Die-Namites Tips & Techniques Blog Hop

Hello and welcome, we could not be more excited to share our first Designer Team Blog Hop with you! The Blog Hop will be the third Friday of every month and each of us will be sharing a fun tip or technique. We love to hear what others are doing and how they are saving time and getting the best use from their die cuts. So here we go, start the hop with us!

At the end of the hop, we will choose two random people to win a $10 dollars DieNamites Gift Cards to use on the Die-Namites website.  So please be sure to stop and comment on each design team members blogs and  visit our Facebook page. Please use the Rafflecopter below to verify you have visited. The blog will start today, Friday, October 16 and will close Tuesday, October 20 at 12:00 AM. You have until then to comment on each blog. 

We hope we are able to inspire you along the way!!

For my project, I made these Monogrammed Luggage Tags. My daughters have been attending several field trip recently and I know they will be going on a few more this year. So, I made these to easily identify their lunch bags.

And, the technique I will be sharing with you is airbrushing! 

I love airbrushing almost all my die cut pieces! It's so much quicker and easier for me than shading with ink pads and ink daubers. And with delicate die cuts it is practically impossible to do without ripping your piece to shreds or mangling it beyond recognition.

There are several reasons  I prefer airbrushing,  but the main one has to be virtually no drying time!! No more waiting for my ink to dry! With all the fine pieces, they would easily warp and misshape my cute die cut shapes... and who needs that? Not me!!

I used Die-Namites'

BUTTERFLY FRAME

Here is a quick look at my airbrushing in progress:

From Left to Right

 I airbrushed my die-cut frame with an ebrush machine with a lime green Sharpie. Next, I added a darker green over the first green. Then, I  added yellow to the center of the flower. Lastly, I added orange and red to my butterflies.

I repeated the above steps and made my second frame in purple...

After my frames were done being airbrushed, I used a glue pen to adhere them onto white cardstock.

I used the die itself as a template to create a border and traced along the edges with a pencil.

I used my electric die cut machine to cut the monograms and the glued them to the center of the tag.

 To make them officially tags, I punched a hole toward the top. Then I  laminated both tags using my Xyron Creative Station with a 9" Laminate Refill Cartridge. Laminating them will help protect them from the elements... that or messy lunches. And then I punched another hole (using the previous hole as a guide) with a smaller hole punch and gave it a brief press to seal the laminate. Finally, add your latch or key ring and you're done!!

Here are close-ups of my luggage tags...

Supplies Used

Butterfly Frame (Die-Namites)

Cut'n'Boss (Craftwell)

eBrush (Craftwell)

Xyron Creative Station

Xyron 9" Two Sided Laminate Refill

Sharpie Markers- Green, Lime Green, Yellow, Lt Orange, Orange, Lavender, Purple, Baby Pink, Magenta.

White Cardstock (Bazzill Basics)

Cutterbee Scissors (EK Success)

Electric Die-cut Machine

1" Key Rings (the type the split open)

I hope you enjoyed my project today!! If you like wat you see  please leave a comment below! AND...
Don't forget to visit all the other talented ladies!! Because we're not done just yet!!
HAPPY HOPPING!!

Here is the complete lineup:

DieNamites Blog - http://www.die-namitesblog.com/2015/10/design-team-tip-technique-hop.html (START HERE)

Susanne - http://clayscrapkreativ.blogspot.com/2015/10/die-namites-tip-technique-blog-hop.html

Martha Lucia - http://wp.me/p5TnaH-2Xy

Henryka - http://magic-craft-land.blogspot.com/2015/10/design-team-tip-technique-hop-die.html

Mitsyana -http://www.upontippytoes.com/2015/10/die-namites-tips-techniques-blog-hop.html (YOU ARE HERE)

Freetany -http://freetany.blogspot.com/2015/10/dienamites-blog-hop.html

Erin - http://scraps-of-reflections.blogspot.com/2015/10/dienamites-oct-blog-hop.html

Marina - http://integra-gm.blogspot.com/2015/10/die-namites-blog-hop.html

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Sweets For My Sweetie

Hello my crafty friends!! Today's tutorial is my first "Official" post for the Xyron Design Team!! Woohoo!! And as a special treat for myself I get to play with Xyron's brand spanking new Creative Station to make my Dear Ol' Hubby this canister of yummy goodness... Mmmmm...CHOCOLATE!!

