Sue, playing with SureCutsALot

Ooops

2011-11-18T10:08:00.000-08:00

Just adding links in to challenge blogs only to realise I've posted my last 2 cards on the wrong blog! D'oh it's been a hard week lol.

For those wondering I am still playing with scal, struggling with the design of a template at the mo. It's the cannabilised mermaid card on my other blog. File is pixel perfect and cuts well on my expressions but the score dots arent lining up with ends of the cut lines on someone elses cricut. If anyone fancies doing a test cut for me please just leave a comment with your email addy (I wont publish the comment) & I'll email the file over. Or you can email me at playingwithpaper@googlemail.com

Another anya card

2011-11-18T10:01:00.000-08:00

Quite CAS compared to some of my latest cards. If I'm honest this is more me than loads of bling & flowers.

For another playday birthday girl and I've used a layout from sketch n stash.

Papers from first edition, baja breeze cs from SU punched with my new MS patp, swirled lace (I think) crumb cake taffeta ribbon, some pearls and another anya image coloured with copics. I'm still in love with the Elegance card stock from Joanna Sheen and it's rather nice not having to cut the image out because of a line bleed. All I need now is to work out where the light and shade is supposed to go lol.

Anya card

2011-11-18T09:54:00.000-08:00

We've got quite a few birthday girls at playday this month and this is for one of them. The rather crooked signpost arm and sign are a semi clear shrink plastic cut with spellbinders dies then heated until they stopped curling. I had to keep going in with the heat and trying to get the arm to go straight but this was as good as it was going to get lol. Copper and pebble alchie inks helped give it an even more rustic appearance.

Layout from sketchsaturday
Papers, first edition, sentiment from SU, paperflowers from WO
Coloured with copics

Important news on scal

2011-05-17T06:40:00.001-07:00

SureCutsALot and MakeTheCut have made legally binding confidential agreements with Provocraft to remove cricuts from the range of digital diecutters compatible with their software. This means that unless you have bought scal or mtc you will no longer be able to buy download versions for use with cricuts, at this moment there are still cd versions available but associates have been asked to withdraw them from sale.

Fairy Cuts is at the moment the only software available that will allow you to make your own designs and cut them on a cricut. It's not as easy as scal/mtc but is the only option for new users. How long this will last before PC take legal action no one knows. Provocraft are intending to make their own webbased software available at some point in the future but there are serious issues which need to be remedied before I would even consider looking at it let alone use.

Since the introduction of scal I've been a huge fan and have happily recommended peeps to go with scal & cricuts as an easy but excellent introduction to the world of diy digital diecutting. Without cricut support in the new versions of scal & mtc I can no longer recommend cricuts.

For me the next best thing would be to go with the Pazzles inspiration which has double the cutting power of the cricut. A blackcat cougar would be an excellent choice for those who want to take it even further as it has double the cutting power of the pazzles. Neither machine are low entry prices though starting at over £400 & £500

The new comer on the block is the ecraft craftwell machine being wholesaled in the UK by crafters companion. It does have an entry level pricing but until I've used it myself to know if the original bugs have been ironed out I can not say one way or the other if I think it's a good machine.

Pazzles, black cat cougar & the ecraft are all supported by new versions of scal & mtc.

Words in Frames tut

2011-02-09T05:15:00.000-08:00

One of the things I often get asked is how to weld words into frames. It's actually quite easy but there are a few things you need to realise otherwise it's going to get you in a pickle.

These 2 shapes from the scal library might look the same and they will both cut a square frame but they're made from 2 different shapes. The first is made from a frame, the 2nd is 2 squares, 1 inside the other.

Now scal's good but it doesnt know that we're cutting 2 frames, it just thinks it has to cut 1 frame and 2 squares. The fact that the 2 squares create a frame and that there's a square left in the middle of the frame is purely incidental and of no interest to scal.

This is the screen shot taken when we preview the cut, still no difference between the 2.

Using just arial font I've typed in dad in seperate letters so that I can move them all individually. You might want to click on the pic to see how I've overlapped them slightly as well as overlapped the frame.

When we do a cut preview you'll see that scal is going to cut each of the shapes individually and it really doesnt mind that it's going to cut a piece out where they overlap. All it's doing is cutting what it's told to, 6 letters, 1 frame & 2 squares.

Once you're happy with the way you've arranged the letters you need to draw a box around them with the cursor and click weld. I've added a black arrow to show where it is on the properties box.

This is going to be the first time you'll notice a difference in the cutter preview. As you can see with the letters in frame on the left it's going to cut out exactly what we want, welded letters in a frame. The frame we made by drawing 2 boxes will only cut the outer large square. Basically scal thinks that you've glued everything together and wont cut in to the outer square because you've told it not to by using the weld button.

One word of warning, if you use the breakapart function on the frame scal will then treat it as 2 seperate shapes and it will be no different to using 2 squares to create a frame.

This is a tag I made for Tim Holtz 12 tags of christmas.

Instead of using one of scals basic shapes I drew a bauble in psp and erased an oval where the letters are before tracing it in scal and welding the letters to it.

It might not look like the square frame but scal treats it in the same way, a shape with a waste area in the middle.

If you want to have a play with my bauble feel free to. Just save the jpg and file/trace image with scal. Usual copyright applies to it, you're free to make & sell a completed project with it but not cut and sell as diecut or offer/share as a download.

Have fun with it and I'd love to see any finished pics.

Plate rack cards

2011-01-27T11:34:00.001-08:00

This was going to be a tutorial on putting my new plate rack design together but when I went to take the photos there really wasnt much to write about them let alone take pics of.

Very easy card to make and whether you're using the heart or basic rectangle (and any future designs) you simply need to score between the dimples. I've gone over the score lines with a pencil in this pic.

Up to you whether you decorate now or after folding. I prefer to decorate flat when using frames then fold but it can be nerve wracking when you've spent ages colouring and handcutting a stamped image.

