You are going to love these Candy Bar Bouquets that are now available in my Silhouette shop! There are lots of different designs so make sure and check them all out! Here’s the video on how to put them together!
Psst: Want to see all my tutorials? Make sure and subscribe to my youtube channel to see my weekly diecut videos!
Candy Bar Bouquet for Silhouette (Video Tutorial) Read More »
A new tutorial is up for the 4.25 in. x 5.5 in. cards I have up on my Silhouette shop!Visit her shop at: https://www.silhouettedesignstore.com/artists/252689.
Make sure to subscribe!
Check out these files that relate to this tutorial:
https://www.silhouettedesignstore.com/view-shape/194314
https://www.silhouettedesignstore.com/view-shape/194311
https://www.silhouettedesignstore.com/view-shape/194308
https://www.silhouettedesignstore.com/view-shape/194305
https://www.silhouettedesignstore.com/view-shape/194302
https://www.silhouettedesignstore.com/view-shape/194299
Hugs!
Carina
4.25 in. x 5.5 in. Card Tutorial for the Silhouette Cameo Read More »
DOWNLOAD THE 18 INCH WITCH DOLL PANEL
I also decided to make a video of this one because I wanted to walk you through how I make this panel. I hope you enjoy! Make sure and subscribe to my youtube channel for more great sewing projects!
Happy sewing!
Carina
Eek Boo Shriek’s 18 inch Doll Panel Instructions for Riley Blake Designs Read More »
I’m so excited to show you these amazing Embroidery Folded Cards I’m releasing with MiniLou this week! Links will be added to this post once the cards are up on Silhouette (You can find the Carina Gardner Store here and the MiniLou store here).
I have a great video showing you how I straight stitch, knot my thread, end the floss, and make a french knot! Check it out below!
I hope you have a chance to check out all of these designs! There are so many cool ways to work with these designs and they are AMAZING for kid projects!
Happy Crafting!
Carina
Embroidery Folded Card for Silhouette Read More »
I’m loving anything that folds down flat (so I can actually keep it!) these days. These foldable boxes are easy to put together. You can find them in my Silhouette SHop here: https://www.silhouettedesignstore.com/artists/252689
Instructions:
1. Cut out all pieces in your file.
2. If you have layered accent pieces, glue these together first ( for example, a bunny overlay on a white background).
3. Then fold up all the edges of the box. Glue together the inside flap to create the main body of the box.
4. Glue on the accent pieces.
5. Fold the box top and bottom up and slide into place. You do NOT have to glue the top and bottom on.
Happy Crafting!
Carina
Flat Folding 3D Boxes Tutorial Read More »
This week my Silhouette release continues with 2.25 in. x 3.25 in. cards. I’m really loving this size! This week the cards are “layered.” I cover a lot of different themes—wedding, baby, spring to name a few. These Layered Cards are the same size as my Accordion Shadow Box Cards that were released last week. Because of this, I also have envelopes that match up to these cards.
I also have two videos below that will help you make these cards and envelopes. Please subscribe to the youtube channel if you are interested in these tutorials. Many times I am putting up these videos the week before the products are released so you can see what is coming out (your very own sneak peek!)
If you get one of each (layered card or accordion card + an envelope), you will find that it’s a very nice tight fit. Don’t use pop dots because the card will not fit. I may have an envelope come out that allows for a thicker card (tell me on instagram @carinagardnerpapercrafts if you want something like that!).
Happy Crafting!
Carina
2.25 in. x 3.25 in. Layered Cards and Envelopes on Silhouette Read More »
This week I am releasing these cool Accordion Shadow Box Cards! They fold flat and are so sweet. Cards are sized to 2.25 in. x 3.25 in. and can be cut on a portrait or cameo. There are 4 folds with layers of goodness! See how I put it together in the video below OR check out my quick instructions below. These are in my Silhouette Shop: https://www.silhouettedesignstore.com/artists/252689
***EDIT: Some of the Design IDS for this line is Design ID #187756, Design ID #187753, Design ID #187750, Design ID #187747, Design ID #187744, Design ID #187741, Design ID #187735, Design ID #187729, Design ID #187726, and Design ID #187717.
Happy Crafting!
Carina
PS Make sure and subscribe to my youtube channel because this it the first of many videos that I am doing in this new format! I’m hopeful that you will be able to see clearly what I am doing!
Instructions
3. Glue all the extra pieces into place using the preview photo as your guide. For items like flowers or butterflies, finger press to give dimension. Be sure to use the folded accordion card to decided where pieces should go so you do not mistakenly add pieces to the wrong side of the card.
Accordion Shadow Box Card Tutorial for Silhouette Read More »
I think I managed to forget to do a post on Block of the Month for February so I’m doing double duty today!
I’m a bit late, but March block of the month is finally up! We had some technically difficulties over the last few days with the website so I’m so happy everything seems to be resolved with our hosting company.
