Kitty Cat Silhouette Christmas Card

I’ve been meaning to upload a few last minute christmas cards that you could whip up really quickly. If you’re anything like me, you’ll likely be trying to pump these out the night before you meet your loved ones and friends so burning the midnight oil well into the night isn’t ideal. But not to worry this next card is so simple to complete, it is literally just choosing a design, some pasting work, add a little bling and you’re done!

For this project I used my silhouette studio with the following design from the design studio: Cats on stack of presents.

I cut it out on shimmery black cardstock to give it some vibrancy for the holiday season. Likewise my scalloped border was punched out using the same shimmery cardstock.

Then I selected a festive background from my stash of Christmas papers and applied the cat silhouette on top and scalloped border on the back. I then wrapped the piece in pink baker’s twine.

Afterwards, I stamped merry christmas with one of my hero arts christmas stamps using clear versamark and heat embossed with fine silver powder. I adhered this sentiment on a back piece of silver cardstock and then used foam dots to apply the sentiment on top of the baker’s twine.

Finally, I applied the whole piece to a 4.5×5 inch cream card using double sided tape.

This card was so simple and easy to make using my Silhouette Cameo and quite frankly a lot of fun since I love cats. I had a great time being able to incorporate some of my favorite pets in a craft project.

But if you don’t like cats or you don’t have this particular sihouette cut out on hand, essentially any silhouette shape can work with a patterned background. Then a sentiment placed on top using foam dots to make it more 3D.

Have fun making this card, it’s great as a last minute card creation!

Scary Halloween Invite beckons my ghoulish presence

My BFF, Alice, who’s also an avid scrapper, sent me this gorgeous scary invitation to a halloween party. I was so pleased and amazed at the detail and work she put into it that I just had to showcase it here and show everyone else.

She picked up all the supplies from Michaels. Using a stamp with diamonds she made the background of the envelope and then embossed it. The invitation itself was stamped with different colours and then also embossed.

She even made a few red paint splatters on the front of the envelope to make it look like someone’s blood spilled on it while she was busy working away. Very creepy indeed…I love it!

Graphic Tees using my Silhouette Cameo!

A few weeks ago, my boyfriend and I celebrated our anniversary and being the nerdy scientist I am, I decided to make us some couple T shirts with a video game theme.

So I hopped over to Michaels to pick up a box of white heat transfer material and picked a few simple cotton tees from Joe Fresh at superstore.

I found this really fabulous idea from Matt Allison’s blog for couples tees where one wears pacman and the other wears ghost! I couldn’t use the template that’s on his site but I did find some similar images which I imported into silhouette studio. There are lots of tutorials on youtube which show how to do this. Here’s one from Kristina Werner from KWerner designs.

After cutting out the heat transfer material, I eyeballed where the designs should go and ironed these babies on! Initially I had a really tough time trying to iron the cut outs. The box says to use a piece of cotton over top but scrapbook bloggers online suggest using a thin heat proof material like the liners that you use to cover the bottom of your oven. Alternatively you can also use the Ranger nonstick mat.

A neat trick if you want to save a few bucks is just go to a hardware/department store and pick up a sheet of oven liner. It’s essentially the same thing as a the much more expensive Ranger non stick mat.

Here are the T-shirts I made:

I just love how these Tshirts turned out! They’re so vintage and simple! I loved the white on black because that’s how the video games used to be, just white characters on a black screen and this totally embraces that era.

Soon after, a few of my friends were having birthdays and I thought it would be totally fun and personal to gift them a graphic tee. These were my friends from highschool, then university and everyone’s moved onto bigger and better things. But being science majors we all still have a bit of nerdy inside of us.

So I made them these:

This T shirt features the elements oxygen and magnesium off the periodic table.

And my other friend loves playing video games, we used to play our Nintendo DS together during breaks from class and her favourite game was super mario world!

So I thought this 1 up mushroom tee was super suitable for her:

 

I loved it so much I couldn’t help but try it on hahahahaha

Ignore the weird light spot on my nose…THIS IS NOT A NOSESTRIP hahaha

I’m so excited about exploring the possibilities and combining different colours and more elaborate patterns! So look forward to my next creations!

