Backpack Box

Another old post from my old blog from back in 2010.  At that time, someone named Lariea had posted on the "Make The Cut Forum" about these cute little backpack boxes that she had made. CaseysAngel (Christy) then went and found the pattern and directions on the Splitcoaststampers website. They were created and posted by Mary Arima on that site.  Her blog is "PaperJoy".  I couldn't resist making one.  Actually, my plan was to make several as treat bags for my DD's volleyball team.  However, they were a bit "fiddly"  LOL and I decided there was no way I was making that many so this is a "one of a kind"!

However, it wasn't nearly as "fiddly" as it could have been. Thanks to Rachellann ID #714, on the Make The Cut Forums who made a .mtc cut file for this pattern.  It is an awesome pattern that includes both the cut lines and then the score lines.  Just close the layer (close the eyeball) with the score lines when you cut it out, then close the layer with the cut lines and open the layer with the score lines, change the pressure to light and the blade depth to about 1 or 2 and "cut" the score lines.  It won't actually cut them all the way through but will allow you to score and fold as needed.  You can find Rachellann's .mtc file for this on the Make the Cut Forum here.  You will have to scroll down through the thread a little ways to find it.  You wil also see Lareia's picture of the cute ones that she made at the beginning of that thread.  As a result, I don't have any cut files to share here.  Just a picture of the one I made and the links to the patterns and directions as provided above.  

I also found a .svg file for the same or similiar type file here on cricutcraftyclare's blog.  I also found a post of a .svg file with or without the scorelines on the SCAL forum.  It was posted by dchiu1 and can be found here. So, hopefully between these multiple sites, you should be able to find a cut file that will work for you no matter what cut file or software that you use. Thanks for stopping by.

Embossed Paper Birds - Project from JoAnn's

Yet another old post from my old blog! (Hopefully these are new to many of you!) This project came from one of those free project sheets from JoAnn's. You can find the complete project information here at JoAnn's website. You will also find a better picture of the final project there as well.  I took the pdf file provided and created a cut file for use with my electronic cutter.  You can download the embossed paper bird .mtc cut file for use with Make The Cut here.  You can download the embossed paper bird .svg file for use with other software and cutters here.  Be sure to download the PDF file for assembly directions from JoAnn's site here. I used cuttlebug embossing folders to emboss the flower (dots) and the bird.

4-H Clover - .svg file

Hello.  Another old post from my old blog.  Someone wanted a 4-H clover so I created this one for them from a free coloring book page I found.  If you just want the "clover" without the "H"s this file will work for you as the Hs are cut out separately. Download the 4-H Clover .svg file .

gymnast on a beam - .svg file

Here's another old file from my old blog. It is an image of a gymnast on a beam. I have always loved watching gymnastics. Then, for more then 6 years my DD and/or DS did competitive gymnastics. Sadly, they both gave it up for various reasons. I miss watching them compete, but we have moved on to other sports!

This one is a simple shadow shape - no layering. I got the image from a scroll saw magazine! I have thought for a while that patterns used for scroll sawing could easily be converted and made into die cut images to cut with my Cricut. I was right! This image came from the Fall, 2009, Issue 36 of the "Scroll Saw Woodworkng & Crafts magazine". I simply scanned it into my computer using my all-in-one printer/scanner, saved it as a .gif, .jpeg, or .tiff image file and then imported it into Inkscape and with just a few keystrokes turned it into an .svg file for use with the SCAL software to cut with my Cricut!

Download the Gymnast on Beam .svg file here. 

More .svg Files to share - wine bottle, champagne glass, chocolate kiss, breast cancer ribbon and Statute of Liberty

Here are some more .svg files to share with you that I had previously shared on my old blog.

Download the Champagne Glass. Download the Wine Bottle, Download the Chocolate Kiss, Download the Breast Cancer Ribbon, Download the Statute of Liberty. Note: The "size" of the objects here doesn't matter. You may easily resize any of these to any size that you can cut with your cutters. You are limited only by the size your machine will cut.

As always, thanks for stopping by.

Bear - .svg File

Here is another quick post of a cute little bear that I had previously shared on my old blog.  I found him as a free coloring book page and created the .svg file that I am sharing here.

Thanks for stopping by.

Download the Bear .svg file here. 

