More! Than Scrap

{ Inspiration: Paper Lace Chain }

2011-09-26T00:38:00.000-07:00

I'm getting ready to throw a little birthday party for my oldest girls, so, naturally, I've been spending a lot of time on Pinterest looking for inspiration.

My jaw literally dropped when I saw this gorgeous lace chain garland. It's so dainty and sweet!

(Source: to-be-charmed.com via KellyM on Pinterest

)
.

{ Inspiration: Tissue Box Card }

2011-09-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

Alright. I give in. Fall is on its way in and there's no stopping it. The beautiful weather around here was recently replaced by rain and gloom just waiting to be embraced. And I will admit, I'm kind of an autumn girl, too. The crispness in the air, flushed cheeks and warm sweaters mark the beginning of the holidays and family get-togethers.

(Source: etsy.com via Lorri on Pinterest

)

But it also marks the start of cold and flu season. Not my favorite. However, if I do get a cold this season and a friend shows up at my door with this adorable card, by Artistic Avenger, I might make an exception.

(Source: artisticavenger.wordpress.com via Cynthia on Pinterest)

Have a great weekend!

P.S. come back soon for another FREE (for a limnited time) shape box template.

{ How To: Pattern Fill }

2011-09-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

I saw this asked a couple of time on Facebook, so I wanted to do a real quick tutorial on using your own (or purchased) digital patterned paper to fill your shapes. What? You're not limited to the Silhouette Studio online store patterns? You read that correctly. And, it's so easy!

Let's jump right in...

Open the shape you'd like to fill.

Minimize and open the folder of the digital patterned paper you'd like to use to fill the shape. Place the windows side by side.

Left click and hold to grab the patterned paper. And drag it over to your shape placing the cursor inside the shape.

It may take a second or two but it should fill right in!

So easy, right?

You can also use this method to drag in pictures you want to trace instead of the old File-Open. Just drag the image to a blank space and release. You'll be able to then resize it if needed.

Have fun with this!

*Update: I just found this quick and easy video tutorial showing you how to fill in your shapes from patterned paper found online. Check it out here: www.screenr.com/Lb1s
"Cool!"

{ Freebie : Delicious Favor Box }

2011-09-02T18:20:00.000-07:00

(If you left a comment without an email address, I have no way of sending the file to you, sorry. Please leave one or if you are more comfortable with messaging it to me than that would also be fine. Thanks!)

Summer is still here!

Why is it that everywhere I look people, stores and blogs are so anxious for it to be fall? What's wrong with summer? Especially here in the Pacific NW with the gorgeous weather we have been getting lately. Granted, it took us a couple extra months to get here than the rest of the states, but I'm not ready to let go despite my childhood-in-California love for fall.

One way to keep summer alive... ice cream! Okay, you can eat that any time, but there's just something about ice cream in a cone on a hot summer day. YUM!
(And I seem to be craving it a lot lately, as evidence by my post two down.)

An ice cream favor box! So yum and calorie free! ...unless it's filled with goodies :)

Isn't it adorable? I'm in love. I totally did the happy/crazy dance after I finished it, it was such a pain. Sure, the graduated graphic designer could have whipped it up in 20 minutes, but it took me a mere... forever!

*NO LONGER AVAILABLE, SORRY*

~~PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT IF YOU'D LIKE THE FILE.~~
(This file is only available for Silhouette users using the Silhouette Studio software, as it utilizes the Print & Cut function.)

*NO LONGER AVAILABLE, SORRY*

TERMS:
*This file will only be available for FREE for a limited time.
*Please, this file is for personal use only. I put a lot of work into my cut files and I ask you to respect that by using them ONLY for personal projects- NOT for commercial use. Thank you!

Enjoy summer while it lasts :)

{ MTS Thoughts: My Boyfriend's Secret }

2011-08-09T14:55:00.000-07:00

I LOVE my Silhouette. I call it My Boyfriend. Most owners think of their Silhouette as a lady. I think of mine as a manly man. He works hard and grunts along the way. He's got a strong arm that slices and dices things for me. Sometimes, though, I have to tell him to do it twice. There are the occasional times when he'll start to not listen to me, but I know which buttons to push to get him to do what I want in the end. He's there to rescue me and help with last minute gifts. He provides the outlet to my creativity. He makes me look good and a lot of my friends are jealous that I nabbed him up while they're stuck with his chirping, technologically challenged neighbor.

There is just one little problem: his height. I've always been the kind of girl who needs a tall, strong man to feel safe and free all at the same time. Because of his height, he only scores 9 out of 10 on my checklist :(

Well, let me tell you, I almost settled and gave up looking. But deep down inside there was this drop of hope within my heart that something even more perfect for me would come along. And, finally, it has.

