Video

Kids Pencil Valentine Cards

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IMG_8715_webThis 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!

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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

MiniLou Silhouette Shop

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Happy crafting!
Carina

 

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Carina Gardner’s 2017 Block of the Month

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.

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Six Carina Gardner Free Fabric Projects You Might Have Missed

I posted on instagram the other day a picture of Felicity watching my cut out fabric for my 2017 Block of the Month.  It reminded me that I wanted to put together a list of the SIX FREE FABRIC PROJECTS you might have missed.

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  1. Double Ringed Pincushion Pattern (also known as the Donut Pattern!)
  2. Partridge Bird Pattern
  3. Pinfeathers Rosetta Wreath Pattern
  4. Dainty Blossoms Camera Strap Pattern
  5. Reversible Blouse & Dress Pattern
  6. Primrose Garden 18 inch Doll Quilt Pattern

 

Hope you get a chance to download all of these!

Happy Sewing!

XOXO- Carina

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2017 Tutorial Tuesdays for 99 cents!

2017tutorialtuesday_jan3_carinagardner_iconI’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

 

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Santa’s Glitter Village SVG Tutorial for Silhouette

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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!

img_5710_1webThis 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

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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.

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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.

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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.img_5569_web

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.img_5573_web

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.

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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.

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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.img_5586_web

14.  Next, add the long scallop piece to the side of the roof by glueing it on the underside of the roof.

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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.img_5596_web img_5597_web

Now you have the most adorable Fairy House for your Glitter Christmas Village!

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Here’s a few more instructions on some of the parts that are specific to each piece.

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Chimney on Santa’s Cottage:

  1.  Start by folding all of the score lines.
  2.  Next, glue the tab on the long side and glue it so it makes a box.
  3.  Then, Glue the tabs on the open part to the house.

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Front Door piece on Chapel:

  1. Start by adding all of the embellishments to the facade.
  2. Then, glue the facade to the front/back piece.
  3. Next, take the long bottom piece and glue the tabs to the front/back piece.
  4. Add the roof/snow like you would for the other houses.
  5. To finish, glue the front door piece to the front of the chapel.

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Reindeer Stables:

  1. Start by assembling the house.
  2. Then, take the green piece and glue it to the bottom of the house.  The green piece will cover the entire bottom of the house and then extends into a yard.
  3. Next, glue the reindeer and tree tabs to the yard area.
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Guest Post from Kelly of Finding Time to Create: Her Adorable Halloween Village

Hello! Kelly here from Finding Time To Create. I absolutely love making paper crafts with my Silhouette CAMEO, so I jumped at the chance to use Carina’s fun Halloween designs this season.

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.

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[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?

spider-house-night-finding-time-to-create

[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.)

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[photo: Glow in the dark sticker paper and glitter heat transfer accents – Finding Time To Create]

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[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.

spider-house-day-finding-time-to-create

[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

cemetery-finding-time-to-create

[photo: Cemetery – Finding Time To Create]

Bitty bat house

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[photo: Bitty bat house – Finding Time To Create]

Halloween haunted village – Cat house

cat-house-finding-time-to-create

[photo: Cat house – Finding Time To Create]

Halloween haunted village – Ghost mansion

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[photo: Haunted mansion – Finding Time To Create]

Tiny Halloween village – Lil graveyard

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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

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Box Card SVG Tutorial for Silhouette

img_4897_webThese 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.

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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.

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3. Next, Take the inserts and fold them into a “Z” shape.  Fold one tab backwards and one tab forward.

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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.

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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.

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6.  Next, glue the second tab on the same way.

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7.  Add any embellishments, and you’ve got an adorable card to put in the mail!img_4893_web

Happy Crafting!

Carina

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Halloween Boo Marquee Letters Tutorial

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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.

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4.  After the flat letter piece is placed in the letter.  Add the skinnier, flat letter pieces to the letter using pop dots.img_4418_web

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.

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That’s all there is to making the BOO marquee letters!  Hope you have a much fun making Halloween decorations as I have!

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31 Days of Halloween Album Tutorial for Silhouette

Halloween is almost here!  I made some fun 31 days of Halloween albums to document everything going on in October.  Each album comes with the cover and details, three binding pieces, pages (one with score marks and one without depending on how flexible you want your album to be), a mat for photos, and a piece the size of a photo (to use for journaling).  You can also get the numbers and layouts if you want to accessorize your album!

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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:

  1. Cut out all SVGS.  We used some fun scrapbook paper for the binding to add some Halloween flare.
  2. Put together the details on the cover.  You can use pop dots to give it some fun dimension.
  3. Next, take the cover and glue it to the binding piece.  The edge of the cover should go to the score line.  img_4326_web
  4. Next, glue the scalloped half of the inside binding piece to the back side of the cover.  The score lines should match.  Leave the side with the page holes free so you can use it to attach the pages later.    img_4330_web
  5. Do Steps 3 and 4 again for the back cover.img_4332_web
  6. Now that you have the cover done, take the pages and align the holes together.  Use a ribbon to secure them into the holes.  img_4333_web

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!

