Dimensional Art - 3D hedgehog cards on the Cricut Explore

When I was away last week I saw on a Facebook group there was a new cartridge in the Cricut subscription and on checking it out on my iPad I was so excited to see a hedgehog design!

The cartridge is called Dimensional Paper Art and can be found by searching the cartridges on design space. 

There is a wide range of designs from feathers and flowers to dinosaurs and hedgehogs. Some cuts are just the designs but there are also projects such as cards with envelopes.

I decided to make the hedgehog card with the 2 curled up hedgehogs. I have a selection of square envelopes so went into layers and deleted the envelope so I just had the card and made it 5 inches high to fit my chosen envelope. Due to this size I could cut 2 on a 12x12 sheet so that's what I did. Inside it has a cute sentiment of 'sending hedgehugs'. 

I cut the main card base out of a purple bazzill basics cardstock which was strange enough to stand nicely as a card blank.

I then cut the hedgehog design from Centura Pearl Snow White cardstock. It all went fine until the second design was cutting and then I kept having Bluetooth problems so decided to try another design for the 2nd card. 

My second design was the hedgehog with the flowers so I attached this to a circle the same size as the circle on the other hedgehog design (4.6 inches) and cut this out of thin card to see how it came out. 

I much prefer the double hedgehog design as the flowers pop out more and they might get caught going in and out the envelope whereas the hedgehog spikes are only small. To push the spikes up I used a pokey tool and pushed from the back. This took ages but gives a lovely finish.

I lightly brushed a sponge with Tattered Rose distress ink over the double hedgehog design so it just caught the edge of the spikes and I also put this round the outside of the circle. 

I glued the designs onto the cards ensuring I only glued around the outside. 

I like how these turned out and will be trying out some more designs in this cartridge soon (when I've solved the Bluetooth issue)

Christmas Cracker Hat Craft Tutorial

This year I've decided to make my own crackers. I decided this just after Christmas and then it became much easier with the Tonic cracker dies which they started selling in the summer (early I know but you have to be prepared!)

So I have the crackers theirselves sorted but I wanted to make my own hats as a cracker isn't a cracker without a paper hat. Today (27th October 2013) it was really handy as Aldi had a special on lots of Christmas wrapping including tissue paper so I sent my husband off with a list of things to get when he popped round there (it's virtually next door to us) while I slept off my migraine (grrrr). With all this windy weather my husband told me he was nearly run over by the outdoor plant shelving units on wheels! Luckily he ran out the way. 

So my husband came back with a pack of tissue paper, curling ribbon and fabric ribbon. I just said 'get any design' as my migraine had taken hold and he came back with the ones I actually wanted so that was amazing (I wouldn't have minded design as long as I had the actual items)

So now to the tutorial. To make paper hats for crackers you will need:

Scissors

A ball point pen (I used a white ball gel pen)

Double-sided tape

Ruler

Tissue paper (you will need enough to make 2 pieces 31cm x 12.5cm for each hat).

1. Get your tissue paper and measure and cut into two pieces that at 31cm x 12.5cm (if you have tissue paper 61cm long you can just cut this 12.5cm tall)

2. Use double-sided tape and stick this on one end of each piece of tissue paper. (If you are just using one piece 61cm long just put tape at one end) 

3. Stick the two pieces of tissue paper together to make a round piece of tissue paper. NOTE: Make sure if you are using a pattern that as to be up a certain way that you stick the paper together with both pieces up the right way)

4. Fold the hat flat so it looks like the below.

5. Mark every 5cm and then folder that hat in a concertina way.

6. Snip the top of the hat diagonally 

7. Ta-da you now have a paper cracker hat!

Just fold and put it in your cracker ready for Christmas (don't forget to put a present and joke in your cracker too!)

I made my hats in a few different patterns. You could also print on white tissue paper and make your own personalised hats (I've not been brave enough to print on tissue paper yet)

You can also make smaller hats for children or make a curvy line instead of a zig-zag. I did try to punch shapes out of tissue paper but found as it was so delicate it tore the paper but worked if I put paper in the punch with the tissue paper. 

With my tissue paper due to the size I had off cuts so I used them to decorate some tags for my gift wrap so very little wastage.

Some of my uses of Crafty Creatives packaging

I love the Crafty Creatives boxes and one of the things I enjoy seeing is that months packaging paper/material.

For my valentines day cards I used the Halloween theme box rose material (I only sent one card but made cards for friends and family to give).

This month I loved the polkadot print and used it for my Mum's Mother's Day present (a handmade pin cushion and some flower head pins). I wrapped this with some twine (similar to that in the box this month but I have lots of reels of different colours from a competition) and also used a tag I think was in a past box. No tape needed at all either!

I've used the printed brown paper for small gifts previously too as think it looks so lovely and have used it in my Big Shot with my hedgehog die as it gives a great texture and colour for my hedgehogs. (The picture below shows this on our hedgehog's house sign, he is such a messy hog, he rearranges his cage at night)

What have you used your paper wraps for?