Craft Room Organization

Roll up those sleeves and get organizing your creative space.  No matter how large or small, a few simple bins, baskets or drawers and you will transform your craft area into something that will work better for you! When things are organized...the creative juices seem to flow more freely...and we all LOVE that!

Old Cassette Tape Racks

Before you throw out ANY kind of old organizers, make sure you aren't throwing away something that can be used to organize your work area.  Using an old cassette tape shelf/rack, I was able to neatly arrange all of my stamp pads into one convenient area.  I no longer have to search through a drawer or bin...they are all right there at a glance and easy to access.  

Paper stackers & bins

I found that using my stacking paper racks can be used for more than just paper.  By adding a few bins of assorted sizes, I transformed a small 10X12 section of my counter top into a LARGE accessory area.  

Filing Crates = Cricut Cartridge Organizers

Stacking these crates on their end, you can fit 16 cartridges in each crate.  Two cartridges fit perfectly stacked.  I cut a piece of chipboard to act as a shelf in between the two layers.  The chipboard helped to keep the top row of cartridges in place when I removed one from the lower level.  

Peg Board

Ok...so pegboard is NOT just for the garage any more!  I secured a 6'X8' piece to my wall...BEST THING EVER.  Of course I could not leave it the plain brown so I painted it black, which makes it really stand out.  I use it to organize my ribbon (both fabric & curling), tools, cutters, cutting mats, tulle, etc.  I was able to purchase some metal shelves from a scrapbook store that was closing and they make PERFECT shelves for keeping all my fabric ribbon neat and tidy.  I also love this method because when I run out of a certain color/style, replenishing that spool is so much easier than when I had them all on dowels. THAT was a PAIN! 

Drawers and Labeler

A place for everything...and everything in it's place.  These drawers are a lifesaver for keeping things neat and organized, but not only for me, but they also help my assistants in cleaning up and getting items put away correctly.  Nothing puts a "wrench" in the creating like not knowing where something has been placed.  Label the drawers, then NOTHING goes in the drawer except for what is on the label and clean up is a breeze! 

TOO many Cricut Cartridges???

(Welcome to my world...LOL)

I had tried to figure a way to keep all of my cartridges accessible, yet try and compact the area in which all my cartridges were occupying.  Like mentioned above, the filing crates work great...that is unless you are a cartridge addict like myself and then you become over-run with them! :)  I had heard of tearing the fronts of the boxes off and filing them with the book and overlay (YES...there are those who actually do that!  YIKES...NO WAY FOR ME...I could no more massacre those cute little boxes that I could part with any of them!!!).  Then I had heard of putting the book, overlay and cartridge in baggies and hanging them on dowels or a "Clip-It-Up" organizer.  Both are great ideas if you have a limited supply of cartridges.  BUT...again...I am the "ADDICT" and storing nearly 200 cartridges was becoming a stressful thing.  

Well, after a few weeks of trying this and trying that, I finally came up with something that works...at least for me.  I purchased a large Sterilite, 3 drawer organizer on wheels.  I took all of the books, cartridges and overlays out of their boxes.  I carefully stored away all the cartridge boxes.  As you can see from the photos, I arranged the books and overlays in alphabetical order.  2 rows of 40 fit in each drawer...times 3 drawers...hahaha...equals plenty of room for current cartridges PLUS room for lots of new ones!  Now for the cartridge storage.  I cut 2 pieces of plexi-glass for each drawer, placed velcro on the plexi-glass AND the back of each cartridge, arranged them alphabetically and the plexi-glass pieces lay right on top of the books perfectly.  The drawer organizer rolls neatly under my Cricut table and TA-DA...I just freed up 3'X8' area in my design center! 

CHA

Only 2 weeks until CHA in Anaheim, CA.  It is, by far, the best sneak peek at the upcoming product releases for the crafting industry.  I have always referred to it as the "Super Bowl" of crafting! :)  

Last year was very influential and I was able to plan ahead for some of my television segments.  Only problem I had, was finding the "latest and greatest" in stores when the manufacturers had promised.  

Hoping that this year's show will be just as informative and idea sparking as last year.  I will be taking lots of pictures and videos to share with all, so not to worry if you aren't able to attend. So excited...cannot wait!  

BONUS...enjoying some warmer weather!!! YEAH!!!   

Jewelry Box Wall Art

 January 12, 2011

by Wendy Switzer

Supplies:

·         Shadow box frames “Timeless” – 2, unpainted 16X20

·         Spray paint – with added texture/flecking

·         Cricut Machine – mats, spatula, etc.

