Are you like me? Do you hate to throw away even the smallest piece of paper? I just can't bear to toss those nice strips of paper left over from projects. They are too small to cut anything out of but still...they might be useful! Of course, I can use them as borders and under edges of frames but I seem to manage to accumulate more than I can use. In today's Tricky Tuesday I am going to show you how a quilt project inspired me to find a way to use those strips of paper.
I love making these sweet bon bon treats from cake. You may know them by another name: cake pops or cake truffles. They are absolutely divine tasting and can be made in so many different flavors. Use your Pazzles Pastry Tool to cut fun topper designs from fondant or sugar sheets. You can cut 2 or 3 dozen toppers at one time so you have spectacular results very quickly. I have made them so often that I have come up with a few tricks to make the job easier and faster.
Christmas is less than a week away. The kids are out of school and if you are a mom, you are trying to find ways to contain their enthusiasm! I used to love to make Christmas crafts with my children. Few of them have survived the years but the memories live on. This week's Tricky Tuesday is a fun ruffled Christmas tree that the kids can help make.
Wrapping a gift in beautiful paper and bows is half the fun of gift giving. Every year I pick just the right wrapping paper to fit my theme. Well, at least that is the theory. I like to have a different wrapping paper for each of the grandkids but now that there are 11 of them it is impossible. Now I have a different paper for each family, that way it is less confusing when it comes to passing the gifts out on Christmas Day.
Have you ever walked by a home on a frosty evening and caught a glimpse through the window? The Christmas tree sparkles with lights; maybe there are candles on the sill and a wreath hanging in the window. This simple card evokes that same cozy feeling for me. Christmas is the season of giving and for those of us who craft, our thoughts often turn to making cards. What better way to express our personality and individuality than in a custom made Christmas card. The truth be known, for many of us, Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without handmade cards.
We are all guilty of taking our cutting blade for granted, especially if we have been using our Inspiration or other Creative Cutter for very long. After all it is just a little, tiny piece of metal that barely sticks out of the blade holder. We are more likely to focus on our cutting mat and ignore the blade. In fact, we often blame the mat or cutter for problems when we should be paying more attention to the blade. Give the blade a little TLC and it will be the Super Hero of your projects. Today, I want to draw your attention to some lesser know facts about that unsung hero- your cutting blade.
I hope you won't mind if I take a look back at some of our earlier tutorials. I want to remember that every day we have new Craft Room members joining us that are very new to the Inspiration Studio software. How well I remember wanting to conquer every skill there was to know. There is a lot to learn, but the effort is well worth it. So, if you are new to the Inspiration, welcome! I hope today's lesson will help you understand outlining text. If you have had your Inspiration for a while, I think you will also find the new Outlining Guide useful. Even I forget whether the text needs to be broken first or if I need to use the Contour function.
The Tricky Tuesday blog usually has a video tutorial to show you how to use your Inspiration and the Inspiration Studio software. Sometimes I might show you how to make a project from start to finish. However, today I am going to take you down memory lane to the earliest days of Pazzles. Today, I am going to show you how to chalk your cut pieces. Not only am I going to show you how to chalk but I am going to introduce you to one of Pazzles earliest products: the Chalking Tool.
Fall is a beautiful time of year. The trees are turning colors, the air is crisp and special occasions abound. Now that the weather is cooler, you may find yourself in the mood to stay indoors and create. Thanksgiving and Christmas are not far away, providing you with ample reason to indulge yourself in your paper crafting passion. Making cards is a quick and simple way to feed your creative energy. You can make several cards in an afternoon and those who receive them always appreciate the time you took to make them. Why not make them truly unique by making your own rubber stamps?
or...Taking it apart so that you can put it back together again. It is funny how we can so clearly see the way a finished scrapbook page is put together. There is a bottom layer which is usually a full sheet of cardstock. Then there is another large layer: maybe a scalloped circle. Over that is a title with a mat: 2 more layers. The title has a flourish; there are some cute flowers and leaves and frames for holding photos. Layer over layer that we have no problem understanding. And yet......when we look at a cutting file of the same page we get all confused.
Halloween is the perfect occasion for Pop Up Cards. After all, you almost expect spooky things to pop out and surprise you. Pop up cards are not hard to make and add an extra dimension of fun to the card. If you have a grandchild who lives far away, a pop up card will remind them of how much you love them. Of course, pop up cards can be used for any occasion and can turn a ho-hum card into a "Wow, would you look at that!" card.
These easy Halloween luminaries make an easy, spooky greeting for the Halloween season. Create an eerie glow for Halloween or switch the design for a warm holiday welcome for Christmas.
