Happy Mother’s Day Card (die cut tea cup)

My mom has kept and treasured the handmade cards I crafted for her as a child. There’s no better #1 fan than the person who has reassured my fears and advised me to do what made me happy.

I tend to be very structured in my designs, even though I have always admired more free flowing pieces. So I’m trying to push beyond my comfort zones and this is my first experiment.

I sketched my ideas, imagining how the layers of colors will come together. Stardream and Daiso paper is wonderful to cut even with a dullish blade and somewhat fine lines, because there aren’t any residual fibers of paper sticking out in tight corners.

It’s amazing how an idea can end up being so much more labor intensive than I imagined. The finer lines makes a smaller area for gluing, so the flowers simply take more time to secure. The graphic designer in me wants to simply print the color, even though I enjoy the look of layered paper. However, I can’t dispute how well it looks overall when it matches the teacup perfectly.

I’m still working out the kinks on my 3D teacup, but I like how it comes off the page. I wanted to make the “tea” shiny and wet looking so thought of using some glitter nail polish.

3D Coffee Cake Birthday Card

This was a par-boiled idea, but I was making espresso the other day and realized the grounds are quite fine, so of course I thought of flocking. I have a birthday for a guy coming up and he loves coffee (it’s not as easy for me to make cards for guys for some reason). I thought of making a coffee cake and covering my cake with grounds, then topping it with real whole coffee beans.

I tried using double sided tape, but the grounds (unused) wouldn’t stay on. The glue holds an amazingly thick layer of grounds when I did a test. So I put down light blue vinyl on the cake where I didn’t want coffee. Unfortunately the glue stayed on the vinyl too. So I had to apply the glue carefully before dousing with grounds. It’s a good thing I used brown paper so any bare patches blend in.

 

Now that it’s done, it makes me think of a chocolate mocha cake – plus it’s like scratch and sniff sticker, except no scratching is needed!

DIY Flocking

I’ve been seeing flocking all over the stores (and some ingeniously decorated nails). It’s kind of like colored, fluffy, cotton candy, but in teeny pieces. I didn’t want to buy more things, so my first thought was can I make my own? Yes I can!

I borrowed the microfine shredder from the kitchen, wadded up some paper scraps from Daiso, and shredded away. In case I didn’t cover everything, I used the same color yellow as a backing, covered it in glue and dipped into my paper flocking (tweezers are helpful!). Then I glued it to my daisy flower, which then decorated my 3D cakes.

3D Cake – Daisy Birthday Card

Ever get those birthday cakes topped with plastic signage? I kind of wanted to replicate that for this birthday girl’s card. I stacked the words 4 times out of card stock to make my own chipboard, just like I did for the LOVE sculpture. This time I made the top layer out of a lighter green so when it’s viewed from the side, it gives another dimension – just a little something different. I stuck foam squares near the top so they stick up, then glued the bottom part behind the daisies.

Her fave color is yellow and since my original cake was too short to let me go nuts on the decorating,  I made it twice as tall. I always place my elements on my card to assess the spacing before gluing permanently. Although I thought everything was well placed, it ended up being lower than I intended when I stood back. So I added the fireworks I used on my Mickey Mouse project to fill the top. I feel like I overdid that too, but ah well, I’ll live.

PS, here’s a teaser image for my next post, where I’ll explain how I made the stamens in the middle – yes, it’s paper!

Shaping Die Punch Flowers

Before buying my Silhouette SD digital die cutter, I bought die punches like these. I toyed with giving them away, but now I’m really happy I didn’t.

I shudder to waste paper scraps and want to use every inch of it before tossing it out (see my post on How to Use up Scrap paper). Using these die punches was easier and faster than trying to register the exact placement needed on my Silhouette. However, I still used the Silhouette to cut my cherry blossoms (middle punch) because I wanted the cup the petals more readily.

Top left: If using a cherry blossom die punch, snip in between the petals to make them easier for cupping.

