Stick it Down June, 2018

Here’s this month’s card sketch from Stick it Down!  You still have plenty of time to play – until the end of the month.  And this is a really easy sketch to inspire you!

I needed a graduation card for my neighbor, so here’s my interpretation:Notice that little strip of Washi inside?  I thought it looked like the graduation cap.  🙂

We’d love to see your version of this sketch!  Link up at Stick it Down!  This is my last creation for Stick it Down.  I’ve been a design team member there for a number of years and thought it was time to give someone else a chance.  Ashley is a great team leader and the DT members are so talented.  Thank you for the opportunity to design for you!

Evelyn

Cut it Up – Anything But a Card

It’s an ABC (Anything But a Card) challenge at Cut it Up!  I made two little boxes using files from our awesome sponsor, Ink on 3.  I had such a blast making them!  The 2.5″ x 2.5″ boxes themselves are from the Holly Days One Piece Boxes collection.

First up is this little under-the-sea themed box.  I filled the box svg with the Starfish paper from the Mariner Mermaid Digi Paper Pack.  Then, through strategic use of the knife blade and trace features in Silhouette Design Studio, I isolated the mermaid and the jellyfish from the Mermaid Sea paper, cut those out, colored them, and adhered them to the little box with foam tape.  I colored her hair green – it’s seaweed!!  🙂

I tried to get a little artsy with the second box, with not as much success, but, hey!  I tried! 🙂  I filled this box with the Ripples paper from the Water Lily Digi Paper Pack and printed/cut the feathers from the Peacock Basket to adhere on its sides as a kind of abstract art.  At least I had fun!!  And that’s really the point of it all, isn’t it??Kind of looks like a space rocket to me.  I do like the bright colors on the black-and-white paper and thought that the ripples looked like mod 60s circles!

Both these paper packs have some really beautiful and elegant images.  I can’t wait to play with them some more.

The prize from Ink on 3 is Prize: $10.00 gift code for SVGs & Printables.  Hope you can join us for this Anything But a Card challenge at Cut it Up!

Evelyn

Did you ever have this happen?

I treated my Cameo to a new blade and new mats today.  It cut beautifully, but look what happened when I peeled my papers off.

The sticky peeled off with my paper.  I’m not sure why that happened, but I’m not too pleased about it!!  😦

Evelyn

PDE Challenges #24 – Anything Goes

Anything Goes is always a fun theme for challenges because anything goes!!  I needed a couple of cards for little girls, one for my granddaughter and one for my friend’s daughter, and this Snow Princess from Miss Kate Cuttables was perfect.  Besides, she’s so pretty I really wanted to use her!!

My granddaughter is brunette and my friend’s daughter is blonde so I got to make one of each.  The top layer of the cut file has little cutouts shaped like snowflakes, but I mean teeny tiny!!  I tried cutting it out but it didn’t work at this size so instead I eliminated that layer and used Stickles instead.  I think it looks like ice; I like it!

Come on over and link up any craft project at PDE Challenges, because anything goes!

Evelyn

DCD Masculine or Fathers’ Day

We’re celebrating the males this time around with masculine or Father’s Day projects this week at Die Cuttin’ Divas.  I went with a masculine card that I intend to use for a birthday. I really like swing cards!  This is the Sailboat file from Miss Kate’s Cuttables.  She’s got quite a few cute ones, but this is the one I used for this card.  The waves are a border punch.  the swing card itself is an old one from My Treasured Kutz.  It looks like the site may be defunct now, though.

You have a week to link up your masculine or Fathers’ Day project over at Die Cuttin’ Divas!  🙂

Evelyn

The Merry Christmas Challenge #23 – Polka Dots

The optional theme this week at The Merry Christmas Challenge Blog is polka dots!  How fun!  I used the adorable Santa Birdie from Pretty Papers, Pretty Ribbons and my Swiss Dots embossing folder from Cuttlebug.  Oh, and a Stampin’ Up 1″ circle punch.

I even snuck in a little washi tape!  Love when I can find a way to use it!

Well, that’s one more Christmas card done!

Evelyn

Milo May, 2018

This year I knitted seven Milos for Milo May, including one “tester.”  The designer of the Milo pattern, Georgie Nicolson, asked for people to test some larger sizes and I volunteered to be one of the testers.  Here they are!

I finished the three that I showed you here.

This first one incorporates a beautiful pattern from the Little Pine Gansey found at Ravelry.

This one uses just one panel from the same pattern.  It’s made from baby alpaca.

This one incorporates a textured cable on reverse stockinette.

And you’ve already seen this one;  it was made with leftovers from a sweater I made for my granddaughter.

