Have you created a Spring project that you’ve displayed in your home or craft space? Do you have the perfect favor idea for your Easter dinner? Have you made an innovative Spring card? If so, we want to see them!
Simply send us a photo of your work, and our panel of judges will choose the project with the most creativity and best use of QuicKutz dies. The winner will receive $100 in QuicKutz cash, along with a blog entry showcasing their winning project. Who knows, we may like so many, we’ll feature several of your projects!
Email your photo with the subject line “Spring Contest” to asmith@quickutz.com, along with your name and mailing address by March 31, 2010. We will announce the winner on April 5th.
Good luck, crafters! And happy Spring!
March 24, 2010
March 22, 2010
Three Little Birdies
If you’ve stepped into a craft or home décor shop recently, you’ve probably noticed that birds and bird cages have become very popular. Our designers took this trend to the next level by showcasing our bird shape in a great new way inside of the bird cage! This bird die looks great on layouts and cards, but it can also be used as a fun décor piece.
The best part is that it’s so easy to create this look for your own home.
1. Find a bird cage you love.
2. For each bird, die cut the same shape four times. (We used shape REV-0144-S.)
Hint: In order for the shapes to line up, you will need to face the paper down toward the die on two die cuts, and facing up on the other two die cuts.
3. Glue two of your die cuts together, with the patterned side facing out. Do this again for the other set of die cuts. You will then have two birds.
4. Chalk the edges of each bird for definition.
5. Glue both birds together, with a ribbon or string affixed in the middle. Make sure not to glue the entire sides of the birds together. To make the bird three dimensional, you will only need to glue the bodies and head, leaving the wings separate.
6. Tie the other end of the ribbon to the top of the bird cage, which will allow the bird to hang inside the cage.
7. Duplicate this process for each additional bird.
Use the completed bird cage as an inexpensive house-warming gift, or just keep it for your own home to display during the spring!
The best part is that it’s so easy to create this look for your own home.1. Find a bird cage you love.
2. For each bird, die cut the same shape four times. (We used shape REV-0144-S.)
Hint: In order for the shapes to line up, you will need to face the paper down toward the die on two die cuts, and facing up on the other two die cuts.
3. Glue two of your die cuts together, with the patterned side facing out. Do this again for the other set of die cuts. You will then have two birds.
4. Chalk the edges of each bird for definition.
5. Glue both birds together, with a ribbon or string affixed in the middle. Make sure not to glue the entire sides of the birds together. To make the bird three dimensional, you will only need to glue the bodies and head, leaving the wings separate.
6. Tie the other end of the ribbon to the top of the bird cage, which will allow the bird to hang inside the cage.
7. Duplicate this process for each additional bird.
Use the completed bird cage as an inexpensive house-warming gift, or just keep it for your own home to display during the spring!
March 15, 2010
Spring Tree
Designer Amber Packer is full of good scrapbooking, stamping, and die-cutting ideas. So many ideas, in fact, she regularly shares them with viewers on Good Things Utah, a local tv show targeted towards women. She has taken QuicKutz products onto the show many times, always receiving a warm and welcome response from both the hosts and the viewers.
Below are a few of the projects she made for Good Things Utah this past week. Behold! The Spring Tree.
Below are a few of the projects she made for Good Things Utah this past week. Behold! The Spring Tree.
This is a great way to change out pieces on the tree for the different holidays this spring!
Check out Amber's blog for more great crafting ideas! http://www.bloominmemories.typepad.com/
March 10, 2010
Birthdays for the Young and Young at Heart
Hi everyone! I’m Julie from the QuicKutz design team and I am excited to share some birthday cards with you. I don’t know about you, but I love giving a handmade card. It's something about the heartfelt gesture that means so much more to me. With that being said, I feel my most "go-to" cards are birthday cards (I know I should be better about giving thank you cards than I am, but that's another story!) So for today, birthday cards it is! Sometimes I create a card with a specific person in mind and other times I create cards to add to my "go-to" stash, which ends up getting used a lot when I'm in a hurry.
The cards below are what I like to call "quick and easy." You can create these cards when you only have a few minutes right before a party, or when you just want to quickly and easily create cards to bulk up your stash. Now, mind you, I may have said "quick and easy,” but they are still beautiful and the person will think you spent so much time on their card—sneaky, I know!
I will list the supplies I used as I demonstrate how to make each card below, but here’s a picture of the stash of fun stuff I used.