Top right: This blossom is cut from my die cutter – see the deeper gaps between petals? I used a burnisher and rubbed the petals against a mouse pad. For those who have a digital die cutter, here is the cherry blossom I made in SVG and DXF or PDF format.

Bottom left: Continue rubbing into the center to make a small bud.

Bottom right: If you want the blossom to stay open, flip it over and poke a smaller burnisher into the middle, then add dots with a felt marker to represent the stamens.

I then used them to decorate this 3D cake card.

3D Cake Card with Punched Flowers

My sister in law is always well-dressed, so put together. She is feminine without being girly. I  wanted to give her a 3D birthday cake card that expressed that (I hadn’t chosen my greeting yet when I took this photo).

I had so much fun making these flowers after being inspired by Michelle‘s version. After stepping back I worried I had gone too far and overdid it, but I think I’m just not used to so much adornment, being a tomboy at heart.

I cut some 1/8″ quilling strips in half which made them more pliable as I decorated the cake. This let me strew blossoms in a more random way. I used a white felt marker to dot some stamens in the middle of the blossoms.

I dipped the blossoms into Aleene’s Tacky Glue and they held fast when applied to the cake. I didn’t have to sit there and wait around. I’ll be showing how I shaped the blossoms in a following post soon.

3D Cake Card by Stephanie Elliott

This is a card made by Stephanie Elliott, who customized my 3D Cake Collection. I love how she customized it with dripping icing and then topped it off with glistening glitter. Here’s how she did it:

I love microfine glitter so I layered cardstock with double sided adhesive, stacked the icing designs on the cake, and sent it through the cutter twice – once to cut the design from the adhesive liner, the second time to actually cut the parts from the card stock. The design cut beautifully and, after coloring the icing & cake parts with glitter, assembly was easy (with your great instructions). I used the double sided adhesive only because I wanted to color by selection with glitter. Using that adhesive, though, proved to be incredibly useful in assembly. I completed one card and constructed the box (which is great, by the way). I love how everything turned out.

I cut all of the parts for the first card on a Black Cat Cougar. I cut all of the parts for this last card on a Cameo (can’t let either cutter feel left out). This card is a top fold card with accordion pockets on the inside. There are note cards in each pocket. Again, thank you so much for designing such a wonderful set. I’m already thinking of a dozen events for which your design will be perfect.

OK, so I admit to being just a tad OCD and the way Stephanie has opened up those pockets to show the accordion file holding note cards makes me itch to make something just as organized. However if I were the recipient of this wonderfully coordinated card, I couldn’t bear to use them!

When I asked her about the differences between cutting machines she’s used, Stephanie went into great detail, describing their fine points and sharing her knowledge. She has been tempted to start a blog to share tutorials and files, but I think she’s busy creating gifts to be cherished. She very kindly let me show her work here, and I hope you’ll leave a comment for her to read – and hopefully she’ll start her blog to share more of her projects! Thank you, Stephanie!

3D Cake by Michelle and Kelly

I simply love seeing my designs come to life in another person’s hands. It’s wonderful to see the same cut file used in different colors and texture than I imagined.

The first card is made by Michelle of Michelle My Belle Creations. It seems so obvious now that the flowers she used was such an ideal choice. I also like the bling she added using sequins in the upper parts of the swoosh.

The second card is by Krafting Kelly of Finding Time to Create. Ah, these are the times I wish I had a ready supply of scrapbook paper in my shelf. I love how she placed the initial right on top of the cake – like one of those special candles. Again – why didn’t I think of that?

Thank you for playing with my files, Michelle and Kelly!

3D Cake Collection

I’m quite excited to offer these 3D paper cakes, easily customizable for a birthday, wedding, or anniversary in my Etsy store.

Here’s an example of a single layer chocolate cake with white circles icing (I used white vinyl). I’ve seen many examples of polka dotted icing on cakes, and thought it would great to have a matching background.

Add a second layer of cake on top and some swooshes to make a classic celebratory statement. I designed a subtle backdrop pattern made of diamonds and left a blank plaque above for whatever occasion you need.

