Using your SVG Files as Graphic Files

Sorry my post is late today!  Today's tutorial is all about using your SVG files as transparent PNG files.  This is a really neat thing to do and can be lots of fun.  I like to use this technique to create my own patterned papers and it also gives some more versatility to what you can do with these files.  To do this you will need to download and install Inkscape.  This is a free program and is really one that you should have in your arsenal because there is so much that you can do with it.  There are a lot of great tutorials on You Tube for it and if you ever need to edit an SVG, this is the program to do it.



Here is a side by side comparison of the two cards featured in the video.  This picture really shows how muted the colors can be when printed on cardstock (the popped up gnome is cardstock), so make sure to get some Matte Photo Paper to use this with, the colors just pop off the page.

A New Way to Use Your Digital Papers

If you are a digital paper junkie like me, you are going to love this! If you haven't ventured into digital paper, this may inspire you to. What is so great about this is that you don't have to print an entire sheet of the paper. I did this tutorial for cutting to the eCraft, but this can really be done on with any die cutting machine. If you have the eCraft and have not figured out your offset margins for print and cut, then you should do that first. THIS post gives instructions on doing this. I will also be doing a tutorial on this (hopefully will have it up next week). Enjoy!

Making a Shaped Card in MTC

One of the best things about using a die cutting machine like the eCraft and Make the Cut software is the ability to create exactly what you want and not having to rely on images from a cartridge.  In this tutorial, I will show you how to create a shaped card using SVG files.  It is really easy to do and has quite an impact.  Before the video, here are pictures of two of my shaped cards...

Making a Die Cut from a Stamp using MTC

In this tutorial, I took a cling rubber stamp from Studio G and created a shadowed die cut from it.  This is a really easy technique using Make the Cut.  You will need a flat bed scanner to do this and of course a die cutting machine that works with Make the Cut.  I used my eCraft.



To color in the stamp, I used watered down Distress Inks with some Perfect Pearls.  I wish the picture did this justice because it has a great pearlized finish to it!

Have a great day everyone!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my 35th Birthday!  Normally, we don't make a big deal about grown-up birthdays in my family.  We usually just get everyone together for a nice dinner out.  Last night we went to our favorite pizza place for the most amazing Deep Dish pizza.  I have lived in the Chicago area all my life and I have tried a lot of pizzas, but I have to say that this little suburban place is the best!!  If you live in the Western Suburbs of Chicago you have got to try Barone's in Glen Ellyn.  They have been in business for a long time and their pizza is just wonderful!

So for my birthday, I decided to re-design my blog and I hope that you like it.  If you have any suggestions for it, please let me know because I love the feedback! 

I have also decided to celebrate my birthday by doing a week's worth of tutorials for you.  I will be featuring the eCraft, Make the Cut, and also some of my favorite SVGs from Lettering Delights.  With all the recent "unrest" with Provo Craft (makers of the Cricut line of die cutting machines), I have been getting a lot of inquires from people looking at the eCraft as an option for their future die cutting needs.  In light of that, I thought I would share a video today that showcases the eCraft and offers some tips to any eCraft owner on how to get the best possible cuts from your machine.  I have to give a big shout out to the members of the eCraft_Crafters Yahoo Group.  Most of the tips that I share in the video are not mine!  They came from the group and I just wish that I could remember who exactly offered these suggestions because I would love to personally give them the credit and to thank them for sharing!



I have been asked by some people to compare the eCraft to the other die cutting machines out there, and I am afraid that I really can't do that.  There are two reasons for this, the first is that the only other die cutting machine that I own is the Cricut.  The other reason is that it would be extremely difficult to compare the eCraft to any of the other machines because the eCraft is not built like any of the other machines.  Since the eCraft is designed to be mat-less, it really changes everything.  This is also the very reason why so many eCraft owners have had to go through a large learning curve.  I do plan on doing a full review of the eCraft once the stable versions of the SCAL and MTC plug-ins are available.  Since the software is such an integral part of the eCraft, I want to make sure that I have played with all of the options before making a recommendation.  Right now, both MTC and SCAL are still in beta and there are things that need to be resolved in both programs (although minor compared to the eCraftshop Pro software), so therefore I really cannot definitively say which program is better for the eCraft.  You will see in the tutorials coming up this week that I am using Make the Cut.  The reason for this is that I am more familiar with the program, but I am keeping an open mind about SCAL for the eCraft.  So with that being said, I hope that you enjoy the tutorials that I have planned for this week.

Please Pardon My Dust...

I am making a few changes here tonight, so if things look a little funny that's why.  I should have everything resolved shortly.

Spring is Coming...

I just got back from a great Spring Break vacation with my family.  We were on the Gulf Coast in Alabama enjoying the white sand beaches, the melodic sounds of the Gulf, the warm temperatures, and some AMAZING restaurants!  Now that I have felt that warmth on my skin, I just can't resist doing a card with some bright & tropical colors.  I LOVE this color combination (Papertrey Ink Summer Sunrise, Orange Zest, Aqua Mist, and Hawaiian Shores)

I also took the opportunity to play with PTI's Button Boutique stamp set from their February release.  The patterned paper card front is Distressed Dots in Summer Sunrise and I used their Coaster Board to die cut the buttons with their dies and then layered another layer of the Distressed Dots on top.  The Mat Stack 4 die is stamped with Distressed Stripes.

Have a Great Day!