TUTORIAL - Floral Punch Craft - Poinsettia

There was so much interest shown in the card that I made at Jane Gill's workshop (this post) with her amazing poinsettia's that, when I next saw her, I asked her if she'd mind me drawing up a tutorial and posting it on my blog. Jane, being the really kind person that she is, gave me her full permission to do so. Unfortunately I didn't have time before Christmas but I've now done it so ... here it is and in plenty of time for next Christmas! Thank you so much Jane for allowing me to do this.

TUTORIAL (Click on any photo to enlarge)

Tools & Requirements:

~ Christmas tree, stamen and small daisy punches.

~ Chalks

~ Dark red ink pad

~ Red and mid to dark green paper

~ Gold glitter glue

~ Scissors and tools as pictured and described in previous FPC tutorials (or alternatives)

~ PVA glue (use very sparingly at all times!)

Method (for one flower):

Step 1: From the red paper punch 2 small daisy shapes and 16 tree shapes

Step 2: From the green paper punch 3 stamen shapes

Step 3: Dot gold glitter glue on each 'blob' of the stamen shapes and put to one side to dry.

Step 4: To save time double up the tree shapes so that you cut 2 at a time. Cut up the trunk (they need to be thin enough to fit on daisy petal) and cut the branches off as per photograph. These are the shapes for the 'petals' of the poinsettia.

Step 5: Take your dark red ink pad and edge each shape with colour. Don't be to worried about where the ink goes as it's not obvious but does give more depth to the finished 'flower'.

Step 6: Score lines as you would do for a leaf using the DEET tool (or alternative) - up the centre and then from the centre to the edge several times up the length, remembering to keep the scoring tool as flat to the surface as possible. Run over the centre score line again. (The 'flowers' on a poinsettia are the very centre and the red 'petals' are, in fact, not flowers at all but bracts/leaves that have changed colour from green to red)

Step 7: Stick a prepared and trimmed trunk to a daisy petal, lining up the bottom of the trunk to the bottom of the daisy petal - the edge of the centre circle of the daisy shape. Repeat this for all 8 daisy petals. Put to one side for the glue to dry. This is the bottom layer of your poinsettia.

Step 8: With the remaining 8 trimmed and prepared trees and the other daisy shape repeat the last stage but this time bring the bottom of the trunk to the centre of the daisy shape. The trunks will overlap and the centre will become quite thick. Put to one side for the glue to dry. This will be the top layer of your poinsettia and slightly smaller than the bottom.

Step 9: Take each layer in turn and, with green chalk (dark green is best), lightly chalk from the centre to the tip of each 'petal', lifting the pressure as you proceed towards the tip of the 'petal'. The chalk will stick to some of the raised areas but not to all of it.

Step 10: Give some shaping to some of the petals but not all, curling some under and giving others a slight curl upwards or sidewards - any which way shaping!

Step 11: Using a character shaper or very large embossing tool use a circular motion in the centre of the 'flower' layer to lift the 'petals' slightly.

Step 12: In the centre of the bottom layer add a spot of PVA glue and add the top layer, offsetting the 'petals'.

Step 13: Now take the 3 stamen shapes and, checking that the glitter glue has dried first, take your embossing tool and give each shape severe cup character. Starting from the outer edge and using a fast circular motion spiral towards the middle increasing the pressure the nearer the middle you go, finishing by pushing the shape into the embossing/moulding mat.

Step 14: Add a spot of PVA to the centre of the 'flower' and stick one of the stamen shapes. Now add a spot of glue to the centre of that stamen shape and, offsetting the longer arms, add the next one and repeat for the third.

You have now completed your poinsettia.

To make a slightly smaller version of the poinsettia the procedure is exactly the same but the tree is cut smaller. Cut up the trunk but into the tree a little further before curving to cut off the branches then cut 1 to 2mm off of the bottom of the trunk.

The holly was cut from Bazzill using a holly punch. Each shape was edged with dark brown ink and scored up the centre and side veins using the DEET tool with the centre vein being scored a second time after the side veins were done.

The card made at Jane's workshop used one large and 2 smaller poinsettias but this 'flower' would look just as good used singly as an accent on a card or gift tag .....

