I am having a good time making these albums! With such a variety of papers and tools at hand, including all my stuff from Stampin’ Up, there is no end to the things I am planning. I have also taken up embroidery again ( okay, simple embroidery.) Next on the list is bookmarks with embroidered designs. I’ll be sure to post the photos as I get them done.
My YouTube channel is under the user name of FriedellArt, so you can see a lot of what I am doing there. Go ahead and subscribe… you never know what you’ll see next!
These are “paper bag” albums with all kinds of pretty paper and embellishments.
Source: Uploaded by user via Andrea on Pinterest
Sparkly H2Os
A new way to decorate greeting card fronts…
Gift albums
My time this month is devoted to making gift albums for my customers to purchase for Father’s Day or graduates this month. They will be available at http://www.collageartemporium.com and at my Etsy store. See them on my YouTube channel too.
More later.
What I’ve been up to…
Collage Example (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
http://www.facebook.com/v/3672304284885
Click on the link to see the video. You can also find my uploaded videos on You Tube by searching Andrea Friedell, or Collage Art Emporium. I think. If I did it right!
Since I was able to get the Make The Cut software, I’ve been cutting out things like crazy… flowers, borders, anything that can be converted to a vector file. And MTC does it better than any other program I have used! In many ways it is superior to CorelDraw, although I use both. If you have any text or dingbats you would like cut out, get that software! And if you get it from me, I get paid!
Make the Cut software really makes the cut!
This has been an exciting couple of days for me, but then it takes so little to make me happy!
Before I go any further, please know that you can buy and download this wonderful software through the associate link on my webstore, http://www.collageartemporium.com. Now that that’s clear, let me go on:
For anyone who does crafting or any kind of computerized cutting at all, particularly as in my case with an engraver, the software that has been available has either a steep learning curve, or doesn’t really do much. I have been using Corel Draw for years. But sometimes I want to just cut paper, or vinyl, or a simple rhinestone template. I have the Cricut Expression which is tied quite forcefully to cartridges. And the designs that are offered are so simple you could just use scissors. So I decided to get rid of that (not so easy) and bought a Silhouette Cameo. It has its own software but can actually import things done in Corel Draw or just jpegs. It has a good rhinestone application but uses that same sticky mat business that Cricut has. And it can cut vinyl but not chipboard or wood.
And then I found Make The Cut. OMG! It will print to everything in the house (except Cricut, who threw a hissy fit) but especially is nice for the laser engraver. It has a magic tracing component that is better than Corel Draw, and a welding feature that a 5-year-old could master. And best of all, this software at the moment is less than $100… this week it has been on sale at about half that! And it will make a rhinestone pattern from any traced drawing in the blink of an eye. There is a forum, and tutorials, and free files upoaded by users, and I spent the weekend helping my granddaughter make a ounicorn and a rainbow, and even a paper shoe from one crafter’s pattern. I can cut from all my Dover books, from any vector file in any size I choose.
I make chipboard shapes for scrapbooking. And small art journals. I also obviously do collage art with acrylic and encaustics. Now the sky is the limit. I don’t have to spend hours tinkering around with Corel now unless I just want to. Want to cut out a quick flower or swirly thing for an album? Done. Five minutes. I love this software!
And if you don’t have a Silhouette or Cricut-type cutter, much less a laser engraver, there’s a cutter available too, for $399. (If I can sell my Silhouette I will replace it. I tried to sell the Cricut twice on ebay and the buyers never paid, so I still have that too.) But for now, it’s me, my plywood, my chipboard and my laser… and Make The Cut.
Originally submitted at Jerry’s Artarama Art Supplies
Deluxe primed canvas with a unique beveled edge! From the makers of artists' favorites like The Edge and Paramount canvases comes an innovative new painting surface inspired by master artist Wilson Bickford! Made from medium-weight, 100% cotton duck canvas primed with universal, titanium white …
These are really nice!
Pros: Different, Attention-grabbing, Gallery wrap, Fun
Cons: Great
Best Uses: Gallery, Art
Describe Yourself: Artist
Primary use: Business
Was this a gift?: No
This is another great product that does not require a frame! It is easy to apply hangers if your gallery requires them, or just hang them on a nail! I found it easier to paint the edges or use for collage than the square-edged gallery wrapped canvases.
(legalese)