I've marked M for mountain fold and V for valley fold. If that's gobbledegook the mountain fold is the same fold that you'd make if you were using a normal square card.

I have taken a bit of a liberty and resized the card slightly as I needed it to fit a new stamp. I also imported the heart topper twice, resized one slightly then resized them both at the same time as I enlarged the base card & straight mats (draw a box around them all on the mat and drag to size, use a 12*24 mat if need be, then move pieces you don't want to cut off of the edge of your normal sized mat and you're all ready to go)

Here we go with the finished card. I've used SU cardstock in melon mambo, pacific point and very vanilla and the lotv image is coloured with polychromo pencils.

The vanilla card has been embossed with 2 different papermania embossing folders. I was tempted to colour in the leaves and roses on the border but I don't think it needs it.

Flippin women sentiment, couple of heart shaped brads & a couple of paper roses.

Waterfall card tut

2010-03-02T06:47:00.001-08:00

This is a tut for my scalloped waterfall card svgs. In the set there are 2 options for the base one with guide holes (white) and without (lilac) and 2 different tabs. The white tabs are very slightly smaller than the base. This allows a very fine mat effect and doesnt affect the waterfall action.

If you're working without a template each of the scallops are 1/2" wide.

With scallops you don't need to score, just fold at the joins along the main strip of the base.

Using my most beloved tombow glue I've attached the white tab to the bottom of the base. In practise you would decorate the tabs before attaching.

I've shown pics so you can see the difference between the bases and how the smaller tab will look.

Very carefully apply a tiny dap of strong glue inside the next row of circles.

Line the top edge with a tab and hold in place for a second or two while the glue dries.

Repeat for the next 2 tabs.

Fold the top section on the base backwards so that the tabs are all facing outwards.

If using brads now is the time to mark your base so you know where to make your holes. I just make a pencil mark through the gaps.

Gently ease some folded ribbon through the hole and slip the ends through the loop before gently pulling the tails to secure.

It's a good idea to use an eyelet if you're a bit hamfisted like me. When I've pulled the tails I have ripped the card before now. Oops lol

If using brads attach the waterfall to the base. If you arent using brads strong dst underneath will work but I prefer to use thin ds foam.

Gently pull on the ribbon to make sure the waterfall is running freely.

Attach the base & waterfall to your base card. I've cut the waterfall at the design size and mounted it on an A6 card but it will work perfectly well on a 5*7 or a5.

3d flower tut

2010-03-02T06:22:00.000-08:00

A huge thankyou to my mate Angiebabe for teaching me how to make 3d flowers from 6 sided punchies. I've been meaning to get the technique translated into an svg file & tutorial since last summer. The files have been made for ages but seeing as the girls are coming to make flower embellies next week I thought I'd better get the tutorial up.

For the tutorial I'm using my scalloped rose svg but it can be done with any symmetrical design of punch or die. You could even use scalloped circle or border punches.

If using my svg file simply drag to the required size and cut from a nice paper. Not worth using card as it's hard work getting it to bend nicely.

If using punches cut the petals down as per the picture. It's going to take 4 punchies.

Using a large embossing tool to gently curl the top edges.

Apply some strong glue to the top of one of the edge petals.

I'm using tombow mono multi. OMG this glue is the business how did I ever not know about it. It's got an amazing grab power within a couple of seconds, even for box tabs. (Knowing that it's repo I even coated the back of some of my ums last night and they're sticking well to the blocks and laminate carriers).

Enough of the raving about glue and on with the tut.
Gently ease the adjoining petal over the top of the glue.

You'll now have a 5 petaled flower that's sitting proud of the mat.

Repeat this step for the 5, 4, and 3 petal pieces. You will now have 4 layers of the flower.

The 2 and 1 petal flower have to be gently rolled before glueing one edge down.

If you feel it's looking a bit flat you can gently ease a pencil inside while the glue is drying.

Using some dimensional glue or tombow to stick the layers into each other. My own preference is pinflair glue gel as it dries clear and doesnt smell. The tombow does work and doesnt need the drying time but I want to make the centres stand proud.

Leave the flower well alone until the glue has had chance to set. Top tip... leave the flowers to dry on some nonstick cooking mats. I've have a few stick to the card they were standing on and my marble chopping board has to be scrapped to get rid of the mess.

Easel Card Tut

2010-03-01T04:09:00.001-08:00

Easel cards are all the rage at the moment and after making some it's easy to see why.

For my tutorial I'm using 2 of my scalloped easel card templates but you can follow along making one by hand using a piece of card 10* 5" for the base and with a 5*5" piece for the easel front.

With the base card you need to score half way along at the 5" mark. With my svg templates this is marked with a tiny perforation each side or if using the scallops just count the scallops and score between 10 & 11 on the circle base. The square base doesnt need scoring as the scallops will fold on their own.

The next score along is at 7.5", for the circle card score where the scallops end, the scalloped square is 5 scallops in.

Fold the card as normal and fold along the 2nd score line.

Place a decent amount of strong dst in the small section nearest the edge of the card.

Under normal circumstances now is the time to decorate the front of the easel before attaching them together. I rarely decorate a card on a tut because I want to show the mechanics not something that you'd need to go out and spend a small fortune buying the inks/stamps/decoupage etc to recreate to the letter.

The circle base has to be attached to the scalloped circle so the fold line is half way down the circle and runs between the scallops. It's hard to photo and explain but once you have the pieces in your hand it's quite easy to see what I mean. With the square line the outer edges together. You might find it easier to have the card folded as a normal card and lay the square over as though you were doing a normal mat.

Once the easel fronts are in place they should look like this. Don't worry if they flop over instead of standing up.

Decorate the inside if required. Glue a strip of card/paper across the inside of the card if using a strip. The back edge is going to be the line where the front stands against the inside so don't put it too far away from the edge and make sure it's not in the half nearest the fold line.