All the punches can be found at the Glitterpot.

Enjoy!!

No longer ...

... have a leaky boiler! Found a local Heating Engineer on the CheckaTrade site. Phoned him this morning, he called this afternoon and by the time I got back from Dad's afternoon visit it was all better! Bonus is, he's also a general plumber so he's going in our address book - lol! Excellent service, reasonable price and would definitely recommend anyone to use CheckaTrade if they have no idea of who to ring when they need a tradesman of any sort. All customer recommended and vetted by the site before they agree to list them ......

Thanks for dropping by .....

Lovely afternoon ...

... at Holiday on Ice - Mystery. Was taken as a treat and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Came home and found our boiler's sprung a leak - doh!! Reckon it's a phone call to a heating engineer tomorrow - before I go to the dentist! No idea who to contact as our regular one has been seriously ill and have a feeling he's no longer working .... Why is nothing ever easy????

Thanks for dropping by .....

There's been ...

... a bit of a discussion on the imag-e-nation forum about spelling and grammar (yes, we're a strange lot sometimes - LOL!) because somebody had copied and pasted a verse directly onto a card without checking it and then found 3 spelling mistakes, which effectively ruined the card. People were saying that they'd put it through the spellchecker and couldn't find anything wrong but there were definitely 3 spelling mistakes and one grammatical one. I've always maintained that you need to be able to spell to use a spellchecker 'cos a spellchecker won't tell you if you've used the correct 'their' or 'there', 'place' or 'plaice' etc 'cos the words are spelt correctly but mean something completely different. Don't even get me started on apostrophe use and 'you're' and 'your' - LOLOL! Anyway, somebody posted a little poem which illustrates the point superbly so I've 'lifted' it and here it is. The sounds of the words make perfect sense but they're totally the wrong words - hehe!

A Little Poem Regarding Computer Spell Checkers

Eye halve a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
Its rare lea ever wrong.

Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My chequer tolled me sew.

Thanks for dropping by .....

Part way there ...

... but a way to go! Wrong hard-drive has gone back from whence it came and the recovery discs have arrived. Now all I need is the correct hard-drive for the new lappy and I'm up and away again on my own equipment (and on a lappy that doesn't have any keys missing like the one I'm on at the moment - lol!). Correct hard-drive is taking longer to arrive than the wrong one did and that had New Year interrupting it! Oh well, they say patience is a virtue and I was told it's a 7-10 working day turnaround ....

Thanks for dropping by .....

Lovely couple ...

... of days!

I used some of my 'beauty' treatment Christmas present vouchers on Tuesday (used some of the Glitterpot ones on Saturday). I'd booked a hot crystal massage but poor therapist had pulled her back muscles so couldn't do it. Not being too bothered I swapped it for a facial which incorporated a neck and shoulder massage anyway. 'Twere luvverly!! Couldn't take the steaming as it made me feel claustrophobic and, consequently, made me panicky which set my breathing probs off. Still, had to try it ...... and I've booked another facial and the hot crystal massage for my birthday in a couple of weeks. Really looking forward to that now!

Yesterday evening I went to Joanne's for a couple of hours. Felt a bit like an interloper - definitely a gate-crasher - as it was an evening for her Stampers 10 groups, which I'm not a member of ...ooops! I got a late invitation to join them (like the day before) but I didn't need asking twice and, having nothing else arranged for the evening I went along. Bonus here was that one of my friends, Debs from the imag-e-nation forum, was there as well which is why I was asked along in the first place - LOL!! She'd driven a good few miles and was staying overnight in an hotel before making her way off elsewhere this morning. Anyway, we had a lovely couple of hours and made a card and a box. I love spending time with other crafty people as it's amazing how many tips you can pick up and some are so simple - like using a circle punch to make ticket corners!

To top it all off I finally managed to get my SA Tax Return done online and - Mr Taxman will be paying me back lots of overpaid tax!!

Thanks for dropping by .....

