Instagram Accordion Fold Mini Album – Sometimes You Need a Little Paper Joy

Posted on June 17, 2014 by Sis Patterson

Many of us now use our phones and tablets for photo viewing and virtual scrapbooking- but sometimes, you need a little paper joy to share with others.

Here is my take on a quick and easy project to make an accordion fold album that is just the right size for Instagram photos and other little photos or paper tidbits.

Here it is open – you can either flip pages like a book or expand it out.

You can make this project with a few pieces of chipboard, a half a piece of patterned 12” scrapbook paper for the outer and inner covers, and one piece of 12” solid color cardstock (medium or heavy weight) for the accordion fold.

You could also use a patterned piece of cardstock for the accordion fold but make sure it is medium or heavy weight cardstock so that it will hold the weight of your photos or other flat memorabilia.

I used this wonderful little accordion fold album here as the foundation for my book and fiddled with it until I came up with the project I am sharing.

The dimensions on my mini are: 4.5” x 4.5”

Want to make one or a whole bunch? Here’s what you will need to gather to make one.

Supplies:

Heavy Weight Chipboard
Glue Stick (I prefer Tombow’s Mono Glue Stick)
One sheet of 12” square patterned scrapbook paper for your cover. As an alternative, you can use four sheets of 6” patterned paper
1 sheet of 12” square solid color cardstock for your accordion fold
30” length of ribbon
ScorPal tape or other strong double-sided tape
Optional – metal eyelet

Tools:

Paper cutter, trimmer, or scissors for chipboard and paper
Score board
Bone Folder
Scissors
Crop-a-dile or Eyelet setter if using eyelet

Step 1 – Cut two pieces of heavy weight chipboard 4.5” tall by 4.5” wide. With a pencil, mark the vertical direction with an arrow in the center of both the front and back covers of the chipboard. This will help you ensure your pattern paper gets adhered in the direction you want.

Step 2 – Using your patterned paper, cut two outer cover pieces 5.25” tall by 5.25” wide. Cut two inner cover pieces that measure 4 3/8” by 4 3/8”.

Step 3 – Use your glue stick to apply a good layer of glue to your chipboard front cover piece (note: if you use liquid glue you are more likely to get bubbles from gluing. For those serious bookbinders with PVA glue, I still prefer a glue stick with scrapbook paper but you know what is best for you.)

Step 4 – Place 5.25” square patterned paper right side down (wrong side up) on a firm surface. Take the gluey-side chipboard cover piece and center it on the patterned paper (the patterned paper is wrong side up and the gluey side should be facing down). Adhere. Flip over and use your bone folder to burnish your cover. Repeat the same process for the back cover.

Step 5 – Using your ruler and a pencil, mark a 45 degree angle on the patterned paper about 1/8” from the edge of the chipboard at each corner. Trim off the “ears”. Instagram Accordion Fold Mini Miter Corner

Step 6 – For each cover, very lightly score around the edge of your chipboard piece. Use the side of your bone folder to push the edge of the patterned paper over the edge of the chipboard.

Step 7 – Add glue around edge of chipboard and fold the paper in to cover the chipboard edge. Hold edge while glue dries and then move to next edge. Here is a peek of the work in progress. Repeat for the back cover piece.

Step 8 – If you are adding an eyelet, use your Crop-a-dile or eyelet setter to set an eyelet about an inch from the right hand edge of your front cover. Remember to check that your pattern paper is heading up and punch your hole from the front. If you are not adding an eyelet, you will simply extend the ribbon out on both sides of the chipboard in Step 9.

Step 9 – Lay front cover patterned side down on a firm surface with the eyelet to the right. Find the center of the cover and make a mark. Adjust ribbon so that the end going towards the left (eyelet side/right front side) measures 12”. Adhere ribbon to the inside of the front cover using ScorPal tape or other strong double side tape. In the photo below, the eyelet is pictured on the left because the cover is face down.