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Tiny Halloween Village Tutorial for Silhouette

img_4151_instagram_webI 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!

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3D Ice-Cream Treat SVG tutorials for Silhouette and Digital Diecutting

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.

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Posy Garden Blog Hop & PreSale of Simply Modern Patchwork Quilts

PosyGardenSewingProjects_2_stroke_smToday 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.06_gardenpatchquilt

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!

 

 

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Motion SVG Cards for Silhouette and Digital Diecutting Files

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.)

 

 

 

 

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Accordion Folded SVG Cards for Silhouette and Digital Diecutting Files

This cards are great and can be used for gifts as well as or little standup albums .

The steps to making these cards are:

  1. Cut out all the cards that you want to chain together
  2. Glue the elements onto the inner portion of the card
  3. After you have all the elements glued down. glue the borders onto the frame that goes along the out side
  4. Take the long tab and glue it the it to the next card in the chain and repeat until you have the desired amount chained
  5. Fold back and forth along the score lines
  6. Now take the tabs or tab on the inner card and glue it to the the next inner card.
  7. Make sure you pass through the frames (don’t try to go outside the frames)
  8. Now you can fold up your card and give it to someone, or you can put it on display.
  9. Note that if you are folding the card. It will only fold in one way. if it doesn’t seem to be folding together better tray folding the inner cards the same as the outer cards.
  10. Watch the videos so you can see how we put our cards together.


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Offset Tool Tutorial in Illustrator

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

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Shadow Box Sliding Card

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

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Mini Episodes on the CGTV Channel & Clipping Mask Tutorial

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

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Perfect Hexagon Quilt

IMG_9844_1_instagram_webThis 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!)

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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

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February Block of Month 2016

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!)

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New Audrey Sewing Pattern Collection

cg024_audrymiss1cover_instagramWe 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!

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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.

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So here’s the run down on these patterns.
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  1. There are 3 styles of knit patterns. ALL are easy to make but Style 1 is the easiest and Style 3 the hardest. As you can guess, Style 2 is right in between the other two.
  2. Style 1 is short in front and longer in the back. Style 2 is an A-line with a gusset in the back. Style 3 features a zipper in a yoke on the front. Each of these variations changes the look and styling of the patterns.
  3. There are two lengths on each of the tunic patterns. There is a “blouse/tunic” version (shorter) and a “dress” version (longer). Here’s the deal: they are both LONG. These tunics are meant to be worn with leggings and if you are anything like me, I won’t wear leggings unless they cover my bottom! In the picture above, Felicity (white) is wearing the TUNIC length Style 3, Siri (yellow) is wearing the DRESS length Style 1, and I (stripes) am wearing the TUNIC length Style 2.
  4. IMG_5047_1_instagramThe 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.
  5. The patterns come in TWO sizes: Misses AND Girl/Teen. The Misses size include 4,6,8,10, and 12. The Girls sizes include 6,8,10,12,14. If you are a size 2 in Misses, you can easily move down to the 14 in Girls/Teen.

 

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!

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cg034_leggingcover_webI 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:

  1. Change my needle to a STRETCH needle. These can be bought for ALL brands of sewing machine and is meant for knits. This will make your sewing go SO much smoother!
  2. Use the thread that matches the fabric content. So if I have a 60% Polyester and a 40% Cotton fabric, I use a Polyester thread. The only time I do not follow this rule is when I have a cotton based fabric with a small percentage of stretch (like a 5% spandex like a Riley Blake knit). Then I will use a polyester thread because it has more give then a cotton thread.
  3. Surprisingly, you do NOT have to serge knits. It looks nicer and will last longer, but you shouldn’t fret just because you don’t have a serger. You should take a chance on knits with just your regular sewing machine!

(Here are the two videos: Getting Started with Knits and a Tutorial on Style 3!)

IMG_4920_instagrma_webMake 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.

 

IMG_5063_1_instagramFinally, 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

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Rotating File System for Silhouette and DigiPlayground

I love putting together a little “planner” at the beginning of the year. This year I focused on Mini rotating file systems. These make me so happy and can be used in so many ways. I love that these could be potential albums, event planners, birthday planners, and so much more. I personally adore the little fox tab!

You can find these in my Silhouette and Digiplayground shops!

Enjoy!
Carina
DS-C-W-CG-monthsDS-C-W-CG-alphabetset1 DS-C-W-CG-numberpages1DS-C-W-CG-ballon pages1  DS-C-W-CG-flourishtabs   DS-C-W-CG-swirl pages1DS-C-W-CG-rolodexbracket1 DS-C-W-CG-rolodexcircletab1 DS-C-W-CG-rolodexscallop1  rotatingfilesystembadger rotatingfilesystembear rotatingfilesystembird rotatingfilesystemdeer rotatingfilesystemfox rotatingfilesystemowl rotatingfilesystemporcupine rotatingfilesystemrabbit rotatingfilesystemraccoon rotatingfilesystemwoodpecker

 

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Nativity Tutorial for Silhouette and Digiplayground

DS-C-W-CG-Nativity shadow boxDIGIThese 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.

