Monday, December 30, 2013

Just A Little Catching Up Post!

Sorry, for not posting in a couple of weeks.  You know how the Holidays can be so hectic.  Well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.   I can't believe there is only ONE day left to 2013.  I just wanted to post some photos of things I made for Christmas...yes I know I'm a little (well...ALOT) late.  What's that saying?...."Better Late than NEVER"


 
 
Cozy Christmas ElementsCozy Christmas Papers 
 
I used the following sets from Peppermint Creative:
The bag cutting file was purchased from the Silhouette online store.
 
 
 
 
This is a gift that I gave to a crafty friend of mine.  Anyone that has a Silhouette machine could use a new cartridge, right?  I nailed it, she loved it.
 
This cute tag was done with the following sets:
 
Jolly Gingerbread Elements
 
I used the gingerbread man that is not decorated.  It's not shown in the picture but it is listed in the kit details here.
 
The background paper is from the new Christmas set, Holiday Hodge Podge digital papers.
 
Holiday Hodge Podge Papers
 
 
 
Close up of the tag.  I added these cute little red jingle bells that I got from Hobby Lobby.
 
 

This cute gift sack was made using those two sets state above.  I made his buttons using the peppermint from the same set.  The gift bag cut file is found at the Silhouette Online store.

 
I also made this really cute card.  I may use this for my card next year, since I didn't get one made this year. 


 
For this little gift box, I used the Candy Cane Christmas digital papers and the Candy Cane digital element pack.
 I got the little box cutting file from the Silhouette Online Store.  It's the perfect size for a nail polish
 
Candy Cane Christmas PapersCandy Cane Christmas Elements
 

 
 
 
 
I made this gift box from a new Christmas from Peppermint Creative called Jolly Holiday
 
Jolly Holiday Elements
 
 
 
 
I made this floating ornament like the ones I posted earlier this month (find them here).  I used the apple from the Peppermint Creative set Little Learner.
 
 Little Learner Kit
 
 
There ya have it. 
Now it's time to scrap all those great Christmas photos so stop by Peppermint Creative to see all the Christmas sets used above and more. 
 

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Christmas Floating Ornament

How to Make a Floating Ornament



 
 

 

Supplies Used:

Dear Santa Element pack
Candy Cane digital paper
Transparency sheets
White vinyl
Silhouette Cameo
Silhouette Studio Designer Edition
Two way glue pen
White glitter
Glass ornament
 
I used Studio Designer Edition and my Silhouette Cameo to make and cut my design, but you can use any photo editing software.

 

Making the Template

Step 1:

 
 
Draw a Circle and a triangle by using the drawing tools on the left side of the page.

 

Step 2:


The dimensions for your circle is 2.520 and the triangle is 1.080 x .665  You can put type the dimensions in by using opening the scale window on the right side of your screen.

 

Step 3:

 

Weld your two shapes together using the welding tool.   Now that you have your template made you can move on to the next steps.

Designing the Inside of the Ornament

 
For this ornament, I used digital kits from Peppermint Creative.  For this one I used
 
Candy Cane Christmas PapersDear Santa Elements 


Step 1:

 
 
For this ornament I used the Santa out of the Dear Santa element pack and paper from the Candy Cane digital paper.  To start, draw another circle the same size as your template and fill it with the Candy Cane graffiti green paper.  Once filled, go to your advance options. 
 

 Step 2:

 
 
To make it look even more dimensional, I changed the transparency of the paper.  After choosing the advanced options, find the transparency bar and slide it to 45%.
 

Step 3:

 
Now open the Dear Santa Element pack and select the Santa.  Resize it to fit into the circle and drag it over the top of the paper.

Printing the Ornament

 

One of the neat things about the Silhouette Cameo is that it has a "Print and Cut" feature.  To do this your have a couple of steps you need to follow.

 

Step 1:



The first thing to do is to pick the size of your paper.  My printer only prints up to a 8 1/2 x 11, so I choose the letter option.
 
 

Step 2:



To be able to cut after printing you have to turn the registration marks on.  

 

Step 3:

 
 
The transparency sheets are very expensive, so I made sure to fill the page before I hit the print button.

 
You can see here what the transparency looks like after printing.  I laid half of it on a white sheet so you can see the difference.
 