Stamping Up

An evening with Joanne! We made a box (which I haven't photographed) and this card. Stamps used were from the Stamping Up, Pick a Petal set. I think the paper used was from the Tea and Crumpet design paper set and the base and backing card from the Earth tones. The ticket corner punch is not available in the UK but ticket corners are still possible without - just use a circle punch (in this instance a ½" - 13mm - circle punch), turn it upside down and position the card so that the corner is in the centre of the circle and takes up ¼ of the circle shape. Voilá ... a ticket corner!

I have to say that there are several stamps that I really like in a lot of the SU stamp sets but .... I usually only like one or 2 of the stamps in each set. I won't buy a set to just get the couple that I like and I wish SU would make it possible to buy the stamps singly and then I'd certainly buy more - lol!! The other thing I would like to see is an option to purchase them unmounted, which wouldn't be difficult to do, bearing in mind that you have to mount them yourself anyway. I've already made the non-diecut ones of the few sets I have bought unmounted so, I've now got wooden blocks which are surplus to requirements ...... hmmmmmmmmm, guess I could try making them into blending tools alá Tim Holtz but without handles - lol!

Enjoy!!

Floral Punch Craft - Big Flower!

... and another Jane Gill class at the Glitterpot. This time making BIG flowers and she wasn't kidding! Jane showed us some examples of flowers she'd made using a giant triangle punch, a giant daisy punch and a giant sakura punch. We had the choice of which to make but all 8 of us in the class chose to make a flower using the giant sakura punch but each putting our own stamp on it by invading the shop to choose our own card and backing paper to make the flower and complete card. I chose coffee and cream colourways. I'm not totally happy with the way my flower came out but know where I can make improvements. Great class, as ever, with Jane and looking forward to the next one.

The flower was made from Bazzill card with the edges of the punched and cut shapes inked to give definition and then scored to give shape. The flower centre was made from a 1" daisy punch and a 1" circle. The black dots in the flower middle is 'Fluffy Stuff' and mine didn't turn out very well :0(. The dots were similar in size before they were heated but when they 'popped' they lost it! Think I'd use something different if I made it again. The flower ended up being a massive 5" in diameter - LOL!!

I mounted the completed flower onto an A5 card using co-ordinating backing paper and a strip of Bazzill that the flower was made from. Co-ordinating Bazzill was used to stamp the greeting on which was then cut out, edges inked and attached with foam pads. The box was also made with co-ordinating Bazzill, a window cut in the lid and acetate added. The lid was then decorated with various sized, small sakura shapes.









Enjoy!!

Winter Wonderland ...

... and a day where Mother Nature just takes your breath away! I was booked for a day of classes yesterday, at the Glitterpot with Jane, making BIG flowers! My journey to the Glitterpot involves a drive through the countryside and it was ... WOW ... at nearly every turn!! Jack Frost had been out with his paintbrush and left a very heavy covering so I left home early in case of problems. Was tempted to stop at Ditchling Beacon to survey the view (especially as I had my camera with me) but decided not to as there was still a way to go and potential for probs with traffic. How I wished I had! Driving down the Beacon road and glancing across, the scenery was stunning! I've not seen views like that from this road ... ever - and I spent 5 years driving it every day to get to work. The views, when clear, are always spectacular but I'd never seen the like of these before. I had to stop and take some photos but, by then, had to wait until I'd got to the bottom of the hill. Even then it was amazing to see. You can imagine what they were like from the top - and this wasn't even snow!

The class with Jane was a full day one, making big flowers in the morning and a card, using the flowers, in the afternoon (with a box). She wasn't kidding when she said big flowers either - lol! As it turned out we only had time to make one and it ended up 5 inches in diameter. This was what I had achieved at the end of the morning session (colour isn't true though) .....

..... and here's the view from the workroom window at 1:50pm - still as white as it had been on the drive up in the morning!

By the end of the class I was really pleased with the result and I think I'm finally beginning to look at punches in a different light. Takes some of us a bit longer than others (hehe!) but have to say - I'm not gonna be holding my breath, LOL!! Here's a hint of what I made - with thanks to Jane's designer prowess 'cos I don't think I'd have come up with a design anywhere like this. If you want to see the full 'reveal' you'll need to pop back sometime soon ...