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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.

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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.

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It will look like this when all of the frames are in.

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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.

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You’re done with your Nativity! I hope you have a chance to make the entire collection!

Carina

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Anything Goes Quilt and Magic 8 Tutorial

carinagardner_november232015_2_webFinally 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

 

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Tutorial for 25 Days of December French Fold Album for Silhouette and DigiPlayground

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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.

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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).

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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.

 

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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.

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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.)

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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.

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13. Place the frame in the center of the page and make sure the pop dots are firmly in place.

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14. Glue the leaves to the berries and attach to the corner of the frame.

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15.  Place pictures and memories on each page to fill your 25 days of December Album!

Happy crafting!

Carina

 

 

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Christmas Village Tutorial for Silhouette


IMG_0774_webI’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. 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!)

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IMG_0673_webThe 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!

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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.

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Picture below highlights the Clock Tower, Chapel, and Gingerbread House.

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The train comes in two files—a Train Station with tracks and a curved 3D Train.

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Happy little penguins anyone?

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Check out the Snow Cottage, Elf Houses (with curved roof!) and the Chapel.

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Turn off the lights and watch them glow! Instant Christmas Magic!

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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

  1. Download the zip. You will need 5-6 pieces of 20 inch x 30 inch foam core in white. You will also need a hot glue gun, a small package of ‘snow’, and x-acto knife.
  2. There are four layers to this display. The zip contains 4 documents that may look a bit jumbled (everything needed to fit on a 12 x 12 template for Cricut users). All you need to do is pull all the pieces apart and cut each of them out. Then layout your template like I have below:

instructions_display_christmasvillage_1

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.

instructions_display_christmasvillage_2 instructions_display_christmasvillage_3

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.

instructions_display_christmasvillage_4

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

You can get the entire Christmas Village from my shop here:  https://carinagardnershop.myshopify.com/collections/3d/products/christmas-village-digital-download.

Or buy individual pieces of my Christmas Village here:

Trees:https://carinagardnershop.myshopify.com/products/christmas-village-christmas-tree-digital-download?_…

Reindeer:https://carinagardnershop.myshopify.com/products/christmas-village-deer-digital-download?_pos=2&_sid…

Santa’s workshop:https://carinagardnershop.myshopify.com/products/christmas-village-santas-workshop-digital-download?…

Snow Cottage:https://carinagardnershop.myshopify.com/products/christmas-village-snow-cottage-digital-download?_po…

Ice Skaters:https://carinagardnershop.myshopify.com/products/christmas-village-ice-skaters-digital-download?_pos…

General Store: https://carinagardnershop.myshopify.com/products/christmas-village-general-store-digital-download-copy?_pos=7&_sid=d10845d62&_ss=r

Elf Houses:https://carinagardnershop.myshopify.com/products/christmas-village-elf-houses-digital-download?_pos=…

Post Office:https://carinagardnershop.myshopify.com/products/christmas-village-post-office-digital-download?_pos…

Gingerbread House:https://carinagardnershop.myshopify.com/products/the-ultimate-paper-gingerbread-house?_pos=2&_sid=29…

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Thankful Tree Video and Tutorial for Silhouette and DigiPlayground

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

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Launch Party! PDF Sewing Patterns Now Available at CarinaGardnerShop.com

carinagardner_october162015_1

I’m so excited for today! I’ve been planning this launch for a few weeks now! The team and I have some cool things planned. What kind of cool things you ask? Well, since you asked…

First off, we are now releasing PDF Patterns! Yes, that’s right. This is the official launch of you being able to purchase my patterns in PDF format. You can still also purchase most of my patterns in their physical form (from our website or from your local quilt shop). Not all of my physical patterns have been converted to PDF. You will see us release all of them in the coming weeks along with new ones.

This is awesome on so many levels for you and me! Since I started MiniLou, we simply have not had the space to house the number of patterns I was carrying for CGInc. So NOW because we can release pdf patterns, you will see MORE kids clothing, kids projects, beginner projects, and for the first time ever QUILTS!

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The timing is right for this launch because not only am I kicking off the PDF Patterns, I am excited to be releasing my newest fabric collection for Riley Blake Designs called Apricot and Persimmon. The colors in this line are so autumn-y and yummy. (I should have the full digi book for this collection out sometime next week).

So what are we doing for this launch? I’ll admit, most of the action will be happening on my instagram feed (@carinagardner). Here’s what’s happening:

  • The PDF shop will be 30% off  october 16-21. Visit the sale>>>
  • We are randomly giving away sewing pattern gift certificates on instagram and facebook all weekend!
  • We are teaming up with Michelle Jensen (my machine quilter) and MiniLou (my kids toy company) to do a DROP on instagram (hints and where it will be can be found on instagram @carinagardner and @miniloukids). This drop will include one of you WINNING a Persimmon Nine Patch Quilt. Yes! The actual quilt!
  • I have consolidated all of our FREE fabric projects into the shop so you can grab them and go!
  • I have two new videos that feature the Persimmon Nine Patch Quilt and the Patchwork Plus Quilt (See below!)! The best part is that I will be doing ALOT more videos featuring difficult parts of the patterns or helpful sewing hints.
  • For this launch I am releasing three brand new PDF Sewing Patterns that have never been released as a physical pattern—Persimmon Nine Patch Quilt, the Patchwork Plus Quilt, and the Apricot MiniQuilt.