Cut a small decorative tab and attach some 3d foam tape/squares.
This is where I normally add a sentiment and it's easier to do so before the sticky is applied.

Attach the small tab centrally across the strip and fold the front over. The front edge should sit nicely behind the tab.

Step by Step for my 3d Pram

2010-02-03T06:14:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay in putting this tutorial on, not sure how I forgot to upload it but judging by the lack of requests I'm guessing that everyone has found it pretty easy. I hope that's the case as I try not to do difficult.

First thing you need to do is set scal2 to 90dpi(inkscape) then everything will cut to size. You can do that via the edit/preferences menu.

Once you've done that import the base.svg There are 2 different widths of base, narrow and wide, both can be dragged to make any depth you want but you must keep the keep proportions box unchecked then drag to the depth you require. Although both will work because the tabs are going to shrink/stretch it's best to use the version nearest to the size you require.

Once you've decided on the size it's time to import the other pieces, you will need to import the frame twice and the wheels twice if you want to double them up for stability. If you're going to stamp on the sides for decoration now is the best time to do so.

Once cut take the base section and score along the bottom of the tabs.

Fold the tabs up as shown.

Gently easy the base over a rolling pin/your arm so that it's gently curved. This will help when it's time to stick to the side.

Attach some strong double tape around the edge of the 2 sides as shown, don't forget to mirror them.

Very carefully ease the base into the side sticking the tabs as you go.
If you arent very confident with using strong sticky tape add some stick glue over the exposed sticky and this will give you a small amount of slippy time.

By the time you reach the top of the hood you should have a piece like this. Firm down the tabs again, just to be sure.

This always looks like it's going to be tricky but it isnt too bad at all unless you've made the base thinner than an inch. Gently place the other side to the base and use your thumb to attach the tab to the glue. This is one time when you might be glad of stick glue over the dst.

You should now have the main body of the pram assembled.

I tend to 3d decoupage the hood area now but you might prefer to attach at the end.

Using some strong dst place on the to top section of the longer parts of the frame and attach to one side of the pram.

This for me is the trickiest part, lining up the other frame. I find it helps to have the pram stood up so I can judge by eye. You may prefer to stand over and have it flat to the table. It does sometimes help to have one of the cocktail sticks through the central supports.

We're nearly finished now, just to add the wheels. You can do this in a variety of ways, either sticking them directly to the frame, as in the pics with cocktail sticks or by using brads.

I don't want the wheels to turn so I've chosen to attach an inner and outer wheel and stick them together with some glue gel. Once the gel has had time to set I would either cut the ends of the stick flush or I would leave a small section visible and glue a bead over the top. The handles are shaped to hold another cocktail stick, just make sure there's either a large bead at each end or you use a strong glue to hold in place and trim the sticks.

Top tip... don't use your best paper scissors to cut the cocktail sticks, kitchen scissors make a much nicer job and don't get damaged. Don't ask how I know ;o) lol

No matter which way you go it's essential you remember this pram isn't a toy and it must remain out of reach of a child.

Hopefully I haven't confused anyone on how to put the pram together. If I have just drop me an email at playingwithpaper@googlemail.com and I can talk you through it.

Matchbox easel card instructions

2010-01-17T09:07:00.001-08:00

The svg template will be in my webshop any day soon, but here's how to make a matchbox with easel top. It's not that much more different than making a box but you have to be precise otherwise the drawer wont fit.

It needs 1 1/2 a4 sheets of card or a 12*12 sheet and sadly is only suitable for the expressions machine.

Cut the base and drawer with your expressions and score between the small perforations.

All of the folds need to be valley folds bar the small top section which has to be a mountain fold.

Apply very strong dst where shown.

Attach the side decorations before sticking the sides to each other

Attach the decoration to the front of the seperate square panel and attach to the fold over section from the base. You must make sure the bottoms of both squares are flush to each other. When the fold over is open like this the top of your card will be touching the desk.

Attach the front decoration to the drawer as shown and add a brads or eyelet with ribbon to create a handle before you attach the tabs to the inside of the drawer.

The drawer will fit an normal match box card made from 12*3 card scored at 1, 4, 5, 8 & 11"

Both cards were made with Stampin'Up! supplies and if you'd like details of them please get in touch.

3d Cot Step by Step

2009-11-04T00:27:00.001-08:00

Here's a quick step by step for making my 3d cot.

Import the svgs into scal and cut. The inner header is only required if you want to mask while stamping or if you need to reinforce the card. The inner side is used to hide the tabs if you want to but I havent found it necessary.

Use a ruler and embossing tool to score between the dotted lines on the sides and mattress.

If you are making a cot with a solid headboard or kickboard now is the time to decorate. I cut the inner header purely to use as a mask while I used some peg stamps to add a patterned border. While I was stamping I also decorated the inner panel.

Once the sides are decorate you need to fold along the creased lines of the sides and stick the tab from one of the headboards to the side of the other side.

Add some strong dst to the edges of the mattress.

Very carefully line one edge of the mattress to the side. I watch from the bottom so that I can get the bottom of the tab lined perfectly.

Gently place the headboard and kickboard to the mattress taking care to line the underside. And finally bring the last side in and attach to the mattress and head/kickboard.

Now you're ready to add blankets & all the pretties.

I'd love to see any cots you've made with my templates.

Happy cutting.

Desk Tidy

2009-10-22T09:44:00.000-07:00

First off apologies for the photos, there wasnt a single place in the house that had decent light today thanks to dark grey skys and lots of rain.

The instructions are a very rough guide to assembling my desk tidy. Because my template has sizes for 2 different boxes I wont be talking of measurements. You will need to be accurate with your scoring or cutting. The single drawer box is the easiest to make.

First off cut, score and sharpen the folds of the back. It's vitally important for the smaller box or if using 2 drawers that you cut away as shown in the pic.

Attach plenty of strong dst to the flap and bring flush the side. When you've attached both sides you will have a 4 sided box.

