Tie Fighter 3-D Cricut Cut

Hi all, This is for all the Star Wars fans out there. I'm back again with a project that isn't my normal card type project. Being able to create items for family and friends for those special days and events is one of the benefits of paper crafting.  My #1 SIL's birthday was the occasion for this project and pushed my 3D construction experience.  He is a big fan of and loves anything Star Wars.  I knew I wanted to come up with some paper craft item for his birthday in the Star Wars theme and had considered a card.  Using my Cricut was going to be a given and there is not much in the way of designs to choose from in this category.  I had wanted it to be out of the ordinary and considered a pop up card but then I remembered seeing a paper 3 D tie fighter gift card holder on the internet, see link here. But, I wanted a little more of the realistic look for it and out came my Sure Cuts A Lot2 to attempt to make one. 

The major hurdle for me was the ball shape of the cockpit and I am definitely not an engineer!  Recently I have been researching pop up cards and such and had come across a pop up ball pattern.  Well it didn't need to be pop up just keep it's round shape, so I studied the pieces and shapes that made the ball and went to work combining shapes that could be folded and glued together to form a ball. Actually it is a hexagon shape see here. After several trial cuts and revisions I had a one piece hexagon round box with open ends that could be covered with another hexagon shape to close it up. 

The hex ball was originally designed to hold a gift card and it is just a tad bit small to hold it!! From wing tip to wing tip it is 8" and the wings are 8 1/2 hexagons.  It was cut on a 12 X 12 mat and the one piece design just fits on it.  So, to get a bit larger ball it would need to be cut on a 12 X 24 mat for a one piece design. Or, I think I will just make it two pieces that attach to match the original one piece design also so it can be cut on the 12 X 12 mat.

After that hurdle was finished I then tackled the arms for the hexagon panels and was relatively easy, a rectangle with tabs on each end to attach it to the hex panels and ball.  Those large hex panels are not exactly the same scale as the picture and can be made larger, but for the purpose of a gift card holder it works. After working on the layered window, black triangles on the hex wings and arm struts, I had a working model that seemed to work!  Only one problem, the gift card didn't fit inside!!!  So we put the good old standby in it, real money!  I had worked on this all day and time was running out before the party so I left the last tab on the ball unglued so that he could retrieve the money inside since I had no more time to add a flap closure.  I closed it up the next morning for him. There are some changes and tweaks that I need to make to it to have a truly sturdy and perfected design for it to be a gift card holder.  It can be made smaller and hung from the ceiling with the tab option on the perfected design.

When I revamp the cut file I will post another picture of it.  Being in a hurry and trying to accomplish something the day of that I had never attempted before doesn't lend to getting it perfect!  I think it could use a little more embellishments, like some small grey/antique silver/black brads for "bolts", a transparency layer for the window, something else on the black triangle panels, more detail pieces etc.  This will be done on the next "model"!  All of the pieces are scaled to work together so if another size is made, all the pieces would have to be grouped together and resized as one group to get the right sizes.  As I said it did take me all day to make this imperfect design and I will spend a bit more time making the perfected one. It will take me a day or so to get it done and uploaded to a download site, so please be patient.  Please remember that, and do not appropriate it as your own design! Star Wars is a copyrighted/licensed property and the design (and those modified from this one) can't be sold unlicensed, so credit for the designer (and modified ones) is appreciated. 

NOTE: When I get a perfected file I will post a download link on this post in red.

Since this size (will be posted in this size) is too small for a gift card to fit in and also for the smaller (resized) version you could make a gift card sleeve from this awesome Clone Trooper SVG file here.  She also has a Darth Vader version.  I will be making a Darth Vader Tie Fighter version also in the near future as my daughter said the grandsons wanted to decorate their room in Star Wars. I am already dreading the "Death Star"!!!!  Looks like I will be purchasing a lot of silver card stock! Let me know if you like it! I still have more projects finished and in line to show you!

Shalom,

Sonya

Red Roses



Hi all! Did you have fun hopping through the wonderful projects the FSS Design Team had for you?  If you haven't yet you still can, just see the post below and have fun!  Today I have another Fred She Said card for you, I previewed it on my new blog header above.  It was originally made for a contest but I didn't get it finished in time but I still can share it here! 

