New Features in Make the Cut and a New Lettering Delights Card Using them

Wow, can't believe it's been more than 2 months since I posted anything here on my blog!  End of Sept., really?!  Guess there was too much volleyball and football going on in my life the last few months!

I have actually been doing some crafting and playing with the new features that have recently been added to the Make the Cut software.  However, I just haven't had time to sit down and take pictures, write the info. up and get it posted on my blog.  Too little time and I'd rather spend it crafting I guess!  It does take a LOT of time to keep up a blog and to all of those who manage to do it EVERY DAY or several times a week, I salute you, your hard work and dedication!

Here is the project card that I wanted to share with you. One of the newer features in the Make the Cut software (MTC) is the ability to access Lettering Delights cutting files (LD) directly from within your MTC software!  One of LD's more recent files set is called "All Season's Pop-up Cards".  Well, there is some "cute" stuff there but the pop-up cards themselves are a little plain and boring without any "color" to them (at least to me!).  Here's a picture of what the plain card looks like:

Cute little snowman with a friend and the snowflakes yes?  However, what if you could make the snowman and the bird really "pop" off the page - that would be better don't you think?  I did!  So this is what I made using several of the new features in MTC version 4.0.+!

Now, which card would you rather send out or receive in the mail?  I know I'd rather have the "color"!

So now, you probably want to know how I did that!  It's actually a lot easier then it's going to sound!  I'm not going to give a full tutorial or step by step, nor do I feel that I can share photos or screen shots of the process because the file is a purchased one from Lettering Delights.  However, if you are comfortable with MTC and some of its newer features you should be able to follow along with the "concept" as I do my best to "explain" what I did.  It would be helpful if you have some basic knowledge of MTC and its newest features in order to fully understand what I have done.

First, you would need to purchase and download one of the Lettering Delight's Popup files like this one or find another one from somewhere else (there are some out there for free as well!).  This snowman card came from LD's "All Season's Pop-up Cards" and is "Card 2" in that collection.

Once I had the base card downloaded onto my MTC mat, I created a new page in that same MTC file and copied and pasted in place the card base to the new page to work with that copy.  (Simply redownloading to that page would work also.)  I kept the first page to cut "as is" for my card base to which to adhere my "Print and Cut" file once it was completed. (Note: This card base is actually the "insert" that you would need to add to the inside of a card base you create.)  Now you are ready to "break the file" to create your "Print and Cut".

Select the card base, go to Edit-->--->Shape Magic---->Break

This will break the card into different "parts and pieces".  One of the first things I did was to select the snowflakes and snow "dots" all together, and "join" them back together as a group (edit ---> shape magic ----> join) so they are treated as "one" object, take them to their own layer, and then hide that layer so that they are out of the way.  (One reason I "join" them back together is so that when I want to work with them, move them around, etc.  I only have to click on one and it selects the entire group!)

I then took the other different "parts and pieces" of the snowman to their own layers and colored them.  I selected the snowman's eyes and mouth (again, did a "join" so they stay together as one "object") - took them to their own layer ('selection to new layer") and made their color "black" (I took them together because I was coloring both the eyes and mouth black.  If I wanted them different colors, I would have take the eyes to one layer and the mouth to its own layer).  I then selected the nose, took it to its own layer, and made it orange.  Finally, I "joined" the buttons to keep them together, took them to their own layer and colored them red.  Once I had all of these objects moved to their own layers and colored as desired, I hid those layers to keep them out of the way while I worked on the remaining parts I needed.

Next I did a little work on the bird. I will be bringing the entire (already) colored bird back in from the Lettering Delight's file a little later (No need to reinvent the wheel!) so I just need to get rid of the bird's eye and wing. There are two ways I could do that.  I selected the bird's wing and eye along with the body and "welded" (edit---->shape magic ----> weld) the bird's eye and wing to the base so that those "holes" are gone and it is one solid piece for cutting later.  I could also have deleted the wing and the eye from this part of the card but it would have and left the "holes" in the base and these would have still been cut out.  The way I did it with the welding, it is one solid piece now.

