4th of July Layout by Chris

 

Here’s a quick and easy 4^th of July Layout. All you need is some red, white, and blue paper, Tim’s Alterations Rosette (I’m sure Kim can get you this if you need it—she got one for me), the Cricut Summer Collection: Independence Day, and ScorTape.

I first made the photo mats at 4x6 (one red and one blue) and a decorative sheet for each mat, a tad shorter and wider. I made 3 rosettes. One I completed into a full circle using the 1/8” ScorTape and stuck it to the page with a piece of the 1.5-inch ScorTape. I have found this works so much better than fussing with a liquid adhesive and waiting for it to dry. I then cut two smaller circles—5/8” and ¾”—layered them, and wrote 2011 on them with a gold pen. For the other two half rosettes, I ripped off about a 3” length from the original strips and working with the longer strip glued one fan piece to a small rectangle (.5”x3”) and then pleated the rosette. Once I got to the other end I glued that piece to the same rectangle abutting the middle part of the rosette to the rectangle. I quickly flipped it and stuck a paper scrap to hold the rosette together. Then I just tucked it under the photo mats and glued them down to a 12x12 decorative sheet (K & Company: Americana). I wanted the flag, which was on the sheet to overlap the bottom photo mat and used my Fiskars finger blade to slice along the flag, slipping the photo mat in and under. (I will still be able to use the decorated reverse side if I strategically place a photo mat over the cut.)

Finally, I cut the sentiment from the Independence Day cartridge at 3” and glued it down with my zig pen. Now all I need are two pictures and the layout is done!

Journals of Love by Chris

As many of you know I donate journals to the local cancer center a la Shirley N’s Journals of Love in CA. These three are my latest and use some of my all time favorite tools—Scor Pal, Scor Tape, SCAL, Distress Ink, Alcohol Ink, and Tim Holtz’s Alterations Hardware Fastenings. (While this item isn’t currently in the store, I’m sure Kim would be willing to track it down for you.)


All the composition books use 1 1/2" Scor Tape to adhere the cardstock. I’ve found it works so much better than the aerosol adhesive I was using. After gluing on the papers (both inside and out), I’ve sanded the edges and then inked with Distress Inks. The green and pick floral is edged with Tattered Rose, the black and silver with Black Soot, and the blue ‘Health” one with Faded Jeans. Then using my Scor Pal, I created a pocket for the back page by cutting an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper in half and scoring it around three sides at .5, .75 and 1 inch. I folded those creases in and again used Scor Tape—this time the 1/8-inch size to attach. Taking a circle punch I clipped out a partial circle to make it easier to grab papers or notes stored inside. The smaller pocket inside the front cover was cut using my SCAL and was then scored and taped in place. I usually add a small note card explaining how the journals came about and that it is a gift from me to the recipient.


Going back to my cover I used the Alterations die and grunge paper to cut out the fastener, which I colored with Tim’s Alcohol Ink Agate on Grunge. I applied Stream, Cloudy Blue, Shell Pink, and Pearl Mixative as well as the Blender with the Ink Applicator and felt pads. These colors closely matched the ribbon scrap I adhered—with Scor Tape—along the edge. Then I turned to my SCAL and traced a Kanji character that means health. I cut it four layers of a cereal box, glued them together and then embossed using the Clear Distress Ink Pad and Silver Super Fine Embossing Powder. Using some old plastic letters I had in my stash, I embossed them and glued both the letters and the symbol down with Glossy Accents.

Tutorial Tuesday: Cuttlebug Tapestry by Laura

You've seen so many great tutorials this month!! The trick today, is a super easy way to add dimension.....but at the same time, losing it. Um, confused yet?....lol. Well the above card, is made using this technique!!

It all started with the Tim Holtz Sizzix Bigz Die: Caged Bird.....

I cut the cage out of the Chocolate Box Core'dnations Cardstock and the bird out of a warm red color from my stash (I used 2 B plates with the die to do this). Next, I sanded the birdcage for a distressed look, and then inked the bird with an ink tool to apply Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Walnut Stain. The bird was placed on a 2 1/2" square of kraft cardstock with rounded corners, which gave me this:

Nice, but then, I taped the bird down with Scor-Tape, and then used a tapestry type of A2 Cuttlebug Folder and ran the entire piece through the Cuttlebug. The result, after being swiped with a bit of the Walnut Stain Ink was this:

The image is almost imbedded into the other cardstock, it looks like it was printed that way. So much more interesting!! I then layered up the card starting with a large 4 5/8" by 6 1/2" kraft base, used some of the gorgeous Mariposa Mat Stack from DCWV, and the finishing touches, pretty Prima Roses, ribbon, a stick pin I made, and Kaiserkraft Pearls.

