Glass Block Tutorial

Hey guys, here is the tutorial for the Glass Block that I first posted on Saturday.

I started with just a clear glass block that I bought at Hobby Lobby. It has an opening in the bottom to place your string of lights. Instead of using my glass etching cream on it like I had originally planned, I decided to spray the entire block with this -

It’s a Specialty Frosted Glass spray made by Rust-oleum that I also purchased at Hobby Lobby. After the glass is sprayed it almost looks like it’s been etched or frosted.

(You can barely see the string of white Christmas lights inside the block in this photo.)

The block will need a couple of coats of spraying but it dries pretty fast. I measured my glass block at about 7.25” square. Now, I use my Gypsy or Design Studio whenever I can because an image that looks square may not always be a perfect square. So with my G or DS I can unlink the height and width proportions to make an image perfectly square. Two things to remember – make sure the little chain link is NOT highlighted yellow on the Gypsy to unlink the height and width proportions and you may also need to use the Real Dial Size to get the correct size. I used an image from the Paper Lace cartridge and sized it to 7.25”x7.25”. I also used pink vinyl and transfer tape, both from Provo Craft.

Using this transfer tape will save you from countless headaches – trust me on this one! I set the pressure on my Cricut to Medium (3) and my blade depth to 2 –remember, I used my Gypsy so I couldn’t control the speed but slow the speed down to 3 also if you’re just using your machine alone. You just want to do a ‘kiss cut’ – cutting only the vinyl and not the paper backing. After you have your vinyl cut out, you need to “weed” it. That just means to pull off all the negative areas of the vinyl and leave the image on the paper backing. The best tool to use is the dental looking tool that comes in the Cricut Tool kit! I love that little thing!It’s probably one of my favorite and most used tools! Now cut a piece of the transfer tape a little bit larger than your image. Pull the transfer tape layers apart – there is the part with the grid on it and a tacky layer. Place the tacky piece over your design. Here is what it will look like with the tacky layer over the design:

Now burnish the tape onto the vinyl image by rubbing it with the stick that came with the vinyl or the transfer tape. You can also use an old credit card or something similar – just make sure that you get a good seal between the vinyl and the tape.

Then gently peel the transfer tape away from the vinyl paper backing. The vinyl image should come up with the transfer tape. If it doesn’t, put the tape back down and burnish it some more.

Place the transfer tape with the vinyl image over your project, in this case, the glass block, making sure that the vinyl image is centered correctly.

Once you have it where you want it, smooth it down so that you seal the vinyl to the glass. Then slowly peel the transfer tape off. Go slow – you want to avoid air bubbles!

If you do find some air bubbles just keep smoothing them out slowly with your finger being careful not to rip the vinyl.

And here is the finished project -

Just add a string of lights and plug it in! What I like about this method of decorating a glass block is that you can easily take the vinyl off and redecorate it with different images and in different colors of vinyl – even use multiple colors of vinyl!

See how nice it looks with the lights plugged in -

I hope that you enjoyed this tutorial. If you have any questions, please email me! Until next time, Happy Crafting!

Some Vinyl Projects!

What a great day I had yesterday! The Fabulous & 50 Blog Hop was so much fun and everyone involved had great projects! I can’t stop thanking them enough – so here we go, just one more time: Dawn, Janice, Normea, Nancy, Michelle, Barbara, Debbie, Marcia, Veronica, Tina, and last but not least, my girl, Monique. Thanks again to all of you for celebrating with me and being great friends! Scroll down to yesterdays post if you missed it!

I will get the tutorials made this week about the Glass Block that I made and the Origami Mini Book also. So keep checking back or better yet, subscribe to my blog and you will automatically receive my blog posts! But today I just wanted to share a couple of projects that I made back in BC – that’s Before Cricut! I had the Baby Bug but I also wanted something that would allow me to do more and design – so DH bought the Wishblade for me! More on that later!

In the first design, I bought the file from Paper Threads but I’m so sorry that I can not remember the actual designers name.

Jesus’ face is so detailed. This was a gift for a friend so I purchased an inexpensive clear glass plate and placed the cut black vinyl on it. She loved it!

Look at this – isn’t it amazing! If you know the designer please leave a comment. This was a very simple gift to make. I love working with vinyl so much!

This next project is all mine! I knew her family’s names and the fact that family was extremely important to her.