Next I assemble the drawer sleeves. If you are making a single drawer you will only have 3 sections this will just be for the sides and top. Score and fold then cut away triangles from the smaller sections.

Lots and lots of dst

Use some glue stick over the tape and carefully ease one corner into place. It's important that the tiny flaps meet the back and that the side is flush to the outer sides. The smaller box drawers arent square so make sure you have the sleeve the right way up.

One corner of the sleeve will be lose but that's right.

Next fit in the other sleeve.

Now to assemble the front panel. Sharpen the creases and cut away 2 triangles. I used a scallop punch to create a lip. Plenty more strong dst

Again using glue stick over the dst carefully place one corner of the panel into place. The sides & back must meet and the bottom has to be flush to the top of the drawer sleeves.

Glue in the other side and you should nearly be finished.

Normally with a box I would cut the sections a different way but this time you need the strength that folding the flaps clockwise will give. Just a case now of glueing the sides together and adding ribbons, eyelets or brads for handles.

You might find it easier to assemble the drawers first and wrap the sleeves around them as you're fixing the sleeves into place. You might also find it easier to attach the sleeves & front panel before bringing the back section together.

Stationary Box step by step

2009-10-13T04:59:00.001-07:00

I'd love to claim this idea as mine but it isnt. I've seen many similar templates and diecut kits around but my favourite and the one on which I took inspiration from is Dannie She has a pdf template for a US sized box and 2 video tutorials on making them. It's well worth watching and may make some of my instructions a bit clearer.

Going back to my version.

I'm going to assume that everyone knows the basics of boxmaking and only show some of the more important steps otherwise we'd have ended up with 100+ boring photos and an awful lot of waiting for the page to load.

First thing you need to do is cut your back, front, sides and lid either by hand or with my svg patterns for scal. If you're cutting by hand you will need at least 4 sheets of strong but not too thick card. Scal will take 3 sheets of 12*12.

Once cut and all the fold lines are scored you will need to think about which areas are going to be on show and need to be decorated. Stick all your paper in place apart from the inside of the front. You'll need to do that last so you can attach all your ribbons and slots before sticking into place.

This is the inside of the back, because only the top area will ever show I've only stuck the paper part way down. All of the sides have been folded inwards and the creases sharpened with a bone folder.

Attach strong dst to the 2 small flaps and stick them to the inside of the sides of the back.

You'll now have this shape section, I've turned it upside down so that it's easier to photo. Some people find it easier to attach to the front now, others find it easier to add the sections. I'm going to show adding the sections first because it was easier to photo.

Next you need to attach dst to the 2 larger sections if making the box to fit a6 cards. Please pay attention to one of the panels not having dst. Or just the outer edges of the 6*6 section panel. The bottom inch or so will not be seen so I've saved on paper.

I find it best to rub some glue stick over the tape before carefully sliding them together as shown. It's essential to have them butted together precisely, I find it helps to hold them flat to the table.

Remove the dst from one side and butt the side and tab against the back. Again it's essential to be precise.

Remove the rest of the dst and again butt up against the back and side. If you've been accurate with your cutting and folding the section will be level with the cutaway section.

Repeat this with the bottom panels. You'll see on this photo I chose the smaller sections of the scal cutting pattern to leave me room to stand a pen. If you want to do the same when cutting by hand cut one of the sections 1.5cms smaller

Now I'm going to add the front to the back, as I said earlier you can do this before attaching the sections.

Add some strong dst to the flap that was on the bottom of the cutting diagram. Rub over some glue stick and carefully attach to the bottom of the back. It must have all the folds lined properly or your front will not fold up properly.

The lid is a standard box so I've shown no step by steps.

Now you'll want to start adding all your contents.

The more of these boxes I make the more tips I'm discovering.

1, don't add the decoartive paper to the inside of the front until you've worked out what's going to be attached, where and how you're going to attach it. Specially important if you need to poke ribbon/elastic through to hold pencils/rubbers.

2, Slots to hold memo pads are normally a great idea but because of how the front folds upwards the memo pads will slide out. Making a small lid helps as it will hold the pad in place while the box is closed as well as looking pretty. You will still need to cut 2 slits to hold the back panel but think about having them quite low towards the end of the pad otherwise you wont be able to remove it.

3, Larger & busier patterns seem to work better on the outside with pretty delicate ones inside.

4, If you've aquired the plain wooden pencils like the ones from Ikea or Argos they can be inked to match the papers quite nicely but make sure you let them dry for an hour or so before putting them in the box, you don't want inky fingers or pencils ruining all your work.

5, If you've cut by hand the back fold around section can look a bit unsightly. A border punch can help liven it up a bit but you don't want to cut too much away or fold it in on itself. This fold around is needed to stop the front crashing down once you have your pad attached.

I'm sure I'll think up some more tips as I'm making more boxes but if you think of any please leave a comment and share it with others.

from this to this

2009-10-07T07:53:00.001-07:00

I've always enjoyed making pop out aperature cards and scal has made it possible to make them with fancy aperatures. This is my Bauble w aperature card base and I've used my new flourish bauble design to make a dangly for it. The flourish bauble isnt available yet but it will be in a couple of days.

In case you're wondering it's not a fancy card I just used my new Stampin'Up! snowburst stamp set with some lavender lace, pale plum and cameo coral ink to create the background. Not 3 colours I'd normally put together but I think they work well for a contempory Christmas.

One of the beauties of this sort of card is if you make 5 identical you can back to back them to create a star/lantern card. (I do wish the companies selling diecut bases & templates would all call cards by the same name as each other!)

I took it a little bit further than just sticking 5 together by adding larger base layers to create more interest when it's open.

It's a very time consuming card to make and it takes a lot of card & strong dst but they do make for a wow factor when you open them.