Swim Mask, Snorkel, and Flipper

Hello. Ready for some warm weather so I thought I'd do another quick post from my old blog of an .svg file I had previously shared. It should come in handy with those of you who like to swim and dive in the summer time.  More and more cutters and software for them are starting to allow their users to import .svg files for use with their products.  However, my all favorite is still Make the Cut.  It has been setting the bar for other software packages for awhile and is, I believe, the reason, many of those packages have started allowing you to import svg files into their programs!

You can download the swim mask , snorkel and flipper .svg file here. 

Can You Say Circus?!? Circus Elephant on Ball - MTC or .svg File

Hello.  Welcome to the Circus!  The Circus is coming back to our area soon and that made me think of this file and I wanted to reshare it here with all of you. This too is an old file from my old blog. The file was originally created to use with our annual carnival fund raiser at my children's school a year or two ago.  This is from a coloring page we found simply by doing a google search for free circus coloring pages.  I then used my Make the Cut software to pull it in and create a cut file for use with my cutter.  I have then used my MTC software to export it out as an .svg file for use by those who may use other software and/or cutters.  (I took that .svg file and broke it apart in Inkscape and that is the file I am sharing here). We used these to create large cutouts that were placed throughout the school yard area.  (I will see if I can find a pic of it to share!)

Isn't he cute?!  If you would like my MTC file you can download it here.
If you would like the .svg file, you can download it here.

To find out more about Make the Cut go to their website here: http://www.make-the-cut.com/

Note:  I am not affiliated with MTC and I do not get any money for others purchasing it.  I am just a happy user who knows what all you can do with it and that even more is coming very soon.  Andy, the developer, continues to improve this software and all updates are always free.  The best part though is that it works with so many different cutters out there (except for cricuts now).  I use it with 3 different cutter brands, my favorite my black cat cougar!

These pictures show you what we did with him.  We created large cutouts using plywood to decorate our carnival with Circus animals and performers.  To do this, I cut out the shapes with my cutter as large as I could (at that time I didn't have my Cougar so I used a 12x12 mat).  We then took those shapes and used an overhead projector to trace the images much larger onto plywood.  (These were at least 4 1/2 to 5 feet tall as I recall!) We then used a saw to cut them out, we painted them and volia - great circus images decorating our school for our week long Greatest Webbfest on Earth celebration!  The stars on the balls were cut using vinyl with my cutter.  We also created Clowns, Lions, a Lion Tamer, Dancing Bears, a Circus train, a Circus Tent, a canon, popcorn boxes, ticket booth, large tickets, and more!  Everybody loved them!  (Sorry, I don't have any of those files to share!) Thanks for stopping by.  Please feel free to leave a comment with any questions and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Volleyball Club "TEAM" T-shirts

Front of Shirts

This is an older post from last year from my old blog.  It shows the team shirt I made last year for my daughter's club volleyball team.  I forgot to share it in the post I did yesterday!

Back of Shirts

I don't recall where I saw this "TEAM" saying but I thought it would be great on their shirts.  It says TEAM on the front with the volleyball with all their names on it.  Then on the back it says Together Everyone Achieves More.  I am going to share with you my  file that I used to create the shirts. It has the word TEAM with the saying on the back going in two different directions.  One goes down, one goes across.  We chose to use the one with the Word TEAM going down and the rest going across. I have removed the girls names from the volleyball.  To add something to the volleyball like names you will want to add the text as desired and then "join" it to each volleyball piece as needed once properly placed.  This will allow it to be "cutout".  I have also included a shadow layer to the volleyball.  This isn't really needed to make the t-shirts the way I did.  Please do not hesitate to let me know if you have any questions about my files or anything that I did. 

I also forgot to say that I usually get my heat set vinyl from H&H Sign Supply.  You can find them here on the web:  http://www.hhsignsupply.com/productcart/pc/home.asp

I am NOT affiliated with H&H and they may not be the best price out there but they seem comparable to most I saw (I did a little looking around but not a lot and they were recommended by others) but they did have good prices and are always very efficient in getting my orders out and I have had no problems.  I used the Siser Easy Weed vinyl.  I also ordered a Teflon Sheet cover to help but you could get by without it. I think some people use parchment paper.

These shirts I did using a regular household iron.  However, I have updated to a heat press from Stahl's since then.  I love working with my heat press.  Makes the setting of the vinyl very quick and easy.