March’s video is a bit long but hopefully helps all of you beginners put together this video. If you can’t tell, I had fun making it (wink, wink). The downloads are all available in the shop for free (as per usual). I use Posy Garden fabric (with minky on the back for Felicity), but you can make it in any fabric you want. Felicity and I also tested a portion of the inside of this quilt with Primrose Garden (I’ll make sure to post a pic soon on Facebook).
Hope you have fun making it!!!!
XOXO- Carina
February 2017 BLOCK VIDEO
Grab the FEBRUARY DOWNLOAD here.
March 2017 BLOCK VIDEO
Grab the MARCH DOWNLOAD here.
February & March Posy Garden Block of the Month Read More »
This week I’m leaving for long anticipated trip. It’s been a tough week with a lot of sickness and big news so the timing of this trip couldn’t be better. If you want to see what I am doing, I’ll be posting to all three of my feeds depending on where I am: @carinagardner @carinagardnerpapercrafts @miniloukids.
I always make myself a travel book for a trip like this ( think my Hong Kong trip for MiniLou) and this time wasn’t any different. This time, I wanted everything to be tabbed and easy to get to, so I used my Silhouette machine to cut out this book. I did however, get this SPIRAL BOUND instead of using the holes I made for my cutting files. Why? Because I like pre-made holes for regular album making. But for a trip, I think you need a sturdy spiral bound so you can really use the book. Printables are available on Silhouette OR you can also wait until I release them the first week in March for Digital Scrapbooking.
I call this the “Best Little Album” because I’ve gone out of my way to make it SO simple that it would work for your trip to Florida as well as a trip to Europe. You can pick and choose from the 12 printables that correlate with the 6 tab system (so you cut out 12 tabs in all). You can also pick from printable or cut-able covers I’ve provided as well as pockets and accessories. The point is that every piece should work seamlessly so you can mix and match to your hearts content. I know I did.
For the tabs, the printable is in a separate “tab” file so you can cut tabs out on mutli-colored paper. I’m sure I’ll do that in future travel books but for this one, I decided to go all kraft paper.
I also “laminated” the tabs with moving tape. Sturdiness is important! There’s nothing worse than having a tab break off midway through a trip or even later when your kids are handling them to look at it photos.
My travel albums are always dual purpose. They contain everything we are going to do, addresses, directions, places to eat, flight information, as well as a journal and a place for photos. That way I don’t have to come home from a trip and “scrapbook it.” It’s done. I staple in tickets to events, museums, and instax photos. I’ll come home and print a few and glue them into the remaining pages. Done and done.
Maybe you can guess where I’m going from the activities I wrote here (wink, wink).
Search “BEST LITTLE ALBUM” under my Silhouette Artist name to find the entire collection of these! I promise you’ll use this one again and again!
XOXO, Carina
Carina Gardner’s Best Little Album for Silhouette and SnapClickSuppy.com Read More »
This week is the last one I’ll be releasing Valentine’s so I’m going out with a bang! I also decided to double dip. These pencil cards are not only my final Valentine’s release but are also Felicity’s class gifts. She’s going to write on each of them, and I’m sure we’ll add a few quotes like “I’m write for you.”
You can find them in my Silhouette shop here.
TIP 1: When you are putting these together, I recommend putting your pencil through the slits FIRST and then gluing your pieces into place (see photo below).
There are several designs were two or more papers have slits that match up. Use the slits as your guides. Place the pencil through the slits first and then pull open the edges of the top paper to glue it into place.
TIP 2: I LOVE pop dots with these designs! And glitter. And stamping ink on the edges. I kept them all simple on purpose. So you can jazz them up or use them as a kid activity.
TIP 3: Add a printable. Simply use whatever word processing software you use and write up a cute phrase in a cute font. Print, cut and attach to these Valentine’s cards!
And in case you missed it (haha), I’ve been releasing Valentine’s for the last month. In fact, we have been releasing Valentine’s for both CGInc. and MiniLou for the past several weeks. You can check both shops here:
Carina Gardner Silhouette Shop
Happy crafting!
Carina
Kids Pencil Valentine Cards Read More »
I’m so excited to introduce the 2017 Block of the Month Quilt! I’ve posted the introduction to this year’s block of the month below along with the January video! As always, you will be able to access everything on my 2017 BLOCK OF THE MONTH PAGE. That page is updated monthly with all the videos and download links you need! Check out the quilt we will be making!
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS
This is a scrappy quilt and you can make it from scraps OR purchase a fat quarter pack to cut your blocks. You can start with me in January or anywhere along the way. I am using my line Posy Garden for Riley Blake in this quilt. Download all the cutting and fabric requirements here:
https://carinagardner.com/store/?model_number=2017bomjanuary
INSTAGRAM
Want to become part of my instagram (@carinagardner) community? Sew with me every month and hashtag #carinagardner the photo of your monthly block so I can see what you are making!
January 2017 BLOCK VIDEO
Grab the JANUARY DOWNLOAD here.
Carina Gardner’s 2017 Block of the Month Read More »
Hope you get a chance to download all of these!
Happy Sewing!