Step 10 – Center and adhere the inner front patterned paper on the inside covers.

Step 11 – Using the solid color cardstock, cut two 4” wide strips (12” long) and score at 4” and 8”. Accordion fold the two strips.

Step 12 – From the remaining color cardstock, cut a 1” wide and 4” tall strip from the remaining cardstock. Score down the middle and fold in half. Place quarter-inch ScorPal tape on the two inner sides of the folded piece.

Step 13 – Remove one of the paper cover strips from the ScorPal tape, line up accordion strip and adhere to end. Remove second piece of paper cover strips from the ScorPal tape and attach to second accordion strip. This joins the two 12” strips together.

Step 14 – Arrange accordion fold so the first and last folded edge is on the left. Place a generous amount of ScorPal tape on the first and last page. You can check to see if this is correct by flipping through the accordion fold like a book (pages will flip left to right). You should have 3 folds on the left and 2 folds on the right.

Step 15 – Place back cover face side down and line up accordion fold so the fold edge is along the vertical outside edge of the cover along the edge of the inner cover paper (do not remove paper tape covering yet). The accordion fold should be centered top to bottom (1/8” of the inside patterned paper wrap visible). There will be about a 1/4″ inch space to right edge (as you look down). Open up the fold and adhere the back page to the inside back cover.

Step 16 – Place the two covers open side by side with the cover with the attached accordion fold on the right. The ribbon from the front cover should extend underneath the back cover. Take the front cover and practice aligning it with the accordion fold. You should have a nice clean folded edge right along the edge of both covers. When your covers are in a straight line and you have verified that the accordion fold is along the outside edge of the back cover, you are ready to remove the paper covering from your tape. Once removed, place your front cover directly on the accordion fold (in a nice even movement keeping alignment with the back cover). Your covers should align. Press firmly. Instagram-Accordion-Fold-Attach-to-Front-Cover

Step 17 – The ribbon from the left side of the front of the book wraps around the back of the back cover and keeps your book together. Tie the ribbon and trim as needed.

Step 18 – Decorate the front of your book. You can also decorate the front and back pages of your accordion fold and add pockets and tags if you want. You can use your electronic die cutter (like a Cricut or Silhouette), make your own embellishments, or use a paper company’s embellishments. Add a name, initials, date, tag, or flower. Have fun!

I used my Cricut Explore and the awesome Small Talk and Frames cartridge to embellish this accordion fold mini album. The first one used embellishments from my Noel Mignon kit (less the polka dot ribbon). On both, I added punched foliage (using a punch bunch). You can finish your inner pages to add pockets or patterned paper mats.

Here’s a great tutorial on another small book that uses signatures instead of an accordion fold.

http://quinceandquire.typepad.com/quince_and_quire/2009/12/tiny-book-tutorial-part-one.html

http://quinceandquire.typepad.com/quince_and_quire/2009/12/tiny-book-tutorial-part-two.html

Edited to correct step 15.

Ocean Breeze – A Graphic 45 Mini Album

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Sis Patterson

I made a little Graphic 45 “Down by the Sea” mini album to capture a week-long vacation at the beach.

The structure of my book is Kathy Orta’s hidden hinge system. It may take a while to watch the video and understand, but believe me, you can do it! Here is the link to Kathy’s tutorial. There are other tutorials available for making the cover.

And here is the 5″x7″ mini album I made. It has a clear acrylic cover and chipboard back. I primarily used Graphic 45’s Down by the Sea Collection.

It has a two-inch spine and I added a Tim Holtz hanger brad to the spine before adhering the hidden hinge framework. Here is a close up of the front – the same little Cricut houses are used on the front and the inside front of the clear cover. The middle house is adhered on a layer of chipboard for some added dimension. I added a banner title and a little paper eyelet from a Martha Stewart border punch. My new Cricut Explore cut a lot of this project – I am still getting used to the clunky software, but the machine is awesome!