This one was made using up the leftover wool from the first one.  I thought I could eke out a newborn size, but I ran out.Happily, I knew somebody it would fit!!  Thumbelina is thrilled to have a little vest!
Now it was time to knit the test garment.  We got the pattern mid-month.  One of the requirements to test the new sizes was that I have a model.  I don’t really know any kids that age/size but I remembered that a former co-worker had two daughters.  I contacted her and asked if either one (or both) of them would like a vest and be a model, and one did!  I wanted to get started right away so I went to Michaels to pick up some yarn.  (Just kick me if I ever say I’m going to Michaels again for yarn!)  I asked what color she would like and what style cable.  She chose teal and the large cable.  Michaels didn’t have a huge selection, but I bought two different yarns and texted to find out which one she preferred, then started knitting.  And it started out okay:

I got gauge (or so I thought) on size 5 needles, but halfway through I knew something was wrong.  I hated it.  First of all, there was so much blank stockinette that a solid yarn just looked, well, boring.  Also, I used Russian joins to join the second skein and at a point where there was a knot in the yarn, and those were really visible.  And lastly, it was HUGE!  I was aiming for a 30″ and this was at least 32″.  I just couldn’t go on.

Luckily, the Virginia Yarn Crawl started that weekend.  With so many yarn shops to visit, I knew I’d find something I loved, and I did, at That Yarn Shop in Fishersville.  Isn’t it luscious?  You should feel it.  It’s merino wool.

It took three eight-hour days of knitflixing (knitting while watching Netflix), but I got it done by the deadline!  It was totally worth the effort!

You can see the depth of all the beautiful colors that make up this wool.  NOT boring!  🙂
I know it’s hard to see sizes in photos – they all look the same size, really – but this one is a 29″ chest.

I had one weekend left and plenty of yarn so I made one more, a 12 month size using a pretty diamond pattern.  This is also baby alpaca – the same yarn as the one above.  It’s SO SOFT!! So that’s one more Milo May under my belt.  This is one of my favorite “go to” patterns, especially for road trips and/or using up left over yarn, so you’ll see plenty more in the future!  But that’s it for now!  🙂

Evelyn

Die Cuttin’ Divas June 2018 sketch

and here it is!

I used two Cricut cartridges plus Silhouette Design Studio to make this graduation card for my cousin who is graduating high school this year.  He is a talented actor and musician, plays many instruments in different bands in his high school including the marching band.

For my card, I replaced the two blue rectangles with music notes, repositioning one further down.  They and the sentiment are from Quarter Note.  The graduation cap is from Wrap it Up, but I altered it.  I really liked the marching band hat from Quarter note but I didn’t want two hats on the card.  The element I liked most was the swirl.  I couldn’t figure out a way to use the tools in Cricut Design Space to get the swirl cut out of the graduation hat so I copied a picture of the hat, brought it into the Silhouette software and traced it.   I am much more familiar with that program and was easily able to get what I wanted, which you can see below!There is a red base and two black layers.  Both black layers have the swirl cut out of them so you can see the red underneath.  The tassel is glued on top.  It’s hard to see, but the paper that looks dark gray is really shimmery.

Be sure to stop by Die Cuttin’ Divas and see the awesome cards the other design team members made with this sketch, then link up yours.  We have a sponsor for this challenge!  It’s the Cutting Cafe, and the prize is any three sets from their store!

Evelyn

Cut it Up – Sketch Challenge

Time for another challenge from Cut it Up, and this time it’s a sketch challenge.  Where is the sketch? you ask.  Well, the answer is, it’s out there!  You can use whatever sketch you like to create your project, card, scrapbook page . . . You get the idea!

I have a file on my desktop where I save card sketches that I like and may want to use in the future.  I chose my sketch from there.  It’s the January, 2017 card sketch from Stick it Down.  A Day for Daisies is our sponsor this time and they generously gave us images to work with.  I chose this ADORABLE Cow Dress stamp, first because it’s ADORABLE (did I already say that?) and second because I thought I’d be able to color it! 🙂  which I was!!

Because I find fussy cutting tedious, I printed my digi stamp from Silhouette Design Studio so I could trace it, give it an offset, and cut it.  I colored four cows in all (heifers?), each one a little different.  Here are the first two, who were affixed to cards using this sketch. You’ll notice I used my washi on these two, and a border punch for the scallops.  I actually sewed the button on because I don’t like the look of a button with no thread.  You’ll notice that the sentiment on the pink card fades out on the washi.  😦  It took forever to dry, too, even with a heat gun.  I used Memento Tuxedo Black ink, but maybe there is another kind that would work better.  The sentiments for both are from Unity Stamp Company, Simply Fabulous Peacock and Smile in Your Dreams.

I made two other cards not using any sketches, but also designed in the Silhouette software.  The font is LDJ Noodge by Lettering Delights.  The sentiment is not original;  I know I’ve seen it before so I can’t take credit for it. I had a lot of fun coloring these little gals, so thank you A Day for Daisies!

Hope you join this easy challenge at Cut it Up.  You could win a $12 gift card (equal to 3 images of choice) from ADFD!  You should also check out the beautiful work of my design team sisters over at CIU.   They really rock!  🙂

Evelyn

 

PDE Challenges #30 – Flowers

Getting crafty again with Pause Dream Enjoy Challenges.  The theme this week is flowers, which is perfect for this time of year because they’re blooming all over the place!!

My project is a box card from the Cricut cartridge Box Cards for Any Occasion.  There are several really nice ones on there, but this one tickled my fancy.  🙂

The papers are all scraps, some of them really old!  The striped paper I know is CTMH Christmas paper from way back when, but the checked paper I have no idea.  It reminds me of a picnic tablecloth.

You can link your flower project here at Pause Dream Enjoy Challenges.

Evelyn