My first card, entitled “Turning 2”, is great to use for a young child's birthday. It could also be adapted for any other age. For this card, I used the following supplies:
Cardstock
Pink Ink
Twine
Glitter Domes
QuicKutz Polka Dots GooseBumpz
Polka Dots Embossing Folder 038
Birthday Candles REV 156
Rollerskate 4x8 Alphabet
Numbers NO 73 4x8 Die
The background of the card is embossed with ink. The trick? Ink the embossing folder before you send it through your Epic or Revolution! I used light pink ink on my card. Below is a picture of the dark ink on the embossing folder so you can see the effect. When you place this on the card, it is the inked side showing (the debossed side.) Normally, the puffy embossing is what you see. Now, I am not taking credit for this technique, I did see it a while back and can’t remember where. But it is so cool—not your typical inking.
The rest of the card is assembly. I used the round glitter domes to add a little more dimension to the project. They perfectly accompany the polka dot candle and background.
I made a cute little treat holder to go with the card using a small dart container (the kind you get salad dressing in when you order it “on the side”), cardstock, QuicKutz Nesting Flowers, Nesting Circles and the Cupcake Liner dies. Simply wrap the cupcake liner around the container and decorate with the flower and circle on top. You’ll notice I used the embossed paper I made with my ink to cut my circle. A little child or big child would enjoy getting that little treat with their card. It holds a regular-sized package of M&M’s. Yum!
For my Sweet 16 card, I used the following supplies:
Cardstock
Stamps
Ink
Glitter Domes
QuicKutz Metal Adhesive Sheets
Flowers Embossing Folder 007
Fashion Doll Set 050
Rollerskate 4x8 Alphabet
Nesting Circles Dies
The great thing about this card is that you actually run two pieces of cardstock and one piece of scrap of metal adhesive sheet through your die-cutting tool and then mix and match the colors to build your purses. On one of the purses, I embossed it and then inked it to give it a pattern that stands out. To do this yourself, simply place the embossed die cut on an inkpad with the raised image facing the ink and press firmly. What a cute Vera Bradley it makes!
My last card is for the Young at Heart. My Mom will just oogle over this one! And it was so easy. 
I set the Placement Guides where I wanted them using my card as measurement. I then adhered the printing plate to the lid of the Letterpress and then gently rolled the ink onto the printing plate. After running it through the Epic tool, I let it dry. Then, I trimmed and inked the edges and assembled my card. To give the pink flower a little more dimension, I crumpled the paper. I stamped my greeting, and it was finished!
I thought the treat container went well with this card too, so I cut a circle out of a second card I ran through the Letterpress (I was having so much fun with that tool) and used it to decorate the top of my treat container. My mom will love the M&M’s too!
I used pink in my cards because I had a lot of female birthdays coming up, but the first and last card can easily be adapted to male birthdays by using more masculine colors. I’m going to get crackin’ on more quick and easy cards for my stash!
The cards below are what I like to call "quick and easy." You can create these cards when you only have a few minutes right before a party, or when you just want to quickly and easily create cards to bulk up your stash. Now, mind you, I may have said "quick and easy,” but they are still beautiful and the person will think you spent so much time on their card—sneaky, I know!
I will list the supplies I used as I demonstrate how to make each card below, but here’s a picture of the stash of fun stuff I used.
My first card, entitled “Turning 2”, is great to use for a young child's birthday. It could also be adapted for any other age. For this card, I used the following supplies:Cardstock
Pink Ink
Twine
Glitter Domes
QuicKutz Polka Dots GooseBumpz
Polka Dots Embossing Folder 038
Birthday Candles REV 156
Rollerskate 4x8 Alphabet
Numbers NO 73 4x8 Die
The background of the card is embossed with ink. The trick? Ink the embossing folder before you send it through your Epic or Revolution! I used light pink ink on my card. Below is a picture of the dark ink on the embossing folder so you can see the effect. When you place this on the card, it is the inked side showing (the debossed side.) Normally, the puffy embossing is what you see. Now, I am not taking credit for this technique, I did see it a while back and can’t remember where. But it is so cool—not your typical inking.
The rest of the card is assembly. I used the round glitter domes to add a little more dimension to the project. They perfectly accompany the polka dot candle and background.I made a cute little treat holder to go with the card using a small dart container (the kind you get salad dressing in when you order it “on the side”), cardstock, QuicKutz Nesting Flowers, Nesting Circles and the Cupcake Liner dies. Simply wrap the cupcake liner around the container and decorate with the flower and circle on top. You’ll notice I used the embossed paper I made with my ink to cut my circle. A little child or big child would enjoy getting that little treat with their card. It holds a regular-sized package of M&M’s. Yum!
