Sunday, August 19, 2018

Chin up Buttercup!


*singing in a "Frozen" themed song*

Do you wanna use a stencil?
Hey Crafters!
Stencils are so fun, do you agree?

(Hey, I pay you to agree with me, umm. well no, I don't pay you, but you did hit that pop up and subscribe right? So you kinda like my posts, yeah?)




I'd love to hear from you in the comments. 
Where do you get your stencils, what is your favorite, and if you don't purchase, do you make your own? 


Can you guess what media I decided to use with my stencil?! 

YES! ding ding ding!!
You got it. 

OXIDE INKS!


I used some of the leftovers from my last project! Did you catch that? Of course, you did, you clever crafter you!

I love you for your smarts, not just your good looks!


I did a bit of blending using my felt and inksentials blender tool. 
Then I added some light yellow highlights around the
edge to soften it.

If you have questions or suggestions, please leave a comment!

See you next post!
p.s. I cut a lot of my own stencils

Happy Easter? Aren't you a little early?

Challenge 543 - Spots and Dots! 


Hey Crafters!

Do you see spots sometimes? Me too!!


Let's put those to good use. Join me in this fun challenge!



This card came together so FAST for me! 
The bunnies are Jolee's stickers :) 

Check out the next Online Crafty Garage Sale on my channel to get your chance to purchase Jolee stickers!


Why wait til' spring? If you're a procrastinator, like me, 
you'll appreciate having an Easter card at the ready! 

Again with the Tim Holtz Oxides.
Oh YEAH!!

See you next post!


Sprinkles and Splatters!

Hey Crafters!

So glad to see you again :)  Hey, I have a fun splitter splatter card inspired by the challenge
over at Simon Says Stamp!

Click here to join in

I used:
Acrylic Paints
(water them down and flick with a brush)
(paint on the gold edging)
Distress Oxide inks
(smoosh onto a mat, spray and drag the paper)
Foam tape
(pop up your elements)
Mica Mister
(spray the oxides, adds shimmer and mixes)
Paintbrush
(paint on details and flicking)
and
A heat tool
(faster drying. I hate waiting!)

(some of the tools are pictured here)

I always want to take more and more photos for you guys, but like you, I'm guessing, when I get into a card or project, I'm not thinking photos!

Here's the finished card:

Just a note card to be used this school year!


Summer is slipping through my fingers! I go back in just over a week. 

I've enjoyed being with you guys immensely throughout this summer and hope to be with you full time soon!







There's OH SO MUCH MORE to the community of Koala T Crafts than just my blog. 

Go on, get out and explore!!
The 3 links are just above

See you next post!





Friday, August 17, 2018

Silhouette 3 vs Cricut Explore Air 2

So the question was raised:

WHICH IS BETTER?

Silhouette Cameo 3

OR

Cricut Explore Air 2



Points to keep in mind

1. The Silhouette can be used without the internet, while the Cricut is web-based.

2. Cricut automatically updates when the company chooses, with Silhouette you can choose to update or not.

3. They both have deep cut blades, cut 100's of materials and have auto-setting.

4. Cricut cutting strength is better than Silhouette and in some cases cuts faster depending on the material.

5. Silhouette has an upgradable software platform that you can use to design your own cut files with or without internet access. Cricut has a free software platform that is web dependent and has less features than Silhouette.

6. Both allow you to use SVG's (which you can get for free all over the internet from reputable companies!) however, the Silhouette requires an upgrade in their Silhouette Studio to use them. 

7. Silhouette has a touch screen, Cricut does not.

Winning Features!

Which one is EASIER TO USE:
They are tied in this aspect, though there is a learning curve for any machine, they are both easy enough for a beginner to use!

Which one has BETTER QUALITY CUTS:
The Cricut cuts faster and more accurately than the Silhouette.

What about STORAGE:
They both offer storage options, which one is better will depend on your personal style.

Which SOFTWARE is better:
Silhouette Cameo 3 has the much richer software. Even with the $50 upgrade for the Silhouette Studio, being able to do more with the software far outweighs the price.

Another Point to Ponder

If you're thinking about making a cutting machine purchase, consider buying an older version. 

Many times, the newer versions don't offer much more than the previous design, and this can save you lots of  $DOUGH$

Cricut Explore Air 1


Cricut Explore Air 1 Bluetooth



WHAT IT BOILS DOWN TO?

No one enjoys hearing that it's your "personal preference" when they are shopping for a machine. It's easier to have someone tell you that THIS ONE IS THE BEST!

BUT...

That just shows how closely matched these two machines are!
So think about your space.
Consider your budget.
Be honest about your needs.
(do you NEED the bells and whistles, or are you going to be using it just for the basics?)

Tight budget tip:

Remember those bells and whistles I talked about? I'm STILL using the original Silhouette Cameo and LOVING IT! because I know I don't need the upgrade. This machine has PLENTY of what I need! 

I hope this was helpful for you!
Have a super day
and 
Thank you for sharing my post and videos!

See you next post


UPDATED FROM COMMENTS:

Sharon Schaefer One thing to remember, if you are buying a used cricut and they have catridges with it, they can only be registered once so it would be a great idea to have contact cricut and see if the cartridge (s) can be transferred to you as a new owner of the used machine.





Thursday, August 16, 2018

Do you DIY your embellishments?


DIY EMBELLISHMENTS


USING YOUR SCRAP PAPER AND LEFTOVER BLING!



Hey crafters!

We all have leftover supplies laying around, am I right?!
(I don't have to be right to be happy)


Scraps of paper, embellishment packs, half-used, scattered pieces of bling we never used up and more! I can see them over there, in your boxes, bins, closets, and cupboards! 

In this video, I'll show you how to make NEW embellishments
that won't break the bank!

Click the camera to get the video rolling!

Meanwhile, back at the studio...
duh duh duh dummmm

IT'S ALL IN THE LAYERS!


(You know, like ogres and onions)
hahahaha!

1. Start off with a scrap paper base
2. Add a piece of ribbon, trim or other and staple that on
3. Next, go for a flower or something 3d
4. Finish off with some bling or smaller lefover

BAM! There's your DIY embellishment.

IF YOU'RE ANYTHING LIKE ME,
you'll watch the video. It just makes so much more
sense when I can see what's going on!

Thanks for sharing my posts and videos!

See you next post



Sunday, July 22, 2018

Sketch Challenge by My Favorite Things!

Hey fantastic crafters!

Today's challenge is a sketch (below) and it's from 




I got out my fancy schmancy mica/water spray mist and 
SMOOSHED the colors onto the stamped images.
They were punched at 1.5 in. squares.

 



 The floral pieces were die cut on my GEMINI! and then hand inked with the inksentials tool and a piece of felt. 

(I'm always asked what the stuff is in my inks. If you cut felt into small rectangles, you can store them inside the ink and be ready to go instantly every time!)
 I glued the flowers together and added a pearl, then stamped the sentiment. 

It didn't look quite finished so I added a little heart to the middle of the sentiment! 

 Here's a cool angle photo so you can see how deliciously raised the flowers are. 

And the adorable little
heart! 

PURCHASE HEART
DIE SET HERE

A final look at the entire card.
I'm super happy with this sketch challenge card!

See you next post!

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Shortest blog evers!

Hey Crafters!

Color challenges are great because we tend to use the colors we are drawn to over and over again.  This one uses four colors that I rarely use. I don't have MFT inks, so I subbed in:

Fossilized Amber
Squeezed Lemon
Abandoned Coral
and
Antique Linen


Short blog today, like me! Har har!

See you next post!