Be sure to join us on instagram and facebook for the festivities! Check out the videos below!

Hope you enjoy! Feel free to check out the entire CGTV channel here: https://carinagardner.com/carina-gardner-tv/
Carina
Episode 14: Patchwork Plus Quilt

Episode 15: Persimmon Nine Patch Quilt

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Hexagon Halloween Ornament

DS-C-8.6824W-CG-Spider Ornament

I love some dead branches in a vase as halloween decor. These little ornaments are the perfect accessory for those branches! They’d also be cute strung in front of a window or as a banner.

Every one of these ornaments are made a little differently. I’ve chosen to show you how to put together the hardest one. Most are simply layered with hexagons and shapes. Feel free to mix and match all of the ornaments in this collection!

Here are the links to my Silhouette shop and DigiPlayground shop.

Here’s how to put this together:

1. Cut out the svg files.  The main body of the ornament I cut out in a deep gray and the interior is a matte black with white spider webs and red spider.

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2. Next take the hexagon sides and fold the flap that is connected to the long rectangle piece back onto itself and glue down. Repeat on the other side.

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3. Fold all hex flaps away from each other so that they create a flat surface that you are going to glue your rectangle piece to. There are fold marks where each side of the hexagon’s flaps should be glued to your long rectangle. Repeat all the way around until you end with 2 open slits at the top

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4.  Slip the ornament hangers from the hexagon through those two open slits and glue together.

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5. Take your flat hexagon accent pieces and pop dot them on each side of your ornament.

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6. Lay the spider web over the top of your ornament with the long webs aligning with the corners of your hexagon. Bend them over the edges to give you a good idea where to glue. Neatly tuck your folded spider web string to the inside of the corner to the hexagon and glue together. Repeat all the way around and the other side.

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7. Once your finished pop dot your spider to the web and you’re done!

Hope you have fun making these!

Carina.

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Halloween Crate Tutorial for Silhouette and Digiplayground

DS-C-10.0843W-CG-Ghost Crate

It’s my favorite time of year! That’s probably why I get so excited for all of these Halloween projects. This post is for a tutorial on the Light Up Halloween Crates. You can purchase them from both the Silhouette and Digiplayground shops. (Links to the crates will become available as they go live).

These are incredibly simple to put together. I’m planning on putting in the windows at the house and as centerpieces on my coffee table. You can place an electric tea light in the center (I love the black ones!) for a but of ambiance!

Here are the links to my Silhouette Shop and DigiPlayground Shop.

Here’s how to put it together:

1. Cut out the svg files, cut two of each side piece, four total. Ink the edges of your crate to create some dimension.

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2. Glue accent pieces to the inside of the crate side pieces.

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2. Once you have glued on all the accent pieces onto the sides, take the bottom flat geometric piece and slip the pointed edge through the slot at the bottom, just below the ghost.

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3. Next, grab the opposite side piece and slip the tabs through the slots provided in your first piece. Again, insert bottom pointed edge just below ghost and repeat this step all the way around.

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Place a tea light in the center and you are done!

Enjoy,

Carina

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Pineapple Costume Tutorial

IMG_8980_webSome years I can convince my kids that going to the store and buying a costume is the way to go. Not this year. Both of my girls wanted homemade costumes. Siri wanted to be iPhone Siri (you can see her costume on my instagram feed @carinagardner) and Felicity asked to be a pineapple.

I know pineapples have been trending recently, but the truth is, in our family the word ‘pineapple’ has been trending for a couple of years. A while back, Siri decided that she loved the way the word ‘pineapple’ sounded and used it as her go-to, everyday word (“Can I get you a drink, Siri?” “Pineapple.” “Are you ready for bed, Siri? “Pinnneapppppllle.”…you get the idea). Does she actually like to EAT pineapples? Of course not! That would make too much sense :).

Ironically, it was Felicity who decided that being a pineapple was a must this year (although I can see Siri trying to steal this costume).

Here’s a little info on how to put this costume together. Your materials may be a little different than mine so feel free to make adjustments on how you make this sublime fruity treat.

PINEAPPLE COSTUME TUTORIAL
Materials

  • Either one very long yellow T-shirt or two T-shirts (Mine is a size 10 and the materials fit this size. Make adjustments for smaller or bigger T-shirts.)
  • 1/2 yard of yellow felt
  • 1/4 yard of green felt
  • headband
  • hot glue
  • 1 1/2 yards of double-sided iron-on adhesive

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1. If you are working with two T-shirts, cut one in half to add to the bottom of the first T-shirt. Match up the RAW edge of the second/cut T-shirt to the bottom of the first T-shirt. That way you do not have to hem the bottom of the outfit. I used a serger with right-sides together of the T-shirts to sew these two pieces together into a long dress.

