Kate's Paper Creations: September 2014

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September 2014

09/25/2014

Halloween Centerpieces - From The Cobwebs Of My Mind

I try to make something fun to put out for the Soroptimist meetings I attend. In the past I have made individual favors and I might still do some of that but lately I've been making centerpieces for our tables. In September I made little red wagons to keep our Garden Show on everyone's mind.

I have to miss a couple of meetings because I will be out of town taking my grandsons to Great Wolf Lodge and then going to their home to stay for a few days so I won't be back to a meeting until October 21st. Still time to have a halloween theme though so this is what I came up with.

I used image #49791 "Box Spider Web Tent Top" by Samantha Walker, image 4500 "spider" by Cali Arroyo and image 2954 "Spider Web" by Silhouette. Yes, some pretty low numbers on some of those images. I've had my cutter since before it was Silhouette. They were still part of Quickutz at the time.

Anyway, I didn't make a box from Samantha's design. I left the bottom unattached and just used it as a base so I could put a tealight underneath and I used vellum to cover the inside of the sides so the light would show through. The top is designed to be closed with a ribbon but I just glued my shut.

Then I made a spider web. I didn't want the centerpiece to be all black and I had a lot of gray card stock in my stash so the webs are gray. The spiders add just the right amount of "creepy" to the whole set up with the red glitter stickles I added for eyes.

You can click on the image for a larger view.

Posted at 08:21 AM in 3D Projects, Silhouette Cameo Projects | Permalink | Comments (2)

09/23/2014

Lovely As A Tree - Winter

I couldn't resist. I just had to make another card using the Lovely As A Tree stamp from Stampin' Up!. The fall tree I did yesterday was so pretty. I had stamped two images so after making the fall card I decided to use the second image to make a very simple winter card.

All I did to make this card was use my Zig Squeeze Two Way Glue Pen and put a bunch of flecks of glue on the trees and some strips on the ground and then sprinkled Dazzling Details Glitter over it.

That's it. Just that simple. I've tried to capture the beauty of the glimmer. It really does look very "wintery".

Enjoy!

Posted at 01:03 AM in | Permalink | Comments (1)

09/22/2014

Lovely As A Tree - Fall

It's easy to see why the Stampin' Up! stamp set Lovely as a Tree has been in the catalog for something like 20+ years. It is a timeless set that can be transformed to any season or occasion.

I have been in a "fall" mood so I thought I'd make a card using this wonderful set. It couldn't have been any more simple either. Just stamp the image with black stazon ink. Then with pumpkin pie, so saffron, cajun craze and daffodil delight markers use the brush end and "dab" small splotches of color on the trees until you get the desired look.

I was going to add a separate piece for the sentiment but decided instead that simple was best and just stamped it right below the picture.

The layers are black, saffron and pumpkin all cut just 1/8" larger. The frame or mat is what really sets off the picture.

Enjoy, and drop me a line I really enjoy hearing from you.

Posted at 01:34 AM in | Permalink | Comments (0)

09/21/2014

Bird & Boughs Christmas

Okay, I've had the rotary attachment for the table top cutter from Stampin' Up! for a very long time and have not used it because I didn't like the cut quality. I stashed it away with the thought I would re-visit that issue sometime in the future.

Well, the future was today. I went onto Stampin' Connection and looked for a solution and I found one there so I put it on and started playing around. The rotary attachment comes with a score blade, regular cut blade, small scallop blade, tiny wave blade and a perforating blade. I have them all, of course!

I used the tiny wave blade to make todays card. It added a lot of interest to the card and I was glad to have it to use. The piece under the birdy was just a scrap I cut off so both sides were waved.

The birdy is an Impression Obsession stamp that you can find here. And the flower is just a couple of punches from Itty Bitty Punch Pack offset with a colored rhinestone in the center. The branches are called branch-pine bough image #13133 by Samantha Walker and came from the Silhouette store.

The sentiment is from More Merry Messages stamp set by Stampin' Up!