 

Hacks for the Silhouette PixScan – creative ways to use it!

Silhouette PixScan

As most people who own a Silhouette Cameo or Portrait already know, Silhouette America just came out with a new addition to their versatile cutting systems: the PixScan.

Honestly I’m surprised that this iconic machine didn’t come pre-built with the PixScan technology. But being the crowd-following individual I sadly am, I never questioned why it never existed even though I have, countless times over, tossed an idea in the trash because this technology wasn’t available in my moment of need. Therefore I am experiencing that sensation when you discover a new paper pad or Martha punch and you feel and overwhelming urge to just have that item in your possession. Yes, this is exactly how I feel about the PixScan mat.

So you might be wondering…what has gotten this crazy girl all obsessive about?

Well there are plenty of resources out there such as this fine blog which outlines the basic requirements for a Silhouette user (or non-Silhouette user if you so unfortunately happen to be one). Or check out the video from the Silhouette America website:

In short, it’s a sticky PixScan mat with registration marks already on it, you put your desired material/picture on it and then take a photo or scan it. Transfer the image file to your computer and import the image using the Silhouette studio 3.1 or higher software. The Software automatically detects the registration marks and makes a virtual flattened image of your picture (adjusting for angles, lopsidedness, overall shaky photography skills) at which point you can then proceed to create masks, outlines, shapes of every size, etc. etc. etc. to cut out of your material already tacked on to the PixScan mat. Just don’t readjust your picture or you’ll have to start all over again…

So why I’m excited about it…but first a little background on my experiences with cutting images out of paper…

It takes me forever to fussy cut a stamped image and I have never been able to master the detailed precision cutting that only my cameo could manage. And being the perfectionist I am, it is often frustrating when I can’t achieve the perfect cut of nice image from pretty printed papers. I always envied the crafty ladies who could cut such beautiful figures from their G45 papers or delicate flowers and whimsical animals off of a thin magazine page.

I remember one time when I was making a birthday card for my BFF and I had stamped a Tim Holtz’s stamp of a bird…I spent nearly an hour cutting out my stamped image…those little tiny legs and delicate feathers. Using a combination of scissors, xacto knife, sweat and blood, I finally managed to pry the wretched thing away from the cardstock. At any point during that one gruelling hour, I would have done anything for the PixScan technology…

Okay, so why I’m REALLY excited about the PixScan for the Silhouette:

1. cutting out stamped images

Instructions: Stamp an image using preferably medium to dark ink. Use PixScan as demonstrated above. Cut. Apply as desired.

You can probably use lighter inks as well but if you wanted to create a mask over your image to make an outline around it and cut around your irregular shape as close as possible (like print and cut), the software may not be able to pick up inks that are too light (like yellow).

You might be wondering now, how to cut around an image of choice (ie. print and cut)? Look at this video from UnderACherryTree.

I always admire the stamp and die sets that you can purchase from places like Simon Says Stamp and more recently at my local Michaels store. That is until you look at the astounding price tag and have a heart attack. Such a tiny stamp…with such a tiny die…for 50 dollars??? I could eat out for lunch and buy groceries for a week with 50 dollars! However cute the projects you could create with such a set, the notion of using one of these stamp/die sets is exactly that…a notion. It’s not easy being a student with an expensive hobby…that’s why I always have to be careful of how I spend my money. Which brings me to my next point:

2. It’s economical.

Instructions: buy a PixScan mat. And a Silhouette cutting machine if you don’t already own one.

Martha Stewart makes these little stamp and punch tools where you stamp an image and cut around the shape precisely. However they’ll run you for about $25 bucks a piece. As mentioned earlier, the die and stamp sets go anywhere from 20 dollars to 50 dollars.

The PixScan mat is 14.99 USD. almost half the price of other stamp/die sets. Buy it here.

However the Silhouette Cameo is $270 at Michaels.For a cheaper option, consider the Silhouette portrait which goes for $129 when it’s on sale. Check Amazon, they usually have good deals.

3. The possibilities are endless.

Instructions: Select ANY cute image for a project. Now use the PixScan to cut it out. Apply as desired.

