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Photo Transfers |
by Jennifer Adkins, Jen Adkins Designs
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November is the perfect time to focus on family events. Sometimes it's places we go with the family and sometimes it's things we do together. This project is easy, quick (even quick enough for short attention spans of little helpers!), and cheap. What more can you ask for? So I want to share with you a great way to make your own translucent embellishments for your pages, cards, and altered art. You only need to gather a few things, and you'll be shocked at the results.
MATERIALS TO GATHER:
1) Small pictures - these need to be color copies, laser prints on plain white paper, or cutouts from a magazine
2) Transparent packing tape (or if you want to transfer larger objects you can use clear laminating sheets)
3) Bone folder (you can always use a finger if a bone folder is not available)
4) Scissors
5) Water |
THE STEPS:
1. Select your picture. It is very important that you use pictures that have been laser printed or color photocopied onto regular (not photo) paper. Inkjet prints will NOT work.
2. Apply the packing tape or laminate sheet to the face of the picture and trim off any excess edges. Burnish the tape to the print with the bone folder (or your finger) so no bubbles remain.
3. Place picture in warm water to soak for about 5 to 10 minutes. You want to see the white of the paper be completely saturated by the water.
4. Turn the picture wrong side up on the bottom of the sink or the counter. This is the perfect part for the kids to help! Start to rub at the paper on the back of the tape with your fingers. If it has soaked long enough it will start to pill up and will be easy to remove. You know you're done when none of the white paper fuzz remains. It may take awhile, so be persistent. You may need to rinse a few times during this process. At the end you will find the colored toner from the picture will have been transferred to the tape.
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5. When all the paper fuzz is gone you need to let the tape dry. I found it easiest to turn it sticky side up on the counter. You could blot with a towel, but you want the tape to stay "sticky". There may actually be enough adhesive from the tape remaining to stick to your layout. Otherwise attach with any adhesive you'd use for vellum or transparent accents. If you see some paper fuzz remains once your tape dries just wet it again and continue to rub it off.
Remember, anything that is white in color will disappear from your picture and will allow the background paper to show through! Play around with different background colors and patterns. I used copies of the tickets as a border (above). Take a closer look at this picture of the stadium. It was a 4” wide picture so I overlapped the tape strips, you can see a little “grunge” or “vintage” look in the middle of the field where the seam was. So come on, play with the technique, and enjoy! I’d love to see your creations in the gallery. |
LINK IT UP! |
Each month we will try to spotlight a favorite link in the crafting world that one or more of our designers love visiting! This month, I'd like to highlight Craft Weekly TV (www.crafttvweekly.com) which posts up a WEBISODES once a week! Each webisode takes your through a project, step by step, and is posted every Friday on their website! You can watch it weekly, or if you find you run out of time, you can go back and catch it in the archives! First time to the site? I would like to highlight two webisodes that showcase techniquest that I just love!
- July 6, Waterfall Fold by Tricia Morris. This Webisode really highlights the wonderful technique of doing a waterfall effect on your project, and how HANDY the Scor It board can make your project go faster! This will be great to use on the new Mini Scor It, now in the store!
- June 1, Circle Journal by Michelle Peard. What a great way to make a commemoritive journal amoung friends, and another great use for the Bind It All!
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Punch it, Cut it Or Bang it up |
by Chris Durnan, Visual Designs by Chris
Supplies Used:
Gold 36 guage Aluminum
Silver 36 guage Aluminum
Punch Tool
Thick Blade
“I love my KNK!” I see this posted in so many places when it comes to the discussion about cutters. I, myself, own a Klic-N-Kut and a CraftRobo. I started out with the CraftRobo and was pleasantly surprised at what it could do. When I ordered the KNK I wanted the sky to be the limit on what I could do, so I purchased the XL. Now let me be the first to tell you that it barely even fits on my counter, so I had my husband fashion a board that the KNK is affixed to and I can swing it out to have |
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more cutting room. By doing this, I now have the ability to use my 12x24 mat should the need arise. But for now I have been cutting on my 12x12 mat and I really like trying all the new things.