Now to complete the work, we need to do some "node editing." To do "node editing" you have to be using the newest version of MTC, version 4.0.+.  We need to use MTC's new node editing features to get the Snowman recognized as a "whole" snowman and to remove his stick arms from the body and make them into separate parts.  Right now he has "pieces" (cut lines) missing from his head and side where he is "attached" to the card base. We want to be able to cut the snowman out on his own and to color his stick arms brown.

Open the Node editing menu in MTC 4.0.+ (found on the left top corner of your MTC mat).  Click on the Bezier Curve tool, notice that you can now see the "nodes" blue dots at the end of lines (you may need to zoom in to see better). Left click on the top node on the left top side of the snowman's head, then go down to the bottom left side node and right click on the node there.  This will  add a line to the snowman and close off the left side of his head.  Repeat this on the right side of the Snowman's head.  This will make his head "whole" and ready to cut all the way around.

Now, before we do the same thing to the sides of his body, we need to cut off his stick arms and close the finger tips and end of the arms so that we can take them to their own layer and color them brown.  Using the knife slicing tool (probably a really good idea to zoom in closer here), go just above the top of the left stick arm where it joins the body, click, hold and drag it down to below where the bottom part of the stick joins the body and then release, this will cut the arm away from the body.  It is probably in two pieces, the top and bottom parts of the stick, select both pieces, move them a little way away from the body to help with the node work. (If you don't, you may end up rejoining them to the body accidentially!)  Again select the Bezier Curve tool and use it to close the "gap" or "missing line" on his middle finger tip and at the end of the stick (see instructions above on using this tool to close the sides of the head).  If done correctly, the "stick" will become whole and change color.  Now do the same to the stick arm on the right side.  Use the Knife/slicing tool to cut the stick off the body and then use the Bezier Curve tool to close the lines on the finger and at the end of the stick. You know have to "closed" stick arms!

Now use the Bezier Curve tool to close the "gaps" or add the "missing line" to the left and right sides of the snowman's body the same way you did the head and the stick arms.  Take the snowman's body to it's own layer and color it "white".  Move the stick arms back into place next to the snowman's body, take them to their own layer and color them brown. You will also then need to "copy" and then "paste in place" the snowman's arms onto the same layer with the snowman's body and then "weld" them to the body so that you have the correct shape to "cut" once you have him printed.  Welding should make them one piece with the body and make sure it is all still white.

At this point you can open and close layers as needed and use the node editing tools as desired to modify, correct lines as needed (making sure finger tip or head is more "curved" for example).

At this point, it's a good idea to make sure that all the different "layers" or "parts and pieces" are in the correct order for the best print and cut and make sure that they are not closed or hidden if needed for the print and cut..  (For example, the eyes, nose, mouth, and button layers should all be "above" the snowman's body layer so that they are "on top" and showing properly when printing.)

Once that is all done, you can then go back to the Lettering Delight's Files and download the "bird" from the "All Season's Pop-up Cards" collection.  Put it on its own layer, place it and size it correctly so that it is sitting on top of the snowman's head as needed.  You are now ready to do your printing. (If  you are just printing, the different parts and pieces of the bird do not have to be on their own layers since they are already colored differently and stay that way when you bring them in from LD's file.)

Couple of notes regarding printing.  First, you need to make sure that you only have the layers showing that you want included in the printing (in this instance, the bird and the snowman along with his eyes, nose, mouth, buttons and arms). Be sure you have closed any other layers not needed for printing.  Second, you need to decide if you just want the "fill" only or the "fill and outline" to show when you print and make any changes needed there.  On mine, both were showing so I have the lines around his nose, etc.  You can also use the "print preview" to see what is going to print.  Since the snowman himself is "white" with no outline showing, you won't see his body since "white" does not show on print preview.  (If you feel the need to verify that he's really there you can change his body to another color besides white before doing the preview - just remember to change it back to white if you want a white snowman!)

To print a file for a "Print and Cut" - first make sure that you have checked your printing options needed from within the MTC software.  Go to File ---->print options and select or deselect options as needed.  For example you will need to make sure that "print registration marks are checked" but the "use silhouette sd" is marked only if you are using that cutter.  Decide on printer outlines or not, etc.  Once done, click ok and print.