XOXO- Carina
Six Carina Gardner Free Fabric Projects You Might Have Missed Read More »
I’m so excited to announce that this year I’m introducing a Tutorial Tuesday! Every Tuesday you will see a new 5-10 minute tutorial on one of my favorite programs (illustrator, indesign, photoshop, silhouette software), a sewing technique or some other crafty goodness.
Each tutorial will go up on Tuesdays for the introductory price of 99 cents! Isn’t that a steal of a deal? Wednesday they will go to their normal price of $2.99. So get it while it’s hot!
I’m excited for the very first tutorial, which is an Illustrator Tutorial (you know me, I can’t help teaching a little Illustrator!). I show you how to make a scalloped tag and I highlight the following things:
• The Ellipse Tool
• The Pattern Brush Tool
• Using the Fill and Stroke
• Changing colors
• Expanding Objects
• Trimming and Uniting Objects
• Arranging Objects (Front, Back, ect)
• Ungroup Objects
What you will need for this lesson:
• Illustrator CS3, CS4, CS5, CS6, or Cloud (A free month trial is available at Adobe)
• Internet access (video is streaming)
Every week will be a little different so make sure and check them all out as I release them! If you have never taken Illustrator before (or any of the other programs), it’s ALL GOOD! The tutorials are meant for every level to give you tips and tricks, get you comfortable with the software or technique, and help you in your own business, blog, or personal design endeavors.
This week only, the first tutorial will be 99 cents ALL WEEK. That’s right! Up until next week’s tutorial.
Happy learning!
Carina
2017 Tutorial Tuesdays for 99 cents! Read More »
I’m SO excited about the new village I designed this year for Christmas! It’s called Santa’s Glitter Village and you can download all of it from my Silhouette shop! You can add it to any pieces you have from my original Christmas Village or build these separately! There is even a cool download showing you how I made the snowy centerpiece the either village is made on. You can use that for this village too!
This year it is all about GLITTER! I have a great tutorial for you on how you can put together below. I do NOT have individual tutorials on these houses because many of them are made THE SAME. The tutorial I have below is for the Sugar Plum Fairy’s House and most of the buildings are built in this way. There are also extra instructions below for pieces I thought you might like a little extra help with. So scroll on down to see if there is something there that will help you!
This year, the Santa Glitter Village includes: Santa’s Cottage, Candy Cane Place, a Chapel, Elf Dwelling, Reindeer Stables, Santa’s Tower, Snow Bird House, Sugar Plum Fairy’s House, Tiny Mistletoe House, and the Winter House. Many of these come with openings at the bottom for an electric tea light (or two). The smaller houses do not because a tea light would not fit:).
You can find ALL my tutorials on my main Silhouette landing page here: https://carinagardner.com/silhouette/. I noticed that when I went back to look at previous projects in the Silhouette store, that some of the links are broken. That landing page is your end all for ALL of my tutorials. You can also watch many tutorials I have filmed on my YOUTUBE channel.
I hope you have a wonderful time building Santa’s Glitter Village! Every piece is unique and sweet! I think I’m placing mine on my piano this year.
Happy crafting!
XOXO-Carina
Supplies
-Glitter (we used fine glitter, but you could use more course glitter)
-Mod Podge (we used gloss, but you could use any kind)
-foam brush
-1 piece of copy paper
-SVG card cutouts
Instructions
Note: These instructions work for all of the houses in Santa’s Glitter Village. At the end of the tutorial there are instructions on how to put a few of the more intricate pieces together.
1. Cut out all SVGs provided in the file.
2. Before putting the house together, decide which pieces you want to glitter. I did mine on the green scallop pieces of roof, peppermint swirls, and snow.
3. Once you have all of the glitter pieces and supplies, take a piece of copy paper and fold it in half (this makes it easier to put the extra glitter back in the jar later). This paper will be your working surface to catch the extra glitter and Mod Podge.
4. Next, take your foam brush and dip it in Mod Podge. Cover any area you want glittered with a thin layer of Mod Podge. Put the copy paper underneath to contain any Mod Podge and glitter that goes over the edge.
5. After the whole piece is covered in Mod Podge, take the glitter and sprinkle it over the area the Mod Podge covers. Be very generous with the glitter so it covers everything. Remember, you will be able to put the extra back in the container so make sure everything is covered well.
6. To make sure the glitter to stays in place better, use your finger to tap the glitter lightly. This make sure more glitter adheres to the Mod Podge.
7. Wait for the Mod Podge to dry a few minutes, and tap off the excess glitter.
Tip: If you are worried about the glitter transferring too much, you can put another layer of Mod Podge on top. If you use gloss Mod Podge, the glitter wont lose it’s sparkle.
8. Once you’re done with the glitter, fold the copy paper with the glitter on the inside and pour the excess back into the container.
9. You’re done with the glitter, now onto how to put together the rest of the house!
10. To put the house together, first, take the facades and glue all of the embellishments to them.
11. Next, glue the facades to the side and front pieces.
12. Then, glue the tabs of the back and side pieces to the tabs of the bottom. It should form a “T” shape.
13. To make the house 3D, hot glue the tab on the side of the front piece to the side piece. Do this for all of the tabs until you have a house shape.
