January is Bird Stamp Month

Well, for me it is.  The purpose is to use stamps that haven't been inked or at least use stamps in a category or theme.  These cards don't exactly represent this challenge that the Squirrels are doing this year however at least two of my cards do use bird related stamps.  I am just happy to be making cards and these have a purpose of thanking some very special friends and wishing them a happy 2014.

I used the Triple Square Flip It die by Stephanie Barnard.  These Flip It dies are so easy and fun to use. They are seriously addictive and an awesome way to use up your paper stash.

HAPPY 2014!!!

A day late but Happy New Year!  Off to a slightly late start but 2014 has begun well.  I spent the first day of the year with my husband and son at our newly joined racquet club.  They played tennis and I swam.  I think this club is going to give us a lot of enjoyment plus great health benefits.  That is one of my numerous goals this year is to get fit again.

Another goal is to craft like crazy.  So many things I want to try.  First off was to get out a few thank you cards.  I am not done but these first 3 are already on their way to family members.  More to make and I hope that happens tonight.

These cards were a bit of a "CASE" from my good friend Jen.  She posted an awesome card of a cityscape with a great background for a New Year's card.  Thanks Jen for your continuing inspiration!  My cityscape buildings are from CTMH.  The HNY phrase is an SVG download that I made on my KNK using copper and gold metallic card stock from Club Scrap.  The building shapes were also cut on the KNK.  (L.O.V.E. that machine!)  The background paper is a Martha Stewart vellum with glittery fireworks that my DSD gave me for Christmas.

Thanks for looking:

A brief break from the KNK

I just want to play all day with my Klic 'n Kut but then playing with the Stephanie Barnard Flip It's is just as much fun.  I joined the PAO Christmas Card Swap and had a blast using the circle Flip It and the entire 6x6 pad of Doodlebug paper to make these cards.

THE AMAZING KLIC-N-KUT

I will try to shorten this shaggy-dog story of how I ended up with the KNK.  It began with a friend demoing her new Scan & Cut by Brother.  Wow!  I was seriously impressed how you could stamp images, feed the paper into the S&C and out comes perfectly cut images of your stamp.  Dies could be a thing of the past with this!  So I talk to my dear hubby, Bob, about this machine saying I am interested in it but prefer to wait until sometime next year when I feel like the bugs (if any) are ironed out.  Good idea he says…then proceeds to research what is out there in the cutter world of crafting.  Gee…I had no idea there were so many choices and such advanced ones as well.

Bingo…after researching numerous machines, and there are many great ones out there, I am now the proud and delighted owner of the Klic-N-Kut Maxx Air or KNK.  This machine uses the Make the Cut software that allows you to load pretty much anything and pop out perfectly cut images.  But wait…there's so much more it will do.  I have only scraped the surface after having it for 2 weeks now.  It does have a learning curve in mastering the software but once you get the hang of a few things, the rest starts to come easily.  I have been able to print and cut older WM stamps that I haven't used in years.  I can cut out shapes that match any stamp I have and stamp directly onto the shape however I wish.  Clear stamps are fantastic with this since you are not limited in any method of reproducing the images.  WM stamps are semi-limited in that the easiest way to use them is to print the image and then cut it rather than cut the shape and then stamp it.  But either way I am head-over-heals with this machine.  On top of stamps there are millions of images on the internet, many free, that can be downloaded into the software.  Any SVG file is usable, any image that can be scanned is also usable.  The resources are endless.  This machine does not take cartridges but I am able to also download my Cricut images and use those cuts as well.  See?  Endless!  One more thing about the KNK…we also chose it over others due to the incredible customer support.  We were so impressed with the knowledge, patience and enthusiasm.   We always got answers on the first call!

To do everything, the KNK requires a scanner, a computer, and a printer.  The Maxx Air is NOT portable however the Zing model is.  The KNK can cut on so many different materials also…even balsa wood!

So here is my first completed card using the KNK for all the images.  The Gift Girl and Christmas Tree stamps are WM stamps.  I first stamped them in black ink on white paper, scanned the images, imported them into the MTC program.  (Once those steps are done, that does not have to be repeated) From there I printed the images allowing (via software) for a "shadow" around the entire image.  Next I then cut the images on the KNK which uses a fine laser beam to register the coordinates

and create perfect cuts each time.  The doorway is a cut file found within the Make the Cuts software gallery.  Sounds involved doesn't it!  It is, but once you get the hang of it, it's really a breeze.  I've made a few mistakes along the way but learn each time something new in the process.  I am very fortunate to be married to a very computer savvy guy who is more than happy to help me learn this KNK to it's fullest.  I've only begun to scratch the surface.

Finally…the card

Thanks for reading and looking.

Make It Monday #139: Stamped Square Frames

Yes, I know…it says Make It Monday and today is Saturday.  I'm sliding in pretty close.  I haven't done a MIM in ages but this challenge not only got me excited but I have PTI stamps that are well suited to it.

For the frame I used Boutique Border - Thanks, stamping it once at the top and bottom and twice on each side to make a rectangular frame on Kraft card stock.  The Flower is made from the Lovely Layers stamp and die set.  Sentiment is made up from the Boutique Border - Sympathy stamp and die with the sentiment from Lovely Layers also.  All card stock is from various collections from Club Scrap.

Thanks for looking:

Can't get enough of this Triple Cricle Die

It's an addiction!  This die is just so much fun and opens up a wealth of ideas to decorate those little circles.  So many things can be featured on them.  This card was made for my friend Jen's card sketch challenge on PAO.  The idea being that you can make this card with or without the die.

Card stock is all Club Scrap with the print from Comfort Zone collection.  Stamps are from Papertrey Ink's Lovely Layers set.

Baby Shower

Today was my step-daughter Julia's baby shower.  She, her hubby and 19 month old son are expecting a girl in December!  It's PINK time!  After spending a great evening with my buddy Jen at Stephanie Barnard's card class Thursday night, I felt ready to take on one of her Flip-It cards all by myself.  Easier said than done.  The cutting part, of course is easy.  It's the selecting of papers for all the bits and pieces that caused me to stumble a time or two.  But when you are working with a specific 6x6 pad of adorable PINKish papers, how can you go wrong?  It took a lot of thinking and a bit of discovery if you are using a patterned paper that has a TOP and a BOTTOM.  Beware of that.

So all paper is from Doodlebug Design's 6x6 Double Sided (that really helps) "hello spring".  The colors were so girly I couldn't resist.  With the exception of the tiny flowers which are punches, the entire card including the owl stamp are Stepanie Barnard's designs.  Her Flip It die is the Circle Flip-Its #2.

Being an engineer, I knew Julia would get a kick out of this card on top of the PINK…and she did:)


Thanks for looking!