Once you have your printed page, follow the proper method needed to do a "print and cut" for your cutter of choice.  I have both a Silhouette SD and an 18" Cougar machine so how I do a print and cut with each of those machines varies.  (Note: If you have never done a 'print and cut" with your cutter before, you may need to first calibrate your machine before doing a "print and cut" to ensure your cutting is aligned properly with your image.)

One important step to remember at this point is to CLOSE any and all LAYERS that you DO NOT WANT TO CUT!  For example, we only want to cut the "outline" of the snowman with the bird on his head so that is the only layer we would have showing.  We would close the colored bird, along with the snowman's eyes, nose, mouth, buttons, and arms along with the card base. (If we forget to close those layers, they will "cut" and you will not have an orange nose, red buttons, etc!)

Once you have your "print and cut" printed and cut out, you are ready to adhere it to your inside "pop-up base".  Cut out the original "card base" from the Lettering Delights file.  Adhere your "print and cut" to the Snowman and then apply the entire base to a base card being careful not to adhere the parts of the snowman that "pop-up".  (Note:  I always remove or hide the layer with the scored/fold lines because I don't like the little "slits" it puts in the card.  This is a personal preference.)

Now you have a cute "colored" pop-up to send out to your family and friends!

Couple of other quick notes, if you want to vary the card size, you need to put the card base on the same page on its own layer - have ALL layers showing, "select all" and resize so that you resize all together and in proportion!You can also now use this file to "paper piece" the snowman if desired as well.  You would just cut out the different parts and pieces as needed.  This would be great or adding a little "dimension" to a project.  You could also use the "print and cut" as a stand alone object (like on the front of the card) and can resize him as needed, etc.  Use your imagination and have fun!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope my basic "instructions" are helpful to you in making other simple files have a little more "pop".  Please feel free to leave a message should you have any questions or comments.  I tried to make sure I covered all the steps but I may have missed something or not explained it well enough!  I hope to share some more projects with you soon that I have been working on.  In the meantime, if I don't get back soon - Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all and a Happy New Year too!  LOL!!

Beach Babe "Print and Cut" Cards

Wow - time sure does fly doesn't it!  Almost 2 months since I've posted to my blog.  I'm sorry but between recovering from my cervical fusion, school starting, sports and other things  - well that hasn't left much time to update my blog.  I have been doing some crafting recently, I just need to find time to sit down write them up, take photos and get everything posted to share.  All that takes time which I don't have much of - when I do, I'd rather be actually crafting then posting about it I guess!  I'm going to make an effort to start to share some more soon.  In that regard, I wanted to share two cards I made today from some new "Print and Cut" files I found on the  "All that Jazz" site. They are designed as Print and Cut files for 2 page scrapbook layouts. The files are from "Scrapbook Circus" and can be found on Tyler's site (along with a video and a free sample file to try!) :


Scrapbook Cricus Print and Cut Files at All that Jazz.

Well, I'm not a scrapbooker (yet) but I do make cards on occasion so I thought I'd try the "Beach Babes" collection and see if I could take "scrapbooking" files and make cards with them! I was able to make 2 different cards and used a number of the embellishments from the files. The files are available in several formats that should work for almost anyone no matter what cutter and software you use (.mtc, .svg, and .jpeg files).

Here are the two cards I made from the files. I did have to resize them some to fit on "cards". Not to difficult to do with MTC and the new features offered in the new Beta Version 4.*. Shift and hold while clicking and dragging to resize outline and texture at the same time for example.

One Card (the blue base) is 5x7 and the other is 4x6. The "mat" on the smaller one is also from the file.

Best thing (besides the cute files) was this project forced me to sit down and actually calibrate my Cougar machine so I could do the Print and Cuts of these files! I have tried a few times but never gotten it nailed down - close but not right on (more a problem with me and my brain - not the fault of the cutter or the software - strictly a user error - My brain fogs when it sees X/Y and +/- numbers I am afraid!). I'm happy to report that with the help of Tyler and Rob (ScrappyDew) and their latest work to continue to find tools to help us use our machines and software, I was finally able to get my machine calibrated!