14. After the house is done, gather your roof pieces. Hot glue the scallop pieces to the roof piece. Make sure you overlap each scallop piece and switch off between colors as you glue. It’s best to estimate your spacing before your start glueing so the scallop pieces cover the roof evenly.
14. Next, add the long scallop piece to the side of the roof by glueing it on the underside of the roof.
15. Then add the roof by glueing one side, making sure it’s centered and the top creased is lined up.
16. The last thing to add is the chimney! Take the chimney piece and fold it into a box shape. Then, glue the tabs on the angled side to the roof.
Now you have the most adorable Fairy House for your Glitter Christmas Village!
Here’s a few more instructions on some of the parts that are specific to each piece.
Chimney on Santa’s Cottage:
Front Door piece on Chapel:
Reindeer Stables:
Santa’s Glitter Village SVG Tutorial for Silhouette Read More »
I used designs both from this year’s tiny Halloween village set, and from last year’s Halloween haunted village set. It was fun to mix and match the two sets.
[photo: Halloween Village – Finding Time To Create]
I wanted these to catch your attention in the dark, so I made a couple of the houses with materials that would really pop when it’s dark.
I used vellum as my base for the spider house, which has an opening in the bottom for a battery-operated tea light. That spider on the door looks pretty creepy, don’t you think?
[photo: Spider house night – Finding Time To Create]
On the tiny village haunted house, I backed the windows with glow-in-the-dark sticker paper. It really makes those windows pop! (This house was my kids’ favorite.)
[photo: Glow in the dark sticker paper and glitter heat transfer accents – Finding Time To Create]
[photo: Tiny village haunted house – night – Finding Time To Create]
Glitter makes every paper craft better, so I also used glitter paper for some of the rooftops, and glitter heat transfer for the spider web and some window frames.
[photo: Spider house day – Finding Time To Create]
You may also notice I cut all the ghosts from vellum, and added a few cats from the cat house throughout the set.
This was such a fun project to make! Thanks for letting me share it with you!
More pictures:
Halloween haunted village – Spooky cemetery and Tiny Halloween village – Haunted tree
[photo: Cemetery – Finding Time To Create]
[photo: Bitty bat house – Finding Time To Create]
Halloween haunted village – Cat house
[photo: Cat house – Finding Time To Create]
Halloween haunted village – Ghost mansion
[photo: Haunted mansion – Finding Time To Create]
Tiny Halloween village – Lil graveyard
A huge thank you to Kelly for being on my blog and showing us how she put together her Halloween village! It turned out beautiful!
XOXO-Carina
Guest Post from Kelly of Finding Time to Create: Her Adorable Halloween Village Read More »
These adorable box card were released in my Silhouette shop this week! They are so fun to give and receive. You can write an note on them or give them with a present. They fold flat and fit in an A2 envelope so you can mail them easily. They’re pretty simple to put together, and so fun to give! Below is the tutorial for how to put them together.
There are several designs hitting the store for these so be sure to always search MiniLou and box cards!
Instructions for putting together Foldable Box Cards
1. Cut out all SVGs provided in the file. Glue on all the accessories to the box as indicated in the photo.
2. Then, to make the core body of the box, fold the box together, and glue the tab on the inside and fold the flaps down.
3. Next, Take the inserts and fold them into a “Z” shape. Fold one tab backwards and one tab forward.
4. To attach the inserts, use a glue stick for the tabs and place it in the box without sticking the tabs to the sides. When you are gluing the tabs, make sure to keep it in the “Z” shape, so each tab has glue on the opposite sides of each other.
5. When you have the insert where you want it, fold the box flat so the tabs attach. Make sure the top and bottom line up as you do this.
6. Next, glue the second tab on the same way.
7. Add any embellishments, and you’ve got an adorable card to put in the mail!
Happy Crafting!
Carina
Box Card SVG Tutorial for Silhouette Read More »
This week I released these fun BOO marquee letters on Silhouette! They take some time to put together, but are so worth it! They are similar to my original marquee letters, but have more decorative element to make them fun for Halloween. Click here if you want a tutorial on how to put the letter part together. You can see how to put together the festive Halloween pieces below. Happy crafting!
1.Cut out all SVGS. We did the letters in black, and the other pieces in fun Halloween scrapbook paper.
2. For instructions on putting the letter together, click here.
3. Once your black letter piece is put together, pop dot the back of the flat letter piece and place it in the letter.
4. After the flat letter piece is placed in the letter. Add the skinnier, flat letter pieces to the letter using pop dots.
5. Once the letter part is done, add the fringe to the outside. Before you start glueing, make sure you know where the fringe pieces fit. Then hot glue down the center to attach it to the outside of the letter. Make sure not to glue the fringe to the letter because you want to be able to bend it up.
6. After all of the fringe pieces are glued down, bend the fringe pieces up.
That’s all there is to making the BOO marquee letters! Hope you have a much fun making Halloween decorations as I have!
