Golden Retriever Card For Ranjeet

I made this card for Ranjeet, son of my very good friend, Elaine. I always struggle in coming up with card ideas for boys. I made the Angry Birds card for his birthday last year  Thank you, Ranee (his sister), for giving me the great tip this time. Ranjeet is crazy about his new dog, a golden retriever. I found a great picture of one and made it into a simple card. As I was figuring out the sentiment for the card, I came up with the idea of using a bone shape for the sentiment tag. I used the Walt Disney font. I just love the way this turned out. 

Everything on the card is included in the free file. Please note that I only share my files with my blog followers. Join now to enjoy my free files. Post  your comments now for the file request. PLEASE do not forget to indicate your e-mail address.

Happy crafting!

Ligaya

A Simple Thank You Card - Understated Elegance

I spent a few days in Manila with Trisha, daughter of a very good friend, Isabelita, who was here for a two week vacation from the USA. We stayed at the fabulous home of Jigs Adefuin and Oliver Ortiz, owners of the prestigious Adefuin Design Studio and ADOR Interiors in Makati Metro Manila. They pampered us with the comfort of their home, great food at fantastic restaurants, fun night life and a foot massage. What a wonderful treat! We had so much fun. I can't thank them enough for the wonderful time. This beautiful couple exudes such elegance in their work and their lifestyle which inspired me to create an elegant thank you card for them. 

 My favorite color is sage green and I love combining it with dark brown and cream colors. I saw a cover for a card folder on Pinterest created by Christina, http://christinamaclaren.blogspot.com/2011/04/card-folder-tutorial-warning-photo.html, using these colors and I copied the layout. I did a print and cut of the cream cardstock layer with a flower from the Silhouette store simply named 'Flower' by Hero Arts ( Design id #17643-picture is color red in the store) and the sentiment that I created. I embossed the green layer with my Cuttlebug using the Sizzix folder 'Branches WIth Leaves' from the Fall set.(set of 2 folders).

Notes on the flower print and cut: 

I tweaked the flower a bit using the edit points/nodes to improve the shape. I cut the stem using the knife tool to turn it into a solid color using the FILL COLOR function. I did thicken the lines of the flower to have a better print using the LINE STYLE function. I ungrouped the flower to isolate the stamen (tiny circles) to make them into a solid color using again the FILL COLOR Instead of welding the stem back to the flower, I  position it back in place and simply grouped everything together. Make sure that you check PRINT LINES OF SELECTED SHAPE under LINE STYLE and DO NOT FORGET to select the image that you are wanting to print and prompt NO CUT under the CUT STYLE. Under the Preferences on my PRINT window, I always have the SHOW PREVIEW BEFORE PRINTING checked so I can review everything before it prints. Sometimes the registration marks are showing correctly on the preview window but they don't show completely on the printout. Make sure registration marks are big and thick enough and are not too close to the edge of your paper. You can make all the necessary adjustments by increasing or decreasing the Reg Marks Margin and Reg Marks Size.

Anyone interested in the card file which includes the base of the card and all the layout pieces along with 

the Thank You sentiment minus the flower, just let me know in your comment. There are tons of flowers and flourishes from the Silhouette store that will work with this layout, all you need to do is insert the design on the layout with the sentiment.

Happy crafting!

Ligaya

Box For Photo Frame Card

I made another card using the photo frame card design for the birthday of my friend, Christine. Since I still have plenty of time to mail the card, I decided to make a box. This time, I created my own design so I can share it with my followers. Even if you buy a box from the Silhouette store, you will still end up having to tweak it according to the exact measurement of your card. Not many are skilled with the Point/Node Editing in Studio. It's a lot faster and easier for me creating my own design from scratch rather than making all the adjustments to an already made design.

The size of the finished box is approximately 5.25" x 5.25" with a depth of 0.75". Actually, the width is a tad more than the height of the box. For the box acetate window, I used the same shape as the photo frame card. The corner flourish is from the Silhouette store called 'Curly Corner' by Loni Harris (Design ID #11719). The flower is by Prima (Mulberry Paper Flowers) with the same leaves used on the card. I embossed the cover of the box with the Sizzix embossing folder 'Dearly' from the 'Dearly and Frost' set.

For those who requested for the photo frame birthday card and would like this box, just let me know via your comment and I'll send you the file. PLEASE do not forget to leave your e-mail address. There are several followers whose profile does not have any information which leaves me clueless on how to send the file.

For the photo frame birthday card details, see previous post, http://ligayatg.blogspot.com/2012/08/photo-frame-birthday-card-for-lu.html.

Happy crafting!
Ligaya

Photo Frame Birthday Card - For Lu

I made this card for my niece, Lu, who will be turning 21 on September 2. It is another easel card very similar to the wedding card that I made for Krystle using a different frame designed by  Krewella Kreations which I also turned into a photo frame. I was so glad to discover Krewella's blog. She is sharing her fabulous files for free in Studio, SVG, GSD and WPC formats. She has lots of free wonderful files which can easily be downloaded from her blog.

I used the same flourish heart that I used on Krystle's wedding card which i got from Mrs. Miles' blog (posted on her blog January 11, 2012). I love her blog and she also has a lot of free fabulous files. Her policy is to download her files directly  from her blog so I won't be able to include the flourish heart in the card file that I'm sharing.