You can find this latest help file on Tyler's website:

Print and Cut Calibration Help at All that Jazz

I used this and then used MTC's Black Cat Plugin and the Laser option and found great success in doing these Print and Cuts so thanks Tyler and Rob! Please feel free to ask if you have any questions.  If you have the ability to do Print and Cuts I would highly recommend checking out these files on Tyler's site and downloading the free "Hammock" file!  Thanks for stopping by!  Hope to share more soon!

Volleyball or Sports Photo Frame Overlay

Sorry - No actual cut file to share with you today (sorry!) 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.

As I have mentioned several times on the blog, My children both play sports.  This year, my DD's high school varsity volleyball team won our Regional Championship and qualified to go to the State Tournament in their division. (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, 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.

PLEASE NOTE: As of March 16, 2011 - Make The Cut (MTC) NO LONGER SUPPORTS WORKING WITH CRICUT MACHINES.  HOWEVER, If you have the last version of MTC (3.2.1 that was available through March 15, 2011,  and firmware of 1.34 on Baby Bug and 2.34 on an Expression it will still work until you update to a newer release of MTC when it is released and/or possibly do a firmware update to your Machines.  (I'm not sure of correct firmware on Creates or Cake machines - sorry!  If anyone does, please leave me a comment and I will update this!).  For Specific questions or concerns you can contact MTC at support@make-the-cut.com.


HOWEVER - MTC is NOT GOING ANY WHERE!  It still works with a large variety of different cutters and that list is growing all the time.  If you don't see your cutter on the list, send a note to Andy at support@make-the-cut.com and ask for him to add it.  Machines Supported now include: Black Cat Cougar, Black Cat Lynx, Gazelle, Craft Robo, Silhouette, ECraft, US Cutter MH Series and Laser Cutter, and any other cutter using a HPGL Printing Support.

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.

Bunny Card

Good morning.  I wanted to share a card that I recently made.  I picked up the Spring, 2011, Issue 28 of the Paper Creations magazine recently at the store.  In the magazine, on page 22 there was an article entitled, "Bunny Card" which was designed by Maricel Fabi.  It was this really cute Bunny Card for which they provided a pattern pullout to trace and cut by hand. Now, anybody who knows me knows that I HATE to cut with scissors.  (I think this is because I am left handed and, when I was little, all scissors were made for right handed people.  It wasn't until modern times that they made left handed scissors or ones that didn't matter which hand you used!  LOL  You won't understand what a problem this is UNLESS you are left handed OR you are right handed and have tried to cut using left handed scissors!!  LOL)  This is what I got my electronic die cut machine and my Make The Cut software for!!!!



The pattern for the full card was too big to lay out on my regular size all-in-one printer with flatbed scanner so I simply scanned in 1/2 of the card.  I then copied the image, flipped it, moved it to overlap properly, and welded the two pieces together to make my card base.  I then scanned in or created the extra pieces and parts like the vest, the bowtie, and the nose.  Their pattern didn't include the flower and stem so I created those along with extra arms and legs in case I wanted to pop those areas and add extra dimension.

Then I cut out the card using my electronic die cut machine and made a cute Spring Bunny Card to send to someone in my family!!  Now, I can easily create as many of these bunny cards that I want quickly and easily (and it doesn't matter what kind of scissors I have!  LOL) Well, I couldn't stop there.  I thought hmmmmmm. . . . . . I'm not sure I like the card folding in 1/2 at his feet, so I then recreated the file so that he was welded together at the top at his ears.  I think I like that better as it opens the way most people expect a card to open.  But now, within just a few minutes of my time, I have two card bases from which I can choose!  THEN I thought, well, he might be cute on a regular card base so I made him a single image that I can now make any size I want and add to other cards.