I decided to stop at Ditchling Beacon on the way home, just to see if there was any chance of the views I saw in the morning. By then it was getting dark and nothing was clear but the moon was starting to shine through the clouds and gave a really ethereal effect so out came camera and I took a chance and here's what I took to round the day off.

Had to use the 'twilight' setting on my camera because it wouldn't play ball without so, there is a purple tinge to them when it should be more blue but hey - think they're not too bad anyway ......

(Click on any photo to enlarge)

Thanks for dropping by .....

It's been sooooo ...

... cold just recently. Can't remember when we last had such a cold winter and it started so early. There's been a plus to it though. Beautiful sunny days and stunning sunsets. So many times I left Dad's wishing I had my camera with me so that I could divert on my way home and take some photos. I finally remembered to take camera and, although not the best of the sunsets by any means, I did get some photos from the top of Ovingdean near St Dunstans. My camera is just an idiot-proof, point and shoot digital so they're not the best piccies but they will do as a reminder .....

Thanks for dropping by .....

Not posting much...

... 'cos I've still not got new laptop sorted out. Received the new hard drive very quickly. One problem - it was for a desktop and not a lappy! Contacted the very nice people in India again and I'm now waiting for the right hard drive to arrive. Even if I get the new hard drive I haven't yet received the recovery discs to reload all the software it came with so still can't do much until they arrive - :o( In the meantime my dear techie has my laptop and is trying to rescue as much info from the deceased hard drive as he can. Just as well I haven't had it long but wish I'd done my normal backups as there are photos on it that I can't replace if I've lost them ..... doh!

I need to do a bit of Mummy boasting ... Youngest son went back to work, following the Christmas break, to a new job. He's still with the same company but he was more-or-less head-hunted by a different department before Christmas. He applied for the open position and got it and .... it's very rare but, it's 2 positions higher (they don't usually promote more than 1 above) and it's taken him into the higher rate taxpayer bracket. On top of that he went back to an appraisal and has been given the highest grade possible of which only 2 o/o (no percent sign on eldest's lappy - missing key - lol!) of employees in the company ever get. Means that there's yet another big payrise on the horizon for him. He's worked really hard to obtain his qualifications. He didn't go to uni, preferring to join the workforce when he finished his 'A' levels. He saw himself through the first 2 levels of his professional exams by correspondence course and while all this was going on he became a property owner, got married and had a family. He's been so dedicated and determined and it's good to see it all now coming together for him - and finally with a company that actually appreciates what he does. I'm a very proud Mum - of both my boys (not that they'd thank me for calling them boys - lol!)

Quiet week with Dad this week although he got himself a bit confused when he realised that Mum's birthday is on the horizon. He says he doesn't know what to do for it - bless! Mum would hate anything in the paper and it's too cold to take flowers to put where we scattered the ashes. I've suggested to Dad that I try to find a nice photo so he can put flowers by it. There's a problem with that. Mum hated having her photo taken so, in all of the most recent ones, it looks as though she was scowling (which she probably was - lol!) and the only ones that are anywhere near what I would call 'nice' are some years old. I'm thinking perhaps one of their wedding photo's blown up a bit .....

Thanks for dropping by .....

The things you ...

... learn!!

Before Mum died I had started tracing my family tree (getting side-tracked along the way - lol!!) and had been progressing quite well - really well actually - and had invested in paid memberships to Ancestry and Genes Reunited. Then she died and I lost interest in continuing so, since April, I haven't done any more and effectively I've wasted 9 months of an annual membership (it runs out next week) and a good half of another. Anyway, I've recently had contact from somebody in the US, via Genes Reunited, who turns out to be a distant relative on Mum's side. Have to say it's jolted me into action again - well, a little bit at least and, while not feeling well, it's given me something to concentrate on and something to do when I've felt like it.

