6x6 Cutting Formula

If you're visiting from the Operation Write Home Tuesday Tutorial, welcome!  Thanks to Kristie, Seongsook, and Sandy for inspiring this tutorial.  Kristie is the mistress of all things 6x6, Seongsook's been offering up great One Sheet Wonder templates recently, and Sandy did an episode of OWHtv on her method of using a 6x6 pad.  Here's my take on the topic of 6x6 paper pads:  

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend and marks an annual tradition for Operation Write Home: the biggest bloghop of the year.

I signed up weeks ago to participate and then ended up too busy to make a card until the last minute.  I pulled out a 6x6 pad because they are my crutch when I need an awesome card in a short amount of time.  I'm guaranteed that the papers go together, so I can layer them up and not have to worry about clashing!  You can check out my card here if you missed the hop! 

6x6 pads have been the talk of lots of OWHers and were even the subject of a tutorial.  Lots of comments on my blog hop post indicated OWHers are interested in the idea but haven't gotten a chance to dive in yet.  I'm with them; I still haven't tried to make all of the pages in one 6x6 into cards all at once.  Why?  I think it's because I tend to cut into several sheets to make one card and then I'm faced with a pile of scraps that seem too small for much of anything except a scrappy background.  I'm also more than a little overwhelmed with the idea of tackling all that paper at once.  When I start something, I like to finish, so I'd be sitting for a long time to get through 24 sheets! 

Today, I set out to change my concern into a method that works for me.  I made myself a little 6x6 template and put 6 of them on a sheet of computer paper.  I knew that most pads come in multiples of 6, so I figured that to be a good starting point. I wanted to make a cutting formula that would use 6 sheets of 6x6 paper at a time with minimal waste.

I made two templates.  Template 1 makes 9 cards and template 2 makes 8 cards.

Here are the cutting templates and the cards I made from them.  On each square, note the order to make the cuts.  Same sized pieces can be swapped based on whether you want to repeat or vary the patterns.  Template 1 says it makes eight cards, but it's really nine.  If your papers are single sided, you'll need to cut each page twice (in two different patterns) to provide enough variation in the papers. 

In Template 1, cards 1A-1D are based on OWH Sketch 1, card 2 is based on OWH Sketch 7, card 3A-3B are based on OWH Sketch 8, and cards 4A-4B are based on OWH Sketch 135.  Sample cards are made with papers from My Mind's Eye All Spice.

Template 1, Cards 1A and 1B

Template 1, Cards 1C and 1D

Template 1, Card 2.  Also great horizontal

Template 1, Cards 3A and 3B

Template 1, Cards 4A and 4B

In Template 2, cards 1A-1C are based on OWH Sketch 154.  The others have some similarities to previous OWH sketches but aren't true copies of any of them, sorry!  Sample cards from My Mind's Eye Fine and Dandy Boy.   

Template 2, Cards 1A and 1B

Template 2, Cards 1C and 2A

Template 2, Card 2B

Template 2, Card 3

Template 2, Cards 4A and 4B (My favorite!)

If you try these cutting templates, plan on three 12x12 or four 8.5 x 11 sheets of cardstock for layers and matting in a color that will go with all of your patterns.  You might squeeze out the 8 or 9 cards with one less sheet of cardstock, but I prefer to have plenty of material for layering.  As far as color goes, I like to choose something with good contrast in case the patterns are busy.

I hope this helps you get started with your stash of 6x6 paper pads! Please leave me a link below if you try it out.  I'd love to see your creations!

P.S. For anyone who wants the templates in a PDF, just click here to download them from box.com.  

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2013: 651 blank and 236 AnyHero (as of 4/28/13)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

Tutorial: Tool Organizer

Inspired by a clutch I saw on Pinterest that was made by TidyMom, I set out to make an organizer with elastic loops to hold my crafting tools so I can easily take them along to crops.   I thought the plastic bags in the inspiration were a recipe for disaster for me- they would certainly make my sewing machine spazz out and I knew I'd destroy the bags if I ever got them stitched down properly.  Elastic loops sounded much more promising. 

I purchased a printed pot holder with a pocket.  The pocket is optional but gives an extra storage space and a convenient way to hide your stitches. 

I cut a length of thin elastic the same length as the potholder and I sewed it down every 3/4" or so by hand.  I would recommend that you choose the objects you want to store first and change the spacing of your stitches accordingly.  I would also recommend 1/4" or 1/2" elastic instead of the slim elastic I used if you're storing heavy things.  I chose to sew this by hand because I wanted to hide the stitches inside the pocket.  