If you fancy having a go you'll need to cut 5 w aperature cards 5" high.
5 of the next layer, 5*10" and scored in the middle.
5 of the next layer, 5* 11" again scored in the middle
5 of the outer layer (when closed) 5**12" and again scored in the middle.
Plus extra card and ribbon to decorate.

Basically all you do is stick everything together along the side edges. I like to use strong dst covered with some glue stick. The glue stick gives me a few moments of slippy time when I can make sure all of the edges are flush. If anyone wants just email me and I'll post a step by step but I'm assuming if you have scal and a cricut you'll be familiar with how star cards work.

This is a close up of the flourish bauble. It took a sticky mat and nerves of steel taking these off of the mat as I'd cut a dozen all about 2" wide. I doubt you can see the detail but behind the aperature I used lavender lace ink with my new SU Sparkling wheel to decorate the cardstock on the layer below.

Here is the card all ready to go in a box for hubbys head office. Stamps and colours have already been mentioned but I also used a punches three sentiment stamp plus the matching SU punch and the new SU lacey edge punch.

sneaky peek

2009-10-03T05:52:00.000-07:00

One of the items I've always wanted to make is a stationary case but all of the tutorials I've found online are for US size cards and as much as I love 3" notecards I have little use for them. So after many naughty words and an awful lot of wasted card I've finally got the sizes right for uk a6 & 6*6 cards.

Here is the inside of 1 variation and it's designed to hold a6 cards in the back section and has a space on the lower row to hold a pen.

I've made several variations of the inside, the back section also comes ready to place 6"sqr cards & envies and the front section comes as shown with space for a pen or with 2 sections going right to the sides.

While I was making the box I did take some photos and I'll be making a step by step tutorial here. It's not going to be an in depth tutorial though and I'm going to assume everyone is familar with basic box making. If you want to go shopping ready to follow the tutorial you will need to have 4 sheets of good quality 12*12 card stock and 3 sheets of coordinating paper to decorate. The tutorial wont be here until about the 13th Oct though, this is so the how to is a secret from a great bunch of ladies from Docrafts. They're coming here for a play day and this is what I'm going to have them making although they will be using my pdf version and cutting everything by hand from a4.

Magic wallet/secret message card tutorial

2009-08-23T08:18:00.001-07:00

Magic wallets are sometimes known as secret message cards. They're very easy to make but require pin point accuracy with the cutting and folding so I thought they would make a good template for scal. Trouble was I hadn't made one for years and have spent the best part of the last year trying to remember how to make them or find a tutorial. I knew it was by slipping 2 sections into the base but that's all I could remember until I saw Michelle Marsden on tv making one yesterday. woohoo, it all came flooding back and here is the result.

For those who've never seen them they don't look that special as a photo but in real life they're great fun. When you pull either side they lay out flat and the middle section sort of turns in on itself to reveal the reverse and any hidden message/image you've added. They've got quite a surprisingly strong spring action as they fold in and out of themselves.

First import the base svg into scal at 5 or 51/2 inches high and cut. Now import the section at the same height, copy and paste a 2nd section or import again and cut. OR cut and fold the base by hand if you havent scal.

Fold to create a mountain in the middle and the gatefold score lines to create valleys.

If you are stamping as decoration now is the easiest time to do so unless you want to stamp over the sections together.

2 ways to insert the sections, neither are better than the other but sometimes it's easier to do it one way other times the other.

1) Bend the tabs so that the top and bottom are pointing away from the middle tab.

Now you need to slide the 2 sections into the loops created by the folds. This is where the accuracy is needed, too thin a section and you'll get gaps, too wide a section and you'll be gnashing your teeth trying to slot them in.

2) Lay the base flat and thread one section over & under and the next section under and over, as though you are weaving.

Once the sections are in place all you have to do is finish decorating but don't add anything thick to the centre sections as it will intefere with the movement of the card.

Of course you don't need to buy my svg template to make this card, just remember to score on the gatefold & centre lines and to cut slits between the gatefolds.

Side step card

2009-08-21T15:42:00.000-07:00

It's been a bit hectic here over the last week while I've been sorting out the webshop. But I have found the time to play with a new design.

This is a scalloped double side step card and the svg template is available from my webshop.

I cut this one at 8" square which makes a 4*8 card. To decorate I used several of the Messy Rabbit stamps from Joanna Sheen, the scenery is from 2 of the village sets and Mrs Messy from the hunny bunny set. Once the images were stamped on to bristol board they were coloured with lots of different copics before being cut by hand and mounted with pinflair gel. The mat behind mrs messy was made with a fiskars texture plate.

I've only got a few more designs to upload to the webshop now so hopefully I'll be able to start making some new ones I have ideas for as well as some finished cards.

Woohoo, at last my webshop is on it's way

2009-08-12T08:41:00.000-07:00

The title says it all really... my old isp host has finally converted the technical gubbins over to my new host and I've made a start moving all the files & pictures over to a dedicated webshop.

www.playingwithpaper.co.uk

As we speak I've only managed to upload the nested shapes and moving cards but I shall be adding more and more of my designs over the next week or so before I start playing about making it look pretty.

Touch wood, so far it looks like it's working properly and the files should be automatically emailed but if anyone spots a mistake please let me know asap.

Designs can still be purchased by emailing me for a paypal request or if you would prefer let me know which design and I'll bump it to the top of the list to add to the webshop.

fancy lattice card svgs

2009-08-01T08:31:00.001-07:00

My first cardmaking technique was parchment craft and I fell in love with lace grid work. Sadly it's far too time consuming with some of the patterns taking upwards of 20 hours to make.

Thankfully electronic diecutters can let us mimic the lattice work, this series is based on a pattern you often see on radiator cupboards, a long way from parchment but it does make a nice fine trellis.

Each set is based on a shape, circle, square, rectangle, ovals and church door. Each set contains 2 base cards one with a shape made totally from the trellis the other with an outline of trellis and a solid middle.