I recently found out that my almost perfect boyfriend has a fraternal twin! Seriously. Um, how did he forget to mention that during the past year and a half we've been together? Not cool. But, I was quick to forgive because I know that in the end I'm going to break his heart when his brother comes to town. I snuck a peek at his picture and I already know I'm going to make him mine.
His height is perfect for my needs and his body is more chiseled than my current squeeze, but he's got the same abilities that please
.
(Wow! He even inspires me to rhyme with no thought at all. Oohhh that perfect man of (soon to be) mine.)

Some people might think me a little shallow for feeling this way. But there are wants and needs in this world people.

And Cam and I need to be together.

{ How To: Rhinestone Shapes }

2011-07-29T17:49:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite little tricks I like to use with the Silhouette software. Not only do I love that I can turn a cut shape into a rhinestone template shape, but I love that I can make it whatever size I need it to be. Word of caution: This trick does not work on every shape, especially if its detailed, but for most of the simple shape outlines and fonts you can usually get great results. Let's jump right in!

First you'll need to pick a shape. I'm choosing the ice cream cone by Echo Park because a rhinestone shape for an ice cream cone is not available in the online store. And I kind of wish I were eating one right now.

Open it in SS and determine what size you want your final rhinestone design to be and size as needed. For this tutorial I'm going to make mine large for your viewing pleasure. Ungroup as needed.

Because we will be using the font option and typing "."/periods to outline the shape with the Text On A Path function (that's the trick!), I did all the work for you and came up with a relating font size for the "."/period you will use for each rhinestone size available from Silhouette America. (I hope that made sense. If not, read on.)

Use the font info below for the rhinestone size you want to use:
10ss rhinestones = Times New Roman, text size 120.0pt
16ss rhinestones = Times New Roman, text size 150.0pt
20ss rhinestones = Times New Roman, text size 195.0pt

Now, click the TEXT function (1) and select the correct font (2) and size (3), click to the side of your shape and start typing "." /periods (4). Type enough to outline the shape. Like so:

Next grab the arrow toggle (1) (seen after moving it) and drag it over to the shape path. Drag it off if you need to add more "."/periods and try again. Depending on how close you want the rhinestones to be, while the text is on the path, play around with the Character Spacing function (2) and the Sliding Scale (no idea if what the official name is) function (3).

If you have multiple shapes, repeat steps until satisfied. (If there are a couple of "."/periods/circles you are unhappy with, don't worry!, we will fix that soon(1).)

Next, click out of the shape and then left click it once. Now, right click it and select Convert To Path (2).

If you need to tweak the circles, Ungroup the shape and move the circles around as desired. You can delete the original shape now as well. When your finished, Group the circles and Save. You did it!

One last thing: DO NOT resize your shape! :)

*UPDATE: What do you do if you want to fill in your shape with said rhinestones?

Before you drag the "."/period text over to your shape, highlight the shape and apply several Internal Offsets. I chose to internally offset it by .25.

Next, highlight your shape and all of the internal offsets and (this is important!) right click Make Compound Path.

Drag your "."/period text over to the shape and adjust as needed. (See above for details.)

Finish using the above steps. When it's to your liking, dress it up and save it to your library for future use.

I definitely need to go buy some more bling! ...And I might just have to stop at Baskin Robbins while I'm out.

Please leave a comment if you have any questions.

And check out Maggie Muggins for another rhinestone tutorial using a different technique.

{ MTS News: All Work, No Play }

2011-07-28T12:43:00.000-07:00

Now more than ever do I believe that as you get older time seems to pass quicker. It's (already) been two months since I posted my hopscotch hall and I've seen it grace the Silhouette blog, Pinterest {squeal!}, U-Create With Kids, and some other fabulous sites- thank you to all!

Over here at the MTS house, things have been busy. (When are they not with a family?) I hope you don't mind me sharing something that has nothing to do with what I typically would post. I'm just so excited with the progress that's been made. It's been 4 years since we bought our first place, at the peak of the market- ouch!, and we figure since we are going to be here a while we might as well fix it up to our needs. So, we've been working on the den space in our little house.

{What else is there to say except "SCARY!!"? and bad phone pictures.}

The garage had been converted with a room inside a room with a water heater inside that room. So odd!

(Water heater door shown below, left.) We took down the dividing room walls and put up two new walls, creating a small laundry room and a 4x8 cave for my husband's office / storage closet when we're ready to sell. The water tank was relocated and we bought a new stacking laundry set for it all to fit. The door was widened for a more open and inviting feel and new stairs were built.

Obviously there is still A LOT of work to do, but we are happy to finally be moving forward after living so long with the way we bought it. Actually, we did remove the wallpaper border after a couple of weeks but we left the beautiful beige sponge paint and all.

Have you been living with a room that you haven't touched since you moved in but are dying to? I'll come over and help!

{ Creation: Hopscotch Hall }

2011-05-20T04:50:00.000-07:00

If your house is anything like mine, you are in desperate need of space.
Wait, let me rephrase that.
If your house is anything like mine, the kids are in desperate need of playing space and you are in desperate need of not having to hear another plastic noisy toy.
Better.

