Sometimes I am looking for just the right package to share those lovely items I've just created... Nothing seems just right, Arg!! I was so excited to come across a website to help me with that! Templatemaker allows you to put in your specific dimensions to create your perfect size! Isn't that awesome!!
Working with Dollar Tree Vinyls successfully can be tricky. Early on,learning how to use the Cricut with different materials a great tip or hack was remember to test cut the material. This also applies from machine to machine because each handles product slightly differently.
My most recent project this summer required making some labels. A design I really liked had a decorative shape I found on https://www.mapleplanners.com/download/svg-label-templates.
I designed this project using a label template that now adorns my recycled containers & holds and protects my surplus sugar. The letters and design cut away like a stencil and reveal the base color. I am very pleased with the result, what do you think?
The negative space (letters) were used on the project below. The font perfectly matched my Tea Box. I can now display it on the vertical when desired and still identify what the container holds easily.
While working with the Dollar Tree products I became frustrated and shifted to some Jolee Vinyl to get my project done but then I wanted to revisit the PROBLEM of the vinyl cutting and dragging on the mat and messing up my design. What possible SOLUTIONS could be done. Below are some solutions that I found and will/ have tried out.
The main difficulty there is they do not address other products and their best settings. A great takeaway from my research was to successfully cut the vinyl on the Cricut, you are going to want to create a custom setting. If you are doing a large shape, you might be able to get away with the vinyl setting but for anything even a little intricate they would suggest changing the pressure to 145.
This video addressed general problems with cutting words and had really great information.
All in all I had a good experience learning how to tackle the challenge of finding solutions to varieties of materials.
This morning as I was going about my morning routines I thought about my sweet friend MD and the cards she brought me. It has become a bit of a ritual that my tribe of friends who love to make handmade cards often make multiples to share with each other. Looking through this stack I a commented about my friends choices of design often including the playful, and often humorous designs. She noted that she enjoyed whimsy...I like that word and even though when I design my designs do not include whimsy I enjoy the people in my life that do and because of that bring whimsy to my life. It reminds us to allows for that play time we all need...moments of pure joy and bliss...Tickle Hill moments. (The crazy steep hill that we love to ride or drive fast downward on yelling WHEE!!)
I adore papercraft projects. They bring back memories of my Nana. At Easter, Nana created handmade paper crafted Easter baskets for us with the most beautiful easter eggs. She instilled in me so much...one was a desire to create handmade items because of how her gifts of herself made me feel.
FUN FACT: Today is National Egg Day, I didn't even know that was a thing, ha-ha!
Tricia, from Club Scrap shares great techniques for creating this sweet u-hinge embellished paper crafted photo album. She makes it look so simple to create this project using minimal supplies, organized methods and beautifully finished embellishments to really wow your recipient. She even shows in the beginning of the video, a simplified method to keep your project moving along by sorting your supplies early on.Thanks Tricia!
Today as I was beginning my day, refreshing my creativity and focusing on recreating my desired outcomes in life it led to a future event I really wanted to incorporate into my life more. It is referred to as SCREEN-FREE WEEK. Why on earth does one wish to unplug? There have been articles written about the concept of unplugging and why.This one written by a creative artist really struck a chord with me.
So often I hear from my adult kids as well as so many others of key problems in our society that have come up with the use of so many of our amazing technological tools. Physical problems like eye & back strain, lessened physical activity,sleep problems and more affect us.There also come into play isolation and decreased physical connection,as well as cyberbullying. Sometimes we may find it so much easier to find a solution online rather than tackling a problem filtered through our own experiences but then I am reminded that some of life's greatest ideas and experiences come when I am fully immersed in life's ups, downs, delights and disappointments; whether it came in my kitchen experimenting with foods or in make believe play with my children.
So what does all this dialog have to do with everyday celebrations and meaningful events?
Quoting from screenfree.org, Screen-free Week is an opportunity to rediscover the joys of life beyond ad-supported screens. During the first week of May, thousands of families, schools, and communities around the world will put down their entertainment screens for seven days of fun, connection, and discovery.
Even though it’s about turning off screens, Screen-Free Week isn’t about going without – it’s about what you can get! An hour once dedicated to YouTube becomes an hour spent outside; ten minutes whiled away on social media turn into ten minutes spent doodling; a movie on a rainy afternoon is replaced by time spent reading, chatting, or playing pretend!
I loved this list of great ideas for celebrating SCREEN-FREE WEEK, such great ideas!
