Backpack Box

 A few months ago, Lariea 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 (it would have been more than 20 as she plays both JV and varsity!!) 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. She indicates that she got her original file from Nancy who had created the file in DS from the splitcoaststamper's directions and template.  Nancy doesn't have the DS cut file on her blog but she does say that you could contact her if you wanted one of her files.  You can find Nancy's post on these backpacks on her blog here at Nancy's Craft Spot. Finally, 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.

Totally Totebag

PLEASE NOTE:  Make the Cut (.mtc) Download link is now Fixed.  Thanks for those who let me know!


A friend asked me if I could create a file for cutting with our electronic cutters based on the "Totally Totebag" instructions and pattern posted on the Splitcoaststampers.com website by Leigh O'Brien.  You can find Leigh's directions and information on thte Splitcoasterstamper's site here.  You can also find it on Leigh's blog  "Sunflowerstudio" along with more cute ideas and projects. I have only made a "rough draft" of the totebag to make sure that it cut out properly.  To see more (and prettier) photos of assembled projects check the splitcoasstampers site here. Thanks Leigh for sharing.

You can download my .mtc cut file for use with Make The Cut here. (FIXED THANKS!) You can download my .svg file for use with other software packages or cutters here.  (Note:  You cannot use these files with either PC's Gypsy or Design Studio (DS) but you can use it with a cricut machine if you have Make the Cut or SCAL).
The finished bag measures: heigh:t 2 3/4",  width: 3 3/4", and the depth: 1 1/2".  It is just right for a gift card holder or a little snack or small treat. Thanks for stopping by.

Brownie Mix Gift Box - Requires Expression 12x24 and George Cartridge

Okay, CrazyScrapper also wanted help with another file.  This one was a "Gift Bag Carrier" for a box of Brownie Mix with a side pocket for a spoon or whisk.  Due to the size to cut, you will need the Expression machine, a 12x24 mat with 18"x10" paper at least, and the George cartridge.  There are cut files here to share that I have created for both the Design Studio (DS) software and the Gypsy.  If anyone wants one for SCAL see the link below to Jamie Lane's blog. 

The paper I used was a piece of the 12/x24 K&Co. pad that I found at our local Michael's.  I'm not crazy about the designs in it but hey, its larger paper with designs. I hope they come out with more and better designs this size like some other K&Co. paper I do like!  The card was made with Wildcard and leaves from anothr cartridge (sorry, don't remember which one!)
CrazyScrapper first saw the idea for this box on NikkiGirl's blog which you can find here:

http://mypolarexpressions.blogspot.com/2010/01/brownie-boxes.html

Nikki mentions on her blog that she had created a .cut file in DS using the George cartridge to make her box. Unfortunately, for CrazyScrapper and me, she hadn't shared her actual cut file.  She did however mention that she had seen the idea on Jamie Lane's Blog but that Jamie only had the file for SCAL which Nikki didn't have.  So, I followed Nikki's link back to Jamie's Blog here:
http://jamielanedesigns.blogspot.com/2009/12/brownie-boxes.html

Since CrazyScrapper needed a Gypsy file, I followed the link from Jamie's blog to her word document which shows the basic layout with cuts and score marks.  (The cuts are the red and geen lines, the score lines are the black lines).  So, based on Jamie's word document, I also created my own DS .cut file using the George cartridge for this brownie mix gift box.  Once I had the DS .cut file (I used DS because I wanted to work with the bigger screen on my computer and thought it would be easy to convert), I attempted to convert the file to a Gypsy file.  Well, that was easier said then done for a lot of reasons (some of which I plan to report to PC as bug/issues!!).  However, not to be out done by a crazy Gypsy, I finally managed to get a .gypsy cut file for CrazyScrapper to use. (I basically went back to the "drawing board" and recreated the file a second time on the Gypsy).

Two things I will point out on the Gypsy file. First, all the cut lines can be seen in the preview mode when you first highlight the file but may not show on the screen when you open the file unless you Zoom in on those areas.  Second, it appeared from Jamie's file that her basic layout was about 17.25"x10".  This is what size I created the file in DS and it worked to hold the Brownie Box.  However, when I used those same measurements on the Gypsy file, the file cut shorter then 17.25".  I had to bump the size up to 19"x10" to get it to cut out to the same size as the DS .cut file!  HOWEVER, I only used a 12x18 piece of paper so no way did it cut out at 19"! As a matter of fact, I measured the cut out and it WAS NOT 19" but about 17.25".  I put together mockup cuts of both DS and the Gypsy files and they look identical in size!!  Go Figure.  (If anyone ever wants to know the other crazy things the Gypsy did when working with these files, bring over a bottle of wine or margaritias sometime and we'll chat!  LOL)

You can Download the DS .cut file here.  You can Download the Gypsy cut file here. 