Right now I am only offering this file in the MTC format as this is what I created it in.  Since it has several layers and colors to it, I don't have time right now to do the work necessary to get it into a SVG file and test cut it all out.  However, The file would be fairly easy to recreate with another package.  I do have a volleyball I previously shared in the svg format and just use your software and font of your choice to do all the text.  Thanks for your understanding.


Download my TEAM - Together Everyone Achieves More file for Make The Cut here.

Making my own "skin" for my Kndle Touch using Make the Cut and Printable Vinyl

Hey everybody.  Welcome..  I wanted to share with you a "skin" I made for my kindle touch using inkjet printable vinyl.  The vinyl I purchased was orginally white and on a roll (though they do sell sheets to easily fit in your printer).  I cut it down to an 8 1/2 x 11 piece to fit in my color printer.  I purchased the vinyl at H& H Sign Supply online here: http://www.hhsignsupply.com/productcart/pc/Inkjet-Printable-Vinyl-c620.htm.  I think that you can buy similar product else where as well.

I had never used this vinyl so I wanted to give it a try.  They also sell a clear laminate to put over the top of it to help preserve it. It is tricky to do - tried one really messed it up!  LOL  So, this one does not have it on there!  Probably would be best to use it though if you are using it for something like this.  I would apply it before I did the actually cutting.

I made my skin template using my Make the Cut software and its basic shapes after having figured out the required measurements from my Kindle Touch.  (I had tried to find a template for the Kindle Touch but couldn't find one online.  I found one for most every other type of Kindle and lots of other electronic products but not the Touch! So I decided to create my own using MTC!)

Once I had the template created, I created new layers to create the "print and cut" elements that I wanted to print on my "skin" (The print and cut elements I used ARE NOT included in my MTC cutting file I am providing below even though they were free images I found by doing a google search online for images of Mickey.)  I used MTC's text element to create the text that I put on the front left side using a free "Minnie Font" I have on my computer.  I then used "pixel trace" and "texturizing" to pull in the two other picture elements that I wanted to include (the small mickey on the front and the magazine cover on the back).  Due to the way that I have my "skin" template laid out on the mat (so that I could get both out of 1 8 1/2 piece of viny) I had to rotate those images outside MTC before I pulled them in so that I could then resize them as needed. If I had not done that, I would not have been able to rotate them inside MTC and also been able to keep and rotate the texture too.

Couple of things to note: First, since I wanted to "cut out" the middle for the screen and the small square area for the vent on the front but I wanted to make sure that it was all "blue" I didn't "join" these elements.  This keeps them from being "white" if they don't cut just right. This is also why they are "colored" similar to the front cover so that no white shows once you print and cut out these pieces.

I first cut out a sample template out of plain regular removeable wall vinyl to make sure my template fit.  (This is the purple template you see).  Once I knew my template worked, I then did the print out of my template with my images with registration marks from Make the Cut and then I used my cutter to "cut it out".  I then simply adhered my vinyl skin to my Kindle Touch and I have my own skin I created myself! How cool is that!

Note: Be careful when working with this so that you don't accidentially move any of the elements or accidentially resize them.  I do no lock my "layers" on my files but you may want to do so to ensure no accidential resizing or moving while working on your project.

If you have a Kindle Touch and Make the Cut and would like to make your own "skin" for it then you can download my Make the Cut file here: MTC Kindle Touch Template.

For various reasons that I won't get into right now, for now at least, I will only be sharing this template in the Make the Cut format. I may, at a later date decide to share it as an svg file but I am not doing so right now. I hope you will understand.  Please feel free to leave me a comment if you are interested in it in that format so I know to reconsider. Also leave me a comment if you have any questions.  I did leave some "detailed" notes and photos of my project in the Notes area of MTC.

As always, thanks for stopping by.  I hope to see some projects using this skin soon!

Using Heat Set Vinyl to Create Sports Attire

Large Logo on Sweatshirt

Small Logo on Sailor Shirt

One of the things I like to do is to use my cutters to cut Heat Set Vinyl to create my own custom "team wear" for myself to wear to my children's sporting activities.  I also create things for their team's like practice shirts. (Well, more for my DD's teams, DS is 15 and doesn't want mom doing such things for him or his team! LOL)

These show some samples of some different things I have done in the past and some more recently.