Way back in the blog are photo's of Pip, Squeak and Wilfred which were earnt by my paternal Grandad and I can now add a little more to his story 'cos I've found his WWI records! I knew he'd been a member of the Territorial Force (TA as it is nowadays) and had served his war years with them both in France and in Egypt but I've now found out that he enlisted in the TF some years before WWI. In fact, he was amongst the first to join the TF. The Territorial Force was formed on 1st April 1908 (it celebrated it's centenary last year - 2008) and he signed up on 15th June 1908 aged 17 years and 9months ................... except he wasn't! I know lads lied about their age to join up when they wanted to go away to war but I didn't realise that they lied to sign up anyway - doh!! Grandad was born 24th September 1892 which made him 15 years and 9 months old when he enlisted! They obviously, in those days, didn't need to supply proof of age by way of a birth certificate and their word was good enough. What sort of proof do they have to supply today I wonder. Can't see today's Army just taking your word for it....

Amongst his service records (all 40 odd pages of them) are the receipts he signed for all his medals, including the TFE (Territorial Force Efficiency medal) which I've not found. Seems odd that the other 3 have been found but not that one. I know I can get a copy but it won't have the pattina of the others so not sure whether to replace it or not. Will have to think on that one.

Thanks for dropping by .....

Crafty stuff ...

... of sorts! Need to get back to doing something. Still feeling really rough and struggling for breath when I do anything but fed up of not doing anything! Even Dad seems to be handling this bug better than me. Doesn't say much for my health when a nearly 87 year old is coping better than a nearly 58 year old - doh!!

I've just finished reading a book which I was determined to read but really found myself struggling to do so. It was bought under recommendation as 'everybody was raving about it' including customers in the shop it was bought from. It's not the thickest book on the planet but reckon, size for size, it's taken me the longest to read. Definitely not one that you can't put down - lol!! Dad started to read it first but he tends to flick through for a brief précise before he starts to read. I got ambushed with - 'it's got God in it!!' So?, says I. It's still a story. You wouldn't not read a book that's got the Devil in it would you? No, says Dad. Well, give it a go, says I. The next day he throws the book at me and that was that! I took it home and started it. That was what seems like an eternity ago and I managed to finish it yesterday. It started off OK and the basis of the story was laid well and was interesting. It finished well but the middle to end chapters were interminably boring. I certainly didn't miss the point of the story and what it was trying to put over but it was a pity it couldn't have been done in a more interesting way and then it might have swayed this unbeliever (although that would take a miracle - lol!!) It will definitely not be put on to my recommended reading list. Oh yes, the name of the book? It's 'The Shack' by Wm Paul Young.

Anyway, I've digressed! A few days ago one of the imag-e-nationers was after instructions for a box they'd seen somewhere that was made to hold cards. She said she'd seen a link, at some time earlier in 2008, to a YouTube video. Anyway, off I went in search to see if I could help. Don't know if I found the right one for this imag-e-nationer because there's been no feedback but, find one I did. I was so impressed with it I've embedded it, with a link to the blog where it originated. I then realised that it would only hold small cards and as peeps in the UK are tending to make cards nearly twice the size that this box will hold I've just calculated measurements for a box that will hold an A5 (find them here). Thinking about it further (and I'm thinking 'out loud' now) there is potential to make this box in any size for specific sized cards, just by adjusting the measurements to fit.

Don't you think it would make a great gift whether filled with greeting cards or notelets or ....... ?

Thanks for dropping by .....

Greeting Card Organiser - Update

..... and a Happy New Year!!
I've now managed to work out the measurements for a box large enough to accommodate A5 cards as mentioned here ...

I've calculated 2 sets of measurements. One using A3 card and one using 12x12 so there is a choice depending on what cardstock you have available. The method will change slightly if 12x12 is used but not significantly. It just means that the 2 pieces of card are joined in a different place. If A3 card is used the method is exactly as per the video.

Using A3 Cardstock for the Box
One piece cut to 13½" x 10". With the 13½" side going across the top, score it at 2½", 5", and 12" (from either the left or right hand edge but measure from the selected edge each time).
One piece cut to 9½" x 10". With the 9½" side going across the top, score it at 2½".
Two pieces cut to 6" x 6¾". With the 6" side going across the top, score it every ½"

Using 12x12 Cardstock for the Box
One piece cut to 12" x 10". With the 12" side going across the top, score it at 2½" and 5".
One piece cut to 11" x 10". With the 11" side going across the top, score it at 1½" and 4". ***
Two pieces cut to 6" x 6¾". With the 6" side going across the top, score it every ½"

*** This is where the method of joining the pieces together will change as the tab made by the 1½" scoreline will be stuck to the largest area of the 12x10 piece of card and not the section as detailed in the video instructions.