·         Cricut Cartridges – “Pagoda” & a font cartridge of your choice

·         Vinyl – 2 colors, your choice

·         Transfer tape

·         Acrylic paint – to coordinate with spray paint and vinyl colors

·         Paint brush

·         Hinges - 3

·         Screwdriver

·         Magnetic closure

·         Upholstery tacks – 20-30

·         E6000 glue

·         Wall hanging kit

Instructions:

1)     Start by removing backing from frames, removing glass and anything else that is in the frame.  You want the bare frame. You will be using ALL of the shadow box frame contents, so do not throw anything away at this point.

2)     Spray paint entire surfaces of the 2 frames and set aside to completely dry.  While your frame is drying you can prepare the remaining portions of the project. 

3)     Using your Cricut machine and “Pagoda” cartridge, cut out 3 -   on your vinyl.  1 at 14” and 2 at 11”.  The location on your keypad for this design is THIRD ROW DOWN, THIRD KEY FROM THE LEFT.  The size of your design will vary depending upon the size of your frames.  If you are using the 16X20 size frames, then the size indicated will work for your project.

4)     Next cut, from vinyl, will be 5 - . Cut 1 at 14” and 4 at 6”.  The location on your keypad for this design is THIRD ROW DOWN, NINTH KEY FROM THE LEFT + SHIFT KEY. 

5)     Weed out your vinyl, press transfer tape onto all designs, burnish with bone folder, peel back and apply LARGEST shapes to right lower corner of your FRAME GLASS.  Burnish and carefully peel back the transfer tape.  NOTE: Apply your branch designs before you apply your flower design.  

6)     Cut out a thought or words of inspiration and add them to the glass where desired.

7)     There is a large chipboard backing that comes with each frame.  Use the acrylic paint and paint brush to paint one of them.  You do not need to cover it completely.  You can abstractly paint it for a “white-washed” look, as we did in the picture.  Set aside to dry.

8)     Once the spray paint has dried on your frames, secure them together using 3 decorative hinges. NOTE: You want to join the frames together so that BOTH of the front sides are UP.  So in other words you are joining the frames in the same order you would find them stacked on a shelf in a store.  You may want to spray paint these if the color of the hinge does not blend well.

9)     Add your magnetic closure to the right, insides of the frames.

10)  Add glass back into the top frame.  Place your painted chipboard in next…painted side visible from the front.  Next place one of the cardboard shadow box forms inside.  Now, you will bend the frame tabs in and over the form to secure everything in place.  You can touch up any areas that need to have a little paint added.

11)  In the bottom frame place the cardboard shadow box form and then the chipboard behind.  Secure in place with provided tabs.

12)  Add smaller vinyl branches and flowers to one corner of each cardboard form (insides of frames).

13)  Decide where you want your jewelry hooks to be and how many.  Measure out and mark lightly with a pencil. 

14)  One by one, dip each tip of the upholstery nail into the E6000 and poke into the cardboard form.  DO NOT push all the way in.  Leave a good size space between the head of the nail and the form.  Let dry over night.

Month in a Frame

"CRICUT WEDNESDAY"

SEGMENT #1

 January 5, 2011

by Wendy Switzer

Supplies:

·         Large rectangular frame 11 ¾” X 36”

·         Cricut machine, mat, accessories, etc

·         Cricut cartridges “Designer’s Calendar” & “George”

·         Cricut font cartridge of your choice.

·         Cricut Design Studio or Gypsy (optional)

·         Vinyl

·         Transfer tape

·         Button magnets ½”-¾”, strong hold - 9

·         Magnet strips

·         Chipboard – white (or reg. chipboard painted white)

·         Paper cutter

·         Decorative cardstock – seasonal

·         Metal sheeting or metal shingles

·         Bone folder

·         Dry erase markers

Instructions:

1)     Remove backing & matting from frame.

2)     Cut a piece of metal sheeting to fit into frame.  Set aside. 

3)     NOTE: All vinyl will be applied to the front/outside of your frame’s glass.

4)     Cut the circle calendar mat from “Designer’s Calendar”.  If you have Design Studio or Gypsy, you can weld the days of the weeks abbreviation’s at the top of each column of circles. 

5)     Weed out your vinyl, press transfer tape onto design, burnish with bone folder, peel back and apply to left side of frame.  Make sure you have it placed evenly.  Burnish once again and carefully peel back the transfer tape.

6)     Next, use the “George and Basic Shapes” cartridge and select the “silhouette” feature.  Cut out seven 6” vertical rectangles. ”.  If you have Design Studio or Gypsy, you can weld the first letter of each day to the upper left inside corner of each rectangle. Prepare to apply them to the front of the frame as you did in step 4.

7)     Cut out the words “This Week” at 1 ½”.  ”.  If you have Design Studio or Gypsy, you can weld the letters and stretch them horizontally.  Prepare to apply them to the front of the frame as you did in step 4.

8)     Next cut out twelve ½” circles.  These will be the side design for your “This Week” title. Prepare to apply them to the front of the frame as you did in step 4.