I turned the birdy image into a print and cut file, printed it, cut it out and then colored it using blender pens.

Very cute, I think I will make a few more of these.

Oh, and the solution to the rough cut I was getting with the rotary blade. Turn the cutting mat piece of your paper trimmer to the side without the groove and your rotary blade will cut as smooth as butter.

Thanks for stopping by, hope you'll leave me a comment, I love to hear from you.

Posted at 01:54 AM in Silhouette Cameo Cards, | Permalink | Comments (1)

09/20/2014

Coffee Anyone?

Good day to you all! The weather has turned here in our little town and it has made start thinking fall and holidays. Something I really enjoy doing on a wet rainy day is to have a warm cup of coffee and sit under my Gazebo and listed to the rain while I sip it.

With that in mind I got out the stamp set, "Perfect Blend" from Stampin' Up! and made a card. I had seen one similar on Splitcoaststampers that I liked so I changed it up a bit and made it my own.

For this card I used Calypso Corala and, of course, Early Espresso along with the Whisper White and Fancy Foil DSP.

I stamped the image with Memento ink and colored it using the Blendabilities markers so it would look more "rounded". I liked the "coffee rings" being cut from the espresso and thought the gold dotted vellum made a good background for that. Then I cut a thin strip from the gold foil, cut out the coffee cup and there you have it.

The rich colors make me feel all warm and cozy. How about you? Ready for a cup of coffee?

Posted at 01:59 AM in | Permalink | Comments (0)

09/19/2014

Christmas Bauble

I'm back, I know I've been away for a few days. Went to visit the grandsons and made all the cards for my World Card Making Day post. Don't forget I have scheduled a different card to post on facebook every hour for World Card Making Day October 4th. Starting at 1 am and going until midnight. So check out my facebook page that day. Here on my blog I will post recipes for all 24 cards.

Now back to today. We got rain for the first time in many weeks. The skies are gray and it made me feel like lighting some candles and it brought me thoughts of the holidays. So I sat down to make a Christmas card.

I used the single Stampin' Up! stamp called Christmas Bauble. It is a nice size stamp and fun to color. I used my Silhouette to cut out the image and in case you haven't done this yet here is how it's done.

(Don't forget you can click on the images to see a larger version)

1. Stamp the image onto white card stock with a dark ink, usually black.

2. Scan the image as a jpg then open the jpg in your Silhouette program. Remember to choose jpg or all files or you won't be able to find it because the program defaults to search for silhouette images.

3. Select the Trace option on the tool bar and then click "select trace area". Then draw a box around the image and you'll see a yellow outline. Now I click the low pass filter box and then in the high pass filter box I slowly slide the bar to the right until the image has a good clean outline.

For this image I only want the outside so I click trace outer edge. If you wanted the inside images to cut out also you would choose the trace option.

4. Now you have your image. Sometimes I get specks around the image that the trace picks up. (cause my printer has dirty spots on it - BWG) To get rid of those just right click the traced image, release compound path move the image you want to keep away and then delete any unwanted specks.

5. Now that you have your image save it to your library so you can use it over and over again.

Once I've gotten my image into the Sihouette I cut it out and then I stamp the image onto it using my Stamp-a-ma-Jig.

First stamp the image onto the guide mat. Then I use Tombow temporary mono adhesive to hold my cutout in place while I stamp.

This stuff is awesome and when your done just a few rubs with your finger and the residue just rubs right off.

After the cutout is in place, place the stamp guide image over the cutout lining up the edges

Then pull the guide plate away and stamp the image onto your cutout.

Here it is, ready to color. So much fun.

For this card I wanted a mat for the image too and now that I have it in my Silhouette I can make a mat for it simply by using the offset feature.

I used Blackberry Bliss and Rich Razzleberry on this card with a touch of gold using the gold pen and I "hung" the ornament with the 1/8" gold taffeta ribbon. The little gold dots were an unexpected thought. I took out my Japanese screw punch to punch a hold to thread the ribbon through and when I cleaned out the tip some of these lovely little gold dots came out so I decided to attach them.

