Oct
29
Posted by Cristy
Personal die cutters are gaining popularity by leaps and bounds! You all know my favorite is the Craft Robo but, most of my scrapbooking friends have the Cricut. And now they all have the Sure Cuts a Lot software, better known as SCAL, which works with the Cricut.
Haven’t heard about SCAL, click here to learn more!
SCAL reads SVG files. For those familiar with PhotoShop and Illustrator it is very easy to save a file in SVG format. For those who don’t have access to these programs I’d like to offer my services!
First I’d like for you to know that all my paper piecing patterns are available in various formats including SVG. You can find patterns at The Shop.
Second, if you have patterns you’d like to use with your Cricut and don’t know how or don’t have time to make them into SVG files you can send them to me via email and I’ll convert them for you. Go to The Shop or click here on SVG FILE CONVERSION and check out the options available.
Please email me BEFORE choosing an option and include your patterns so I can better tell you what can be done.
Send your files to: orders@cocscrapbooking.com or cristy@cocscrapbooking.com
Oct
03
Posted by Cristy
What about the Craft Robo II? I really love it!
Up until YESTERDAY I liked my Craft Robo. Today, I love it!
See, I thought that by being a Mac user I was limited to a very narrow area of cutting because registration marks had to be printed on whatever I wanted to cut. Narrow, because the marks had to be about 2 inches in from the edges of the paper/cardstock so the digital eye of the cutter could recognize the marks. Then, I always have had to try positioning the paper/cardstock in slightly different ways until the cutter finally recognizes the marks. And then, if I used a dark colored paper/cardstock or one with a busy pattern, the cutter cannot see the marks at all. I did realize that by oulining the marks with my trusty white Galaxy Marker it helped the cutter see the marks…..but come on…… a bit frustrating to get something cut.
BUT……..the revelation! Read the rest of this entry »
Sep
16
Posted by Cristy
New to Illustrator? Here’s a quick tip on how to create a “stitched” look. Make sure you check out my other Illustrator and Photoshop tutorials.
1. Open a new file or a file you’re working on. FILE < NEW or FILE < OPEN…
2. Select the shape tool from the tool palette on the left. I’ll be using the square tool for this tutorial (Figure 1).
Read the rest of this entry »
Jun
13
Posted by Cristy
I’m gonna try to select a “Digital Layout of the Week”, every week, and deconstruct the design process for the benefit of any newbies to the digital world and for the veterans, maybe we can learn something new! Please leave your comments and questions and I’ll be happy to answer.
This week we have two single photo digital scrapbook layouts, “Cuddly” and “Sweetie”. Here’s how these were created along with notes on the software used:
1. PhotoShop or Illustrator?
It’s up to you. If you want to edit your photos (ie. add effects) then PhotoShop is better. But, both have similar tools and are compatible with each other. I sometimes create patterns, doodles or a drawing of something (like the giraffe and bear) in Illustrator and later open them in PhotoShop and make the rest of the layout there. For this weeks layouts I used Illustrator only.
Read the rest of this entry »
Mar
25
Posted by Cristy
For several months I’ve been in contact with Graphtec, the manufacturers of the Craft Robo, and a few weeks ago I got the long anticipated email announcing the release of Craft Robo II. I immediately was on the hunt for the cheapest offer. I stumbled upon Specialty Graphics who had a great FREE shipping offer and I bought the crafty machine for $299 flat. Read the rest of this entry »
