Marquee Letter Tutorial and Inspiration for Silhouette and Digiplayground

IMG_2758_webHi guys! I’m in Vegas today at the ToyFest West Tradeshow for MiniLou. I’m having a great time, but I got on today to post about our fabulous new Marquee letters coming out on Silhouette and DigiPlayground.

These Marquee Letters are so fun for any occasion!  You could use them for party decor, in your child’s room with their name,  weddings, and more!  The possibilities are endless. Seriously. I. Love. These.

Bonus, these are fun to put together. I will warn you though, they do take some time and patience because there are a lot of working parts. (Note:  They are so worth it!)

IMG_2748_webYou can do so many different things with them (I have a list below).  Don’t worry if your first one doesn’t turn out the way you want it, it took us a few tries to get them perfect, so be patient and don’t rush it.   The slower and more precise you are, the better they will turn out!

Here are some ideas of what you can do with Marquee Letters:

  • String Christmas lights through the holes (who doesn’t want their name in lights?)
  • Cut them out in cute scrapbook paper (I cut out the A on the right in my Amour Line for Carta Bella)
  • Spray paint them any color
  • Put glitter on them using spray adhesive
  • Have your kids decorate them with paint, jewels, buttons, ribbon, or anything crafty
  • Put fresh flowers in them
  • Cut out some of our SVG flowers to decorate them found herehere, and here
  • Cut them out in different colors to add to any holiday decor

Our Marquees come with both “holes” and “non-holed.” This is for lights, buttons or other effects (even for back-lit lights).

This tutorial will help you with all of our Marquee Letters.  We chose A and G because they are a couple of the more complicated letters.  A is straight and G is curvy so you should be able to make any letter with these two tutorials.  We have a list of tips for making the other letters at the bottom of this post if you need more instruction.  Over the course of the next few weeks, we will release the whole alphabet and a few symbols, so don’t worry if you don’t see the whole alphabet on my Silhouette and Digiplayground shops yet.  

Letter A tutorial

1. Cut out all svg files.  We did the ones for this tutorial in kraft paper, but the possibilities are endless!

2. Start by folding the score marks on the outside pieces.IMG_0932_web

3. Once you have the sides folded, glue the flaps down the middle, making sure to keep the tab up.  On the end without a tab, leave a little room without glue so the other tab can fit. They should look like the picture below for the letter A.   

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Helpful Hints: You’ll notice that there are shapes cut out in the tabs.  These show you what order and where each of the pieces should be glued to.  The shape on one end will match to a shape on the end of another piece.  It might be hard to identify which pieces go where.  If you look at where they are placed in the file when you open it, you will get a better idea.  Because every letter is different, you will need to look at them and figure out where they go before you start glueing.  All of the corners have score marks, so you will not have to fold anything on your own, if you have to fold something, the piece is in the wrong place.  

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1. For A, start with the center edges.  Take the piece for the middle and fold it.  The tabs should be on the outside so they can be glued to the letter. Doing the center is easier before the outside edges are on.   

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2. Glue the inside tabs to the letter making sure all of the tabs are on the same side of the letter.

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3. For the outside, start with the piece that goes on the bottom.  Glue the tabs to the letter the same way as the center. Do one straight edge at a time.

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4. After the bottom piece is glued, take the two side pieces and insert the tabs into the correct side piece (the symbols should match) and glue them in place.

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5. After the inserted tabs are glued, glue the tabs to the letter one side at a time until you get all the way around, then insert and glue the last tab into place.

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6. Take the second letter and glue it into place.  Make sure to glue it so it covered the tabs.  

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That’s it for Letter A!  You should be able to put together all of the straight letters now!

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G Marquee Letter

1. Cut out all svg files.  We did the ones for this tutorial in kraft paper, but you could do any color!

2. Start by folding the score marks on the outside pieces.  

3. Once you have them folded, glue the flaps to the middle, making sure to keep the tab up.  They should look like the picture below for the letter G.  

