90 pound cardstock.  I kept my dial on the regular cardstock setting and everything cut beautifully.

The lace has a few solid areas that I planned as spots where tiny gems could be added.  I used two sizes of flat back adhesive pearls

To add a larger pearl brad to the center of the medallion, I used this Cricut weeding tool to pierce a hole in the center.

After inserting the brad, I flattened the prongs and cut a large foam dot in half to accommodate the height of the metal prongs.

This side view shows the shadow lines that are created when an element is raised from the surface of the card.  I am still marveling at the quality of this cut with so many very tiny openings.

I put the medallion on an A2 card made from  lilac Bazzill cardstock.  The background of dark shimmer blue cardstock is cut at 4 x 5 1/4 inches with a white layer cut at 4 1/8 x 5 3/8 inches to help frame the card. 

I will be sharing the SVG file for this lace medallion with everyone on my email list, so be sure to sign up if you haven't already.  You can join the list HERE.

If you had a feedburner subscription and were receiving email updates, your information was added to my new list. Some of you had written to say that you were no longer getting emails with my blog posts.  I believe this new email system will solve that problem.

Subscribe to Capadia Designs if you would like to have new posts delivered directly to your email. 

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product using the link I may receive a commission. I only participate in affiliate programs for products that I use or can recommend without reservation

A Fresh Look for My Blog

You may have noticed that it has been a day or two since my last post.  I have been doing some late spring cleaning on my blog.  The page had been looking crowded and dark for a long time and I finally decided to make some changes.  Let me know what you think!

I have also added a new email service and have turned off the Feedburner emails since so many people were not receiving them as they should.  If you were a subscriber through Feedburner or if you joined the newsletter list I started in February during the blog 6th birthday celebration, your name was transferred to the new service and you should receive an email whenever I post something on the blog.  Subscribers will also be receiving additional emails with some free files and special news updates.

If something went wrong and you were subscribed but did not receive this message by email, please just go ahead and sign up again using the new form at the top right of the blog.  You can also click HERE to go directly to the sign up form.

As always, I hope you are having a wonderful day.  If you have any questions or suggestions about the new organization of the blog, please be sure to leave a comment or send me a message.  I'll be working on tidying up some of the links and adding more helpful tabs and indexes over the next few weeks.

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This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product using the link I may receive a commission. I only participate in affiliate programs for products that I use or can recommend without reservation

Angel Paper Dolls with the Cricut Explore

Yesterday I spent the morning with my two little neighbors while their mother was helping on a school field trip with their brother.  When we made the plan, I said we could make something while they were visiting ... maybe some paper dolls.  Well, four year old girls do not forget about the promise of a paper doll, so, as soon as they arrived, Emma and Claire wanted to get started making something.

After they spent a little time coloring and playing with the cat, I got out my laptop and opened the Design Space so we could choose which paper doll to make.

I pulled up the image library and choose the Paper Doll Dress Up image set.  The girls had fun looking at all of the choices and, after considering lots of possibilities, they settled on the very first image - the doll dressed as an angel.

One of my favorite things about using the Design Space and the Cricut Explore is that you can see full color assembled images when you look at a cartridge or image set.  This is so much simpler than having to flip through the handbook or the keypads on the screen to find all of the layers for a complicated image like one of the paper dolls.

As soon as you choose the image and size it, you can move to cutting out all of the pieces in the colors you like.  The most time consuming thing is selecting the papers. The girls wanted to draw their own faces on the dolls so I clicked the "contour" button and hid all of the cut lines for the faces.

We decided to make one angel with a pink dress and purple wings and one with a purple dress and pink wings.  I had two angels in the work space so I clicked on the "Sync" button and dragged one set of wings to the purple color and one dress to the pink color.

After you click "Go" at the top of the screen, the images all are sorted by color and placed on the necessary number of mats.  This is another big time-saver.  All you have to do is to click through the mats to be sure that everything is placed where you want it.

I thought that the gold images were not set up to make the best use of space so I rotated one halo and necklace set and moved it to fit closer to the first set.

I didn't take any photos while we were cutting out the dolls but the girls both enjoyed pushing the arrow button and the cut button when they flashed for each mat.  In no time at all, we had all of the pieces cut and ready to assemble.  The Design Space makes it very easy to move from choosing the image to cutting - no matter how many pieces there are in the design.

Emma and Claire each drew the face on their doll.  I thought it was very cute that the two angels seem to be looking at each other and don't you love those eyelashes!

Both girls were happy to pose outside for a photo with their dolls.  I think we'll be making more of these - and I already have a request to make the unicorn next time!

I hadn't really thought much about how the Explore makes crafting easier with kids until we did this project.  It was so nice to have the images all on the screen and in color.  I remember sometimes it would take quite a while to find and place all of the little pieces you need for one of these dolls.  We were able to move from choosing to cutting very quickly - which is great when you are working with two four year olds who really want to have their doll made now!

Free Cricut Images and Sales this week...

I am an affiliate for Cricut and when you shop by clicking on these links I may earn a commission on the sale.  Your price does not change.  I appreciate it when you support my blog by using these links.

Father's Day is coming and the free images this week are perfect for Father's Day projects.  These images will be available in the Cricut Craftroom and the Design Space until June 11th.

There are also some great sales this week on the Cricut website including several Cricut Explore bundles.   Standard shipping in the US on orders over $35 is free with the code FREESHIP35 at checkout.

Cartridges for Babies, Birthdays and Weddings are 40% off - click HERE to go to the sale page.

Some older and rare cartridges including Toy Story, Cars and Sugar & Spice are also on sale - click  HERE to see the cartridges that are included.

There are also six "Top Picks" cartridges available for only $19.99, including Disney Classics, Mickey and Friends and the adorable Teddy Bear Parade cartridge.  See all six HERE.

Have a wonderful Thursday.  If you get a chance, do a craft project with your kids or a young friend - it's a lot of fun to see things through their eyes and I think you'll have a great time - I know I did yesterday!

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This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product using the link I may receive a commission. I only participate in affiliate programs for products that I use or can recommend without reservation.