Halloween Boo Marquee Letters Tutorial Read More »
Hi everyone! September Block of the Month is a couple of days late, but here it is! It’s out final block before sashing and finishing off our Home Sweet Home quilt! I hope you have had fun making it! Here’s the video and the link to the download to finish up your quilt blocks!
September Block of the Month 2016 Read More »
If you want to put pictures in the albums, here is some info on the measurements:
-The skull and cross bone and bat albums are 5 x 8 and fit a horizontal 4 x 6 photo.
-The black cat album is 6 x 6 and fits a square 4 x 4 photo or a 4 in. x 5 in. photo.
-The pumpkin and spider albums are 6 x 7 and fit a vertical 4 x 6 photo.
Here’s the tutorial on how to put these albums together:
That’s all there is to these adorable Halloween albums! Now you can add your pictures and memories for the 31 days of Halloween!
Happy Crafting!
31 Days of Halloween Album Tutorial for Silhouette Read More »
I know it’s early September but Halloween is around the corner and I know I’m gearing up for some serious decorating. I’m releasing a Tiny Halloween Village, this week on Silhouette. I think you will love it, especially if you did last year’s Halloween Village. Yes, All the pieces in the new set WORK WITH the Halloween village from last year! So mix and match!
This set (as the name suggests) is a little smaller. Why you ask? Because it all fits neatly on 8.5 in. x 11 in. paper! Yep! No sizing down for the Silhouette Portrait users! Hooray!
I have a new video with the tutorial of how to put together each of these new Tiny Halloween pieces here!
Tiny Halloween Village Tutorial for Silhouette Read More »
I love summer and all of the treats that come with it! These 3D Ice-cream treats are so cute and wonderful. There are a few different kinds of popsicles, an ice cream sandwich, and a cute candy favor box. You can get them in my store and on Silhouette on Monday. Check out these tutorials for help in putting them together.
3D Ice-Cream Treat SVG tutorials for Silhouette and Digital Diecutting Read More »
Today is the start of our wonderful BlogHop with Riley Blake Designs for my new collection Posy Garden! I can’t wait for you to see all the amazing goodness that is about to be unveiled over the next two weeks! It’s going to be awesome!
Along with that! My new (and first!) eBook called Simply Modern Patchwork Quilts goes on presale today! Eeek! I’m so excited! It will release on August 15th in the Kindle Store on Amazon. I’ll add links here as soon as the presale goes live! I know we are doing a HEFTY discount for the presale so keep your eyes open for it!
***NOTE: It’s on PRESALE NOW! Go to Amazon to purchase it here. The presale price is $4.99. which is 50% off the regular price of $9.99 through AUGUST 15th when it becomes available! That’s less than 50 cents per pattern! Make sure and grab it during the presale period!
There are also four contributing pattern designers to the book including Amy Webb, Amanda Neiderhauser, Christine Cook, and Angie Tackett! These ladies did a fabulous job and I can’t wait for you to see what they have done!
As for the Bloghop, here is the list you are going to want to visit everyday! Come back to this post to link over to these ladies blogs!
I’ll also be reposting their projects over the next two weeks on instagram if you want to follow over there.
Okay, here’s the amazing line up!
Monday, August 1st: My Sewing Haven with Carla Peicheff
Tuesday, August 2nd Happy Little Cottage with Debbie Homick
Tuesday, August 2nd The Family Hearth with Bridgette McNay
Wednesday, August 3rd Fort Worth Fabric Studio with Lindsey Weight
Wednesday, August 3rd Happy Quilting Melissa with Melissa Corry
Thursday, August 4th Pretty By Hand with Kristyne Czepuryk
Thursday, August 4th Out of the Blue with Sondra Davison
Friday, August 5th Samelia’s Mom with Anorina Morris
Friday, August 5th Free Time Frolics with Adrienne Woods
Monday, August 8th Flamingo Toes with Bev McCullough
Monday, August 8th Silly Mama Quilts with Brooke Sellmann
Tuesday, August 9th Snickerdoodle Stew with Jessica Stewart
Tuesday, August 9th A Little Patchwork with Ange Hamilton
Wednesday, August 10th Ameroonie Designs with Amy Chappell
Thursday, August 11th One Little Pooh with Tina
Thursday, August 11th Jedi Craft Girl with Amanda Neiderhauser
Friday, August 12th Stitching Revival with Christine Cook
I’m so excited to see all their amazing projects! It’s going to keep myself from sewing all week!
Carina
Psst! If you are in Utah, make sure to come visit me at Elaine’s Quilt shop this weekend on August 6th! I’m teaching a free class in the morning and the Clean Star Quilt in the afternoon. My glamper will also be there to tour all day!
Posy Garden Blog Hop & PreSale of Simply Modern Patchwork Quilts Read More »
These motion card are put together like most folding cards the little piece that moves in the card is attached by using a 1/4” inch pop dot.