The challenging thing about using acrylic sheets is determining what should go behind it and aligning it correctly. In this mini album, the next under page has a banner in the same place with the second line of the song.

Here is all of the first page:

All together, I used three different page types. The page above is made by cutting the paper 6.75″ wide by 10″ long and scoring (along the long edge) at 0.5″ and at 4.75″. Fold in the flap and adhere, making a tube. You will want to burnish the top and bottom edge for a smooth page. Leave one end open for inserting tags and use the other open end to attach to your hinge system. You can also add a die cut or paper to make a pocket on top of your page. Here is the back of page one:

And here is the little tag that tucks in behind the car die cut:

For the second type of page, I used strips cut from 12″ pocket page protectors and I added a paper “header” to attach to the hidden hinge system. When cutting your pocket page, make sure you cut below the line that forms the “stop” for the row above it. Once you get a pocket page in the trimmer, you will see what I mean. I used a bone folder to accordion fold one row of 4″ square pockets for one page and a row of 3″ x 4″ pockets for a second page.

Here is how I added the header: measure the height of your row/strip of pockets. Mine measured 4.25″ tall. I cut a strip of paper 1″ wide by 9″ long. Along the long end, score at 0.5″ and 4.75″. Add ScorPal tape on the outside edge of your page pocket row along the side with the plastic header and holes for putting in a larger album with rings.

Check your row of pockets to ensure that pockets are facing up. then tuck in the .05″ flap, and wrap your header band around the pocket row lining. Your pocket row should be attached to one side of your header band. After that, adhere it to your hidden hinge binding. Add a little pull tab to the side of your accordion folded pockets, and you are ready to fill your pockets.

The last type of page is a flap page. With a 12″ piece of paper, cut a 4.75″ width of paper (so the design will run horizontal) by 10″. Score at 6.5″ and fold the flap. Cut another piece of paper that measures 4.75″ wide by 6.5″ and adhere on 3 sides leaving one end open for a flap. Adhere that paper underneath your flap. You can mix and match patterns to your heart’s content.

Cricut and Silhouette Cameo Team Up for a Recipe Card – Texas Caviar

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Sis Patterson

Another 6″ by 6″ vignette for the recipe card swap. The theme for this round was 4th of July. I used Cricut’s “Yee Haw” cow girl as the focal point and substituted a hand cut tortilla chip for her hat. The bowl (formerly of popcorn) is from the Silhouette Online Store. I used the Silhouette Designer Edition software to cut the five-pointed star in blue gingham and then add more cut lines to the star cut and split the red patterned paper points in half for a little extra dimension and color. I simply added the red pieces directly over the top of the blue gingham points.

I used Copics to add the color for the Texas caviar (black beans, black-eyed peas, red and green peppers, and shoe peg corn) and added a second hand-cut tortilla chip. Silhouette’s Print and Cut capability was key to making the recipe title label, and the Cricut Craft Room was instrumental in hiding contours on the cow girl. When working with small pieces, I generally “hide” the eyes and mouth as it is simply easier to draw them in.

The ground was also hand cut. Using scissors, just cut a wavy line about a half-inch up from the end of a six-inch wide paper strip. Next, cut a straight line across about a half-inch above the wavy edge. You will have two “ground” pieces and it is simpler and easier than using a machine.

A Cricut Christmas Clock

Posted on July 27, 2013 by Sis Patterson

Welcome to the second stop on the Christmas in July “anything goes” hop. You should have arrived here from the wonderful Scrapalette’s blog. Today’s hop promises to deliver a variety of projects and techniques, so make you stop and visit at each blog.

My project uses a Hobby Lobby clock that I “covered” in October Afternoon paper and embellished with Cricut elves from “A Quilted Christmas” and poinsettia made from leaves on the “Flower Shoppe” cartridge. I simply trimmed away the stem and layered to create the poinsettia. I added a few Pearl Pen dots and some Stickles to finish up the look. I also added some Tim Holtz embellishments.