For my Sweet 16 card, I used the following supplies:Cardstock
Stamps
Ink
Glitter Domes
QuicKutz Metal Adhesive Sheets
Flowers Embossing Folder 007
Fashion Doll Set 050
Rollerskate 4x8 Alphabet
Nesting Circles Dies
The great thing about this card is that you actually run two pieces of cardstock and one piece of scrap of metal adhesive sheet through your die-cutting tool and then mix and match the colors to build your purses. On one of the purses, I embossed it and then inked it to give it a pattern that stands out. To do this yourself, simply place the embossed die cut on an inkpad with the raised image facing the ink and press firmly. What a cute Vera Bradley it makes!
My last card is for the Young at Heart. My Mom will just oogle over this one! And it was so easy. Gather the following supplies:
Cardstock
Ink
Ribbon
Stamps
QuicKutz Sunflower Rev0250
Letterpress Holiday Printing Plate 3
Letterpress A2 flat card
Letterpress Light Pink Ink
Believe it or not, this was the first time I used my L Letterpress and I could not believe how easy it was. I am in love with this tool now. When I showed my husband my project, he thought I bought the embossed paper that way and I quickly corrected him. I made that paper! This card is really my first run through the Letterpress and boy am I impressed!
Cardstock
Ink
Ribbon
Stamps
QuicKutz Sunflower Rev0250
Letterpress Holiday Printing Plate 3
Letterpress A2 flat card
Letterpress Light Pink Ink
Believe it or not, this was the first time I used my L Letterpress and I could not believe how easy it was. I am in love with this tool now. When I showed my husband my project, he thought I bought the embossed paper that way and I quickly corrected him. I made that paper! This card is really my first run through the Letterpress and boy am I impressed!
I set the Placement Guides where I wanted them using my card as measurement. I then adhered the printing plate to the lid of the Letterpress and then gently rolled the ink onto the printing plate. After running it through the Epic tool, I let it dry. Then, I trimmed and inked the edges and assembled my card. To give the pink flower a little more dimension, I crumpled the paper. I stamped my greeting, and it was finished!I thought the treat container went well with this card too, so I cut a circle out of a second card I ran through the Letterpress (I was having so much fun with that tool) and used it to decorate the top of my treat container. My mom will love the M&M’s too!
I used pink in my cards because I had a lot of female birthdays coming up, but the first and last card can easily be adapted to male birthdays by using more masculine colors. I’m going to get crackin’ on more quick and easy cards for my stash!Thanks to Design Team member Julie for these darling ideas and new ways to use products!
February 24, 2010
Album Cover Tutorial
Hello QK Blog Readers,
It's good to be back! Everything went well with Baby J's delivery. He is a fat and happy 10 lb. baby. :-)
Thank you so much for all your lovely comments on my diaper wipe box tutorial. You made my day! I have another project for you...
Dust off those naked albums, gather your supplies and get ready to create an album cover you will love! These steps will help your papers remain in place, stay protected and look bubble-free. This project can be completed in two nap times, mostly because you have to wait for the varnish to dry.
Materials:
Paper
Glue (I used Tombow Mono Aqua Permanent Strong Bond)
Varnish (I used Delta Creamcoat Matte Interior Varnish)
Foam Brush
QK Dies (I used Blossom Grand, Honey Bee Classic, Punctuation, Nesting Circles, Flowers, Daisy)
Any other embellishments (stickers, brads, jewels, ribbon, etc.)
Step One:
Cut the paper you've selected for your album cover. (Deciding what you want your album to look like is often the hardest part!) Distress your edges now (inking, sanding etc.) If you want to outline using a Sharpie, do it later.
Step Two:
Glue down your papers. This step can be a bit tricky--try to cover every square inch of your paper with your clear glue. Then cover the album with glue. Carefully place your papers onto the album and rub out all of the air bubbles. The glue on glue should make it easier to rub out any air bubbles.
Step Three:
Cut your QuicKutz die cuts and glue them to the paper, just like you glued your paper to the album. Cover every square inch with glue and smooth out the bubbles. (I have also used my Xyron sticker maker with some smaller die cuts and that worked well too.)
Step Four:
Coat the whole thing with varnish. It goes on milky but dries clear. Smooth it all in one direction before letting it dry. Then, let it dry. Don't rush this part, give it a few hours or overnight.
Step Five:
Decorate with other embellishments. I added some stickers. If you wanted to outline anything with pen do it now that the varnish has dried.
Visit my blog to see more albums covers to see more cover I've created. I would love to see the covers you create! I hope you'll add them to the Community Gallery!