Instructions:
1. Cut all pieces and assemble all Parts that attach to the card.
2. Assemble the portion of the card that will move around.
3. place a 1/4” pop dot on to the back of the movable piece.
4. push the pop dot through the slot in the card.
5. Attach one of the circles to the back of the pop dot. (at this point your motion piece should be attached)
6. Take the second circle (the one with the dashed score line in it) and fold it in half. Now glue half of it to the circle on the back of the pop dot. (this gives it a little bit of a handle so its easer to make the motion piece move.)
Motion SVG Cards for Silhouette and Digital Diecutting Files Read More »
This cards are great and can be used for gifts as well as or little standup albums .
The steps to making these cards are:
Accordion Folded SVG Cards for Silhouette and Digital Diecutting Files Read More »
I LOVE the Off Set Tool in Illustrator. It’s fast and easy to use. Best of all, it has so many applications for use. I like it when I am creating dielines for stickers or diecuts. I also adore it for anything that needs a bleed. It works like a charm for nested objects. Take a look and hopefully it will be useful to you as well!
Mini Episode 3: Offset Tool in Illustrator
Offset Tool Tutorial in Illustrator Read More »
I’m still recovering from Quilt Market and I’m hoping to have photos up by Thursday! We had a great show and I can’t wait to tell you all about it. For now, I’ve added my shadow box to the Mini Episodes! We have been making so many gorgeous little videos of the new Carina Gardner and MiniLou products coming out in our Bundle Shop and in the Silhouette shops. You’ll see them premier on instagram so check it all out there!
XOXO-Carina
Shadow Box Sliding Card Read More »
So I had a blog fail last week and didn’t write a bit. Getting myself on a schedule for this might be harder than I thought. Today I wanted to introduce you to our new Mini Episodes on the CGTV Channel. They have their own page now (click on CGTV then Mini Episodes) and you’ll see all of the videos I have that are 1 minute or less. I have a new instagram (@carinagardnerpapercrafts) that sort of inspired me to make this new line of episodes. I have several small videos that didn’t have a place to live, including periscopes, quilt tops, tutorials, ect. On this new instagram feed I am trying to do several of my SVG tutorials in this method so you can see how I make them. Because I needed a place for these (and they didn’t fit into the regular CGTV Channel), we created the “mini episodes.” I’m still in the process of uploading some of the older mini episodes to this page so keep an eye out for that.
To kick things off, I have a new tutorial for you! I have a short little video showing you the power and simplicity of Clipping Masks in Photoshop. I hope you enjoy!
Mini Episode 2
XOXO, Carina
Mini Episodes on the CGTV Channel & Clipping Mask Tutorial Read More »
This is one of those quilts that started MONTHS back…actually when I was in Dallas at a tradeshow for MiniLou. I accepted to teach at the Sew Simply Stitched Retreat and needed to come up with a couple of projects to teach. I love hexagon quilts, and I ADORE all of those gorgeous English Paper Pieced Hexis so naturally one of my projects turned into this Perfect Hexagon Quilt.
FINALLY, this April I released the pattern in my shop. Y-seams can be a little daunting so after teaching it at the retreat, I decided to make a video tutorial that went along with the pattern. This is the first pattern I have done this for—a private video that comes with the purchase of the pattern. Cool, huh?
I’m hoping people like it so that I can make more of these types of videos! (The video below I originally did for my instagram feed. It was so fun I decided to add it here! This is the Perfect Hexagon Quilt done in my new Posy Garden fabric that should arrive July 2016!)
I’ve made two versions of this quilt now. I’m really excited about the one I made in my new line Posy Garden that I’ll be showcasing at Spring Quilt Market (that is in the video above).
The other quilt is done in Apricot and Persimmon. It’s been a really versatile fabric line and I’d loved everything I have made with it.
The photo to the left captures a look at what a lot of my afternoons look like. Kids doing homework while mom tries work out how to get the fabric to do what she wants:).
Want to learn more about the Hexi Pattern and video? Check it out below:
Now, I’m off to cello lessons tonight and ready for Friday to kick off the weekend! Lots of Posy Garden sewing for me these next couple of days! I’ll try to sneak in some fun pictures of the progress on the glamper next week!
XOXO-Carina
Perfect Hexagon Quilt Read More »
It’s the month of love, and I have a heart block for you for your Home Sweet Home Quilt! This is my second block for our 2016 Block of the Month. Grab the download in the store and watch the video below to join in! Make sure and follow me on instagram (@carinagardner) to post your blocks for our fabric giveaway every month!
Happy Sewing!
Carina
(PS Check instagram for our Block of the Month Quilt giveaway….that’s right! I’m giving away the full quilt sometime this week! Be sure to check it out!)
February Block of Month 2016 Read More »
We started working on this collection in December. I’ve never been so ambitious before and tried to release 8 sewing patterns at once! But it was an idea that came from loving and wanting to produce a knit collection that was simple to sew and beautiful to wear. Easy enough of a concept….quite a bit more difficult to execute.