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2. Once your T-shirt is now a ‘dress’, cut out yellow felt pieces using the pattern provided below. Pin them all the way around the dress as shown here. This will help you determine how many pieces you will need. The pattern can be made smaller or larger to accommodate the size of your outfit.IMG_8877_web

3. Next, use the double-sided adhesive (using the instructions on the adhesive you buy) to adhere the adhesive to the felt pineapple pieces.

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I used Heat and Bond and ironed on the adhesive on one side of the pineapple piece. Then, I pulled off the white protective layer on the felt piece and placed it on the dress. I ironed it directly onto the dress with the adhesive-side down (facing the dress).

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And you are done with the dress! Now for the headband!

4. The headband could be made so many different ways. Use my method or try putting it together anyway you want with the pattern pieces I’ve provided. You can also choose to do all of this with a hot glue gun if you want to avoid sewing!

I cut out 4 each of the three leaf patterns. I folded in half the medium and large leaves and sewed them about half way up. (You could simply hot glue them up instead.)

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5. I then sewed together two of the biggest pieces like the image below.

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6. Then I laid a third piece in the middle of the two sewn together pieces. I sewed it to the front. I then sewed the fourth piece to the back center.

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This will create a little symmetrical bunch.

7. Your next trick is to add the medium sized leaves to this bunch. I sewed mine but in retrospect I should have hot glued it! It was really thick and difficult to get through the machine. Simply, place them evenly around the large leaves.

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8. For the smallest leaves, I used hot glue and spaced evenly around the bunch.

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9. I cut a circle and hot glued it to the center of the bunch. Then I glued up the edges and trimmed them. This is simply to keep the bunch together and add a bit of yellow to the bottom.

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9. Finally, I cut a small round circle and sandwiched a headband between the pineapple top and the felt circle. Hot glue these altogether and you are done!

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Here are the pattern pieces you will need to make this costume:

DOWNLOAD THE PINEAPPLE PATTERN PIECES

There’s a bit of work involved to make this costume but it was completely worth it! Felicity was giddy with the end result! Does your child want to be a pineapple? Download the pattern and get started! Halloween is around the corner!

Happy creating!
Carina

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Episode 13: Halloween Haunted Mansion for Silhouette and DigiPlayground.com

IMG_7894_webThis idea has been in the works for several weeks now. I’m so thrilled to finally be able to present my Halloween Haunted Village! This is made completely from SVGS files that you can purchase from my Silhouette Online Shop or DigiPlayground.com (for other cutting machines).

There are several pieces to this village. You can mix and match or purchase the entire village. Here are the pieces you can buy in this set (links for purchase available 9/21/15):

Pumpkin Mansion
Ghost Mansion
Spider House
Witch Tower
Haunted Tree
Haunted Fence
Coffin
Cat House
Tiny Bat House
Tiny Crow House
Cemetary

Most of these pieces (in particular the larger pieces) have a circular opening at the bottom so you can place an electric tealight. I can’t describe how awesome this village looks when all the lights are off and the tea lights make these IMG_7899_1_webhouse glow! If you want ALL the larger houses to glow, make sure you use, orange, white, cream, or transparent paper (like vellum) for the bases of your houses. Several of my houses (shown here) use a black or kraft paper base. These do not show the light nearly as well as the lighter based houses.

My kids were thrilled with this set! Charlie ended up playing in my office for most of the afternoon with the lights off, moving around the pieces and tea lights in this set!

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Of course, this set has a lot of working parts so there is a video on how to assemble it! I cover several of the pieces that I feel will help you. I hope you enjoy it!

Carina

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Episode 12: Circus Party Train Album Tutorial for Silhouette

I’m so excited to share with you my Circus Party Train Album. As suggested, it is an accordion train that fits nicely into a single album. This album is made using my Circus Party papers that I designed for Carta Bella. The album can be purchased from my Silhouette Shop. I hope you enjoy!

Carina

(links will be available soon)

CircusPartyTrainAlbumCaboose CircusPartyTrainAlbumCage CircusPartyTrainAlbumElephant CircusPartyTrainAlbumEngine CircusPartyTrainAlbumEnvelopes CircusPartyTrainAlbumEssentials CircusPartyTrainAlbumLion CircusPartyTrainAlbumPocket

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Pen Pal Letters—Silhouette and Digital Scrapbooking Tutorial

IMG_7136_1webI was recently introduced to these amazing letters that you place in Artist Trading Card Page Protectors. The idea was introduced by Janette Lane, and I have been so inspired by what she is doing. Creating these little works of art means quite a bit of scrapbooking paper, washi tape, ephemera, and other little bits and goodies. I have been wanting to make some of these letters for my girls (letters to them when they are older), and created a number of silhouette and digital scrapbooking files so that I can make them. Links for all the current products I have that relate to these kinds of letters are below (in both my silhouette and digital scrapbooking shop).