So easy to do with vinyl! Ok, now back to the Wishblade – I loved my WB and my little Bug just sat in the corner of my craft room. That was until I discovered the Gypsy and the Design Studio! I {HEART} my G & my DS! And that’s when I found out that I could do many of the things that I did in my WB program but with the G & DS it was SO MUCH EASIER! Yes, I know that with the WB I could use all of the fonts on my computer but between all of the carts that I own, surely I can find at least one font that will work with my projects! So even though I still have my WB (and I’ll never part with it) I absolutely {HEART} my Cricut family. Since then I have adopted a Cricut Expression, a Cricut Cake, the Design Studio, too many carts (lol, but the next one is just around the corner!), and my precious Gypsy! My little ‘family’ is very close and we spend a lot of time together! Maybe too much if you talk to some others, like those real people that stay here too! But with your Cricut, you can design the second project above in just minutes! You don’t need the G or DS but let me tell you, those two make my life so much easier! And if you get a Gypsy NOW and register it by tomorrow, you’ll be able to download extra cartridges – FREE! Now that’s a deal!

Well, time to go play with my family! Until next time, Happy Crafting,

My Fabulous & 50 Birthday Blog Hop

“Happy Birthday To Me!” Good morning and welcome to My Fabulous & 50 Birthday Blog Hop! I am celebrating my 50th birthday (which is actually TODAY!) with 11 of my good friends who have graciously agreed  to design projects for the blog hop. These are a great group of talented ladies and I want to thank them so much for helping me on this special day! Please leave them some blog love (comments) after looking at their projects – don’t we all love to be loved? After my blog, just visit the next person on the list below (Dawn) and just keep hopping! Also, at the end of my post I have some extra special blog candy to give away!

I actually made 3 projects for today’s blog hop. The first is a little box that you could make to put a special birthday gift in.

I created this file on Cricut Design Studio but then made it into a Gypsy file so I could cut it with just my Expression and my Gypsy. I used George and Basic Shapes for the box and the flower, Storybook for the label shape on top of the box, and Paper Lace for the sentiment. The paper is from K&Company.

The box is made up of rectangles and the octagon shape that is just stretched out.

I cut three label shapes – 2 from cardstock and 1 from patterned paper.

After scoring and folding the box, I attached ribbon on three sides – top, back, and bottom.

I cut about an inch from one side of both of the cardstock labels and cut the patterned paper label in half. I attached the cardstock pieces to the top and bottom of the box and the paper piece to the top. Then I used the flower from George and cut it out eight times –at 1’, 1.25”, 1.50”, 1.75”, 2”, 2.25”, 2.50”, and 2.75”. I used the Hide Contour to hide the center circle.

 

I sprayed the white cardstock flowers with Glimmer Mist in Tattered Rose then curled the petals with the end of a paint brush.

The petals were layered with a pop dot between each layer.

I cut the Happy Birthday sentiment and its shadow from the Paper Lace cartridge at 1.50”. I added bling to the flower and the sentiment. And here is the final Box!

But I just couldn’t stop there! I also made a little Birthday Origami Mini Album and a Glass Block to go with it. The design on the glass block was cut from pink vinyl.

I’ll be back later next week to give more details about the mini album and the glass block. Now for the Blog Candy Giveaway! I decided to give something that was appropriate for todays celebration -

That’s right – it’s a Nifty Fifties Cricut Cartridge!

Please just leave a comment and follow my blog to have a chance to win! Thanks so much for sharing a little of my 50th birthday with me!

Now here’s the list to follow the rest of the blog hop! Enjoy!

Angie - http://angiespaperpassion.blogspot.com/ <---Me!
Dawn - http://scrappyrn-scrappyrn.blogspot.com/ 
Janice - http://www.cricutconfessions.com/
Normea - http://mmdezigns.blogspot.com/
Nancy - http://lanancyworkshop.blogspot.com/
Michelle - http://paperaffair.blogspot.com/
Barb - http://craftinginparadise.blogspot.com/
Debbie - http://www.debseclecticthoughts.blogspot.com/
Marcia - http://scrappin-times.blogspot.com/
Veronica - http://www.iteachscraps.blogspot.com/
TinaGale - http://tiggersscrapplace.blogspot.com/
Monique - http://mixonthememories.blogspot.com/

Remember, if you ever get lost on your way, just come back here to get back on track! Thanks again for hopping with us!

Until next time, Happy Crafting,

6 New Provo Craft Cartridges, Only 23 To Go & 1 Give-Away!

It’s Hello Thursday! –ok, I know, I know, it was yesterday!- If you are new to the whole Cricut World that means that this is the 3rd Thursday of the month when Provo Craft sends out their famous Hello Thursday newsletter and it usually contains the names of any cartridges that will be discontinued and, better yet, what new ones will be coming out! So today Provo Craft has just announced 6 new cartridges that will come out in November! That’s right – 6! The new ones are:

• Quarter Note – Musical notes, a font, band themes, etc
• Paper Lace – Beautiful for cards & layouts, has a font
• Ornamental Iron – Beautiful images too, also has 2 fonts
• Sesame Street Seasons – Includes 3-D images
• Car Decals – Outline figures that we all love
• Wrap It Up – My favorite! Includes cards, phrases, boxes, bags and tags!