Hopy you enjoy. Let me know what you think. I love to hear from you all.

Posted at 01:31 AM in Silhouette Cameo Cards, | Permalink | Comments (2)

09/15/2014

How Do You Organize Your Craft Room - Part 5 Finishing Touches

This is the final installment on my series of posts about organizing your craft room. I hope you have enjoyed my sharing with you and that you have found some ideas that you can use. If you didn't catch the first four installments you can find them by clicking on the links. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

This installment is less about organizing and more about making my space reflect who I am and how I have filled it with things that make me happy and encourage my creativity.

I have my Ipod docking station with a radio on the corner of my workspace so I can have music while I work. Above it I have a laptop computer placed on an angled stand so I can see the screen and use it for watching you tube videos, instructionsl tutorials or maybe even a little tv or a movie while I'm working.

On the wall next to my computer desk and Silhouette work station I have several pictures of flowers and gardens because I love to look at them and they remind me of one of my other passions, flower gardening.

Above the desk on the wall is a short shelf that holds a few special bells that family and friends have given me over the years and a picture of my two grandsons.

I like to keep samples of things I've made and there is a shelf above my storage cabinet where I can do that.

I stenciled sunflowers on two of the walls and added a picket fence just to give them more dimension. You can see some of that in the picture above and more in the one below.

And this last photo is a wonderful addition to my room and why I waited till now to blog this post. My husband for our anniversary, 37 years this year, custom built me a bakers rack for my craft room. It's main purpose was to hold the Big Shot with all the embossing folders and dies as well as the extra cutting plates, platforms and other accessories. For the sake of space I will post the pictures smaller but if you click on them you can see the larger version.

The hummingbird insert was a gift from my hubby last Christmas and this whole project started with my asking him if he could make something so I could display it in my room.

It is truly beautiful and it fits perfectly in my room. I am so very happy to have such a handy husband.

Well, that's it. Thanks for stopping by to see my space.

Posted at 02:21 PM in Tools & Techniques | Permalink | Comments (2)

09/10/2014

Starry Night Scene Card

I saw a card on Splitcoaststampers that had a cute little village on a curved base. I liked the village and decided to make my own version.

Of course I used my Silhouette Cameo!

First I used the "draw smooth freehand" tool to draw the thin curved base line.
Next I went out to internet world and found a couple of clip art houses brought them into the program, traced them and modified them a bit, made the windows a bit larger etc.
Then I did the same for the trees.
After getting all my pieces together I welded the houses and trees to the curved base line.

Viola' my little village!

It cut out beautifully!

I wanted some clouds and moon in the background but I didn't want fluffy columnus clouds I wanted those long streaky stratus clouds. (Look at me remembering a little of my highschool science) To get the kind of clouds I wanted the internet served me well again. I found a picture of the different types of clouds and used that to trace the ones I wanted. The moon was simply a 1" circle.

I decided on an oval background which was really easy peasy just drew it the size I wanted and then offset for the mat.

To build the card I started with a white oval and used Tombow Temporary adhesive to attach the clouds and the moon where I wanted them. Then I used the Stampin' Sponge from Stampin' Up! (I cut mine into small wedges so they are more managable) and with Night of Navy added dark blue streaks across the sky,

After that was done I removed the moon mask and sponged it with Crushed Curry. I didn't worry about staying perfectly in the lines, the moon often glows around the edges you know. BWG

Removed the cloud masks and I had my background.

I attached the village with dimensionals, added a couple more individual trees flat behind the image for depth.

I really liked what I saw but felt the sky needed a little something so I took my Zig Squeeze glue pen and added a few dots to the sky and put Dazzling Diamonds glitter on them.

That little bit of extra sparkle really gave me the finished look I wanted. I attached the white oval to Night Of Navy oval mat and the entire art piece to a Whisper White card.

I like it. Hope you do too. Let me know what you think, I love to get comments.

