Christmas in July at the Cutting Cafe

This week's post for the Cutting Café was a dose of Christmas in July.  I love the  Christmas Card Fun Set Regina came up with for they go together quick and easy and yet, still have a simple elegance to them.  I am a firm believer in simple is sometimes perfect.  The design stands out better that way. This is one I made from the set.  More will come as the season approaches I am sure.



I used my Silhouette and an Echo Park Christmas digital paper to make the two parts to this card. Added a little bling and ribbon with  pen dot corners on opposite ends for oomph.  Head over to the blog to see all of the fun designs the team used.

Stuck on U Sketches Die Cut Challenge: Disney

Stuck on U Sketches has a very fun die cut challenge this week.  The theme is Disney using any character, story, theme, etc.  I do not own a disney cartridge except for Cars and wanted to use my personal favorite Mickey.  (It used to be Donald Duck, but I got over my anger issues. :) So this was a real challenge for me.  I learned something new.

 

 

I went to You Tube to see if I could learn how to take a plain digital jpeg file and make it into a die cut.  I found this great video that taught me how to do it.  I bought some digital papers with a Disney theme from The Bright Side on Etsy and printed them in 8.5 x 11 so I could make a card.  I then used the Silhouette to print and cut the polka dot notebook edge journal spot and its border in white.  The Birthday Boy Banner was from the Birthday Banner set from Silhouette. I backed it with white cardstock so it would stand out more.  Our grandson is turning three this year so I die cut a three on my silhouette and placed it in Mickey's hands.  I am so glad I learned how to do this.  This skill will come in handing when using graphic images for cards and layouts.  Check the video out to see how easy it is to do.



Cutting Cafe: Nail Polish Gift Set

Boy was this week's project a fun one.  How cute is this?!!!!  

Regina, of the Cutting Café, developed a gift set for manicure items.  I had so much fun putting this together, I think my friends will be getting nail polish for Christmas... lol.  There is a little treat box that would make a great favor and a gift box that goes together like a dream!  I will need to buy some more nail files today!  This one has had it.  But I wanted to show you that she even provided slots in the  back of the box to put one in.  Regina just thinks of everything.

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I used the Maggie Holmes digital paper line and my Silhouette SD to make this.  With Regina, you don't have to resize or downsize.  I LOVE her products. I just took a strip of paper and folded it to make the rosette. No tools needed.  The set came with the heart I put in the middle.  I love how it matches the heart on the gift box to pull the set together.  Head over to the Café blog to see what the other designers come up with.  They rock!

The Cutting Cafe Inspiration: Large Treat Bag

Hello to all!

This week's inspiration from The Cutting Café came from the Large Treat Bag.  This bag is normal size where you could fit a shirt, hand towels or anything around that size. 



I had a lot of fun making this for I wanted to use some of my graphic paper designs that I got on the Silhouette site.  I believe Glitz Design made the birdcage paper.  The file gives you side pieces where you can actually mix up the papers. I LOVED that and took advantage of it by using a green damask print.  I wrapped the bag with Seam Binding.  I love that satiny look it has.  I then glued a prima flower in the middle of the bow.  The fringe in the file really adds to the sturdiness of the bag, so I punched holes at the top for the binding and finally found the perfect use for the brown tri tone wire ribbon I bought at Micheal's some time ago for a $1.  Head over to the Café to see what the awesome designers have done with this file.  It really lend an arm for creativity with its parts.  It even comes with special sentiments that can be printed or die cut.   I can't wait to use it at Christmas! 

Stuck on U Die Cut Challenge: Flourish

I was really exicted when I saw this challenge. Flourish is the perfect element to add something to a page.  It can offer sophistication or whimsy as it does on this layout.  This photo of my friend and her daughter was on facebook. I knew I had to scrap it when I saw it. They were offering kisses to the camera.    It was just too cute and girly.  I will use every opportunity I can to use pink papers. 

I first doctored the photo using the Bold Tea action in Photoshop Elements. I got that at Two Peas in a Bucket.  I sewed and turned up the frame around the photo using the technique of Wilna at Two Peas.  (Love that website).  I got the paper at Michaels in a recollections paper pad.  I later learned that it is the same designs that are in Amy Tangerine's Sketch collection.  Who knew?!!  The blue flower added a complete contrast as it is none of the other paper or elements, but is in the shirt my girlfriends is wearing.  It is the pop element I added to the page to give it more interest.  The flourshes were cut from Silhouette designs. I left some of the cut out pieces in to provide more of a base for the gems.  The bling crown was from a bling page I bought at CKC in Charlotte a few years ago.  I love how you can use them whole or take them out individually which I have done when in a pinch for crystal bling before.   The camera was printed and handcut using Amy Tangerine's elements found at AC Digitals.  I have learned how to import those into Silhouette so I no longer will have to hand cut them.  I tucked a doily behind the matting to give the page a little more dimension and to make it more girly.  The tag was made using Memory Makers Tag Maker and more of the patterned paper.  I love those metal rims and have forgotten to use them.  It is good to go through your stash every now and then.

Cutting Cafe File: Dresser

Regina Easter of The Cutting Café has outdone herself again.  She came up with this dresser file.  I just love it!  I placed dividers in the drawers and am going to use it for my sewing feet, which are piling up on me.  This way I can label the bottom of each section and know what "that thing" does.  Her timing was good as I am trying to reorg my craft room. Thanks Regina!

 

I imported Crate Paper's Farm House Collection into my Silhouette and cut the drawer and side covers in that, minimizing the scale so the flowers were tiny.  I used heavy duty "Red Tape" to piece it together as I intend on using it. I also doubled up on the drawer covers, both inside and out to give them more sturdiness.  I needed more than three drawers that come with the file, so I doubled up the project and glued them together.   I probably could have done 9 to accommodate growth.  I am thrilled to have this for I had no idea what to do with those awkward, different sized and, small feet, so this worked out perfectly.  The size of each drawer is around 4 x3x 3 so you have a lot more room than you think you will. The beauty of this is that I could still get this storage real estate using just my Silhouette SD.  I love how Regina keeps us SD users in mind.  Check out the design and see if you don't come up with great ideas too!