Summer Archives - Page 26 of 27

Die-cutting with Your Favorite Patterned Papers

Jun

Hello there! It’s Mendi here today with a patriotic layout using Pebbles beautiful Americana collection.

This has to be one of my all time favorite collections of Pebbles. I just love the color palette and all of the great patterns and embellishments!

I thought it would be really fun to take one of the flower print patterned papers from the collection and cut them out to form a floral border on my page.

To hand cut all the flowers would take quite a bit of time and patience so I chose to pull out my Silhouette PixScan mat which allows you to take a photo of what you want to cut out and then find the outline of the printed shapes. I decided it might be easier to explain my process with a video for this particular tutorial which is also available to watch at YouTube.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oUDf4WTaFU?rel=0]
I won’t go into all the details here, but I will say that I started by clicking on the PixScan Icon within the newest Silhouette software (third icon from the top right) and then I clicked on the “import from file” button on the far right. From there I clicked on “Camera Calibration” and loaded “Show Test Calibration Card” which I printed out using a standard printer. This test is made up of a series of small dots. I then took a photo of the test paper with my camera, trying to physically crop in as close as possible with my lens. It also helps for this photo to be as bright as possible so I decided to then edit it for brightness and contrast (making sure not to play with the sizing).

I then cut down my floral patterned paper to 12″ x 6″ and adhered it to the top right-hand corner of my mat. From there I took another photo of my entire mat with the paper, making sure all the registration marks were showing in my photo. You can then edit your photo for brightness if you wish, but it is very important to not play with the dimensions because the two photos must be identical in that respect or it will not properly load your photo of the patterned paper. The last step in this sequence is to “import PixScan Image from File” (or scanner).

From there you can use the trace features to find the outlines of your patterned paper that is now on the screen within the Silhouette software. By using the PixScan photo it already knows to look for the registration marks when you go to cut.

One last thing that I struggled with at first is it is extremely important to use the loading mark on your machine by placing your mat just to the right of that guideline. If you fail to do this (like I did for several tries) it won’t be able to find the registration marks to proceed with the cuts. Here is a peek at what my paper looked like after cutting out. Pretty wonderful, right?

Look at all these lovely flowers I had in just a few minutes time! Oh the possibilities… I can’t wait to turn more of my favorite papers into embellishments on my upcoming projects! I hope I’ve inspire you to look at your patterned papers with a fresh eye. 🙂

Here’s one last look at how I arranged them on my layout. I love that I have plenty left and ready for upcoming projects. 🙂

Supplies:
AMERICANA CARDSTOCK SHAPE DIE-CUTS
AMERICANA WHITE GLITTER FOAM THICKERS ALPHA STICKERS
AMERICANA LIBERTY DOUBLE-SIDED CARDSTOCK
AMERICANA JUSTICE DOUBLE-SIDED CARDSTOCK
AMERICANA DIMENSIONAL PINWHEELS
AMERICAN CRAFTS DIY SHOP WOODEN BUTTONS

Summer Cutlery Holder

Jun

1 Comment

Hello Pebbles’ fans, I’m Eva Pizarro and today I want to show you an easy way to add some color and summer feel to your barbecue or buffet table.

I love to entertain and for me a great meal is accompanied by great table decorations.They need to be beautiful but also practical. This cutlery holder combines the two fabulously. You can put it on your buffet table and your guests can take everything they need to have a great meal!

Here’s what you need:

papers and embellishments from the Fun in the Collection
an empty can
paper napkins
paper straws
cutlery

Start by wrapping your can with your patterned paper.

Glue some chips from the Fun in The Sun collection to your paper straws. Because they are made of paper, you can use your glue gun to adhere them to the can. Using hot glue will make it so the embellishments will not detach with heat or sunshine.

Next, you’ll wrap your cutlery and straw with the paper napkins and add a little piece of paper in the middle to keep everything together.

After that, you get to embellish your can! I used some dies and chips from the Fun In The Sun line. I love those striped alphas – they add so much color to your projects!

And here’s your finished project! Now all you have to do is put it on the table and let your guests enjoy!

Have a great day!
Eva

Supplies:
Fun in the Sun Cherries (732854)
Fun in the Sun Popsicle (732859)
Fun in the Sun Die-Cut Shapes (732835)
Fun In The Sun Alpha Stickers (732831)
Cottage Living Poloroid Dies (732785)

Tall Cards for Summer

Jun

5 Comments

Are you stuck in a card making rut? It’s time to bid adieu to the old A2 stand-by and say hello to tall cards! Amanda here today with a fun and easy way to switch things up in the craft room. Forever a fan of Pebbles’ Chips die cut shapes, I couldn’t wait to use the new shapes from Fun in the Sun to make some super happy tall summer cards.

Wouldn’t it be fun to send a tall card disguised as a bill? Sending a card in a standard envelope will make it blend in with all of the other bills and junk mail making it a complete surprise.

The height of a tall card allows for fun designs that you just can’t fit on a regular A2 card. Doesn’t this card just make you want to have a cookout/BBQ/whatever-you-call-it? All of the fixins’ are right there on the card, complete with red gingham table cloth. Keep the blue tear strip on the patterned paper as it adds more color and helps balance the card.

These happy little crabs are just too much fun! Create a sandy beach with layers of cork or textured paper.