I used the Fred She Said Roses and leaves svg cut file and cut the flowers and leaves out in several of the shapes and sizes on my Cricut.  It is easy to resize the designs and make the flowers any size you would like.  The roses were cut out in red card stock and sprayed with Candy Appel Glimmer Mist which has a golden shimmer.  They then were shaped, layered and glued together.  The centers of the roses are black seed beads to give them even more glitz and interest.  The rose leaves are cut out in black card stock and inked with gold on their edges and have embossed veins.

The card base is 6 X 6 square and I took my round dies and traced out a wave pattern on a 6 X 6 piece of scrap card stock and cut it out for a pattern.  Then I lightly traced the pattern on the card base front and used scissors to carefully cut off the wavy edge.  I used the pattern again to cut a layer for the front by tracing it again on a 6 X 6 piece of card stock and then cutting the wavy edge off again, then cutting a 1/4" strip from the other two straight sides.  It was then embossed with the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder and the layer as well as the card base was edged with a gold gel pen.

The wavy cut show the inside of the card when shut and there is another white gold edged layer on the inside of the card.  I placed the sentiment on red, black, gold vellum scallops and circles cut with dies.  White gel pen dots and black Pigma pen dots highlight the scallops along with a red crystal to accent the sentiment.  With the wavy edge cut away when the card is opened you still see the sentiment embellishment. The left side of the inside has a stamped image in Distress Fired Brick accented with red crystals.

For the finishing touches I cut a butterfly in black card stock added some gold gel pen dots and perched him atop a bow with three loops.  I like the way the cut out shape on the side looks and I'll have to do another!

Thanks for all the comments from the blog hop, sooo encouraging!!  Posting is a balancing act as to how much or not to put in a post.  Some like detailed descriptions others just want to see the card! So to keep things balanced, would you please let me know in the comments what you prefer, a detailed description; less description and what kind of info?  It would really help me to know just how much to put in a post and have the Goldilocks amount for everyone!  As usual if you have a question about any technique or supply used just email me on the link on the sidebar and I will do my best to answer it. More projects tomorrow!

Shalom,
Sonya
Love to hear from you!

Wedding Ensemble

Hi, all!! Back to posting again, thanks for all the prayers and patience with my absence, my husband is on the mend and doing well now!!!! So I can get back to crafting. A short post for today, one that I thought I had posted before the break but didn't. It is the second half of the Wedding Ensemble that I made for the Custom Quilling Newsletter.  Click on pictures to enlarge.

There are two quilled treat boxes, a bride/bridesmaid and a cake slice. A table place card, and cake knife (that is mine used 33 years ago!)

I used a purchased journal to make the Bride's Journal and quilled the flowers and cut the "Happily Ever After" with my Cricut.  Next to it is a paper cone embellished with a matching quilled bouquet that can be used as a favor or for treats. 

I have several other projects that haven't been posted and a blog hop coming up so check back, I'm back! Again thanks for all the support!!!

Shalom,

Sonya

Blue Rocking Horse

Hi all, Hope your summer is full of fun and stress reducing vacations! My dh started a new part-time job that makes just picking up and roaming with our travel trailer a little more difficult to do.  We miss that "freedom" to do that now and won't get to go that often anymore.  : ( .  But my daughter and family moved about 1/2 block from us so now the grand-kids are at our front door most every day now to swim in the pool or to get an ice cream cup "to cool off"!  But, back to the card for today.  This is one that I made for my brand new great-nephew!  Wow, makes me sound old!  That's ok, my aunt Sandy and aunt Bonnie are great-great-aunts!!

I made it with my new Cricut Expression and the A Child's Year cartridge.  At first I didn't think that I would use this cartridge enough to purchase it, but after looking through it I saw some really great possibilities for projects.  I am still "getting-to-know" how to use the CE and what speed, pressure and depth for the blade to cut and which goes with what paper so it makes clean cuts.  And this card is one of those try-outs.  I love the rocking horse and my niece-in-law said the new baby was going to be a cowboy, so this is perfect! 

I cut the rocking horse and it's shadow out and added silver gel pen highlights as well as to the other cuts.  Extra fine holo glitter give the cuts some sparkle.  The edges of the white pieces are inked in a coordination blue.  The front base panels are cut to mimic a quilt pattern and have machine stitching around them as well as the inside panel. You can see the dimension of the layers in the picture below. I love popping up the images.  But mailing them was causing some concern that they would get crushed by the postal service!! So I made a test box envelope and will be mailing it out to some family members to see if the cards make it there in one piece and not crushed.  If they do, then I will post the pattern, it is really easy, for everyone to use!  If not, back to the drawing board!