Here is a close up of the sweet little bird in its finished cage..... (the cage is slightly bowed and attached with foam dots)......

Hope you get a chance to play with your Cuttlebug and try some of the fun techniques you've learned this month.....so many different ideas!! Happy Crafting!!

Available at Cutters Creek:
Tim Holtz Sizzix Bigz Die (Caged Bird)
Core'dinations Cardstock (Chocolate Box)
Scor-Tape
Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Walnut Stain)
Prima Roses (coral and poppyfield)
Kaiserkraft Pearls (Chino)
Cuttlebug Embossing Folders (tapestry)
DCWV Mariposa (mat stack)

Cutters Creek Spring Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Cutters Creek Spring Blog Hop! All of our designers have created some wonderful Spring projects featuring products that you can purchase at the Cutters Creek Store! The Cutters Creek Design Team Blog is the first and last stop in the hop! Each blog along the way will have a link to the next blog in the chain. Don't forget to make sure you are following each of our personal blogs and leaving comments along the way to enter to win a box full of CHA Swag and maybe a few other goodies along the way!!!!

On the Cutters Creek Design Team blog we are featuring a gorgeous Accordion Fold Spring Card created by Chris! Take it away, Chris.....

What better way to celebrate spring than with flowers? Or even better, flowers in a garden? I wish I had a green thumb to create this in my yard or even a picket fence with which to begin, but alas my garden lives in paper—LOL.


Starting with a 6"x12" piece of white cardstock, I rounded one edge and scored it with my Scor Pal at 4" and 8". Using my cloud-maker and Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Tumbled Glass and Scattered Straw I inked my sky on the front panel and the outside panel that showed behind it. The two inside panels are covered with cardstock cut at 4"x6" from the Prima Fairy Flora 6"x6" Paper Pad. I used Scor Tape to adhere them. I then cut Flower #12 and its shadow at 4 inches from Cricut Lite Botanicals cartridge and mounted it on the inside left panel. My sentiment is printed on ivory cardstock and cut with Spellbinders Shapeabilities Fancy Tags. I also cut and embossed a piece of translucent paper with Nestabilities Labels Four (#6), which I glued down with Vellum Glue Dots then mounted the Tag on top of the label using pop dots.



To make the front of the card, I stamped several flower stamps on cardstock and cut them out. One flower was colored with Copics colors Y08, YR65 and YG23. I colored the rose with Copic color RV66. I used Flower Soft Glue and Flower Soft to highlight the different flowers. For the rose I used Peony Pink. The Dianthus is accented with Ocean and Baby Pink. And the for the Daisy I used Marigold and Citrus Crush. I set those aside to dry and took some scraps of acetate, cut them with my Tim Holtz Alterations Tattered Florals; using Staz-On Black ink I stamped the two larger pieces with a background stamp and then flipped them and colored with Copic Markers B02, B06, RV66, and RV63. Once they dried, I used my Crop-A-Dile to punch a center hole and add a rivet to each. Going back to the Flower Soft flowers, I glued a Cherry Twinkle Jewel in each center to two of the pink Dianthus flowers and a pearl in the center of the Daisy. I had one last flower to make and I used a French White Prima Rose sprayed with Perfect Pearl Mists Forever Red.


While that was drying, I used my On the Fence Tim Holtz Alterations Die to cut American Crafts White Glitter Paper and trimmed it to the width of the front panel (4 inches). I put pop ups on the back along the two railings and up each side, but didn’t glue it down yet. I started arranging the flowers behind it and decided that some grass needed to be both behind the fence and along its base for that I used—you guessed it—Meadow Flower Soft. While that was drying, I adhered the two acetate flowers using Glossy Accents and my Zig Glue Pen to put down the rose and two daisies. I decided to use a scrap of wire to create a “vine” around one fencepost and used Glossy Accents to adhere the 3 small flowers to the fence. I mounted the fence and then again using Glossy Accents added the Prima rose. The final addition was a butterfly stamp that I colored with Sand, Lilac, and Peach from the Copic atyou Spica Set B.

See, didn't I tell you her card was gorgeous??? When you complete the hop, come back here show your love for Chris and all of our designers! Leave one comment at every blog along the way and make sure you are following the Cutters Creek Design Team blog and the designer's blogs too! Now hop on over to my blog HERE! Oh, and check out the AWESOME prize we have for one lucky winner:

You will get that Springy looking tote, the Creative Options Box, Graphic 45's A Proper Gentleman, and look at all the little things in the Creative Options box! You get those too!!!