Be sure you check out Janette and what she is doing because it is truly inspiring!

The image above and to the left I did for my daughter Siri who is a harpist. You’ll notice the envelope at the bottom that I plan on putting her letter in. I’ll also write a few things I love about her on the “I love” card from the starter set. I’ll add a few stories about her growing up on the tabbed set.

I think I’ll hide it away for her 18th birthday. It will be a treat for both of us!

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The one below I made for Felicity for her 18th birthday. The envelope is in the left hand corner and I am loving this little fold over scalloped tab I am using in the center top to write a little story about her now. I’m hoping she loves the silly ipod in the bottom left hand corner and the tabbed pieces in the right hand corner (I might throw a few fun pictures in there for her).

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My take on the Pen Pal Letters is simply another way to document bits of our lives for my kids. I love the way Janette is using them to build a fun community and create something beautiful!

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Happy pen pal-ing!

Carina

Please note: some products not released yet and links are not available.

DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING PRODUCTS:

CarinaGardner_penpal_bakingbeachprev copy CarinaGardner_penpal_birthdaygamesprev copy CarinaGardner_penpal_fullprev CarinaGardner_penpal_hellostarterprev copy CarinaGardner_penpal_musicdaysprev copy CarinaGardner_penpal_tabbedprev copy

__________________________________________________________________________________________

SILHOUETTE PRODUCTS:

(link to all the silhouette Pen Pal Letters here)

penpal2.5x3.5letters_verticalenvelopespenpal2.5x3.5letters_horizontalenvelopespenpal2.5x3.5letters_starterpack1penpal2.5x3.5letters_starterpack2penpal2.5x3.5letters_starterpack3penpal2.5x3.5letters_bakingpack1 penpal2.5x3.5letters_bakingpack2 penpal2.5x3.5letters_bakingpack3

penpal2.5x3.5letters_beach1 penpal2.5x3.5letters_beach2 penpal2.5x3.5letters_beach3 penpal2.5x3.5letters_birthday1 penpal2.5x3.5letters_birthday2 penpal2.5x3.5letters_birthday3penpal2.5x3.5letters_days1 penpal2.5x3.5letters_days2 penpal2.5x3.5letters_days3 penpal2.5x3.5letters_games penpal2.5x3.5letters_games2 penpal2.5x3.5letters_games3 penpal2.5x3.5letters_tabbed_h penpal2.5x3.5letters_tabbed_v01penpal2.5x3.5letters_hellopack1 01penpal2.5x3.5letters_hellopack2 01penpal2.5x3.5letters_hellopack3

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Alphabet Photo Album Tutorial for Silhouette

I’m so excited about my Alphabet Photo Album series that can be purchased from Silhouette. There are so any ways to use this album. Tutorial below along with a few ideas for using this album!

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IDEAS AND INSPIRATION

1. Cut a single photo into one letter. Simply lay a large photo behind the letter and trim the photo.

2. Use multiple letters together to create a name (like C-H-A-R-L-I-E) and only put photos of that person in it.

3. Choose a theme like S-U-M-M-E-R and capture favorite moments from the season.

4. Add journaling and/or capture a specific photo shoot or time of year.

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5. Create an alphabet album highlighting each letter. For example, an apple orchard experience with your children all captured in the letter ‘A’ or a swim party in the letter ‘S’.

6. Do a single letter album to highlight a holiday. For example, ‘C’ for Christmas—

7. Or highlight the holiday by spelling out the holiday like E-A-S-T-E-R.

There are so many great ways to use this album for a gift or keepsake. Here’s how you put it together.

TUTORIAL

1. Cut  out SVG files. You will have two pieces—a front overlay and a back piece with holes for attaching it to other album pieces. (PS All the Alphabet Photo Album pieces go together).

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2. Use tape or a glue stick to adhere the photograph to the back of a framed window. I used scotch tape, but you may use whatever adhesive you would like to make  your picture stay in place.

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3.Finally, simply place the letter on back piece to create a simple collage of fun photos.

Hope you get to make one of these fun album!

Carina

A_AlbumB_AlbumC_AlbumD_AlbumE_AlbumF_AlbumG_AlbumH_AlbumI_AlbumJ_AlbumK_AlbumL_AlbumM_AlbumN_AlbumO_AlbumP_AlbumQ_AlbumR_Album

S_Album

T_Album

U_Album

V_Album

W_Album

X_Album

Y_Album

Z_Album

 

 

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Rectangle Card Boxes Tutorial for Silhouette

I’ve been adding quite a few of these box cards to my silhouette shop recently. They aren’t hard to put together but there are a few steps. Each of my boxes are different so you will need to make adjustments to this tutorial based on the type of box you have purchased.

A couple of notes about these boxes. They aren’t true boxes in that they do not have a bottom. Once you have put them together, you should be able to fold them flat. Some of the boxes come with flaps along the edges (like the whale box) and some come without (like the ice cream box).

