Gigi Cat Halloween Card in Vinyl

I loved the animation Kiki’s Delivery Service which featured a cat who had to pretend it was toy, and stay still even though a dog was nearby. In this scene only his eyes are warily moving which only made it funnier. I imagined it would make a great Halloween card with the inside greeting “Watch out! Halloween is coming!” Some readers have asked to see what the process is like to cut vinyl and assemble. In this case, since I made more than a few, it is best to cut many of the same shapes at the same time to save time and material (even though it’s reclaimed scraps of vinyl).
The 110 lb weight of black card stock was purchased at Opus, an art supply store and cut down to 10×7, then folded to 5×7. The paper came with the deckled edge, which I thought was appropriate for a spooky feeling.
Red Bow: Small shapes like the circle in the middle of the bow get plucked up while removing unwanted areas.
White Eyes/Ears: I flipped them upside down and amongst each other to again save material.
Body: The plus signs you see all over the place are registration marks. They help me align all these elements, which can be difficult to see through when using transfer tape. Transfer tape is like masking tape – less tacky, but tackier than the vinyl. After placing this tape on each element at a time, rub to pick up all elements, then put into position on the body, then remove transfer tape. The shiny black vinyl on matte black card stock is a wonderful effect, kind of like the Black Magic box of chocolates.

How to make Christopher’s Crimper from Lego

After many requests and serious consideration, my 10 yr old nephew Christopher is proud to show how to make his wonderful quilling crimper from lego pieces, from the “Lego Crazy Action Contraption” book by Klutz. The most important pieces like gears and handles were hard to find elsewhere. We hope this helps those who have physical challenges in using conventional crimpers. Just click on the photos to enlarge.

1) All the parts needed

2) Gear and handle

3) Bottom

4) Back

5) Top

6) Front

7) Complete

Crimping

Birthday Cards in Vinyl

Saving these scraps of vinyl from the landfill gives me a total thrill because something so nice can be made from nothingness – kind of like a MacGyverism. Still learning which fine lines don’t cut well on vinyl. I was shocked brushed metal (kind of like heavy duty aluminum foil sticker material) is offered in vinyl and couldn’t wait to use it on the blue card – it just made it!

I used Adobe Illustrator to layout the elements, and Sillhouette/Craft Robo to cut vinyl, then manually aligned as straight as possible. The vector illustrations are free and found via these links: Lovely Flowers / Happy Space Pack

Die Cut Dragonflies

I envisioned a dragonfly cut from translucent paper to allow light to pass through the wings. The wings are supported by a base to give it varying heights. The body is glued on top and the tail is slight curved, which hubby assures me is more realistic (he knows from catching enough of them). I wonder if it would make a nice mobile or wall art – fragile though.