Delayed Saturday Freebie

Just a quick note to say I have had terrible toothache all day (yes, I've been to the dentist and it's being treated), so there's no freebie today. Hopefully I can post it in the next day or two.

Apologies

Dan

Video Tutorial - Creating Paper Piecing Files from a Coloured Image using Inkscape software (free from inkscape.org)

Someone asked me for hints on how to do that, and I thought that making a video would the quickets and clearest way to do that!

This will work for both the Cricut with SCAL and the Craft Robo (and related machines). Just remember that Inkscape saves as SVG by default, so if you're a Robo user, remember that when you save your files, you'll need to choose "Save As..." and then select DXF as your file type from the drop down list at the bottom of the save menu.

I hope you find it useful! :)

Video Tutorial - JPG to SVG

I know there are several tutorials already out there on how to do this, but since someone asked me to do it, I thought I may as well give my take on it!

Although I use Paint Shop Pro in this video to get my image ready for tracing, all graphics packages these days have similar tools, so you shouldn't have too much trouble adapting it to your own program. It also demonstrates the basics of tracing an image in Inkscape. I hope you find it useful :)

I talk of saving the file as an SVG and cutting it on the Cricut in Sure Cuts a Lot, but obviously, you could also save it as a DXF file and cut it on the Craft Robo or related machines.

Saturday Freebie #31!

Coin Envelope and No glue Circle Flap Envelope

Following on from last week's freebies, I'm still in an envelope mood, so here are 2 more cute envelope designs for you to download!

You don't need me to tell you how useful these are, so I won't bother! I will remind you that they can be resized or stretched to cut any size you wish!

Again, these templates will be "live" for 1 week. Next Saturday, they will be taken down, and new ones will replace them. Don't forget, if you have any requests, pass them on! I can't promise, but I will take suggestions into account when planning future templates.

These files may not be uploaded to a group, forum or website for sale or redistribution, or shared among individuals. They are expressly for the personal use of each person that downloads them from this blog.

There are 2 files and I have put them into a zip file to make downloading easier. After saving it, open in the usual way, and drag the templates out onto your desktop or wherever you wish to save them.

There are 3 versions of each template:

• A printable version (PNG files) that you can import into a program like Word, then resize, print, cut out and use like any other paper template (these are NOT Word files, so don't use File/Open in Word! Use Insert/Picture to bring them into a Word document).
• An SVG version which can be imported into the Sure Cuts a Lot program and then cut out on your Cricut.
• A DXF version which is Craft Robo friendly, and ready to be imported into your Robomaster software (I'm not a Robo user, so if there are any problems with this, please let me know!)

Simply right click on the appropriate button below, and choose "save link..." or "save target..." and save your template!

Any feedback on the templates is more than welcome, and if you have any suggestions for possible future templates you'd like to see, please let me know! If you make anything using one of the templates, please post a link to it here so that others can be inspired by how you've used them!

I hope you like the templates - let me know how you get on! :)

Templates © dan99crafter@gmail.com 2008

Video Tutorial - Aperture Name Card in Inkscape

Following a couple of email requests, I decided to make a video showing how to make one of these cards in Inkscape. Soon after, someone else in one of the Cricut groups made a video on the same topic (great job Heidi!), so I changed my plans slightly. I'm still making the card, but I've included some stuff on how to use rulers and guides and a couple of methods to manipulate text so that the letters join up to make a continuous word.

Video Tutorial - Setting Inkscape's Default Page Properties

When I was making last night's video, I thought to myself "maybe some people will wonder how Inkscape always starts up with a 12x12 page on my computer" and thought I might do a short video on how to set that up. Then today, someone asked about that very thing, so I knew it was a good idea! :)

UPDATE April 2015
I received a comment on this post today, saying that this technique no longer works on Inkscape v. 0.91 (the current latest version at time of writing). I have stuck with version 0.48 ever since I installed it so I thought I'd better install the new version and check it out for myself! I installed v. 0.91 and the process for setting up the default page size to 12", as shown in the video below, still works just fine as far as I can see, it's worked for me anyway.

Video Tutorial - Creating Word Books in Inkscape

Following several questions in various groups I belong to, I've decided to make this video. There are several ways of making word books like these, so I stress that this is my way of doing it, others may do it differently! :) Although I mention Sure Cuts a Lot frequently during the video, obviously you could save your files as DXF and use them to cut on the Craft Robo or related machines.