The ovals, rectangle and church door was sized to a 5*7 card but if you don't mind the trellis changing proportion slightly they can be cut at any proportion.

Also included are a couple of outer window frames.

Cost per shape set, £1.00 or £4 for the set of 5 shapes.

This is slightly different in that it's a gatefold card shaped as a church door. This was cut at 5 inch high but for stability I would suggest a larger size, sorry create owners. Provided the scores are done correctly it does meet in the middle without any gap or leading edge.

The design comes as 2 svgs, one with the back as trellis the other filled in.

Cost £1.00

geometric mats

2009-08-01T03:30:00.001-07:00

This is a file I was playing about with a couple of nights ago. The photo shows the circular design cut as normal and mounted over the same design with a shadow value of 2.

Each of the files are available at a cost of £1.00 each and or as a set for £4.00

Noel squares card.

2009-08-01T03:21:00.000-07:00

Making the files for wordbooks can take a couple of hours to get them perfect and to be honest it's gets really boring if you're doing a few one after the other. So to take a break from them this was a bit of fun.

The design comes with 4 variations of base card, rounded corners & square corners with both having open and blocked in backs. Also included are the letter and frames as seperate svgs. Cost £1.00

Word Books

2009-08-01T03:13:00.001-07:00

Wordbooks are a lot easier to make in SCAL2 than before but I still have a few issues with shadowing so these were created in psp, converted in inkscape and work well in both versions of SCAL.

Each design comes with seperate svgs for base and letter topper and a different look can be created by blacking out the base layer. Please note the holes are not part of the design, I used my cropodile but they are suitable for using with binding machines.

Mum & Dad wordbook, cost £1.00 each

Brother and Sister wordbooks, cost £1.50 each.

Love wordbook £1.00

nested shapes and base cards

2009-07-30T16:17:00.000-07:00

I've always loved nestability dies but always wanted larger dies so I could make cards as well as mat and layer Tilda stamps with more than 1 or 2 layers.

Here are my solutions to the problem.

All nested sets come as scut files set for 6 sizes all stepping down by 5%, the bottom 3 are the inbetween sizes to the top row. Split into 3 scuts you will get a master file for the expressions which allows you to double mount the mat and cut the 2 sizes in different colours at the same time. There is also a large and small scut for the smaller cricut. You will also receive a single svg so you can cut to your own needs. Each set costs £1.00

cut to fit on to a4 card cut into 6" wide strips these are how they look nested.

Nested Inverted squares

Fancy square 2

Fancy square 3

Cutaway flower, can be blacked out to create a solid petal.

I do also have scalloped circles, oval, rectangle & squares and a few other fancy shapes available which I'll be adding here tomorrow when I'va had chance to cut and photo them.

Large scallop circle card. The files come as a scalloped svg base card that cuts a truly scalloped card base or by blacking out gives a straight edge. It also comes with 2 scalloped circle svgs which match perfectly, use either as mats & layers or frames or position inside the base card svg to cut an aperature. Cost £1

Scalloped square card, cost £1.00

Comes as a base plus a single scalloped square svg to match.

Approx a6 scalloped card, cost £1.00

Again the base card can be cut truly scalloped or blacked out and a single scalloped rectangle is included. Please note it's mathmatically impossible to get a true nest with rectangles and ovals while keeping the scallops identically proportioned. You either have to put up with mismatched scallops or a larger gap at the top & bottom or the sides. This card works out a tad under the normal a6 size and comes with a single scalloped svg which matches.

There is also an a5 version, there are more scallops than the a6 version but it is only a mm or 2 off of a perfect a5 card. Both of these cards can be sized to any size your mat will allow.

More movig cards

2009-07-30T16:03:00.000-07:00

Carrying on the theme of moving cards here are a heart inner aperature and a heart flip card.

Both templates are available at £1.00 each.

This time we have some more spinner cards, bauble & bell. I have tried to make butterfly & heart versions to match the flip and inner aperature cards but as they fold back so the shape is partially lost and gaps appear. I'll keep persevering though as there must be a way of adapting the shape to get it to work.

The cost for spinner templates is £1.00 each.

I have been told a couple of times over the last few days that there's a problem with the shopping cart. Scal I can use but it seems the coding is defeating me. If you would like to purchase the svg templates you can either email me and I'll send a paypal request or some of the templates are listed on ebay.

mats and doilies

2009-07-28T09:34:00.001-07:00

This is one of my new mat designs and was cut to 3" square. This will make a great topper with different coloured circles stuck behind as well as an unusual mat. It's available as 4 different topper designs and 2 borders. The set costs £3.00 or individually at £1.00 each. I've used screenshots for the variations, mainly because it takes quite a while to cut the designs and I've been impatient to get the next design cut. I will cut them later and add to the post at a later date.

This set is inspired by an arched churched window. It's very detailed and you'll need a nice sticky mat and sharp blade. The set comprises of a smaller square and circular doily which were cut here at 5" high, the circular doily as a frame, 2 borders, a double sided ribbon and a large square design. I wouldnt suggest cutting the larger square any smaller than 8"

Each of the designs are available seperately, £1.50 each for the mats and doilies and £1 for the 2 borders and ribbon or £4 for the

entire set.

scalloped open book card

2009-07-28T03:58:00.000-07:00

This is my take on an old favourite design, an open book card.

The file comes as 2 svgs, scalloped edge and plain edge. By importing them at different sizes you can have as few or as many layers as you'd like. In the picture I've scored the central spine area and created some movement to the pages by curving them. A big rolling pin is a great tool when curving the pages as it stops creases appearing. My rolling pin was still in the sink covered in bits of pastry when I made this card, so I curved it over my arm, not my best idea ;o) Cost £1.00

More moving cards

2009-07-28T03:42:00.001-07:00

There seem to be loads of names for this sort of card, I've called them W aperature. Might not be as pretty as some of the names but for me it helps stop the confusion.