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Helpful Hint: G is a curvy letter, which means that the flat outside pieces have to bend more.  Because the paper needs to be more flexible, we did not use hot glue for the outside pieces.  We used a spray adhesive.  You don’t necessarily need a spray adhesive for this, you can use hot glue or whatever you have, but the final product will look better and be easier to glue into place.

4.When all of the outside pieces are folded and glued, take a minute to figure out which pieces go on which part of the letter.  

Helpful Hints: You’ll notice that there are shapes cut out in the tabs.  These show you what order and where each of the pieces should be glue to.  The shape on one end will match to a shape on the end of another piece.  It might be hard to identify which pieces go where.  If you look at where they are placed in the file when you open it, you will get a better idea.  Because every letter is different, you will need to look at them and figure out where they go before you start glueing.  All of the corners have score marks, so you will not have to fold anything on your own, if you have to fold something, the piece is in the wrong place.  

5. When all of your outside pieces are folded and glued, pre-bend the pieces that will go on the curve (these pieces have smaller tabs than the straight pieces).  This will make your letter easier to glue together and make it look better.  The picture shows how much you need to bend it.

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6. For G, start with the smaller straight piece on the top of the G (see picture).  Glue the tab to the letter.  

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7. Then, start gluing the tabs around the curve with hot glue.  Do one or two tabs at a time, making sure the outside piece line up with the outline of the letter.  Don’t rush this too much, if you take it slow and make sure each piece lines up with the letter, your letter will turn out a lot better.

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8. Once your first outside piece is glued on, take the next outside piece (make sure the symbols match up) and insert and glue the tab into the piece that is already attached to the letter.  

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9. Keep going around the letter, gluing all of the tabs down.  

10. After all of the outside pieces are glued onto the letter, take the second letter and glue it into place.  

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Now you have the letter G and are a pro at the curvy letters!

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Some other tips for all letters:

  • Figure out which pieces go where before you start gluing.  The symbols will help you, but it still can be a little tricky
  • Make sure you have the letters right side up.  Letter like H and E might look symmetrical but there are small differences in the height and length in parts of the letters.  Before you glue the second letter on, the holes should line up, and if they don’t, the letter is in the wrong way.

Here are some notes on the other letters.  The tutorials should be able to help you make any letter.  Because each letter is a little different, here are some tips I have for each letter:

A. see tutorial
B. do the two inside holes then outside
C. do the outside then the inside and don’t forget to pre-bend the curvy pieces
D. do the inside then the outside
E. when you put in the second letter, make sure you put it in the right way, or it won’t fit correctly
F.
G. see tutorial
H. when you put in the second letter, make sure the smaller half is on the top, even though they look similar, or it won’t fit correctly
I.
J. do the outside curve then the inside curve
K. take the two pieces that go in the “V” parts and glue the tabs that make the point.  Attach the “V” parts to the letter first, then add the surrounding edge pieces
L.
M.take the two pieces that go in the “V” parts and glue the tabs that make the point.  Attach the “V” parts to the letter first, then add the surrounding edge pieces
N. take the two pieces that go in the “V” parts and glue the tabs that make the point.  Attach the “V” parts to the letter first, then add the surrounding edge pieces
O.  do the inside then the outside
P. do the inside hole then the outside
Q. do the inside first, then start with the flat edges on the outside and go around
R. do the inside hole, then the outside
S. the curved pieces are similar in length, but not the same, double check you know where each piece goes before you start glueing
T.
U. do the outside then the inside
V. take the two pieces that go in the top part of the V and glue the tabs that make the point.  Attach the “V” parts to the letter first, then add the surrounding edge pieces
W. take the two pieces that go in the “V” parts and glue the tabs that make the point.  Attach the “V” parts to the letter first, then add the surrounding edge pieces
X. take the two pieces that go in the “V” parts and glue the tabs that make the point.  Attach the “V” parts to the letter first, then add the surrounding edge pieces.  Also, when you put in the second letter, make sure the smaller half is on the top, even though they look similar, or it won’t fit correctly.
Y. take the two pieces that go in the “V” parts and glue the tabs that make the point.  Attach the “V” parts to the letter first, then add the surrounding edge pieces
Z. take the two pieces that go in the “V” parts and glue the tabs that make the point.  Attach the “V” parts to the letter first, then add the surrounding edge pieces.  Also, when you put in the second letter, make sure the smaller half is on the top, even though they look similar, or it won’t fit correctly.