I have been experimenting with combining my quilling with the die cuts and will be sharing those as I finish them, there is even a project finished that has quilling and fabric together.  It will post at the first of the month. The internet is a great place for inspiration and there are so many great blogs and forums nowadays that you can get "lost" exploring them.  My bookmark of favorites is soooo long that I have to ration my time checking them out each day or I would have no time for anything else! 

I love to look at what others are creating and seeing the new and fresh ideas and re-worked old favorites but I often don't have the time to leave a comment, especially if it is a blog where most of the projects I love and would want to leave a message saying so.   I do read all the comments and love hearing from you!  I wish we could all meet and play with paper and glue for a while and get to know each other!  But with the distance this is the next best thing! I just wanted to thank everyone that comes by and visits for a few minutes whether you leave a comment or not, I know the time it takes and hope I the projects that I post will inspire your creativity. 

I love doing all kinds of paper craft and am working on a regular weekly "schedule" of cards, quilling, stamping etc.  Hopefully I will be able to stick to it.  If you want to see something, a technique, design, etc.  just let me know.  Still working on what tutorial projects to do, is there a specific one(s) that you would like to see??  Again, let me know and I'll do my best to show you!  Thanks for making it till the end of this long post! Until then,

Shalom,
Sonya

Strawberry Friends

Hi all, back with another project!  This one was made with my new toy!!!!  I finally broke down and got a Cricut Expression!!  I have been putting it off and when I got a REALLY good deal on one and saw the new software Design Studio and such that allow you to manipulate the images to cut in a variety of ways, well, I got it!!!  I have been playing with it and watching video tutorials on the ins and outs of how it works.  So, here is a card that I made with the Wild Card cartridge and Fred She Said's luscious digi pre-colored Emma and Strawberries. 

It is the Doily Card and is cut from the blackout option and then the actual card was cut from DP for the layers inside and out.  There are scalloped Nesties in black, metallic red and white embossed with the Bubble Cuttlebug folder.  You can't see it well because they are mostly covered up, but there are gold dots and inking on the scalloped layers.

These vibrant pre-colored digi strawberries were printed out on matt photo paper several times and cut out and layered at different levels for dimension.  I then highlighted the strawberries seeds with Crystal Effects and dusted lightly with extra fine holo glitter. I added the Just Rite Friends stamp in red ink embossed with clear embossing powered. A Cricut cut butterfly sits atop a red bow.  The inside is decorated with another set of strawberries that have their seeds glittered in a light gold.  I am having fun playing with my Cricut and you will see more of it in my cards and projects!  If you want the Emma and Strawberries design click here and you can see all of the wonderful pre-colored images!

Also, I have been playing with my Everyday Paper Doll cartridge and made my nursing student daughter a paper doll of herself.  She attends Stephen F. Austin University and their colors are purple and white, so her scrubs are purple.  I put a magnet on the back so she could put it on the fridge.

Back tomorrow with more cards!! Until then,

Shalom,

Sonya, thanks for the wonderfully encouraging comments!!

Fireworks Miss Bitty

Hi all, I can't believe that I haven't posted in so long. Seems that I have been busy and have been making projects that I will post all this week. I have had to rearrange and reorganize my craft room with new shelves and tables because I have a new toy - a Cricut Expression and have been playing with it!  It is so much more easy to put things where they belong now since they actually have a place to go!

Today's card is made with some of that playing around.  I used Little Miss Bitty from Fred She Said and colored her with my Prismacolors and OMS in red, white and blue.  She is glittered up and has sparklers attached to her antennae.  I wanted there to be fireworks, or something that looked like them, so I used the Storybook Cricut cartridge and found the dandelion frame that kinda looked like it.  I then glittered the ends and layered another glittered frame on it for a firework explosion look.  Little Miss Bitty is popped up on top of these layers with her "OH" expression.  The USA panel and letters were cut out from the same cartridge.  I used a very sparkly silver holo paper for the base mat of the card for some real bling!

The inside of the card is decorated with the same frame and also two of the dandelion flowers cut out of the holo paper.  This paper can be peeled off the white backing and can be used as a sticker which is what I did for the "fireworks" on the inside. Enjoy your 4th of July and remember all of those who are keeping us safe and free!  I'll be back tomorrow with a quilling project and be sure to check back all this week for more cards and quilling!

Shalom,
Sonya
Thanks for all your sweet comments, I appreciate each and every one!