Enjoy,
Maegen Jenne
www.scrapbuddies.blogspot.com
It's good to be back! Everything went well with Baby J's delivery. He is a fat and happy 10 lb. baby. :-)
Thank you so much for all your lovely comments on my diaper wipe box tutorial. You made my day! I have another project for you...
Dust off those naked albums, gather your supplies and get ready to create an album cover you will love! These steps will help your papers remain in place, stay protected and look bubble-free. This project can be completed in two nap times, mostly because you have to wait for the varnish to dry.
Materials:Paper
Glue (I used Tombow Mono Aqua Permanent Strong Bond)
Varnish (I used Delta Creamcoat Matte Interior Varnish)
Foam Brush
QK Dies (I used Blossom Grand, Honey Bee Classic, Punctuation, Nesting Circles, Flowers, Daisy)
Any other embellishments (stickers, brads, jewels, ribbon, etc.)
Step One:
Cut the paper you've selected for your album cover. (Deciding what you want your album to look like is often the hardest part!) Distress your edges now (inking, sanding etc.) If you want to outline using a Sharpie, do it later.
Step Two:
Glue down your papers. This step can be a bit tricky--try to cover every square inch of your paper with your clear glue. Then cover the album with glue. Carefully place your papers onto the album and rub out all of the air bubbles. The glue on glue should make it easier to rub out any air bubbles.
Step Three:
Cut your QuicKutz die cuts and glue them to the paper, just like you glued your paper to the album. Cover every square inch with glue and smooth out the bubbles. (I have also used my Xyron sticker maker with some smaller die cuts and that worked well too.)
Step Four:
Coat the whole thing with varnish. It goes on milky but dries clear. Smooth it all in one direction before letting it dry. Then, let it dry. Don't rush this part, give it a few hours or overnight.
Step Five:Decorate with other embellishments. I added some stickers. If you wanted to outline anything with pen do it now that the varnish has dried.
Visit my blog to see more albums covers to see more cover I've created. I would love to see the covers you create! I hope you'll add them to the Community Gallery!
Enjoy,
Maegen Jenne
www.scrapbuddies.blogspot.com
February 18, 2010
QuickBuckz, get 'yer QuickBuckz!
It's that time of year again.
QuickBuckz time.
QuicKutz retail stores all over the globe are dishing out QuickBuckz to customers when they purchase QK products. In fact, if you spend $20, you will earn $10 in QuickBuckz to use at a later date! Simply visit your local scrapbook store to find out if it's participating and to get all of the specific details.
To view participating locations in your area, please click here.
Happy shopping!
February 12, 2010
Paper Weight
Like many of you, I tend to hoard dies. Surprisingly, I don't seem to use them for much more than my scrapbook layouts and cards. In my search for something new in which to use my dies, I came across this glass paperweight kit. I originally intended to find a great photo to place inside the paperweight, but then I decided to break out my dies and have some fun. My paperweight came from Hallmark, but you may be able to find them at other stores or websites (I found some at http://www.photoweights.com/). The kit I purchased from Hallmark came with the paperweight, a template, and a sticky back to keep it all together.
Now for the fun! I made a variety of inserts for my paperweight, which I will change with the seasons, holidays, or my mood. Here are a few examples:
The underside of the weight is recessed, so you can easily set your paper inside. Instead of using the sticky backing that came with the kit (I’ll want to change the scene from time to time), I used mini Glue Dots in the corners. (I just used them on three corners and everything seemed to stay in place just fine.)
I then used a sturdy piece of cardstock as my backing.
You should put one together yourself! It’s a lot of fun, and it’s also a great gift idea. Give the paperweight, along with a variety of inserts you’ve created, and you’re sure to please the receiver. Then again, you can also just keep it for yourself (like I did!)
Dies used:"You are my sunshine"-Weather (Rev-0179) and Banana Split 4x8 alphabet
"My Lucky Charm"-Shamrock (RS-0798) and Miss Muffet 2x2 alphabet, Spider-(REV-0235)
"Fall"-Autumn Twigs (REV-0247) and Banana Split 4x8 alphabet
"Snowman"-(REV-0255)
"Teach"-Schoolhouse (REV-0217) and Banana Split 4x8 alphabet
"Memories"-Trees (REV-0187)
"Flowers"-(REV-0016) and polka dots embossing folder (EF-A2-038)
"Be Merry" - Dragonfly 4x8 alphabet and Holly & Berry (KS-0979)
"Love"-Love ShortKutz
Thanks,
Michele Hamby
http://michelehamby.blogspot.com
http://simplyshell.etsy.com
Thanks to our design team member Michele for this great idea! Be sure to check out her blog for more great ideas. You can also see the beautiful jewelry she sells on her etsy shop.
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