Cutting out the Ornament

 

If you aren't using a cutting machine, you can stop here and simply print your image and use a pair of scissors to do your cutting  (you don't have to have a cutting machine to make these ornaments).

Step 1:

 

 
Now you will choose the Cut Setting Options.  Here is where you will choose the speed, thickness and blade setting.   I chose a speed of 3, thickness of 33 and set the blade at 6.   Sometimes this is where you have to play around with the cut settings because materials differ in thickness and textures.  

Make sure to manually change your blade setting.  I have changed it on the screen but forgot to change it manually and had to go back and cut it again.

Step 2: 

 
After printing you will put the sheet on your cutting mat.  Because the sheets are transparent you will have to put a small piece of paper behind the registration marks so that the machine can read them.  I got this tip from The Silhouette Challenge group.  I don't remember who suggested it, but it does work.  Thanks so much for the tip.
 
 

 
Here is what it looks like after it is cut.

 

Step 3:


 
You will cut an additional template out in white vinyl.  This is so that your image will show up.  Be sure to change your cut settings for vinyl.  Also manually change your blade.

 

Step 4:

 
 
Apply the vinyl cut out to the printed acetate sheet.  To do this, I laid the vinyl down with sticky side up.  I then started at one end matching it up and sticking it down.  You may have another way that works for you, but I have found this way to work best for me.

Embellishing

 

Step 1:


 
Use your glue pen on the beard, hat and cuff parts. 

Step 2:

Add the glitter. 
 
 
Tap off excess.

 

Assembling

 

Step 1:

 
 
Now just roll the insert up.

 

Step 2:

 
 
Take the top off the ornament, put the insert in and put top back on and your finished.
If you need to straighten your image up a bit after it unrolls, simply use a pair of tweezers.


There you have it!!  Isn't it cute?  The possibilities are endless. 
I made a bunch for Christmas gifts for Family and friends in Louisiana.  They were a hit!! 

 

Extra steps:

You can cut ribbon and add to the top of your ornament.  I was putting pieces of ribbon through the small hole at the top and it kept popping of the ornament.  I read on one of the Facebook groups to take a piece of floss and tie your ribbons to it and then thread through the hole at the top of the ornament.  I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds a heck of a lot easier. 

You can also cut vinyl and put on the front of the ornament to make it bit more personal.

 

Thanks for stopping by my crafting space!!

 

Hope everyone has a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

 

 

 

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Ornament Gift Card Holder

Boy is it cold outside.  No going out for me, so I was able to work on several projects today.  Yeehaw!    Here is one that I did, a Christmas gift card holder. 


 
Altered a cutting file from the Silhouette Online store and the Candy Cane Christmas Elements pack from Peppermint Creative.
 
 
 
Candy Cane Christmas Elements
 
Thanks for stopping by my crafty space!  Have a great weekend.


Friday, December 6, 2013

It's Christmas time!!!

I can hardly believe it's Christmas time again!!  It's my favorite time of year.  I have a lot to be Thankful for, my husband, my children, my friends and family, my home, my pets, but MOST of all for our Saviour Jesus Christ.  With all the hustle and bustle of giving and getting, we often lose the true meaning of Christmas, which is Christ. 

I have been out of pocket for a while.  Life sometimes has different plans than we do.  I'm going to try to catch up a little and share some Christmas projects I've been working on.

Today I want to share these cute "floating" ornaments I made.   I first seen this idea at The Sewer, The Caker, The Copycat Maker.  The possibilities are endless.  We recently took a trip to see my family in Louisiana.  I made several for family and friends there.   I have a picture posted at the bottom of this post.  It's not a great one, but you can see the idea.  I do have a tutorial in the works and will post it as soon as I finish.  I really wanted to share these before it's done though. 

 
 
 
Candy Cane Christmas Papers
 
Supplies:
Candy Cane Digital Papers
Dear Santa Elements
Projector sheets
glass bulbs
assorted ribbons
printer
Silhouette Cameo with Silhouette Studio Designer Edition software
 
 
 
Used the "print and cut" feature.
 
 
 
Hope you enjoy and hope everyone is having fun getting ready for Christmas.  I plan to work on Christmas gifts this weekend.  Wish me luck!!