You can find the whole Alphabet on my Silhouette and Digiplayground Shops.  Look for Numbers coming in the next few weeks! 

 

Happy creating!
Carina

Silhouette Design Store JOANN Stores

Rotating File System for Silhouette and DigiPlayground

I love putting together a little “planner” at the beginning of the year. This year I focused on Mini rotating file systems. These make me so happy and can be used in so many ways. I love that these could be potential albums, event planners, birthday planners, and so much more. I personally adore the little fox tab!

You can find these in my Silhouette and Digiplayground shops!

Enjoy!
Carina
DS-C-W-CG-monthsDS-C-W-CG-alphabetset1 DS-C-W-CG-numberpages1DS-C-W-CG-ballon pages1  DS-C-W-CG-flourishtabs   DS-C-W-CG-swirl pages1DS-C-W-CG-rolodexbracket1 DS-C-W-CG-rolodexcircletab1 DS-C-W-CG-rolodexscallop1  rotatingfilesystembadger rotatingfilesystembear rotatingfilesystembird rotatingfilesystemdeer rotatingfilesystemfox rotatingfilesystemowl rotatingfilesystemporcupine rotatingfilesystemrabbit rotatingfilesystemraccoon rotatingfilesystemwoodpecker

 

Silhouette Design Store JOANN Stores

Nativity Tutorial for Silhouette and Digiplayground

DS-C-W-CG-Nativity shadow boxDIGIThese darling Shadow Box Scenes pop together and then can be pulled apart and stored flat. For me, that makes for the perfect piece of Christmas decor! There are five scenes in all for you to enjoy the holidays!

Here are the links to my Silhouette shop and DigiPlayground shop so you can pick up one of these albums!

Here’s how to put this together:

1. Cut out the svg files.  The sides, roof, and frames I cut out in kraft paper, the shepherd, background, and the main part of the sheep in black, and the frame, angel, and sheep fur in white.

2. Begin with the frames.  Pop dot and attach the angel, shepherd, sheep, and white frame in their appropriate places.  Once you have all the figures in place, you can start putting the nativity together.

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3. Now, put the background and two side pieces together by slipping the tabs on the short ends of the sides into the slits of the background.

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4. The frames attach similarly.  Put the tabs on the ends of the frames into the slits in the side piece.  Do this for all of the frames.  Remember, the frames go in a certain order for it to have the shadowbox effect.  The frame with the thickest bottom goes in the back and the thinnest goes in the front.

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It will look like this when all of the frames are in.

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5. For the roof, start with one side and put the tabs of the side piece into the slits of the roof.  Do this for the other side.  Make sure the side of the roof with the rounded edges goes in the front.

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You’re done with your Nativity! I hope you have a chance to make the entire collection!

Carina

Silhouette Design Store JOANN Stores

Christmas Village Tutorial for Silhouette and DigiPlayground


IMG_0774_webI’ve been working on this Christmas Village for weeks now. Every time one of the little houses got put together, I couldn’t help but smile! Everything about this little village makes me so happy.

There are quite a few pieces, and they all can be purchased from Silhouette and DigiPlayground. Each building is very intricate and there are a lot of parts. I have a quick video on some of the harder pieces so you can see how they go together (see above).

As for displaying this village, there are soooo many options. I have two I’d like to suggest here for you. The first is a display made completely from foam core. I have a free svg file for you to make a template of the one I made and some instructions on how to put it together below. (The photo below is the display I created with foam core. You can make this too!)

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IMG_0673_webThe second way I would display it is on a mantle or coffee table. I love mine on top of our white piano. The best part is at night when we put electric tealights underneath and the entire thing lights up (picture of this below!).