If you want to see a full screen version of this, click here.

It was a *really* tight squeeze fitting this into the 10 minute limit, so I had to remove the title page and opening introductory comments, so forgive me for that! :)

Saturday Freebie #30!

How many envelopes does it take to change a lightbulb?*

[Edit - These files are no longer available here. Email me to find out how to access earlier designs!]

This week there are 3 cute envelope designs for you to download!

Obviously perfect for birthday and greetings cards, these envelopes could be used as the basis for an envelope book, or why not use them to hold photos or ephemera on a scrapbooking page?

Designed in the perfect proportions for cutting at A2 size, they can be resized or stretched to cut any size you wish, even square!

Again, these templates will be "live" for 1 week. Next Saturday, they will be taken down, and new ones will replace them. Don't forget, if you have any requests, pass them on! I can't promise, but I will take suggestions into account when planning future templates.

These files may not be uploaded to a group, forum or website for sale or redistribution, or shared among individuals. They are expressly for the personal use of each person that downloads them from this blog.

There are 3 files and I have put them into a zip file to make downloading easier. After saving it, open in the usual way, and drag the templates out onto your desktop or wherever you wish to save them.

There are 3 versions of each template:

• A printable version (PNG files) that you can import into a program like Word, then resize, print, cut out and use like any other paper template (these are NOT Word files, so don't use File/Open in Word! Use Insert/Picture to bring them into a Word document).
• An SVG version which can be imported into the Sure Cuts a Lot program and then cut out on your Cricut.
• A DXF version which is Craft Robo friendly, and ready to be imported into your Robomaster software (I'm not a Robo user, so if there are any problems with this, please let me know!)

Simply right click on the appropriate button below, and choose "save link..." or "save target..." and save your template!

Any feedback on the templates is more than welcome, and if you have any suggestions for possible future templates you'd like to see, please let me know! If you make anything using one of the templates, please post a link to it here so that others can be inspired by how you've used them!

I hope you like the templates - let me know how you get on! :)

Templates © dan99crafter@gmail.com 2008

Saturday Freebie #29!

A pocketful of .... pockets!
[These files are no longer available from this site. Email me for details on how to access earlier designs!]

After a break for the holidays, Saturday's free cutting files are back!

This week there are 3 cute library pockets for you to download!

Perfect for holding journaling cards on a scrapbook page, why not use them to add interactivity and dimension to your papercraft projects? They work wonderfully for holding gift cards or money inside a greetings card, or for tucking away a personal message inside a card or mini-book project!

There are 3 to choose from, a lattice, window or scallop versions. If you want a plain pocket, just cut the lattice or window pocket with the blackout feature!

Again, these templates will be "live" for 1 week. Next Saturday, they will be taken down, and new ones will replace them. Don't forget, if you have any requests, pass them on! I can't promise, but I will take suggestions into account when planning future templates.

These files may not be uploaded to a group, forum or website for sale or redistribution, or shared among individuals. They are expressly for the personal use of each person that downloads them from this blog.

There is only one file but I have put it into a zip file to make downloading easier. After saving it, open in the usual way, and drag the templates out onto your desktop or wherever you wish to save them.

There are 3 versions of each template:

• A printable version (PNG files) that you can import into a program like Word, then resize, print, cut out and use like any other paper template (these are NOT Word files, so don't use File/Open in Word! Use Insert/Picture to bring them into a Word document).
• An SVG version which can be imported into the Sure Cuts a Lot program and then cut out on your Cricut.
• A DXF version which is Craft Robo friendly, and ready to be imported into your Robomaster software (I'm not a Robo user, so if there are any problems with this, please let me know!)

Simply right click on the appropriate button below, and choose "save link..." or "save target..." and save your template!

Any feedback on the templates is more than welcome, and if you have any suggestions for possible future templates you'd like to see, please let me know! If you make anything using one of the templates, please post a link to it here so that others can be inspired by how you've used them!

I hope you like the templates - let me know how you get on! :)

Templates © dan99crafter@gmail.com 2008

Moo Two!

A friend asked me to make her one of my framed "moo" pictures for her for Christmas. I used the file I gave away here recently, but I couldn't post the finished result here in case she saw it, so here it is now!

The mount was cut on the Cricut using Sure Cuts a Lot, and then I created individual stamped pieces to go behind each "hole". The frame had a bit of space behind the glass, so I was able to fit in the metal embellishments!