You aren’t limited to just one image or just one shape to cut or just one type of material. You can try so many different things!

If you had a piece of patterned paper with say…many different stars of different sizes. You find that you don’t have the right paper punch and you need to cut out 2 dozen for cupcake toppers. This would take forever cutting out by hand…No problem, just send them through the PIxScan. Done in likely 5-10 mins.

4. Sketch precisely at any desired location on your patterned paper.

Instructions: Use Pixscan with desired paper. Sketch in appropriate location on paper.

I don’t know why Silhouette never really showcases their sketch feature but it’s actually quite capable of many different things. I have to say at this point, I do not know whether or not the software allows you to use the sketch feature with the PixScan but I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t allow you or why they wouldn’t implement this ability in the future.

For example, if you wanted to sketch something on patterned paper or a die-cut piece, you can do so using the PixScan.

I imagine this would be really popular for things such as invites, greeting cards, place cards, tags, etc. Or maybe you just have ugly writing and you’d rather your recipient be able to read your heartfelt sentiments on your irregular shaped paper. You can’t print on non-standard papers in the shapes of stars, moons and heart. Believe me…I’ve tried…it’s not pretty. But you can sketch on it with the PixScan! Cool huh?

5. Cut out your photographs with utmost precision!

Need to precisely cut a photograph to fit in a project piece like a specific frame? Or need to cut out your child’s head to paste on every imaginable surface within reach? Inanimate or animate? (Disclaimer: I do not have children, but I certainly admire the creativity, and sometimes voraciousness, exhibited by women who do).

Look no further, you can use the PixScan!!!

Okay…now I’m tired out from being overly excited about this. So now I’m going to put a damper on this technology as a warning of the possible pitfalls:

Why the PixScan may make you rip out your hair: 

As much as I love the Silhouette Studio software, I can’t say it doesn’t come with its limitations. Even being an advanced user of Adobe Illustrator, I sometimes struggle to make the perfect line, curve or outline using the studio software. Perhaps the Designer edition would diminish some of these frustrations but most Silhouette users will own only the studio software.

Therefore, take the PixScan technology with a grain of salt:

There is a learning curve to using the PixScan and adapting it to do what you need it to do for your projects. There are tons of youtube tutorials out there that teach you how to use the Studio software to its full potential but it’s not going to be a walk in the park and it will be time consuming. Hopefully the satisfaction you receive from creating a masterpiece exactly as you imagined it (or even better) will be reward enough for you to take the leap and learn a new skill. I personally feel the end result is worth the effort but it’s up to you what you feel you can do. You can still create beautiful, unique and one of a kind results with even just basic computer skills using the software  if handling some of the more advanced features are a little over your head.

So don’t be shy, hop over to youtube and get your brain juices on.

And don’t forget to comment below your thoughts and questions on the new PixScan from Silhouette.

Disclaimer: I do not work for Silhouette America, I just love their products and I want to share my wonderful experiences with the world. I have owned a PixScan for about 3 years now and have used it a few times but I haven’t taken advantage of the full capabilities of it which I am really looking forward to doing very soon!

Ribbon Card – Christmas style

So I have a whole bunch of scrap ribbons that I always feel too attached to to throw out. Plus it’s such a waste and ribbon is not cheap!

Sometimes, when I’m working on a project and there’s just a little bit that I need to snip off except that it’s not long enough for a new project…I would save it in a small zip-lock bag and then create a card like this!

just snip little V’s into the ends of each piece of ribbon. It’s actually better if the pieces of ribbon are different in lengths. Then just put together a few pieces of ribbons that seem to match together.

Use double-sided tape or an ATG gun to glue down the ribbon because wet glue will seep through the fabric of the ribbons and show through.

Here I’ve made a Christmas style one using scraps of Christmas-colored ribbon from other projects.

Then I used a spellbinders frame die and my sizzix big shot to cut out half a frame to use as a border and put a Christmas sentiment on it.

That’s it! So simple and fast! I think i finished this card in about 15 minutes! The hard part was cutting the ribbon by hand haha~