Tips and Tricks

Video tutorials, tips, and tricks for using Pazzles product!

Perfect-Shapes

On the Straight and Level: ...

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.

Mat-Ready

Preparing Your Embossing Mat

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.

Yule Log and Winter Page ...

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.

Photo Fun with Pazzles Inspiration ...

'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!

Vinyl Christmas Tree Advent Calendar Gingerbread House

Take a Second Look: the ...

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:

Inking and Chalking Tips

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.

Image_Library_Search_Main

Search Magic: Finding Cutting Files ...

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.

Pazzles-Mat-Care-In-Good-and-Bad-Condition

Easy Steps to Mat Prep

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.

Make Your Own Tags

You have got to love tags! The are such a simple idea and yet they can add so much to a project. Tags can stand alone on a gift or be the accent to a card or page. They can be made plain and simple out of solid or print cardstock or they can be over-the-top with layers of paper and dimensional flowers. Whether the tag is basic or elaborate they all start with a simple shape. Maybe that is why we love them....they are so uncomplicated.

Box Flat

Easy Tricks to Make a ...

Have you ever made or received a really cute box that is so nice you want to save it? I just can't bear to part with some of the boxes I have made. I usually store them away in my closet to use another day. I cannot tell you how many times I have pulled a box out only to find it has been crushed or damaged. Paper projects with dimension just don't seem to store well and they take up a lot of space.

How To Create Perfect Arcs

There are two Arc tools in the Inspiration Studio Software: Arc from Path and Replace with an Arc. Both work essentially the same way. Arc from Path lets you draw a perfect arc wherever you want one. Replace with an Arc will replace a croooked, jagged arc with a nice smooth one. Both are valuable tools when you are creating or correcting a design element.

What do YOU want to ...

Over the past few years I have been making tutorials and projects for Tips and Tricks (previously Tricky Tuesday) on a weekly basis. I chose the topics based on what I have seen in the Pazzles Forums or what I think will make using your Inspiration Creative Cutter more enjoyable. Rather than choose a new topic myself this week, I think it is time to hear from you!

Get smooth, easy cuts with ...

When I am creating titles and projects, I try to have nice flowing lines. I use script fonts and like lots of curves. I like how curves look and feel and I like how they cut out. However, some designs just look better with angles and points, and it can be a bit tricky when it comes to cutting out those tight spots.

Write on Both Sides of ...

In an earlier blog, I promised to show more projects made using the 'Flip It' method. By using this method you can write on both sides of a project in one easy flip of the paper. Plus you don't need to follow any complicated steps to line everything up. Imagine not having to write the sentiment or poem on a separate piece of paper. You don't have to glue it to the inside of the card hoping you get it all lined up either. You can add fancy pen work with the Inspiration Pen Tool where ever you want on the card.

How to store images off ...

You all know that when you are cooking, you should have all the tools and ingredients you need close at hand. The same organization applies to making a project in Inspiration Studio. Your tools are found in the Inspiration software and, thankfully, stay right where you can find them. Your ingredients are often images from the Image Libray but can also be ones you have made. You may have special ingredients like clip art or photos.

Corral Your Cutting Files: Organized ...

Are your Craft Room cutting files neat and tidy? Do you have them arranged so that they are right at your fingertips? I love the concept of being organized but rarely do I actually accomplish it. I may start well but actually getting it done is not so easy. I have gotten a new computer and have determined that I will do a better job of organizing my Craft Room Image library files this time around.

The Lock/Unlock feature in Inspiration ...

Lock (verb) a: to fasten in or out or to make secure or inaccessible by or as if by means of a lock b: to fix in a particular position It is pretty obvious to all of us what the verb 'to lock' means. Many of us have locked up our bike so it cannot be moved or locked a gate so that it won't swing open. We all lock things up that we want to keep safe. There is a fabulous feature in the Inspiration Studio PRO Software that also can help you lock things so that they cannot be moved. Look at the bottom of the workspace and you will see two little padlock icons for the Lock/Unlock feature.

Is your Inspiration Studio software ...

I tend to wear my computer out more quickly than most people. I will admit that it has created a fair amount of teasing here at the office. I think it is because I travel with my computer so much. Anyway, that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it! I could not believe how many updates I had to run once all of my software was installed on the new computer. It seemed like every program wanted me to run updates. It was a bit frustrating to say the least. There I was, ready to play with my new "toy" and I was bogged down running updates.

Flip It Inside Outside Card Writing

How to Use the Pen ...

Back Flip, Flip This House, Flip Flops, Flipping Burgers...... Have you noticed how often we use the word flip? We all get the picture of what the phrase means because we can envision a flip, right? I have been using what I call the "Flip It" technique at the Pazzles retreats this year. I usually teach it for a card that uses distressing and pen lines. The technique can be used in so many different ways that I am going to create several video projects. Hopefully by the time I am done you will find all kinds of ways to "Flip It" in you projects.

From Card to Page Independence Day Layouts

From Card to Page

Do you consider yourself a Paper Crafter, a Card Maker or a Scrapbooker? I personally consider myself a Paper Crafter. Whether it is cards, boxes and dimensionals, or scrapbook pages, I want to make them all. However, I do know that there are those of you who are a bit more focused. I often hear, " I only make cards" or "I stick to scrapbooking". Being focused on one thing means you probably do it very well. However, be careful that you don't miss some wonderful cutting files just because they don't fit in your 'category' of interest.

Make Custom Photo Frames

Have you discovered the newest movement in Scrapbooking? It goes by different names: Project Life, or Simple Stories for example. It differs from the scrapbooking we are used to because it reverts back to the pocket type page protectors. Do you remember those from years ago? Each photo slipped into a pocket. You might have a spot for writing what the photo was about but that was pretty much all you did. The updated version of this is so much better!

Understanding Font Types

Did you know that there are over 185 file extensions for fonts? A file extension is that little 3 letter code after the dot in a file name. We are used to .com, .net, and .wpc at the end of a file name. All font names also have a file extension after them as well. File extensions are often ignored but they are vital if you want to know what type of file you are working with. I am not going to ask you to know all 185 font file extensions but I would like you to be familiar with a few of them. I also want you to understand what types of font files will work best in the Inspiration Studio Software.

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