Proportion can make a significant difference when you are creating a design for a card or scrapbook page. The details on the design should enhance it and not detract from it. Tiny accents and lines on a large project can get lost. Putting large details on a small image will overwhelm it. Sometimes you need to use both types in order to get the right effect. I love the kiss cut tool to add details but sometimes the default size is way too small for my project. Are you like me and had forgotten that there are 2 sizes of kiss cut lines available in the Inspiration Studio Software?
The air is crisp, school has started and the leaves are turning colors. Yes, Autumn has really arrived. I may want summer to last but I have to admit, I do love the colors of fall. One of my favorite things to do in the fall is to visit the local pumpkin patch. Round orange pumpkins lie all over the ground with leafy vines trailing everywhere. Inevitably, I am inspired to make a card featuring a pumpkin. I often feel that no matter how many lessons you watch on the software, you do not truly understand how all the features work until you see them in action on a project.
I love the look of chipboard in my projects but I don't like that I always have to cut a layer of paper or cardstock to cover it. The chipboard may be brown or an ugly gray or even printed on (if I use a cereal box). So, I usually cut a second layer of cardstock and glue it on; or I paint it; or ink it; or in some other way try to disguise the chipboard. That is why I really love today's technique, I can make a nice stiff board that is already covered in the cardstock of my choice. Plus, I can recycle all of the plastic bags that seem to accumulate under my sink. It's the perfect combination: making something beautiful while repurposing something that would normally end up in the trash.
I have been to several weddings this summer and even made a few cakes for a shower and a reception (Pastry tool - of course!). Every wedding had created the theme around a monogram. Sometimes the monogram was just one letter for the new couple's last name and other times it was the traditonal 3 letter monogram. It really isn't a surprise that monograms would feature so prominently in weddings. It is a way of showing the joining of two lives together in a very classic way.
Sometimes, when I am focused on scrapbook pages, I forget about design elements such as pop ups and windows with flaps. I tend to think that when a page is slipped inside of a sheet protector all of the fun movement is trapped inside. I realize that that is not always true. I have resolved to cast aside my tunnel vision and see what ways I can use these dimensional elements in my projects.
Nana's Garden A couple of months ago I taught you about paper rosettes. At the time I had played a bit with making Rosette Flowers as well but felt that they deserved a lesson all on their own. When I needed to make a project for Grandparents Day for a magazine, I decided to make flower rosettes. What I didn't count on is how addicting they are! I just couldn't stop trying one more style of flower.
Thanks to all of you for the shortcut tips! I have updated the tutorial and the PDF list of shortcuts. Even if you viewed this recently be sure to take a look at the last 2 minutes and download the revised PDF. Special thanks to Camilla from Pazzles for alerting me to some Fabulous shortcuts. Chris The email started out "Mom, you are going to kill me but". Believe me, when Amanda sent that to me, it really got my attention! Most conversations or phone calls that start out in that way do not usually contain good news, but this one did. Her email went on: " draw a shape, hold down your Shift key and try to move your shape anywhere on the page. This works in any version of our software." Nothing else, just those instructions. Naturally, I went to my computer to try it out. Wow!
I have to admit that I am a symmetrical type person. I am often teased about my obvious bias towards symmetry. I like my pictures in neat rows and I like the flower beds to have balance. I guess it does limit me at times. I do think, however, that it has been to my advantage when it comes to creating my own designs. I can see symmetry in a lot of images and I take advantage of that to save myself time when creating a new design.
I remember playing the Candy Land board game as a child. I always hoped I would draw the right color card so that I could take the shortcut path. The shortcut would put me way ahead of my brother and just maybe I would win! Most of us still love to discover a shortcut. Whether it is a shortcut across town that saves 10 minutes or a shortcut to making a favorite recipe; we all love to shave a few minutes off our job. Apparently, there are a LOT more shortcuts for the Inspiration Studio software that I was unaware of.
I absolutely love small town pride and all the hoopla that goes with it! Pazzles is located in a small town and this past weekend we celebrated our company and our home town. There was the BBQ and the farmers market, the craft booths and the barrel train ride, but best of all was the parade. It may be hokey and lack the glitz of the big city but small town parades are a lot of fun! Where else can a kid get a huge bag of candy in less than an hour? Where else can you get soaked by the little old ladies and their water hoses as you walk by? (Believe me, that is very welcome on a 90 degree day!)
Have you ever been in this spot? You have spent a lot of time making a beautiful card for someone special. It is all finished, you've spent some time admiring it and now it is time to slip it into an envelope and send it on its way. But what envelope? You don't really want to use a plain white envelope even if you have one that fits, do you? Why have a ordinary envelope for an extraordinary card?
I am always looking for new ways to use my Inspiration. Since I used to sew a lot, I have had covered buttons on my list of ideas for a while. Recently, there have been covered buttons showing up in a lot of product lines. They come already covered and cost quite a bit of money. Naturally I want to be able to make covered buttons in the size I want and have the exact color and print I want- when I want it.