If you place your village on a mantel, depending on the number of pieces you build, I suggest using cake plates and cups turned upside down to give dimension and layer to your village. Cover these with ‘snow’ you can purchase from your local craft store to hide these layers. Instant snow drift!

The two photos below is of the Christmas Village on top of my piano (about the size of the mantel). I love it up there! Every piece is so unique and darling. My family is really going to enjoy it this holiday season!

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There are so many great pieces in this village. They will be release over the next two weeks (so keep an eye out for them!). The picture below is of the Santa’s Workshop, General Store, Gingerbread House, Trees, and Deer.

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Picture below highlights the Clock Tower, Chapel, and Gingerbread House.

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The train comes in two files—a Train Station with tracks and a curved 3D Train.

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Happy little penguins anyone?

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Check out the Snow Cottage, Elf Houses (with curved roof!) and the Chapel.

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Turn off the lights and watch them glow! Instant Christmas Magic!

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Here’s the tutorial for the Display:

Download the Free Display Template Here—CarinaGardner_ChristmasVillage_Display.zip

If you are having trouble with the link, then try copying and pasting this: https://carinagardner.com/freedownload/carinagardner_christmasvillage_display.zip

  1. Download the zip. You will need 5-6 pieces of 20 inch x 30 inch foam core in white. You will also need a hot glue gun, a small package of ‘snow’, and x-acto knife.
  2. There are four layers to this display. The zip contains 4 documents that may look a bit jumbled (everything needed to fit on a 12 x 12 template for Cricut users). All you need to do is pull all the pieces apart and cut each of them out. Then layout your template like I have below:

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3. After cutting out your pieces you will lay the template onto each layer. Layer 1 you will use the template to cut away two edges of the display. Layer 2 you will need to add a width of 8.5 inches to add the depth. Layers 3 and 4 you can cut out as is.

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4. Use an x-acto knife to cut these out. Don’t worry about making it perfect! Your snow will cover your mistakes!

5. Once the layers are cut out, you will want to create dimension by cut out several 2 inch strips the full length of the 30 inches on the extra foam core you have. Slice lightly into one side of the strips so that you can bend them to the shapes of your layers. Start with layer 2. Start at the side front and hot glue the 2 inch strip along the curve. Don’t worry about mistakes or gaps! Your snow will cover all of this!  Once you have glued the strip along the edge of layer 2 you will glue it down to layer 1. Continue with all the layers using the diagram below to help determine how to place everything.

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6. Once everything is glued together, simply layer snow on the display. I glued a little bit to the board to help everything stay in place. To glue the trees, deer, and penguins to the display, I moved the snow to the side and glued these pieces directly onto the foam core. Then I moved the snow back into place.

I hope you have fun making this display and the entire Christmas Village!

Carina

 

Silhouette Design Store JOANN Stores

Hexagon Halloween Ornament

DS-C-8.6824W-CG-Spider Ornament

I love some dead branches in a vase as halloween decor. These little ornaments are the perfect accessory for those branches! They’d also be cute strung in front of a window or as a banner.

Every one of these ornaments are made a little differently. I’ve chosen to show you how to put together the hardest one. Most are simply layered with hexagons and shapes. Feel free to mix and match all of the ornaments in this collection!

Here are the links to my Silhouette shop and DigiPlayground shop.

Here’s how to put this together:

1. Cut out the svg files.  The main body of the ornament I cut out in a deep gray and the interior is a matte black with white spider webs and red spider.

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2. Next take the hexagon sides and fold the flap that is connected to the long rectangle piece back onto itself and glue down. Repeat on the other side.

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3. Fold all hex flaps away from each other so that they create a flat surface that you are going to glue your rectangle piece to. There are fold marks where each side of the hexagon’s flaps should be glued to your long rectangle. Repeat all the way around until you end with 2 open slits at the top

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4.  Slip the ornament hangers from the hexagon through those two open slits and glue together.

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5. Take your flat hexagon accent pieces and pop dot them on each side of your ornament.