I found this inspired idea on Pinterest {oh, how I love thee!}, except it was featured in a large playroom. But because my home does not have a designated playroom, I thought it would be genius to put it down the hall. I mean, what else do you do besides walk in a hall? Wasted space no longer! My girls LOVE it. And that's all that matters :)

(The font for the numbers is SNF School Yard cut from black vinyl.)

{ Inspiration: Paper Chandeliers }

2010-07-29T14:44:00.000-07:00

Inexpensive, yet, beautiful impact!

via Pottery Barn

via Kosmic Chai Crafts

via Two Crazy Crafters

via The Haystack Needle

Halloween's approaching fast! Via Heartland Paper w/ Tutorial

I know a couple of these aren't really paper, but they should be easy to replicate. With the variety of textured paper available, it shouldn't be hard for you to find some that would work and give you the look you are going for.

Ideas for assembly:
-Glue 2 shape pieces together with string in between.
-Use 1 shape piece and your sewing machine. Feed the shapes through machine at desired intervals.

(The PB Butterfly Mobile description says it's made out of "sturdy paper". Retails $100. Ouch. Think you can make one out of "sturdy paper" for less?)

{ Inspiration: More Earring Packaging }

2010-07-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

Soooooo... I'm back! Sounds familiar, right? Okay, I know I've said that before, but I do have a good excuse. When I took my first little hiatus, I didn't know what was wrong with me- why I was feeling so ill and exhausted and had no motivation to do anything- even craft! And then I felt a little better, but that was incredibly short lived. In no time, I was back to loosing my breakfast, my lunch, and sometimes even my dinner. I knew it could only be one thing... PREGNANCY!

Hopefully, the sickness will be calming down as I enter my 2nd trimester and I will feel a motivation to cut and craft. In the meantime, I'll share another great earring packaging idea from Greenbean's Crafterole that she likes to call Earrings In Full Bloom.

She is so creative it makes me sick- or that's pregnancy, not sure. Those aren't just pearl earrings stuck through paper flowers, in her post she actually shows you how to make the flower earrings.
So pretty!

{ Inspiration: Vinyl Treatments }

2010-06-18T12:56:00.000-07:00

I love the idea of using vinyl to give a wallpaper-ish look. As much as it pains me to admit, sometimes wallpaper really does enhance a room if it's done tastefully and is not overkill. House of Smiths shows us a chic wall treatment using vinyl in her bathroom. (I'm warning you, though, once you take a look at her home decor blog you'll be hooked.)

Another vinyl treatment I came across was this neat tribute to favorite family recipes on you kitchen cabinets via Design*Sponge. Okay, so it was actually hand painted, but why not make it easy and use vinyl in a cute handwriting font?

I'm definitely going to have to do this for our favorite German Pancakes recipe. My husband, the breakfast chef, is always misplacing the recipe card and how easy would it be for him to just open the cupboard door and bam! there it is :)

{ Creation: Custom Nail Decals }

2010-06-15T19:51:00.000-07:00

I'm kind of embarrassed! There I was all excited about moving MTS along and then I disappeared. You didn't notice, did you? Well, even though I wasn't able to blog, I did still have time to think up and make some crafty things. So, let's go!

~~How about I'll embarrass myself some more with a picture of my ugly foot?~~ How about something super cute for you toes?

I utilized the Print & Cut function of my Silhouette, taking a regular cut file and using the Fill bucket function- see tutorial on how to do that HERE from the Silhouette blog. Cricut users can find a Print & Cut tutorial HERE from Clever Someday. And you don't even need to use the P&C function for this, just use a silhouette of a shape and it will still look great.

{ Inspiration: Favor Boxes }

2010-06-05T02:48:00.000-07:00

Cute and creative ways to decorate and use pyramid and cake slice boxes.

Watermelon from Kristi at Our Inspiration Station

Race car from Create Your Crafts

Palm Tree sold at Memories Of The Heart

Candy Corn from Paper Source

Carrots from ??? Sorry! I wish I knew. Computer stash.

While putting together this post, I've come up with a few ideas of my own- look for them after I've figured out how to add 2 more hours to my day.

{ Inspiration: Hand Fans }

2010-06-03T12:43:00.000-07:00

I guess it's the day of the Owl :)

These cute custom shaped hand fans would be fun for any outdoor event- birthdays, showers, weddings, luncheons. Just adapt the idea to your theme.

Assemble by cutting your shape twice, with one as a mirror. Glue down a large popsicle stick, with sufficient overhang, to the inside of the shape and secure the mirrored shape on top with a little more glue. So easy!

This idea came from Leila at Be Inspired, via HWTM Blog.

{ Inspiration: Paper Baby Mobile }

2010-06-03T01:14:00.000-07:00

*The GSD file has been created!!!*

Seriously, whooo doesn't love owls?!