My favorite has to be the 3-tier cake. Somehow the more tiers it has, the more fun it is. I decorated it with ribbon and matched the background using a scalloped edge. The chocolate shavings on top were made of quilling paper, but you can just as easily use any brown paper with 1/8″ width.

What cake would be complete without a cake box? I used some scrap plastic left over from some packaging and glued it with Scotch Quick Dry glue. I also added some easy-open tabs so you won’t have to struggle prying open a well-fitted box. All the cards are 5×7 inches.

Michelle of MichelleMyBelle Creations made an awesome purple cake with flowers, sequins, and textured backgrounds. I like how she added a bow to the stand which makes it more dimensional.

Please let me know what you think in the comments section!

Happy birthday 3D paper cake

Wishing our niece a happy birthday with a bubbly cake. She was into pink for years and now that she’s on the brink of becoming a teenager, I thought I’d give one last shout-out to pinkness. Somehow the years of coloring with her made me really aware how well pink and purple go so well together.

The purple confetti and curls on top were made of quilling paper. The text is cut from vinyl. Everything else was cut with my Silhouette die cutter. I designed the 3D cake pattern months ago but got sidelined with a huge project, so I’m relieved to finally re-visit this in time to use it myself.

Quilled Thank You Cards (8 of 8)

Yet another variation of the first card, just a different mix of colors and layout. Thanks to all who have been tracking this set of 8 cards.

The blank greeting card stock I’m using is Neenah Classic Linen Cover, Solar White, 80 lb. It’s A6 size (4 5/8″ x 6 1/4″). Can you believe I scored a box of 250 for just $5 from Spicers Cash & Carry? They were being discontinued, so of course I bought all 5 boxes for easy Christmas gifts. I love how the embossed rectangle subtly frames everything.

I’d like to thank my client, “C”, who kept me in her back pocket for a whole year, waiting for this project to come along to contact me. It’s been a dream come true! I am allowed to reveal it tomorrow, and if you live in Vancouver or Toronto, you’ll can see it in the Ming Po or Sing Tao Chinese newspapers too.

Quilled Thank You Cards (7 of 8)

I was running out of left over bits, so this one was a bit of a struggle. Not my fave, but it still runs along the same vein as the rest.

It’s an amazing time we live in when I can “show and tell” online and within seconds, my thoughts are read halfway around the world. Without the web and its crafting community, I wouldn’t have had the exposure I’ve had. I’m thankful for the opportunities that have been handed to me on a silver platter.

Quilled Thank You Cards (6 of 8)

I never realized how fun it would be to do abstract quilling until I had to use up my leftover pieces. It’s amazing to me how little can still say so much. Since these were made with thicker strips I didn’t want to mix it up with my regular pile of quilling pieces in progress, which I keep in a fishing tackle box – just $6 at Canadian Tire and comes with re-positionable compartment walls.

My thanks this time goes out to all of you who comment on and follow this blog. Your positive words encourage me to work through my doubts and give me a pick-me-up. I appreciate your visits and the time you take to let me know your thoughts. Thank you all!

Quilled Thank You Cards (5 of 8)

Another variation of Card 1 and 3, but with a softer color palette and smaller scale of petals.

These quilling strips were cut on my Silhouette die cutter out of Canson Mi-Tientes. I chose this paper because the thicker qualities allowed me to carry the curves over a longer distance with more control. I find standard quilling paper to be rather thin, more suited to smaller designs. I learned cutting with/against the grain had an impact on the innermost coil, causing either buckling vs a smooth tight line. I suggest cutting one strip and testing it first before cutting the entire sheet.

A quick thank you to hubby for wrapping all the xmas gifts this year, leaving me free to focus on finishing my project on time. It’s not his forté, but he took it on without hesitation.

 

Quilled Thank You Cards (4 of 8)

These two particular shades of orange and green remind me of cantaloupe and honeydew – they just go together.