Just click on any of the titles above to see a sample of each. To view the entire cartridge handbook, go to the Cricut Cartridge Library and just go to any of the titles and click the second ‘VIEW’ to see the handbook. I have at least two of these on my wish list!

Also there are updates for those of you that have the Gypsy and/or Design Studio. Click HERE for the Design Studio update and just plug your Gypsy into your computer and run Gypsy Sync to update it.

I just received an email from Walgreens with a code for a FREE 8x10 collage print – I like free! – so I wanted to pass along the savings to all of you! Just go to the Walgreens site here to get the code. It’s only good through this Saturday, so hurry!

Now, for my BIG NEWS – well, to me it is! I am only 23 people away before I reach 100 followers!!! I can’t believe it! I started my blog a little over a year ago for my Stampin’ Up! business but didn’t really post that  much and eventually let it go after I stopped selling SU. I only picked it back up this summer when I became a Cricut Demonstrator. Reaching 100 followers was a future dream of mine and now I have followers in 15 different countries! Thinking back, I only wanted to share my love of crafting with my Cricut, paper crafting, and crafting in general. And you know what, that’s still my goal! But now I’m more passionate about it than ever. I want to share everything I have learned, especially about the Cricut, Gypsy, and Design Studio, with all of you, my followers, and everyone who visits My Paper Passion. I want to give a great big Thanks to all of you!

Now, this isn’t an official blog give-away – just remember that! When I really reach 100 followers I will have an official one then. But for now, this is just a little something-something. Here’s the story – I purchased a cartridge and when I opened it, the handbook was completely blank! Nothing, nada. So I call PC and they told me that they did not have anymore of those handbooks –yea, the wailing that you heard that day was me :-(  But, he said that since they were out of them, they would just send me a whole NEW cartridge!  - yea, that was also me you heard, shouting out in joy and doing my happy dance! :-)  - I asked if they were also sending a shipping label or something to send the original back. He said, “No, just keep it or give it away.” WHAT? NO, WAY! I couldn’t believe my ears! Ok, folks, this is just the reason I {heart} PC! They have been so good to us. Thank you, PC! So followers, I am passing it forward! The only requirement is that you follow my blog, please leave a comment, and send at least one new person to my blog and have them follow me and leave a comment as well. Thanks. Oh, yea, the cartridge is Happy Hauntings! Just in time to scrapbook all of those Halloween photos! Just remember, there is no handbook (but you can download it HERE) but it does come with rewards – let me tell ya, it was hard not redeeming those 90 points though, lol!

Here is the proof, lol:

This will end this weekend so that I can get it in the mail asap! Until next time, Happy Crafting,

Another Halloween Party Idea: A 3-D Platter using Happy Hauntings

I bought these Halloween cupcakes and that inspired me to finally make the 3-D platter on page 70 of the Happy Hauntings cartridge. I love all of the dimensional images that are available now.

The ghosts, the creepy hands, and the witches hats for the cupcake toppers came from the same cartridge. To create a topper, I placed my image – twice - on the virtual mat in Gypsy, sized them to about 2” using the Real Dial Size feature, highlighted just one and flipped it, creating a reverse image. I cut them out and adhered them back to back with a toothpick between the two. You’ll need to use a good, strong adhesive for this. I used Scotch brand Quick Dry Adhesive.

Because I used my Gypsy, I was able to cut this image out at 11” which is slightly larger than you’d be able to cut it out without the Gypsy or Design Studio. The top isn’t the problem, it’s the base because it’s rather wide. So I rotated both parts of the base 45 degrees on my Gypsy and I was able to make it a little larger. Here are the screen shots from Design Studio -

I cut the top from cardstock and the base from black chipboard. I first cut the base from cardstock also but, duh, it didn’t hold the weight of the cupcakes! Glad I had that chipboard on hand. See, it pays to hoard – scrapbook supplies, that is! lol!
Speaking of supplies, look at my weekend haul! I had to use all of those coupons! It’s a law, I think. And it didn’t help at all that the cashier at Michaels let me use THREE coupons at once! What was she thinking? Couldn’t she tell that I was already broke? LOL! I got some new Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page punches, her Monarch Butterfly punch and a border punch, the new DCWV Christmas patterned paper and cardstock stacks, and a paper pad from K&Co. Oh yes, I am now the proud owner of a pink ATG! Anyone need a used RED ATG? lol!