I used the old technique of 'faux chipboard' to make the frame sturdy which explains the 3 pieces of the same image in the photo below as well s the message inside the card which I adhered to the flourish heart.. I'm making good use of my trinket collection, this time with 2 different heart charms which are just adorable. I covered the photo with acetate which I forgot to do with Krystle's wedding card.I used the same leaves,  leafy_sprig C00355_23067, from the Silhouette store.

I'm including the sentiment, Birthday Wishes along with the ribbon tag which I created as well as the message  inside the card. The fonts used were Umber SS and Channel Slanted. Also included in the file are the ornate frame with the base of the easel card, squares for the photo and acetate so you don't have to figure out the measurements. The card is about 5.25" x 5.25".

For those who are visiting my blog for the first time, please note that I'm sharing my free files with my blog followers only and that all requests should be indicated with your e-mail address on your comments below. My shared files are for personal use only and cannot be used for any commercial purposes. Feel free to post my photos for as long as you provide the link to my blog.

Happy crafting!

Ligaya

Wedding Card - For Krystle & Josh

I made this wedding card for my niece, Krystle and her groom, Josh, for their wedding on August 19. I got the lovely photo from their Facebook photo album which I edited into sepia color for the vintage look. The ornate heart frame is a free clip art which I traced in Silhouette Studio. For the flourish heart inside the card, you can download the free PNG file at http://lalalime.blogspot.com/p/free-png-carding-templates.html. It's a beautiful file that's easy to trace in Studio. I can't share the Studio file due to the  owner's restrictions.

I used another favorite technique, the faux chipboard, on the ornate heart frame to make it sturdy. I cut 3 pieces of the design and layered them together using designer card stock for the top layer and ordinary card stock for the bottom 2 layers.The rose flowers are store bought and the leaves are 3 cuts of  leafy_sprig C00355_23067 from the Silhouette store. I found these adorable metal heart charms in my box of trinkets which I know Krystle will love. They added a nice touch to the heart theme of the card. The sentiments were all made from Print & Cut using the Baroque Script and Scriptina fonts. The tag for the Best Wishes sentiment is a Silhouette file, Design id#14863 (Ribbon Banners-set of 4 banners), 

I made a box for the card using a design from the Silhouette store called 'adorable box' by Lori Whitlock, Design id #7388 (color grey with blue strip in the middle), which I tweaked to fit the exact size and depth of the card. I put a cut heart shape on the front and covered it with an acetate (transparency film). The fancy tag is a Spellbinders die. I used a magnetic snap for the box closure, the same kind that I used for my note/post-it holders. Other designs used on the box:

1. flower rosette lace - Design id #10706

2. flourish bold - Design id #5156

3. 2 layered ornament - Design id #14698 (design on the flap of the box)

I always insert a simple instruction for the easel cards that I make. For those of you who like the file, just send me an e-mail.

For the ornate heart frame and base of the easel card FREE file, please post your comment indicating your request. My free files are shared exclusively to my blog FOLLOWERS only. Also included in the free file are the sentiments 'Best Wishes' and 'Together Forever'.

I still read a lot of complains and frustrations on the Silhouette ratchet blade. As you can see on all the intricate designs that I use, my CB09/aluminum blade holder and blades cut efficiently. The blade that I used for this project is the same blade that I've been using on all my previous projects in the last 4 months. The issue about the Silhouette blades is still an ongoing hot topic in all the Silhouette groups. These folks should just find an alternative blade system. To read more about the CB09/aluminum blade holder: http://ligayatg.blogspot.com/2012/04/aluminum-blade-holder.html

Happy crafting!

Ligaya 

Homemade Pop-Up Dots, 3D Tape, Foam Dots, Mounting Tape

I used to be able to buy these neat 3D tape similar to pop-up dots which come in various cut sizes but they are no longer available. For several months, the store would always tell me that they will have them back in stock soon but it's been a year now and still nothing :(.

Well, it was good riddance that I eventually gave up and stopped going to the store as I discovered how to make my own which are just a fraction of the cost and are so much better.

All you need is a foam sheet and double sided tape. The foam sheets are available in any craft stores and they come in different colors. As I was cutting the strips, I came up with the idea of using my small circle puncher for the 1/4" dots. How easy is that! I can punch as tiny as 1/8 of an inch using my ribbon slot puncher for popping up those intricate flourishes and leaves. Happy dance!

Save a lot of $$$$ and start making your own!

TIP: You can color the sides with dye ink or a marker to match your cutouts.

Cheers,
Ligaya 

Foam sheets

Apply double sided tape on BOTH sides of the foam

Cut the one inch strip with your cutter - I use the Carl paper trimmer which  cuts all sorts of materials from multiple paper and cardstock, foam, leather, fabric, plastic, acetate, etc. I've been using this trimmer for 7 years now. If you don't have this kind of paper trimmer, a pair of scissors will work perfectly fine. 

I used one inch double sided tape. It's the widest I can find.

Punch or cut to your desired size and shape using a puncher or a pair of scissors. I suggest using a non-stick pair of scissors whenever you're cutting anything with adhesive.

You can stack them together for more depth/dimension.