December Daily - foundation pages and cover

Here are my foundation pages and cover, ready just in time for December. Yay!

 

Lots of firsts for me here - first DD album and also my first binding project with my Bind-It-All, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I thought about painting the chipboard cover but in the end decided I quite liked the unfinished look.

My pages are 8.5" x 5.5". I kept the base for each page really simple, just white cardstock, with a simple green frame that I printed on each one. (Actually I printed 2 to a page then cut them in half with my trimmer.) My basic layout for each page is pretty much the same, with the number in the corner. I used the general idea of frame + number from Ali Edwards' templates, but wanted to adapt them to incorporate my own ideas.

Most of the papers and chipboard accents are from My Mind's Eye, from the Snowed In collection (not available anymore, but just in case someone is curious!)

On the front cover I also used pearl accents and letter stickers from Making Memories. You'll see more of those letter stickers below, along with some blue glittery ones (also Making Memories). The numbers and the shapes were all cut using my Slice - mostly the Mistletoe and Fa La La design cards.

This post explains a bit more about how I approached my December Daily project.

So - here are my foundation pages. I stopped at 24 because I want to do something different for Christmas Day. You can click on any image to see a larger version.

~ Caroline ~

December Daily - a first attempt!

For the past couple of years I have watched various people's takes on Ali Edwards' December Daily album project (including Ali herself), and I've thought what a great project that would be to work on!

So this year, in spite of recently starting a new full-time job, I've (slightly insanely) decided that 2011 is The Year for me to step into the December Daily boat.

Due to my weakness for scrap-hoarding, I decided to shop my stash and build myself a DD kit that'll form the basis of what I'll use. This is what's in my kit so far:

I'm going to be slightly lenient with myself if I need to dip into anything else I have, but I'll try hard not to actually spend any money on anything new!

Of course, my trusty Slice is also accompanying me on this journey, in particular the Mistletoe and Fa La La design cards:

I'll post some pictures of my foundation pages in the next day or so - before the start of December! :)

~ Caroline ~

Christmas cards with the Mistletoe design card

I'm trying to be organized and get the bulk of my Christmas cards made by the end of the Thanksgiving weekend - we'll see how it goes! For those who know me personally, you might be getting one of these cards in the mail sometime in the next month. :) I've picked a simple, repeatable design so I can more easily make lots of cards on my "production line". I'm using a tag from the Mistletoe design card which is one of several Christmas-themed design cards for the Slice.

If I'm making cards in bulk, I find it easier to take it in stages. I cut out a lot of the tags from my Cloud 9 Design patterned paper, and printed the background onto my kraft cardstock which I then cut and folded:

Here's a picture of the finished card with the tag (attached with adhesive foam) and the red and white baker's twine which I love:

I've just about worked my way through this batch so I'll start the cycle again with more Slicing and printing. Then I have to write and send them! :)

~ Caroline ~

Quick wedding card

Well folks, it's been a while since I posted (partly due to a trip to Europe to visit the family) but I wanted to share this card with you so you know I'm still around! :)

The Making Memories Je t'Adore collection is great for any romantic-themed projects. Here is a quick card I put together for a wedding. I didn't even use my Slice! (Very unusual for me...)

For the base I cut a strip from the Pattern Stripe paper, and the polka dots come from the B side of the Tres Jolie Brocade paper.

I hand-cut the Amour heart from the Heart Doilies paper using decorative scissors which had a similar scalloped edge to the heart on the paper.

Then I stapled two Vintage Tickets using a pink staple.

Just something quick and easy using these pretty papers!

~ Caroline ~

Adjusting settings to emboss

Just a quick and handy tip for you today. The embossing tips for the Slice give you yet another way to make the most of the shapes on your design cards. The tips work with any of the cards, and the kit comes with three different-sized tips so you can choose how thin/thick you'd like the embossing lines to be.

If you have the hands-free kit then you already have an embossing mat - the back of the cutting mat! I highly recommend the hands-free kit (as I have done on numerous other occasions) and for the embossing it's every bit as useful as for the cutting.

Removing the blade so you can insert one of the embossing tips is easy with the adjustment wrench.

Once you've picked which design card you want to use, make sure you adjust the setting on your Slice machine so it's in embossing mode:

Click on Settings:

Instead of homing the blade on the next screen, click the right double-headed arrow:

Make sure your speed is set to low (use the regular arrow key to toggle the speed):

Click on the double-headed arrow again and adjust the cutting mode to embossing/drawing:

Now you're all set - press Menu and start embossing!

Your Slice will remember which cutting mode you are in as long as the machine is left switched on. If you change to a different design card without turning off your Slice, you will still be in embossing/drawing mode, so make sure you follow the steps above to switch it back to cutting mode if you want to start cutting again. If you turn your Slice off and then want to do more embossing, you'll need to follow the steps to set it back to embossing mode as the machine defaults to cutting in that setting.

Have fun with your Slice this week!

~ Caroline ~

Remember This journal

Today I'm showing you some of the lovely shapes on the Remember This Slice design card. I decided to do something a little different with this project, and I made a small creative journal that I haven't yet written in. I just wanted to have it ready for when I do write, and it's just going to be a place where I can jot down a few thoughts and ideas. Plus, because it's ring bound, I can always add more pages if I want to, so it's flexible if I decide I want more space.

All the Slice shapes that I cut out come from the Remember This design card, and for the paper and embellishments I used the Making Memories Paper Reverie (Brun Antique) collection. The 12x12 papers are double-sided so this was a great way to use both sides at the same time. Sometimes it's so hard to choose!