I mean...Do you need a reason to randomly give a yummy gift to your significant other? I say “Nay”! Sometimes, just thinking about them is reason enough to do something special for them.

But for myself, I can’t just hand over a bag a chocolate and call it good. The packaging ends up being trashed without a second thought. But, before that even happens you’ll witness a partially eaten bag travel around the house... and if you have a house full of children, like I do, it gets crinkled and mangled in the process. So why not gift it in a storage solution that double as gift wrapping and candy container that is practical and appealing to the eye! And even better yet, using a recycled and upcycled plastic drink container!!

Tools and Supplies Used

Xyron Creative Station

Xyron 5" Creative Station Permanent Refill

Xyron 9" Creative Station Permanent Adhesive Refill

Cut'n'Boss Die-cut Machine

DCWV Printed Cork Stack

Craft Smith Natural Luxury Paper Pad

Graffix Metallic Silver Cardstock

Cuttlebug Anna Griffin Flower Layer Cut & Emboss Die

Recollections Coordinates Black/White Twine

Martha Stewart Guillotine Trimmer

Cutter Bee Scissors by EK Success

Empty and Cleaned Plastic Orange Juice Container 

Chocolate Covered Almonds (Daily Chef)

I started by measuring the circumference of my bottle. The bottle I'm using measures about 14" around. I have to keep this in mind when cutting out all my material.

Then I cut down my Graffix Metallic Silver Cardstock sheet down to a standard sized 8.5"x 11" sheet... small enough to fit through my cut'n'boss machine with ease... and with my Anna Griffin Flower Layer die and my cut'n'boss I cut out 3 panels of metallic flower panels or medallions (as I like to call them because that's what they look like to me).

Then I ran ALL three sets of flowers or "medallion" cut-outs through my Xyron Creative Station (with 9" permanent refill loaded) through my machine. That's one of the many reasons I LOVE this machine! I can get MORE done FASTER!

I want to make sure I get good coverage and minimal excess, usually a quick firm rub down with your finger tips would do, but because this is such a detailed die cut I am using my stylus into get into all the small crevices. Set aside for later.

Next, I used a chevron sheet from my DCWV Printed Cork Stack into one 4"x12" and one 4"x3.75" pieces using my Martha Stewart guillotine cutter. 

I love these cork sheets from DCWV! They come in great patterns and have a nice earthy texture that flat cardstock doesn't have! Which works great for "guy" gifts as opposed to bling and glitter and all that extra fluff I usually create with for my girlfriends.

Before I run these strip into my Xyron Creative Station I switched out my cartridges...  

The GREAT thing about the new and improved Creative Station is that it uses both the 9" and 5" refill cartridges!! This eliminates and replaces the use of 2 machines! WOOHOO!! Awesomesauce!!What a great space saver!!

Where was I?? Oh yeah... switching cartridges...

I don't want to waste any adhesive and my 12" strip was way too wide to go in sideways and turning it the other way would waste most of that foot of adhesive since my cork is only 4 inches wide. And switching out this machine is as easy as 1..2..3!

1. Lift out your 9" cartridge. Using indented handle and pull straight up.

2. Position green adapter flap... make sure it's standing up and makes a "divider" type wall in the middle of your machine.

3. Insert your 5" cartridge... glide cartridge between the tracks for proper alignment.

Don't forget to make sure your plastic sheeting runs between the black rollers!!

And that is it!! Close that bad boy up and you're ready to go!

My cork goes through like butter... and that's because the Creative Station can take material up to 1/8" thick! Wood veneers, felt, fabric... no problem! As long as it's 1/8"(or less) it'll fit right in!