If you have SCAL, you can go to Jamie Lane's blog link I provided above and download her .scut file from there.  She didn't provide the file in an .svg format so my Make The Cut friends are out of luck for now unless someone wants to convert it to a .svg and/or MTC file. LOL  (Sorry, I'm done with this file for now! LOL - I might do it later!)  As I already noted, you can go to Jamie's blog to get the scoring information in word format at the above link as well.

We have new neighbors moving into the neighborhood that we already know so I think that I will use this to take them a "welcome to the neighborhood gift"!  They know my kids keep me too busy for me to have time to actally bake the brownies myself!  LOL Thanks CrazyScrapper for pointing me towards this box idea.

Treat Bag - SCAL file

I love magazines with patterns!  I had picked up the Sept/Oct 2009 edition of the Paper Crafts magazine.  It has several cute ideas in it for Halloween.  One idea was a "Haunted House Treat Box" designed by Daniela Dobson on page 44 of the magazine.   The pattern for the "Treat Bag" was available to download from their website, http://www.papercraftsmag.com/index.html. It is really just a simple little bag who's finished size is about 3 1/4" x 5 1/4" x 1 3/4".  The "Haunted House" part was just decorative paper added as a "wrap" to the bag.

I downloaded the pattern, scanned it into my computer, imported it into Inkscape and converted it into an .svg file to import into SCAL.  I have also created a .scut file with SCAL 1.  The .scut file is sized to approximately the same size as the bag in the magazine therefore it will require the Expression to cut it.

Here in my sample file I created, I added the witch brewing in her caldrun .svg file that was posted yesterday to the middle of the bag to cut out the image.  I then added a piece of acetate or clear plastic to the inside of the bag over the "hole" left by the witch cut out. This allows you to "see" into the bag.  I then used my MS drippy goo punch to punch out a strip that I added to the top of my bag.  I then cut a larger "wrap" to add to the bottom and stamped "Boo to You" and wrapped it around the bag.  I then added some stickles to the drippy goo and the "boo to you".

You can download the .svg "treat bag" file here.  You can download the .scut "treat bag" file here.  Note that this .scut file was created with SCAL 1.  It also has the witch brewing in her caldrun included on the bag to cut out.  If you don't want the witch to cut out, simply delete it from the file or replace it with a different object, a cupcake with a candle, ballons, a snowman, etc.  Anything that would fit your "theme".

Have fun and let me see what you create with the file.  The score lines are not marked.  Again, I think that they are "obvious" but if not, you can find the original pattern with the score marks online at Paper Crafts magazine's website listed above.  However, it is missing one scoreline on the bottom flap.  In addition, the way this pattern is layed out and cuts, you will need to hand cut a little more the two side "flaps" up to the score line to fold properly.  Please let me know if you have any questions or problems!  Thanks for "popping in".

Easter Basket - Treat Bag

Sorry for the "time lapse" in posts. Not sure where all my time is going. Seems like if you take a vacation - it takes you two or three weeks to "catch up"!!

Here is an "Easter" basket treat bag. My DD Kaitlyn and I made the cut file last year for Easter. It uses the Expression machine (sorry! :( ), Plantin Schoolbook for the bag and circle cut, and Doodlecharms for the basket. I then embossed the basket using a cuttlebug embossing folder in my original big red sizzix with the adaptor plate. (Yes, you can use the cuttlebug dies and embossing folders in the both the original sizzix machine (with the adaptor plate) as well as the Big Kick). You will need a piece of acetate or thin plastic of some kind to cut the circle for the "see through" part of the bag/basket. I use overhead transparancies. The "chick" was a die that was cut out in black, scanned into my computer and saved as a .jpeg image, then imported into Inkscape, converted to an .svg file, and then IMPORTED into SCAL. It was then cut with SCAL on my Cricut. To get the "shadow" just select the shadow feature when the image is imported into SCAL. It is quite easy! The bag may end up a little "long" (about a 1/4") on one side, not sure why since we did this last year and I don't remember this problem. If it does, just trim it off with scissors. I haven't had time to "figure" it out at this time!

Download the Easter Basket Treat Bag .cut file for use with Design Studio and the Expression.

Downlaod the Chick .scut file for use with SCAL and any of the Cricut Bugs.