Card-making

I don't think I'll ever have to step foot in Hallmark again! I am having such a fun time designing and making cards with my new Cameo machine. The other day Sophie was going to a birthday party when she yelled at the last moment, "We forgot to buy a card!" I said, "No worries" and within 5 minutes, I had cut this beauty out of the birthday girl's favorite color:

Now, cards aren't just for birthdays anymore. Can St. Patrick's Day be romantic? Hmmm... I don't know, but I'm certainly gonna try...

Find this file for download here.

Find this file for download here.

If St. Patty's Day isn't your favorite holiday to send greeting cards for, I have also been busy designing adorable Easter cards for all the sweet things in your life...

Find this file for download here.

Find this file for download here.

Find this file for download here.

See my entire portfolio of Silhouette shapes here.

The loveliest time of the year

Well, maybe not weather-wise (especially if you live in the Midwest!). But, it is Valentine's Day in just 2 weeks, so I have been inspired to create some fun new shapes for my Silhouette Online store. All of these shapes are currently on sale for just 75-cents, so hurry, because after V-Day they will go back up to full price!

My girls will be giving these adorable bookmarks as gifts to their classmates... and yes, I will be making some blue ones for the boys. ;)

The file comes with 3 of each sentiment and 3 sets of background shapes on a 12" x 12" page, so you can cut it out of one color once then cut it again out of the second color and this will yield 12 total bookmarks, 6 of each sentiment. Layer and glue the bookmarks so that the heart cut out is perfectly aligned, add a pretty ribbon and voila... instant Valentine for your kids!

I've also designed some fun cards and treat boxes for that very special Valentine in your life:

I think this sweet heart ornament would be perfect for a teacher gift. It's pretty easy and fast to make too, so your kids can help with them.

How about these adorable critters?!?! They are holding hearts so you can write your special message on them and give it to your favorite Valentine. How perfect are these for school V-Day party projects? Each file comes with a few shapes to cut and layer (no more than 5 shapes each) so it'll be easy for even the tiniest of fingers to handle.

I also got to play with some 3D shapes this week. I had never made paper flowers before, but the Cameo machine just makes it so darn easy and fun to do! Just cut the layers out, curl the petals around your finger or a pencil and adhere the layers to create these pretty blooms. These are not considered "Valentine themed" so they are full price in the store, but at 99-cents, they are still a steal!

I hope you are loving these as much as I am. Let me know if you guys would like a tutorial on any of these. They are mostly pretty simple to assemble, but if you need extra help with any of them, I'd be more than glad to show the process here. Enjoy!

Playing with Paper

I finally got my new Silhouette Cameo machine in the mail last Friday and I spent all weekend playing with paper, like a little kid. I've been a contributing artist on the Silhouette site for over 3 months now, but since I wanted to start designing some 3D shapes, I really needed to get a hold of one of these machines, to make the cutting and assembling that much easier. But, boy, I was not prepared for how much fun I was gong to have with this! I literally stayed up all night Saturday designing, cutting and assembling fun little treat boxes for all my loved ones. Check these out!

I designed them to be treat boxes (they are just perfect sized for small toys, candies or gift cards). But then I thought, how cute would these look as luminaries?!? So, I ran out to my nearest Dollar Tree and grabbed a couple sets of battery-operated tea light candles (they sell them in sets of 3 candles for $1!!) and now check them out!

 

Of course, after I snapped this picture I thought... hmmm... I should've slipped a sheet of vellum behind the cut outs, to diffuse the light a bit. So I ran out to Hobby Lobby (yes, it was a crazy weekend!) and got a few sheets of vellum. Then when I got back home, I had another idea for a luminary, so rather than taking the ready-made ones apart, I just made a new one. How sweet is this? I just adore this look! Sydney immediately claimed it for her room. :)

 

The possibilities are endless with this machine! I made these adorable Nordic Mitten cards and gift tags...

A nifty gift card holder...

...and these adorable flags to slip into gift bags this Christmas. This also helps me use up all those left-over paper straws from the kid's parties!

Guys, I think I've found my new obsession (like I needed another one!). All of my 3-D cut files are currently available as digital downloads on the Silhouette Online Store. They are only $0.99 each! (and the Christmas-themed ones are currently on sale for 75-cents each!)

These are SVG files and can be used on most machines, like the Cameo, that cut files for scrapbooking or card-making. After the New Year, we will put my shapes on our site, so you can get them directly from us for use on other machines.

Happy Holidays, all!!

Do you CAMEO®?

I am so thrilled to share with you this new design venture I am embarking on. This past Summer I attended the CHA Show (Craft & Hobby Association) in Chicago and I met with so many lovely folks. One of them worked for Silhouette and after showing me how their amazing Cameo® machine worked and taking a look at my portfolio (which I conveniently brought on my iPad), urged me to submit some designs for their contributing artist program. I also had dinner with a couple of lovely designers who had nothing but great things to say about this company. So, fast-forward a couple of months and I am now the newest licensed designer at Silhouette! I'm sure you'll recognize some classic Patty shapes in my artist page:



If you're not familiar with Silhouette or the Cameo, here's a bit of info for you (directly from their website):

The Silhouette CAMEO® is an electronic cutting tool for personal use. Like a home printer, it plugs into your PC or Mac® with a simple USB cable. However, instead of printing it uses a small blade to cut paper, cardstock, vinyl, fabric and more up to 12" wide and 10 feet long. The machine also boasts a quiet motor and the ability to register and cut printed materials. 

The Cameo can be used to make Scrapbook pages, Cards, Custom apparel, Vinyl décor, Etched glass, Sketch designs, Temporary tattoos and Paper crafts.

The designs I have currently available on the Silhouette site are all "regular cut" which means that they are SVG files to be used with their software and printed on their machine. They are scalable, meaning you can scale them to any size you need, and editable, which means you can modify them (move elements around on a layout) to fit your needs.

My dear friend Char from Crap I've Made used three of my designs to make some adorable shirts for her kids and friends. In her words, "I made some t-shirts using some stencil vinyl and the Silhouette fabric ink and then I tried one with freezer paper and the Silhouette fabric ink.  They turned out pretty darn awesome, if I do say so myself." I couldn't agree more!!



Here are some close-ups of all three:







Eeeek! I want one now!

More designs will be popping up every week, so bookmark my page and check often! If you guys out there make any fun projects using my shapes, please send me some photos (email to info AT modkidboutique DOT com) and I will be sure to share them here.