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6. Lay the spider web over the top of your ornament with the long webs aligning with the corners of your hexagon. Bend them over the edges to give you a good idea where to glue. Neatly tuck your folded spider web string to the inside of the corner to the hexagon and glue together. Repeat all the way around and the other side.

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7. Once your finished pop dot your spider to the web and you’re done!

Hope you have fun making these!

Carina.

Silhouette Design Store JOANN Stores

Halloween Crate Tutorial for Silhouette and Digiplayground

DS-C-10.0843W-CG-Ghost Crate

It’s my favorite time of year! That’s probably why I get so excited for all of these Halloween projects. This post is for a tutorial on the Light Up Halloween Crates. You can purchase them from both the Silhouette and Digiplayground shops. (Links to the crates will become available as they go live).

These are incredibly simple to put together. I’m planning on putting in the windows at the house and as centerpieces on my coffee table. You can place an electric tea light in the center (I love the black ones!) for a but of ambiance!

Here are the links to my Silhouette Shop and DigiPlayground Shop.

Here’s how to put it together:

1. Cut out the svg files, cut two of each side piece, four total. Ink the edges of your crate to create some dimension.

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2. Glue accent pieces to the inside of the crate side pieces.

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2. Once you have glued on all the accent pieces onto the sides, take the bottom flat geometric piece and slip the pointed edge through the slot at the bottom, just below the ghost.

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3. Next, grab the opposite side piece and slip the tabs through the slots provided in your first piece. Again, insert bottom pointed edge just below ghost and repeat this step all the way around.

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Place a tea light in the center and you are done!

Enjoy,

Carina

Silhouette Design Store JOANN Stores

Halloween Inspiration

IMG_8541_webHalloween has officially begun at my house! Our little family celebrated by going to Frightmares last weekend and starting work on costumes—well, the kids started thinking about their costumes, and I started working on them.

(Photo to the left of Silhouette Halloween Tags now in the shop).

I’m always a happy girl when this time of year rolls around. I feel renewed with the autumn weather. I’m ready for the heat to be replaced by cool breezes and and falling leaves.

And then, of course, there is the all the halloween decor. Many years, I don’t get to pulling things out until the last minute. But these year, our studio has producing so many fun halloween designs! The end result—lots of goodies to hang all over my home.

 

 

 

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(All of these designs can be found in my silhouette shop and digiplayground shop)

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And yes, we’ve already watched The Nightmare Before Christmas and Hocus Pocus.

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Hope you have a moment this week to pull out or make some pretty things! I’m going to get to work on costumes and start planning my Halloween kids party!

Happy Haunting,
Carina

Silhouette Design Store JOANN Stores

Episode 13: Halloween Haunted Mansion for Silhouette and DigiPlayground.com

IMG_7894_webThis idea has been in the works for several weeks now. I’m so thrilled to finally be able to present my Halloween Haunted Village! This is made completely from SVGS files that you can purchase from my Silhouette Online Shop or DigiPlayground.com (for other cutting machines).

There are several pieces to this village. You can mix and match or purchase the entire village. Here are the pieces you can buy in this set (links for purchase available 9/21/15):

Pumpkin Mansion
Ghost Mansion
Spider House
Witch Tower
Haunted Tree
Haunted Fence
Coffin
Cat House
Tiny Bat House
Tiny Crow House
Cemetary

Most of these pieces (in particular the larger pieces) have a circular opening at the bottom so you can place an electric tealight. I can’t describe how awesome this village looks when all the lights are off and the tea lights make these IMG_7899_1_webhouse glow! If you want ALL the larger houses to glow, make sure you use, orange, white, cream, or transparent paper (like vellum) for the bases of your houses. Several of my houses (shown here) use a black or kraft paper base. These do not show the light nearly as well as the lighter based houses.

My kids were thrilled with this set! Charlie ended up playing in my office for most of the afternoon with the lights off, moving around the pieces and tea lights in this set!

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Of course, this set has a lot of working parts so there is a video on how to assemble it! I cover several of the pieces that I feel will help you. I hope you enjoy it!

Carina

Silhouette Design Store JOANN Stores