Today's collection is trendy, innovative, and actually fairly simple to use. The Cut and Fold Collection medallions, flowers, and doilies look complicated, but the Inspiration does the work for you. In fact, the completed medallions look amazing in plain cardstock, with no extra embellishments needed.
Recently, DecoArt contacted me and asked if I would like some product to use in our Pazzles Cruise classes. Naturally, I said, "Yes, please!" I looked at their catalog and chose some product. It was really hard! There was so much to choose from. Then I waited in anticipation for the samples to arrive. I had asked for glass stains and fabric paint among other items. I had a vision of what I hoped to do but was not sure if it would work. Soon the box arrived and after I unpacked my goodies, I was itching to get going on a project.
The suitcases have been repacked, the return flights have been accomplished and the goodbyes have all been said. Sadly, the Pazzles Cruise is over and we are all safely home on dry ground. What a wonderful time we had!! Klo and I both agree that this group of ladies were a joy to get to know.
This sweet little Owl Valentine perches on a pencil or Pixy Stix as a fun treat.
Preparations for our first Pazzles Cruise are well under way and we are narrowing down our choices for the 2013 Pazzles Retreats. We have had a lot of questions concerning the difference between a cruise, a retreat, and a mini-retreat. We have been asked what we teach and what skill levels we address. I will be happy to explain what occurs at each type of event. These will adapt and change over time as we learn more, because you are our teachers as much as we are yours.
We have chosen several regions for the retreats. What we need to know is if there is a strong preference for one city over another. If you would consider attending a retreat in a particular region, please choose which city you would prefer. If you don't live in that region, or wouldn't consider traveling to that region, please skip the question. TAKE RETREAT SURVEY
There are many fantastic tools in the Inspiration Studio software that can make your image creation easier. Some I use once in a while and other ones I use on a daily basis. You may have already discovered that most designing will involve simple shapes such as circles, squares, rectangles, lines and triangles. Being able to make these basic shapes perfectly is very important to the design process. Fortunately there are a few quick tricks to making perfect basic shapes.
Michelle's beautiful Embossed Snowflake Tags have inspired a lot of our Pazzles peeps to try their own embossing projects. The Pazzles embossing tool was one of the first tools I invented for our electronic die cutters and it remains a favorite to this day. The embossing mat is the key to getting a beautiful impression. You can make it work better and last longer by spending time to prep it correctly.
Happy New Year from all of us at Pazzles! We want to thank all our loyal Pazzles friends for blessing us with a wonderful 2012. 2013 marks the 10th year since we introduced the computerized electronic cutting system to the Scrapbooking and Paper Crafting community. We knew then that our cutting system was going to revolutionize the way we cut paper. What we could not have known was how our lives would be changed by all the amazing people we have met along the way.
Allow me to introduce to you our new Pazzles mascot, Paz the Pazzles Elf! Paz will be popping in now and then to say Hi. He is a mischievious little guy so you never know where he will show up. In fact, he is off adventuring in the Pazzles Craft Room today.
In many parts of the world we are experiencing the short days and cold of winter. For me, this means snuggling up by a warm fire with a good book or old movie. If asked what scents define winter I would definitely put pine, wood and cinnamon at the top of the list! Maybe that is why woodgrain is a popular theme in the paper arts community.
Make someone very happy this Christmas and sign them up for our fabulous Pazzles Cruise! Sail in the balmy, beautiful, blue waters of the Western Caribbean February 10-16, 2013, and escape winter's cold weather. This is a Valentine's cruise so you will have both Christmas and Valentine's day gifts covered. I guarantee that this will be the best present under the tree!!
On the ninth day of Christmas the Pazzles elves gave to me... The poinsettia is one of my favorite flower designs. So when I was pondering what to make for gift wrapping, naturally, this beautiful flower was at the top of my list. After cutting the pieces, I used an embosser and cushioned pad to curl the petals and leaves. I added gold ink around the edges of the leaves and flowers for extra holiday shine. Three tiny yellow rhinestones in the center give even more holiday sparkle to the project.
On the seventh day of Christmas the Pazzles Elves gave to me… Who knew that burlap, chevrons, and rhinestones could make such a sweet combination? This gift tag is made of mini rosettes layered on a extra large tag. The rolled burlap bow tied up with twine tops the tag and couldn't be easier to make. Each little rosette is embellished with a single clear rhinestone to add just the right amount of sparkle.
On the sixth day of Christmas the Pazzles Elves gave to me… This Pleated Christmas Tree Tag is perfect for almost any wrapping style. By changing the papers and backgrounds you can make it elegant, shabby, or country depending on your preference. Enlarge the cutting file and mount to picture frames (without glass) and you have great Christmas wall decor for your home.
'Tis the season for sending holiday cards. Do you have your cards done? Do you make your own cards or buy them? If you have photo cards printed, do you stage a photo for them? I have to admit that I have not started on mine yet but I have some great ideas!
A round ornament box that could be filled with candy or a gift. Just fill with candy and tie closed with a ribbon. Imagine the fun of sending the kids to the tree on Christmas day to find their ornament treat!
The ornaments on the Christmas Tree Advent Calendar (released last Friday) are so amazing that I thought they were worth a second look. Even if you do not follow the Advent tradition you will want to make the ornaments; they are truly mini works of art. Use them as they are or enlarge them. Either way they will be the perfect compliment to a holiday tag, card or gift. It won't take long for you to come up with ways to make them uniquely your own:
Cutting out amazing images in any color, shape and size: isn't that the magic of the Pazzles Inspiration electronic cutter? I can cut paper shapes and combine layers, colors and textures to create a visual feast for the eyes. If you stop with the paper and glue you have a great project. However, if you want an amazing project you need to move beyond the paper. You can add depth and character by inking or chalking the paper to add shadow and highlights. Suddenly, like magic, the flat pieces of paper have curves and dimension.
Today we complete the Thanksgiving Cornucopia Centerpiece! Fill your cornucopia to overflowing with a variety of dimensional fruits and vegetables. It will make a beautiful display fit for a grand Thanksgiving dinner.
Our Craft Room Library has over 3500 cutting files covering an abundance of styles and themes—and we add more every week. Have you needed a cutting file for a project and didn't know how to find it? You know it must be in the Library. You have seen it before, but you can't remember exactly where. I am sure that sounds very familiar to most of you. Were you aware that the Pazzles Craft Room library has a search feature? Today's Tips and Tricks blog will show you the ins and outs of the search feature in the Craft Room Library.
Do you realize what a fantastic resource our Craft Room Library is? The images there are not just for cutting out of paper. They can be used in so many different ways! Today's 15 Minute Project is the perfect example of how versatile the designs are. In a very short amount of time you can make some amazing Spooky Transformations to photos of family and friends.
Remember the movie "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly?" I thought of it when I was contemplating what to write in today's blog. I think it is a pretty good description of the current state of my collection of cutting mats. Some are good because they are new. Some are bad because they are so heavily scored I can no longer use them and some are ugly but are still quite usable.