This is the "Print and Cut" Bunny

Then I thought - well hmmmmmmm. . . . . . . I think he would be really cute if I made him into a "Print and Cut" file - I bet that I could do that really easy.  So I created a pink polka dot texture that I added to the "inner ear" parts I had created and a multi-colored striped texture that I added to his vest.  I found paper I had in my stash to get these "textures" from and scanned them into my computer and made texture files from them.  I then created a "full bow tie" with basic shapes and added a purple color to it.  I then made his body gray and added his mouth and his eyes to my MTC file so that they would "print".  I then printed the bunny out on my printer (I also added separate feet and hands to "pop" dot to give it some added dimension) and then cut him and the extra pieces with my Cougar (I could also have cut him with my Expression but the Cougar was the one plugged in!).  I then used Marker to ink the edges to give it some more dimension and chalked his cheeks.  Otherwise, its all printed!  IF I had a bigger printer (One that would print 12x12 say) I could have printed him out as a card.  Since I just have a regular 8 1/2 x 11 printer I printed just the single bunny.  HOWEVER, he could be glued on to the top of a card base.  He can also be resized easily.

Since the file I created was from a pattern in a magazine, I can't share it with you here even though I would like to.  HOWEVER,  I wanted to share all of this information with you to show you what YOU can do with a pattern, your die cut machine, your printer  and scanner and Make The Cut software and a little imagination!  Just IMAGINE!!! LOL

As always, thanks for stopping by.  Please let me know if you have any questions on how I did any of this or if I can help you out with anything. You can pick up a copy of this magazine on news stands.  You can also go to the magazine's website here: http://www.papercreationsmag.com/. There you can see some of what is in their current issue, back issues and free projects and ideas.  I am not affiliated with the magazine at all but like to give full contact information when I use something from a source.  Thanks.

Sharks

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.  A while back, 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.

Gift Card Holders (With MTC files shared)

One of the challenges on the MTC forum Christmas Challenges was to create some gift card holders.  Well, I have quite a few different gift card holders already here on my blog.  However, when I started looking, it didn't look like I had any or very few using MTC so I decided to take on that Challenge.

The Challenge was to make 3 different gift card holders.  I did the traditonal standby Christmas Stocking, a "gift bag" that I turned into a "santa bag" and a simple tri-fold gift card holder.  The "bag" or "Santa belly bag" can be used as a simple shopping bag.  It is also big enough to hold the bigger Itunes gift cards - especially if you use something like the fur that I used at the top of the bag. I shared the files I created on the MTC forums before Christmas so, if you are a member there, you may have already downloaded my files.  If you aren't a member, I am putting them here for your use.

They are .mtc files only as I haven't converted them into any other format.  So little time and so much to do!!  LOL  Hopefully, someone can find a use for some of them.  As always, I would love to see what you do with them should you choose to use them for a gift!  Thanks for stopping by!!

You can download the Stocking Gift card holder here.

You can download the Santa Belly Bag gift card holder here.

You can download the tri-fold gift card holder here.

Two Types of Slider Cards to Share

Just wanted to share these photos of a couple of "Slider Cards" I made for one of the Challenges at the MTC forum just before the holidays.  I don't have any files to share.  I think the cut files for each were shared on the MTC forum and you could find them there to use if you have the MTC software. I think the Santa was from the MTC gallery of files people have shared there. The stocking was one I still had in my stash that I had previously cut from a Cricut cartridge. Either type of card could also be used as a gift card holder. HO HO HO and the Merry Christmas were both $1 stamps. I spritzed the card for the first time and I added texture to Santa's beard using the swirl embossing folder.

If you don't have MTC, you can find directions for these types of cards in a variety of spots on the Web.  Simply google slider cards.  Thanks to those who shared the files and for the Challenges at MTC.  I enjoyed participating.  There were a lot more challenges to do then I got done.  I sitll have the list and hope to get some more of them done.