This adorable creation comes from a Joann.com project. Assembly directions are provided in a PDF format on their website along with a pattern to hand cut and trace with. But today's your lucky day! I whipped up a machine cut file to make life easier.

Download SVG here: Mobile Owl

Download GSD here: Mobile Owl

*The SVG & GSD shapes were created from the Joann.com pattern, so copyright applies. For personal use only, please!*

And I know some of you Silhouette users would rather just have the GSD file- I'm working on it! The shapes aren't transferring very well from Inkscape, where I create them, to the Robo Master software, and I only want to provide high quality freebies. Soon. Promise!

{ Creation: Embellished Letter }

2010-06-02T16:49:00.000-07:00

Quick, easy, beautiful.

Initially, I wanted to do a post on using cuts to create faux textures, but instead, it turned into this thing. I just couldn't find the right pattern I was thinking of to provide me with the texture I was trying to achieve. Oh well. Maybe next time.

The letter was subtly painted, the cardstock flourish was applied with Mod Podge (though, vinyl will work just as well), and then it was all glazed with a brush and wiped off for a dirty / aged look, then Mod Podge'd again.

This project isn't anything new from what you've seen before, but maybe it will spark an idea for something else!

{ How To: Heat Transfer Vinyl }

2010-06-01T12:46:00.000-07:00

A comment was left by a sweet reader, Paula, on my Birthday Girl freebie but her email address was not available to respond to. So, even though I left a comment after hers, because the post is older, I wanted to make sure she saw this- and maybe it will help some others as well.

This was her comment:
Thank you so much, Cori! I haven't been brave enough to try vinyl yet, but I'm itching to! I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with my Silhouette! I just tried heat transfer and had ruined every single sheet. I think my mat wasn't sticky enough and combined with the intricate design and my not using the proper settings caused the poor outcome. Oh well! Some day, I'll get the hang of it! Very cute design!

And here is my response:
Hi Paula! Thanks for your kind words :) I just re-read your comment and realized something that you wrote- that you used a mat with the heat transfer? If that was the case, then there's your problem! You didn't say where you purchased your heat transfer from, but if it was from Silhouette, than you don't need to use a mat with the heat transfer vinyl. (And I believe that for most, if not all, from wherever you purchase, you don't need it.) Just load it the same as you would your mat, make sure in your Robo Master software you don't check "Use Carrier Sheet" on a new document, and you also use the arrows on your machine to scroll until it says "Load Media" not "Load W/ Carrier". The heat transfer vinyl has a plastic backing that works like a mat, to ensure that your blade doesn't cut through to your machine. Oooh, I hope so much this helps and you learn to love your machine again. It can be so fun and useful! Good luck! -Cori

{ Inspiration: Custom Shaped Notepad }

2010-06-01T01:54:00.000-07:00

Jean over at Jean's Crafty Corner, shares how she made this super cute dino notepad using chipboard, paper, her Cricut and a Bind It All. The only thing I have on that list is paper, so for those of us who have a Silhouette or a machine that also doesn't cut chipboard, just double or triple up on your cardstock until your cover is at the desired thickness. Check out Little Birdie Secrets for a way to bind your paper together if you're not lucky enough to have access to a Bind It All. Or you can always just O-ring it through some hole punches.

Change up the shape! Go for a corset for a bridal shower, an apple for a teacher, a cupcake for a child's birthday to give away as favors. Why not include a picture on the cover and give to a loved one for them to keep on their desk? Get creative!

{ Cricut Users: Print And Cut Tutorial }

2010-05-29T02:04:00.000-07:00

I know some of my readers are Cricut users, so I thought I would feature a link for you to an awesome tutorial on a function that the Silhouette has that you may ~~or may not~~ be jealous of :)

You need to have a program like SCAL if you want to do this. Head on over to Clever Someday to check out the process. She also has a ton of other tutorials to benefit from on her site!

-Have a happy Memorial Day weekend!

{ Inspiration: Compact Mini Album }

2010-05-27T23:05:00.000-07:00

Holy cuteness!

This is so creative, it's beyond me. Shaunte Wadley over on the QuicKutz blog gives us this adorable mini album fit into a dollar store compact. The women in my family are going to love this when I make up one for them. (Clever, right?)

Shaunte also provides this cute phrase to go along with it: “I couldn’t “make-up” a better mother/grandmother/mother-in-law than you!”
Love it!

{ Inspiration: Vinyl On Toys }

2010-05-27T11:06:00.000-07:00

Um, I want one!

How fabulous is this "pimped" out ride? Kristen over at More Than The Mulberries, purchased the vinyl to put on her daughter's car, but we are lucky to have all of the resources to create our own. I might have to buy a car (or two) for my little girls just so I can do this! So fun.

{ Inspiration: Custom Coasters }

2010-05-25T11:59:00.000-07:00

How great would this be for an inexpensive wedding gift?

