A Truckload of Happy Birthday

Hey everyone - this is my FIRST post for the Simply Crafty SVG's design team! I'm honored and want to thank Sandy for accepting my application.  I know I'm going to have a BLAST playing with all these cool SVG's.  My brother's birthday is coming up and it's SO difficult to get anything for him, even a card is hard to make for him.  He watches every sport there is, and is online when he has free time.  The only other hobby he has is taking photographs {and, I might be biased, but they are beautiful !}.  When I saw the Christmas Tree Delivery Truck on the website I immediately decided I'd make a truck delivering his gift!  In order to do that, I also used the Presents Gift Card Holder - perfect!

What I Used to Make my Card:
Simply Crafty SVG's Christmas Tree Delivery Truck file
Simply Crafty SVG's Presents Gift Card file
KaiserCraft 6.5 x 6.5 Paper Pad, Frosted, #PP1005
Light Brown, dark brown, black, silver, sparkly silver & red cardstock
Dimensional Dots

The "card" 

I am really horrible at figuring out what I need to cut with what colors - it's something to do with my lack of depth perception {ok, I don't really know if it is, but that's my story} but I had decided I wanted to make my truck in hues of brown, so I cut the card portion out of a good, sturdy, light brown, card.  One of the absolutely COOL things about Simply Crafty SVG's is that each and every design comes with an PDF Instruction file! No more wondering where the heck this part goes!  I have to admit I did not look at the directions PDF until I was almost done with the card, so my assembly is a tad different than the one you'll get with the file.

Then I cut all of the truck embellishments out of dark brown card.  After I put

Pieces

on some of the truck embellishments, I did refer to the instructions since I couldn't figure out where all the parts went.  Once I did that {looked at the directions}, it was easy peasy.  I used dimensional adhesives to pop out my fenders and the door.  I adhered the silver accents to the door, the tires {which I cut out of black card}, and the front grill.  I didn't use all the truck embellishments; I didn't want to gussy up the truck too much since it is for my brother.

Just the Gift

Almost Flat

Once the truck was finished, I started on the gifts I wanted to put into the back of the truck.  Using the Simply Crafty SVG's Presents Gift Card File, I edited the
smaller of the two gifts to make it an open-at-the-top envelope instead of the slider that goes on the gift card.  Unfortunately, the bigger gift was too big to fit in the back of the truck.  I cut the smaller gift and the bow, out of some wintry KaiserCraft card; the bow is cut from super sparkly silver card.  I then altered the small gift box and made a small card to fit inside the box.  I found the Happy Birthday already printed on some ephemera I had, glued that to the little card, wrote "my favorite brother" {it's a joke, he is my only brother!}, some birthday wishes and I was done!

Another View

Simply Crafty SVG's has an awesome bunch of freebies on their site, as well as some very reasonably priced files.  I think if you take a look, you'll be amazed by the awesome files {plus, it looks really good for me!}  Please don't forget to follow the Simply Crafty SVG's blog - there is tons of delicious inspiration coming up and you don't want to miss it! Since I don't have the A9 envelope to fit this card {it told me in the PDF instructions what size envelope I'd need!}, I'm also using the freebie envelope set file, it's a definite MUST have!. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day! ~Christi

I am entering my Truckload of Happy Birthday in the following challenges:
Try it on Tuesday - Vintage {the truck is vintage & so is my brother - hehe!}
Unstampabelles - M, #76 - Anything Goes, TWIST - Something New {the SVG file for the card is new!}
Crafty Catz - Anything Goes TWIST - Birthday
2 Sisters on a Blog - M, #12,  Make a Man a Card
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Inspiration Destination - #145, Anything Goes
TTCRD - Anything Goes

Hosting My First Challenge at Craft-Room Challenges!

Hi all, this is Christi and I am thrilled to bring you my very first challenge for Craft-Room Challenges! Some of you may know I am crazy cat woman. I might not qualify just yet, but with five furry felines, I am definitely on my way. The last cat we acquired was brought home when my significant other went to Petco (a large pet store chain) to get some more cat litter and food.  Petco will often show some cats from our local shelter in order to help them get adopted, especially during the summer months when people want kittens and cats older than one year often get over looked.  Well, when I got the phone call the he was bringing home a surprise for "me & the cats" I figured it wasn't food or any crafty goodies - sure enough, it was Sylvester who was our surprise.  How could I stay mad? So, Sylvester joined our happy family of other felines, Monster, Mew, Bud and Junior.  Sorry for the ramble, but when I start talking about my children cats, I find it hard to stop!  Anyway, I decided to honor my growing brood , I choose CATS as my challenge theme for challenge #83 at Craft-Room Challenges.  I can't wait to see the projects you come up with, and keep in mind you can create anything as long as you follow the theme. 

Now, I present my project. I love making wall hangings and I love quotes, so I incorporated three of my favorite things and came up with this canvas.

