gymnast on a beam - .svg file

Here is an image of a gymnast on a beam. I have always loved watching gymnastics. Then, for more then 6 years my DD and/or DS did competitive gymnastics. Sadly, they have both given it up for various reasons. I miss watching them compete but we have moved on to other sports! So, I know how hard gymnastics images are to come by and I hope to add some more gymnastics related die cuts soon.

This one is a simple shadow shape - no layering. I got the image from a scroll saw magazine! I have thought for a while that patterns used for scroll sawing could easily be converted and made into die cut images to cut with my Cricut. I was right! This image came from the Fall, 2009, Issue 36 of the "Scroll Saw Woodworkng & Crafts magazine". I simply scanned it into my computer using my all-in-one printer/scanner, saved it as a .gif, .jpeg, or .tiff image file and then imported it into Inkscape and with just a few keystrokes turned it into an .svg file for use with the SCAL software to cut with my Cricut!

There were also some Halloween patterns in this edition of the magazine. I have been working on one of those and have some more scanned in to work on. I hope to get one or more of those posted in the next few days. So, when looking for images to convert to .svg and import into SCAL don't forget those scroll saw patterns! (I also have lots of painting patterns that I think could easily be done! LOL Oh so many images and so little time!!)

Download the Gymnast on Beam .svg file here. Remember, you will have to IMPORT this file into SCAL. It will not work with Design Studio (DS).

Card Making with DazyCutr

Hello. I hope to start posting regularly within the week! I'm sorry I have been neglectful of my blog. However, with the lack of comments it doesn't seem as if anyone has been missing it! LOL Today I went over to DazyCutr's (Rheba) from the Cricut Messageboard's house. We worked on a Winter card design while it was almost 90 degrees outside! Did seem to help cool things off! LOL Rheba always has wonderful ideas for cards. I think we make a great team - she's the creative genius and I'm her technical help! LOL She and I had both just gotten the A Child's Year cartridge this past week. We had held off for a while convincing ourselves we didn't need it! But at AC Moore's sale prices, we decided that maybe we did. LOL I got mine because our ACM did not have any of the new cartridges that I went seeking other then From My Kitchen. Still waiting on the other 3. So, we used the little girl with the snowman cut from A Child's Year, used core black paper backed with blue, the Cuttlebug swiss dots embossing folder, and then sanded the dots for the blue to show through. We then used the Martha Stewart Tree border punch and a snowman border stamp Rheba had to create the bottom image. I used green ink on the tree line and prisma pencils on the lineup of snowmen and the red heart and cardinal to help them "pop" off the card. The saying, "there's no business like "snow business"" was also a stamp that Rheba had. The whole "card" design was Rheba's layout, I just "implemented" my version of it! LOL Thank you Rheba! You may make a true card designer of me yet!

Nothing to share other then the card that Rheba designed and I put together! Remember, if you click on the picture it will open it in a bigger window so you can see the picture better.

Copic Markers and House Mouse Stamps

Hello. Not sure anyone has missed me BUT I haven't forgotten about my blog. I have 1 1/2 weeks left of summer. My kids return to school on Aug. 17th. Then I will have more time to try and be creative. However, I have been amassing Copic Markers and House Mouse stamps over the past several months and playing with them when I get a chance. I have also gotten an airbrush system to use with the Copics. I have been doing lots of "reading" about all of this but not much doing yet. I hope to improve on that as well once the kids and I are back into the school routine. I did finally get a chance yesterday to play with some of my stamps and markers. Here are two cards that I made. I like the Copic Markers because I like being able to "blend" them quickly. Remember, I'm just beginning to figure this all out so be kind!! LOL

I will share more about the Copics and the Air Brush system once I get it all figured out.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer! Hope to be back to Cricuiting with my Cricuts, cartridges, DS and SCAL soon! (P.S. my cervical issues are still doing better - yeah! Still minor "twinges" but nothing major right now! Thanks for asking!!)

Where oh where Have I been!?!!

Just wanted to update everyone as to why I have been MIA for the past 3 weeks. First, I went to Cooperstown, NY with my DS for a week. His baseball team played at the Cooperstown Dream Park the last week of June - 1st of July! That was great fun. Then returned home for the 4th of July to celebrate with extended family. Then we headed off to Costa Rica for a family vacation where we zip lined over the rain forest, saw lots of wild animals, a real active volcano and so much more. We had a great time. This was through Adventures by Disney. This was our second vacation with Adventures by Disney and we just love them. We went on the Quest for the West one two years ago.

So, now that we have returned and my pain issues with my cervical spine have reduced some what, I hope to be adding some new things in the next week. Thanks for hanging with me and a special thanks to my "followers" I hope I have some good stuff to share with you soon. One of the new things I'm wanting to work on is air brushing with my copic markers! If anyone has any requests of things they would like to see let me know and I'll see if I am up to the challenge. In the interim, I hope you enjoy some of the pics we took in Costa Rica!