9)     Next, use your font cartridge to cut out the following letters in vinyl.  If the letter has stars after it, you will need to cut multiples of that letter.  Cut that letter out as many times as there are starts (example: if the letter is followed by 3 stars, you will need THREE of that letter). 

 Capital letters at 1 ½”: A, D, J, M,N,O,S & F.  Lower case letters at ¾”: a**, b, c, e***, g, h, i, l, m, n, o, p, r**, s, t, u**, v & y.

10)  Weed out letters and prepare to apply them onto your chipboard squares.  I found it easier to peel off the letters and apply them one by one, rather than using the transfer tape.  The transfer tape might stick to the chipboard too much and peel off your chipboard surface.

11)  Cut out chipboard squares 2”X2”.  You will need to cut 31.

12)  Apply vinyl letters to the squares. One letter per square.

13)  Cut 1” pieces of your magnet strip and add a strip to the back of each chipboard letter.

14)  Place some decorative paper behind your circle calendar (backside of glass and inside of frame) and behind the rectangles.  You can use a little repositionable adhesive to hold them in place.  You can switch out the decorative paper each month to create a coordinating or seasonal look. You can also add personal pictures to dress it up a bit. 

15)  Place metal sheeting in frame and replace frame backing.

16)  Place button magnets above the “This Week” saying and spell out that month with your chipboard letters.  You can also create images, for each month, to go on either side of the monthly title.

17)  Use the dry erase marker to fill in the dates on your calendar and your events in your “This Week’s” rectangles.

 ***The metal in the picture shows up as a greenish color for some reason. It really is silver metal***

Gift Card Holders

 December 22, 2010

by Wendy Switzer

Supplies:

·         Card Stock – Dbl sided

·         Card stock - coordinating

·         Copy Paper

·         Adhesive runner

·         Ink – black or brown

·         Glue dots

·         Glue lines

·         Velcro

·         Corner rounder punch

·         1” circle punch

·         Bone folder

·         Greetings stamps

·         Embellishments

·         Edge punches

Instructions:

INSIDES

1.     Depending on the number of gift cards you are giving, you will duplicate the inside “pockets” as many times as needed to accommodate your gift cards.  You can have the holder vertical or horizontal (both directions are included).

2.     VERTICAL: Cut copy paper 5”X4”.  On the 5” side, score and fold 1 ½” in from one side and 1 ¼” in from the other side.  Score and fold ¾” up from the bottom. Cut out corner pieces from the bottom (as shown in photos).  Fold sides in first and place adhesive along the edge of the shorter side and secure longer side by pressing it down on top of the adhesive.  Use corner rounder punch to round the corners of the bottom flap.  Secure with adhesive. 

3.     HORIZONTAL: Cut copy paper 7 ½” X 2 ½”.  On the long side, score and fold 2 ¼” in from one side and 1 ¾”  in from the other side.  Score and fold ¼” up from the bottom. Cut out corner pieces from the bottom (as shown in photos).  Fold sides in first, then place adhesive along the edge of the shorter side and secure longer side by pressing it down on top of the adhesive.  Use corner rounder punch to round the corners of the bottom flap.  Secure bottom flap up onto the pocket with adhesive. 

4.     Using your circle punch, punch part of a circle in the open ends of each “pocket”.  DO NOT punch out the entire circle.  You want about 1/3 of the circle punched.  Punch just enough of a circle so that it creates a “thumb & finger” pull area to grip the card when pulling it out.

5.     VERTICAL COVER: Cut a piece of cardstock so it measures 7 ¾” X 2 ¼”.  Along the longest side make the following score marks: 3 3/8”, 3 ½”, 6 7/8” & 7”.  Make crisp folds along each of your scoring lines. 

6.     HORZONTAL COVER: Cut a piece of cardstock so it measures 5 ½” X 3 ¾”.  Along the longest side make the following score marks: 2 ¼”, 2 3/8”, 4 5/8” & 4 ¾”.  Make crisp folds along each of your scoring lines. 

7.     For both covers:  In the small area between the two largest areas, place a glue line.

8.     Next, place all of your gift cards into their own pockets and gather the bottom edges so that they are all even.  Gently press them into the glue line.  Press firmly on the tops of the gift cards to give a little added pressure to secure them into the glue line.

9.     Decorate the outside as desired.

10.  You can secure the flap with a small piece of Velcro, a button and some string, a snap, etc.  DO NOT use magnets for the flap.  The magnet could react with the magnetic strip and erase or damage information on your gift cards. You can use a decorative edge punch to punch a piece of coordinating paper and adhere under the flap for an added texture and look.