View Full Album

I also had a cartridge that I have wanted for a long time in my hands – can you guess what happened knowing how much I love to shop and also love a great deal? Please post a comment and tell me what you think I did with it and what cartridge you think it was. The person who guesses right will get some blog candy!!! You have until this Friday (I’ll pick a winner at 10:00pm CST) so let the guessing begin!
Until next time, Happy Crafting,

Minnie Mouse Scrapbook Page Layout using Disney’s Mickey & Friends Cartridge

Happy October everyone! I love that we are starting to feel a some cooler weather, even if it’s only early in the morning and later in the evening here in Texas. I can’t believe that there are only 3 more months left in 2010! This year has really flown by.
Today I made a quick Minnie Mouse layout using the Disney Mickey & Friends cartridge. Yes, I said quick and the Disney cartridge in the same sentence! Some people have told me that they stay away from these types of cartridges because of the layering and the time it takes to make some of the images. Well, it’s not that hard at all if you follow these tips and if you use Design Studio or the Gypsy. Now these ideas are definitely not new. When I first starting using this cartridge and hit road blocks, I either worked at it until I figured it out or I went looking for answers. So it will really help new Cricuteers and could be a refresher course for others. Just please remember that this is how I do it and for now it works for me!

These photos were taken on one of our trips to Disneyland when my daughter was a little younger and while there we took the tour of Minnie’s house. I wanted to make the layout about the house and although Minnie traditionally wears her red and white outfit, her house is very pink! I also gave the finished layout a bit of sparkle with Stickles! First, using Design Studio I took the border icon on page 109 and created an even longer border for the bottom of my page. The original icon only had 4 roses in a row. My new borders have a total of 29 roses! I welded 4 of the images together and then rotated the welded image about 45 degrees. You’ll find the rotate box in the upper right hand side under Shape Properties. This way you can get a longer border. Remember, on the 12x12 mat, you can’t cut a full 12 inches. Rotating my image let me cut my borders at almost 13 inches.

The sun, mailbox, and heart were all pretty easy to piece together. It’s mostly the images that have many, many parts, like Minnie’s house, that people have trouble with.  First, I took a look at  all of the colors of cardstock that I needed and gathered them together. Sometimes I even make a little cheat sheet for myself, especially if I’m not using the same colors that are in the handbook. Now here is the best part – there is no need to send your mat through the Cricut 8 times even if there are 8 different colors to cut! I’ll demonstrate using the Daisy Duck image on page 111. Using my Design Studio, I put all of the parts of Daisy’s image on the first mat. I cut it out at 4 1/2”. I then made a new page (you’ll find this by clicking on the View button) for each color and renamed each page according to that color. I then copied each part of the image separately and pasted it onto the page for its corresponding color. 

Here is the first page with all of the images on it.  Below you can see how I labeled my pages. Here is another page.

This is how I changed the image color. On each page, I right-clicked on the image and in the box that pops up I went to Set Preview Color and picked the color that matches the color of the cardstock (or close to it) that I was going to cut that particular image with. For example, on the page with Daisy’s bow, I set the color to pink because that’s the color of cardstock that I planned on cutting the bow out of. The only exception is white – I made those images a light gray to be able to see them.

I did this for each image that I was cutting. Then I created one more page that I left blank. When you are on that last page, click Preview (the EYE icon on the far left). This is what you will see -

This helps me with paper placement on my mat. Now all I had to do was cut each color of cardstock a little bigger than the image and place it exactly on my mat like the images are placed on that last page. Just like this -

When I loaded the mat and hit the Cut With Cricut button, all of the images cut in one pass – not 7!

This is what it looks like after cutting -

So I won’t get the pieces mixed up, I leave them on the mat and only take them off one at a time as I am layering my image together. For me, this is the easiest way to cut and assemble images with multiple parts. And here is the finished Daisy Duck -

I hope that you enjoyed this quick little tutorial (hey, it’s my first!) and that you can use it to create some wonderful layered images. And I hope that I explained it clearly enough so that those living outside of my own head will understand! lol
Thanks for visiting. Please leave a comment and tell me who your favorite character is from the Disney’s Mickey & Friends cartridge. Or, if Disney’s not your thing, what cartridge do you like that uses layers and which image on that cartridge is either your favorite or one that you have trouble with. I’ll be checking to see what you have to say.

As always, Happy Crafting,