Tennis Racquet

Someone on the Cricut MB was looking for a tennis racquet. I had done one way back over a year ago shortly after DS came out. I didn't realize that I had never posted it here on the blog until I went looking for it. Probably never posted it because I wasn't every really happy with it. Anyway - I thought I would go ahead and post it now. I think it also has a tennis ball with it. Download the Tennis Racquet .cut file. It uses the George cartridge.

Joy Fold Card - .cut file to Share for Expression or Small Bugs - George Cartridge

Okay - seems like the "joy fold card" has become all the rage on the Cricut MB in the last few weeks. After DazyCutr (Rheba) shared how to make them with Kaitlyn and myself last week, I discovered a ton of them being done on the Cricut MB, especially in the Card Forum. However, I did not see where anyone had created a .cut file for them. Doesn't mean I didn't miss it, but I didn't see it!! Now, since I have trouble using a paper cutter to cut straight lines, I thought - hmmm. . . . . . I'll create a .cut file with Design Studio and share it with the Cricut World!! I have created two versions at this time. Both use George. One is for the Expression and one is for use with the smaller bugs (The Baby or Original and the Create). Even with the Expression file, you can use 8 1/2 x 11 sheets of paper. You need two sheets of cardstock or paper. One solid color and one contrasting color or coordinating print. The final finished size of the card is 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" inches. I may try to make a "bigger card" later as well as I like bigger cards then this one!

There are two "bases" which you will cut in the solid cardstock. One is Large (8 1/2" x 4 1/4") and one is Small (7" x 3"). Then 3 "covers" are cut from the contrasting or coordinating print for placement on the "bases". You can see this best from the pictures above. You cut the two bases, then score and fold the larger base at 5 1/2 ", and score and fold the smaller base at 3 1/2"). Then adhere the pattern or contrasting paper to the bases, then attach the smaller base to the larger base to create the card. You then can apply a die cut or some other element to the side of the card to "hold" the card closed if you want (see post below of cards Kaitlyn and I did, one has a duck and the other a boat holding the card "closed".) Notice on the cards that Kaitlyn and I did that we also Did Not use the contrasting paper on the very top of the small base. So feel free to mix it up and use it or not on any of the three places it is cut for! Download the .cut file for the Expression Joy Fold Card. Download the .cut file for the Small Bugs Joy Fold Card. Remember, both use the George cartridge! Feel Free to modify to use another of the Shapes Cartridges if you don't have George! There are no die cuts for "holding" the card closed. Just pick what you want! I believe Kaitlyn's duck was cut at 2 or 3 inches and the boat was 3 I think. You will just have to play around with size to see what works for your element. You can find the original idea and instructions on the Splitcoaststampers site along with a photo gallery of lots of these cards.

Joy Fold Cards Created with DazyCutr and DD Kaitlyn

DazyCutr (Rheba) from the Cricut MB and I try to get together once a week to work with our cricuts. It had been a couple of weeks since we had been able to do so what with the end of school for me and then her Granddaughter getting married in Texas a few weeks ago. So, we finally got together last week. My DD, Kaitlyn, was able to go with me. When we got there, Rheba wanted to know if we wanted to make "Joy Fold Cards". Seems like they had become all the rage in the past few weeks on the Cricut MB while I was "away". It is my understanding that the original form came from Split Coast Stampers. The name was because the lady who created it was creating it for a friend name Joy. (If I can find that link I wll come back and Edit and post it here!)

Since, I had no idea what she was talking about at that point, we said sure. Here are the two cards that Kaitlyn and I made for Father's Day. The Duck Card is Kaitlyn's and the Boat Card is mine. My DS has already claimed the Boat Card to give to his Dad! The Duck is from New Arrival cartridge and the Boat is from the Paper Dolls cartridge (I think!). The words on the Boat Card, "Happy Father's Day" and "You're One of a Kind" came from the Wildcard cartridge (again, I think!). We had a great time making these and a great teacher! Thank you for showing us how to make them Rheba! Kaitlyn has made another for a friend and I have made a .cut file that I will be sharing in just a moment. I hate trying to cut straight lines with my paper cutter so I thought - hmmmm. . . . . . this would be a very simple .cut file to create and so I did! I will make a separate post for it in a moment. I have two versions, one for the Expression and one for the Smaller Bugs (Baby or Original and the Create). Both use George.

Sorry for still being MIA more often then not

Hello. Sorry I have been "out" more then in. It will probably stay that way for a while. First, my darling children are out of school for the summer so I lose time there (but I do enjoy them!! LOL). However, I've also been having a minor health issue that has also kept me away from my cricut, the cricut MB, and my computer for the past couple of weeks more often then not. Long story short - I have some bulging disc issues in my cervical area - due in large part to a prior fusion I had almost 28 years ago. Trying to work through the problems it is causing. So, that is why I have been Out more then In! I hope to improve a little on that. Of course, no one may have even noticed my absence!!! LOL