The elves are at 4″ tall, and I used the Cricut Craft Room. I love the ease of hiding contours so you can cut the pieces you want in the paper you want. It was a big help in cutting the girl elf and all of the little pieces. I cut several layers of Papertrey Ink cardstock for the base layers of each elf. The added dimension and stability are worth the cardstock investment.

I hope you enjoyed your visit today – please leave a comment to be entered for a $25 gift certificate to Simon Says Stamps.

Next up on the blog hop is the fabulous Maria.

And if you are just starting off, here is the lineup. Be sure to head back to Scrapalette’s blog so you don’t miss a thing. Scrapalette is awarding a Cricut Christmas Village cartridge – each blog you comment on will give you an entry in the prize drawings! And, the prize drawing at the end of the month is for a brand new Christmas {Noel} cart!

Here’s the rest of today’s lineup:

1~Paulette at http://scrapalette.blogspot.com – you should have started here
2~Sis at http://papercraftscissors.com – you are here
3~Maria at http://stampcutcreate.blogspot.com – up next
4~Laura at http://www.coolbeansbylb.blogspot.com
5~Brenda at http://happyscrapper64.blogspot.com
6~ Lisa at http://addictedtothecricut.blogspot.com
7~Donna at http://carolinascreativecropper.blogspot.com
8~ Cindy at http://www.inlovewithpaper.blogspot.com
9~Angela at http://angiespaperpassion.blogspot.com
10~Theresa at http://scrapsbygracie.blogspot.com
11~Beth at http://seaswancreations.blogspot.com
12~Betsy at http://betsymcreates.blogspot.com
13~Loraine at http://www.lorainespaperplayhouse.blogspot.com

A Cricut Christmas Card – Change Up the Traditional Colors

Posted on July 13, 2013 by Sis Patterson

Welcome to the second stop on the Christmas in July card hop. You should have arrived here from the wonderful Scrapalette’s blog. Today’s Christmas in July hop is all about cards and of course, Cricut cuts.

And here is my card:

Yep – it’s a pink reindeer with rhinestone antlers – and yes, you can use alternative paper and colors schemes and have it still add up to Christmas. I started with the background paper as my color inspiration (it’s Grow from Kaisercraft’s Summer Breeze collection.) I picked dark, medium, and light solid cardstock in a variety of textures for the background trees. The darkest trees are in the back, the medium are in the middle, and the lightest tree is directly behind the reindeer. All of the trees are from Paper Doll Dress-Up. I used Tim Holtz Victorian Velvet and Spun Sugar distress inks to add shading to both the background paper and the trees.

The reindeer is from Noah’s ABC animals – this Cricut cartridge has the prettiest animals. I cut the reindeer from taupe and pink patterned papers. After assembling, I added rhinestones (colored slightly with Copics) to the antlers and as eyes. Then I began building the layers of the card. The dark trees are in the back and adhered directly to the cardstock. The medium value trees are pop dotted and the lightest value tree is double pop dotted. I hand cut the snow banks from Papertrey Ink white cardstock and added Spun Sugar and a little Victorian Velvet to accentuate the hilltops. The reindeer is also pop dotted.

The tag is from Art Philosophy and the sentiment is from Inky Antics.

I hope you enjoyed your visit today – please leave a comment to be entered for a $25 gift certificate to Simon Says Stamps.

Next up on the blog hop is the fabulous Diane.

And if you are just starting off, here is the lineup. Be sure to head back to Scrapalette’s blog so you don’t miss a thing. Scrapalette is awarding a brand new Cricut Christmas cartridge – each blog you comment on will give you an entry in the prize drawings! And, the prize drawing at the end of the month is for a brand new Christmas {Noel} cart! I will be back on 27 July with another Cricut Christmas project. See you then – and until then – happy hopping.