 

Finally, stitch a button in line with the hanging loop so you can close up your organizer.  Not bad for $1.50, right?  It was a very quick project, less than 30 minutes start to finish! 

The button is on the back!  Small scissors easily fit in the pocket.

Potholder: Big Lots, $1.50
Elastic, Thread, and Button: from stash 

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 928 blank and 215 AnyHero (as of 6/26)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

Tutorial Part 2: Repurposed Stickers

Yesterday, I shared a technique to repurpose epoxy stickers using a Sharpie marker. 

 

Today, I want to take that tutorial one step further.  You'll need:

• epoxy stickers
• black Sharpie
• Versamark
• embossing powder (opaque color)
• heat tool
• protected work surface

We're going to make these: 

1. Color your epoxy dot stickers with the Sharpie and let them dry.  I also tried this without coloring the dots and it produced a lighter finished product with the original color showing through.  Experiment! 
2. Gently stamp the dots into the Versamark.  If your Versamark pad is new and clean, you might notice some ink rub off and stain the pad.  Avoid excessive pressure when inking the dots to reduce ink transfer.  (Ask me how I know.  ;)  Thankfully, my Versamark pad is 7 or so years old, so this wasn't its first small stain.)
3. Coat the dots in embossing powder.  I used a color called "hematite" by Stampendous that produces an interesting metallic look.  
4. Use your heat tool to melt the embossing powder.  
5. If you have ragged edges on your finished product, they will likely come off easily with your fingers, or you can use a small sanding block to gently remove excess embossing powder trails.  

The finished product on a couple of cards:

 This one is lighter because I didn't color the dot first.  The dot was pink before it was embossed. 

I hope you try these dots on your cards and let me know what you think!


Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: none thus far, but my box is filling up nicely! Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Quick tip: storage

Hi everyone, 
I just wanted to share a quick storage tip today.  I love dimensional foam, but I can't stand it when it gets covered with lint.  Thank goodness I don't have any furry pets, or I'd really be going crazy! 

I don't buy the gigantic roll that Sandy's shown on OWHtv several times.  I found some thin, economical foam tape at Big Lots for $1.50.  The roll is about 4 inches in diameter.  To store the roll, I pop it in this Laughing Cow cheese container.  It's the right size and it keeps the tape tidy. 

My tape won't moove out of sight in this container! 

If you're looking for the Big Lots foam tape, I originally found it in the craft section in one store.  When I visited another location, it was in the hardware aisle.  The package is yellow, teal, and purple.  The roll pictured is partially used, so what you would buy is a good bit larger.
 
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: none thus far, but my box is filling up nicely!
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Tutorial: repurposed stickers

I know letter stickers are SO passe now that electronic die cut machines have come into vogue.  That said, I still use them on my scrapbook pages and sometimes on my cards.  The leftover alphabet soup of letters that are seldom used is always a frustration.  I ended up spelling "btw u r gr8" on a card tonight to use more letters after running out of the letters A, E, and O.  I hate throwing away the leftover letters.  Maybe I will have a use for copious amounts of the letter Q one day.  For now, I want to repurpose the leftovers into something I can use now. 

I started with a sheet of epoxy letters circles.  These are by KI Memories from a kit given to me by a friend. 

Once I made a few titles and sentiments, I was left with alphabet soup or a license plate number, your pick. 

Would the driver of the car with license plate HPSZZ456 please report to customer service? 

After I'd used everything of value, I used a Sharpie to recolor the extra letters and numbers.  I tried a few colors, but only black was able to completely cover the print.  (Black Copics may work too, but my colors are too pale to test out.)  I applied three layers of ink, letting each one dry.  The first coat had the stickers covered, but left streaks.  You may do more or less coats to get the effect you desire.  Within a minute or two, I checked the pieces and found that they had dried to a nice shine and weren't at all sticky.   

You don't want to know what this part of the sticker sheet used to spell.  Time to black out those letters.  ;)

I used the new embellishments like we would use brads on a card.  It's easy to apply them since they're stickers and they're FREE since you were going to throw them away anyway!  I used them on a Mother's Day card, but I think they'd be great for masculine designs as well. 

The letters FLQ wouldn't make sense on this card, but black accents do!

Have you tried this or something similar?  If you try this technique, I would love to see a link to your card.  :)

Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: none thus far, but my box is filling up nicely!
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695