These first two sets of shirts are shirts that I made just in the past couple of weeks for my daughter's club volleyball team.  They are shirts for them to wear at practices.


The Play Hard is on the front of one shirt and the Finish Strong with the club logo is on the back.  The Dream, Believe, Achieve Shirt has the club logo on the left side front of shirt with the Dream, Believe, Achieve on the back in large double layered vinyl.  Both of these shirts are ones I just made last week for DD's club VB team for practice shirts.

 These next two shirts are ones that I made for myself to wear to my daughter's high school volleyball matches.  My children's high school's mascot is the Spartans with the same logo and colors of Michigan State, green and white. (Good thing I'm not a Michigan Fan!)

The black shirt has a double layer of white and green vinyl for the lettering.  The volleyball is just the white pieces leaving the black shirt to create the lines.  It then has a green Spartan overlaid on top of the volleyball.

The gray shirt has the black volleyball lines, the volleyball split down the middle with green "Spartans" added to it.

 These next two shirts I created to wear to my DS's HS football games this past Fall.  The football outline is shadowed in green vinyl with the white overlaid as is the Spartan head and the football word at its base.

The other shirt, "Are You Ready for Some "Spartan" Football" has a white base with the wording overlaid in Green.

 These last two shirts are ones that I made last Fall for DD's High School Volleyball team for practice shirts.  The Fear the Spartans in done in Green on the Front of a white T-shirt in very large letters.  The Volleyball with the overlaid Spartan is on the back of the t-shirt also very large!  The girls really liked the shirts.

 This final shirt is one that I made last fall to wear on nights when our high school's volleyball team and football team were playing on the same night!  Everybody really liked this shirt and always wanted to know where I had gotten it.  They are shocked and amazed whenever I tell them I made it myself!

Thanks for stopping by.  I will try to add the cut files for some of these projects to my blog soon. I have to make sure that they are cleaned up and ready to post and then uploaded to my 4shared account.  In the meantime, I will share my "volleyball mom" cut file here with you. I have put this on some t-shirts and a backpack in the past.

This is what the "MOM" with Volleyball for the O looks like from a screen shot. You would need to add the number of your player where my DD's number 14 is shown here. (It is not in the svg file, it is in the MTC for visual aid only on another layer).

As always, thanks for stopping by.  Please leave me a comment if you have any questions or just want to say thanks for sharing!  : ) (Sorry for the quality of the photos.  I grabbed them off of a post I had done on the MTC message board since they are on a different computer then I am on right now!)

Download the Volleyball Mom Make the Cut file here.

Download the Volleyball Mom SVG file here.

Happy Valentine's Day - Using Print and Cut and Node Editing in MTC

I found this image over at http://freevintagedigistamps.blogspot.com/2012/01/free-vintage-images-wheel-be-valentines.html and decided to use it for a "print and cut" to make a valentine for my DH who loves to ride bicycles. However, I didn't want the image exactly "as is" in the file so I did a little tweaking inside MTC with the node editing tools to get rid of somethings I didn't want (like the flowers and bottom portion) and to "break" the heart away from being "attached" to the bike riders and to fix it so the 's on "Valentine's Day" would cut out as one word "Valentine's". I then created 2 shadow layers of (one bigger than the last one) that heart to add some depth and dimension to pop it up with and then created anothe heart with 2shadow layers to put the "Happy Valentine's Day" wording on. I used the swiss dots embossing folder on the red background paper.

Here's the image as I got it from freevintagedigistamps' blog (I've got it sorta watermarked since I was posting here but follow link above to get the image without the wording across the middle). If you like vintage stuff she has lots of free files and things on her blog. I recommend that you check it out!
:


And here's the card I made after pulling it into MTC did some node editing, etc. as explained above and then did a "print and cut". On the inside I added, "always".



Thanks for looking. (Can't believe I had DH's valentine's day card done almost a week ahead of time!) 

Dachshund Silhouette - (Weiner Dog) for SCAL

Here is a silhouette of a dachshund.  My BIL and his wife have always owned dachshunds.  I wanted to be able to have a cut of one to use to make them a card or other things.

Download the dachshund .svg file here.