Paulette at http://scrapalette.blogspot.com/ Start Here!
Sis at https://papercraftscissors.com/ You Are Here!
Diane at http://dianesdribble.blogspot.com/ Next Up!
Lisa at http://addictedtothecricut.blogspot.com/
Linda at http://ladybuglair.blogspot.com/
Donna at http://carolinascreativecropper.blogspot.com/
Cindy at http://www.inlovewithpaper.blogspot.com/
Fran at http://lovebugtimme.blogspot.com/
Colleen at http://scrappycol.blogspot.com/
Theresa at http://scrapsbygracie.blogspot.com/
Beth at http://seaswancreations.blogspot.com/

A “Micey” Nice Day – Penny Black Stamps and Cricut Collaboration

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Sis Patterson

It’s a little birthday card with some of my favorite things: Cricut die cuts, patterned papers, an Action Wobble, and Penny Black stamps.

The mouse is from the Cricut Lite “Twinkle Toes” cartridge. I cut her at 3.25″ tall. I modified her party tutu by cutting the basic shift layer once in gray cardstock and a second time in the same patterned paper as her tutu. I trimmed down the patterned paper to make a bodice. With the small size of the die cut, I did not cut the collar. A few added rhinestone flowers, and she is ready to celebrate.

The cupcake is from Close to My Heart “Artiste” cartridge and is also cut at 3.25″ tall. I cut an extra layer of frosting and pop dotted both layers. The frosting layer is accented with Martha Stewart Coarse Glitter. The mouse is pop dotted on the cupcake. The cupcake is attached to first layer of patterned paper with an Action Wobble.

The first patterned paper measures 3.5″ square (mounted on a chipboard square that measures a little less than 3.5″). The chipboard layer gives the mouse and her cupcake a little more wobble room. The next layers measure 4″, 4.5″, 5″square. I used a variety of papers to add medium, dark, and light values. The overall card measures 5.25″ square and used Papertrey Ink cardstock as the base. When you layer on the papery goodness, you need to make sure you use a high quality cardstock.

The flag sentiment is from Penny Black stamps. After stamping in Ranger’s Archival Ink, I hand trimmed and attached the banner to the cupcake. To make the cupcake come to life and wobble, all you need to do is push the banner down. The Penny Black stamps continue in the inside of the card.

I thought the little mice feet were too cute not to include in the sentiment. The interior is combines more Penny Black stamps with a little Copic coloring. So there you have it, a birthday card collaboration of Cricut and Penny Black.

One Sheet Wonder Mini Album

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Sis Patterson

Here is a little folded album that uses one piece of paper as its foundation. I made this “one sheet wonder” in response to a National Scrapbook Day challenge from a friend.

This is the pin that inspired me to try it out and a big assist from Nadia at withglitteringeyes.blogspot.com who translated the metric measurements from the original site into standard measurements that are applicable to U.S. scoreboards.

Want to try one?

Here is how to do it.

Start with a 12” piece of cardstock and put it on your score board. If you click on the steps below, you can see a graphic that explains the directions.

One Sheet – Step 1

Score at 2 3/8” and 7 1/4”.

Now, rotate your cardstock clockwise so that the score lines are horizontal. The 2 3/8” score line should be towards the top of scoreboard.

Step 2

Score again at 3 7/8”, 4 1/8”, 8”, and 8 1/4”.

When you look at your scored piece of 12” cardstock, you will have 3 top flaps and six similarly sized rectangles.

Using your paper trimmer or Xacto knife, trim the the 1/4” scored area from the bottom row and top flap. Always stop trimming at the first horizontal score line.