11.  You can add a decorative band to secure your holder closed.  Band size will be the same whether you create a horizontal or vertical.  Cut cardstock 1” X 5”.  Wrap around your holder and secure with adhesive.  Make sure you make is a little loose so that it slides on and off easily.  Option: you can layer another color onto your band, just cut a coordinating color ¾” X 5” and adhere it to the 1” piece before you fold and secure.

12.  Add a message stamp, embellishments, etc. and you are ready to give your gift cards in style!

OPTION:

1.     You can turn your horizontal gift holder into a purse by adding a handle and some bling.

Affordable Christmas Gifts

SEGMENT #1

 December 8, 2010

Custom Decorative Plates

by Wendy Switzer

Supplies:

·         Ceramic Plate (with decorative raised areas)

·         Stickles - gold

·         Gold & Red vinyl OR decorative stickers

·         Cricut Machine

·         Transfer tape

·         Cricut Cartridges “Christmas”, “Joys of the Season” & “Trim the Tree” OR letter stickers

·         Plate rack or metal easel

·         Bone folder or popsicle stick

Instructions:

1)     Wash and dry plates completely

2)     Using the gold vinyl, cut a tree out that will be just 1” smaller than the center of your plate.

3)     Weed out all of the unnecessary vinyl pieces, leaving behind only the tree image.

4)     Press transfer tape onto your image.  Peel image away from the vinyl backing.

5)     Press image onto plate and using a bone folder, or popsicle stick, rub vigorously to transfer your image onto the plate.  Remove transfer tape slowly.  If image pieces peel up with your tape, press down again and firmly go over that area again. 

6)     Once you have your image in place, do the same technique with your saying and place it on top of your tree image.

7)     Use your gold Stickles to outline any raised or decorative areas around the plate edge.  Let dry completely.  Drying time varies with the temperature conditions, but usually is set in about an hour.  


This is a GREAT way to give a personalized gift without looking homemade. 

Total Gift Cost:  Plate $1.00, Stickles $4.99, 2 yards Vinyl $7.00 (Stickles & Vinyl will do 9 plates) Ea plate $2.33

SEGMENT #2

 December 8, 2010

Copping Plate Makeover

by Wendy Switzer

Supplies:

·         Ceramic chopping plate/spoon rest

·         Alcohol inks – lt. green, dk. Green & silver

·         Alcohol ink applicator & pads

·         Vinyl - Silver

·         Transfer Tape

·         Cricut Machine

·         Cricut cartridge “Storybook”

·         Isprophyl alcohol

·         Paper towel

·         Wired ribbon – silver

·         Bone folder

·         Metal easel

Instructions:

1)     Apply 4-5 drops of light green alcohol ink to your applicator pad. 

2)     Dab ink around the entire surface of the plate.

3)     Apply dark green in the same method.  Use sparingly and apply in a random pattern

4)     Apply silver ink in the same manner, only do not seek to apply to entire area.  You want the silver to be randomly places so as to give the effect of marble or granite when you are finished.  NOTE: if you do not like the look when you are done, you can simply spray with alcohol and rub with a paper towel to remove the ink and start over.

5)     Using the silver vinyl, cut your letters “NOEL”.  Weed out any unnecessary pieces of vinyl, apply transfer tape, peel letters away, press onto chopping plate and burnish with bone folder.  Peel back transfer tape.

6)     Add a bow to the side and place into a metal easel. 

             Total Cost: Chopping Plate  $3, Alcohol Inks $10 (MANY plates per bottle), ribbon $1  Each plate about $4.50

Wood Medium and the Cricut

My guest on today's show was Howard Fullmer.  He lectures & teaches at a local college.   He also designs and builds sets for infomercials and films. Howard is a very talented designer and I was very impressed by his eye for creativity.  I recently had the wonderful opportunity to work with him while filming Provo Crafts "Creative DVD Series" (www.4cricutdvd.com).  Howard and I both were hosts of instructional DVD's that centered around the Cricut machine.  Howard, also, has an amazing sense of humor!  He used this humor to keep us rolling with laughter while we endured long hours on the set.  What an amazing experience this was.

SEGMENT #1
Howard shared with us how he used veneer wood in the Cricut machine to create a beautiful inlaid effect.  By using two different colors of wood "paper", he cut the same image then simply exchanged pieces back and forth until he had created the look desired. Once this process is complete, you can sand it smooth, stain it, seal it and you have created something unique and stunning!

SEGMENT #2
My creation came from taking a Christmas tree cut out and tracing it onto a piece of pine wood.  I then used a jigsaw to carefully cut out the delicate tree.  I smoothed the edges with sandpaper and an electric sander, painted the tree, sanded the edges again to remove a small amount of paint along the edges and stained the entire tree.  I cut ornaments from 40 gauge metal, used alcohol inks to add a bit of color to them and secured them to the tree.

Using your own creativity and experimenting with different mediums, can expand your Cricut's ability.

HAVE FUN!