For the next step you'll need your cleaned (washed and dried) recycled juice container. I got my container from my local grocery store that bottles it's own freshly squeezed orange juice.... The juice was awesome by the way (just in case you were curious)!!

Used a bit of Goo-gone to remove the attached sticker label and washed in hot soapy water. Dried it up. And now it's ready to decorate and fill!

I took my longest strip of cork and wrapped it around the center of my container. As you can see, the strip is a few inches short of completely wrapping my bottle. That is where the extra 3.75"x 4" strip goes.  Adhere that piece over the open space of the bottle to cover the gap. Make sure you match up the 4" sides of the cork to the ones already laid down. The 3.75" side of your cork piece should lay horizontally , laying across the gap.

At this point, I chose to fill my container. But if you wanted to you could fill it after you were done decorating it. 

Next I took my "medallions" I had cut earlier and cut them down into 4 "medallion" squares. 

I adhered one set of "squares" to 3 of the sides. 

For the last side, I made a label from a sentiment that was on a sheet in my Craft Smith "Natural Luxury" stack. I cut the "label" from my sheet and I matted it with leftover metallic cardstock I had used to make my medallions. This stuff is AMAZING!! The high mirror finish of the paper instantly dresses up any project!!

*

SEE!!

The neck of my bottle seemed a little "naked" though... so I dressed it up  by winding  my twine around the neck about 4 or 5 times around the indent of the neck.  AND... from the same sheet I cut my sentiment "label" from I was able to cut out a tag too. 

A super cool feature about purchasing paper stacks is not only do the papers coordinate perfectly with each other but every now and then paper companies through in goodies like this (whole sheets you can cut up and use for embellishments) into the mix!

And here is my finished project!

Now isn't this waaaaay better than looking at a crumpled up bag sitting on your kitchen counter?!

It's AMAZING how my Xyron Creative Station made quick and easy gift giving from a recycled and upcycled orange juice container!!

Hope you enjoyed today's project check back soon for more crafty ideas!!

{{HUGS}}

~Mitsy~

More Sock Creations - Sock Bunnies

Hello again my friends,
I have another treat for you today!!

I took a slight detour away from my paper and played with dolls! LOL

Ok, I had to make them first, but making them was the best part!! And because of it I'm able to share with you another tutorial!! Yay!!

This is a revamp on an older tutorial I did a couple years ago around Christmas. Remember that one Christmas that every crafty mommy(and their grandmother) went on this Sock Snowman making frenzy? Yup, I was one of them.But I did my sock snowmen with a twist!

Let me explain... You see, after I made my first snowman (which came out great) I felt the need to be different... It's just in my nature! I mean, it was cute... but only as cute as the  next one.. or the next one... or even the next one after that. Everyone (and their grandmother) was making the same darn thing. So that is when I decided to make different animals and not just a snowman... You can read more about it HERE.

Anyhoo, where was I go with this?! Oh yeah... revamped sock snowmen... If you did read the original post about them, you would know that I added a sock penguin, bear, and mouse... and then I promised to make more sock animals soon... yeah, it didn't happen and life got in the way and I got side-tracked! But I am happy to say that I am finally adding to my SOCK FAMILY!!

And here it is, the SOCK BUNNY!!

Aren't they cute! They make great teachers gifts!! But not these, these are going to my children!! I'm making each one of them a bunny to put in their Easter baskets. 

****JUST A BIT OF WARNING****

 If you plan on giving your small ones one of these as a gift just be advised... there are small pieces and that playing with them should always be under close adult supervision! Don't not let your little ones chew on the the small pieces they could detach and become a choking hazard! As with all small toys... please play with caution! 

OK, NOW ON TO THE TUTORIAL!!