Grab some patterned paper, cut out your letters, adhere to tile with Mod Podge, spray some acrylic sealer on top, slab a square of corkboard on the bottom, wrap it up with a pretty ribbon and you've got yourself, what Fresh Poppy Design calls, a "grown-up" gift.

( She uses the printer for her words and background pattern on cardstock, but that's not how we roll here :)

{ Inspiration: Faux Frosted Glass }

2010-05-25T11:39:00.000-07:00

Another creative project to use your cut shapes for!

Over at My Backyard Eden, Carolyn shows us how to use Frosted Glass Spray Paint to achieve this look. She cut out the shapes on her own, but we are lucky to have machines that do the hard work for us. I recommend purchasing a big inexpensive roll of contact paper (goes for around $6) to use instead of wasting good vinyl for a project like this.

{ MTS News: Heat Transfer Vinyl }

2010-05-25T01:54:00.000-07:00

First, so sorry for the lack of posts! My whole family has been under the weather this past week, so I've been spending a lot of time taking care of them and myself. Family first around here, I hope you understand :)

Second, I've been meaning to put a link on my blog for a site that offers Heat Transfer Vinyl for less and it's been so crazy around here, I had forgotten until I got a little reminder yesterday. A sweet reader, Angela, emailed me and asked me if I knew of anyone. I do!

You can now find the link to H&H Sign Supply on the right side of my blog. I asked H&H if they could offer my wonderful readers a deal and they were so kind to give my blog its own promo code- Enter "morethanscrap" for 10% off your first order.

What I recommend is Siser EasyWeed from H&H. It has gotten great reviews and works really well with just an iron and some parchment paper. You can purchase this buy the foot at 15 inches wide. (So, with us Silhouette users, its almost like we are doubling the quantity if we cut the 15 in half to fit the machine.)

*H&H Sign Supply has a great deal where you can customize a 5 pack of 1ftx15in for only $14.25 (they've already discounted it $2.00 from 5 at $3.25 individually for $16.25) and then on top of that, using my promo code for a first purchase, you can get it for $12.82! For shipping, you can select a flat rate of 9.95 for a total of $22.77.

Not too bad, considering I checked on the Silhouette site and you can get a 9"x36" roll of 1 color for 14.99, plus 7.53 shipping (I think it may vary slightly, but that's what it was for me) for a total of $22.52.

So... Silhouette, 324 sq inches of a single color for $22.52.
Or... H&H Siser, 900 sq inches of a combination of up to 5 different colors for $22.77

What do you think? Easy choice, I know :)

Disclaimer: I am an affiliate of H&H Sign Supply. I DO NOT receive monetary compensation from them. I do receive product compensation from them for purchases on their site. This allows me an opportunity to create things to share to help maintain my blog.

{ Inspiration: Earring Packaging }

2010-05-18T02:56:00.000-07:00

How beautiful is this?

Check out Greenbean Crafterole's creative take on packaging for earrings. Earrings! Um, who would have thought to revamp the earring packaging? She did! Think of all the groups of fabulous people you can give this to: shower guests, bridesmaids, Sweet 16 party favors.

Because I'm so in love, I created my own silhouette of a girl's head based on Greenbean's from her Cricut cartridge. Do you mind if I share her with you?

Download SVG here: GIRL HEAD SILHOUETTE

(Please, this is for personal use only. I put a lot of work into my cut files and I ask you to respect that by using them only for personal projects. Thank you!)

{ Inspiration: Memory Card Game }

2010-05-17T01:13:00.000-07:00

Look at this! This is so stinkin' cute!

I absolutely HAVE to make these for my girls. Such a fun idea from The Scrapping Cat. She provides more details HERE. Customize this idea for your special little ones depending on whatever their likes are. And, this could totally be a great inexpensive gift to give for a child! Forget about buying all those plastic noise making toys, give them a hands on learning game that you lovingly made. Priceless.

{ Creation: Homemade Gift Bag }

2010-05-14T10:57:00.000-07:00

Isn't she cute? A sweet surprise under her feathers...

Now, for a look inside... somewhat.

Just big enough for two custom heat transfer onesies. (Let's pretend I actually decorated those onesies.) And another fabulous part of this project? The owl was made out of heavy cardstock, so it's nice and sturdy, allowing it to be functional on the baby's room shelf holding... cotton swabs? Perfect!

I'm pretty happy with how this project turned out. I had this idea in my head of creating an adorable gift bag out of my paper stash, but after looking through what I've actually got, I was a little nervous. As I've said before, I don't scrap so my cute paper supply is incredibly limited. My hope is that you are inspired by my creations, though probably simplistic, and use them as a starting point to create something far more cute and trendy then mine will ever be.