What I Used to Make my Project:

11 x 14 canvas

Memory Makers Paper, Pets, 12 x 12 "Cat Words" and 2 strips of "Cat Paws" (discontinued)

Coordinating Piece of 12 x 12 Paper

12 x 12 White Cardstock

Various Cat Cut Files (free)

Lobster 2 Font (free)

Silhouette CAMEO

Washi or Removable Tape

Regular Tape

Crafters Pick The Ultimate Glue

Toothpicks

I have tons of cat and pet papers and embellishments that I have been saving for years.  My goal is to some day make a scrapbook of all my furbabies, both past & present.  My major problem is I am not a scrapbooker and I find it very difficult to make myself sit down and create a layout.  I am confident that someday I will do it - well, let's say it is on my list.  So first thing I did was go through my cat papers and I chose to use a paper from Pets by Memory Makers called "Cat Words" as my focal paper.  Since the 14" canvas is too wide for the 12 x 12 paper to fit, I cut off 2 strips from another paper in the same collection called "Cat Paws".  I attached the strips to the main page using tape on the backside.  

Paper with the added sides

Close Up

Next I set about finding a font I wanted to work with.  Since the quote is fairly long I wanted the words to weld together and be easier to work with.  I have hundreds of fonts I have collected and after trying a few out I settled on using Lobster 2 (which is a great font to use with any electronic cut machine - I have to thank Clever Someday for compiling list after list of good fonts as well as being an invaluable resource).  When my words were cut out, I used washi tape to keep the letters that were not welded with the words they belonged to.  I also use the tape to keep the letters and punctuation properly spaced so when I attach them to the canvas they are evenly spaced (mostly).

I found a plethora of cat cut files, as well as some I made into cut files and chose the ones I felt wouldn't be too complicated to scale down.  I am terrible at measuring and often just use my eye so I wasn't sure how big my vats were going to turn out - I figured the simpler the better.  After I had a page full of my cats all ready to be cut out, I decided to use white card for them.  I had originally had thoughts of making them all kinds of cat colors, but, knowing myself I would have taken that even further and had to make calico's, tabby's, etc., which would of caused me a whole 'nother level of stress over my inability to make them as good as I saw them in my minds eye.  Again, I am learning that, at least for now, simpler is better.  So we have white cats.

Fiddling with the Layout - placing words & cats

After putting on the lettering (with removable tape) I set about fiddling with the cats, after finally cutting out a size I felt fit the project.  I have enough white cat cut outs to serve my white cat cut out needs for quite a while.  Maybe I'll practice making them cat colors?  Anyway, with a little help from a good friend (who I can trust will put a bit more into her thoughts about a project than saying "Oh, yeah. That's cool.") I was able to finalize the design and glue it all down.  This is where the toothpicks become indispensable.  I use them for spreading glue, for getting glue on those teeny tiny areas and for getting glue out of those other teeny tiny areas.  I can't live without them!

So there you have it - "Cats are like potato chips, you can't have just one". A quote that I am living proof of.  I hope you enjoyed my tutorial and get inspired to join us at Craft-Room Challenges with your own cat inspired project! Remember, our challenge is on for two weeks - plenty of time to join. Thanks! Christi

Another look

I would like to enter my project in the following challenges:

Through the Craft Room Door - 8/19 to 8/25 - Anything Goes

{PIN}spirational - #121, see image

Crafty Calendar Challenge - August, Anything Goes

Amusing Challenges - Use Die Cuts

Inky Impressions - #172,  Animal Friends

Going Grey with Scrap Creations - Animals

Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Anything Goes (altered canvas)

Altered Eclectics - August Challenge, Anything Goes (altered canvas)

{PIN}spirational Challenge

                                                                        

Snowflake Votive Holder

I have wanted to do a 3D project since I got my Silhouette CAMEO and I thought this was a perfect opportunity.  I also get to showcase one of my absolute favorite accents sets from Globecraft & Piccolo - Bejeweled Snowflakes!

This post is a little photo heavy but I really wanted to showcase how I made the project.

Globecraft & Piccolo Items Used:

1 set of Bejeweled Snowflakes Accents, LA100 

Enamel & Embossing Powder Adhesive Fluid 

Embossing Enamel in Aged White 

3D Enamel Gel in Satin Gold

Other Items:

1 piece heavy cardstock, 12 x 12, white

1 piece heavy cardstock, approx 7 x 7, white (for top)

2 pieces of Denami Design Colored Cardstock in Iridescent Gold

4 pieces of regular Vellum, 2 ½” x 2 ½”

Krylon Gold Leafing Pen

Double Stick Tape

Glue

5 Gold Beads

Cutfile for a 4” x 4” box, with top (I put the 1 ¾” x 1 ¾” windows on myself)

Cutfile for the frame

1 Battery Operated Votive**

**DO NOT USE A Candle – it will burn & cause a fire!

The votive holder all cut and ready to go!