Here’s how to put it together:

1. Cut out the svg files. Glue accent pieces to the outside of the box. Note that most of these boxes should have a large accent piece on the back of the box AND the inside of the box. Usually you just need to cut the piece twice but on some of the designs the inside is different than the accent piece on the outside.

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2. Glue the flap on the main piece to the back of the box to create the main box.

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It should look like this:

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3. Glue on all the accent pieces to the inside pieces (for example, the whale on the back piece shown here). Then fold on glue flap forward and one glue flap backwards.

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4. Next glue the flaps into the box. Space the different pieces inside evenly. Most of these boxes come with 2-3 inside pieces. You can also fold the box flap to glue down the box pieces. Some of the boxes come with a single inside piece and a couple of little accessories (usually an object on a stick) that you just glue directly to the box.

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And that’s it! It’s a cute card or fun gift idea!

Hope you have fun making these!

Carina

DS-9.3W-CG-babyboxcard DS-9.3W-CG-deerboxcard DS-9.3W-CG-icecreamboxcard
DS-9.3W-CG-jukeboxcard
DS-9.3W-CG-unicornboxcard
DS-9.3W-CG-whaleboxcard1

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Filled Basket Silhouette Tutorial

DS-16.5W-CG-strawberrybox

I probably redesigned this basket a half a dozen times but I think it was worth it! The end result just makes me smile!

These little baskets are 3D and take a bit of time (and creativity) to put together. Stick a little gift card in it for a friend or use it for home decor! These baskets DO NOT fold flat (they have a full bottom on them).

I hope you get a chance to make one of these darling little baskets! You can fill them as “full” as you want with the addition of little “bits” that can be glued in the front or back. You also have the option of making this front and back (by gluing the accessories —like flowers or strawberries) to the front and back of each piece).

DS-16.5W-CG-flowerbasket

Here’s how to put these together:

1. Cut out the svg files.

2. Glue the accent pieces to the main box. This includes the side squares and the “lid” accent pieces.IMG_6380_web

2. Next glue down all the embellishments (like the strawberries or flowers) to the inside pieces (shown below in kraft paper). You can pop dot them but because mine was full, I chose to simply glue them down. Add any embellishments (like diamonds to the centers of the flowers) at this point. Note: You can finger press anything at this point to add dimension. You’ll see that with the flowers, I chose to only glue the centers and finger press the petals to give the flowers more depth.

3. Next, you’ll need to glue in the tabs. You can see I got a little picture crazy with this because it’s a little hard to explain. I like gluing in the center piece (with the handle) first. I fold one tab forward and one tab backwards. You can see in the photo below, I glue that handle piece to the center of one of the sides of my box.

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I then glue the front piece on (as shown below). I glue the flap going forward like the handle piece.

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I then glue the back piece on. You’ll notice that I try to evenly space them.

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Fold up the box and see how you are doing on your spacing. This will also help you gauge where to glue the opposite side flaps on.

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4. Glue the inside pieces to the opposite side of the box. I like to just glue one of the flaps first. I started with the first inside piece (you can see in the photo below). I placed hot glue on it (you can use any kind of adhesive you want) and then positioned it to the opposite side of the box.IMG_6392_web

It should look like the photo below.

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I finish gluing the other two flaps onto the opposite side of the box.

5. Once I have all the middle pieces positioned, I then glue the rest of the box together.

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From the top, it will look like this (see photo below).

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6. There may be several accent pieces in the file you have. For example, there are “strawberries on a stick” in the strawberry basket file as well as some greenery. I placed the strawberries randomly in the box and glued them to the front of the box and behind the inside pieces. I glued the greenery to the front of the box. For the flowers, I simply added some flowers to parts of the box to give it a more “full” look.

IMG_6412_web

DS-16.5W-CG-strawberrybox

The point is to add some depth to the boxes contents.

Hope you have fun making one!

Carina

DS-16.5W-CG-flowerbasket DS-16.5W-CG-strawberrybox DS-16.5W-CG-butterflybasket1

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Layered Cake Tutorial for Silhouette

DS-15.6W-CG-layeredweddingcake

There are lots of weddings happening around me, and I was inspired to make some cake! Some Silhouette Cake of course!

These layered cakes are all put together about the same way (with some slight deviations based on design). You can mix and match the designs (like using the butterflies with the scallop shapes of the flowers) because all of the cakes are made exactly the same size.

The crazy thing is that these are even cuter in real life! I think we might have to leave these out in the office for a while to enjoy them!

Check the bottom of the post for links to specific designs you can find in my Silhouette Shop!

Here’s how you put these sweet treats together:

DS-15.6W-CG-butterflylayeredweddingcake1. Cut out all the svg files.

2. Layer with adhesive (or pop dots as shown in my picture) the bottom mats with the small one on top of the larger one.

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3. Put together the main form of the “cake” by gluing the boxes together. Put adhesive on the glue flaps to form the sides of the box.

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4. Place the matching “top” to the box and glue down the sides.

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You should have three (or more) boxes finished.

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5. Glue the boxes to the mats in order of largest to smallest.