All other cardstock, papers and ribbons used for decorating need to be adjusted accordingly to fit with these measurements but, they can be calculated once the box has been made.

Footnote: Why stop here. Make a box for any specific size card by just adjusting the measurements. Would make a lovely gift filled with square notelets, for example. If anyone would like a box for a different sized card and has trouble revising the measurements just leave a comment with a request and I'll see what I can do.

Enjoy!!

2009 ...

... and first post of the New Year.

Definitely seems to be carrying on in similar vein to the last one - lol!! Still feeling rubbish with this bug - coughing and wheezing, light-headedness, headache which seems to be a permanent fixture and general feeling of lethargy. If it's no better by beginning of next week think a chat with doc will be in order in case a course of antibiotics is called for, although reckon they probably won't help .... Worse thing is, Dad has now got it. He says he feels OK but he's very croaky and is coughing quite badly.

Anyway, onwards and upwards and hope that it's not too long before we turn the corner ...

Thanks for dropping by .....

Starting well ...

... (or should that be ending) NOT!!

What have I been doing today? I've been talking to a very nice (and patient!) man in India 'cos brand new lappy threw a wobbly and died! We've been trying to revive it but it's dead - or at least the hard drive is. I've now got to wait for a new hard drive to arrive and then hope that my techie can get my files off of the old one for me before I send it back. I'm usually so careful about backing my files up on a weekly basis but there has been so much going on just lately that I've not backed one file up since I've had the new lappy and I've got lots of photo's on it that I will have lost if I can't get them retrieved. Other stuff, although annoying, is not so important.

Seems that the hard drive was faulty and, if I had realised, I was actually given a clue all was not well last week and that it may be on it's way out. My Favorites folder moved itself to a different location. I tried moving it back but it just kept duplicating itself where it had moved to and then, when I tried to do a System Restore it told me it hadn't been completed but it had. Apparently all clues that there's a potential problem with hard drive and I'd have done a backup then if I'd known!

Anyway, using eldest son's lappy at mo so, will take this opportunity to wish everybody a very happy 2009 and hope that it's gonna be better than 2008. Don't think it could be much worse for me but there were some good points - the arrival of little Zac being the highlight.

Thanks for dropping by .....

Cuttlebug Q & A's

I don't profess to be an expert on Cuttlebug usage by any means but, I've picked up lots of information and tips along the way in trying to help other people or just in my general playing with the machine. I decided to try and put together a Q&A post using questions I've seen asked by new users. This is intended to be an expanding Q&A so, if anyone has a question they'd like answered and it's not covered here please ask by leaving a comment and, if I don't know the answer I'll certainly do my best to find out.....

Q: When you cut a die is it supposed to leave an impression on the B plate or am I doing something wrong?
A: No, you're not doing anything wrong. All dies cut with a metal blade of some sort and a metal blade hitting plastic will always leave a mark. I would recommend that you keep one B plate as your 'cutting' plate and keep the other 'clean'. You will then have a clean plate that will not leave marks on cardstock if you want to use other dies/stencils. Personally I have 2 sets of B plates and I keep one set for cutting and the other set for everything else.

Q: Can I use other makes of dies in my Cuttlebug?
A: Yes, as long as they fit through the space available. Adjust the 'stack' or 'sandwich' so the die and media go through the machine comfortably - not forced or too slack.

Q: Can I emboss with brass stencils in my Cuttlebug?
A: Yes. Ensure that you use the 'clean' B plate (as previously mentioned) on the 'right' side of your embossing, otherwise you will get embossed cut marks on the surface.

Q: Do I need anything extra to be able to emboss with brass stencils?
A: You need to use something like compressed foam or a rubber mat as part of the stack. The Spellbinder's Wizard tan mat is ideal, as is the tan mat sold by Oyster Stamps. Some people use a mouse mat or funky foam but I've not had much success with them although they are useful as a temporary measure. Kars have also produced a foam mat for use with the cuttlebug and, although I've not had problems using it, it is very tight to get through the Cuttlebug and some people have been known to break their machine using it.