These designs come as an svg file for the inner aperature fold and like previous designs have minature perforations to create the score line. I do have a template to match the outside but I find it easier to stick them to a larger piece of scored card and trim the outer layer.

The files cost £1 each and at the moment are available in butterfly, flower, bell & bauble. I am working on other designs so if there's a shape you'd like to see as a w aperature or flip card please let me know.

Here are some more flip cards where the inside fits to the outside to create a moving flap on the front.

Available in 4 designs, butterfly, flower, bell and bauble they come as 2 svgs, inner and outer and have perforated scorelines.

Cost £1.00 each

Moving card templates

2009-07-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

These cards are sometimes called K or Cantilever depending on which brand of plastic template you buy. I prefer to think of them as flip cards because the cut panel from the inner flips into place.

My templates have minature perforations to create the score lines meaning you'll always get the inner and outer layers to match perfectly. Available as either square or circle templates they work best as a 5" sqr card. The files will come as 2 svgs and cost £1 each.

These spinner cards are great fun to decorate. They're hard to describe as the central panel looks square or circular when closed but as they open they twist to reveal the other side of an elongated circle or rectangle. I do have a decorate one on my SU blog if you want to see what I mean. The score lines have once again been created using a series of minature perforations.

Available as a circle or square centre the svg is sized to create a 5" square card and costs £1.00

no score templates

2009-07-25T07:02:00.000-07:00

I hate making exploding boxes, all those mats & layers take forever and are so boring so I decided to see if I could make a truly scalloped exploding box with mats in scal. Once the pattern had cut I found I didn't even need to score the box, just a wee bit on the tabs for the lid.

The mats and layers were easy, I just selected the rounded corner square and changed the sizes accordingingly. The decoration was just playing about with dingbats except the xmas tree in the middle, that's one I drew by hand.

If you would like to purchase the scalloped exploding box template it comes as a presized scut for the lid and outer + shaped layer set to make a 3" cube with well fitting lid as well as seperate svgs for the lid and layer so you can scale to your own preferred size. Cost £2.00

The christmas tree svg is also available at £1.00 I wouldn't recommend cutting it any smaller than 3" high, a deep cut blade is highly recommended as is the mat to be reasonably sticky.

After realising that scallops allieviate the need to score I wondered if it would be possible to use the principle to make spring cards on scal. It would be easy enough to cut them after all they're just an envie type shape, the problem would be knowing where to get the score lines.

After lots and lots of time using circles in psp I finally manage to create a template that is perforated enough to fold without scoring but not so perforated as to give too jagged a line. The template is available as an svg for £1.00

A variation on a spring card is this diamond double fold. Unless you have a 12 * 24 mat it's not possible to make the central area square unless you want to make a card no more than 3" high. This one was cut 5" high. Using the same technique as the spring card there is no need to score. Please note this card does not fold in together flat for postage and would need to be placed unfolded in the envelelope unless you make a box for it. Available as an svg cost £1.00

SureCutsALot2

2009-07-24T15:26:00.000-07:00

Well there's been a big buzz amongst the scal groups about the new version and after having a brief play with the trial version I couldn't resist upgrading.

I've not played with it fully yet so maybe I'll be amending this post over the next few days but my intial impression is WOW.

I love the new zoom tool, no more nose against the screen trying to see small detail. You can zoom in to 500%.

Layers.. ooh how I love them. For those who just do the odd welded word it isnt going to change your life but if you're into paper piecing or you want to mat and layer perfectly this is fab. You can arrange everything on the virtual mat to check the borders, placement etc but by having each image on a seperate layer you can cut them individually. This is going to save me loads of time and messing about. No more saving a 12*24 mat with all the images scaled then having to keep deleting & moving stuff into position and having to save half a dozen different scut files.

There's a new trace tool, no more having to open jpgs in inkscape, convert and save as an svg then import into scal. This nifty tool does it all in one go so it's going to save some disk space. I can't see inkscape (or other svg converting programmes) being totally redundant, there is still going to be the odd file or 2 that needs tidying up and node simplification.

At last there's a group feature, dead handy when you need to move loads of images/shapes and keep them in perfect position. It's also great to be able to change their size all in one go as well.

Can't say as having the mat at a side orientation has ever bothered me but it is nice to be able to switch the ruler to cms.

Now I have run into a few issues that make it a good idea to keep scal1 on the pc until any bugs are ironed out.

Shadows are playing up a bit in scal2, I tried to shadow a jpg image but instead of a nice tidy shadow it went crazy and the finished shadow bared no relation to the original. I hear other people are finding the same thing on the basic shapes as well.

If you have an expressions make sure you preview before cutting. For some unknown reason it wants to cut half page only. Easily cured by going back in and checking the 12*12 mat but it's irritating when you're cutting duplicates and the last cut worked fine.

There is also the issue of compatability, you can open scal1 scut files in scal2 but not the other way around. I've also found you can't delete images from scal1 files in scal2. This isnt a biggie issue for me though.

I'm over the moon with scal2 but if you only want to use scal for welded words I don't know that I'd be jumping to upgrade. For those that arent using scal to the extremes that myself and others are this is going to be a great help in getting more from it than just the odd letter and basic shape.

As to how you get an upgrade, just click the logo on the right and click to download. If you already have scal1 you will need to fill in a form on the craftedge site with your name, email addy & serial number. Craftedge will then email you back a coupon code, use this in the purchase area and your upgrade will only cost you $30 (£19 in uk money today).

Edit.
Have also found when tracing an image you cant duplicate them by cutting and pasting you have to retrace every time. Maybe not a biggie but if in a desperate rush it might be quicker to convert the image to svg in inkscape.

SureCutsALot

2009-07-21T23:25:00.000-07:00

If you havent already got the SureCutsALot programme and see what it's all about you can try or buy just by clicking the logo.