{ Inspiration: Chalk Notes Jar }

2010-05-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today's inspiration comes from Corinne over at Silly Silhouette. Her blog is written in Dutch, so I used the Microsoft Translator Live Search (on your IE browser, go to Page, then Translate With Live Search) to try and understand it. I'm thinking it's not the best translator because I'm pretty sure she is not saying half of the words it tells me she is, but what do I know. Let's just look at her pictures.

People whose name starts with Cori must think alike. I had this on my To Do List, right down to the bracket shape! (Not the flourish, though, that was all her beautiful idea.) She used Chalkboard Vinyl that you can purchase HERE to create this fun jar.

My idea for this project: A Giving Treat Jar. Whip up a batch of treats and fill up the jar with them. Write a little note with chalk. Drop it off at a friends/family's house. They enjoy the goodies and then do the same for another friend/family, wiping off the words and writing their own. Yummy!

{ MTS News: Silhouette Blog }

2010-05-11T16:16:00.000-07:00

I feel so lucky!

My custom ribbon idea was highlighted on the official Silhouette blog!

It was such a surprise to see the picture of my ribbon with this comment from sweet Kerri, "Check this out from MoreThanScrap! Customizable ribbon using heat transfer. Brilliant! Love it!"

Maybe this truly was one of those "first person to think of it" times that is actually true. Regardless, what I really am most excited about is seeing what other people do with the idea.

{ Inspiration: Decorated Furniture }

2010-05-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

You've probably used vinyl on your walls, on some wooden blocks, maybe a couple of pieces of tile, to decorate a picture frame, maybe a plate or two, but have you used it on your furniture yet? With vinyl, no hard surface is safe. For this inspiration post I tapped into some pictures I had saved on my computer (which means I am really sorry to the owner that I didn't keep their info to properly credit them).

First off is this beautiful dresser that I can't decide if they used a flower vinyl design to "tape off" before painting it (which is kind of genius and kind of reminds me of when I would use cute shaped stickers to get these white "tattoos" when I would ~~try to~~ tan at the beach in California as a teen... Hmm, memories... Did you ever do that?... Anyway.) or if they used the wood grain looking vinyl over the paint to achieve this look. Either way, it's adorable and I would love to grab my machine and start cutting so I can attack my husband's cheap particle board dresser with this inspiration.

Secondly, we have this cute side table. I'm not so sure it's vinyl under that piece of glass, but let's pretend it is and take inspiration from it.

I'm thinking game table with a vinyl Checkers board, or Scrabble board, or some game board of a family favorite turned vinyl on the table with chalkboard vinyl cut into a cute shape next to it to help keep score!

{ MTS News: Even More At MTS! }

2010-05-10T00:25:00.000-07:00

More! Than Scrap has a new page that I am super excited about that you can access in the navigation bar under my logo.

FREE FILES BLOGS

Being a blogger myself, I understand how fun and rewarding it can feel to have increasing activity on your blog. And being the owner of a cutting machine, I also understand how great it is to download files for free. So for the benefit of all, I'm starting a list of blogs that offer free SVG or GSD files that I've come across. It's only a few so far, but I will add more as I find them.

If you are the author of a blog offering free SVG or GSD files and would like me to add you to the list, please leave a comment with your blog address or email me with the information.

{ Creation: Custom Ribbon }

2010-05-08T16:24:00.000-07:00

*So, you know when you think you have the greatest little idea and you're the first person to think of it? So you run to your computer to Google it to make sure... and then you see that 50 other people thought of it before you? Well, it happens to me all the time. But this time I didn't look. I'm just going to post this thinking you've never seen this idea before and I was the first person to inspire you.*

Here at the house of More! Than Scrap, I'm all about making what you've got work. So what if you only have some boring solid ribbon and a sheet of brown heat transfer vinyl, but what you really need is some super cute designer ribbon for... whatever!

Grab your cutting machine. Choose a design or make your own. Remember to make sure the shape size is within the correct width of the ribbon you will be using. Load your heat transfer vinyl and get that baby cut up. Unload. Cut the extra off. Remove the negative. Flip over and secure to your ribbon. Cover with a cloth. Press firm with an iron for a minute or so. Peel off plastic and reveal your beautiful custom ribbon. Whew, that was easy!

Have a theme party coming up? Custom ribbon would be a perfect little detail. What about some custom ribbon for your daughter's sports team? They would loooooove it! Have a business? Wrap up your item to be shipped in some custom ribbon with your name on it. So many options, I'm excited to see what you do with this!

{ Inspiration: ABC's With Vinyl }

2010-05-07T13:12:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of How Does She? You might be living in the dark if you haven't. They have recently exploded as a great place to get ideas for a variety of things. And since I seem to have a kids theme today, I thought I would share a post of theirs that inspired me.

Look what Alison of How Does She? created using mdf board, vinyl, a little bit of paint, Mod Podge, and some scrap paper. Hello, gorgeous!