Yes, this is the most boring picture ever, but I promise there is a purpose. To make a tall card that will fit into a standard letter-size envelope, trim a piece of 8.5″x11″ paper down to 7″x8.5″. This is the piece you will fold in half for your tall card. The white piece is the leftover paper folded in half. Use this piece to make smaller cards. Waste not!

All of these cards came together quite organically as I played around with the Chips die cut shapes and patterned paper.

As I sorted through the Chips die cut shapes, I found a little cluster of yellow objects. This random grouping led me to choose a background paper that would make a monochromatic card. Sometimes a pile of objects on your messy desk (am I right?) will lead you to some fun card designs.

Happy Summer!
Amanda

Supplies:
Fun In The Sun Chips Die-Cut Shapes 49/PkgEphemera
Fun In The Sun Cardstock Stickers 6″X12″ 2/SheetsIcons
Fun In The Sun Thickers Alpha Stickers 5.5″X11″ 2/SheetsPrismatic/Multi Stripe Chipboard
Fun In The Sun Double-Sided Cardstock 12″X12″Popsicle
Fun In The Sun Double-Sided Cardstock 12″X12″Waves
Fun In The Sun Double-Sided Cardstock 12″X12″Cherries

“Chill Out” Summer Layout

Jun

1 Comment

Hi, Renee here today to share a summer layout using the awesome Fun in the Sun collection. I’m SO excited! Just a few more days left of school and my girls start summer vacation. Wooo-Hoooo!!! Nothing but hanging out with friends, spending more time with family, staying up late, sleeping in, riding our bikes, Six Flags Great America (this 😀 year), and our favorite summer activity…chillin’ out at the pool.

I started my summer layout with this great text pattern paper.

I trimmed this beautiful ombre Waves pattern paper to 7 ½” x 12″ and adhered it to my page.

I ran my page through my wide-format printer to print off my journaling. Pretty Computer Font Time! I used Black Jack for the journaling on this page.

Then, I heat embossed the “Do What You Love” stamp (words so true) to add a pretty ombre phrase next to my journaling.

I layered the Sunshine, Flip Flops, and Flower Basket pattern papers under my photo.

Now for the best part…adding embellishments to the page! I fussy cut the flowers from the Flower Basket pattern paper.

I love the ice cream, popsicle, and watermelon stickers and the Enamel Dots sprinkled across this layout!

The flamingo, lazy river tube (life preserver ring), and sunglasses Die-Cut Shapes are perfect for this summer layout! I also thought this “go with the flow” journaling card was just perfect for the mood of this page. I used this awesome “Chill Out” Puffy Phrase Sticker for the title of my summer layout. Love the splashes it comes with, too.

I added some sparkle to the sunglasses with the Parfait Zazz! Glitter Glue. I stamped the date under my journaling. Love the sand castle, shovel, and pail stickers. They are too cute!

Supplies:
Fun in the Sun Summer Days (732850)
Fun in the Sun Sunshine (732851)
Fun in the Sun Flip Flops (732853)
Fun in the Sun Lemonade (732856)
Fun in the Sun Flower Basket (732857)
Fun in the Sun Waves (732858)
Fun in the Sun Icons & Phrases Stickers (732830)
Fun in the Sun Puffy Phrase Stickers (732833)
Fun in the Sun Enamel Dots (732834)
Fun in the Sun Die-Cut Shapes (732835)
Cottage Living Stamps (732792)
From Me to You Roller Stamp (732278)
American Crafts This To That Dimensional Dots (61709)
American Crafts This To That Adhesive Runner (61712)
American Crafts Zing! Opaque Embossing Powder, Grapefruit (27135)
American Crafts Zing! Opaque Embossing Powder, Apricot (27136)
American Crafts Zing! Opaque Embossing Powder, Mustard (27137)
American Crafts Zazz! Glitter Glue, Parfait (27407)

Memorial Day Window Treat Bags

May

1 Comment

Hello there! It’s Mendi here today with some special Memorial Day themed gifts! These sweet treat bags would be perfect to thank someone who has served in the military or just a great addition to a Memorial Day weekend BBQ! To create these I turned to one of my favorite Pebbles collections from the past year: Americana!

As a way to dress up my bags I cut out a fun handled topper from patterned paper using a Silhouette Cutting file and created a clear window in my bags to show some patriotic cookies.

Now I must confess… I was really trying to make THESE beautiful cookies on Pinterest to show through my little window, but my talents are obviously not in the kitchen. Somehow my white dough got lost in the middle and I ended up settling for more of a marbled look.

To create the window in my glassine bags I centered a scalloped circle die from the Homemade collection approximately one inch from the bottom edge and secured it with washi tape to keep it from shifting while running it through my die-cutting machine.

I then slid a slightly smaller clear plastic party bag down the center to hold my cookie. It was super easy and yet I think the window adds a special detail to the project!

Here’s one last look at the completed treat bags. I tried to keep them simple to make them easy to mass produce for a party. I think these would also make great take home treats for a child’s birthday!

Supplies:
AMERICANA PRINTED GLASSINE BAGS
PEBBLES HOMEMADE BANNER DIES
AMERICANA DIMENSIONAL PINWHEELS
AMERICANA VALUE PACK PREMIUM RIBBON
DOT GROSGRAIN PREMIUM RIBBON VALUE PACK
AMERICANA PHRASE & ACCENT CARDSTOCK STICKERS
AMERICANA JUSTICE DOUBLE-SIDED CARDSTOCK
AMERICANA 6″X6″ PAPER PAD