My Grandma's Teacups: Turn your Cricut Explore into a Paper Doll Cutter

So it's no secret that I am totally crazy about Prima Marketing's line of Julie Nutting Dolls Stamps. It seems I talk about them allot....ok...really really allot. But they are so fun to make. Some of my friends were less then excited about the stamps because they did not enjoy spending the time cutting out the multiple layers that make these dolls come to life. This diminished my joy somewhat as I wanted everyone to love them as much as I do.

Then one afternoon it struck me (not literally) but I figured out that if we eliminated the fussy cutting around the various layers the ladies could just enjoy the process of stamping and colouring the dolls. Bravo, I have my moments of brilliance. So I set to work creating cut files for my Prima Dolls. Some people will be aghast that I would suggest this. I am aware that some people will use this technique for evil and do the print then cut but I need to remind those folks not to get too excited because that feature only works on white paper. So follow along with the doll stamp of your choice. It;s a long process but you will only need to do it once and then you will have years of enjoyment dressing up your creations.

So the first step is to get an image of your stamp:

You could be very ambitious and scan your stamp or you can just google the stamp and borrow an image to use.


Now then, time to get to work. Log into your Cricut design space and start a new project.

Select all the layers for your doll and bring them into your design space. You may notice a few extra specks you missed when erasing. Take a moment and clear them up using an extra shape and the slice tool. This also works to straighten up any wiggly parts that you did not get a perfect image of. ( I get this allot because I have shaky hands). Remember to work with a duplicate of the piece you are working on so that you can have a fallback if something goes wrong.

The rest of the tutorial will be in the post on Thursday! 

Go Ahead, Its already posted

My Grandma's Teacups: Focus on You Series: Guest Post By by Rosiland Burch, Handcrafted Jewelry Designer

"Wearing Fierce Jewelry Makes You Feel Fabulous”

Women wearing fabulous jewelry that builds the self-esteem and confidence, is something that I get to experience with clients all of the time. Working with these extraordinary women on the daily bases, gives me the opportunity to peer into their world to see why they love wearing fabulous jewelry as the main accessory in their wardrobe as they conquer the world.

As a world renowned handcrafted jewelry designer, my job is to create beautiful jewelry that will transform each client into the fierce woman, who’s ready to take on life’s chances. We are talking fabulous everyday women, who takes on families, careers, educational pursuits, or reinventions due to life’s changes. These are the women that I have the absolute pleasure of accessorizing with fabulous jewelry.

 Now let us tell the truth!  We as women have a lot to deal with as we take on the cares of the world, which often takes the focus off of our personal needs as women. We get so caught up in taking care of home, meeting deadlines at work, or running businesses that we neglect the fact that we need to sparkle, while we are being the queen on the chessboard in the game of life.  That’s right, I said “sparkle.” Yes, I am talking about wearing jewelry that will start conversations or make you feel like you should be on the front cover of Vogue.  Fabulous baubles such as necklaces, statement pieces, chokers, earrings of all sizes and shapes, and rings with amazing color should adorn your ensemble. Believe me when I tell you that your favorite jewelry pieces can make a difference in how you perceive your situations in life. Walk with me for just a moment. Let’s say that you get up feeling some kind of way, “PERIOD”. You don’t really have time to recalibrate your thinking because you have to get everyone as well as everything in order before you leave, this includes yourself. So in the midst of everything,  you are thinking about what you are going to wear from head to toe as well as how fast you can get it on, so you start the day that you feel should end before it gets started. Now, this is because you are thinking about everyone else but yourself. Now, imagine restarting the same day with same set of circumstances. This time, you are taking a few extra minutes to plan your look. So now, you get to plan what you wear, which now includes the new or favorite jewelry pieces that makes you feel so empowered when you wear them as you take on this hellish type day. This change or sense of empowerment you feel comes from how you feel when you put on those pieces of jewelry that simply takes you somewhere within yourself that makes you feel fierce, powerful, and fabulous in your own right. Even I, have a kickass statement necklace that makes me feel like I am on top of the world!