She said she didn't even care that 26 holes went into the wall to hang these babies- my kind of girl! Except, my holes would probably total around 50 or so to get it just right.

Check out the full post HERE and learn how to construct your own wall of ABC's or whatever else you think up!

{ Inspiration: Faux Stained Glass }

2010-05-07T12:32:00.001-07:00

Stained Glass
Originally uploaded by spasso!

Another project to do with the kids! Thanks to Amy (spasso! on flckr.com) for giving us this fun inspiration! Here's what she had to say:

"Kids crafts with the silhouette! Cut image out of black paper, apply clear contac paper... stick pieces of colored tissue papers inside image onto sticky area... You've got stained glass art for your windows! Beware... it is addicting... "

I'm thinking of all of the holidays I could do this for and it's exciting. Amy says it's addicting and I believe her! Round up the kiddos and have fun :)

{ Freebie: Birthday Girl }

2010-05-05T23:16:00.000-07:00

I've been saving this one for no reason other than I am so proud of it and it's hard to let go. It's like letting go of a child all grown up.... okay, nothing like that :) But I think it's my favorite SVG I've created so far. You're probably thinking, "Hey, it's not that spectacular!" but for me, the perfectionist, it took such a long time to get every letter just right. I've done a test cut and it cuts beautifully!

How adorable would it be as a heat transfer on a shirt/onesie paired with a little tutu and some rhinestone bling? Or even on a ~~scrapbook page~~. Ahem, nevermind :) Okay, use it however you'd like, just use it well and let me know about it.

Download here: Birthday Girl

(Please, this is for personal use only. I put a lot of work into my cut files and I ask that you respect that by using them only for your personal projects. Thank you!)

{ Inspiration: Magazine Wall Art }

2010-05-05T15:16:00.000-07:00

Do you have a limited amount of patterned scrapbook paper? Is the closest craft store to purchase fancy paper 35 minutes away? Do you not want to use up ink printing off patterned paper? My answers would be YES, YES, and more YES. So what's a girl to do? Our answer comes from inspiration over at Sixty-Fifth Avenue... MAGAZINES!

Um, how come I didn't think of that genius idea? (I feel like I'll probably be saying that a lot on this blog.) But I did come up with NEWSPAPER! or even old BOOK PAGES! How cute would it be to cut from a book page of text and ink distress it? Or even SHEET MUSIC!

Check out Sixty-Fifth Avenue's adorable Playroom Makeover that this inspiration was taken from.

{ Inspiration: Clothes Hanger Tags }

2010-05-03T18:34:00.000-07:00

I love when one new blog find leads to another, to another, and then to another and suddenly I find myself looking at something adorable I really want to share. That was the case with the Baby Hanger Tags from Paper, Scissors, Ink. What a great gift for a new mom! See, me and baby clothes, we don't work well together. And I can bet that if I would have had these (and a bigger closet) when my girls were younger the relationship wouldn't have been so strained.

Click on over to see more of the Baby Hanger Tags from Paper, Scissors, Ink and other creative ideas.

{ Creation: Treat Cup Monster Truck Card }

2010-04-30T16:31:00.000-07:00

Does it look easy? I'm hoping the second time around will be quicker. I was really anxious to do a boy version of this card since I've only seen girly ones, but now that I think of it I'm kind of worried why I'm in such a boy mood. Eek. I used the Monster Truck shape from the Silhouette online store, but if you don't own a Silhouette or do but just don't want to purchase it, I found a FREE! adorable Toy Truck from SVG CUTS (their blog is always posting FREE SVG files- To cut with your Silhouette in Inkscape, go HERE for a tutorial.)

My oldest daughter and I worked on this all morning to get it right for her cousin/her best friend/calls him her brother sometimes. I'm disappointed in the cardstock used, but I wanted to only use what I had on hand. And what I have on hand is next to nothing because, remember, I don't scrap :) The candy in the wheel is dark chocolate mint candy melts from Wilton with a mini yellow M&M's in the middle.

Need more ideas for creating your own Treat Cup Card? How about...
-sunflower seeds in the middle of a sunflower
-flower seeds to plant, for the gardner in your life, in the middle of a flower
-pea seeds in 3 treat cups in a giant pod
-pop rocks in a space ship

So I hope this inspires you further to create your own Treat Cup Card.
HERE is the original inspiration I posted about from Little Miss Crafter.

{ Inspiration: Silhouette Blog Hop }

2010-04-29T22:42:00.000-07:00

Today, the Silhouette Blog put together a great blog hop from one creative designer to another. Did you hop along? Maybe I live in the dark, but I've never done something like that before.

Of course, I was a tad disappointed that many of them were scrapbook pages or cards- they were beautiful, don't get me wrong, but you know how it is around here :)

Wendy Sue Anderson did show off her beautiful Framed Cute Fruit!

And Robyn Werlich at Be Creative Everday gave us the idea of a decorated Card Kit.