Easel Christmas Card - Print and Cut with Make the Cut and your Cricut

Andy, the awesome developer of the Make the Cut  (MTC) software released the official 3.2 version of MTC just before Christmas.  As I have said before, if you haven't checked out MTC you need to!!  With this latest release, you can do so much more like rhinestones, lattice work, words in a circle (or any other shape you desire!)  PLUS, you can now use your cricut to do Print and Cuts (or any other machine MTC now works with including the Cougar machine). MTC's print and cut will allow me to pull in ANY image that I want WITH Colors and TEXTURE, print it, or even break it into layers if I want and print those layers, change the colors and textures and so much more!!!  I simply need a cutter like my Cricut or my workhorse Cougar machine, a regular printer and the MTC software.  I already had all 3 sitting in my craft room so no new machine purchases needed for me and I'm limited only by my own imagination - not someone elses!!!  What more could a girl ask for!!  LOL

Here is a simple easel card using print and cut that I did for a Christmas Challenge.  I love the Mouse so I found this image pulled it into Make The Cut, printed it to my printer, then lined it up on my mat and then cut it out.  I changed some of the colors used even.  Notice the colors of his shoes - they should be yellow BUT here they are red!!  I haven't had time to really play around yet with this feature but hope to soon!!

 If you want to find out more about the Make The Cut software I would suggest that you go to the MTC forums to learn more.  There are also great tutorials and information out there from a variety of people.  Julie runs a MTC Tuts Yahoo group that you can sign up for and Rob from ScrappyDew has some great basics beginners videos.  You can download a trial of MTC at No Cost so you can give it a try before you buy and see if it is something for you.  I'm not selling - just a happy customer who thinks you will love all you can do with it to!

Happy Belated New Year!

Just wanted to say a Happy Belated New Year to everyone.  Hope everyone is on their way to recovery from the holidays and off to a Great New Year.  Sorry I haven't posted in a little while.  Sometimes I just don't have time to do all that I need to do much less that I want to do!!  LOL   I get very few comments that I sometimes wonder why bother and don't always come to my blog regularly.  But then, I see the over 100 followers even though I have never specifically asked any where  for any or given away "blog candy" to recruit followers so I figure somewhere some people do like what I share!  LOL Then, I see that some of my files have been downloaded hundreds of times so even more like my files!  LOL  So thanks to everyone who has "followed" me or felt one of my files was worth downloading.  I will try to do a better job.  I think I get so few comments because I don't "show" the comments in the blog its self as I figure most people don't want to plod through the comments.  However, I do appreciate those who take the time to leave them.

I do have some pictures of Christmas Projects I made from files shared by others on the Make The Cut Forum Christmas Challenges. I got most of them posted on that forum, but not here on my blog before the holidays.  I will only be sharing the pictures for most of those as they were from files I didn't make but were made by others and shared for the Challenges on MTC's forum.  I do have some however that are files that I made that I will be sharing.  Some were for Challenges at MTC and some are some I have worked on outside of that.   Thanks to everyone on the MTC forums for all you share everyday.  If you haven't checked out Make the Cut software yet I encourage you to do so soon.  You can do so much with it.  Thanks Andy for all the updates you have done on this program in it's first year!  It's simply the best!!

I will be posting the pictures and projects over the next several days as time permits.  We are having an unusually snowy winter so far for East TN.  My children are on their 2nd day out of school this week so far!  Not helping with me getting done those things I WANT to do LOL!!

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 Cricut.  Obviously, to do this you would need to have a 3rd party software like Make the Cut (MTC) or Sure Cuts a Lot (SCAL). 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 with my Cricut. 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 see where it notes 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 like the Cricut and others using 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 with my Cricut.  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 and my Cricut.  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 Cricut and/or other 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!

Converting Different Types of CUT fils for use with the Cicut Machines

So you have a Cricut and you heard that you could use other software packages to cut more things with it then just those provided on a Cricut cartridge and you are wondering how you do that.  To get started, you might want to refer back to my post from April 25, 2009 entitled: What is a .cut file, a .scut file and a .svg file and what does it matter?  you can find it here:

http://meflickcricutandmore.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-cut-file-scut-file-and-svg-file.html

Now we need to add a couple of other file types into the mix that were not discussed in that post.  Since making that post, SCAL2 has come out as well as Make The Cut (MTC) and the Gypsy. The file extension for SCAL2 files are .scut2.  The file extension for MTC files is .mtc.  In addition, PC introduced a new handheld device called a Gypsy.  File extensions of files created with a Gypsy are .gypsy.