Posted at 10:52 AM in Silhouette Cameo Cards | Permalink | Comments (3)

09/03/2014

Garden Show Wagon

Some of you may know that I am the chair for my Soroptimist club's 17th annual Gala Garden Show. My mind is always on something to do with the show and today was no exception.

Each year we hold a raffle for a garden wagon, a cedar adirondack chair each filled with wonderful items donated by the vendors who attend our show. Everyone is always so excited to try and win.

This year I stepped out of the box just a little bit and instead of obtaining a green garden wagon I bought a red one. So, when I saw this cute little wagon that Mel Haas shared on facebook and her blog today I immediately thought it would make a great centerpiece for our tables at the first meeting next week. You can purchase the svg file for this through her blog.

Now I have a fleet of red wagons, well, really only 8. I made them as large as I could on a 12 x 12 piece of real red cardstock. The signs I created a print and cut and reversed the back side so when glued together they would look good from both sides.

Kind of cute, lots of fun. Now, off to find something to put in them.

Posted at 01:33 AM in 3D Projects, Silhouette Cameo Projects | Permalink | Comments (1)

09/02/2014

How Do You Organize Your Craft Room - Part Four - Tools & Extras

I hope you've been enjoying my series on craft room oranizing and that you've gotten at least one or two ideas that will make your craft area a pleasant and productive place.

You can see Part One, Part Two and Part Three by clicking on the links.

Today I am going to share with you how I organize my tools and other extras that every craft room has.

I have one long cabinet that my dear hubby built for me. It is deep enough to hold the stacking drawers with some space behind them for overflow of stuff I don't need to see but know is there if I need it. The main component of this cabinet are the drawers. I have made labels for all of them and they hold all my specialty media for my Silhouette, the hot glue gun, paint pots, labeling materials, stamp making kit and ribbons. (Ribbon is one thing I really haven't found a solution for storage that I like)

I have another bank of drawers under the right hand side of my work table and the drawers there hold the things I need readily available when I am working like adhesives, my acrylic blocks, brayers, daubers (check out what I do with daubers), paper piercing, masks,

This set of drawers keeps the tools I use most right within reach when I'm working. On the top shelf above the drawers is where my table top cutter and scoring board sit and on the floor underneath is my large cutting mat.

My work table I picked up at IKEA. I love it because it has adjustable legs so I was able to adjust it to fit me perfectly. Of course there seems to never be enough room so my dear hubby built me an extension table, also with adjustable legs, that I could put at the end in the corner. This table holds a lap top computer up on a stand, also built by dear hubby, so I can see it. I use this when I need to be able to see a tutorial on youtube. Below in the space is my radio, mp3 player so I can have music on while I'm working.

You can see how I store my inks and ink pads. The black units are from Porta-ink. Between the two of those are my Blendabilities in a storage container I got from . On top of that sits my blender pens. The link will tell you how I organize them. And next to that my favorite glue, Aleene's Quick Dry Tacky Glue.

I have a carosel from Pampered Chef that holds my aqua painters, scissors, rulers, stylus, bone folder, stampin mist, water mist, stazon cleaner, brushes, craft blades, you know, all those little things that just get jumbled and messed up in a drawer.

I also bought a kcup carosel that works perfectly for holding my embossing powders and glitter containers. I punched out a circle to fit the top of each container, put a dauber circle of versamark in the center and embossed the color on it then added the name so that it is really easy to see the colors. I know I might be a little over the top but these are alphabetical too so I don't have to spin and spin trying to find the right color. Oh, and this does spin too!

On the top the Embossing Buddy sits up there nicely and the little spoons I found on a site selling science stuff work great for scooping and putting the powders exactly where I want them to be and they fit perfect in the little slot on the top of the caddy. I must confess that was an added bonus that I discovered by accident.

I hope you have enjoyed installment #4 of How Do You Organize Your Craft Room. If you have picked up any tips or have any to share please leave me a comment.

Next up, "Finishing Touches" Hope you'll be back!

Posted at 01:16 AM in Tools & Techniques | Permalink | Comments (3)

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