You Will Need:
3 cups of rice, preferable in a tall glass (you'll see why)
Adult sized fuzzy sock
Children's sized hair tie/elastic( in coordinating color to sock)
 a sheet of felt
Hot glue gun and sticks
Household kitchen shears or Fabric shears
Buttons or flat-back pearls (for the eyes and nose)
pom-poms (should be at least the size of  half a cotton ball, can be bigger if you wish)
Ribbon (for bows)
Bunny body parts template
And a pair of tiny helping hands (totally optional)

Pour rice int tall glass or cup.

Slide sock over cup.

Flip cup over and empty rice into sock. This would be a good time to get your tiny helping hands involved... again, it's totally optional. But this is a great way to have your children involved in arts and crafts! They can be your little "helpers" , it make them feel special having an important job.

Gather the sock where the rice ends and secure with hair tie.

With your kitchen shears cut down the center of the remaining sock fabric, going towards the hair tie. Stop just before the tie. Do not cut the elastic.. it is what is holding all that rice in!!

Also, round off the two (now cut "ears"). This makes them to look like floppy bunny ears. It should look like two big, slightly connected ovals. 

You have now just made the base of your  bunny!! Yay!

Now that this is complete cut out your bunny parts from felt using the "Body Part Template" I created.

You can download it for FREE here .

Take your bunny base, felt bunny parts, pom-pom, buttons, and ribbon. And Start gluing them down.

The smallest oval is for the muzzle/ snout and the biggest is for the belly. 

The two long and narrow oval are for the ears. Glue one oval to the center of each ear. Then place a pea-sized dot of glue on the end of the ear closest to the end and pinch close creating a crease. This will help stiffen the ear and help stand them up.

Don't forget to turn him over and glue down the pom-pom tail!!

Then add eyes, nose, and ribbon/bow. You can also accessorize with a child sized  bead bracelet as a little necklace.

I finished her off by adding some pink chalk to her cheeks with a cotton swab and drawing few black dots giving her a more complete face.

And there she is! isn't she adorable!

You can easily turn your girl bunny into a boy by placing the bow under the muzzle to make a

 bow-tie!!

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial!! 

Happy Crafting!!

~ Mitsy

7 Point Star Bow Video Tutorial

Hello Crafty Friends... I have a video tutorial for you all today! I'll be teaching you how to make a seven pointed star bow. I will include the link to download your very own template I used in the video tutorial below. This file is in SVG format especially made for those of you who have an electric/ digital cutter.

I also be doing another giveaway... I will be giving away 3 template sets to 3 lucky individuals. To enter just leave a comment in the comments section of my youtube video. 3 winners will be chosen at random. I'll will choose winners Sunday evening and announce them Monday on my blog.

For this project you will need the following...

 Supplies:

7 pt star template

your choice of chipboard, stencil film, or craft plastic (to make stencils)

ribbon

needle & thread

scissors

Ribbon Measurements:

small template: 42" long and up to 3/8" wide

medium template: 72" long and up to 5/8" wide

large template: 94" long and up to 1" wide

You can download the SVG file for the 7 pt star bow template and cut it out from chipboard , stencil film, or craft plastic. 

tools needed

My test templates I made out of chipboard and they worked great, but I wanted something a little more stable that wouldn't get worn out as quickly. 

So, I cut them from stencil film. Perfect... cut perfectly and very flexible!

As a beginner it's best if you start with the biggest template and as you get the hang of the technique work your way down to the smaller ones.

Don't forget I'm giving away sets of these templates and all you have to do is leave a comment on my youtube video. 

I am new to doing videos... so, please be kind and leave a nice comment. I don't know much about video making or editing and positive feedback would be encouraging. Thanks & I hope you enjoy!

If you can't see it here click here to view it on youtube.

P.S.- The video does talks about 3 loops around each point to get the look in the picture below. But if you wanted a more fuller or more closed center try 4 or 5 loops around each point. I like putting buttons in my center and that is why I stopped at 3. 

And there you have it... SUPER CUTE BOWS!!

You can download the SVG Format of the template HERE.

HAPPY BOW MAKING!!