Step 3

For the inner right hand pocket,

Trim the top flap so that it measures 1 3/4” from the score line. Using a corner rounder, trim the outside edge of the flap.
Trim the lower flap so that it measures 3 3/4” from the score line.
Cut a piece of patterned paper that measures 3 1/4” by 3 3/8”. Cut a mat that measures 3 3/8” by 3 5/8”. Adhere the mat and patterned paper to the outside of the lower flap.
Using a 1 1/2” circle punch, punch a semi circle in the lower flap edge.
Attach closure mechanism to the lower flap.
Using 1/4” ScorTape, tape the two side side edges and bottom edge of the lower flap and fold up to make a pocket.
Flip the lower flap up and using 1/4” ScorPal tape, adhere to center section to make a pocket.

Step 4

For the middle flap, trim a triangle from edge to make a pointed flap.

Flip the triangle, place on the left edge of the middle flap, and snip the same triangle again.
No need for measuring or aligning – your flap will be symmetrical.

Step 5

To decorate, cut various patterned papers at 3 1/4” by 4”. You will need a total of ten pieces of this size. I added a 3 1/2 ” x 4 1/4” solid mat under each patterned paper, you will need ten of those as well.

I also added an extra chipboard mat on the front and back cover so that the weight would help keep the book closed. Once it gets filled, the owner may wish to make a belly band of it – but I know her mom will help with that if necessary.

The butterfly on the front cover is from October Afternoon’s Farmhouse collection. I used champagne sparkle Versamark and Ultra Thick Embossing Power to add a little shine and sparkle.

The “m” is embossed in similar fashion. The “m” is from the Close to My Heart Artiste cartridge.

The inner tags are from the Close to My Heart Art Philosophy cartridge. I used the “m” again from Artiste and embossed again. The tag is attached with a jump ring to the ribbon.

The little books were cut from the Farmhouse paper. I also added a back of the same size and made a little folder.

This is for a special young friend who is packing up soon and heading out to new adventures and new friends. I thought she might like a little book to tuck away some of her memories of living in Rhode Island.

Here is the album opened fully:

A Pin Project for National Scrapbook Day

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Sis Patterson

I recently challenged myself recently to find a Pinterest pin and learn a new technique.

Here is my inspiration – a super fun mini album in a box.

I loved this mini-album in a box and here is how I interpreted it.

The completed box measures 6” by 8”. You will need chipboard, cardstock, some patterned paper, embellishments, ColorBox Chestnut Roan stamp pad, ribbon, a scoreboard, and a Cricut in order to create one for you or a friend.

1) To begin, cut the chipboard as follows:

Box back – 6” by 8”
Outside flaps – cut two 6” x 5” flaps

Next cut the “hinge” pieces. I used Papertrey Ink cardstock (my favorite strong cardstock). You will need to cut:

Top and bottom hinges – cut two at 6” x 2”, score a 1/4” and 1 3/4”
Side hinges – cut two at 8” by 2”, score at 1/4” and 1 3/4”

This photo is my prototype. You can see the hinges are all of the inside of the framework. You will cover all of the scored margins of the hinges with patterned paper.

If you are inking the edges of your project, you will want to ink the chipboard and the chipboard now.

2) Next, cut the patterned papers for the outside of the box and the inner flaps.

Box back – 6” x 8”
Outside flaps – cut two 6” x 5” flaps (I added some texture with the Cuttlebug Honeycomb embossing folder)
Inside flaps – cut two 6” x 5” flaps

If inking, do it now.

Begin box assembly.

Apply 1/4” ScorPal or other strong adhesive to the 1/4” scored edges of the top and box hinges and fold edges inward so the adhesive is on the outside. It will look like a “U”.
Attach one edge of the first hinge to the inside of the chipboard top flap.
Cover front of the top flap with patterned or embossed paper.
Attach hinge to bottom flap and cover front with patterned or embossed paper.

Attach top flap and bottom flap to box back. Determine how you will close the box (I used a ribbon loop over a large Graphic 45 metal button brad). Mark centers on flap. When closed, your box angles should be at 90 degrees and your bottom flap should extend beyond the top flap by 2”. Make sure you attach your brad in the appropriate location. If attaching brad, attach brad first before adhering patterned paper to the inside the flap. If you are using eyelets, you will want to adhere the patterned paper to the inside flaps before you break out the Crop-A-Dile.