And I couldn’t have done it alone! My pattern production assistant worked tirelessly on this collection and made edit after edit as I pinned, cut, and tried to find the SIMPLIEST way to put these patterns together. I hope you love the results!
This is the first time I have released MISSES and TEEN sizing! You’ll notice that as my family changes in age, I find myself wanting to make what my own kids are wearing.
So here’s the run down on these patterns.
The sleeves are INTERCHANGABLE. There is a 3/4 length sleeve on Style 1, an elbow length sleeve on Style 2, and a cap sleeve on Style 3.
Did I mention the final two patterns are a Miss and Girl/Teen legging? Yep! SOOO simple to sew together since there is a single seam. We love using the Riley Blake knits for these!
I know some of you are probably afraid to work with knits, but it is a lot simpler than you would think! I have a few pointers for those of you getting started and made a couple of videos to make the process so much easier! Check them out below.
Here are a couple of “important” things that I always do when I start to work with knits:
(Here are the two videos: Getting Started with Knits and a Tutorial on Style 3!)
Make sure and take advantage of the 20% sale going on right now on PDF patterns in the shop in honor of the new collection! Put in code AUDREYNEW20. The sale should last through February 2016. it includes ALL PDF patterns including Kid cottons and quilt patterns!
I’d love to hear what you are doing with knits! Join my Facebook page to tell me or my Private Sewing Group on Facebook! As always, I love getting feedback on the patterns and projects I am working on.
Finally, there is a good chance we will have handmade Style 1 in Misses S, M, L available for sale in a couple of weeks. We will have a very limited few since these are being made inhouse. Keep your eyes out for these!
Happy sewing!
Carina
New Audrey Sewing Pattern Collection Read More »
You can find these in my Silhouette and Digiplayground shops!
Enjoy!
Carina
Rotating File System for Silhouette and DigiPlayground Read More »
These darling Shadow Box Scenes pop together and then can be pulled apart and stored flat. For me, that makes for the perfect piece of Christmas decor! There are five scenes in all for you to enjoy the holidays!
Here are the links to my Silhouette shop and DigiPlayground shop so you can pick up one of these albums!
Here’s how to put this together:
1. Cut out the svg files. The sides, roof, and frames I cut out in kraft paper, the shepherd, background, and the main part of the sheep in black, and the frame, angel, and sheep fur in white.
2. Begin with the frames. Pop dot and attach the angel, shepherd, sheep, and white frame in their appropriate places. Once you have all the figures in place, you can start putting the nativity together.
3. Now, put the background and two side pieces together by slipping the tabs on the short ends of the sides into the slits of the background.
4. The frames attach similarly. Put the tabs on the ends of the frames into the slits in the side piece. Do this for all of the frames. Remember, the frames go in a certain order for it to have the shadowbox effect. The frame with the thickest bottom goes in the back and the thinnest goes in the front.
It will look like this when all of the frames are in.
5. For the roof, start with one side and put the tabs of the side piece into the slits of the roof. Do this for the other side. Make sure the side of the roof with the rounded edges goes in the front.
You’re done with your Nativity! I hope you have a chance to make the entire collection!
Carina
Nativity Tutorial for Silhouette and Digiplayground Read More »
Finally finished the pattern, the video, and I’m giving away the Anything Goes Quilt PDF Pattern I made on instagram this weekend (be sure to check this out!). This quilt is so versatile! I use the Magic 8 technique to get a lot of triangles cut and sewn all at once. I named it the Anything Goes pattern because it really can make so many different kinds of quilts—flying geese, hour glass, pinwheels, chevrons, and more!
Hope you have a chance to try it out! You can purchase the pattern for it (and see some great options!) here.
Sew lovely,
Carina
Anything Goes Quilt and Magic 8 Tutorial Read More »
My 25 Days of December French Fold albums have finally hit the shops! It’s just in time to make one before December 1st hits and you start taking photos.
These are a little different than my 25 Days of December from last year because these feature a french fold and hidden binding.
Here are the links to my Silhouette shop and DigiPlayground shop so you can pick up one of these albums!
Here’s how to put this together:
1. Cut out the svg files. The main body of the book I cut out in kraft paper and the cover and frames are my Have a Merry Christmas papers for Cartabella.
2. Begin with two pieces of the binding and fold along the dotted lines, then glue them together by overlapping the short sides.
3. Turn it over, and glue the wider folds together so the back looks flat and the front has tabs sticking out.
4. Take your pages and fold all of the creases inwards. (The picture below shows the binding on backwards. All those little glued together pieces will become the pages for the album).
5. Now to add the pages! Glue along the long edge of each page and attach the long edge to the back of one of the folds in the binding. This will create a double-sided/double thick page.
6. Glue the top side of the edge of the long page, as well as the bottom tab and fold the page over. This should create an envelope with an open top. Add a page to each one of the binding pieces.
7. Add the cover by gluing the left side of the cover to the bottom side of the flap. This makes the inside look clean and the binding flap will be covered with the binding cover later.
8. Glue the binding cover by matching up the crease of the binding cover with the square of the book. Glue the front, binding, and back side separately.