More files available

2009-07-21T10:35:00.000-07:00

I have been asked for some of the files used on my slide show cards. Sadly the Japanese Temple is adapted from a pattern by Janet Wilson in her More Teabag Folding book and is subject to her copyright. It's a wonderful book and contains some beautiful templates and is a great addition for anyone who likes oriental cards.

These files are now available

Heart borders. Cost £2.00

This set contains 3 designs, a medium thickness border (red image), a very finely cut heart border (not pictured) which I would suggest you use the deep cut blade and not too thick a cardstock, and a border without the extra cutaway dimples (for those who don't like scrapping tiny bits from the mat or are in a hurry) pictured in raspberry pink.

All 3 designs come with a solid middle ready to add a stamped image as well as with the central area cutaway to make a frame. Please note these have such a fine detail that they will not shadow.

Shaped 40 card cost £1.00

Great for ruby wedding cards as well as birthdays.

Shaped 21 card, cost £1.00

Both number cards come as 3 files, an expressions where you can cut the layers and base card in one go and 2 seperate files for the smaller machine. If you want a different number please email me, under normal circumstances I'll be able to create the file within 24 hours.

birthday corner cards

2009-07-20T06:32:00.000-07:00

There are 2 variations of this card, one with a shaped back and the other with a square back. The squared back version looks very effective when used with duo card, ie the back and front are different colours.

The file includes both templates as well as the inner letters and mat. Cost £1.00

trishutter variation

2009-07-18T04:23:00.000-07:00

I seem to be really enjoying the possibilities with trishutter cards.

Here are a couple more I've designed. Both come with 3 files, one for the expressions with both base card and the layers ready to double mount the mat. The other 2 files are for the original & create, 1 is the base card the others the layers.

Seasons Greetings £1.50

Congratulations £1.50

tri shutter templates

2009-07-17T08:57:00.001-07:00

Scal has taken a backseat lately as I've been pretty much absorbed with rubber, ink and sorting out my pc files. I have been playing with scal over the last few weeks and have designed some trifold shutter cards which can be cut on the cricut. If you would like to purchase any of the scut files please email me at playingwithpaper@googlemail.com for details.

This is a standard trishutter card and comes in 2 options, 1 as pictured with straight middle sections or as the card below with rounded corner middle sections. The scut files include the base card and mats for all sections. Cost £1.00

This is one I'm calling an inverted trishutter because the folds are made differently to normal. This one has been decorated with clear rubber tapestry sentiments and the tree is a stamp from the Craft Barn.

The scut file comes as a base card and the layers. It's set in 3 files, 1 for the expressions with both base and layers arranged on the mat ready for double mounting the mat. The other 2 files are for the smaller machine, 1 the base card and the layers on the other file. Cost £1.00

This was fun to design but it's not the easiest card to get to stand alone. I would suggest using either a false hinge or plate stand.

The scut file contains the base card and 2 layers of hearts. Cost, £1.00

This one wasnt the easiest to design because of the minimum width needed for the cricut to cut without breaking the card. There is just the narrowest border between the base card and the letters. Size restraints make it impossible for me to make the border or letters larger for those with the smaller cricuts.

The scut file includes the base card, letters, stars and mats. Cost £1.50

Now my files are sorted out I should be able to upload some more scut files for sale over the next few weeks.

at last

2009-06-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

something to put here. It isnt that I've fallen out of love with scal, more that I've been using it for the SU samples.

This is using heartland regular font and welding & duplicating in psp before sending to inkscape.

The background has been stamped with a rubber tapestry stamp,versamark & white perfect pearls. The hearts were cut seperately and decorated with a heart jumble stamp from SU, Loads of Love set using orchid versacolor. The silver edge peeloffs didnt want to stay put so since I took the photo I've glued them into place.

handbag box

2009-04-13T12:19:00.000-07:00

I'm having fun making boxes at the moment. This one is in the shape of a handbag and has a bead handle. Not quite sure what to put on the front flap but the image is a Clare Curd stamp from Papermania coloured with copics, rv 10 & 21, c1, c3, c5, y21 ivory and vanilla promarkers.

Peel off border and a punchie flower with sprays cut from a Leone Em punch.

Very quick and easy to make with Scal doing all the donkey work.

2009-04-12T02:36:00.000-07:00

Very quick and easy box this time. I used psp to draw the box lid & base, cut with scal. Acetate inner, just stuck to the base with some strong ds tape.

Stampin Up Bloomin Beauty stamp, on bockingford paper. F&C watercolour pencils, dark chrome yellow, light cadmium orange, cadmium orange and light cadmium red, leaf green and juniper green. Stuck to the acetate with clear gloss. Ribbons wound around the lid and base to give a bit of strength as well as look pretty.

This could easily be made with border punches instead of scal providing you make the lids at exactly the right size for the punch.

Gingham paper

2009-04-12T01:54:00.000-07:00

Feel free to save and use however you want.

Red polka dot paper

2009-04-08T07:43:00.001-07:00

Have been trying to upload this to docraft forum but it's not letting me. Feel free to click on to get the full size image then save. Use how ever you want and if enough peeps want me to I'll do a tutorial on how to make the paper in PSP.

Inspired by stamping up

2009-04-06T10:30:00.001-07:00

I went to a SU party and was rather taken with some diecut aperature cards but they're a lot smaller than I normally use so I came home and designed this.

It's made from several layers, the top cream is a 5" panel with the outer petals cut away leaving a central area. To this I added a smaller flower on top and larger underneath. I then used deep foam pads to mount it over some more of the cream pearl stamped with a flourish stamp from Craftwork Cards & brown stazon. These were then matted & layered on the same brown pearl card and some gold mirri.

Simple peel off border and greeting and a central flower gem that I bought in a haberdashery shop.

First post new blog

2009-03-20T01:44:00.000-07:00

This hopefully will be the last of my blogs. I'm aiming to use this one for tutorials and cards made with SureCutsALot. I will also be offering some of my scut files for sale once I've got round to making samples.