I layered the ribbons to create a border with some texture at the bottom, then I layered the butterflies to add dimension. I cut the title with my Slice. I covered the rings with ribbon then adhered the ends with glue runner - I wanted a bit of sparkle in the project...:) The ribbon doesn't go all the way around the rings; I left some space so the pages would still open ok.

Here are some pictures of the inside and some of the techniques I used:

Most of the pages are 4"x6" (in case I want to add some regular photos that would be "full page" size) but I also incorporated pages from one of the Paper Reverie journaling books.

I used one of the Paper Reverie ephemera stickers for "discover" then cut out the border from the Remember This design card to frame it. I adhered it with pop dots also.

I cut out the speech bubble then inked it before adhering it with pop dots. This makes the edges much more defined so it doesn't get lost on the page.

I picked a journaling page with the same paper pattern as the top page, to bring the design of both pages together.

Repeating a shape can be good way to reinforce a theme. The multiple speech bubbles look like a conversation, and I know I want to make use of that when I write on this page.

Sometimes just a single word can be useful as a prompt when journaling. "Moments."

I used several of the Paper Reverie ephemera stickers on this page, for the journaling tag and the tabs in each corner.

The shadow feature on the MS+ design cards is a great way to add emphasis and weight to a shape.

May your creative wings take flight this week!

~ Caroline ~

Preparing to cut with the Slice

The Slice is an easy-to-use machine, but here are a few simple tips to make sure that you get the cuts you want!

Make sure your cutting mat is clean and sticky. Sounds confusing, right? :) This is what I mean. You need to have the right amount of repositionable adhesive on there to hold the paper in place. But you also need to make sure the mat is clean from any leftover pieces from previous cuts. I always remove those tiny pieces with my Slice spatula. I try not to get my fingers all over the mat because fingermarks can make it less sticky, and the spatula just makes the task a whole lot easier anyway.

Make sure the paper is properly adhered to the mat. Some papers and materials will need a bit more persuading to stick to the mat than others. The Slice brayer can really help make sure everything is smooth (and having a clean mat first also helps with this too).

I highly recommend the Slice hands-free kit. I did not know just how much I would love it until I tried it! It frees up your hands but it means your Slice cuts better too.

Make sure your Slice machine is charged... or that you have the power cable with you! Only on one frustrating occasion did I go to a crop with my Slice and forget the power cable. I still got a ton of Slicing done before the battery needed a recharge, but I wanted to do more! Take it from me: pack the cable when you pack your Slice. :)

Make sure your blade is sharp and/or that you have an extra blade handy. You don't want to be slowed down once you're into the swing of Slicing!

If you want more Slice tips, projects and ideas, make sure you become a fan of the Slice Facebook page!

~ Caroline ~

The Great Outdoors Design Card

Recently my husband got some new fishing gear, and I thought these photos would make great subject matter to showcase The Great Outdoors Design Card!

I really wanted the pictures to be the focus on the page, so I didn't want too many colors in the palette that I chose. This is why I started with neutral cardstock, although I did stamp a flower design along the top and bottom using one of the Making Memories Panorama Clear Stamps and yellow chalk ink. It's subtle, but it's there and it catches the light to add some visual interest.

I printed my photos in one block, then used some scraps I had from Making Memories Panorama paper and a sticker from the Panorama Word Fetti at the bottom as an embellishment.

Now on to the Slicing! I cut the title from more Panorama paper. For the first part I used the font on The Great Outdoors Design Card with the letters at 1". I cut the word "fishing" at 4".

The hook was cut at 2" which is the smallest cut size for this shape, even though I know it's a bit large for my fish. :) For the fishing line I used... fishing line!

I cut the fish from Making Memories Dilly Dally paper, the smallest ones at 1" then one at 2" and one at 3". However, if you look at the shapes available for The Great Outdoors, you'll notice this fish is in a square box in the original design.

I didn't want the box part, and I knew after a test run that the Slice cuts the fish first and then the box. This made it easy to lift the Slice off the cutting mat once the fish was cut out, and not include the box in my cut. It's always worth noticing what your Slice is up to while it's cutting, and sometimes it's really useful to be able to adapt the shapes in this way.

Happy cutting, fellow Slicers! Don't forget to become a fan of the Slice Facebook page for more tips and project ideas.

~ Caroline ~

The Life of the Blade

If you've been using your Slice for a while, you have probably needed to change the blade at some point. (I wrote about how to do that on this post.) How long a blade lasts will ultimately depend on what you're cutting. Here are a few tips to make your blades last as long as possible!

• The Slice Elite has been designed to cut even more deeply and precisely than its predecessor. I've experimented with a variety of different materials including vellum, fabric and glitter cardstock. But you do need to have a sharp blade. You'll find that if you're cutting a lot of thicker, denser materials then the blade will need to be replaced more quickly than if you're just cutting regular paper. But it's very fun to experiment. :)
• For thicker materials, or if you find your Slice isn't cutting quite so well, you might want to try adjusting the blade pressure. This video will show you how. This is less necessary with the Slice Elite but you might find it useful sometimes.
• Make sure your paper etc. is well-adhered to the cutting mat (check out the Making Memories Brayer for the Slice to help you with this!) You want to ensure that the paper doesn't move or bunch up while you're cutting, which could make extra work for the blade and the Slice machine itself.
• If you do need to change your blade then check out this video for how to do it - it's easy!

Click here to become a fan of the Slice Facebook page to make sure you stay up to date on new tips and projects.

Happy cutting, Slicers!

~ Caroline ~