Q: I've been trying to emboss with brass stencils but it's not happening. What should I do?
A: If you've followed the recommended stack it's likely that you need to add a shim to thicken the sandwich slightly. All machines are different and, although most won't need to have a shim added, unless it's specifically mentioned in the stack, sometimes a little assistance is called for.

Q: My non-Cuttlebug dies won't cut or don't cut well. What am I doing wrong?
A: Probably nothing. If you've followed the recommended stack it's likely that you need to add a shim to thicken the sandwich slightly. All machines are different and, although most won't need to have a shim added unless it's specifically mentioned in the stack, sometimes a little assistance is called for.

Q: What's a shim?
A: A shim is an piece of cardstock cut to size and added to the stack. I use the cardstock/chipboard from the back of paper pads as it's sturdy.

Q: You keep mentioning 'stack' or 'sandwich'. What are they?
A: They're the order that you need to use the plates, cardstock (media), dies/stencils, mat and shims in to make whatever you are trying to do, work. I started by using the stack list found here but I've adjusted it to suit my own machine. I downloaded it to my PC then printed it off and, as I found where I needed to add shims or not use them so I amended the list. I would recommend that everyone does the same and then keep it with their 'bug' plates.

Q: My B plates bow when I put them through the Cuttlebug. Is this normal?

A: Yes, it's perfectly normal. I turn mine over after each use to keep them flat however some people do not advocate doing so as they say the plates are more likely to break. Provocraft themselves recommend that they're turned (or rotated**) so I'll continue to do so. It's always wise to have a spare set of plates to hand so if the plates do break (and it is more likely to be down to general usage than turning them) you have replacements ready.
** Provocraft blog - Cuttlebug Conversion dated 24th June 2008.

Q: Is there a recommended way of putting cutting dies through the machine

A: Always have the cutting side facing upwards. This is the foam side on most dies but the 'bumpy' side of Spellbinder's dies.

Q: Do you leave the foam on cuttlebug dies?

A: Yes, as it is the foam that enables easy release of the media from the die, after it has been cut. With some manufacturers you have to attach the foam after you have purchased the die.


Update 27th Sept 2009: The blog appears to be no longer available on the Provocraft site but there is now a comprehensive FAQ page in the Cuttlebug section of the site.

Enjoy!!

Oh well ...

... Christmas is over and the cards are starting to fall onto the floor as people walk past or open/close doors. Guess they reckon that they've been up long enough - lol!! Well, they have been up since Christmas Eve so think they've done well to survive this long without falling down - hehe!! Those that have fallen now can stay down as I need to go climbing to put them back. Reckon the pile of cards we had before Christmas will start to be built again ....

Not feeling too good right now. Started to feel ill last night and went to bed before 10pm (very unusual for me). Not feeling quite so bad today but my 'normal' cough is not normal at the moment and is giving me headaches and my chest sings every so often. Still, must be thankful that it's happened now and not over Christmas I guess.

Thanks for dropping by .....

Greeting Card Organiser

I found this video tutorial while I was searching for a card organiser tut for a fellow imag-e-nationer and thought it too good to miss. Fill with cards and what a lovely gift! For better quality click on the vid to go to YouTube where you'll be able to choose to 'watch in high quality'.

... and here's a link to the actual blog that has all the materials and sizings on - Dannies Designs

Update: Having thought about this one overnight I've realised that the box made here measures 7x5 inches so will accommodate 6x4 inch (A6) cards (allowing for the loss of space caused by the concertina'd sides) really well but, if you wish to 'organise' larger cards then the box will need to be somewhat bigger. I would suggest that A3 card would be needed to make a box large enough to take A5 cards. When I get 5 minutes I will put together some measurements to make a box for A5 cards but the procedure will be the same.

Update 2: Measurements for a box large enough to accommodate A5 cards, using either A3 or 12x12 cardstock, can be found here

Enjoy!!

Not another ...

...one!! Just added a slideshow to this post - LOL!

Thanks for dropping by .....