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6. Finally, embellish the cake the the decorative items that come with the cake. I like a diagonal design but you can place them any way you want! For the topper, I try to use the biggest item (like the cut out butterfly) or gather together several of the same items (like 4 flowers all together). I used embellishments (like little diamonds or pearls to help accessorize).

IMG_6443_web IMG_6446_web

And that’s it! You’ve made a darling layered cake! Hope you had fun making it!

Carina

(Links available as the product becomes available)

DS-15.6W-CG-butterflylayeredweddingcake DS-15.6W-CG-layeredweddingcake

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Mobile Tutorial for Silhouette

teddybearmobileThis week among my Silhouette releases are mobiles. They do take some time to put together but they are really cute and make the cutest party and home decor items!

I use a lot of solid papers for this project and was loving my hot glue gun because it made putting it altogether quick. The “umbrella” piece at the top can be used for more than just the mobile (size down for umbrella drinks or other party items).

Here’s how to put this together:

1. Cut out the pieces as shown in the file.

2. Glue all the accent pieces to the top of the “umbrella”. (Note you can do this between Steps 4 and 5 as I show in the photos as well.)

3. Fold on the scorelines of the “umbrella” and place a ribbon with a knot on the end of it in the center hole. If you want to place hanging icons from the center ribbon, leave a long tail.

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4. Glue the flap of the “umbrella” together with the ribbon in the center.

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5. Put together the “object” you will be placing on the mobile. For example, if you have the teddy bears, assemble each teddy bear individually. If you have the floral mobile, you can finger press the petals and make each flower individually. For my mobiles, I had 4 ribbons—the center ribbon, and three shorter ribbons. On each of the short ribbons, I hung two objects each. For the center, I hung 3 objects. So that is a total of  9 objects, right? But you have to DOUBLE that number, because you will want to make each object DOUBLE-SIDED since they will be floating. So I cut out 18 objects in total for each of my mobiles. Feel free to change up the number and size of your objects. (e.g. the scallop frame mobile only uses 3 frames so I only cut out 6 pieces in total).

If you left a long tail for the center ribbon, you can add you objects directly to that center ribbon. If you did not, you can always easily knot another piece of ribbon to the center knot. Place two or three objects on this center ribbon and space carefully. Glue one side of the object onto the ribbon first, then sandwich the ribbon by adding a second object.

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6. Add the other ribbons with either tape or hot glue. Be sure to space them into thirds if you are using three more ribbons. Add objects to these ribbons as well.

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And that’s it! It’s a lot of cutting and gluing but makes for an awesome project! Hope you have fun making these!

 

***NEW: Tutorial for putting together the airplane in the Airplane Mobile

I added this little tutorial because putting together the airplane (while not complicated) is a little hard to see in the photos. So here is how you put these together.

1. After cutting out all the pieces, you will want to add all the accent pieces as MIRROR IMAGES. Then fold the tail wings out. You can see that the tails on both cut out pieces are folded out to opposite sides. You need to put everything on as a mirror image so that you have accent pieces on BOTH sides of the airplane.

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2. To place the planes on the ribbon, you will sandwich the ribbon between the two planes. Glue together the sides without the accent pieces.

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3. You can add the wings at this point (with the ribbon sandwiched between the two planes) or you can do this before you add the plane to the ribbon.

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Here’s a final look at the airplane from the top view.

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Hopefully this helps you put together the airplane mobile!

Carina

PS. Other goings on at CGInc and ML : MiniLou Kickstarter Video, MiniLou Online Shop Opening, Release of my CartaBella line Circus Party

Links to my mobiles in the Silhouette Store

teddybearmobile sunstarmoonmobile scallopframemobile floralmobileairplanemobile_1

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Vellum Top Boxes for Silhouette

vellumtopcircleopeningboxThis week I made a bunch of these darling little vellum topped boxes. They make the cutest favor boxes and gift items. You can purchase them from the Silhouette Shop here.

All the boxes that work with this tutorial (and links!) are down at the bottom of this post.

Here’s how to put together these boxes:

 

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1. Cut out on Silhouette files. The main body of the box is shown in kraft paper. I used plain velum to go underneath the circle cut out on top, and a patterned blue paper for the accent panels.

2. Fold scored lines on the box. This creates a visual image of where your accent panels should be placed.

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3. Glue vellum or transparent paper to the INSIDE of your folds into the opening on the top to create a “peek-a-boo” window.

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4. Glue accent papers into place using adhesive. I used a glue gun to put it together quickly. A glue stick or glue dots would also work great.

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5. Finally, put glue on the flaps and attach the sides of the box to finish the box.

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And that’s it! It’s the best little party, wedding, or birthday favor box or treat box!

Happy crafting!
Carina

vellumtopbirdbox vellumtopbutterflybox vellumtopcircleopeningbox vellumtopdewbox vellumtopdinosaurbox vellumtopfloralopeningbox vellumtopscallopbox vellumtopsinglebracketbox vellumtoptulipbox vellumtopvinebox

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