Article by Rosiland Burch, Handcrafted Jewelry Designer

Website:  www.stojewels.com

My Grandma's Teacups: Being A Little Wish-y Washi

Delight! My order came in yesterday and inside a very small inconspicuous box was a wonder of washi that I spent much to long drooling over. I can't believe how excited this pretty tape makes me. Its like each little roll holds the promise of a great crafting project just waiting to be explored. I know this is far from the last order I will be receiving as I think this just might be my new favourite embellishment. I think it is perfect for the Bible Journaling that I am hoping to start soon.

Check out my haul:

These are all from the company called Love My Tapes and I think I am in trouble because there are over 100 designs available.

This is not like the washi I have purchased before that feels flimsy and fragile. This tape has a real depth to it. I feel like it will hold up to my plans for using it in my planner and bible journal. The colours are very vibrant. (My photography does not do it justice).

I will post some pictures once my new planner arrives. I am still waiting for the journalling bible I want to be released.

Here is sneak peek at the planner I have ordered:

Don't forget to follow my on Pinterest as I explore all the wonderful uses for all the Washi I am wishing for.

Follow My Grandma's Teacups's board Wonderful Washi on Pinterest. Follow My Grandma's Teacups's board Bible Journaling on Pinterest. Follow My Grandma's Teacups's board Planner Printables on Pinterest.

My Grandma's Teacups: Marker Mayhem: Which Marker is best for you?

Hi Guys. I an super excited that you have been sharing lots of love on my Copic posts. I have to tell you working with alcohol markers is amazingly fun. It is also really expensive to build up a collection. I did some research on other brands of alcohol markers and found that the price difference is definitely something to look at. Lets face it, I like to think I am a pretty fantastic crafter but I am certainly not at the artistic level of the people that require Copic markers.

These were some of the alternatives I looked at:

• Le Plume
• Sharpie
• ShinHan
• Bic
• Copic
• Spectrum Noir

When you are looking  at purchasing alcohol markers I think you need to really evaluate how much you plan on using them. This will skew the numbers tremendously. For some a set of Sharpie or Bic markers would be a perfect choice as they don't need allot of colours and won't use them so often as to have to replace them. For others having a marker that can be refilled and nibs changed will be the most cost effective.

Brand	# Colours	Refillable	Nib Replaceable	Price
Le Plume	35 Colours and one blender available	No	No	$2
Spectrum Noir	168 Colours	Yes	Yes	$2-3
Copic Ciao	180 Colours	Yes	Yes	$5-7
Sharpie	24 (some are limited edition)	No	No	$1.50-2
Bic	36 Colours	No	No	$1.50-2
ShinHan	204 Colours	Yes	Yes	$4-5

I have used the LePlume  Markers. They were actually the first kind I purchased as they were readily available at my local Michael's. I personally did not enjoy working with them. The nib seemed a bit unwieldy for me.

I have used Sharpie and Bic markers in a pinch but because of the limited colours I did not make this my go to marker.

I have had a set of ShinHan markers for about a year. I think it might just be me but I find it hard to get the same blending effect as my Copic markers.

Copic Ciao have been my favourite to work with for some time. It was a long process to grow my collection though as up until recently they were not sold in my area and I had to rely on Ebay and Scrapfest to make my purchases. I liked the Copic because it seemed sensible to me to purchase a marker that I could keep using indefinitely by refilling it using Various Ink refills and Copic Nibs. Our group had started collecting Copics as well as we have been learning the various techniques but at $6-7 a marker it's hard for many people to build a workable pallette.

Over the last few days I have spent allot of time researching Spectrum Noir markers. There are a ton of free resources for this line and the price point makes it more appealing for the average crafter, like me. For this reason I have listed my Copic and ShinHan Touch markers on my clearance site and I have ordered the Spectrum Noir Collection. This way the ladies in the group can get 6 markers in a pack every month instead of 1 or 2. Using this method we will all have complete sets in no time at all.