111 Things to do during Screen Free Week:
Take a book outside
Visit a local museum
Go for an ice cream cone
Offer to rake your neighbor’s lawn or mow the grass
I decided to create a list of screen free activities that included not just fun things to do but also things that have shifted to screen time that could be even more powerfully done without my screen... Like actually calling on client or making a phone call instead of those social media quicky posts. So much of what we do in business has led to leaving our clients feeling disconnected...a call or visit helps to reconnect.
You can celebrate Screen-Free Week at home, in your school, in your community, or anywhere – just put down those entertainment screens and do literally anything else! Let's spend less time in the digital world and more time in the real world. You might be surprised at what you find. Plan a day, a few hours, or the whole week; however you participate is great!
Do you wonder what other everyday events are being celebrated? Take a look at this website's calendar, there's always a way and a day to celebrate!
NEW IDEAS are being shared as the art & craft industry
leaders are in the midst of an amazing informative fun show for the industry, Creativation.
I love watching the early peeks at these new and innovative ideas via Youtube. Because they represent both the art and craft world you will see fine art tools and the latest and greatest crafters tools
!
If you enjoy sneak peeks into these new products take a look at this video...warning it is an hour of footage sharing more on the fine art products.
Below was a bit of footage from Ranger last year, always bringing fun products out that we just *must* have.
My interest in the arts and my desire to create has followed a very long history of new to me and exciting innovative ideas. Todays post though is somewhat about innovative products but more about some really fun "solves" to a question..."How can I?"
Back in the day when Cricut and others introduced their electronic craft cutters it brought out so many fun possibilities for us makers.
Tools like the Sizzix Big Shot had to re-invent themselves to stay abreast of this fast moving creative surge....so many wonderful ideas were on the scene. The light box and brass plates that had been used to emboss designs suddenly were being replaced by embossing folders for the Big Shot. Thin dies also emerged, the days of huge dedicated cabinets to house the thick dies now gone! On a side hote I love those dies and still treasure their ability to cut multiple cutouts at once :)For folks still loving their old brass plate for tracing, brass plate embossing etc. even the light box was reinvented...the Bright Pad emerged on the scene. USB powered, thin and super light weight AND easier to store...super nice!
Personal electronic cutters rocked the scrapbooker world in the early 2000's and continue their evolution. Check out this older but fun article about it. Historically they are a bit behind but still it is interesting! I started my electronic cutter with this product. Today I use two models; one model, the Explore Air 2 is not the newest offering but still can do so-ooo much and I also recently purchased a Cricut Joy for its portability.
Earlier I mentioned that today's blog post was really more about some really fun "solves" to a question..."How can I?"
Ah-hhh you say, FINALLY! Yes I really did want to share some of these solutions, so on we go but before I do let me share a favorite quote.
What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.Ecclesiastes 1:9
I bring this up because this is what I observe... so many wonderful ideas are not necessarily NEW but they are nonetheless very helpful, creative, fun and there YUP are NEW ways to use these ideas!
So here we go...on with these old new ideas!
When I first developed an interest in stamping but before I had purchased many stamps I signed up for a herb card swap. Now how on earth did I manage if I didn't have any herbs in my stamp set, you may ask? My solution: I took a craft foam sheet, heated it with my embossing gun then pressed it into a mint leaf from my garden. Here is a sample of the card I created. I still love how this card turned out and the only stamp on it is my hand made mint stamp and the butterfly corners printed the words on my computer.
A couple years ago Simon Hurley along with Ranger introduced a product called Stamping Foam. (Actually a reintroduced product from the 1990's but I'm not telling :) Simon is demonstrating some fun ways to use it in this video. Look at how this is being used today! I still have my original foam blocks and still use them. Being thicker it is much easier to work with than the thin foam craft sheet I used to make the card above.
Remember those brass plates used for dry embossing? They took a bit of effort but they produced a lovely embossed area.
For many of us that have the Big Shot, Cuttlebug and other similar tools for crafting we can use those brass plates along with some cushion like gasket material from our local hardware store to produce some lovely and fast embossed results. It takes some experimenting with the "sandwich" to send the layer through smoothly but I had good results following along with this video.
Gina K also shared a similar technique but using flexible vinyl stencils. The results were equally effective and so-oo expands the possibilities with my craft collection.
I tend to hang on to my craft supplies, maybe you do too. I loved working with pastel chalks, foils and pigment inks to name just a few of my older supplies...now I just need to finf NEW ways to use them. I so enjoyed this blast from the past and hope you'll all grab some of you craft stash and see what old NEW things you can create.