The project I’ll be showing soon had to be completed during the holidays, from the moment I got off work on Dec 21st and due on the 27th. Usually hubby and I would do our holiday baking together in choreographed synchronicity in our compact kitchen – this time he did almost all of it himself and with a huge variety as well. Although it was nice not to be covered in flour, I’m looking forward to next year’s bake-fest when we can just orbit each other again. Thanks honey, for taking this huge task off my “plate”.

Quilled Thank You Cards (2 of 8)

Here’s my 2nd thank you card made from leftover quilled items from the project-yet-to-be-named. Ever feel that zipped mouth feeling playing Taboo when you can’t say the actual words?

I’d like to thank my hubby for driving me to 3 different store chains, 4 separate nights, to pick up 23 shades/sizes of paper for this 1 project…and for listening to countless hours of debates on color usage, composition, drawing style and my self doubts of ability to do this in general.

A sneak peak can be seen in today’s SingTao & MingPao in Vancouver and Toronto. They’re Chinese newspapers, so that should give you a hint which direction I’m going in!

Quilled Thank You Cards (1 of 8)

I hope everyone’s new year has had an auspicious start. I’ve been sitting on some wonderful news since mid-December that I’m still not allowed to share for yet another few weeks. So until then I’m just going to leak out a few items so I don’t burst. These are quilled items I couldn’t use in the final design, so made them into Thank You cards. I’ll be posting more in the month to come, until I can finally reveal the full design.

I’d like to thank my hubby for letting me peruse the aisles of Daiso, an Asian version of a dollar store, for an hour and a half. His patience has no bounds – even though I test those bounds often. Anyway, here’s a little gem I found that was perfect for my cards to make a floating message. Pre-cut foam squares (336 small and 84 large) for just $2.

Fringed Flowers for Quilling

Last year I created a letter E monogram for a dear friend. After all the positive feedback, I’m pleased to offer it on my Etsy store. This is a combination of my top two paper passions – quilling and die cutting, my worlds colliding.

The flowers blossom at varying stages just by the way you curve the paper petals. The colors shown here are done by hand using alcohol-based markers. The stamen, petals, and leaves are designed as one strip to allow for quick rolling / quilling.

Fringed quilling strips have traditionally been limited to 90˚ or 45˚ cuts, but with a digital die cutter, the sky is the limit. This collection of 4 flowers with rounded petals are combined with a scalloped edge heart tray to hold your bouquet. They are ideal for card making, gift wrapping, or decorating custom monograms or letters.

Quilling Flower Pattern Update

3 years ago I offered my open style quilling flower patterns. I’ve wanted to update this tutorial for quite some time and have finally been able to finish this project. What’s new? Double petals, stamens, larger and smaller flowers, 8 petal flowers, and a super easy-peasy guide for measuring each strip. For those who dislike reading manuals, there are more step-by-step photos to show each stage. The new quilling tutorial/pattern will still be $5. All 2012 purchasers will receive the new pattern free. Clients up to Dec 31, 2011 will be emailed a coupon code for a 50% discount.

I’ve had such positive response over my previous “heart full o flowers” that I chose to do it again, but bigger to show off all the flower types. I used 2 strips of 11″ Bazzil scrapbook paper because it’s thick – I prefer to have a stronger “fence” as I filled in the elements. Here are some stages as I went along. I started at the bottom and just nestled some next to one another, seeing what fit in terms of size, color, and style. Loose scrolls would be added after to fill in some blank areas too small for flowers. The final size is about 5″ x 6″.

My previous PDF pattern included 5 card designs to be used as backgrounds and 1 envelope. I’ve decided to offer these printables for free on my blog. Download here. Your feedback keeps me going – thank you!

DIY Custom Chipboard Letters

I’ve heard of scrapbooks that rival the thickness of a New York hoagie. Perhaps it’s because sandwiched in all the layers are dimensional chipboard letters lovingly decorated for each page; but what if you want your font, or your size, or your whatever?