I am one of those people who really hates to read the manual. Of course in my valiant attempt to read it, I made it through the first few pages of the KNK manual and then I just set it aside. Now I’ll admit that I’ve had to ask a few questions, but pretty much I’ve just jumped on the treadmill and ran with it. For example, this past weekend I took some time to play and I cut metal, also known as tin and/or foil. I used the punch tool and the thick blade to trim and cut and see what it would do. Here are some of my experiences.
Metal is a very malleable material. I had to be careful not to bend, smash or add additional dents to it. But, by the same token, I cut a horseshoe and a star and realized I kind of liked the hammered look. So after being so careful to cut it without marring it, I decided to bend and crinkle it up anyways. I purchased the super thick blade thinking I would need it to cut the foil/tin, but when actually cutting I realized I didn’t even need it. I played around with my pressure setting when cutting , but kept my speed at 25. I found the pressure at 400 crucified the metal. At 240 the pressure still kinked the corners a little. I was extremely happy with the results of 190-220. If the star appeared to just be scored on the metal and not cut all the way though, I just did another cut on top of it and it cut it perfectly. Over all I have to say I was very pleased with the results. They were way beyond my expectations.
Using the punch tool with the metal took a little thinking on my part. First of all, (and crucial learning mistake on my behalf) make sure you place your origin point within the rollers. My tin ended up with a beautiful roller pattern right across my star design. Needless to say that was a lesson learned. I did a little research on settings and with some outside input (because of course I haven’t picked up the KNK manual since I put it down), I used the drill settings and the pounce feature in the Cutting Defaults. I also set the Dash setting to .02 and the Space setting to 0.25. Make sure you then hit Save Default, otherwise you end up with a really nicely cut star and you have to start all over again (Hit Save Default, Hit Save Default, a lesson I am still trying to learn!) I didn’t use a mat under my metal, but I did use the rubber strip that came with the punch tool. I also used pressure of 160-190. Other than the roller marks on my star. I was very pleased with the results. Right away I could think of several great ideas/uses for this tool and then enters the hubby, who came up with his own list of ideas too!
All in all I have to say it was a great experimental playtime with my big yellow “bee” sitting next to me. I would highly recommend reading the manual for any machinery you own, but for me, I’m just more of the type of person that learns from hands on experience. This being said, I am also a great believer in taking the time to try lots of different things before you cut what you really NEED to have cut. This way you aren’t worried when you ruin something.
I hope over the holidays you come up with some great ideas for cutting with your own personal cutter. For those with the machines that can, I highly recommend you jump right into cutting metal/tin/foil made to be used with your cutter. This adventure lead me to great ways and ideas to put my KNK to use and now I’ll be on the hunt for some leather and foam to try next. Enjoy!
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Freebies for You! |
For a limited time, these files will be available for you to download for you to use! Make sure you snag them right away! These files will only be available for a few days before they are removed from the newsletter and added to the store! All files offered here are term restricted, limited to use as detailed in each individual Terms of Use, which is included in each downloaded file. They are not free to be posted elsewhere, or shared in any manner other then that specified in the terms! If you are unsure of the terms of use, please see each Designer's BIO, where their terms of use are posted for you to preview!
SPECIAL THANKS to BarbWire Designs, Carrie's Creations, Sam & Hailey's Designs, and Diana's Designs for offering these great files for a limited time! Please take a moment to visit their stores online!
 
 
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Funtime Scrapbooking: Toolbar Facts |
by Lori McDonald, Beloved Keepsakes
I have been very busy in the past couple of weeks, trying to provide some great information and tools for all of you that use the Funtime Scrapbooking and WinPC for Scrapbooking programs to create your die cut files! A week ago, I put together a step by step tutorial on creating a welded word and mat in the Funtime Scrapbooking software! You can find that great step by step guide by CLICKING HERE!
This month, I take it a step further by providing you with a quick fact sheet of all the toolbar buttons and what they are used for! Print it out and tack it up near your computer, as it's a quick and easy reference in guiding your through the main tools! You'll find this a very handy reference guide, no matter which version of the software you own! CLICK HERE for the quick print sheet!
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