Adhere inside top and bottom flap patterned paper. Check for pattern direction before adhering.
Attach side hinges to box back.

Cut two side doors in patterned paper at 3” x 8”. If you want your pattern to align perfectly, cut a 6” x 8” piece of patterned paper and then cut that in half lengthwise. Use a substantial cardstock like My Mind’s Eye or Authentique. If your patterned paper is lighter weight, you could cut the panels from chipboard and cover them.

Attach outside side doors to the hinge. Check and make sure you have the pattern aligned correctly (not upside down) before adhering. Open doors, and attach inside side doors to the back. Your patterned paper will cover the hinge.

You will also need to cut two side door panels 3” x 8” in patterned paper for the inside of the side doors.

Cut a 6” by 8” patterned paper for the outside of the box back and adhere.

Add patterned paper on the exposed 1.5” sides (the depth of the box). You will need to cut the paper at 1” wide.

Decorate top flap with embellishments. I used the bee from “Every Day Pop Up Cards” to accent the label. The labels are from Spellbinders, and the smaller one is layered on thin chipboard cut with the same die.

I repeated the same label to adhere make a closure for the side doors. This label set has a small and a large chipboard layer. One half of the label is adhered to the right side door and I used velcro on the left hand side to keep the side door closed. The flowers and leaves are from “Flower Shoppe”

I cut two pockets from patterned paper to create pockets and used Close to My Heart “Art Philosophy” to make 4” tall tags. I cut two layers – one from blue and one from black and adhered. I think the little envelope is from “Artiste.”

I will be back tomorrow to share some ideas on making the book inside the box. I hope you will come back to visit then. You can see the front cover in the final picture above.

In the meantime, please leave a comment for a drawing for a $25 gift card to Simon Says Stamps.

Several of us have joined together to share in the fun of National Scrapbook Day (Weekend). Please stop by their blogs to see more.

With Glittering Eyes – 8AM EDT Saturday, May 4, 2013 “It’s All About Perspective” Tutorial and Blog Prize – $20 Hobby Lobby Gift Card!
Around the Block with Scrapalette – 11AM EDT Saturday, May 4, 2013 “Tic Tac Toe Challenge and Blog Prize!
Col’s Creative Corner – 1PM EDT Saturday, May 4, 2013 “Ease on Down the Road” Blog Prize- $15 Michael’s Crafts Gift Card!
Stamp, Cut, Create! blog – 4PM EDT Saturday, May 4, 2013. “Tin Is In” theme and Blog Prize!
All Scrapped Out – 6PM EDT Saturday, May 4, 2013 “What’s It Owl About” theme and Blog Prize!
The Non-Crafty Crafter – 8PM EDT Saturday, May 4, 2013 “Let’s Split- CCR Tutorial” (Learn to create a split letter monogram) and Blog Prize!
Scrappin With The Bug blog – 10PM EDT Saturday, May 4, 2013 “The Crazy B’s Challenge” and Blog Prize!
Sara W. Andrews blog – 9AM EDT Sunday, May 5, 2013 “Go Big or Go Home” theme and Blog Prize – $20 Hobby Lobby Gift Card!
Scrappin With the Bug blog – 11AM EDT Sunday, May 5, 2013 “Tropical Sunset Color Challenge” and Blog Prize!
I Came, I Saw, I Created blog – 6:30PM EDT Sunday, May 5, 2013 “Did-I-MENSION???” Challenge and Blog Prize!

Yorkshire Pudding Recipe Card – Cricut and Silhouette Together Again

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Sis Patterson

I am back on the recipe card swap trail again – this year, instead of starting with recipe categories, we are doing holidays and celebrations and selecting the recipe to fit the holiday. First up for me, is New Year’s. Although it is not a traditional New Year’s meal, I always look forward to roast beef with a pop-over sized individual Yorkshire pudding during the winter celebrations.