Pyramid Favor Box

I found this instruction sheet for a Pyramid Favor Box at Jo-Ann's some time ago.   It notes that it is courtesy of Inkadinkado (I think because the project sheet has you stamping on your project after you have it cut out but before you put it together.) I finally got around to tracing the pattern off the back, scanned it in, pulled it into Inkscape and made an .svg pattern with it for use with MTC or SCAL.  I had to handtrace the original since it is printed lightly on the back with the written instructions over the top of it. (Hate when they do that - makes it hard to use!)

I usually use the red liner tape available at Walmart or any craft store to put my boxes and or bags together so that I know that they will "stay" together once I have put treats in them.

Special Notes: * the "sides" where you do the folds seem to be a little longer (taller) then the front and back sides (maybe it's just my folding). Once you fold them in and glue the "sides" to the front and back trim off any extra length by hand.  It's just a quick snip. *  Also, you'll need to "pinch in" the sides of the box to allow for the front closure flap to pull over the top correctly. * see the attached photo that shows you where to score and fold (basically you score on the triangle sides and the middle square). Click on picture to see it better and in larger size.

Here are two sample boxes that I made to try the pattern out. 

Notice in the last  picture posted here how I have "pinched" in the sides of the box to allow for the top flap to come over and down properly.

You can download the Pyramid Box .svg file here.

Thanks for looking.  As always, I'd love to see any projects that you create with this file.

Approximate finished size of the project is 3" x 3 1/2" x 1 1/2"

Treasures of the Sea

I have previously posted about getting patterns to cut from Scroll Saw magazines and websites that you can use to create cut files for use with your cutters.  Obviously, to do this you would need to have a 3rd party software like Make the Cut (MTC) or Sure Cuts a Lot (SCAL) or another program that lets you bring in your own designs. So I always take a quick look at scrollsaw magazines whenever I see them to see if there are patterns I would like to use to make a cut file. As a result, I quickly purchased a news stand copy of Issue 39, Summer 2010 ScrollSaw Woodworking & Crafts magazine when I saw these "Treasures of the Sea" items.  Interestingly, it wasn't until after I bought the magazine and had created the .mtc cut files that I actually read the full article and saw where it noted that these patterns were orignally designed as paper cuttings and that many paper cutting patterns are easily cut on a scroll saw! LOL

The website for ScrollSaw Woodworking & Crafts magazine is http://www.scrollsawer.com/. This site has lots of information including various patterns you can download directly from their website. Many of them can easily be used to create and cut with paper on your electronic cutters.

The particular article that drew my attention in the Summer 2010 edition was entitled Treasures of the Sea. The article and the patterns used were created by Gloria Cosgrove (the actual cuts shown were done by Linda Heigerson.) Gloria and her daughter, Alison, specialize in "scherenschnitte" (paper cutting) patterns.  These patterns would have originally been designed to be cut by hand.  They have a mail-order business selling original art work and paper cutting patterns.  Their website can be found by visiting http://www.papercuttingsbyallison.com/. Be sure to check it out for some beautiful artwork that coud be made into files to cut with an electronic cutter that can use software like MTC or SCAL.

For these items, there were 6 patterns provided for different seashells and a sea horse in the magazine. I took the patterns and scanned them into my computer and used Make The Cut (MTC) to create cut files to cut.t.  As you can see, there is a lot of delicate detail in the cuts. However, they pulled in quite well into MTC.  I did end up pulling a couple of them over into Inkscape to do some node modifications in a few spots. They cut just fine with MTC.  I used the items I cut to make cards.  I think the cards could be used for a variety of needs such as sympathy, thanks, or any other need.  They could also be used to create home decor items like framed art (this is what they were in the scroll saw magazine for) or even vinyl on a wall or used on a scrapbook page. 

I really would love to share these files with you BUT unfortunately I don't think that I can! Since the patterns appear in the Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts magazine, it indicates that the copyright belongs to them.  The pattern pullout sheet then indicates that you can make up to 10 copies for personal use "for the buyer of the magazine".  However, I hope by posting them here for you to see, that you will also see that there are other places to look for patterns and ideas of items to cut with your electronic cutters.  In addition, scroll sawers may see a new way to get their patterns ready to adhere to their wood to cut with.  Thanks for stopping by!