 

I made this chipboard version of the famous LOVE sculpture, designed by Robert Indiana. After cutting out the paper on my Silhouette, I glued 8 layers of 80lb cover weight card stock together (6 white pieces sandwiched in between 2 red ones). It makes an intriguingly subtle effect when glued on cream stock because the white seems to have life of its own. Pinning in strategic corners onto corrugated cardboard allows you to keep them in register as you race before the glue dries.

Quilled Butterfly Keepsake Box / Card / Gift Tag

 

Found this keepsake box at Daiso for $2. It’s covered with a diamond patterned paper.

The embossing is subtle enough to accept quilling pieces easily.

Strathmore blank cards are my favorite type to glue finished quilled pieces on because I like the contrast of having a textured paper as my background. The deckled edge also gives it a handmade quality versus having the typical straight cut.

 The free background on this gift tag came from Shabby Princess, Spring Breeze theme. The font is called Fling. After hole punching the tag, I threaded the two ends of a tied bow through, which allows the bow to sit front and center and the ends are free to be tied any which way behind.

A huge thank you to Nancy Babb for helping me edit my latest butterfly quilling tutorial PDF. Having her insight made the “how to” instructions easier to follow.

I thank everyone for their input and helping me improve. Your comments on this blog encourage me to keep doing what I love.

Transformer Birthday Card (Vinyl)

My most complicated die cut vinyl card to date – 5 colors and tiny details that added up to a card I hope my 11 yr old neffy-poo will remember. I got the vector file at Vector Junky but some of the details were so fine I had to open up the areas, as it kept getting caught in my blade.

Birthday Cards in Vinyl

Saving these scraps of vinyl from the landfill gives me a total thrill because something so nice can be made from nothingness – kind of like a MacGyverism. Still learning which fine lines don’t cut well on vinyl. I was shocked brushed metal (kind of like heavy duty aluminum foil sticker material) is offered in vinyl and couldn’t wait to use it on the blue card – it just made it!

I used Adobe Illustrator to layout the elements, and Sillhouette/Craft Robo to cut vinyl, then manually aligned as straight as possible. The vector illustrations are free and found via these links: Lovely Flowers / Happy Space Pack

Baby Shower Card: Spit Happens

It sure looks easy when it’s all done, even to me. So let me record here the behind-the-scenes moments. I first worked on the bib. There is the actual cutting line, the stitching line, and the button hole. Each had to be on their own layer in Adobe Illustrator and their own settings (solid vs dotted, ink pen vs blade). Since the dotted stitching line is not the same size as the cutting line, it off-shifted the result on my first trial. Let’s just say, 4 attempts later, I succeeded.

Let me digress for just a moment. One attempt failed because my die cutter mat was losing it’s tackiness. I had been using a 20 year old roll of airbrushing frisket to gain back some adhesion (I rolled the frisket with sticky side up onto my mat and after peeling wax had a new clean surface), but it sometimes got cut through so it got caught up in the roller and my paper moved, hence attempt #4. I found another method online using Zig 2-way glue (blue when wet = permanent bond, clear when dry = temporary bond). It’s not bad but I find some residue comes off the mat and sticks to my papers.

The text was easy out of vinyl. Each part of the duck was a separate file and pass because they are all different colors of paper, even the wing and body. The orange was so thick it would not cut through even after 8 passes, so I finished cutting by hand. I cut the pupil from the same blue vinyl as text, but it was so small, I thought it didn’t even get cut. Let’s just say, my dreams of making cards to sell and getting rich quick is evaporating with the alarm clock chime – I think I’ll go blind first – but it was certainly worth doing for our new little nephew 🙂

Birthday Card in Die Cut Vinyl

Fell in love with this birthday design sold on the Silhouette Die Cut store – it inspired me to make a similar one for my nephew who just turned 8. I’m lucky enough to know someone who gives me vinyl scraps from their sign shop, destined for the landfill. Too small for commercial work, these scraps are the perfect size for cards. Each empty space is a piece of vinyl that must be “weeded” out by hand – something infinitely more challenging to do when it’s small text. It’s such a thrilling feeling when they say “You made this? I thought you bought it.”