So depending on the software you choose to get, your cricut can cut out an image from a .cut file created with PC's Design Studio (if you have the cartridge that was used to create the file), a .scut or .scut2 file created with SCAL1 or SCAL2 (note SCAL2 can open a SCAL1 or SCAL2 file - SCAL or SCAL1 cannot open a SCAL2 file.  You know which version of SCAL was used to create the file by looking at the file extension.  A .scut file was created with SCAL(1) while an .scut2 file was created with SCAL2.  In addtion, your cricut can cut a .mtc file created with Make the Cut (version 1 or 2) or a .gypsy file created with a Gypsy.  However, you would have to have each of those packages to use any of those file formats. Each have pros and cons that I won't go into here.

BUT - if you can find a file in an .svg file format ( svg stands for "scaleable vector graphics") THEN you can IMPORT that .svg file into any of the SCAL versions (1 or 2) OR MTC versions (1 or 2) and then cut it with your Cricut.  HOWEVER, you CANNOT USE a .svg file with either the DS or Gypsy software from PC and you cannot use a DS .cut file or a .gypsy file with either version of SCAL or MTC.  You also cannot open a .mtc file from Make the Cut with any program other than MTC. (However, if you have MTC you can EXPORT your files into many different formats to share with others and/or user with other cuters beyond a Cricut!) MTC has also recently added a "beta test" in it to IMPORT SCAL .scut and .scut2 files into it (I have not tried it yet to see how it works). You can take a DS .cut file and convert it to a .gypsy file and/or take a .gypsy file and covert it to a DS .cut file. However, you must have a licensed version of the DS software to do this. You CANNOT directly open a DS .cut file or a .gypsy file with any other program.

So, in summary - to cut a DS .cut file or a .gypsy file you would need that software and the cartridge(s) used to create it.  If you have a purchased copy of DS -you can convert DS .cut fies to .gypsy files and .gypsy files to DS files..

To cut a .scut or .scut2 file you would need SCAL or SCAL2.  (SCAL2 will cut both; SCAL will only cut. scut).  You may be able to import these into MTC and cut with it. This feature is a beta test in MTC right now.

To cut a .mtc file you would need MTC version 1 or 2.  Again, MTC2 will cut both version 1 or 2 files - the original MTC will not open or cut a version 2 file.  If you have MTC, you can EXPORT .mtc files into many other formats to use with other packages and/or cutters beyond a Cricut.  (In addition, MTC has added other importing features to work with other options to get files into your program.  Please see the MTC official site for full details.)

A .svg file can be used with any version of SCAL or MTC.  However, it must be IMPORTED into the program rather than simply opened.

This is just the very basic information to help you start to understand the potential available with your Cricuts and software programs available to use with it.  I would recommend that you check out all the appropriate websites for each software program to get the most up-to-date information available regarding each.

One final cavet that I will point out.  PC says that use of other 3rd party software will void your warranty.  Your warranty on your machine is 1 year so if your 1 year is up, no problem.  I will also tell you however that none of the 3rd party software does anything to your cricut.  They simply talk to your cricut through the computer - the same way your computer talks to your printer.  I have been running 3rd party software with my cricuts since they (the 3rd party software) were first released and have never had a problem with my Cricuts not working properly.  My Cricuts are now 3 and 4 years old. However, I did want to make anyone aware of this in case you weren't!  It really shouldn' be an issue or a concern.

There are trial versions of MTC, SCAL, and DS available for you to download and try if you want to check each of these packages out.  Each website also has User Forums available for questions and help.  I would recommend that you download a trial of each to find the one that works best for you.

If you have never used any of these software packages with your cricut before, you may need to update your cricut firmware and/or drivers to get them to work properly.  Each site will give you information regarding how to do this.

Thanks for stopping by.  I have some new files to post shortly of "seashells" that I have cut with MTC.  I hope to get them up later today or tomorrow.

Banana for Sock Monkey - MTC 2.2.1 File

Here is a Banana for the sock monkey.Wouldn't want him sitting around hungry! It is for MTC 2.2.1. It has 3 layers to it.  You can "hide" the layers and cut out one at a time, or separate them and lay them all out on one mat with your different colors of paper and cut once.  You decide.   You can download the banana MTC file here.