Sharks

Another older file from my previous blog. Where I live there is a competitive cheerleading group collectively called the "Sharks".  Many of my friends' children and my children's friends have or still do compete with various Shark squads.  I had a request from a friend to take a general "Sharks" logo and convert it into a cuttable file.  As always, I was happy to help a friend out.  I have actually created a couple of different files that I am sharing here.  One is the Logo using 2 Layers and the other is the Logo using 3 Layers. The difference in the 2 versus 3 layer is that the 3 layer has a dark blue SOLID base to the Shark, then the white "shadow" layer" to the lighter blue letters.  The two layer one is just the OUTLINE of the dark blue base.  There is no "white" layer - it is "cut out" of the dark blue outline base with the lighter blue "inlaid" in the middle, and as a result, it would need to be layed on white background paper to get the full logo effect.  I created both as I wasn't sure which my friend desired. The picture shown above shows the 3 layered file cut out and put together.

Rather then giving them to my friend and then leave them languishing on my computer, I figured I would share them here in hopes that someone else could find them useful.  If you do find a use for them I would love to see what you do with them.  They could be used to create a page about sharks, a shark exhibit, a trip to an aquarium, the beach ummm . . . not sure I want to see any at the beach myself however!  LOL

Download the Make the Cut Sharks Logo with 2 Layers here.

Download the Make the Cut  Sharks Logo with 3 Layers here.

OR, you can download the .svg files if you don't have MTC.  I also have this file type available because this is what my friend needed.  I created the orginal files using the Make The Cut software and then did a simple export of the files to save them as .svg files to share with my friend.

Download the .svg Sharks Logo with 2 Layers here

Download the .svg Sharks Logo with 3 Layers here.

As always, thanks for stopping by.  If you ever need help creating a file, leave me a comment and I would be happy to try and help out if and when I can. It may be a few days before I respond however as I don't always get a chance to check my blog for comments on a daily basis.  Thanks for understanding.

Volleyball or Sports Photo Frame Overlay

Another older post from my old blog but something I thought was worth sharing again here.

Sorry, but there is no actual cut file to share with you today as it is something that I created that was very "specific" to a small group of girls. However, I wanted to show you what you can do for those special people in your lives when you have an electronic die cut machine with an awesome program like Make The Cut.

My children both play sports.  my DD's high school varsity volleyball team won our Regional Championship and qualified to go to the State Tournament in their division back in 2010 . (This was the 2nd year in a row, but she wasn't on the team last year as she is a Freshman this year.)  For Christmas that year, I made her a framed photo of the group with the Regional Championship Plaque.   I created this mat or overlay to frame the photo with.  It cuts as one piece with the wording and the spartan heads all cut out of the Mat. My DD loved it.

I got the idea from Julie and her awesome tutorials that she creates and shares for free on the MTC_Tuts Yahoo group.  If you have MTC and don't belong to Julie's MTC_Tuts Yahoo group I would highly recommend joining.  If you don't have MTC yet but are thinking about getting it, I would also highly recommend Julie's Yahoo group as well.  It is a moderated group and Julie does a great job of keeping people on task and shares a wealth of knowledge and information in the large quantity of FREE tutorials that she shares with the group.  In addition, lots of people regularly share their knowledge and experience in using this great program.  If you buy MTC through Julie's link she will also send you some free files. (You don't have to have purchased MTC through Julie to join the group however and other people also share free files if you purchase through them. No matter who or where you purchase MTC from - it should always be the same price). The group just recently added its 3,000+ member and Julie shared some Irish cut files. It is a great place for newbies and not so newbies to keep expanding their knowledge of the program.  Julie has a ton of tutorials for beginners to advanced users and that list is growing regularly.  There is a lot of email that passes through the group so I have it on digest so that I get just a few emails a day with a compilation of messages that have passed through the group. You can also set it to receive no emails and just go to the yahoo group to view the messages and tutorials.

You can find Julie's MTC_Tuts Yahoo group here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MTC_Tuts/

(She will have to approve you for membership but that shouldn't take long).

If you are a member, or once you join, you can find the tutorial on how to create a Sports Frame Overlay like this one here in the Intermediate Lessons Folder and it is entitled: III.12_SportsFrameOverlay.

As always, thanks for stopping by.  Please feel free to leave me any questions or comments by clicking on the comments area below any post.