First thing I did was search for a lantern/votive holder cutfile that was fairly small knowing I wanted to use the Large Snowflakes in the Bejeweled Snowflakes Accents set as the focal point, but I couldn’t find any that suited my vision, so I made my own!  I used a regular cutfile of a small box with a lid and just added the windows to it.  Sounds easy but I am new at playing with files and it actually took me longer to get the right sized windows, and many, many votive holders cut, before I hit upon the right size.  Once I had the votive holder body and top cut out the real fun began.

Coloring the Snowflake Strips

I started by coloring the snowflake strips (after I cut them in two, 5 snowflakes each strip) with the Krylon Gold Leafing Pen.  After they dried, I dotted them with the 3D Enamel Gel in Satin Gold in the center of each snowflake. 

Adding the 3D Enamel Gel in Satin Gold

Then I turned my attention to the 4 large Snowflakes.  I coated them with the Enamel & EmbossingPowder Adhesive Fluid (IMPORTANT!! Do NOT Squeeze The Fluid – this will cause the top to pop off and you will create an amazing mess! All you need is to tap the fluid onto whatever you wish to emboss, the little dauber thing will refill naturally – and I am PROUD to say I haven’t popped my top!) and embossed them using Aged White Embossing Enamel (don’t forget to roll your enamel before you use it – that will ensure the colors are mixed properly). NOTE: Since the Snowflakes are very detailed the embossing enamel may clog some of the holes – just use a toothpick and poke it out!  

 

A close up of the Snowflake embossed

Showing some bling!

This color is fantastic! It has little bits of metallic goodness mixed in with the white powder and it really sparkles! I put the Large Snowflakes aside to cool.

I then cut my vellum and attached it to the inside of the windows in the box.  Since vellum is tricky to use glue with I used double stick tape, just the regular red kind.  It’s very important that nothing gets on the vellum because you will see it when the holder is lit (and I am sure if I tried to use glue I would get it on the vellum.  In fact, I even washed my hands and used a clean piece of scrap paper to ensure the vellum would stay clean).

 

The windows taped with the double stick tape

And the windows covered with the vellum

Then I attached the Large Snowflakes to the outside of the windows.  I lined them up so they would be the same no matter what window was looked at.

All the Embossed Snowflakes attached to the holder

 

Close Up of the attached Snowflake

The next step was to figure out what I wanted to add to the sides of the box, around the windows, because it looked very plain to me.  I used another cutfile to make frames out of thin (lightweight) metallic paper. Once I had the four frames cut I glued them to the sides using them to frame the snowflakes.  Be sure to keep one of the insides of the frame you use!  

The frame framing a Snowflake

I assembled the top and gathered my colored & dotted Snowflake Strips.  I put one strip on each side of the top and used one of the innies from the frame cutfile on the very top.  

Assembling the top

The Top with the Filled in Gold Bead and "innie"

I also used one of the gold beads to serve as a handle so you can open the holder without having to touch the top.  The bead I used had a hole in the center, which will be fine for the feet, but I didn’t like the look of it on the top since you could see the hole.  I solved this issue by putting a few drops of the 3D Enamel Gel in Satin Gold, letting it dry, then adding more.  I did this about four times to “fill” in the hole.

The final step is to assemble to actual box.  I used glue and hinge clips to hold the sides together and I put 2 sides together at a time. The same steps I used to put together the top.

**REMEMBER – DO NOT USE a candle in your creation – it WILL cause a fire.  Use a battery operated votive!

The bottom of the holder & the top

I put my battery operated votive in the holder and lit it up.  I think this came out amazingly well for my first 3D project and makes a lovely winter centerpiece or decoration.

 

The Finished Holder

   

All lit up!

A close up, lit but it's hard to tell

This reminds me of the paper bag luminaries that people would put out on their walkways and such back in the day.  I know people still use them, but I think the old ones were so beautiful!

 

I have 2 other projects to share that used the same Bejeweled Snowflake Accents set – three projects out of ONE set! Be on the look out!

Thanks for stopping by!  Don’t forget to bookmark the Globecraft & Piccolo blog and stop in daily to see more creative ways to use the Globecraft & Piccolo products!  Also, check out our sister company, Sweet Stamps, for some fabulous rubber stamps!

And here is a really good look at what the votive holder would look in the dark - I couldn't resist sharing this picture :)

 If you would like the cutfile I will happily send it to you - just leave a note in the comments section with your email.  The files will be sent to you in .STUDIO form as I don't know how to change files back to .SVG yet.

I would like to enter my Votive Holder into the following challenges:

Brown Sugar Challenge - #78, Embossing

Craftitude - #57, Anything Goes or I See Fluffy

Challenges and Candies - #26, Monochromatic

It's All About The Vintage - #60, Embossing

4 Crafty Chicks - #178, Bling 

Silhouette Challenges - #9, Anything Goes

Thank you for sticking with me on this longer than usual post ~ blessings to you & yours!