9. For the tabs, glue each number onto an oval (or whatever shape you have). Note: one of the albums (bracket) does not use this step.
10. Glue half of the ovals onto each tab, leaving space to slide the tabs into the slits and for the ovals to go on top of the page. There are 13 tabs, so each tab will have two numbers (one and two will be on one tab, three and four another etc.)
11. Slide the tabs into the appropriate slit on each page. Leave the oval out and glue the other half of the oval onto the outside of the page. Glue odd numbers to the front and even numbers on the back of each tab.
12. For the frames, take each frame and place pot dots on the back.
13. Place the frame in the center of the page and make sure the pop dots are firmly in place.
14. Glue the leaves to the berries and attach to the corner of the frame.
15. Place pictures and memories on each page to fill your 25 days of December Album!
Happy crafting!
Carina
Tutorial for 25 Days of December French Fold Album for Silhouette and DigiPlayground Read More »
Just a quick little post to show off the video Riley Blake just came out with on Apricot and Persimmon (see below). We have been working a lot on this line and should have some cute new quilts and projects out soon! (picture above of my fabulous pattern production assistant and I trying to finish up some samples of Love Next Ruffle Dress—now in pdf format!).
XOXO,
Carina
Apricot and Persimmon Video Read More »
I’ve been working on this Christmas Village for weeks now. Every time one of the little houses got put together, I couldn’t help but smile! Everything about this little village makes me so happy.
There are quite a few pieces, and they all can be purchased from Silhouette and DigiPlayground. Each building is very intricate and there are a lot of parts. I have a quick video on some of the harder pieces so you can see how they go together (see above).
As for displaying this village, there are soooo many options. I have two I’d like to suggest here for you. The first is a display made completely from foam core. I have a free svg file for you to make a template of the one I made and some instructions on how to put it together below. (The photo below is the display I created with foam core. You can make this too!)
The second way I would display it is on a mantle or coffee table. I love mine on top of our white piano. The best part is at night when we put electric tealights underneath and the entire thing lights up (picture of this below!).
If you place your village on a mantel, depending on the number of pieces you build, I suggest using cake plates and cups turned upside down to give dimension and layer to your village. Cover these with ‘snow’ you can purchase from your local craft store to hide these layers. Instant snow drift!
The two photos below is of the Christmas Village on top of my piano (about the size of the mantel). I love it up there! Every piece is so unique and darling. My family is really going to enjoy it this holiday season!
There are so many great pieces in this village. They will be release over the next two weeks (so keep an eye out for them!). The picture below is of the Santa’s Workshop, General Store, Gingerbread House, Trees, and Deer.
Picture below highlights the Clock Tower, Chapel, and Gingerbread House.
The train comes in two files—a Train Station with tracks and a curved 3D Train.
Happy little penguins anyone?
Check out the Snow Cottage, Elf Houses (with curved roof!) and the Chapel.
Turn off the lights and watch them glow! Instant Christmas Magic!
Here’s the tutorial for the Display:
Download the Free Display Template Here—CarinaGardner_ChristmasVillage_Display.zip
If you are having trouble with the link, then try copying and pasting this: https://carinagardner.com/freedownload/carinagardner_christmasvillage_display.zip
3. After cutting out your pieces you will lay the template onto each layer. Layer 1 you will use the template to cut away two edges of the display. Layer 2 you will need to add a width of 8.5 inches to add the depth. Layers 3 and 4 you can cut out as is.
4. Use an x-acto knife to cut these out. Don’t worry about making it perfect! Your snow will cover your mistakes!
5. Once the layers are cut out, you will want to create dimension by cut out several 2 inch strips the full length of the 30 inches on the extra foam core you have. Slice lightly into one side of the strips so that you can bend them to the shapes of your layers. Start with layer 2. Start at the side front and hot glue the 2 inch strip along the curve. Don’t worry about mistakes or gaps! Your snow will cover all of this! Once you have glued the strip along the edge of layer 2 you will glue it down to layer 1. Continue with all the layers using the diagram below to help determine how to place everything.
6. Once everything is glued together, simply layer snow on the display. I glued a little bit to the board to help everything stay in place. To glue the trees, deer, and penguins to the display, I moved the snow to the side and glued these pieces directly onto the foam core. Then I moved the snow back into place.
I hope you have fun making this display and the entire Christmas Village!
Carina
Christmas Village Tutorial for Silhouette and DigiPlayground Read More »
We’ve been working on the Thankful Tree for a few weeks now and I’m so excited to have it in my home! It’s the perfect LARGE scale tree (about 4 feet in height) to put in your home to celebrate Thanksgiving. We will be using the Apple Basket to place all of our leaves so the kids can pull one out everyday to write what they are thankful for throughout November.
Check out this short video so you can see the tree (in scale) and all the options we have available for it! You can purchase the files at Silhouette and DigiPlayground.
Enjoy! Carina
Thankful Tree Video and Tutorial for Silhouette and DigiPlayground Read More »