Putting together a kit to make cards and gifting it to someone? So creative! What about a set of kits for major holidays packaged in tiered boxes? I would LOVE to get something like that.

{ Freebie: 'Love' Word Book }

2010-04-28T20:47:00.000-07:00

This love'ly freebie was generously posted by Glenda over at Enchant Art. She provides a tip on how to cut it to make it studier, and also gives us the file in SVG, GSD and even PDF! Click on over to her site to download this file HERE.

I think I will be cutting this out with my 3 year old and then helping her cut pictures out of magazines to represent each letter. You could make a whole learning library of these adorable word books!

{ Freebie: You Melt My Heart }

2010-04-28T17:57:00.000-07:00

Welded shape cut, created using font from Kevin & Amanda. You are free to use this however you'd like. Wouldn't this be cute as a vinyl note on the mirror to your love? Or go for something corny, like... using it to decorate a brown paper bag you packed for your love that has a tuna melt you made for them inside... Yep, I thought of that.

Download here: You Melt My Heart

(Please, this is for personal use only. I put a lot of work into my cut files and I ask that you respect that by using them only for your personal projects. Thank you!)

{ Inspiration: Treat Cup Card }

2010-04-28T11:40:00.000-07:00

Oh my adorableness! How clever is this little card?!? Little Miss Crafter created this oh so sweet candy card using her Cricut, but there is no reason it can't be easily replicated using your Silhouette or any other cutting machine. She uses Wilton Candy molds to hold the candy, but anything similiar should work, as long as there is a small lip around the dome to glue down. She was also generous enough to provide a VIDEO tutorial. Check it out HERE.

{ Inspiration: Baby Booty Wreath }

2010-04-20T14:31:00.000-07:00

I can't remember how I stumbled upon the adorable party blog Pink Peppermint Paper, but somehow I did, and I am glad I found it! While scrolling through all her posts, I came across this super cute wreath idea for a baby shower that is made out of scrap paper.

I included this project because I know a similiar little booty is available as a cut shape in the Silhouette store under "Baby Shoe", and I'm sure there is an SVG out there somewhere for it too- she said she used a template from online, which maybe wasn't a cut file, but could be turned into one with Inkscape! (see tutorial for conversion HERE).

{ Inspiration: Frosted Mirrors }

2010-04-20T07:35:00.000-07:00

I love alternatives. It gives people options. And when I saw this frosted mirror idea using CONTACT PAPER over at The Lady Wolf , I fell in loooove. And it doesn't stop with mirrors. "Etch" frosted snowflakes on your windows during the winter season. The best part is, it's not permanent!

Check out the inspiration from her HERE. {She also has great ideas and frequently posts SVG freebies!)

{ Inspiration: Framed Family Tree }

2010-04-20T07:25:00.000-07:00

Family is super important to me, so this project from Amy over at Aim It Up to display your family tree in a shadow boxed frame looks like a beautiful idea. How great would this be for a Christmas gift or a Mothers Day gift or even for a Wedding? She provides instruction and even some free SVG's for the tree and title. Go check it out HERE!

Variations:
-Use the idea and instead of paper in a frame, do vinyl on the wall.
-Frame the vinyl on the wall!
-Have a family party at the oldest living members home and "create" the tree on a wall together.
-Cut it out with heat transfer and make t-shirts for the family reunion.
-Use this craft to teach the younger members their family history.

{ How To: Create SVG Files In Inkscape }

2010-04-20T07:14:00.000-07:00

If your are a SILHOUETTE user (scroll down for Cricut users) and have never known how to make your own SVG files AND! how to cut directly from Inkscape, a FREE program {awesome! and cleaner cut than converting from SVG to DXF to GSD}, then please go check out Glenda over at Enchant Art for the first step using her excellent tutorial HERE on how to trace JPEG images to make your own SVG cutting file.

(Helpful Hint: She tells you to save it as a DXF file- do this if you want to upload the shape to your Craft Robo software. If you want to cut it directly from Inkscape, save it as an SVG file.)

When your done with that step and you want to cut directly from Inkscape to your Silhouette machine, head over to her other awesome tutorial with pictures HERE.

But, if you want to upload the DXF file to your Craft Robo software and cut from there, open the Craft Robo program and a new page, choose FILE, then LOAD DXF and open your file to cut from there.

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If you cut with the CRICUT and SCAL, Amy at Positively Splendid has you covered completely with a great tutorial HERE for creating files in Inkscape and uploading them to SCAL.

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Hope you learn something of value with these tutorials! Thanks ladies for generously sharing.

{ MTS News: The Time Is Here! }

2010-04-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to More! Than Scrap.

I have been working on getting this blog up for a little while now and I am incredibly eager to show off things that I have found created by talented people and items that I have created myself. I hope to make this a creative place to be inspired by projects other than scrapbooking.

P.S. Don't forget to grab my button to help spread the creativity!