So, using Graphic 45’s “Before Your Time” Kraft Reflections cardstock as the background patterned paper, I set out to create a Yorkshire Pudding recipe page. I found a darling Yorkie puppy at the Silhouette On-Line Store and replaced her reindeer antlers with a Happy New Year headband. The Yorkshire Pudding tag was made using the Print and Cut feature on the Silhouette Studio Designer Edition – this feature alone should be enough to propel you to buy this software (and die cutter) if you haven’t already.

My Cricut education lead me to making the Yorkshire Terrier a little more dimensional. The snapshot below shows what I did. I cut the golden fur pieces as designed. I copied the golden “facial ruff” and removed the “mouth” and “blaze” cuts to have a solid black ruff. I also copied the “nose” and “eyes” and removed the small highlight cuts to create a base. The terrier body, black eyes, and black nose are cut from American Crafts card stock in black. The black ruff piece is cut from lightweight black chipboard. I cut the base nose and eyes from white card stock. The gold ruff pieces are cut from a pale golden-peach color and I used Copics 11 and 13 to add furry texture and color. As the ears are specific to the right or left side, I found it easiest to leave the pieces on the mat, remove one, color, and adhere. Then do the second ear.

To start the assembly, I added the Yorkshire Pudding tag to the mouth of the golden ruff piece. I then added the golden ruff (with the tag) to the black chipboard. The other golden pieces were adhered directly to the black dog piece. The completed ruff piece is attached to the dog with a foam dot and another foam dot is under the tag. Unlike Cricut, there are no “guideline cuts” as to how the pieces align. So pick a few “alignment points” like the little swoop on the right hand cheek of the ruff and line that up before adhering. Then layer on the white “highlight” nose and eyes and layer the black pieces directly over them. Finally add some Glossy Accents to the eyes and nose.

The Happy New Year headband is cut from American Crafts white card stock. I colored it with Copics Y28 (Lionet Gold) and used spray glue to adhere some micro-fine glitter in the “warm” color way.

The fourth cut is the champagne glass from Cricut’s Something to Celebrate cartridge. I used Cricut Craft Room to hide the champagne bottle in all of the layers. I used my Crop-A-Dile to punch the bubbles. I filled the bubbles with a combination of gold Stickles and Glossy Accents. Finally, the polka dot label came from Spellbinder’s Nestabilities. The Yorkie is adhered with some foam tape.

And for those who are interested in the recipe, here is the link. Yum!

A Cup of Cricut Valentine Cheer

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Sis Patterson

Another paper flower bouquet in a mug – this one is for Valentine’s Day. The rolled flowers (about 22) are all from the Close to My Heart Artiste cartridge. I cut a variety of sizes from 4.5″ to 3.25″ in three colors: a bright red, a dark red, and a chocolate red. I love the mix of colors as it adds depth and some sparkle. The Snow Man is from Cricut Snow Friends and measures 5″ tall. The patterned papers are from Cosmo Cricket’s Tea for Tea mini-deck and the solid colors are from American Crafts Valentine pack. I used a combination of corsage pins and floral wires for the rose stems. The Snow Man is holding a jewelry wire “banner” of beads and snowflake charms. The wire measured 11″ before twisting and shaping. The ends are attached behind his mittens.

I used Cricut Craft Room to hide the contours in the Snow Man and flipped him horizontally to create his backside. I also flipped all of his accessories. His scarf was hand-trimmed as the ends are only visible on the front. When assembling, do the front first, and then turn it over to act as a guide for placing the back accessory pieces to ensure alignment. I purchased the mug at JoAnn’s and inserted a styrofoam disc to build the flower base.

paper, craft & scissors

Category Archives: Cricut