I have had one request for the sock monkey in .svg format.  I will try to get both the monkey and the banana into an .svg file soon.  Please let us see what you do with these files. It's so much fun to see someone actually put your work into a project!  Thanks for stopping by!

Sock Monkey for Make The Cut (version 2.2.1)

Hello friends.  Well, as most of you may know from reading my blog I have 2 Cricuts, Design Studio, a Gypsy, SCAL (Sure Cuts a Lot) and MTC (Make The Cut).  As a result, I post a variety of files here.  Some have mulitple files types and some only one.  :(         (This has a lot to do sometimes with my limited amount of time as the mother of two very active middle school aged children). However, if you ever see one of my files you would like and I haven't provided it in a format that works for you, just leave me a comment at the end of that post. Simply click on comments and leave me a note requesting another format.  I won't promise that I will make it in another format or how long it will take for me to do it in, however, I will look into it and try to do so if I can when time permits.

This file is one of a Sock Monkey.  However, to date, I only have the file available for Make The Cut (MTC) version 2.2.1 with its use of layers. 

I really like this feature of MTC.  I haven't had a lot of time lately to play with this new version, but so far, I really like what I have seen.  You can download a trial version (or purchase the full version!) of MTC by going to their website at http://www.make-the-cut.com/. You can use all the features of MTC in the trial mode, but it will cut a watermark through the images until you purchase a licensed version.  I think it is a great enhancement to the arsenol of tools for use by Cricut owners.

You can download my sock monkey file for MTC here.  As always, this file is for personal use only.  Please let me see what you do with this file if you do use it.  Leave me a comment f you have any questions or problems with this or any of my other files.

Also, if you are new to my blog - check out my older posts.  I have a variety of cut files for Design Studio, Gypsy, SCAL, MTC and .svg files for use with both SCAL or MTC.  You might find something else you like.  There are lots of gift card holders, treat bags or boxes, a cupcake box, and lots more. Plus, DazyCutr has shared some pretty great looking cards here.   Let me know if I can help with something you need but can't find. Thanks for stopping by!

Manly Card - Vest for Dad - .svg and .mtc files for use with Cricut

Hello. I was looking back through my huge stack of "ideas" and ran across a project that I had been working on a while back.  I decided to finish it up and put it out here to share with the Cricut and blogging world.  I found the original pattern in a February 2008 edition of Paper Crafts magazine (page 60) entitled Vest Card. You can find the magazine's website at  http://www.papercraftsmag.com/index.html. (Unfortunately, the website no longer goes back to that edition!)  The article notes that the design was courtesy of Tinkering Ink & Mainly Stamps.  I believe Tinkering Ink's website address is: http://www.tinkeringink.com/ (but I didn't find anything there related to this Vest Card.)  I have seen other "vest" cards in the past, but this is where I got my pattern from.

First, I copied and cut out the pattern provided in the magazine.  I then enlarged it and scanned it.  I usually scan it in and save it in a graphics format like .jpeg or .png and then import that into Inkscape to get an .svg file.  I then take the .svg file and import it into either Make the Cut ("MTC") or Sure Cuts A Lot (SCAL). 

There really aren't any "directions" to prvide. Once you cut out the card from a patterned cardstock, you simply fold the card at the middle of the arm holes so that the points of the bottom of the vest line up.  The "flat" side of the vest (as opposed to the pointed side) is the outside overlapping flap.  The .svg file does not have the "pocket" and the "hankie".  I created those and imported them directly into MTC from the scanner.  Glue the "hankie" to the backside of the "pocket" and then glue the pocket onto the front left side of the Vest.  You can then create "buttons" or add real buttons to the right front side of the Vest.  I created buttons with a small hole punch and glued them onto the card front. Then used a marker to make button holes.

You can download the Vest Card .svg file here.  If you have the latest version of the Make the Cut (MTC) software (not the beta 2.x version) you can download the Vest Card .mtc file here.  The MTC file is sized correctly and has the pocket and the hankie cuts as well. As always, let me know if you have any problems with any of my files and I would love to see what you create with any of them!  Thanks for stopping by.