Here's a complete line up of all of the blogs in the hop in case you get lost along the way:

Cutters Creek Design Team Blog - You are Here!
Mandie's Blog - http://mandiesscrappin.blogspot.com
Kim's Blog - http://kreativekim.blogspot.com
Mindy's Blog - http://www.scrappyandpiggy.blogspot.com
Laura's Blog - http://scrapaddict4life.blogspot.com
Melissa's Blog - http://www.ourmadhouseof4.blogspot.com
Lori's Blog - http://savingmine.blogspot.com
Vicki's Blog - http://scrappyleopard.blogspot.com

Tissue Box Cover by Laura C

You can turn a plain ordinary tissue box, into a work of art! When I saw the directions on how to make this tissue box cover, I knew I had to make one! And even better.....you get a sneak peek at a project made with the new Tim Holtz, soon to be released snowflurries/snowmantexture fade set!!

You need to cut out a "base" set first, and then you will decorate your plain box. You need the following sizes to make your base box:

Two 9&1/2" x 5&1/8" pieces and these need to be scored at 1/2" and 5". I used a soft blue cardstock that I inked with chipped sapphire distress ink after scoring.

One piece that is 6 & 9/16" square. Score this at 1" on all 4 sides. Trace and cut out an oval in the center and make one cut out of each corner to make a "tab" on each corner (see black lines in photo).

The decorated panel pieces on the box are:

Four 4&1/2" x 4&1/4" pieces for the sides These are embossed with the new snowflake folder, and inked with chipped sapphire ink. Four 4&1/4" x 3/4" pieces for the lid sides. These are embossed with the cuttle bug as well. One 4&1/4" square piece for the top. This is embossed with the snowflake folder, inked and then a center opening cut out using labels 6. I also cut additional pieces for one side using spellbinders rectangles (out of a piece embossed with the swiss dot folder) and small labels (I then stamped snowflakes in chipped sapphire and added some crystal stickles and twinkle jewels for centers). I punched thin strips of scrap paper for the "lace" edges around the lid.

Once you have all the pieces ready, it's time to assemble. I formed the sides and the lid, using scor tape applied to the "tabs" on the lid corners and the 1/2" tab on the sides. Then, before attaching the lid to the base, I put on the embossed side panels on the box sides and the embossed lid sides and top on the lid of the box. Now is when you would adhere the "lace" edges if you did those as well. A tip here: Remember to "center" your side panels toward the bottom (they are placed about 1/8" from the bottom and corners.....they will be much further from the top, but this portion is partially covered by the lid!). To finish assembly, USE THE TISSUE BOX YOU ARE COVERING! Slide the cover over the box, then apply scor tape around outside top edges, and carefully position the lid over the top of the tissue box......once in place rub to make sure it's firmly in place with the adhesive. Now you can embellish.....add the extra side panel, some buttons and bling, ribbon, whatever you'd like.

If anyone has trouble with the instructions, let me know, but I have no doubt, once you get the pieces in front of you, you'll understand every instruction, it will
make sense, and go together easy breezy!! This is a wonderful item for home decor or an amazing gift for the holidays! Enjoy crafting these great little boxes!

Available at Cutters Creek:
Tim Holtz Texture Fades (snow flurries/snowman set--pre-order)
Tim Holtz distress ink (chipped sapphire)
Inkssentials Blending tool and foam
Cuttlebug A2 folder (swiss dots)
Spellbinders Dies (Rectangles, Small Labels, Labels 6)
Stickles (crystal)
Twinkle Jewels (beaches)

Graduation Layout by Laura C.

Now that those graduations are over, do you have pics waiting to be scrapped?? This layout is great, because it will fit YOUR pics. No right or wrong....just use these cute file tabs (NEW Tim Holtz On the Edge File Tabs Die!!) to label or journal your pics. Super simple.....just cut pics and mats (in school colors) arrange the way you want, and you're good to go!! A border on a page creates a nice frame, so I used 2x12 strips cut from the same cardstock used to mat pics. Extra
touches make a page, so I used a little AC glitter cardstock to "bling it up", some grad ribbon, the clocks (since it's "time" to celebrate, and they are set at 8 going on 9 because that was the change in grades). I used the Tim Holtz Lost & Found paper pad, cut the clocks out of one of the pages, roughed up the edges and then used Tim Holtz Chipped Sapphire distressing inks (used this on all the file tabs and mats as well!). Lastly, the diploma on the left is made using a 2" x 5 & 1/2" piece of paper folded and distressed. I've included pics to show how it was folded and also
an example of a card made using the same technique...I used rock candy distress crackle paint to make the diploma "pop". Hope you've grabbed some inspiration....so you can grab those pics, and get scrappin'!!

Available at Cutters Creek:

Tim Holtz On the Edge Dies (File Tabs)
Tim Holtz Distressing Inks (Chipped Sapphire & Vintage Photo)
Tim Holtz Idea-Ology Paper Stack (Lost & Found)
Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint (Rock Candy)
American Crafts Glitter Paper (Silver)
Glue Glider Pro